In the days that followed, this strange fluctuation became increasingly pronounced. Jun Mo Ran often found herself lost in thought while reading, her mind drifting back to her past in the entertainment industry. She would recall the intense discussions with directors and screenwriters about roles, the vibrant atmosphere of interacting with the audience on stage, and the enthusiastic support and love from her fans. These memories, like invisible ropes, tightly bound her heart, making it difficult for her to concentrate and immerse herself in the world of books.

Ling Yichen encountered the same problem while painting. He found his inspiration shrouded in a fog, his once fluid brushstrokes becoming stiff and sluggish. Staring at the blank canvas, images of his past performances on screen constantly surfaced in his mind—the characters' joys and sorrows, their ups and downs—constantly interfering with his creative flow. He tried to shake off these distractions and regain inner peace and focus, but the more he struggled, the clearer those memories surfaced.

Their communication decreased, as if they were each struggling alone in their own inner worlds. The courtyard, once filled with laughter, now seemed somewhat quiet and desolate. They still took walks together and tended to the flowers and plants, but an invisible barrier seemed to separate them, and the once intimate understanding had quietly faded.

One day, while tidying up his studio, Ling Yichen stumbled upon an unfinished self-portrait he had created years ago. He had begun it during the peak of his acting career, and the portrait showed him with eyes brimming with boundless anticipation and confidence for the future. Looking at this unfinished painting, Ling Yichen felt a surge of intense emotion; he wanted to complete it, to use it as a lens to re-examine his past and present.

He picked up his paintbrush and immersed himself in creation once more. As the brush danced across the canvas, he seemed to return to those passionate years. He recalled his initial aspirations when he entered the entertainment industry: a love and pursuit of performing arts, a desire to move audiences and convey emotions through his performances. But after years of trials and tribulations, does that initial aspiration still remain?

Meanwhile, Jun Mo Ran reopened a book on acting theory that had profoundly influenced her in her study. She read it word by word, and the once familiar theories and viewpoints now held a completely new meaning for her. She began to ponder what performing arts truly meant to her—was it a former profession and dream, or a deep-seated passion and way of expression?

In this process, they gradually realized that although they had left the stage of the entertainment industry, the performing arts had long become an indispensable part of their lives. Those memories were not an interference with their current lives, but rather their precious spiritual wealth, and an important opportunity for them to re-examine themselves and explore the meaning of life.

So they decided to break the silence and barriers between them, sit down again, and honestly share their inner feelings. On that quiet night, with the moonlight spilling into the courtyard like water, they sat facing each other, pouring out their inner struggles and confusion during this period, and sharing their thoughts and insights about the past, present, and future.

As their conversations deepened, they discovered that they shared the same desires and aspirations. They decided to return to the performing arts in a completely new way, no longer confined to the stage and screen, but integrating performance into the everyday aspects of life. They could participate in community cultural activities, telling stories of performance to children and teaching performance techniques; they could create literary or artistic works related to the performing arts, expressing their understanding and love for performance through different art forms; they could also organize small performance gatherings to share the joy of performance with like-minded friends and relive cherished memories.

After making this decision, the strange turmoil in their hearts gradually subsided. They understood that life is not a static, unchanging calm, but a constant alternation and cycle between tranquility and turbulence. What they had to do was to stay true to their original aspirations amidst the ups and downs of life, bravely follow the voice of their hearts, and let life shine with unique brilliance at every stage.