Late Spring was officially released on April 2nd. By the third day after its public screening, the box office had broken one hundred million. While this achievement wasn’t earth-shattering in the mainland’s booming film market of recent years, it won through steady subsequent word-of-mouth, and finally by the second weekend, Late Spring climbed to second place on the box office rankings.

Huang Xi Tang felt like she was working herself to death.

Promotions in one city after another, first advance roadshows, then appreciation events afterward, endless promotional photos, countless interviews, appearances on several television programs, plus a portion of endorsements and commercial performances. Despite Ni Kai Lun’s careful selection, there was still too much to complete. Sometimes she had several jobs back-to-back in a single day. After one event ended, her only responsibility was to lift her arms as a circle of people surrounded her to remove her clothes. She could fall asleep standing up.

Xi Tang finally began to notice that the lake water in the depths of her heart no longer had even a ripple, since that autumn when she met Fang Lang Qi.

At that time, she had signed a contract for her second film and was preparing to join the production. In September, Ni Kai Lun utilized her network resources to arrange for her to work front row at Paris Fashion Week. The entire company sent their best team to accompany her to Paris. After finishing work and flying back to Beijing from Charles de Gaulle Airport, Xi Tang encountered Fang Lang Qi in the first-class lounge at Capital Airport. It was Fang Lang Qi who approached her first. When Xi Tang saw him, her heart was perfectly calm, and she was quite happy: “Brother Lang Qi, on a business trip?”

Fang Lang Qi nodded: “Mmm, and you, returning to Shanghai?”

“Mmm.”

“Going well?”

“Going very well.”

“Next time when you have time in Beijing, come visit us. This year, for your new movie, Qing Qing went to the cinema and watched it three times.”

“Ah, good, thanks for the support.”

Someone nearby raised their phone to secretly take photos. Assistant A Kuan and Fang Lang Qi’s secretary cautiously moved forward to block it. Xi Tang smiled at him, and Fang Lang Qi said goodbye to her, then headed toward the boarding gate.

They were both very casual. Fang Lang Qi himself knew that her relationship with Zhou Zhou had truly ended. Since the beginning of spring that year, Zhao Ping Jin had rarely left Beijing, living in seclusion and hardly seen by anyone, except for accompanying the old master and old madam to Beidaihe in July.

The ground staff began to arrange boarding. Xi Tang walked in the middle, with her assistant pushing several huge suitcases behind her. She and Ni Kai Lun had only stayed in Europe for three days. Apart from work, all their remaining time was spent on crazy shopping, first going to the domestic tour groups’ pilgrimage sites Galeries Lafayette and Printemps. Ni Kai Lun also took her to Le Bon Marché, where Xi Tang bought luxury brand clothes, shoes, and bags after barely a glance, sometimes not even needing to try on sizes before making purchases. This was all so she could dress appropriately or dazzlingly for different work occasions. In the entertainment circle, if a female celebrity dared to wear the same clothes twice on camera, she would be mocked.

Previously in Hengdian, she often heard female celebrities chatting in the makeup room. The most common topic was who had gone to Hong Kong yesterday and spent three million in just one hour. At that time, Xi Tang was working as an extra on set, earning about one to two hundred yuan per day. Adding the production allowance issued by the company, the monthly money all went into the deep pit of debt. She had never even bought a decent lipstick, but had to carefully buy some soybeans from the market for her skin, getting up early every morning to make a pot of soy milk to bring to the set. Back then, Xi Tang only felt that life was absurd, never imagining that one day, she would live this kind of life herself.

Once on the plane, Xi Tang finally had a bit of private time. She looked at her mother’s treatment form for this week on her phone. Ni Kai Lun leaned over to take a look and said, “Do you want to change hospitals? Try one in Beijing, or abroad?”

Xi Tang shook her head: “She doesn’t want to.”

Xi Tang lowered her head, her dejected voice hiding deep guilt: “Her illness was caused by exhaustion. During that year plus taking care of me in the hospital, she started complaining about back pain.”

Ni Kai Lun reached out her arms to hug her. She knew that Huang Xi Tang was terrified inside but had been forcing herself to face it. Her mother now went to the hospital twice a week, with her condition constantly monitored. There was someone taking care of her daily life, which was relatively peaceful, but everyone knew this kind of existence could change at any moment.

Zhao Ping Jin remembered it was close to the end of the year. At the company entrance, he was about to get into the car to attend a meeting at the Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Department when Shen Min rushed out from the building and whispered something in his ear.

Upon hearing it, Zhao Ping Jin was stunned: “When did this happen?”

Shen Min said: “The news came this morning.”

Zhao Ping Jin only thought for two seconds before telling Shen Min: “Go to Shanghai now. If she needs any help, assist her.”

Shen Min nodded, opened the car door for him, then turned back toward the company building.

Gong Qi came up, holding the door of the back seat, and handed him water and medicine.

The car door closed, and the driver drove towards East Anmen Street.

Zhao Ping Jin tilted his head back to swallow the pill, a trace of bitterness hidden at the base of his tongue, spreading in thin threads.

How old was her mother? Huang Xi Tang was twenty-nine this year. Her mother was very young when she gave birth to her and passed away before sixty—too young an age.

He knew she couldn’t bear it.

Before entering the meeting room, Zhao Ping Jin made another call to Shen Min: “Where are you now?”

Shen Min said: “At the airport.”

Zhao Ping Jin rarely called him so frequently about one matter. Although he said nothing, Shen Min knew he was worried: “I’ll try to contact her manager as soon as possible. People are all around her, don’t worry too much.”

Zhao Ping Jin remained silent.

Shen Min said softly: “I’m boarding now.”

In the evening, Shen Min called back, reporting item by item: “The funeral arrangements are being handled by her company and her brother. Everything is well-arranged, very low-key, and not open to the media. It’s said to be the family’s wish. Tomorrow at the memorial service, some friends from the entertainment circle will probably come. Miss Ni will be responsible for receiving them. I’ve already arranged for a wreath. Tomorrow I’ll attend the memorial service with the head of their company. Is there anything else that needs to be arranged?”

Zhao Ping Jin asked one question: “How is she?”

Shen Min said softly: “I haven’t seen her yet.”

Zhao Ping Jin’s heart tightened.

Huang Xi Tang and her mother depended on each other for survival. This blow was too great; he didn’t know how she would bear it.

Zhao Ping Jin suppressed his emotions and took a deep breath: “Talk to her after you see her tomorrow.”

At the memorial service, Huang Xi Tang met her college classmates who had come together.

From their performing arts undergraduate class of 22 people, about 10 came. Zheng You Tong stood in the middle. When Xi Tang saw Li Hui from their dormitory, tears flowed unstoppably. Four girls had lived together in the same dormitory for two or three years. Zhong Qiao Er had already passed away, Li Hui had become a university teacher, and the remaining Wang Ling Long was someone Xi Tang never wanted to see again in her life.

During their student days, Li Hui wasn’t close to her. She was from Beijing, her parents were university teachers, and she often went home on weekends. Xi Tang only remembered that she was a girl who had passed piano level ten, came from a well-off family, and was very polite. Li Hui hugged her tightly and said: “Don’t be afraid, everything will be alright.”

Her classmates came up one by one to embrace her. Some she hadn’t seen since university graduation, others she saw frequently on film sets, but everyone was busy.

Xi Tang lowered her head and said softly to Zheng You Tong: “Thank you, Old Zheng.”

Towards the end, Xi Tang saw Shen Min. He was accompanying the Thirteenth Master. He shook her hand and said: “My condolences.”

Xi Tang bowed again and again in gratitude. Since her mother had been critically ill and she had kept vigil at the hospital, she hadn’t slept for days. Her body and mind could no longer feel pain. Her tears and blood had all been spent, leaving only a numb shell, standing in front of the memorial hall, bowing repeatedly to the mourning guests. She kept vigil at the memorial, while all other funeral matters were arranged by Xiao Di Zhu and Ni Kai Lun.

After the memorial service ended, a large number of media crowded at the entrance of the funeral home.

Last year, Zheng You Tong’s film was nominated for all major awards at the five major Chinese-language film festivals at year-end. Eventually, Zheng You Tong won her first film award trophy in Lanzhou. In October this year, the name Huang Xi Tang was engraved on the Best Actress golden statue of Hua Shen. The person who presented the award to her was Zheng You Tong. The performing arts undergraduate class of their year shone brilliantly, stealing the spotlight at the awards ceremony that night. With good work behind them, Zheng You Tong and Huang Xi Tang had now risen to the rank of acclaimed actors on the mainland. Currently, Zheng You Tong was filming a martial arts movie with a great director, playing the lead role, and was in the headlines daily. Zheng You Tong was the only rumored boyfriend of Huang Xi Tang ever photographed. Add to that this class of celebrity students, and the photographers all magnified their focus tenfold, desperate to capture the slightest trace of information from these people’s faces.

Outside, cars left one after another. The reporters caused a commotion for a while, then fell completely silent.

Ni Kai Lun came in and took her to the adjoining restroom. Closing the door and turning around, she said directly: “People from your father’s side are waiting, wanting to meet you.”

Upon hearing this, Xi Tang raised her face, momentarily not understanding what she was saying.

Ni Kai Lun looked at her pale, emaciated face and softened her voice: “This is also a matter of the previous generation. Your mother instructed me before she left, saying that after she was gone, to contact that side. If your father acknowledges you, you’ll have a family in the future. If they don’t recognize you, then you never need to be told.”

Xi Tang’s voice was extremely thin but carried a hint of anger: “I have a family.”

Ni Kai Lun had promised her mother to handle this matter for her and wanted to do it well. She said to Xi Tang: “They’ve come from Beijing. See them.”

Ni Kai Lun opened the door.

Two people stood at the door. An elderly man in his sixties with graying hair and a kind face. Beside him, supporting him, was a middle-aged man with a square face, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, wearing a gray coat with the collar of a white shirt showing underneath.

The old man’s chin trembled slightly, his wrinkled eye corners revealing excitement: “You are, you are…”

Xi Tang stood motionless.

The man beside him looked at her, his tone gentle yet firm: “Miss Huang, my condolences on your mother’s passing. My surname is Li, Li Shu An. I accompanied Professor Jing to Shanghai.”

“This is Professor Jing, a retired teacher from United University.”

Ni Kai Lun said: “Mr. Jing, come in and talk.”

She pulled Huang Xi Tang inside.

The four of them sat in the cold funeral home. Xi Tang remained silent. Her father spoke to her, gradually becoming emotional: “Your mother, she never contacted me, all these years. I only learned the news yesterday…”

“I failed you both, mother and daughter, but I never expected that she wouldn’t make a single phone call either. In the end, we didn’t even see each other one last time. After so many years, whatever difficulties there were, still raising a child alone…”

An old man kept wiping tears in front of her.

Xi Tang’s brain lacked oxygen, and her thinking was sluggish. She only heard his repeated mumblings. He said he had come back once to find her mother, and the two had agreed to abort the child and separate. Her mother had agreed at the time, but unexpectedly, she, a single woman, had given birth. Later, they moved many times, and he could never find them again.

Xi Tang still sat woodenly.

Li Shu An gently patted her father’s shoulder, still in that gentle yet firm voice: “Old Jing, your daughter is suffering. Calm down.”