That evening—
Lin Ya returned home after work.
Zhu Lu and Tao Ling were sitting on the couch, watching TV.
"You're back?" they both asked at once.
"Yeah…"
She placed her bag down.
"I need to tell you something."
They immediately turned off the TV.
"What is it?" Tao Ling asked, sitting up straight.
Lin Ya hesitated for a second.
Then spoke—
"You know the new drama… Fading Life… the one Xu Ming is working on?"
They both froze.
Then slowly turned to look at her.
"The one that starts filming next week?" Zhu Lu asked.
Lin Ya nodded.
A small pause.
"He… invited us to visit the set."
"WHAT?!" both of them screamed.
"Really?!" Tao Ling grabbed her arm.
Lin Ya nodded again, a faint smile forming.
The next second—
they both jumped at her and hugged her tightly.
"It's so good to have you!" Zhu Lu exclaimed.
"Hey—" Lin Ya laughed lightly, trying to push them away.
"Thank him, not me."
"Got it," they both said at the same time, exchanging excited looks.
They immediately grabbed their phones.
"Let's check more about the drama!"
Zhu Lu scrolled quickly.
"Wait—look at this!"
All three leaned toward the screen.
"Two famous actors are joining as supporting roles—Yan Yue and Ming Lang…"
Tao Ling's eyes widened.
"And the female lead is—"
She paused.
"…Li Xiang."
Lin Ya blinked.
"…Li Xiang?"
The name echoed softly in her mind.
Something felt…
strange.
As if it wasn't unfamiliar.
But not fully known either.
(Do I… know her?)
She frowned slightly, lost in thought.
Meanwhile—
Zhu Lu and Tao Ling were still excited.
"We're so lucky!" they whispered to each other.
"I can't believe we'll see all of them!"
But Lin Ya didn't respond.
Her eyes remained fixed on the name on the screen.
Li Xiang.
For some reason—
it stayed.