On a September evening in 2009, the Capital was wrapped in a desolate, chilling autumn wind.
Outside the gates of Beijing Film Academy, inside a mutton hotpot restaurant, Li Mu—who had just been reborn only to be dumped unceremoniously by his girlfriend—sat face to face with the yet-to-be-famous young Master Fan, Zhang Ruoyun.
A hotpot sat between the two, simmering with a whole lamb spine.
Whitish steam mixed with rich aromas billowed endlessly from the pot.
Both he and Zhang Ruoyun were Class of '07 students at Beijing Film Academy, and the closest of friends.
Upon learning that Li Mu had suffered a breakup, Zhang Ruoyun had generously footed the bill to treat him.
Li Mu didn't stand on ceremony. He eagerly picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a large chunk of mutton into his bowl, wrapped it in dipping sauce, and swallowed it in one go.
The moment the food touched his mouth, warmth surged through Li Mu's entire body.
"It's already the end of the month, yet you're still this rich, kid," Li Mu said casually.
Zhang Ruoyun struggled to swallow a piece of scorching mutton and replied, "I saw that you got dumped by your girlfriend and was afraid you might do something foolish, so I decided to treat you to a proper meal out of my own pocket."
Li Mu chuckled. If it were the him from his past life, he might have felt a bit bitter.
But now, he only felt a sense of liberation.
Breaking up with his girlfriend—no, his ex-girlfriend—was for the best for both of them. Neither had wronged the other; after two and a half years, the feelings had simply faded, and they were both exhausted.
The grand vows once sworn had their edges worn down by the daily grind of firewood, rice, oil, and salt, and the sweet words of the past were replaced by petty quarrels.
Letting go now was the right choice for both.
"Do something foolish? I've never seen things more clearly." Li Mu swallowed a large mouthful of mutton and laughed with unruffled composure. "All I've lost is a single sapling, but in return, I've gained the right to choose from an entire forest."
"Cough, cough..." Zhang Ruoyun choked, his face turning beet red.
"Aren't you afraid Princess Jing is going to beat you to a pulp!" Zhang Ruoyun clapped a hand over his chest and cursed fiercely, while looking at Li Mu with a trace of surprise. When did this guy become so eloquent?
Li Mu didn't take up Zhang Ruoyun's remark, instead devouring the lamb spine in the pot in huge mouthfuls.
It was rare to fleece a young lord, so he couldn't afford to waste a single bite.
Seeing that Li Mu was thick-skinned and completely unfazed, like nothing had even happened, Zhang Ruoyun stopped worrying about his emotional state. Instead, he picked up his chopsticks and began wolfing down the remaining lamb spine in the pot.
In a short while, the entire lamb spine was polished off.
Zhang Ruoyun pulled a cigarette from the pack of Yuxi on the table, put it between his lips to light it, and then pulled out another to toss to Li Mu.
Li Mu caught it, brought it to his lips, lit it with a lighter, and happily blew out rings of smoke.
The two leaned back against their chairs and exchanged a smile.
Both looked entirely relaxed.
The cold wind outside the window blew in through the panes, instantly tearing the smoke before them to shreds.
"What are your plans next?" Taking a heavy drag, Zhang Ruoyun asked with concern.
Li Mu blew a large smoke ring and said slowly, "I have a distant relative shooting a film over at Huairou Film and Television City. I'm planning to go try my luck over there; who knows, maybe he can give me a hand."
"Oh, you've got connections like that?" Zhang Ruoyun looked at Li Mu in surprise. "Which director?"
"Some obscure little director named Jiang Xiaojun. Ever heard of him?" Li Mu answered.
"Jiang Xiaojun?!" Zhang Ruoyun frowned, muttering to himself, "I'm certain there's no one by that name among the Fifth Generation directors, and I've never heard of him among the Sixth Generation either."
As expected, his family had never been well-connected.
Li Mu gave a disappointed shake of his head.
Still, it was better than nothing.
Perhaps sensing the disappointment of his good brother Li Mu, Zhang Ruoyun quickly tried to salvage the mood: "Plenty of unknown directors can make great shows, too. Look at Senior Ning Hao—one *Crazy Stone* and he immediately became a renowned director."
"Alright, you don't have to comfort me." Li Mu waved a hand.
"If it really doesn't work out, why don't you come with me?" Zhang Ruoyun straightened his posture and extended a serious invitation to Li Mu. "I happen to have a show called *Snow Leopard* here. Wen Zhang is starring, and the investment is quite substantial. It won't be hard for me to get you a role with some decent screen time if you come with me."
Li Mu laughed: "Your dad is the producer for this show, right?"
Zhang Ruoyun's face flushed, and he offered an embarrassed smile.
"Forget it, I won't go barge in." Li Mu smiled and shook his head. "I already promised my mom I'd go to my second uncle's crew. Besides, even though your dad is the producer, it always feels a bit awkward if I go."
Zhang Ruoyun's relationship with his old man might not have been all that great.
In their later lives, the two even ended up in court, which was a major reason why Li Mu chose not to go curry favor there. If the father-son relationship soured because of him, his guilt would be enormous.
Still, the two of them at least had a honeymoon period for now.
After all, his old man would later film a sequel exclusively for his son, *Snow Leopard — Xiaohui's Years of Bragging*.
"Fair enough." Zhang Ruoyun didn't push further, only saying, "Then you can go work on your second uncle's crew first. If you find it uncomfortable there, just come back—I can always arrange a spot for you on my end."
He couldn't promise a major role, but finding a minor supporting part was no problem at all.
Li Mu stubbed out his cigarette butt in the ashtray beside him and replied with a playful smirk, "Don't worry, if I can't make it out there, I'll definitely come back to find you. When that time comes, you, Young Master Zhang, must remember to toss your brother a bite to eat."
Zhang Ruoyun laughed heartily: "If you make it big in the movies, don't forget your brother either."
"For sure."
"Then the two of us brothers will paint the town red together."
The sun set in the west.
With their stomachs full of food and drink, the two boasted wildly by the window of the hotpot restaurant, daydreaming about carving out a piece of heaven for themselves in the entertainment industry.
It wasn't until the sky grew completely dark that Li Mu stood up to say his goodbyes; tomorrow he had to report for duty, so he needed to go back and rest early.
Zhang Ruoyun stopped Li Mu, picked up the unfinished bottle of Niulanshan, and poured him a glass.
"This last glass is the farewell drink for my brother," Zhang Ruoyun said with absolute solemnity.
Li Mu's eyes looked as though they were leaking, his eye rims slightly reddening as he stood up and clinked his glass against Zhang Ruoyun's.
"Clang."
A crisp sound echoed. Li Mu tilted his head back, swallowing the escaping tears mixed with harsh liquor straight down his throat.
Stimulated by the high-proof alcohol, Li Mu's body flushed hot and red.
In his past life, even after hitting superstardom, Zhang Ruoyun had never looked down on him.
In fact, he had even actively helped introduce him to acting gigs.
Following behind Zhang Ruoyun, he had indeed reaped plenty of benefits.
The two had never developed a rift because of the gap in status and fame.
Therefore, seeing his young friend's concern for him once again, it was impossible for Li Mu not to be moved.
"I'm off." Fearing he might lose his composure, Li Mu turned around the moment he finished his drink.
"Wait!" Zhang Ruoyun called out to him.
Li Mu's steps stiffened, terrified that Zhang Ruoyun would see his unseemly appearance. He quickly wiped the corners of his eyes, forced a smile, turned back, and bantered, "What, can't bear to see me leave?"
"Hand it over." Zhang Ruoyun's expression tightened as he held out his palm toward Li Mu.
"What?!" Li Mu was utterly bewildered. Hand what over?
"My lighter!" Zhang Ruoyun roared with righteous indignation.
"The... the lighter?"
Li Mu was stunned at first, and then his expression turned bizarre. You bloody well treated me to a mutton hotpot, yet you stopped me over a single lighter, making me wallow in self-inflicted sentimentality for so long!
Perhaps sensing Li Mu's thoughts, Zhang Ruoyun said deadpan, "Business is business. The mutton hotpot is on me, but that lighter is my property. Just how many of my lighters have you taken this month, huh?!"
This wasn't just a lighter; it was a matter of face and dignity!
"Oh, come on, brothers shouldn't sweat the small stuff. Here, take it." With an old, flushed face, Li Mu reached into his pants pocket and returned the lighter, the sorrow of parting mostly blown away.
"Now, brother's really leaving," Li Mu said, turning on his heel.
"Make something of yourself!" Zhang Ruoyun shouted loudly at his back.
"Got it!" Li Mu waved a hand without looking back, wrapped in the night as he departed.