After Transmigrating, I Fell in Love with a Top-Tier Movie Queen - Chapter 80

Hearing Bai Xueyu’s question, Lin Xin didn’t even realize anything was amiss. The initial awkwardness had, over the long period of living together, made many things seem increasingly natural and proper.

Therefore, her reply was quite joyful: “I do the cooking because my cooking is delicious. You should come and try it sometime!”

Bai Xueyu: “…Is that the point?”

Lin Xin, however, was immersed in the memory of her past life with Ye Linghua, the days of rising and resting together under one roof. She suddenly felt that it had all happened such a long time ago.

So, Lin Xin couldn’t help but sigh with emotion, “I used to do all the chores alone and never felt anything was wrong. Later, whenever I started doing housework, she would pitch in. She’d learn what she didn’t know as best as she could. If she couldn’t mop the floor clean, she’d patiently mop it again and again.”

She remembered when Ye Linghua first came to her house, she didn’t know anything. She could clean, but she couldn’t do it perfectly. But Ye Linghua knew her work wasn’t good enough, so she would redo it again and again. She would spend an entire afternoon cleaning the living room, standing next to Lin Xin, drenched in sweat, asking, “Is it clean now?”

Even though Lin Xin was depressed from her recent divorce and didn’t care if the house was clean or not, Ye Linghua persisted, again and again…

She would keep redoing the cleaning until the level of cleanliness reached her own target.

Even when Lin Xin was deeply immersed in sadness, she couldn’t help but spare some attention for Ye Linghua.

Bai Xueyu was startled, quickly understanding that Lin Xin was contrasting her time with Zheng Lanwen with her time with Ye Linghua.

Bai Xueyu understood it, and naturally, Zheng Lanwen and Ye Linghua did, too.

For this, Bai Xueyu surprisingly developed a much better opinion of Ye Linghua.

She looked at Ye Linghua and asked, “Were you that determined to learn housework back then?”

Ye Linghua smiled faintly, looked at Lin Xin, and said, “Back then, she wouldn’t say a word all day. If I didn’t constantly hover around her, how else would she remember that a person like me exists?”

The intention was, in part, to distract Lin Xin. Her goal back then was clear: to pull Lin Xin out of the deep pit of sorrow. Everything else was secondary.

But Bai Xueyu interpreted it differently. She chuckled suggestively, teasing, “Your intentions were wicked!”

Ye Linghua: “???” My heart is pure! How much purer does it need to be?

Bai Xueyu walked up to her, gently bumping her arm, and said, “You have great taste!”

Ye Linghua could only reply, “…I’m confident in my taste.”

Bai Xueyu giggled again and asked, “What kind of business did you start?”

Ye Linghua paused, then answered honestly, “Investment.”

Lin Xin was also hearing about Ye Linghua’s work for the first time and couldn’t help but perk up her ears. Investment?

Bai Xueyu said, “Oh,” and asked, “Does it make money?”

Lin Xin thought: The company isn’t big, but she could spend a few million on me at once, so it definitely makes money!

Ye Linghua: “It does make money sometimes, but there are also times when I lose money.”

Bai Xueyu knew this. In the entertainment industry, people who went bankrupt from investments were everywhere. Those who lost everything would simply return to acting.

Bai Xueyu was similar to Lin Xin, coming from a humble background. She was frugal with her earnings. Coupled with Lin Xin and Zheng Lanwen’s situation, she was even afraid of being financially exploited if she got married.

Therefore, upon hearing Ye Linghua’s words, she couldn’t help but say with a hint of worry, “You should make fewer of these investments in the future.”

Ye Linghua was confused and asked, “Why? High return and high risk always go hand in hand.”

“Sigh,” Bai Xueyu said, “But how can ordinary people like us manage that? I know several people who went bankrupt from investments and had to come back to acting. Lin Xin-jie finally…”

She trailed off, falling silent.

Ye Linghua looked at Lin Xin, who smiled and waved her hand, saying, “I’m not afraid. I can earn my own money.”

Zheng Lanwen: “…”

Ye Linghua was speechless and finally said weakly, “I’ll be careful and try not to make a loss.”

Bai Xueyu shook her head. How could anyone know whether an investment would lose money? If everyone knew beforehand, wouldn’t everyone just invest and get rich?

But this was someone else’s business. Bai Xueyu felt she had already overstepped by saying what she did, especially with the cameras rolling. Thus, even if she disagreed, Bai Xueyu chose to remain silent.

Ye Linghua collected all the dishes and took them to the kitchen, where she saw Qu Hejing rolling up her sleeves and squatting down, clearly intending to wash the dishes.

Ye Linghua quickly put down the dishes, squatted beside her, and said, “I’ll wash them!” With so many people, washing dishes was a major chore. Qu Hejing was a respected veteran in the entertainment industry. Ye Linghua felt she absolutely couldn’t let her do the hardest work.

Qu Hejing smiled, pushing her away. “No need, I can do these too. You just help clean up outside.”

Ye Linghua glanced at the people cleaning outside and shook her head. “No need, there are three or four people cleaning up outside.”

Qu Hejing looked back. Indeed, the other guests were outside, and many people were helping with the cleanup. Since there were many people eating, there were many dishes and utensils, and she did feel a bit strained doing it alone.

Ye Linghua took a large basin from the kitchen and poured clean tap water into it. She took all the dishes Qu Hejing had washed in the first round, rinsed them clean, and set them aside.

Although it was their first meeting, Qu Hejing was a kind-tempered woman. Watching Ye Linghua focus on her task, she was confident that her judgment of people was good.

So, she started chatting with Ye Linghua: “I heard what Xueyu said earlier, too. But everyone has their own ambitions. I see that you have a steady temperament and don’t seem like the reckless type.”

Ye Linghua smiled and said thank you.

Qu Hejing then asked, “Are you and Lin Xin serious?”

Ye Linghua was surprised, not expecting the elder to ask so directly. “Why do you ask that?”

Qu Hejing sighed. “Though I’m older than Lin Xin, I haven’t been in the industry as long as she has. I was so frustrated when she retired after getting married, then later I watched her live stream and understood. People like her always suffer in relationships. I’m not very close to her, and I’m only saying this because it’s just you and me, and the camera is far away. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Ye Linghua laughed instead, sighed, and said slowly, “There’s nothing I can’t say. I’m serious about this relationship, and I believe Lin Xin is serious too. So, regardless of the outcome, we have given the highest standard we can to this relationship.”

Regardless of the outcome?

Qu Hejing sensed Ye Linghua’s lack of confidence in the relationship and felt a bit hesitant. “Why do you think so pessimistically?”

Ye Linghua smiled and said, “In a relationship, one can’t help but feel insecure. Mutual healing is probably the best outcome for any relationship.”

Qu Hejing paused. It was true that one often felt insecure about a loved one, fearing they couldn’t provide the best, which led to feelings of unworthiness.

However, the feeling Ye Linghua gave her always suggested that it was more than just that.

But the two didn’t say much more because Lin Xin came in carrying a new load of dirty dishes, followed by Zheng Lanwen, who was also carrying dishes.

Lin Xin ignored Zheng Lanwen, placed the items next to Qu Hejing, and said warmly, “Senior, let’s switch! I’ll do the dishes.”

Washing dishes was hard work, and there was nothing unreasonable about Lin Xin offering to take over as a junior.

Qu Hejing glanced at Zheng Lanwen behind her, accepted the offer without ceremony, rinsed her hands, and stood up. “Alright then, I’ll go put the clean dishes back in the kitchen.”

With that, Qu Hejing walked over to Ye Linghua to pick up the rinsed dishes. As she passed Zheng Lanwen, she smiled and said, “Everything else is cleared. Can you help wipe the table?”

Zheng Lanwen withdrew her gaze and looked at Qu Hejing, feeling that this was an intentional attempt to send her away. But Qu Hejing was a senior—in terms of debut time, age, and career—and it would be improper to refuse such a simple request.

Therefore, Zheng Lanwen nodded, placed her dishes next to Lin Xin, and went to the kitchen to fetch a rag.

Ye Linghua watched both of them walk away, then smiled at Lin Xin. “Washing dishes is bad for your hands.”

Lin Xin pouted, “You left me out there, and it hurt my feelings.”

Ye Linghua was taken aback. She looked at Lin Xin, who was washing dishes with her head down. A pair of fair hands were in the soapy water, cleaning the dishes and placing them near Ye Linghua. She looked very focused; it was hard to tell if her feelings were actually hurt.

Lin Xin glared at her. “What are you looking at?”

Ye Linghua chuckled. “Are you really angry now?”

Lin Xin frowned and glared at her. It had to be said that a beauty’s every glance and smile could topple kingdoms. With Lin Xin’s stunning looks, even her glare was captivating.

She said stubbornly, “I’m not angry!”

Ye Linghua could only say, “I didn’t leave you out there. But Senior Qu Hejing was the only one washing dishes here. Since I saw her, I had to help. On camera, I can’t let people say that Lin Xin’s taste is just so-so.”

Lin Xin was momentarily stunned, staring blankly at Ye Linghua.

Ye Linghua saw her reaction and smiled faintly, like a spring breeze. She leaned closer to Lin Xin and whispered, “At the very least, we need to let the netizens know that the person you, Lin Xin, likes is someone who is trustworthy. Even though this is just your job, I will work hard to cooperate and let everyone see my best side. To let everyone know that our Lin Xin is not silly, and her judgment is fine.” She’s not a ‘love-brain,’ after all.

This sudden, near-declaration of devotion made Lin Xin blush. She asked, “Who said I was silly?”

Ye Linghua gave a little “Ah” and then pointed an unwavering finger at Lin Xin’s manager. “Meng Kelin said so.”

Lin Xin scoffed. “I’ll settle the score with her later.”

Though she said this, her mood was visibly improved. Ye Linghua smiled along. The two lowered their heads and washed the dishes together, their backs captured by the distant camera.

When everyone had finished cleaning up, the resident guests thanked the new guests for their hard work, and the new guests replied that it was their pleasure.

They sat and had some tea. Seeing that it was getting late, they all retired to their rooms to rest.

Lin Xin and Ye Linghua, being roommates, naturally left together.

The courtyard lights were bright. They walked shoulder-to-shoulder to the stairs, where Ye Linghua let Lin Xin go first.

Upon returning to the room, neither felt tired because they had slept in the afternoon.

The resident guests, having been busy all day, quickly turned off their lights and went to sleep.

Ye Linghua, who had a habit of sleeping and waking early, fell asleep not long after lying down.

Lin Xin, however, couldn’t sleep because she had napped too much in the afternoon and eaten too much at night. She simply moved a chair to sit by Ye Linghua’s bed and watched her. She thought: We’ve been apart for so long, and she said she likes me, but she doesn’t seem to have missed me?

I’m different. When I missed her, I couldn’t eat or sleep. Now that we’ve finally met, my heart races, and I can’t look at her enough. I get jealous for her, and my heart follows her every move.

Yet, she’s over there laughing and talking with other people.

Her gaze lingered on Ye Linghua’s face. As mentioned before, Ye Linghua had two distinct faces: when awake, she was courteous, gentle, and fond of smiling; when asleep, she was cold and distant, rejecting everyone.

But Lin Xin now felt affection for her. Looking at her now, she found this cool, icy sleeping face strangely appealing.

Ye Linghua rarely dreamed, but tonight, she kept dreaming of a pair of clear black-and-white eyes constantly staring at her from the sky.

No matter how she tried to hide, she could always be seen.

She suddenly woke up with a start. The room was dark. The sense of security upon returning to reality made her slowly catch her breath. Just as she was about to relax, she turned her head and met a pair of eyes staring intently at her from the bedside.

A dark figure with long hair was sitting by the bed, watching her.

Ye Linghua was instantly wide awake and bolted upright in bed, terrified. Lin Xin was startled by her sudden movement and cried out, “Ouch!” as she fell off the chair, landing on her bottom.

Ye Linghua, who had just been scared and hadn’t yet recovered, was startled again by Lin Xin’s yelp. She quickly threw off the covers, got out of bed, and rushed to help her.

“What are you doing? You scared me to death,” Lin Xin couldn’t help but complain.

Ye Linghua, who had been scared herself, replied, “…No, you scared me to death!”

Lin Xin was stunned, then flared up. “Am I that terrifying?”

Ye Linghua was helpless. She reached out and turned on the light, pulled Lin Xin onto her bed, and firmly rubbed her head. “Jiejie (older sister), it’s past midnight! You were sitting by my bed in the middle of the night. How could I not be scared? Anyone would be scared half to death!”

The term “Jiejie” made Lin Xin’s face turn completely red, and her voice softened. She whispered, “I just wanted to look at you.”

Ye Linghua smiled wryly. “Look at what? It’s so dark, can you even see anything?” Besides, haven’t we been together all day?

Lin Xin was speechless, frustrated. She climbed onto her own bed, lay down, and said in resignation, “Ye Linghua, you don’t understand! Forget it, I won’t argue with a block of wood.”

Ye Linghua was silenced. The room quieted due to her silence.

Lin Xin secretly glanced over and saw Ye Linghua staring at her. She suddenly felt a little guilty. Is she angry? Did I say too much?

Ye Linghua sighed, lay back on her own bed, and said, “I do understand.”

She reached out and turned off the light. The room was dark once more. In the darkness, Ye Linghua’s voice drifted softly, like spring bamboo.

“Of course, I understand, you silly girl.”

Lin Xin’s heart thumped. She buried herself under the covers, pulling the blanket up to cover half her face, and muffled, “I am not silly!”

Ye Linghua laughed gently. “Alright.” She paused, then added, “But don’t sit by my bed in the middle of the night next time. That’s not something you can get away with just because we have a good relationship.”

Lin Xin’s face grew redder. She mumbled a soft, “Mm.”

Ye Linghua: “Sleep now!”

Lin Xin: “Mm.”