The Warmth of the Sun in the Winter

Back at her hotel suite, she flopped onto the couch in her favorite pajamas, scrolling aimlessly through old photos on her phone.

She stopped when a particular picture caught her eye.

It was a photo of the sky—clouds in the shape of a bunny floating against a backdrop of soft pink and orange hues.

Her breath hitched. This can't be right.

She was certain she had seen this picture before. In her dream.

Her finger hovered over the screen as she stared at the image. The bunny-shaped clouds were exactly as she remembered them, down to the faint golden rays breaking through the edges.

Her heart raced. This wasn't here yesterday. I would've noticed it.

"Am I losing it?" she whispered to herself, shaking her head.

Yang Xiaotao popped her head into the room. "Miss Yuxin, you good? Talking to yourself isn't a great sign, you know."

Ren Yuxin glanced up, startled. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just… reminiscing."

Yang Xiaotao raised an eyebrow. "Reminiscing or spiraling into existential dread?"

Ren Yuxin waved her off. "Goodnight, Xiaotao."

"Alright, but if you start seeing ghosts, don't say I didn't warn you."

As the door clicked shut, Ren Yuxin leaned back against the couch, clutching her phone tightly.

She stared at the photo one last time before setting the phone aside.

Maybe I'm just tired. Or maybe…

She shook her head. "Nope. Not doing this. Not going crazy over a dream."

Despite her resolve, the unsettling familiarity lingered in the back of her mind.

After a while of wondering if she had finally gone mad, she fell asleep again on the couch.

Ren Yuxin slowly opened her eyes, blinking in confusion as the familiar hum of the classroom filled her ears.

She felt a slight tension in her chest, wondering if she had truly lost her mind.

The soft murmur of classmates chatting, the sound of the teacher's voice in the distance—it was all so real, and yet, so unreal.

She glanced around, and sure enough, she was back in the classroom again, the one where everything had started.

She frowned, rubbing her eyes. Is this really happening?

Looking to her side, she saw Su Yuanzhou with his head resting on his desk, his posture relaxed.

He seemed so... normal.

Just the sight of him, as he was back then, brought a flood of memories rushing in.

Her gaze lowered and landed on her own hair. A strand of ash-gray hair had fallen from her shoulder, and as she ruffled it absently, she noticed a small leaf caught in the strands.

Su Yuanzhou, ever so calm and unhurried, extended his arm toward her, his fingers brushing her hair as he removed the leaf.

Ren Yuxin's heart skipped a beat.

This... this is the day.

It was the exact moment she realized she liked him.

She couldn't help but smile, her cheeks flushing pink.

This wasn't the first time she'd thought of him this way, but now, seeing him so close, it felt more real than ever before.

With a nervous giggle, she fumbled for her iPad, hastily scribbling her thoughts in the notes app.

It's really easy to like him.

As if the world had other plans, the shrill ring of an alarm echoed through the room, yanking her out of her dreamy state.

"Ugh, I was asleep again?!" Ren Yuxin groaned, rubbing her eyes, still half in the dream, half in reality.

She reached for her iPad and tapped the screen, opening the notes app in a daze.

Her eyes widened. The note she had just written—It's really easy to like him—was right there, exactly as she had written it in the dream.

She let out a sharp breath. Was that... real?

A million thoughts flooded her mind.

She had read countless novels about time travel, where the female lead dies and is sent back, but... she hadn't died, right? She'd only dozed off on the couch.

"Okay, this is just insane," she muttered under her breath, flipping through the notes again as if expecting them to change or disappear. But the words remained, just as vivid as before.

"Maybe I've been reading too many of those time-travel novels," she said aloud, attempting to convince herself that her mind was playing tricks.

But... it feels too real.

With a deep sigh, she buried her face in her hands. "Am I really... going back in time every time I sleep? Is this how my life works now?"

The morning sun was still barely peeking through the clouds when the production team arrived at the amusement park, their energy already buzzing with excitement.

It was going to be a long day, packed with scenes, but it was the first time shooting in an amusement park, so there was an air of anticipation.

Today's scenes would take them from the thrill of the rides to the eeriness of the movie theater and, finally, to the drama-filled hospital. There was a lot to cover in one day, but they were ready.

Ren Yuxin, dressed in her costume for the scene, glanced over at Su Jing as the crew set up. He was clearly not looking forward to the day ahead.

After getting to know each other yesterday, Bai Ye's team witnessed a unique "couple vibe" between Ren Yuxin and Su Jing.

"You alright?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

Su Jing let out a dramatic sigh, flopping onto a bench near the Ferris wheel. "I think I'm going to die today."

Ren Yuxin smirked. "You've been saying that since we got here. What's wrong now?"

"I got on the Sledge Hammer Swing…" he started, pausing as if just remembering the trauma. "I think I'm going to throw up. They made me do the whole ride, and now they want me to go to work while I'm still recovering from my near-death experience!"

Ren Yuxin chuckled, crossing her arms. "You really are a drama queen."

"I'm not joking," he insisted, sitting up straight and putting his hand over his stomach. "That thing spun faster than the Earth's rotation."

"Alright, alright," she said, trying to hide her grin. "Just hang in there. You're going to be fine."

Su Jing shot her a pleading look. "I don't think I can do it. I'm in danger here."

"Don't worry. I've got a plan," she said with a wink before she turned to the director. "Let's get the next scene ready, yeah?"

As they moved to the next location, the team got ready for their cinema scene.

The director had the entire theater booked for a horror movie scene, a classic set-up where the male lead brings the female lead to a movie, only to sneak peeks at her reactions as she gets scared.

Simple, right?

Well, not exactly.

The moment the movie started, a terrifying zombie appeared on the screen, and Su Jing froze.

His face turned pale, and he squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to open them despite the director's attempts to get him to react to the scene.

"Su Jing, come on! Open your eyes!" the director urged, his voice cracking with frustration.

"I can't do it!" Su Jing protested, his voice muffled as he kept his hands pressed firmly against his face. "I swear, if I open my eyes, I'll die of fright."

Ren Yuxin rolled her eyes, walking over to him with a teasing smile. She crouched down to his level, her voice soft but firm. "Alright, listen. I'll count to three. If you don't open your eyes, something scarier than zombies will show up, and I promise you won't like it."

Su Jing's eyes darted open at the threat, his panic fading for a second. "What's scarier than zombies?"

His eyes went wide. "No! Anything but that!"

Ren Yuxin couldn't hold back a laugh. "One… two… three!"

Su Jing's eyes shot open, and he immediately regretted it as the screen exploded with more zombies.

He groaned, clutching his chest. "I'm never going to live through this. I'm scarred for life."

Ren Yuxin winked. "See? I told you it was worse."

Ren Yuxin treated her male friends completely differently from her girl friends. If it were Shi Meng, she would definitely stroke her head flirtatiously and say, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

The last scene was set in the sterile quiet of a hospital room, where the sun's rays barely penetrated the drawn blinds.

Ren Yuxin didn't have much to do today. All she had to do was deliver a single smile at the end—a bittersweet conclusion to the music video.

Su Jing, however, was in high spirits. He cracked his knuckles and grinned confidently. "Finally, my turn to shine. Watch closely, everyone—I'll show you what acting is."

Su Jing wasn't bragging.

Acting was his forte, especially in romantic and emotional roles.