After Transmigrating, I Fell in Love with a Top-Tier Movie Queen - Chapter 22

“Ahem!” Meng Kelin could barely watch. She coughed, and the two women snapped back to reality.

Ye Linghua silently finished the last piece of asparagus. Lin Xin went back to find a skewer she liked.

Meng Kelin watched the silent pair, narrowing her eyes at Lin Xin. Lin Xin, as if caught red-handed, turned her gaze away.

Taking advantage of Ye Linghua going to get a cold drink, Meng Kelin stealthily approached Lin Xin, nudged her gently, and mocked in a low voice, “You don’t like her? Hehe. Sharing a skewer? You said you don’t like her?”

Lin Xin gave her a long stare and then innocently replied, “She asked like that. If I didn’t eat it, wouldn’t it seem like I mind?”

Meng Kelin was in disbelief. “…What’s wrong with that?” What’s wrong with minding?

Lin Xin was also incredulous. “Is that polite?” How could I possibly mind?

Meng Kelin looked at the skewer in her hand, then held it out to Lin Xin and asked, “If that’s what you’re going to say, then do you want this skewer?”

Lin Xin flatly refused. “No.”

Meng Kelin said, “How is that polite of you?!!”

Lin Xin’s mouth twitched. “Between us, let’s not talk about politeness.” They’ve been friends for almost 20 years. What’s the point of talking about politeness?

Meng Kelin was speechless. She almost wanted to complain that Lin Xin was clearly so picky with others, yet she didn’t mind sharing a skewer with her little assistant. How could she say so much to justify it?

However, Meng Kelin was too lazy to pursue the matter. It was still uncertain whether the two would end up together.

Ye Linghua returned quickly, carrying a cold drink for herself and another for Lin Xin.

After that, the two didn’t do anything else to cross the line. Ye Linghua leaned against the back of the bench, enjoying the cool breeze and occasionally sipping her drink, her gaze fixed on the scenery outside the pavilion.

Lin Xin found another skewer she liked on the grill plate and filled her stomach with the cold drink Ye Linghua had brought her.

The way they deliberately avoided each other’s eyes only made Meng Kelin more suspicious.

Although neither of them spoke, the atmosphere between them was still beautiful. This made He Rong unable to resist pulling out his camera to take another picture, which caused Ye Linghua to look over and Lin Xin to raise her head in confusion.

The two of them were sitting close together, and the sight of them looking at the camera together was so beautiful that He Rong captured another shot.

Then he smiled and explained, “Moments in life are sometimes more powerful than any art.”

Ye Linghua didn’t say anything. Lin Xin just hummed in response, lowered her head, and continued eating her grilled skewers.

After a few hours of fun, everyone packed up, and the bus to take them home waited at the exit.

Lin Xin hadn’t brought much with her. Most of her luggage was at the hotel. The group of them got on the bus. Lin Xin took Ye Linghua to a two-seat row at the back, and Meng Kelin had to sit with Zhu Fang in the last row behind them.

The others also got on the bus, and the first bus quickly hit the highway.

Lin Xin had gotten up early that day, worked until noon, and was now full and well-fed. The warm sunlight from the window made her drowsy.

Ye Linghua watched the scenery for a while, then felt a weight on her shoulder. She was stunned for a moment, then turned her head to see Lin Xin leaning on her, fast asleep.

Ye Linghua smiled quietly, leaned back against her seat, and closed her eyes to rest as well.

Lin Xin’s subtle, fragrant scent drifted over, making Ye Linghua feel drowsy, and she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Huddled together, they swayed with the moving bus, as if their dreams were intertwined, and they slept soundly.

As the song’s recording neared its end, the preparations for the music video were all in place, and the official shoot was about to begin.

The new director for the music video was Yu Zechun.

He was a master of short videos and had a lot of experience shooting music videos. He knew when to leave empty space, what to fill in, when to transition, and when to use close-ups.

Ye Linghua hadn’t received a script. As Yu Zechun had said, it was only a scene or two, so there was no need for a separate script for her.

Ye Linghua’s appearances in the music video were few, and the scenes that required her cooperation were even fewer.

Ye Linghua didn’t understand the shooting process. Whenever Meng Kelin told her it was time to leave, she would go to the studio. Because her features were so good, the makeup artist didn’t need to do much and just gave her a simple foundation.

After her makeup was done, Ye Linghua waited in the dressing room for a staff member to come and get her. It was a shared dressing room, so many people were coming and going.

Bored, Ye Linghua picked up a magazine to read.

In the age of the internet, physical books were no longer as popular. But Ye Linghua still had the habit of reading books and had a giant bookshelf at home. The magazine in her hand was a once-popular entertainment magazine.

In the current era, this type of magazine couldn’t keep up with trends and had even struggled to survive, now facing the possibility of closure.

However, the magazine’s journalists were quite conscientious. The articles weren’t too harsh, and they would list various pieces of evidence to support their points.

For example, there was an article about Lin Xin’s recent activities.

Lin Xin had been busy with various announcements. Although she hadn’t officially announced her comeback to her fans, it was very clear that she was preparing for a full return.

The paparazzi, like dogs with the most sensitive noses, surrounded her as soon as they caught a whiff of something.

The article in the magazine about Lin Xin’s comeback was fair and listed all the recent actions they had been able to discover.

Huh?

Ye Linghua took out her phone and checked the trending topics, thinking that if there was news about it in a magazine, there should be something online as well.

She didn’t usually follow these things.

Before, she would just look at the trending topics as a news app when she was bored. Only after she started following Lin Xin did her account begin to get some entertainment news.

And in the entertainment section of the trending topics, she easily found news about Lin Xin.

A tip, from who knows where, claimed that Lin Xin was planning to make a comeback with a song.

In the comments below, people immediately started criticizing Lin Xin for being tone-deaf and just trying to fleece her fans.

Perhaps because Lin Xin had already talked to the company about not renewing her contract, Meng Kelin couldn’t get her old team to do much anymore.

The news about Lin Xin was hard to control, even with the fans’ efforts.

The comments were full of contempt for Lin Xin’s singing. Someone brought up Lin Xin’s past work, noting that none of her songs had been big hits or won any authoritative awards.

Because of this, everyone mocked her for overestimating her own abilities.

Without the company’s protection, Lin Xin was like a little lamb falling into a pack of wolves. Not only did her fans see it, but rival companies could easily step on her.

In the end, all the comments said that the song had a very slim chance of success.

Ye Linghua clicked her tongue and exited the page. She then heard someone in the dressing room whispering, “Sigh, if this song doesn’t get popular, what are we going to do?”

“What does it have to do with us? Whether it gets popular or not, it won’t get to people with our background.”

Even the people in the background knew how important this song was to Lin Xin.

Ye Linghua rested her chin on her hand, her fingers rubbing the magazine cover, a thoughtful look on her face.

Wang Shisen, upon hearing that the music video shoot had started, flew back from his city at his own expense.

Yu Zechun heard that the composer had come on his own and arranged to meet with him. The two talked happily and even went out for a meal together.

When Yu Zechun returned, he said he had found inspiration.

He quickly booked a studio and hired people to work.

Wang Shisen figured since he was already there, he might as well stay and observe. For the music video shoot, the music had to be played for a certain amount of time. Yu Zechun also needed to find inspiration through the music, so the complete song was sent over before the shoot began.

When Yu Zechun first heard the song, his expression was complex. Even Wang Shisen hadn’t expected his composition to turn into such a beautiful song one day.

“I believe it will be heard everywhere,” Wang Shisen said. At this moment, the song gave him that kind of confidence.

Yu Zechun chuckled. “A ‘bubblegum pop’ song can also be heard everywhere, but your song…” He thought for a moment before giving a very high compliment, “It will certainly be given a unique meaning in the world of music.”

Wang Shisen’s face turned red with shyness. “…Thank you.”

Yu Zechun also laughed and then hit him with a bit of a reality check. “Elder Zhang’s contribution accounts for at least half of this.”

Wang Shisen looked flustered. “More than half, more than half.”

Yu Zechun just smiled and shook his head, praising him. “Even without lyrics, your composition makes people feel extraordinary.” The composition is the life source of the song, and the lyrics are its spirit. The combination of the two is the true soul.

Wang Shisen was embarrassed by the praise. His eyes drifted into the distance, and he finally said, “My sister… used to say the same thing.”

Wang Shisen said the song was named “Dusk” because the inspiration for the song came from the time of dusk when his sister passed away.

“Dusk” is about a girl with a terminal illness facing death, from the initial stages of denial, anger, and bargaining to the final stages of depression and acceptance.

In other words, it’s about a person’s process of accepting death. The despair revealed in the song isn’t the most precious thing. The most precious thing is the hope that can be seen within that despair.

It’s a song about the will to live and a song that urges all people facing despair to keep on living.

Yu Zechun wanted to bring that meaning to life and give the song a more vivid visual.

Ye Linghua plays the role of the dying girl’s lover from her memories. The song isn’t a love song, so this part will only be a fleeting moment and not the main theme of the song.

Director Yu decided to shoot the indoor scenes first and set up a bedroom filled with signs of life.

Ye Linghua was soon called to change into a set of loose pajamas. The pajamas were brand new, and Ye Linghua reluctantly agreed to change into them.

When she came out of the changing room, she saw that the area was filled with crew members.

A bedroom set had been built in the studio, and cameras were aimed at the large bed from all directions. The bed was a mess.

Ye Linghua’s mouth twitched. She asked in an unladylike way, “What are we filming?” It wasn’t her fault for thinking this way. The bed looked very cozy.

Director Yu, without looking up from adjusting his equipment, said, “Just improvise.”

“Huh?” Ye Linghua asked.

But Director Yu didn’t explain further. As Ye Linghua was wondering how she was supposed to improvise, the studio door opened again.

Ye Linghua turned her head and saw Lin Xin wearing pink pajamas, with a white towel wrapped around her head, as if she had just come out of the bathroom.

Her makeup was light, probably just foundation and a light touch of eyebrow pencil, just like Ye Linghua’s. She looked fresh and ethereal, like a lotus coming out of the water.

Ye Linghua’s heart fluttered, and she looked away.

Director Yu pointed to the bedroom set. “We’ll start with the indoor scenes.”

Lin Xin smiled. “Okay.”

Director Yu then said, “You sit there, the lighting is good in that spot, and your assistant sits on the bed. We’ll film her drying your hair for you.”

Following Director Yu’s instructions, everyone began to act.

After Ye Linghua sat down, someone handed her a hairdryer. Ye Linghua looked at the hairdryer, and before she could even react, Lin Xin had already sat on the carpet in front of her.

Lin Xin sat between Ye Linghua’s legs, with the back of her head resting against Ye Linghua’s abdomen.

This extremely intimate action made Ye Linghua’s breathing stop for a moment. Lin Xin didn’t seem to notice. She reached up and pulled the towel off her head, her wet hair falling down. The unfamiliar scent of shampoo wafted into the air.

It wasn’t her usual shampoo. Ye Linghua’s eyes fell on Lin Xin’s wet hair, seeing the water droplets at the ends of the strands.

Lin Xin turned her head, smiling. “Thank you.”

Director Yu looked at the camera, waved his hand, and said, “Do you know how to dry hair? Just act like a couple in a relationship.”

Ye Linghua looked at the hairdryer in her hand, sighed, and put it to the side. She picked up the towel Lin Xin had placed next to her and said, “Let’s dry your hair first!”

Lin Xin hummed in agreement.

Director Yu gave everyone a signal, and they all became quiet.

Under the soft lighting, Ye Linghua gently draped the towel over Lin Xin’s head.

Lin Xin felt her vision suddenly blocked by the towel. She couldn’t see the staff members outside. Ye Linghua’s legs were on both sides of her body, and the occasional accidental touch and the warmth that came from it made her heartbeat a little irregular.

She suddenly felt a weight on her head. Ye Linghua had reached out and grabbed the towel. She gently rubbed Lin Xin’s hair, and the towel in her hands slowly became damp.

Looking at Lin Xin sitting in front of her, she could see the faint white skin of her back through the loose collar of her pajamas.

Ye Linghua closed her eyes to calm herself down, then proceeded to dry her hair with a serious expression.

Yu Zechun thought, “What is this serious expression? Where’s the emotion?”

I just realized today that I wrote ‘asparagus’ instead of ‘lettuce,’ which was on the table while I was writing, sigh.

Oh well, asparagus it is! And I found a typo in my author’s note as well, sigh.