After Transmigrating, I Fell in Love with a Top-Tier Movie Queen - Chapter 68

The next morning, Ye Linghua was awakened by the sound of a phone ringing.

Since it wasn’t her own phone, the ringing persisted for a while before Lin Xin struggled to get up and answer it.

It was a call from Meng Kelin, who concernedly asked about Ye Linghua’s condition: “How is she doing now?”

Lin Xin turned to look at Ye Linghua sleeping on the bed. She lay there, the blanket lightly indented around her.

Lin Xin lowered her voice and said: “Her illness is gone.”

Meng Kelin seemed to have expected this and said: “That’s great, so hurry back and continue filming!”

Lin Xin was momentarily stunned, then quickly changed her tune and said: “She’s weak after being sick; I need to give her supplements.”

Meng Kelin chuckled: “What supplements would you give her? Isn’t Tang Qiaozi better at that than you?” Tang Qiaozi is a proper, certified chef, after all.

Lin Xin was stunned again, then said: “It’s the New Year; where would she find the time to come over?”

Meng Kelin also said: “Exactly! It’s the New Year, and everyone is busy catching up on schedules. How dare you leave?”

Lin Xin felt wronged. She had originally planned to take a day or two off during the New Year to spend with Ye Linghua. So, catching up on the schedule wasn’t solely to make time for the upcoming variety show.

Since she had caught up on the schedule, why couldn’t she come?

Lin Xin: “Well, I finished more than half of my scenes!”

She worked day and night, day and night, precisely so she could take time off in this kind of situation!

Meng Kelin was only casually pushing her a little and wasn’t disappointed when she failed. She asked again: “How is Ye Linghua’s attitude towards you?”

Lin Xin replied: “It’s very good!”

Meng Kelin was speechless: “…Alright then, you stay put! The director has scheduled many other people’s scenes these two days to catch up.” What counts as very good?

They spoke briefly and hung up. Ye Linghua, behind her, had already groggily woken up.

She turned her head to look at Lin Xin standing by the window with her back to her. After hanging up the phone, Lin Xin didn’t rush back to the bed. Instead, she took a scarf from her own clothing rack, wrapped it around herself, and pushed open the glass door. Outside the door was that huge balcony.

In addition to the sliding glass door in the living room, this room also had a small door that led to the balcony.

Originally, this room was a recreational space, which could be used for fitness, singing, or practicing instruments. Because of this, the room had excellent soundproofing.

However, because the house was so big, going up and down was inconvenient, and the office she usually worked in was also arranged on the first floor. Except for sleeping, she almost never went up to the second floor. Furthermore, Ye Linghua really loved this balcony.

After looking at so many houses, she chose this one because of this large balcony.

The lighting was good, she could easily grow green plants, and looking out the door when she woke up would lift her spirits!

Therefore, even though she complained that the house was too big, she still chose this place.

It was also because this room led to the balcony and was conveniently located on the first floor that she simply bought a mattress and set up her bedroom in this room.

When she used to be at Lin Xin’s villa, she loved to grab a cushion and lie down in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass door so she could admire the view of the yard.

This room was the same. In the summer, she loved to place a small round table in front of this glass door, sipping tea while looking at the scenery outside.

In the winter, she could snuggle in her blanket and see the beautiful scene of the whole world covered in white just by turning her head.

Now, Lin Xin, wrapped in a scarf, opened the door. The cold air instantly rushed in. Even Ye Linghua, lying on the bed, could feel the chilling breeze on her face.

Lin Xin didn’t expect it to be so cold and paused for a moment. She looked at the snow covering the ground outside, thought for a moment, and then stepped out in just her slippers.

The snowflakes were piled up on the balcony. When her foot stepped on it, it quickly sank into the snow.

A smile appeared on Lin Xin’s face as she looked at the footprints she left behind.

This is Ye Linghua’s home! If one day, they were truly together, whose home would they live in? Maybe they would just stay wherever was most convenient!

Lin Xin looked around. Although Ye Linghua’s house was large and this was a luxury neighborhood, the fact remained that the floor plans were virtually identical for every household.

Looking up, she could see the balconies of other houses. Everywhere was a snowscape, a world wrapped in silver—an utterly beautiful sight.

It seems living here would be quite nice, too.

“Aren’t you cold?”

Lin Xin had only been looking for a short while when Ye Linghua’s gentle voice came from behind her.

She turned to look, seeing that Ye Linghua was still in her pajamas, without adding an extra jacket. Having slept for a night, her clothes were slightly dishevelled. Her exposed collarbone had a sharp line, and her neck hollow was deep. This beautiful and sexy look was the morning state seen only by the most intimate people.

Lin Xin shook her head: “No, I’m not cold.”

Ye Linghua’s eyes fell to her feet, and she asked softly: “Are you sure?”

Lin Xin was confused. Following her gaze to her feet, she said: “It was a little cold just now, but not anymore.”

Ye Linghua laughed, looked up at her, and pulled her toward the house, but asked aloud: “Feel it again. Is it not cold, or is it just numb with cold and you can’t feel it anymore?”

Lin Xin: “Huh?”

Ye Linghua sighed: “The heating is on inside. If you want to see the snowscape, you can go to the living room. The balcony door there is large, and you can see the entire balcony. This small door is just for my convenience when coming in and out. Besides, with the weather today, how can you not be cold when the temperature difference between inside and outside is so huge? Were you zoning out?” So much so that she forgot the cold.

The New Year was precisely the time of heavy snowfall in North City (or simply “Beijing”).

When Ye Linghua opened her eyes and looked out, she knew from the gloomy sky that today would be another snowy day.

She initially thought Lin Xin was just stepping out for a look. Who knew that after going out, she stood by the railing, staring at the scenery, and hadn’t moved since. She was clearly zoned out. Remembering that Lin Xin’s health wasn’t great, Ye Linghua came out to pull her back inside.

Before she could finish her scolding, Lin Xin suddenly hugged her from behind.

Ye Linghua froze in place, looking at the arms wrapped around her waist from the back, holding her tightly. Lin Xin’s head rested against her back, and the two stood right at the small bedroom door as snowflakes gracefully drifted down from the sky.

They landed on their hair, their shoulders, their faces, their hands…

Time seemed to stop. Ye Linghua wanted to turn and look at her but felt Lin Xin rub her face against her back and bury her head deeper.

Ye Linghua: “…What’s wrong?”

Lin Xin: “Nothing, I just really like the way you came out to bring me home. Even when you’re nagging me, I really like it.”

A straight shot.

Ye Linghua failed to catch this straightforward confession. Her face flushed, and she finally understood why Lin Xin often said it was fouling—being this direct was indeed fouling.

Ye Linghua turned around. Lin Xin was startled by her sudden movement and let go of her arms. Her back, which was leaning on Ye Linghua’s, failed to steady her. The moment Ye Linghua turned, Lin Xin lunged forward, landing squarely in Ye Linghua’s embrace.

Ye Linghua caught her, reached up, and stroked her head, saying: “Before anything else, let’s go back and warm up!”

Lin Xin: “???” That’s it?

Ye Linghua brought Lin Xin back into the room and closed the door. Lin Xin finally felt that it was indeed a little… cold?

Ye Linghua pulled her to the bed to sit down. Lin Xin finally felt that her feet were a little numb from the cold.

She was about to examine her feet when she saw Ye Linghua suddenly half-crouch in front of her. Lin Xin was bewildered. Ye Linghua had already cupped her feet to feel them, then said: “They’re very cold. Let’s warm them up first. In a moment, you can soak your feet and rest. I’ll go make some soy milk and heat up some buns.”

Lin Xin nodded blankly. With that, Ye Linghua got up and left.

As soon as Ye Linghua was gone, Lin Xin’s face instantly flushed bright red. She grabbed her feet and muttered: “She touched my feet? She touched my feet!” Although her feet were too cold to feel much, it didn’t stop Lin Xin’s heart rate from suddenly accelerating.

Then, thinking about the way Ye Linghua had held her feet, she happily rolled around twice on the bed.

Lin Xin: “Aaaahhhhh!”

“What’s wrong?”

Lin Xin’s excited shouting came to an abrupt halt. She sat up awkwardly and looked at Ye Linghua, who had suddenly entered the room, and asked: “Nothing, just practicing my acting skills.”

Ye Linghua’s eyes widened, then she sincerely said: “…Mastery comes from diligence!”

Lin Xin: “…Do you need something from me?”

Ye Linghua said “Oh?”: “Right. There are no more buns in the fridge. Are Shao Mai (steamed dumplings) okay?”

Lin Xin: “…Whatever you like is fine.”

Ye Linghua acknowledged: “That’s good.” Then she opened the door and left. She listened from outside and heard that there was no sound coming from the room this time. Ye Linghua laughed and instructed with a smile in her voice from the doorway: “Hurry up and soak your feet. Come out for breakfast in a bit.”

Lin Xin’s muffled voice responded from inside: “Okay.”

Ye Linghua’s kitchen was an open-plan kitchen. Her cooking skills weren’t great, and the meals she usually made for herself were quite simple. The dining table was located between the kitchen and the living room, in the dedicated dining area, where there was also a large display cabinet filled with various rare alcoholic beverages.

Thinking of Lin Xin’s desire to see the snow this morning, Ye Linghua moved the small gathering table out and placed it next to the balcony door.

Then she moved two log chairs to either side of the table and poured the freshly squeezed soy milk into a glass pot. She went to the steamer, took out the steamed Shao Mai, retrieved some fruit from the refrigerator, washed it, placed it in a fruit bowl, and carried it to the table.

The living room’s balcony door was about five meters long. When pulled open to the sides in the spring, the cool breeze was very comfortable.

With the dining table placed here, the view outside was of white snow and the beauty of snowflakes falling everywhere. Eating breakfast and enjoying the snowscape in the warm house was indeed refreshing.

For the first time in this house, Ye Linghua felt the presence of a family.

When Lin Xin came out, Ye Linghua saw that she was wearing socks on her feet and was momentarily surprised: “Aren’t you hot?” The heating here was set to a comfortable temperature; one didn’t even feel cold wearing short sleeves. Ye Linghua was astonished that she was wearing socks in a heated room and walking on the floor.

Lin Xin shook her head and firmly said: “I’m not hot.” How else could she say that she suddenly felt too shy for her feet to be seen?

Ye Linghua frowned and teased her: “Are you torturing yourself or torturing me? This floor is hot when I step on it barefoot. You’re wearing socks? You’ll sweat, and they’ll smell.”

Lin Xin was shocked. Her wide-eyed look showed that she was genuinely startled. Then she obediently took off her socks.

Ye Linghua muttered: “She does care about her image.”

Lin Xin was also speechless! Well, I can’t look bad in front of you!

When they sat down to eat, Lin Xin realized the beauty of the view outside this door and found it endlessly captivating. On one side, it was freezing and snowy; on the other, it was warm as spring. Separated by the high-definition glass door, eating breakfast, enjoying the snowscape, and doing it with her favorite person—

Lin Xin smiled happily and said: “Is this the snowscape you said you’d show me before?”

Ye Linghua laughed: “What did you expect? Did you want to climb a mountain in this cold weather? If you got stuck and called the police, you’d end up in the social news. Or are you tired of the entertainment news section?”

Lin Xin glared at her, threateningly, but without any real menace: “I’m afraid of the cold and don’t like climbing mountains. I’ll just stay cozied up at your house.”

Ye Linghua’s expression softened as she listened, and she gently said: “Okay.”

After breakfast, Ye Linghua washed the dishes, and Lin Xin sat on the other side of the kitchen island, propping her chin on her hands and watching her wash. Every now and then, she wiggled her fair, jade-like feet. Her round toes occasionally curled up—it was very cute.

Watching Ye Linghua bent over, seriously washing dishes, like an elegant oil painting, Lin Xin couldn’t help but ask: “Do you live alone?”

Ye Linghua placed the washed dishes on the drying rack and answered: “Yes.”

Except for the second floor, the first floor truly showed no signs of a second person living there.

Lin Xin: “What about your family?”

Ye Linghua’s hand paused. She looked at Lin Xin and then said: “Like you, while my parents aren’t divorced, they both have their own lives. I don’t want to get involved in the adults’ affairs, so I came out and started living alone.”

Lin Xin was stunned and awkwardly apologized: “I’m sorry.”

Ye Linghua laughed: “You don’t need to apologize. This isn’t a big deal anyway, and there’s no harm in you knowing.”

Lin Xin: “So, I’m very fortunate that I came to spend the New Year with you.” Since waking up until now, she hadn’t seen anyone come to visit for the holiday. Lin Xin suddenly felt grateful that she had come to find Ye Linghua despite everything.

Ye Linghua then said: “The people who came to visit for the New Year all came yesterday; you were sleeping then. Today, I asked them not to come.”

Lin Xin’s face flushed when she heard this. Didn’t that mean all her relatives knew she was sleeping in? Oh no, how could she face them now?

But hearing that Ye Linghua had asked people not to come again on the second day, she asked with a little delight: “Because of me?”

Ye Linghua: “What else?”

Lin Xin’s face turned even redder. She secretly glanced at Ye Linghua and then said: “Isn’t this just a case of you ‘hiding a beautiful lover in a golden house’ (referring to a mistress or secluded lover)?”

Ye Linghua was so startled by this that the bowl in her hand dropped back into the sink, and she said: “We have a proper, legitimate relationship! Why do you make it sound so inappropriate?”

Lin Xin choked. Someone with any sense wouldn’t say what Ye Linghua just did at this time. Because of this, Lin Xin couldn’t help but ask her: “…Do your friends sometimes say you’re a blockhead?”

Ye Linghua: “…No, they’ve always thought I was made of iron.”

Lin Xin sneered: “That’s also a very apt description.”

Ye Linghua: “…Don’t be angry!”

Ye Linghua and Lin Xin continued to talk and laugh, occasionally indulging in a little bit of playful affection.

Both were as lazy as cats, curled up together in a warm place.

Grooming each other’s fur, they spent a few days in mutual companionship.

On the fifth day of the New Year, Meng Kelin finally rushed over to capture her charge.

Ye Linghua was not surprised when she opened the door and saw Meng Kelin standing outside.

Meng Kelin asked with a forced smile: “Is Lin Xin still here?”

Ye Linghua was more curious: “How did you find this place?”

Then, Meng Kelin took out her phone. It turned out that on the super-topic (a fan community platform), photos of Lin Xin coming to find her had been uploaded sometime earlier.

Ye Linghua: “…” In an instant, her address was no longer a secret.

This was the trouble with associating with a celebrity, but it wasn’t enough to frighten Ye Linghua.

Meng Kelin entered the house and saw that it wasn’t particularly messy. Lin Xin and Ye Linghua had moved a large, long-haired rug and placed it in front of the balcony door. Lin Xin was now soundly asleep, leaning on a cushion, with a book beside her.

Meng Kelin looked at the scene and could only lower her voice.

Seeing Ye Linghua go to the kitchen island to pour herself some water, she looked at Lin Xin’s sleeping posture, then placed her bag on the sofa and sat down opposite the kitchen island.

Ye Linghua pushed the tea towards her and asked Meng Kelin: “When are you leaving?”

When Meng Kelin arrived, Ye Linghua knew that it was time for Lin Xin to depart.

Although the two hadn’t done anything the past few days, simply spending time together, now that the moment of separation had arrived, Ye Linghua realized that she was still reluctant.

After this separation, the next time they met might be several months later.

Many celebrities date, but breakups and makeups are all too common. Ultimately, couples being separated for too long is a major reason.

When a celebrity joins a production crew, it’s for several months. In the meantime, the large number of variables naturally creates a feeling of insecurity.

These problems, of course, also existed between her and Lin Xin.

Meng Kelin accepted the tea, took a sip, and then said: “Tomorrow at the latest. All the scenes that needed catching up on have been finished. Lin Xin can’t stay here any longer. I knew she’d try to drag it out, so I came to pick her up myself.”

Ye Linghua nodded, indicating her agreement.

Meng Kelin remained silent, thinking of letting Ye Linghua process the emotions herself.

Ye Linghua did need time to accept it. She didn’t blame Lin Xin for coming; Lin Xin’s arrival gave her a different kind of New Year. But facing separation, being the one left behind was always difficult.

Even though she had long been used to being alone, she was easily swayed by Lin Xin’s companionship over the past few days!

Ye Linghua smiled bitterly. She always told herself to stay firm and not let herself be easily captivated by this girl, Lin Xin. However, she was indeed easily bewitched by her. Could she, in this state, really adhere to her stance and not take the next step?

“Ye Linghua,” Meng Kelin called her.

Ye Linghua snapped out of her thoughts and asked: “What is it?”

Meng Kelin considered her words and then said: “Do you know? Lin Xin has accepted a new variety show, ‘The Leisurely Little Courtyard’.”

Ye Linghua showed surprise on her face, though inwardly she knew this was the variety show Xing Yan had told her about.

Meng Kelin didn’t know if Xing Yan had helped push the deal. But the time for the reply was imminent and couldn’t be delayed any longer.

Meng Kelin could only take advantage of the fact that Lin Xin hadn’t woken up to say: “This is indeed a great opportunity for Lin Xin. You may not know this, but this variety show is a long-running, established program. This is already its sixth season.”

Ye Linghua nodded. Meng Kelin continued: “Although the viewership ratings are declining year after year, it consistently ranks among the top few variety shows on the television station. Since Lin Xin’s comeback, she has been on quite a few variety shows. But most were small programs that only had a dozen minutes of edited footage. A variety show like ‘The Leisurely Little Courtyard,’ where she would stay for at least one season, is a huge opportunity for Lin Xin!”

Ye Linghua only asked softly: “So?”

Meng Kelin: “The producer sent the invitation to both you and Lin Xin. If you don’t go, she can’t go either.”

Ye Linghua’s eyes showed suspicion. Meng Kelin had to maintain her composure and continued: “Can’t you help her, if only because she loves you so much?”

Ye Linghua lowered her eyes to the teacup in her hand. She neither refused nor accepted.

There was a chance!

Meng Kelin was instantly encouraged: “Ye Linghua, she has spent twenty years in the entertainment industry, and it has never been easy. When she was young, the industry favored the seasoned veterans, and Lin Xin, as a junior, was always inferior. Now that she has finally grown up and become a veteran, well, the company prefers to promote newcomers.”

Reaching this point, she couldn’t help but sigh, continuing: “Born under an unlucky star; plagued by misfortune! She has acting skills, but the audience’s impression of her is stuck on the ‘love-crazed’ persona she had with Zheng Lanwen! But we all know what a wonderful person she is! We desperately need this opportunity, ‘The Leisurely Little Courtyard,’ for the audience to properly re-acquaint themselves with the current Lin Xin.”

Ye Linghua: “…” She sounded quite passionate and vivid. If Xing Yan hadn’t told her beforehand, she might have actually been fooled. After all, concern often clouds one’s judgment!

Meng Kelin: “The opportunity is right in front of us; it will vanish in a flash!”

Ye Linghua: …This person has been an agent for twenty years, but where did she learn to act like this?