The first ray of morning sunlight shone down. Ryan walked out of the house and suddenly found himself on the old street where he had lived for more than ten years. All around him were black-haired, black-eyed Asians instead of those high-nosed, deep-eyed Westerners.
He felt like his mind wasn't very clear, but he couldn't be bothered to think. He simply followed the stone-paved road of the old street and walked forward.
"Buns, hot buns, freshly steamed hot buns!"
Following the familiar street vendor's call, Ryan found the little bun shop where he often had breakfast. He reached into his pocket and fumbled for a while. Everything felt soft and warm. After some time, he finally pulled out a banknote. To be sure, he looked at it—thankfully, it wasn't one of those damned green bills but a bright red one with Chairman Mao on it.
"Auntie Yang, give me a bowl of tofu pudding, extra chili and cilantro, and two big beef-filled buns!"
Ryan habitually sat at a wooden table. As soon as the steaming buns were served, he didn't care about hygiene—he grabbed one of the round, white buns and, after a moment of hesitation, bit into the pointed tip. Luckily, he remembered that Auntie Yang's buns were always filled with oily soup, so you had to suck out the soup before eating.
Licking his lips with the bun's tip in his mouth, Ryan sucked hard, but for some reason, no soup came out of the bun today.
He frowned and grabbed a second bun with his other hand, bit into the tip again. Something tasted off. He stuck out his tongue and licked it a few times—it didn't taste like beef filling. Why did it smell… like Nicole?
Ah, whatever. Eating is the most important thing in the world. He licked it a few more times and subconsciously began sucking again. But today's bun was really strange. Why was there no soup? Could it be that Auntie Yang had cut corners?
That couldn't be right. Auntie Yang's shop had been running for over ten years and was well known. She wouldn't ruin her own reputation like that. Better to ask.
"Auntie Yang…"
Ryan had just spoken when he suddenly realized the bun in his hand… had moved on its own! It quickly slipped out of his grasp and flew off ahead.
"Hey~ Bun… my bun, don't run! Don't run!"
At last night's awards ceremony, the constant shifts between tension, disappointment, and excitement had drained too much of his energy. At some point, he had fallen asleep. It wasn't until she woke up thirsty in the middle of the night that Nicole realized she had fallen asleep on the same bed, hugging Ryan.
This wasn't unusual. They had often slept together in the past. But as Ryan grew older, and considering the difference between men and women—and the fact that they weren't actually siblings—they hadn't shared a bed in recent years.
After drinking some water, Nicole didn't return to her room. She picked up the boy and held him close again. Soon, she fell asleep. But now that he was older, he was much heavier than before. Still, just like a few years ago, he liked to snuggle into her arms and rest his head on her soft chest.
Morning sunlight streamed through the window into the room. Nicole's eyelashes fluttered as she opened her dazed eyes. Seeing it was still early, she gently kissed his forehead and closed her eyes again.
Before she could fall back asleep, she suddenly felt a stir in her chest. A long, calloused finger pulled aside her nightgown, then quickly pushed her bra to the side and began kneading her soft, full breasts.
Not only that, but the annoying brat in her arms opened his mouth and gently bit her nipple. As if that wasn't enough, he actually began to suck on it.
Nicole felt her heart melt. Just as she was about to push his head away, he suddenly let go in his sleep, murmuring something. The cold beauty let out a sigh of relief, realizing he was still asleep, and didn't think much of it. However, just then, the hateful brat grabbed her other breast and, before she could react, took it into his mouth.
This time, he not only nibbled it lightly with his teeth, but also used his tongue to lick and press against it repeatedly, along with the suction, which made Nicole's body go limp. Her arms fell weakly to her sides, and even her usually clear mind turned fuzzy. She felt like she was floating on a cloud.
Damn brat! Do you even know what you're doing? This is molestation! This is sexual harassment!
Nicole Kidman bit her lip hard to wake herself up. She couldn't even remember the last time she had sex. It seemed ever since the boy had come into her life, she hadn't been with any man.
Damn it! This brat is a pervert even in his sleep. When he grows up, he's definitely going to be a playboy!
The cold beauty finally sat up from the bed and angrily tossed Ryan onto the bed beside her. Her face showed she clearly wanted to give him a good scolding.
"Bun… my bun, don't run…"
"Bun?"
Having lived with him for over four years, Nicole had naturally seen and eaten that kind of Chinese food before—white and pointy… wasn't that just like…
"Damn it! He actually mistook my beautiful chest… for breakfast!"
After Nicole Kidman walked out of the room with a darkened face, slamming the door behind her, Ryan leaned against the headboard, head drooping. Still, he wasn't too worried that Nicole would be truly angry. After all, they had depended on each other for so long and shared a deep bond and affection.
However, what made him uneasy was that the thoughts and feelings he had tried hardest to bury deep within had once again surfaced. Scenes from movies he'd seen in his past life—those sensual scenes featuring Nicole—flashed in his mind. At the same time, a voice kept whispering in his ear.
No! I'm not a bastard! I'm not an ungrateful bastard! Ryan suddenly clutched his head and shook it hard, as if trying to shake those thoughts away. But that voice didn't disappear—it only grew louder.
Nicole Kidman—don't you know who she is? She's ambitious and capable. You're helping her, helping her reach the very top.
No! The boy bit into his pillow, as if to release some of his emotions. His eyes stared out the window toward New York. That always-effective mental trick worked again. The images and voices gradually faded.
It may have taken only a minute or maybe an hour, but Ryan finally calmed down. He was once again the talented yet slightly eccentric genius boy!
But as he lay there quietly, memories from both his past and present life surged forth—those he had tried so hard to suppress.
…
In a newly renovated movie theater, a great movie had just finished screening. People walked out of the screening hall, still discussing the film's ending. A young projectionist, who had just wrapped up his work, entered the lobby.
"Lu Ming!"
A lively girl with a ponytail walked over quickly, grabbing the projectionist's arm and happily exclaimed, "I passed the interview with the city's TV station! I'm going to be a music editor starting next week!"
"That's great!" Lu Ming was clearly delighted too. Then he seemed to think of something and asked, "An Xin, weren't you planning to apply to the Beijing Film Academy? Did you give up?"
"Yeah, I gave up." The girl tugged at her ponytail. "I really wanted to be a superstar, but the domestic entertainment industry… Anyway, being a producer someday wouldn't be bad either!"
Years passed. The girl became a somewhat well-known music producer, while Lu Ming remained an inconspicuous projectionist in a movie theater. Having watched too many films, he would sometimes fall into fantasies.
"No! No! No!" Lu Ming wagged his finger at his girlfriend and said, "An Xin, in my opinion, so-called art films—especially European art films—are just meaningless ramblings. Those so-called artists don't understand what the audience wants. Don't forget, movies are first and foremost a form of entertainment, and only secondarily anything else."
"You don't respect art!" the girl retorted. They had argued like this many times over the years. "If I had chosen a different path, maybe I'd already be the top Chinese actress, using my performances to show you what real art is!"
…
Ryan Jenkins! Remember what you should and shouldn't do! Don't let the people who love you down!
The boy shook away those past memories. He quickly got dressed, washed up, and walked out of the room. He paused and listened, then headed for the kitchen.
"I'm sorry, Nicole." Ryan lowered his head, sincerely apologizing for the morning's molestation incident.
"It's okay, Ryan." Nicole smiled, though there was a bit of awkwardness on her face. But Ryan didn't notice—his head was still lowered.
"Go wait in the dining room. Breakfast is almost ready."
Seeing Ryan, rarely so obedient, Nicole let out a breath of relief. But thinking back on what she had done and thought about after returning to her room, she muttered under her breath, "Nicole Kidman, what are you thinking? You're not a pervert!"
This was their last meal in the Westwood apartment. There was less laughter than usual and more silence. Both Ryan and Nicole just quietly dealt with the breakfast on their plates.
"Ryan, do you need help packing your things?" Nicole Kidman asked after breakfast.
"If I do, I'll call you," he said, then went into his room, punched his head hard a few times, and started packing.
All morning, he packed up his clothes, instruments, and the most precious manuscripts and sheet music. The rest could be left to a housekeeping company. As for the new villa, Kimberly had already arranged for housekeepers—there was nothing to worry about.
Finally, Ryan took out a box. Inside was a fancy necklace made of white gold, with a pendant inlaid with tiny diamonds. It was the necklace from after his rebirth—the one with the name "Ryan Jenkins" inscribed in fancy English script on the pendant.