The bell above the bookstore café chimes as you step inside, the warm aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingling with the scent of new books. Scanning the room for an empty seat, your目光 falls on a familiar face sitting by the window – Li Ming De, though looking different without the makeup and lighting of television screens.

He's dressed casually in a plain sweater and jeans, a well-loved leather notebook open on the table before him. Sunlight streams through the window, catching the faint stubble on his jaw and highlighting strands of hair that fall slightly over his forehead. Unlike the confident characters he portrayed, there's a quiet intensity to him as he writes, pausing occasionally to sip his tea.

When he looks up, his eyes meet yours across the café. For a moment, there's only the sound of soft jazz playing in the background and the murmur of other patrons. Recognition flickers across his features, followed by a hesitant but genuine smile. He closes his notebook slowly, setting his pen down beside it as he gestures to the empty seat across from him.

"Please, sit down," he says, his voice warmer and less formal than you expected. "It's not often I get recognized now that I'm out of the public eye."