After Transmigrating, I Fell in Love with a Top-Tier Movie Queen - Chapter 14

Regardless of what Ye Linghua was planning to do to Zheng Lanwen, Meng Kelin had already begun making arrangements for the music.

After returning from Elder Zhang’s residence, she quickly contacted the top-tier music production team through his introduction. With the lyrics, melody, and musicians all in place, the song entered the crucial stage of arrangement.

Arrangement is the beautification of a song; sometimes, it alone can determine whether a track lives or dies.

Fortunately, Zhang Kunshan’s network was vast, and the arranger he brought in was one of the top professionals in the entertainment industry.

Meanwhile, Lin Xin was called back to the company to resume vocal training, striving to achieve her best possible performance for the upcoming recording sessions.

Since official work hadn’t fully commenced yet, Meng Kelin didn’t arrange for Ye Linghua to tag along. This worked out perfectly, as Ye Linghua had spent the last two days contemplating how to tie Zheng Lanwen down.

Not long after, Meng Kelin heard news regarding Zheng Lanwen from her young assistant. Initially, she only heard that Zheng Lanwen had tried to book a team—the very same team Meng Kelin had already secured. At the time, she felt a mix of disgust and speechlessness.

Ever since Lin Xin’s divorce, Meng Kelin hadn’t wanted the two of them to have any further intersections. However, they were both in the entertainment industry and belonged to rival companies; sometimes, they were bound to run into each other. It was simply unavoidable.

The industry had plenty of resources, but top-tier ones were limited, making clashes inevitable. Still, facing off against Zheng Lanwen felt uniquely sickening.

After moving past her initial disgust, Meng Kelin, knowing Zheng Lanwen’s personality, prepared herself for the woman to come looking for trouble. After all, Zheng Lanwen wasn’t the type to take a loss quietly. If there was the slightest advantage to be gained, she wouldn’t let it go—otherwise, how could she have climbed to fame by stepping on Lin Xin all those years?

However, before Zheng Lanwen could make a move, the young assistant returned from another round of gossiping, wearing a look of schadenfreude.

Seeing her like that, Meng Kelin felt amused before even hearing the news. “What happened?”

The assistant, Zhu Fang, was a petite girl with a delicate face and round, grape-like eyes. She leaned in close to Meng Kelin and whispered, “She joined a variety show.”

Meng Kelin was taken aback. “What kind of show?”

Zhu Fang: “They say it’s a rural life reality show.”

Meng Kelin frowned. “Can that even get popular?” So far, only one rural-themed variety show had become a hit. It was a small-budget production with little investment—a “dark horse” series.

The assistant looked around, then whispered, “Internal sources say it’s a question of whether the show can even be broadcast!”

Meng Kelin: “…With Zheng Lanwen’s fame, it shouldn’t come to that.” Even if she left Lin Xin, would she really stoop to joining a show that might never see the light of day?

Assistant: “They say the investor was generous and put in a lot of money, but for some reason, the director got into trouble and was arrested. Now they’ve replaced him. The investor saw things weren’t looking good and withdrew half the funding. Now, Zheng Lanwen is stuck—she can’t quit, and she can’t move forward.”

Meng Kelin knew that from development to production to post-production and broadcasting, every step of a show was fraught with difficulty. Every link was vital. If any part went wrong, the impact could be massive. Among these, an investor withdrawing funds was a fatal blow.

Meng Kelin didn’t understand. Since the investor had pulled out, why was Zheng Lanwen still stuck there? Was she placing a massive gamble?

The assistant whispered with renewed glee, “She’s earned quite a bit over the last two years and probably wanted to try her hand at investing. I heard she invested in this show herself.”

Meng Kelin was stunned. “How did she have the nerve?”

The assistant was even more delighted. “Why wouldn’t she? The proposal was brought in by her own company. I heard the planning document was excellent, aiming for a grand production. With sufficient investment and A-list celebrities as targets, they figured they could coast on the ‘traffic’ and at least break even.”

Meng Kelin shook her head. “It’s never that easy. Everyone in this industry aims for a ‘grand production,’ but how many actually make it? In a year of 365 days, how many variety shows, dramas, and movies never even get the chance to be seen before they die in a dark corner?”

Clearly disliking Zheng Lanwen as well, the assistant reminded Meng Kelin, “How would she know any of that? Sister Xin protected her too well.”

“True.” Meng Kelin sneered. With Lin Xin and herself providing protection, Zheng Lanwen had lived like a hothouse flower for years. Her life had been too comfortable, leading her to believe she could handle the wind and rain outside. This first lesson would teach her that the storms of the natural world never show mercy!

After trapping Zheng Lanwen in the countryside, Ye Linghua was also surprised by how easily the woman had been convinced to invest. “With a brain like that, can she even make money?”

A close friend of Ye Linghua happened to be in the arts and frequently participated in major music programs. While she didn’t have a network as wide as Zhang Kunshan’s, she was a pro when it came to dealing with investors.

Hearing this, the friend, Shi Daoqi, said, “Not a chance!”

Ye Linghua was speechless. “If she wasn’t certain, how did she dare to invest everything? Following her, won’t one end up hungry and cold?” She was actually starting to feel a bit worried for Lin Xin.

Shi Daoqi chuckled and asked back, “If you’re so concerned, why don’t you chase after her yourself?”

Ye Linghua: “…”

Shi Daoqi: “Don’t go silent on me! If you really like her, so what if she’s divorced? Go for it! Our little group supports you. After all, it’s a rare occasion to see an old iron tree like you finally bloom.”

Ye Linghua remained silent for a moment. Holding her phone, she walked out onto the balcony, just in time to see Lin Xin’s car returning. As Lin Xin stepped out, Meng Kelin leaned out from the car window, seemingly giving her some final instructions.

Ye Linghua had lived at Lin Xin’s place for about a month now. The daily routine of mundane life was filled with an endless, leisurely peace. It felt as though she had been plucked from a crowded metropolis and dropped into a quiet rural courtyard. She no longer had to watch the sunrise from between skyscrapers, feel the frantic pace of the city, or walk on a crowded sidewalk during a beautiful sunset.

Living here felt like she could climb to the mountain peak at dawn to watch the sun rise, or lie on the grass at night to count the stars. It was a sense of spiritual tranquility—a longing for life itself.

Here, there were only two people, leaning on each other, depending on one another. It seemed… there was nothing bad about it at all.

However…

“If a person is willing to die for another, do you think that kind of love is something someone else can intervene in?”

Shi Daoqi gave a cold laugh. “Then there’s no point in even trying!”

Ye Linghua was amused. She looked down at the first floor, watching Lin Xin wave goodbye to Meng Kelin and turn to walk up the small path. Seeing Lin Xin’s exhausted silhouette, she couldn’t help but sigh. “Right? Love is just an emotion, but survival is a human instinct. Love and life shouldn’t even be on the same level—after all, you have to be alive to love. But…”

Ye Linghua wasn’t without her own realizations about this novel. But because she understood it, she knew what it meant when a love transcended life itself.

“To truly give one’s life for a lover… then that lover must be her entire, absolute… faith.” How could a person with such faith easily place their faith in someone else?

Divorce wouldn’t be what killed Lin Xin; what would kill her was her love for Zheng Lanwen.

Thus, Ye Linghua had never thought of intervening. Instead, she wanted to ensure Lin Xin could eventually possess this love healthily. For the current Ye Linghua, she could still rationally and calmly judge that what Lin Xin needed was a healthy body.

“You’re not asleep yet?”

When Lin Xin returned to the villa and walked upstairs, she noticed the door to Ye Linghua’s room was open. The light from inside spilled out into the hallway.

As she approached the door, she saw Ye Linghua standing on the balcony. The night wind was somewhat cool, rustling the tops of the trees with a soft shasha sound.

Hearing her voice, Ye Linghua turned around. Lin Xin stood at the doorway in a white dress, one hand resting on the doorframe and the other hanging naturally at her side.

Seeing that Ye Linghua didn’t answer immediately, Lin Xin looked puzzled. She glanced at Ye Linghua’s neatly folded bedding and said, “It’s already 11:00 PM.”

Ye Linghua said a few words to the person on the other end of the line and hung up. Then, she walked toward Lin Xin.

A gentle smile appeared on her face as she answered, “You hadn’t returned yet.”

Lin Xin let out an “Ah,” her cheeks flushing slightly. She reached up to scratch her ear, avoiding Ye Linghua’s gaze.

Knowing that the other woman had been waiting for her made Lin Xin feel bashful. She replied, “I can open the door myself. You don’t have to wait up anymore.”

Ye Linghua smiled, a hint of helplessness in her slightly curved eyes. “I was leaving the light on for you.”

Leaving the light on?

Lin Xin froze. She thought of the countless nights she had returned to a dark house. Suddenly, her emotions surged like a small boat in a storm, with nowhere to dock. She looked at Ye Linghua and saw the woman looking back with a focused gaze. Lin Xin’s voice softened, but she still refused: “There’s no need.”

She had long since grown used to it—used to returning to a home for one, used to returning to a house where the lights would never be on.

“Of course there is.”

Ye Linghua glanced at their surroundings. Who would like a place where everything was pitch black without a light?

Therefore, she told Lin Xin with certainty, “This house is very big. I won’t let you come home to a house with no light.”

Lin Xin blinked her large eyes. Before Ye Linghua could react, she suddenly took a step forward and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around Ye Linghua’s slender but strong waist, pressing herself against a chest where the heartbeat had suddenly turned erratic.

The sudden contact of their skin exchanged warmth and softness. Lin Xin’s head rested against Ye Linghua’s neck, the familiar scent already lingering in her hair. How could such an unexpected embrace not stir one’s soul?

Even someone as composed as Ye Linghua—someone who had seen through it all—felt a sudden numbness in her heart at this moment. She nearly reached out to return the embrace.

Forgetting the novel, forgetting that Lin Xin was using her very life to love someone else…