When Raina Lu woke, she propped her head on her hand and stayed silent for a long time.
That old passion was long gone. What remained in her body was only instinct.
The instinct to love.
The next day, before Mason Han arrived, Raina checked herself out of the hospital on her own.
In the days that followed, she didn't see Mason Han again, and she didn't receive a single call from him.
As for helping Liana Xue—apart from a thank-you call from Ann, she heard nothing.
Liana Xue probably wouldn't tell Mason Han about it either.
Ryan Xiang called again to ask if she wanted to see a movie that weekend.
Raina had nothing going on. After some thought, she agreed.
Out of courtesy, she put on light makeup, chose a pale gray dress, and pinned on a dove-gray brooch before picking up her purse and heading out.
Ryan Xiang had already parked downstairs, thoughtful as ever.
He opened the door and smiled. "You look beautiful today."
Raina smiled back. "And you're still as flashy as ever."
Ryan laughed despite himself, got in, and started the engine.
It was still the same Passat—but this time there was air freshener inside, plus seat covers and floor mats. It looked far more presentable than before, more lived-in.
Whether by coincidence or design, Ryan wore gray casual clothes. Through the windshield, the two of them looked unexpectedly well matched—as if they'd dressed in coordinating outfits on purpose.
In the speeding car, Raina took the movie tickets Ryan handed her and studied them. Same as ever: ugly design, stuffed with little ads.
When Mason Han took a girlfriend to the movies, Raina had bought tickets for him more times than she could count—but she had never once gone herself.
People and places change. Fortune turns.
Was it finally her turn to be the leading lady?
At the theater, Ryan parked but didn't hurry inside. Instead he went and bought two of the largest buckets of popcorn and two Cokes.
Raina stared at the two enormous bags he'd shoved into her arms, speechless.
"Can we even finish all this?"
"Throw away whatever we can't." Ryan grinned brightly. "Your uncle's loaded anyway."
"Hey—"
"I'm kidding. Don't you always buy this at the movies? I never had the chance before. Now… I want to do everything as perfectly as I can."
His voice was serious. Raina felt a stir of emotion—but before she could say anything, Ryan was already pulling her into the theater.
They found their seats. It was still early; not many people had arrived yet. Others trickled in and settled around them.
A shrill female voice cut through the murmur.
"This row—yes. Your seat is fifteen. Mine is sixteen."
Raina turned her head and saw Mason Han standing in the aisle beside them with his new girlfriend. Mason was as expressionless as ever; the woman at his side looked careful, almost timid.
Haunting.
That was Raina Lu's first thought.
The giant bags of popcorn hid her. Mason Han and Kiki Wu didn't notice her. They found their seats and sat down.
Of all the rotten luck—they ended up directly in front of Raina.
Ryan had clearly noticed too. He was about to say something when Raina pressed a finger to her lips, shushed him, and stuffed a handful of popcorn into his mouth. Ryan chewed twice, swallowed, and went quiet.
The movie started. The whole theater went dark.
Ads first—then the feature. The sound system was good; even from the middle of the room, every line came through loud and clear.
Raina ate popcorn and drank Coke, but she couldn't follow the film at all.
The moment the movie began, the woman in the row ahead rested her head against Mason Han's shoulder like a little bird seeking shelter. Mason Han didn't push her away.
Their seats were one step lower than Raina's, so they didn't block her view—but she found the sight unbearable anyway. Even the way she bit into popcorn felt like grinding her teeth.
That uncontrollable feeling had a name.
Jealousy.
Beside her, Ryan spoke very softly. "Feeling bad?"
He no longer asked whether she still liked Mason Han.
Raina hesitated, then nodded.
Ryan patted his own shoulder. In the dark, his half-lidded eyes flashed with a brief, dazzling light. "You can borrow this. Lean on it… and pretend it's Mason Han's shoulder."
Raina didn't move. She didn't speak. She only turned and looked at Ryan.
After a few seconds of silence, she said, "Why bother? I'm not trying to use you as a stand-in."
Ryan smiled. "What if I don't mind being one?"
"You—"
Sometimes men cared more than women about pride and self-respect. To play another man's substitute in front of the woman you loved— for a man, that was almost too much humiliation.
Seeing Raina's stricken expression, Ryan raised a brow and laughed as if nothing about this embarrassed him at all. "Don't make me out to be some saint. I'm doing this because I believe that one day I'll take his place. That's why I don't mind comforting you now."
Their voices had grown louder without either of them noticing. Up front, someone turned back—subtly, almost imperceptibly.
Raina couldn't tell whether she felt sad or relieved. But in that moment, her heart softened.
A shell held rigid for too long will crack eventually. What woman doesn't long, at some point, to be held in someone's palm—cherished, loved?
She closed her eyes, still clutching her ridiculous popcorn, and leaned her head against Ryan Xiang's shoulder.
The noise of the theater seemed to freeze all at once.
She imagined the shoulder beneath her was Mason Han's—and little by little, she grew calm and still inside.
Memories surged up unbidden, crossing the sea of consciousness without permission.
She couldn't remember which business trip it had been. The car broke down halfway. Mason Han abandoned it without hesitation, flagged down a freight truck on the highway with Raina, and rode with the driver into the nearest town.
The cab of a freight truck doesn't leave much room for passengers. Two people in crisp business attire squeezed into the cargo area, surrounded by a sour, stale smell.
Sleep-deprived and slightly carsick, Raina Lu began to doze. Her chin dipped, dip by dip, until before she knew it her head had come to rest on Mason Han's shoulder.
After he understood what was happening, Mason Han not only didn't push her away—he shifted slightly and circled an arm around her to keep her from falling.
She was too dizzy for any romantic thought. She only forced herself to stay where she was.
Mason Han's warmth and that particular cool scent of his traveled through the narrow space between them. She drifted off into sleep—a quiet deeper than peace. If she could have, she would have leaned on that shoulder forever.
Forever, and never risen again.
Her lashes trembled. Something wet touched her brow.
On the big screen, the film had reached a lingering, passionate scene.
The hero and heroine embraced. The hero lowered his head with infinite care, took the heroine's lips, scattered kisses, then slowly went deeper…
Adults covered children's eyes. Couples in the dark began to stir.
Raina Lu opened her eyes. In the row ahead, Kiki Wu inched closer to Mason Han bit by bit, as if hinting at something.
Mason Han gave no response.
Kiki nudged him with her arm. Mason Han turned his face. Through the shifting light and shadow, his profile came into sharp relief.
A beautiful silhouette—and utterly cold.
Kiki Wu looked annoyed.
Raina tilted her head and couldn't help laughing. Did the woman honestly expect Mason Han to kiss her in a public place like this?
Who was Mason Han? To imagine him as some flirt or smooth talker would be absurd. Mason Han was more mechanical than a machine—at least machines malfunction sometimes. Mason Han never did. He was as rational as a dead man.
That familiar, mocking laugh finally caught Kiki Wu's attention.
Kiki turned her head abruptly—and saw Raina Lu leaning against Ryan Xiang's shoulder. Her expression changed in an instant. The irritation vanished. She linked her arm through Mason Han's and smiled radiantly, as if the two of them had always been deeply in love and everything Raina had seen a moment ago had been an illusion.
"Assistant Lu… Ms. Lu! You and your boyfriend came to the movies too? What a coincidence!"
Raina straightened away from Ryan's shoulder and smiled with deliberate charm. "What a coincidence indeed."
Beside her, Ryan Xiang looked briefly surprised—then recovered his usual warm smile and obligingly asked, "Pleasure to meet you. And you are…?"
Kiki Wu answered quickly, "I'm Mason Han's girlfriend. We actually met last time."
Ryan acted as if he'd just remembered. He touched his nose, embarrassed. "Ah—right. My memory really deserves a beating. How could I forget someone as beautiful as you?"
Raina thought: the Ryan Xiang of today, so smooth with his words… was that a lawyer's instinct?
Through all their pleasantries, Mason Han said not a single word. He watched the three of them as if he were merely a bystander.
Without meaning to, Raina looked at Mason Han—and found that Mason Han was already looking at her.
Eyes dark as night, deep and unreadable.