After Transmigrating, I Fell in Love with a Top-Tier Movie Queen - Chapter 6

“Who are you looking for?” The security guard at the gatehouse saw the car and didn’t lift the barrier. He stepped out and, on closer inspection, saw that it was Zheng Ranwen. His expression immediately became a little difficult.

Being stopped by the guard gave Zheng Ranwen a feeling of profound loss. This used to be her home, and the guards always greeted her respectfully. She never thought there would come a day when she’d be stopped at the gate. But this was a high-end residential complex, and entering and exiting was strictly controlled. Without the owner’s or a direct family member’s permission, it was difficult to get in. Now that she was divorced and no longer a resident, being stopped seemed only natural.

Even with the discomfort she felt, Zheng Ranwen said, “I’m here to see Lin Xin.”

The guard didn’t let her in right away. He said apologetically, “I’m sorry, but you’re not a resident here anymore. If you’re looking for Miss Lin, I’ll need to call and ask first.”

Zheng Ranwen held back her temper and nodded. The guard went back into the gatehouse and contacted the villa via phone. The phone system connected directly to each villa, and someone answered quickly.

“Hello.” The voice was as gentle as a stream in the sunlight, cool but with a touch of warmth.

Zheng Ranwen immediately recognized the voice of the person who had hung up on her yesterday. She was still at Lin Xin’s house? Had she spent the night there? How dare she just bring someone back to spend the night?

From the moment she heard Ye Linghua’s voice, Zheng Ranwen couldn’t help but curse under her breath. She almost turned back to confront Lin Xin, but she knew she no longer had the right to. Besides, she didn’t know where the paparazzi were hiding. For a celebrity, losing your cool was a mistake.

Over the phone, Ye Linghua’s voice immediately told the guard who she was—the woman who had been with Lin Xin for the past two days. The guard awkwardly explained the situation at the gate and asked, “She said she’s here to see Miss Lin. Can you please ask her if she can come in?”

Ye Linghua clicked her tongue and turned to Lin Xin behind her. “Zheng Ranwen’s here.”

Lin Xin calmly replied, “Let her in.”

The two of them weren’t far from the phone, and Zheng Ranwen’s irritation grew as she overheard their conversation. The guard let out a sigh of relief and allowed Zheng Ranwen to pass. After a reporter snuck into the complex two days ago, an emergency meeting had been held, and they had been strict about checking visitors. If he didn’t let Zheng Ranwen in, the guard was afraid she would cause trouble for him. It was a good thing the person on the phone was easy to talk to. It was better for them to solve their problems face-to-face than to involve a small fry like him.

As the car barrier slowly lifted, Zheng Ranwen drove into the complex and quickly arrived at the front door. She remembered that Lin Xin had bought this villa as their new home. The first time she entered, she could feel all the care and effort Lin Xin had put into it. But the two of them, with no love between them, lived in the villa like it was a show home. Zheng Ranwen would go straight to her room whenever she came back. After five years, she couldn’t remember a single moment they had spent together.

Now, looking at the winding stone path that led to the front door, she was suddenly reminded of the day of the divorce. In the pouring rain, she had told Lin Xin, who was wearing a sexy silk nightgown, that she wanted a divorce. Lin Xin had been sitting right here as she left. She had wanted to look back several times but was afraid of her misunderstanding and her own heart softening.

With these memories, Zheng Ranwen stepped onto the path toward the villa. As she got closer, she realized the person sitting on the steps was not Lin Xin but a stranger. Zheng Ranwen’s initial nervousness and guilt vanished. The rare soft expression on her face turned cold. She already guessed that this stranger was the person who had hung up on her yesterday and went shopping and had dinner with Lin Xin.

Seeing Zheng Ranwen approach, Ye Linghua stood up. This was their first meeting, and they immediately disliked each other.

Zheng Ranwen found that Ye Linghua was even prettier than she had imagined. With a provocative look, she was a little sexy. She was wearing a brown off-the-shoulder shirt with a skirt that had a business suit style combined with a mesh hem. When she smiled, she was as cool as the moon in the night sky, but it also made people want to get closer.

Zheng Ranwen’s resentment almost overflowed. How could a stranger show up here just two days after she had left? Does Lin Xin really like this stranger? Does she like her more than she liked me? No, that’s impossible. How could she move on in just two days?

“Hello, you’re Miss Zheng, right?” Ye Linghua’s gentle voice rang out.

Zheng Ranwen was stunned. She mumbled to herself, This person’s voice is good too. She pulled herself back to reality, her tone not very polite. “I am.”

Ye Linghua: “Lin Xin is inside preparing some tea. I came out to greet you.”

Zheng Ranwen replied with a nonchalant “Oh,” and tried to push past Ye Linghua to enter the house. But Ye Linghua didn’t budge. She blocked the way and smiled as she asked, “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

Zheng Ranwen frowned. But since they were at the front door, she was afraid there might be reporters nearby. She maintained her composure and nodded.

Ye Linghua didn’t hesitate. “To be honest, I was surprised to get your call. Lin Xin said she tried to get you to stay the other day, and you said you never wanted to come back here, right? So, I thought I wouldn’t see you again for a while. Why did you come back?”

Zheng Ranwen’s brows furrowed. She felt very uncomfortable with Ye Linghua’s direct questioning.

Ye Linghua didn’t give her time to think and continued, “Is this about Miss Lin Wan?”

Zheng Ranwen scoffed and rolled her eyes. She couldn’t help but snap back at Ye Linghua. “What does it have to do with you?”

Lin Xin’s taste wasn’t bad. After all, it was love at first sight, and Zheng Ranwen was indeed very good-looking. When she first debuted, she had a cold, no-nonsense persona, which complemented Lin Wan’s lively and adorable image. That’s probably why the “Wanwen” couple was so popular, and they became the most popular contestants on the show. Unfortunately, Lin Wan went abroad, Zheng Ranwen got married, and the couple’s image collapsed completely.

Lin Xin’s move was a little opportunistic, but she had hoped to melt Zheng Ranwen’s heart. But she didn’t expect that Zheng Ranwen’s cold persona was just that—a persona. It continued for five years after they got married. The personas in the entertainment industry were a mix of truth and lies. If the reality was too far from the persona, it would eventually be exposed.

Zheng Ranwen truly had a cold heart. Lin Xin’s five years of genuine affection did not warm her up. Now that she was back, Zheng Ranwen was still that cold-hearted person. She was never polite to people she didn’t like. Her eyes were so cold that she looked like she wanted to kill Ye Linghua. The words she spoke were no better.

But Ye Linghua wasn’t provoked. She just smiled softly. “I told you yesterday, didn’t I? We’re all adults. Isn’t it better to solve your own problems?”

Zheng Ranwen continued to sneer. “Who do you think you are? It has nothing to do with you. Get lost.”

Ye Linghua saw that she wasn’t budging. She privately wanted to punch her. But since this person was involved with Lin Xin, Ye Linghua held back her itching hands. “It has nothing to do with me. So why does Lin Wan’s problem have to do with Lin Xin?”

She reached out and patted Zheng Ranwen’s shoulder, advising her, “You should always leave a little wiggle room. Think carefully about who you really love. Don’t be foolish and waste your time on people who don’t matter.”

People who don’t matter?

At that moment, Ye Linghua didn’t know that Lin Xin, who was about to come out to call them inside, heard this. Lin Xin felt a chill run through her. People who don’t matter? Wasting time?

Who didn’t know that Zheng Ranwen didn’t love her and only loved Lin Wan? Was Ye Linghua talking about her? Why would she say that about me? If Ye Linghua doesn’t like me either and hates me just like Zheng Ranwen, why has she been with me for the past two days? Staying with someone you hate? Is it… a job?

Lin Xin gripped the doorknob, wanting to close the door, but she couldn’t move.

Zheng Ranwen let out a cold laugh and looked Ye Linghua up and down. “I know who I love better than you do.” If she didn’t love Lin Wan, why would she have waited five years and had a platonic relationship with Lin Xin for five years?

“You can’t compare to me. I can choose to be with the person I love. But does Lin Xin love you?” After being with Lin Xin for five years, even if she didn’t love her, Zheng Ranwen knew that Lin Xin wasn’t a casual person. It was impossible for her to have been with Ye Linghua while she was still married. This meant she probably only met Ye Linghua in the past two days.

This made Zheng Ranwen think that Ye Linghua was probably a gigolo Lin Xin hired to make her jealous. A hired actor, a poor person with no money, trying to lecture me? Thinking this, Zheng Ranwen disliked Ye Linghua even more. “You’re just a toy she paid for. Know your place. Don’t meddle in things that don’t concern you. Our world is not the same as yours.”

Ye Linghua: “Huh?” After a moment, Ye Linghua realized that this woman thought she was Lin Xin’s “boy toy.” In that instant, Ye Linghua felt a surge of anger. She touched the cufflink on her sleeve and quietly asked her, “Is that what you think of her?” She was furious at Zheng Ranwen’s condescending attitude towards Lin Xin. “Or…” Ye Linghua narrowed her eyes at Zheng Ranwen. “Is it because you’re that kind of person, so you think others are too?”

Zheng Ranwen was taken aback, then became furious. “What did you say?” What did this person know about her and Lin Wan? How dare she call them gold diggers? Since she had been with Lin Xin, the thing Zheng Ranwen hated the most was people saying she was a gold digger.

But Ye Linghua didn’t let up. She sneered, “This kind of thinking is called ‘projection’ in psychology. To put it simply, it’s a cognitive disorder. Or even more simply, you’re trash, so you think everyone else is trash, but they’re not.”

Ye Linghua’s provocative words finally enraged Zheng Ranwen. Zheng Ranwen wasn’t that old, and with Lin Xin’s protection, she had never had to deal with this before. She lost her temper and lunged forward, trying to punch Ye Linghua with a boxing move she had learned for a role.

Ye Linghua slightly tilted her head and easily dodged Zheng Ranwen’s attack. With a gentle push, she made Zheng Ranwen fall and sit on the ground. Zheng Ranwen didn’t know how Ye Linghua did it, but when she sat up, she was shocked and looked up at Ye Linghua, unable to believe that she had fought back.

Ye Linghua sneered, took a few steps, and squatted in front of her. “Zheng, you need to remember this: Is there anyone else in the world who would tolerate you the way Lin Xin does?”

But Lin Xin’s excessive tolerance only made Zheng Ranwen feel that she was not worthy. Being called out by Ye Linghua by name, Zheng Ranwen didn’t feel touched. She just felt humiliated.

In the midst of the springtime greenery, the sounds of insects and birds chirped, as if a symphony was being held.

Lin Xin, seeing that the two of them were about to fight, had to open the door and come out to face them. She saw her once flawless Zheng Ranwen in a state of embarrassment. Love should be a two-way street. She had foolishly thought she could change their one-sided reality.

But even so, why was Zheng Ranwen so arrogant? In the past five years, she had never refused any of the resources Lin Xin gave her. She used Lin Xin’s connections to get to where she was today. To talk about equality and being “above it all” now was ridiculous.

And Ye Linghua, why would she tell Zheng Ranwen to be with the person she loves? Even if everyone should be with the person they love, why should Zheng Ranwen get to be happy after using and abandoning her? Why wasn’t Ye Linghua on her side?

Lin Xin was upset, and she was even more upset that Ye Linghua, the person she had come to rely on over the past two days, didn’t like her. It made her affection for this pretty housekeeper seem so stupid.

Zheng Ranwen saw Lin Xin at the door. One hand was on the doorknob, and the other was at her side. Today, Lin Xin was wearing classic black and white, giving her a sharp look. Her eyes, which were usually gentle, were now unusually cold. This made Zheng Ranwen’s fragile ego feel even worse. She struggled to her feet, brushed the dust off her clothes, and said to Lin Xin, “Who is this person? Why do you bring just any random person home?”

Lin Xin coldly turned to look at Ye Linghua. Ye Linghua was taken aback. She didn’t know how she had offended her. She obediently lowered her head and didn’t say a word.

Lin Xin then shifted her gaze back to Zheng Ranwen. With a rare assertiveness, she said, “It has nothing to do with you.”

Zheng Ranwen: “Nothing to do with me? Yes, we are divorced. You can do whatever you want and be with whomever you want. It has nothing to do with me.”

Ye Linghua quietly added, “It never did.”

Zheng Ranwen: “…”

Being cut off by Ye Linghua, Zheng Ranwen remembered the important reason she was here. She took a breath and softened her tone. “Lin Xin, let’s talk.”

Lin Xin: “What’s there to talk about?”

Ye Linghua chimed in, “There’s really nothing to talk about.”

Lin Xin shot Ye Linghua a look. Ye Linghua raised her hands in a sign of surrender, indicating that she wouldn’t interfere. Only then did Lin Xin ask Zheng Ranwen again, “Are you here because of Lin Wan?”

Zheng Ranwen nodded. Being asked so directly made her feel uneasy. She turned her head, not daring to look at Lin Xin, and said softly, “I need your help with Wanwan’s situation.”

Lin Xin looked at her steadily. “Lin Wan and I have no bad blood, but I’m not the type to repay evil with kindness. She’s never helped me, so I have no reason to risk myself for her. You know the risks of public opinion. My clarification might not have the effect you want. It could even backfire. I don’t need to take that risk for her.”

Zheng Ranwen: “But, it could have a good outcome. People will think you’re a good person.”

Lin Xin laughed. “What if it doesn’t?”

Zheng Ranwen was stunned. She thought of what Lin Wan’s manager had said on the phone. Her mind went back to how she and Lin Wan had met backstage and how they had gone through their first performance together. They had supported each other throughout the show. Now, just as she was coming back to develop her career, she was faced with this huge blow.

Zheng Ranwen wasn’t willing to give up. “With your fame, it’s different. Even if the results aren’t good after you clarify, you won’t be hurt too badly.”

Lin Xin was taken aback, then burst out laughing. “I can’t compare to Lin Wan, but I’m a person too. Do I deserve to be hurt?”

Zheng Ranwen: “That’s not what I mean. I’m just saying that Wanwan’s reputation as a homewrecker and the damage you might face are not on the same level.”

Lin Xin clenched her fists, too angry to speak. Zheng Ranwen, seeing that Lin Xin wasn’t responding, was annoyed. She thought, Why is Lin Xin being so difficult? She could handle a few attacks and still stay in the industry, but the damage Lin Wan was facing could end her career.

Still needing something from Lin Xin, Zheng Ranwen tried another approach. “You know that Lin Wan was not involved in our relationship. Can you really stand by and watch an innocent person get destroyed because of us?”

Lin Xin was stunned. Right, Lin Wan is innocent. She wasn’t involved. Should I destroy her because of my fight with Zheng Ranwen? But, did I really need to put myself in the line of fire for her?

“That’s enough!” Ye Linghua finally couldn’t take it anymore. She stepped in front of Zheng Ranwen and coldly challenged her. “Don’t treat your precious person like she’s everyone’s. None of us have an obligation to put up with her. When Lin Xin was being cursed at, why didn’t Lin Wan come out and clarify things? What’s more trustworthy than a direct clarification from the person involved? Why didn’t you tell Lin Wan that she could help Lin Xin then? Zheng Ranwen, don’t demand fairness from others when you can’t be fair yourself.”

Lin Xin stared at Ye Linghua. But she quickly told herself, This is her job. Her job.

Ye Linghua continued to sneer. “You went to Lin Wan’s door, and she let you in. You two were caught on camera. Did Lin Xin open the door for you? No. You caused this with your own lack of discretion. Why should someone else take responsibility for it? Do you deserve to have her pay for your mistakes?”

Zheng Ranwen, having been interrupted by Ye Linghua so many times, was already annoyed. With these new questions, she couldn’t take it anymore and raised her hand to hit her. Ye Linghua grabbed her wrist. “Are you sure you want to fight me? Can you win?”

Zheng Ranwen realized that not only was her full-force attack easily deflected, but she couldn’t even pull her wrist back. This woman is strong. Zheng Ranwen was shocked and looked at Ye Linghua. “Who exactly are you?”

Ye Linghua held her wrist tightly. She glanced at Lin Xin, then leaned in and whispered to Zheng Ranwen, “If you’re not here to get back together, can you get out of her sight?”

The person who was all smiles and had a gentle voice was now cold, and her low, menacing tone sent a shiver down Zheng Ranwen’s spine.

Zheng Ranwen’s lips trembled, but she wasn’t ready to give up. “But, Lin Wan…”

Ye Linghua whispered again, “You and Lin Wan were in contact before the divorce, weren’t you? When you were on that business trip abroad, you two watched the fireworks together. Do you remember?”

Zheng Ranwen’s body trembled. Her arrogant gaze turned to one of pure terror.

Ye Linghua smiled. “I know you two just met up and didn’t have a relationship. But I hope you understand that if you’re not here to get back together, you shouldn’t show up again. Who is Lin Wan? Lin Xin doesn’t want to know. Understand?”

This is a threat! Zheng Ranwen knew it. It was a threat.

Right now, the rumors about her and Lin Wan were just speculation. While it affected her career, it wasn’t enough to get her kicked out of the industry. But if this woman had photos of her and Lin Wan watching the fireworks together, it would prove that she had been unfaithful. At that point, she wouldn’t even be able to save herself, let alone Lin Wan.

Under Ye Linghua’s physical and mental pressure, Zheng Ranwen weighed her options and turned to leave.

Ye Linghua sighed in relief, grateful that a part of the novel’s plot had come in handy. After Zheng Ranwen’s car drove out of sight, Ye Linghua turned to Lin Xin.

But Lin Xin was standing there, dazed, her gaze not on the departing Zheng Ranwen but on her.

Ye Linghua was stunned. She called out strangely, “Miss Lin.”

Lin Xin came to her senses. Her eyes were full of complex emotions. As if making up her mind, she gave a bitter smile. “You should go too.”

Ye Linghua: “Huh?” Lin Xin’s words completely confused her.

Everything was fine yesterday. They went shopping and had a great meal. When they got back, Lin Xin even put a mini-fridge in her room, saying that summer was coming, and it would be more convenient to have water without going up and down the stairs. All the signs pointed to Lin Xin accepting her as a housekeeper. What did “you should go too” mean? Go where?

“I’ll tell my mom to find another housekeeper. I had an older housekeeper before who was very good.” Lin Xin’s voice sounded as if it was coming from far away. Ye Linghua was certain that Lin Xin wanted her to leave.

Ye Linghua took a deep breath, wondering what she had done to offend her. She had been defending Lin Xin the entire time Zheng Ranwen was here. Could it be… that she was too harsh on Zheng Ranwen? That she had forced Zheng Ranwen away?

Thinking this, Ye Linghua’s temper flared. In the novel, Lin Xin helped Lin Wan, but what was the result? Lin Wan was saved, but Lin Xin was sacrificed. She just stopped that from happening. She just didn’t want Lin Xin to get hurt. Zheng Ranwen, before she realized her true feelings, would keep hurting Lin Xin for Lin Wan’s sake.

I got rid of her for you!

Ye Linghua was filled with resentment, but she didn’t say it. She stood a short distance from Lin Xin, just as they had been when they first met, with one of them on the steps and the other on the path. They were a short distance apart, watching each other, accompanied by the sounds of spring.

After only two days together, they were still just strangers. So much so that when one was being told to leave, they didn’t even have any luggage.

Ye Linghua’s gaze fell to the ground, where the pebbles of the path reflected the sunlight. She was unwilling to give up. “Can I ask why?”

Lin Xin smiled. “Because you can’t cook.”

“That’s an excuse.” Ye Linghua looked at Lin Xin with a deep stare. “But I won’t ask. If you really want me to leave, I’ll leave.”