After Transmigrating, I Fell in Love with a Top-Tier Movie Queen - Chapter 55.1

Xing Yan was not easily swayed by Lin Xin.

However, whether or not to divulge information depended entirely on whether she deemed it necessary. Even if Lin Xin and Meng Kelin found her, they could easily trace her family and ultimately Ye Linghua.

But being able to trace her and being able to approach her were two different things.

While Ye Linghua was not a huge celebrity and didn’t travel with bodyguards, she typically preferred to be mysterious. Even her friends had to call ahead to arrange a meeting. Lin Xin, blindly rushing around like this, would have a hard time finding her.

Finding Ye Linghua was not easy.

Of course, this was true for ordinary people. But Lin Xin was different; her place in Ye Linghua’s heart was unique.

Xing Yan knew that Ye Linghua had feelings for Lin Xin.

The iron tree rarely blossoms; when it does, it starts by interfering in someone else’s marriage—even if the marriage ended in divorce…

But this flower was no ordinary bloom; it was both enchanting and dangerous.

Considering that Lin Xin had come looking and seemed sincere, and since Ye Linghua hadn’t completely cut ties with her, Xing Yan felt she needed to carefully consider what to do.

Lin Xin grew anxious as Xing Yan remained silent, fearing she would be flatly rejected and forced to resume her needle-in-a-haystack search in this vast city.

The howling cold wind blew outside, carrying swirling snowflakes. In this world of ice and snow, Lin Xin and Meng Kelin felt like sudden, isolated outsiders.

With nowhere for her heart to settle and nowhere for her body to rest, Lin Xin and Meng Kelin could only rely on each other in Běichéng. They had no friends in this city.

They weren’t used to Běichéng’s weather. In Yòuchéng, a simple wool coat was enough for December, and often, that single coat was enough to get through the whole winter.

But Běichéng was different. They discovered on the first day that the sudden drop in temperature was unbearable for Southerners like her and Meng Kelin.

Although Lin Xin traveled frequently and had experienced various climates and customs, she still hated the cold. As soon as they got off the plane, she and Meng Kelin rushed to a clothing store and bought two thick down coats.

Despite this, she never thought of leaving Běichéng.

She wanted to find Ye Linghua…

Even if she couldn’t do anything in this strange city, she wanted to, and absolutely had to, find her!

And now, the woman across from her, Xing Yan, was her only hope and the closest she’d been to Ye Linghua.

Xing Yan was unaware of Lin Xin’s inner turmoil. The pen in her hand spun between her fingers as if alive, and the time for thought slowly passed.

Soon, she stopped, clipping the pen back into the pocket of her white lab coat.

She had made up her mind!

She put on a smile and asked: “I heard you still have feelings for your ex-wife?”

Lin Xin was bewildered by Xing Yan’s question: What kind of question is this? What does it have to do with Zheng Lanwen?

Although she didn’t know why Xing Yan asked, Lin Xin countered: “Why would you say that? I don’t have a masochistic tendency.”

Xing Yan gave an “hmm,” lifted her gaze, and carefully scrutinized Lin Xin from head to toe.

Before Ye Linghua, Xing Yan and the others actually knew of Lin Xin, but they didn’t know the details of her relationship with her ex-wife. They had only seen her in TV shows when they were children.

This was the first time they had met her in person. When they heard in the group chat that Ye Linghua was pursuing Lin Xin, they were all shocked. Upon checking, they found out she was married, and divorced.

That wasn’t the main thing; she had only been divorced for less than three months!

It wasn’t impossible for Ye Linghua to think Lin Xin still harbored feelings for her ex-wife. Lin Xin’s relationship, from marriage to pursuit to divorce, had been quite dramatic.

It was only natural not to have gotten over it so soon after the divorce.

Seeing Xing Yan’s skeptical look, Lin Xin urgently stated: “I don’t like her anymore.”

Xing Yan smiled faintly and crossed her legs: “Why?” Lin Xin was truly beautiful. Because of Ye Linghua, her friends had followed the public opinion war between Lin Xin and her father.

Lin Haiqi was quite good-looking, and Lin Xin’s mother must have been a beauty to give birth to such a naturally stunning woman as Lin Xin.

Even after removing her hat, despite her somewhat disheveled appearance, her delicate features still exuded an enchanting charm.

“You look so good. Couldn’t you have chosen someone else, even if it wasn’t Ye Linghua?” Xing Yan reminded Lin Xin that there was no need to cling to the “iron tree” that was Ye Linghua.

Lin Xin shook her head: “I know you might feel my issue with Zheng Lanwen wasn’t fully resolved, but the problem between Zheng Lanwen and me didn’t happen in the six months after the divorce. It was throughout our five years of marriage—enough time for me to clearly know I don’t love her anymore.”

It was just that she used to love Zheng Lanwen so much that it became a habit. Even after they separated, Lin Xin still felt sad, still hoped it was all a misunderstanding, and still believed they could return to the way things were if they got back together.

But Ye Linghua’s appearance was a massive obstacle that broke that habit.

Lin Xin began to see the world, and her own feelings, anew.

Zheng Lanwen had never loved her. Her love lasting five years was merely the price she paid for her youthful naivety.

Even though Lin Xin felt she was being sincere, Xing Yan still asked: “How can I believe you?”

Lin Xin was anxious: “How can I prove it to you?” You can do all sorts of foolish things to prove your love, but how do you prove its absence?

Xing Yan flashed a charming smile, pointed at the phone on the desk, and said: “Call Zheng Lanwen?”

Meng Kelin, who had been listening, felt the conversation was getting ridiculous and interjected: “Director Xing, we haven’t contacted Zheng Lanwen for eight months.”

Xing Yan just smiled faintly, then tossed a stack of photos onto the table. The photos showed Lin Xin and Zheng Lanwen sitting in front of a villa. They were sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard. Lin Xin was looking up at the bare branches across from the villa.

Her black hair draped softly behind her. With her gentle gaze, she looked like an elf in winter, making one want to reach out and touch her.

Across from her, Zheng Lanwen stared blankly at Lin Xin, her gaze dazed, even suggesting a hint of affection.

Lin Xin froze as she looked at the photos.

Xing Yan’s mocking voice rang out: “Ye Linghua paid a fortune to intercept these! And you’re telling me you haven’t seen Zheng Lanwen for eight months? Didn’t you just meet?”

Lin Xin gasped, then realized: “No wonder! I thought I saw a slight movement in the bushes opposite me that day. I figured a paparazzo had snuck in, but no news about her and me ever came out.”

Meng Kelin, about to step in and explain, froze, turning to look at Lin Xin in disbelief: ???

Xing Yan: “…”

Seeing both of them staring at her, Lin Xin quickly explained: “She came to find me that day, and I didn’t even let her inside. Didn’t you notice? It was freezing cold, and we were sitting in the courtyard.”

Xing Yan: “…I genuinely didn’t notice that.”

Lin Xin: “That day, I lured her into talking about everything related to Lin Wan and me.”

Meng Kelin was startled and asked: “What did she say?”

Lin Xin: “Everything! That she was dating Lin Wan, that Lin Wan couldn’t handle it and went abroad, and that was why Zheng Lanwen came to me. In short, all the things netizens suspected. I dragged them all out and gave them a thorough tongue-lashing. I thought it would definitely make the news afterward, so I was really surprised when nothing happened.”

Xing Yan: “…” That’s a bit mean, but well done.

Lin Xin looked at Xing Yan with innocent eyes: “I did all that. How else can I prove it?”

Xing Yan nodded solemnly. She held her serious expression for a long time, but once she couldn’t maintain it any longer, she revealed her true nature.

She burst into laughter, slapped her thigh, and then leaned closer to Lin Xin, asking: “Sister, you did great. But Hua Zi doesn’t know about this yet and is wallowing in self-pity. She told us not to reveal her location, but fine, I’ll sneakily tell you.”

The sudden change in attitude left both Lin Xin and Meng Kelin speechless.

Seeing their shocked expressions, Xing Yan cleared her throat, dropping her informal demeanor, and said: “I’m doing this for my good friend’s happiness.”

After all, this was the iron tree’s first blossom in twenty years, and if she was unlucky, it might be her last.

Since this flower had already run out on its own, as a friend, she had to help relocate it, even if it had been rooted in someone else’s garden.

Xing Yan decided to cultivate Ye Linghua’s flower!

Meng Kelin: “…Didn’t you just worry we were after her money?”

“Hahahahaha…” Xing Yan burst into loud laughter, slapped her thigh again, and said: “Sister, it doesn’t matter if you are or not. Besides, a person Ye Linghua herself fell for—I, Xing Yan, trust is not a greedy opportunist.”

Ye Linghua’s reason for leaving Lin Xin wasn’t a flaw in Lin Xin’s character but her belief that Lin Xin was deeply in love with someone else.

Therefore, Xing Yan was more at ease with a person Ye Linghua had personally vetted than with one she had vetted herself. After all, Ye Linghua was in that business.

Meng Kelin and Lin Xin were both overjoyed that Xing Yan had been convinced so easily. They exchanged a look and smiled happily.

With Ye Linghua’s friend as an ally, they believed everything would be simple.

The Grand Coincidence

With New Year’s Day approaching, the year was coming to an end.

All major companies began their year-end rush, and Ye Linghua was no exception.

However, Ye Linghua was good at delegating. She avoided doing things herself whenever possible, so for a long time, she had lived a healthy, low-stress life.

Ye Linghua was scheduled to gather with her close friends for a party on New Year’s Day.

It had always been this way, and this year was no exception.

Tāng Qiáozī usually handled the party arrangements. She was a chef but didn’t work in a fixed location, often moving around.

When Ye Linghua had gone to work as a nanny for Lin Xin, Tāng Qiáozī was her most frequent contact. This was because Tāng Qiáozī was an excellent chef with friends all over the country and was very familiar with the cuisine of every city.

Furthermore, although Tāng Qiáozī was gossipy, she wasn’t a blabbermouth. She wouldn’t spread one’s whereabouts everywhere!

In this regard, Xing Yan was far worse. Anything she knew, everyone else would know within a day.

Ye Linghua was unaware that Xing Yan had perfectly demonstrated this trait with Lin Xin.

The night Lin Xin came to find Xing Yan, Xing Yan secretly created a group chat without Ye Linghua and told everyone.

The friends completely trusted Ye Linghua’s judgment and weren’t bothered by Lin Xin’s divorced status. However, the matter between the two of them was complicated.

The friends didn’t dare push Lin Xin directly onto Ye Linghua. After all, when Ye Linghua got angry, she could thoroughly torment all of them. At the very least, if Ye Linghua reported them to their respective families, they’d be in trouble.

This was because Ye Linghua was very pretending-to-be-serious. As a result, their parents were all very trusting of Ye Linghua and usually didn’t need evidence; they’d scold their children first whenever Ye Linghua reported something.

After several days of discussion, they decided to arrange a “chance encounter” for Lin Xin and Ye Linghua.

For this chance encounter, Tāng Qiáozī had to choose the right location for the gathering. Given the relationship between Lin Xin and Ye Linghua, Tāng Qiáozī decided to arrange the dinner at a restaurant inside Gǎngchéng (Port City) Ocean Park…

When Ye Linghua received the message, she was completely puzzled.

Ocean Park?

She jumped into the group chat and asked: 【Amusement park?】

Mèng Pó Tāng (Xing Yan): 【What amusement park? This is a date spot!】

Ye Linghua raised a suspicious eyebrow: 【Date?】

Zhǐ Zài Shùn Jiān (Wēn Zé) quickly chimed in: 【It’s like this: the Ocean Park in Gǎngchéng isn’t for little kids. It’s the kind young people go to, quite thrilling.】

Ye Linghua: 【Wēn Zé, do you have the guts to ride those?】

Zhǐ Zài Shùn Jiān: 【…I’m not talking to you anymore.】

Ye Linghua: 【…Sorry.】

Mèng Pó Tāng (Xing Yan): 【Seriously, Qiao Zhi worked so hard to find this place. Why are you being so difficult?】

Dú Yào* (Tāng Qiáozī): 【Exactly! I’ve eaten at all the restaurants in that park. This one just opened this year, and the food is great.】

Ye Linghua didn’t doubt her, but still found it odd: 【Even if you worked hard, you didn’t have to go that far to test the food. We’re just gathering to meet up; it’s not a gourmet convention.】

Dú Yào* (Tāng Qiáozī): 【That’s an insult to my profession! As a top chef, would I let you eat something bad?】

Mèng Pó Tāng (Xing Yan): 【So it’s settled. Type ‘1’ if you agree to go to the amusement park.】

Ye Linghua’s mind was still trying to decide if it was worth flying so far in the cold weather when a pile of 【1】s floated up in the chat.

Ye Linghua: 【…Fine, fine! I didn’t say I wouldn’t go.】

So, on the last day of the year, Ye Linghua headed to the airport with a suitcase.

She saw the messages constantly buzzing in the chat but chose to ignore them.

Leaning against the car seat, she turned her head slightly to look out the window.

The company driver, who usually shuttled various departments, was taking her to the airport. Ye Linghua rarely went to the company and mostly preferred to drive herself, so she didn’t hire a dedicated driver.

For airport trips like this, she had to call one of the company staff.

The weather wasn’t great this year. December 31st was overcast, with layers of dark clouds pressing down, making it feel suffocating.

The snowflakes grew larger, drifting down one by one, carrying the lingering melancholy of the sky.

As the car swayed, Ye Linghua’s memories drifted to the time she spent with Lin Xin.

Yòuchéng’s weather was warm, but the summer heat was unbearable.

Ye Linghua disliked the heat, so the air conditioning in the house was on from morning till night. Yòuchéng’s summer sun was intense and blinding, as if it could melt the world.

She would slide the glass door shut at the engawa (veranda), lie down with a pillow, with her view equally split between the eaves of the engawa and the clear blue sky and pristine white clouds outside.

Watching the beautiful scenery and feeling the occasional cool breeze, she felt so lazy she could fall asleep at any moment.