After Transmigrating, I Fell in Love with a Top-Tier Movie Queen - Chapter 106

As the variety show approached its end, two or three episodes had already aired on television.

Yan Li thought carefully: Lin Xin and Ye Linghua were bound to go public eventually. When that happened, Ye Linghua’s identity and related matters would certainly become a hot topic.

Therefore, Yan Li decided to temporarily add a tea party to secure some exclusive scoops for the fans.

The tea party was scheduled to be held during the day because mosquitoes had recently started to multiply. The cozy cottage was near the mountains and surrounded by trees, so the mosquitoes were naturally rampant.

Consequently, the evening filming sessions were beginning to be moved indoors.

However, the rooms were small and not ideal for filming; the lighting was also poor. Therefore, it was finally decided that while the weather in late spring was not yet scorching hot, they would hold a tea party in the courtyard.

The tea party, a program segment focused on casual chatting, had been held in the previous two seasons as well. They invited popular singers to chat about things fans wanted to know. For fans, even if their idols said something boring, it was entertaining. Therefore, the ratings were excellent at that time.

For CP fans, just having the two main subjects sitting there without talking would be enough to make them scream. Furthermore, Lin Xin’s popularity was not low.

No matter how Yan Li looked at it, the ratings for this tea party would not be bad.

To prepare for this tea party, the guests woke up early in the morning to discuss what to buy for the tea service.

Tan Wenchang volunteered: “I can make some tea snacks. You just need to buy a few more things to add to the selection, okay?”

Mao Heng then said: “Also buy some tea sets and tea leaves! I’ll stay here and assist Wenchang.”

With the two veteran performers providing a stable base, everyone else rushed out to work.

The group arrived in the city with a whoosh. The city wasn’t large, and all its facilities had only been added in the last couple of years. The roads had only begun to be expanded in the last two years. The single large shopping mall was located in the northern part of the city. It took exactly forty minutes to get there from the seaside near the Cozy Cottage.

The mall was very large and bustling. As soon as the celebrities walked in, they drew onlookers. Each person was followed by their dedicated camera operator, dutifully recording.

Gong Chen held the mission card given by the director, checked his phone, and said, “Let’s split up to buy things! That way we can save time.” The tea party was scheduled for 12 o’clock in the afternoon, and it was already 9 a.m. It would take another hour to get back. They couldn’t spend too much time on procurement outside.

Everyone else agreed. The final decision was that Gong Chen and Bai Xueyu would buy the tea set, Qu Hejing and Zhuo Yaxin would buy the tea snacks, and Lin Xin and Ye Linghua would buy the tea leaves.

There were few shops selling tea leaves in the mall, mainly because the rent was expensive. Also, a quiet location was preferable for a tea leaf shop, as it provided a better environment for tasting tea. Therefore, most tea shops carefully selected their locations by comparing various factors, such as nearby consumers, the environment, and, most importantly, convenient transportation.

A tea shop in the mall was certainly possible. One that would spend a large amount on rent in this location must have also recognized the mall’s foot traffic. This particular mall happened to have a tea shop on the left side of the busy main hall, an excellent location.

Ye Linghua had noticed it as soon as she entered. The tea shop’s location was superb, and its decoration was extremely luxurious. Opening here with such fine décor likely meant good business.

Seeing Ye Linghua lead Lin Xin in, with fans gathering around the shop’s glass wall, a slightly overweight middle-aged man who was the shop owner quickly put down his teacup and greeted them with a smile: “Welcome.”

The shop owner guessed that some celebrities were likely filming a show. Wasn’t this a great opportunity to boost sales?

So, the smile on his face became even more sincere. He guided them toward the tea table, saying with a cheerful voice, “Please have a seat here!”

Evidently, Ye Linghua was familiar with the ways of tea shops. She pulled back Lin Xin, who was about to walk over, and told the owner, “We won’t be chatting today. We need to buy tea leaves, and we’re in a bit of a rush.”

The owner quickly nodded. Most walk-in customers would sit down for a couple of cups of tea, chat, and the relaxed atmosphere coupled with the enthusiastic owner would quickly turn them into friends.

Selling tea leaves was much easier after that.

Only those who were desperate for tea leaves would come in and leave immediately without sitting down.

Understanding Ye Linghua’s intention, the owner turned and led them toward the tea cabinet. Once they arrived, Lin Xin noticed that the shop also sold tea sets in addition to tea leaves. A dedicated attendant at the counter had already brewed two cups of tea, pushing them toward the ladies with a kind, amiable smile that seemed very approachable.

Lin Xin mentally sighed, If I had come in alone, I’d feel too embarrassed not to buy something!

“Do you have Oolong tea?” Ye Linghua scanned the selection and asked the attendant without lifting her head.

Lin Xin was delighted and tugged on Ye Linghua’s hand. Ye Linghua felt the pull and looked at her curiously, then heard Lin Xin laugh: “I like Oolong tea too, among all the tea varieties.”

Ye Linghua smiled: “Right? I like it too. We’re so compatible.”

Lin Xin happily scratched her head and said, “Mmm, we can brew tea together in the future.” She knew Ye Linghua wasn’t an absolute tea enthusiast, but she did have the habit of brewing tea occasionally. If you asked her about tea, she didn’t know much.

So, how great would it be to drink Oolong tea together! If she didn’t know how to brew it later, she could just buy her two cans from the supermarket. Canned Oolong tea from the supermarket was also quite good.

At this time, Lin Xin had no idea that Oolong tea meant more than just the canned drinks from the supermarket.

The attendant clearly recognized the two women and was very excited by their conversation. However, this wasn’t the time for shipping CPs. She asked Ye Linghua, “What grade would you like?”

The owner then recommended, “How about Fu Lian Jia Ye?”

Ye Linghua blinked and asked, “Does it taste good?”

The owner replied, “It’s considered standard, I suppose. It’s a semi-rock tea, you know.”

Ye Linghua nodded: “What else do you have?”

The owner then realized that price wasn’t a huge issue! He had initially seen them filming and worried that the program team might have to reimburse the cost. In that case, it would be awkward to offer something too expensive if they didn’t buy it, which was why he had tested the waters with the semi-rock Oolong tea.

The owner asked her again: “Ma Tou Yan is quite a bit better.”

Ye Linghua asked him, “Do you have Wu Ji? A friend of mine gave me some last time, and I thought it tasted quite good.”

The owner paused: “Isn’t that a non-sale item?”

Ye Linghua looked at him, her eyes dark: “She said you can buy it if you have money. I heard the boss even gave her a discount.”

The owner: “…”

Lin Xin blinked her big eyes and asked, “Is it very expensive?”

Ye Linghua replied, “Shi Tongqi said it wasn’t expensive.”

Lin Xin asked with a giggle, “How come everything you have is given to you by friends?” Even the suitcase was a gift.

Ye Linghua could only explain, “I usually like to buy things at the supermarket, for convenience. They think my taste is poor, so they buy tea leaves for me to try the good stuff, which is why they gave it to me. I drank it and it was genuinely good, I liked it a lot. So, I often ask her to help me buy it afterwards.” She was surprisingly serious in her explanation.

Lin Xin nodded. Then, Ye Linghua had a moment of thought, rubbed her chin, and asked, “Do you think she’d rip me off?”

Lin Xin had met Ye Linghua’s friends, and their character was very good. Plus, every single one of those friends was very wealthy, so Lin Xin didn’t believe they would do such a thing.

She couldn’t help but shoot her a flirtatious glare and said, “Your friends are very nice. They wouldn’t! How much money is an item like that worth for them to do such a thing?”

The owner paused, wanting to interject. He hadn’t expected Ye Linghua to be convinced, though. She suddenly realized and said, “That’s right. They wouldn’t try to cheat me out of that little money.”

So, the two stopped talking about that and instead asked the owner, “What Oolong tea do you have? Anything that tastes good will do.” Since they couldn’t buy the one they wanted, they might as well let the owner recommend something.

The owner was silent for a moment, then picked up a bag that looked extremely high-quality and said, “Shuixian (Narcissus)?”

Ye Linghua pulled out her card and said, “Fine, I trust you.”

The owner: “…” So, so casual. I should have picked something more expensive, but the Shuixian is already… very expensive…

After the two emerged from the shop with the tea leaves, Lin Xin whispered to Ye Linghua, “That Shuixian was over ten thousand, right? That’s not cheap.”

Ye Linghua laughed and whispered back, “Your necklace was over a hundred thousand! How is that cheap?”

Lin Xin paused, her face flushing. She said, “Is this about the price? It was a sentimental token at the time.” Back then, my mind was so troubled. Having a necklace to represent those feelings was worth any price.

Ye Linghua held the bag of tea leaves in her hand and said, “Then is this about the price? We’re done talking today, and the show is about to end. How can we ask people to drink tea that only costs a few hundred dollars?”

Why can’t we drink tea that costs a few hundred dollars? The canned Oolong tea I buy at the supermarket is only about 10 yuan a can!

Lin Xin: “…You’re good with words.”

Even with the camera following behind, Ye Linghua couldn’t resist leaning close to her ear and softly asking, “Besides being good with words, I’m also good at kissing people.”

Too, too improper!!!

The sensation near her earlobe, as if she was touched yet wasn’t, sent a shiver down Lin Xin’s entire body. Thinking of the camera behind them, she raised her eyebrows and warned, “Ye Linghua!” Where is that big, proper Ye Linghua?!

Ye Linghua instantly dropped to her knees (figuratively): “I apologize.”

The interaction between the two caused the fans following behind to whisper and scream.

They returned to the spot where they had separated and sat on the hallway benches to wait for the others. Watching people come and go, they saw someone walk past with an ice cream. Ye Linghua asked Lin Xin, “Do you want some? I’ll go buy it.”

Lin Xin pursed her lips: “Sister Meng said I can’t eat it.”

Ye Linghua: “…It’s fine. We’ll let her scold me later!”

Lin Xin primly nodded.

So, before long, the returning group of guests saw Ye Linghua and Lin Xin sitting on the rest chairs, eating ice cream.

The guests: “…”

Seeing the others return, everyone gathered together to head home. Gong Chen, as the only male, naturally carried the heaviest tea set. As they walked to the parking lot, they shared amusing anecdotes about their shopping trips.

It was nearly noon when they finally made it back to the Cozy Cottage.

The production team had already set up a wooden gazebo in the courtyard, with portable air conditioners blowing cool air into it. The weather wasn’t scorching hot yet, and with this simple cooling method, Yan Li went to sit down and found it quite comfortable.

Soon, everyone brought out the tea snacks. These were mostly small treats, like peanuts, sunflower seeds, as well as dried meat slices, cookies, and pastries.

Because the gazebo was rushed, it wasn’t very aesthetically pleasing, and some gauze was used to cover up its flaws.

Everyone sat down and found that the space was large enough and not crowded. There were plenty of tea snacks, with a good assortment placed in front of each person.

Once everyone was seated, the tea party officially began.

Following Yan Li’s instructions, Mao Heng started with a lighthearted opening before suddenly changing the topic to Ye Linghua, asking, “I’ve been wondering for a long time and still can’t figure it out, Ye Linghua. You just needed to buy some tea leaves, so why did you spend over ten thousand?”

Ye Linghua: “Tea is just for quenching thirst, there’s no need to worry too much about the price. It’s just a small token of my regard, wanting to enjoy some good tea with everyone.” Everyone showed their appreciation, although ten thousand dollars was not an amount no one present could afford.

Tan Wenchang laughed: “That’s good. Yan Li doesn’t have to worry about you asking him for reimbursement.”

Mao Heng also laughed: “Speaking of which, you know quite a bit about tea, don’t you?”

Ye Linghua shook her head: “I really know very little about tea. Most of the tea leaves at my house are gifts from friends. I usually just drink whatever tea I have at home and generally don’t study it.”

Tan Wenchang followed up: “Me too. I don’t really drink tea; I just casually deal with a couple of sips. But Mao Heng really likes tea. I heard you’ve had Wu Ji, and he’s quite excited.”

Lin Xin was momentarily startled: “Is Wu Ji very delicious?”

Mao Heng replied, “It’s not about whether it tastes good or not. I’ve always wanted to buy it but haven’t been able to.”

Ye Linghua said, “The aftertaste is sweet, and it is better than other teas. Maybe because the production is low, it’s hard to buy.”

Lin Xin was curious and asked, “Is it very expensive?”

Ye Linghua replied, “Not expensive. It’s only about seven thousand.”

Lin Xin said, “Oh,” and didn’t ask any more questions.

Mao Heng was completely choked up by Ye Linghua’s last words. If he said Ye Linghua was lying, that wasn’t exactly true. But if he said she wasn’t lying… Why don’t you talk about the price per half-kilo! What kind of hero talks about the price per serving?

However, since the host was serving good tea, Mao Heng couldn’t very well ruin the mood. Moreover, Ye Linghua didn’t seem prepared to explain.

Since Ye Linghua wouldn’t talk about this, Mao Heng simply changed the topic and said, “You’ve been very popular these last two days! Everyone online is discussing your profession. We are also curious; can you tell us about it?”

Ye Linghua paused: “You are being very subtle…” Aren’t they discussing my wealth online?

Mao Heng laughed heartily: “I’m also quite curious. I heard earlier that you started your own business, but what industry are you in?”

Lin Xin realized what was going on: This is basically a trap! Everyone was bombarding Ye Linghua with questions.

Of course, later on, everyone would chat casually, but the clear initial focus on Ye Linghua showed a definite purpose!

Ye Linghua chuckled and said, “In the early days, I didn’t have much capital, so I borrowed money from friends. To pay it back as soon as possible, I got into investing.”

Gong Chen couldn’t help but say, “I invest too, and I’ve lost a fortune.”

After all, they couldn’t stay in the entertainment circle forever! If they had some money, they always had to find a way to make money grow.

“That’s right! I invested before too, and lost quite a bit.”

This topic quickly resonated with Qu Hejing and others. Everyone began to share their experiences of losing money in investments.

After a round of discussion, the topic returned to Ye Linghua. Mao Heng was very curious: “Since you’re in investment, your income shouldn’t be low. Why did you audition to be Lin Xin’s assistant in the first place?” Since Ye Linghua’s identity couldn’t be probed earlier, they’ve now changed the subject to understand how the two met.

Ye Linghua was full of sincerity: “That’s not exactly true. I didn’t audition for an assistant role.”

Mao Heng: “???”

Ye Linghua explained: “I auditioned for a housekeeping position.”

Mao Heng: “…”

Qu Hejing: “I remember you’re not from Youcheng.”

Ye Linghua: “Mmm, I’m from Beicheng.”

Qu Hejing: “Why would you fly from Beicheng to Youcheng for an audition?”

Ye Linghua glanced at Lin Xin, who looked embarrassed. Ye Linghua knew that this tea party would likely be broadcast in the final episode. It would most likely be played as a big revelation, and she was the one who needed to be revealed.

However, there was nothing to hide, except that she was a transmigration character, which she certainly couldn’t reveal. That would make it hard to explain why she deliberately crossed cities to audition.

There was clearly only one answer that she could give.

Ye Linghua spoke gently, as if reminiscing about the past: “Since I traveled a thousand miles to find her, I certainly had an ulterior motive.”

If there were fans present at this moment, they would undoubtedly be screaming nonstop. Even though there were no fans, the guests, who were aware of the relationship between Ye Linghua and Lin Xin, couldn’t help but chuckle when they heard this.

“Did she offer a high salary?”

Ye Linghua replied with a proud tone: “It was very high, over ten thousand! I suspect she had an ulterior motive for me, too.”

Bai Xueyu and the others were amused by Ye Linghua’s humor and all laughed, saying, “You are so funny.”

Ye Linghua looked at Lin Xin with gentle eyes and said, “I hope you think so too.”

Lin Xin glared at her. Ye Linghua then said to Bai Xueyu, acting wronged, “She doesn’t think so.”

Qu Hejing asked, “Why do you care so much?”

At this point, Ye Linghua had treated this tea party as the first related interview segment after she and Lin Xin would go public. Therefore, she didn’t resist all the various probing questions.

Ye Linghua answered generously: “Of course, I care. Our time together is still long! I can’t let her think I’m boring now.”

The guests applauded. Qu Hejing smiled helplessly and said, “So, you’re going to publicly announce it in a grand manner?” She asked cautiously, and the other person answered grandly, making Qu Hejing seem petty.

“Of course, we’re going public, openly and honestly,” Ye Linghua said, looking at Lin Xin with a smile.

Lin Xin met her gentle gaze and nodded.

The guests all offered their blessings, and then everyone raised their cups for a toast. The conversation lingered around the couple for a bit before slowly shifting to the other people.

Ye Linghua sipped her tea while listening to them talk about interesting stories from the entertainment circle.

Stories of calling someone the wrong name during filming and groveling for forgiveness.

Stories of forgetting lines during a shoot, but the director gave a warm consolation.

And also stories of recording a show while still unknown, having to hide in a teddy bear costume, and the bear becoming famous, but the person did not.

Among this group, only Ye Linghua didn’t have shared experiences with them. But this was Lin Xin’s work, so she didn’t find it boring.

She could imagine that Lin Xin might have experienced every story they told.

Through their words, she seemed to see the Lin Xin who struggled alone in the entertainment circle. She saw the Lin Xin who watched everything unfold, alone and lonely.

Ye Linghua occasionally took a sip of tea, listening attentively. Lin Xin, sitting next to her, would help her retrieve some of the tea snacks she couldn’t easily reach.

When Ye Linghua couldn’t finish something, she would pick some out and give it to Lin Xin to eat. The sight of the two feeding each other quickly drew teasing from the other guests.

It was amidst this laughter that the tea party concluded.

What the guests present didn’t expect was that when Ye Linghua said she would announce it openly and honestly, she meant exactly that.

At 12 o’clock at night, Ye Linghua and Lin Xin simultaneously posted a public announcement on Weibo.

Lin Xin V: [Grateful for the encounter, grateful to have you. (Red Umbrella)]

Chong Qi (Ye Linghua’s account): [Grateful for the encounter, grateful to have you. (Mermaid Tail Pendant)]