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Chapter 424 Before Dawn
Liu Manli said quietly, "The girl's name is Su Wan, and she studies painting."
She went to Siena, Italy alone, ostensibly to see the medieval mountain town, but actually to escape.
Escaping the chaos back home—family pressure to get married, failing her postgraduate entrance exam, and all her classmates finding their place—she felt stuck in a rut, unable to move forward or backward.
Liang Dongming listened quietly.
"She stayed in Siena for three days, spending each day wandering around the old town with her sketchbook."
One evening at dusk, she was sketching on the steps of Place Campo when a man walked over, looked at her drawing, and said in Chinese, "You draw very well."
Hearing your mother tongue in a foreign land always warms your heart.
Su Wan looked up and saw a man in his early fifties with gray hair, dressed simply, carrying an old painting box on his back.
His name is Shen Zhixing. He is an overseas Chinese who has lived in Siena for twenty years, making a living by selling paintings.
"Shen Zhixing is 28 years older than Su Wan, old enough to be her father."
But when the two talked about painting, it was as if they had known each other for a very long time.
Su Wan said that she had a very strange feeling when she first met Shen Zhixing.
It's like we knew each other in a past life, but we got separated, and now we've found each other again in a foreign land.
"For those three days, they painted together, strolled through the old town together, sat on the steps in front of the church to watch the sunset together, and rolled around in the sheets on the hotel bed."
Shen Zhixing took her to eat at local restaurants, taught her to distinguish good from bad Chianti wines, told her about the history of Siena, and told her stories about those painting schools.
Su Wan felt that this man possessed something she had never seen before—not the exuberance and passion of a young boy, but a quiet composure honed by the passage of time.
On the third night, they stayed in an old house outside the city.
The moon was very large that night, illuminating the entire Tuscan plains like a silver-gray oil painting.
The two sat on the balcony, drinking a bottle of cheap red wine, neither of them saying a word.
Later, Shen Zhixing said, "Su Wan, if only time could stop here." Su Wan replied, "Then let it stop here."
"On the morning of the fourth day, the earthquake struck. Su Wan was woken up by the shaking."
The whole house was shaking; picture frames on the walls crashed down, and glass shattered everywhere.
She was terrified and froze on the bed, unable to move.
Shen Zhixing rushed into her room and pulled her out.
The stairs are cracked, and chunks of plaster are falling off the ceiling.
Shen Zhixing pulled her into his arms, shielding her with his own body from the falling debris.
"When they ran to the door, a crossbeam fell down."
Shen Zhixing pushed her and sent her out the door.
She herself was saved, but Shen Zhixing was trapped under the beam.
Liu Manli's eyes reddened.
Su Wan wanted to go back and pull him away, but Shen Zhixing shouted at her, "Run! Don't look back!"
Those were the last words he spoke.
"The rescue team pulled her from the rubble the next morning. Shen Zhixing was already dead."
His body was curled up, his hands still in a pushing posture, as if, in his last moments, he was still pushing her away.
Liu Manli's voice finally choked up.
"Su Wan later returned to Siena and completed the painting that Shen Zhixing had not finished."
The painting depicts the sunset at Place de Campo, with the entire sky a vibrant orange hue, like the orange-scented sunset he described.
She left the painting in the ruins of that old house, as a way of giving him closure, and also as a way of making peace for herself.
Years later, Su Wan returned to Siena. The ruins had long been cleared away, leaving only a section of mottled old wall standing in the Tuscan wind.
She still carried her sketchbook and walked step by step up the steps of Place Campo, sitting down just like she had done years ago.
Dusk arrived as scheduled, and the sky was dyed orange-red.
She took out a pencil and gently sketched on the paper.
The wind swept across the square, swirling a few fallen leaves around her feet.
Someone passing by saw her painting so intently and softly praised her in Italian.
She didn't look up or respond.
On the drawing paper is the twilight of Place Campo, with orange hues filling the sky, the steps empty, and only a blurry figure standing still in time.
After finishing the last stroke, she gently placed the painting on the steps and didn't take it with her.
The camera slowly zooms out. Orange twilight envelops the entire mountain town. Su Wan walks alone down the steps, her figure growing smaller and smaller until she finally blends into the twilight.
The wind gently turned the painting paper, and the twilight in the painting was forever frozen in that year.
The screen gradually dims and goes black.
This is the last scene of the movie, followed by the end credits song of the same name:
I escaped into the winds of Siena.
Hiding all my secrets in paintings
Powerless to move forward or backward in the cracks of life
Until I heard that familiar tone
An old painting box holds half a lifetime of loneliness.
You said my paintings contain a kind of spiritual energy.
Like a reunion after a long separation in a past life
An unexpected encounter in Tuscany
……
Liu Manli's voice choked with sobs, and tears silently streamed down her face, leaving traces on her makeup.
She seemed to be immersed in the story, and also in a kind of sadness that she herself couldn't quite explain.
This is not just a retelling of the movie's plot, but more like using Su Wan's story to express the restless wandering in one's own heart.
Liang Dongming took out a tissue and gently wiped away her tears.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Liang, I lost my composure."
This story was filmed a long time ago, but I still feel sad every time I think about it.
"It's alright, Ms. Liu. The story is very touching, and your acting was excellent."
However, since we rarely meet, talking about these sad things makes the atmosphere heavy.
Let's talk about something lighter. You've been in this industry for so many years, you must have encountered many interesting things. Tell me about them.
"Oh right, there really is one, it's kind of funny to think about now."
Liu Manli wiped away her tears and smiled through her tears: "There really is one, and it's quite funny to think about now."
That was when I first started out, in my early twenties, attending an awards ceremony.
The organizers arranged for me to walk the red carpet with a male singer from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
That male singer was incredibly popular at the time, and he was also very handsome. My manager told me beforehand that I had to behave elegantly and gracefully, and not make a fool of myself.
I was so nervous that I practiced walking in high heels for half an hour in my hotel room beforehand.
When I arrived at the venue, the red carpet was lined with reporters and fans, and the flashbulbs were going off everywhere. My mind went completely blank.
"The male singer very gentlemanly extended his arm for me to take, and when I reached out to take it, I got so nervous that I grabbed his tie and pulled it really hard."
He was so choked that his face turned red, but he couldn't retaliate and had to smile at the camera.
I whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," and he said, "It's okay, it's okay, just let go." I said, "I can't let go, my finger is cramping."
He walked the entire thirty-meter-long red carpet by me holding him like that.
The next day's entertainment headline was: "Rising star suspected of being choked by female guest, his smile remained stiff throughout."
Liang Dongming laughed heartily, and Liu Manli laughed too, tears welling up in her eyes again, but this time they were tears of laughter.
The atmosphere gradually relaxed.
Liang Dongming discovered that Liu Manli was more talkative than he had expected.
She talked about the fun times she had recording songs back then, the hardships she endured while filming movies, and her experiences traveling all over the country.
She speaks very tactfully, never bringing up the issue of being blacklisted, nor mentioning whether she has been doing well or not over the years.
Liang Dongming wasn't in a hurry; he chatted and drank with her at his own pace.
A bottle of red wine was emptied without us even realizing it.
A blush rose on Liu Manli's face, and her eyes became somewhat unfocused.
She took off her trench coat and draped it over the sofa armrest, revealing a light purple knit sweater.
The knitted sweater was thin and clung to her body, outlining her curves.
He moved closer to Liu Manli and gently put his arm around her shoulder.
"Manli, I know all the suffering you've endured over the years."
Liu Manli's tears welled up again.
She leaned on Liang Dongming's shoulder and cried silently.
Liang Dongming put his arm around her and gently patted her back, as if coaxing a child.
It took Liu Manli a while to stop crying.
She took out a tissue from her bag, wiped her face, and smiled apologetically: "Mr. Liang, I'm sorry, I lost my composure."
Liang Dongming shook his head and said softly, "Manli, do you know? My biggest dream when I was in college was to meet you, even if it was just to see you from afar."
Liu Manli smiled: "And now? Has your dream come true?"
"It's done. It's even better than I imagined."
He lowered his head and kissed her.
Liu Manli didn't flinch, she just closed her eyes.
The two kissed for a long time.
After a long while, Liang Dongming finally released her. Looking at her slightly flushed face and her dreamy eyes, he felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
This woman, the woman he had admired for over twenty years, was now in his arms.
He pinched his thigh hard, feeling excruciating pain.
I'm certain this isn't a dream, but reality.
He stood up and took her hand.
"Manly, let's go to the bedroom."
Liu Manli did not refuse and stood up with him.
The two people went into the bedroom.
Liang Dongming closed the door.
The bedroom lighting was very soft.
Liang Dongming turned around and looked at Liu Manli.
She stood by the bed, head down, and slowly unbuttoned her cardigan.
The cardigan slipped to the ground.
Liang Dongming stepped forward and hugged her from behind; she had a faint scent of perfume on her.
He whispered in her ear, "Manli, I've been waiting for this day for twenty years."
The two of them entangled and fell onto the bed.
That night, Liang Dongming felt as if he had returned to twenty years ago.
He kissed every inch of her skin greedily, as if he wanted to make up for all the regrets of the past years.
Liu Manli was very cooperative; she was experienced and knew how to please men.
After it was over, Liang Dongming lay on the bed, holding Liu Manli, and lit a cigarette.
"Mr. Liang, you always tell me you're in business. But you don't seem like someone who's in business."
Liang Dongming's heart tightened, but he remained outwardly calm: "Then what do I look like to do?"
"You have the air of an official."
Businessmen see money; officials see power. And in your eyes, it's power.
Liang Dongming smiled noncommittally.
Although Liu Manli was his idol during his youth, he would not reveal his true identity.
Just one night.
It's more about physical intimacy than emotional resonance.
Liu Manli fell asleep at night.
Liang Dongming, however, couldn't fall asleep no matter what.
He stared at the ceiling, listening to the woman's even breathing beside him, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
He had been thinking about this woman for twenty years.
Now that I've got it, I'm not as excited as I imagined.
On the contrary, he felt an inexplicable emptiness in his heart.
He recalled his college days, listening to Liu Manli's songs with his roommates, watching her movies together, and discussing her every smile and gesture.
At that time, she was perfect and unattainable.
Now, she lies beside him, naked, breathing in his scent.
Is it perfect? No, it's not.
She was middle-aged, her skin was a little loose, and her figure was a little out of shape.
But she is still Liu Manli, the woman who once haunted his dreams.
Thinking about this, Liang Dongming felt a mix of emotions.
It wasn't sadness, nor reluctance, but more like a sense of loss.
He got what he had always dreamed of, only to find that it wasn't as wonderful as he had imagined.
It's like when I was a kid, I saved up my pocket money for a long time, finally bought that toy car in the shop window, played with it for ten minutes after opening the packaging, and then left it in a corner, never to be interested again.