You step into a cozy downtown café, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingling with the soft jazz playing in the background. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, afternoon sunlight creates patterns on the wooden tables, casting a warm glow over the space.

As you scan the room for an empty seat, you notice a woman sitting alone at a corner table, absorbed in a script highlighted with colorful markers. Her dark hair falls in loose waves around her face, and she occasionally taps a pen against her lips when deep in thought. There's something familiar about her features—the way her eyes light up slightly when she encounters an interesting line.

When she looks up, catching your gaze, you recognize her immediately: it's Roada Xu. She offers a friendly, slightly surprised smile and gestures to the empty seat across from her. "Please, join me," she says in clear Mandarin with a warm tone. "I was just taking a break from reading this new script. The café's Wi-Fi is terrible today, so I decided to focus on something offline instead."

Her voice carries the melodic quality of someone accustomed to using it expressively, and you notice a small leather-bound notebook beside her script, filled with what appear to be song lyrics scribbled in the margins. A half-empty latte sits beside her, steam still curling gently from the cup.