After Transmigrating, I Fell in Love with a Top-Tier Movie Queen - Chapter 83

Mao Heng and Tan Wenchang stood at the entrance of the small courtyard, looking out with concern. “Knowing the production team’s style, I wonder if they’ll make it back for lunch?”

Tan Wenchang chuckled, “Sea fishing isn’t easy. You have to find the right spot and be careful not to let the rocks cut your line. It’s not that simple!”

No sooner had Tan Wenchang finished speaking than they heard the voices of the returning guests in the distance.

First, it was Qu Hejing’s voice: “Heavens, I’ve never seen anything like it. It was too exciting.”

Zhuo Yaxin chimed in: “So, why did you poke it with that needle?”

Mao Heng and Tan Wenchang exchanged glances. At that moment, the five guests approached from the distance. They had already changed into casual, travel-friendly wear and were wearing sun-protective clothing. Ye Linghua, who had been wearing a hat, now had her hair simply tied back in a ponytail. She was smiling and explaining to Zhuo Yaxin.

“This fish is from the deep sea. It’s under a lot of pressure. If we don’t ‘vent’ it after bringing it up, it will die due to the sudden depressurization. Venting it can preserve it and keep it alive.”

Zhuo Yaxin was enlightened. “I see, you know so much! That’s amazing.”

Zhuo Yaxin’s words of admiration made Lin Xin’s heart clench. She glanced at Zhuo Yaxin, then silently walked over to stand beside Ye Linghua.

Mao Heng, seeing this from afar, smiled and said to Tan Wenchang, “This girl is certainly protective of her territory.”

The returning guests also saw the two seniors and waved hello from a distance. When they arrived, the seniors learned they had caught several fish, both from shallow and deep waters.

Tan Wenchang looked at the catch and laughed, “This is great! We’ll have a fresh seafood feast for lunch.”

Mao Heng reached out to take the catch and asked with a smile, “Which one of you is such a brilliant angler?”

Qu Hejing glanced at Ye Linghua and smiled, “She’s right here!”

Mao Heng then looked at Ye Linghua, realizing the truth. “As expected, it had to be you!”

The group burst into laughter. Only Zheng Lanwen stood silently at the back. Although she had seen Ye Linghua before and suspected she wasn’t ordinary due to her unusual aura, seeing her display her talents one by one nearly made Zheng Lanwen explode with anger.

However, no one paid attention to her thoughts. Everyone’s closeness was only superficial. Those who got along might become friends, while those who didn’t might only interact for these two months and would rarely see each other again afterward.

A Conversation About Love and Pressure

The group noisily returned to the small courtyard. Bai Xueyu and Gong Chen came out upon hearing the commotion. Seeing the sea fish brought back by Mao Heng and Tan Wenchang, they asked in surprise, “Are we having fish today?”

Tan Wenchang rolled up his sleeves. “I’ll make a full fish feast for you all.”

Ye Linghua smiled along, happy to see them joyful, regardless of whether it was just for the show.

When everyone left and only Ye Linghua and Zheng Lanwen remained at the entrance, the world seemed to quiet down.

Zheng Lanwen walked up and stood beside her. The two watched the group enter the kitchen.

Zheng Lanwen asked Ye Linghua, “You’re serious about Lin Xin, right? But have you considered that you’re just an ordinary person? Can you handle the ensuing online pressure? Do you know how many fans she has? How fiercely they protect her? Even if you just go out for a casual drink, you might be viciously attacked online and trend on hot searches.”

Ye Linghua was taken aback. She had been here for three years, and though she occasionally followed them, she really hadn’t thought about these things.

Zheng Lanwen sneered, “The entertainment industry isn’t as simple as you think. Couples in this industry are under an extra layer of scrutiny. Don’t think of her fans as outsiders. When your relationship is rejected by the whole world, that sense of powerlessness is something an ordinary person can’t withstand.”

Ye Linghua pondered for a moment, then finally said, “If that’s the case, then surpass being an ordinary person.”

Zheng Lanwen was startled, then chuckled. Anyone can make grand statements. She was about to say that Ye Linghua was simplifying things. If it were easy, there wouldn’t be couples in the entertainment industry breaking up because of fan pressure.

Ye Linghua doesn’t understand! She doesn’t understand these things.

Zheng Lanwen thought with a hint of satisfaction: Ye Linghua would soon learn how difficult it was to be with Lin Xin. She doesn’t know how long I was criticized, or how repressed I felt when Lin Xin retired from the industry for me back then…

Ye Linghua took a step forward, moving past Zheng Lanwen. A gust of sea wind blew, lifting her hair.

Her words also drifted on the wind: “It’s extremely difficult for the person you like to like you back. So, when it happens, you feel like a miracle has descended.”

Ye Linghua’s leisurely voice drifted over. Zheng Lanwen was stunned, not understanding her meaning.

“Since it’s a miracle…” Ye Linghua turned to look at Zheng Lanwen and smiled softly. “Of course, it won’t be easy. To put everything you have into being together, even if the whole world objects—isn’t that what’s meant to be?”

Love is rare, mutual love is rare, and being together is even rarer.

“Even if the outcome is bad, even if we lose miserably in the end. At least we’ll have loved with all our strength, and we’ll have no regrets…”

Ye Linghua’s voice became softer and softer, until only she could hear it…

She muttered to herself, “Yes! Even if the outcome is bad…”

What Zheng Lanwen couldn’t do, I couldn’t do either. That’s the truth!

To Lin Xin, what’s the difference between the current me and Zheng Lanwen?

Ye Linghua was no longer in the mood to deal with Zheng Lanwen and walked away.

Zheng Lanwen called out to her twice, but when she received no response, she couldn’t help but mutter, “Crazy.”

When Zheng Lanwen arrived in the kitchen to help, she realized Ye Linghua wasn’t there.

Mao Heng asked her curiously, “Where’s Ye Linghua?”

Zheng Lanwen barely knew Ye Linghua, so she could only answer honestly, “I don’t know.”

Mao Heng: “Weren’t you just talking with her outside?”

Lin Xin, who was peeling shrimp veins nearby, looked up when she heard this.

Zheng Lanwen choked, and seeing Lin Xin looking at her, she could only say, “We talked for a couple of minutes, and then she left.”

The kitchen was already crowded and didn’t need more helpers. Mao Heng, as the head of the resident guests, was only asking casually. He turned back to other things.

Lin Xin frowned and looked down, forgetting where to put the cleaned shrimp.

Qu Hejing noticed this, walked over to her with a smile, and whispered, “Why don’t you go check on her?”

Lin Xin shook her head. “No, we’re still filming!”

Qu Hejing laughed gently. “Your mind isn’t here anyway. Besides, there are so many people here!”

Lin Xin paused, slowly put the shrimp back into the basin, and turned to look at Qu Hejing. Her large eyes blinked gently, sparkling like a child asking for candy.

Qu Hejing smiled even more. “Go on! I’ll take care of the rest of the shrimp veins.”

Lin Xin nodded, washed her hands, and left the kitchen.

The Climax

Lin Xin scanned the courtyard but didn’t see Ye Linghua.

She turned and headed toward the dormitory. As she reached the second floor, she saw Ye Linghua standing in the corridor. She was leaning on the railing, gazing out at the sea. Her hair was still tied in a ponytail, and the sea breeze kept blowing her long hair around.

Hearing Lin Xin’s footsteps, she turned and smiled brightly at her in the spring sunlight, like a ray of sun in winter.

Relieved, Lin Xin walked up to her and asked, “What’s wrong? Did Zheng Lanwen say something to you?”

Ye Linghua’s smile was mixed with a frown, showing deep helplessness. “Why would you say that?”

Lin Xin: “We’re all busy in the kitchen. If it were you, you would definitely come in to help.”

In short, since you didn’t come in, did something happen?

Ye Linghua hummed, then shifted her gaze from Lin Xin back to the distance.

She didn’t speak, and Lin Xin didn’t press her.

They stood together quietly for a while. Then, Ye Linghua suddenly asked, “Are you tired of following my footsteps?”

Although I know Lin Xin likes me, and I like her too, the timing of my leaving back then wasn’t right, and I can’t remove that thorn in my heart.

That’s why, even though I knew she liked me, I never dared to take a big step or give a strong response.

Because I pursued something once and was disappointed. So, I’m afraid of being disappointed again. I don’t want to go through that again, so I hold back.

It was a valid reason!

So, I let Lin Xin experience the pain and helplessness of pursuing someone who might not turn back.

I made her bear the burden of closely following my steps all this time, only occasionally giving a hint of response.

It turns out I’m such a despicable person?

“No, I’m not tired!”

Lin Xin’s clear voice abruptly pulled Ye Linghua back to reality. The leisurely small courtyard, the bright weather, the cool sea breeze, the seagulls soaring in the sky, and the distant cry of the boats…

All the beauty suddenly unfolded. Ye Linghua was struck by Lin Xin’s excited voice, frozen in place.

Lin Xin continued, “Why would I be tired? I’m very happy!”

Lin Xin had a crush on Zheng Lanwen for so long. She understood better than Ye Linghua how incredibly rare it was for two people to like each other.

You like me, and I like you—isn’t this near-miracle exactly what I’m experiencing?

“I like you, and you like me. That’s already a miracle. Since it’s a miracle, it must be something difficult to achieve. So, it’s normal to have some less-than-ideal situations!” Lin Xin spoke with such innocence. Although Ye Linghua had told Zheng Lanwen the same thing, hearing it from Lin Xin’s mouth made it sound so beautiful.

Lin Xin looked at Ye Linghua. Her large, jewel-like eyes seemed to carry a kind of magic, preventing Ye Linghua from looking away. Lin Xin smiled brightly in the sunlight, like the most beautiful flower in the world. “Such a great miracle has already happened to me, so I’m just waiting for a result. I can wait as long as it takes. I’m already luckier than many people. Falling in love with you, I believe, is heaven’s compensation for everything I’ve lacked.”

She slightly raised her head, looked at the sky, and whispered, “I went through so many things I found agonizing, and walked so many rough, thorny mountain paths. But if all of that was just to walk up to you, Ye Linghua, I think it was worth it!”

She mimicked Ye Linghua, leaning her hands on the railing, smiling until her eyes curved into crescent moons. “So, how could I be tired? We’ve already walked more than half the way…” She pointed toward the sea, her voice full of hope. “For the best outcome, waiting and working hard are exactly what we should be doing. And I believe, Ye Linghua, you won’t let me pursue your footsteps in vain, right? Because you like me too!”

She said it with such confidence. Even though she had been rejected repeatedly, she showed no sign of dissatisfaction, expressing gratitude instead.

What a wonderful person! Even after being hurt, she still lives so earnestly, still loves so hard.

It wasn’t just Ye Linghua who was mesmerized by Lin Xin at that moment. Zheng Lanwen, standing below by the first-floor wall, was also shaken by Lin Xin’s words.

Yes! A person who can grow into a towering tree with just a little bit of love, yet someone who lacked the most love, still gives all of her affection to others…

Zheng Lanwen clenched her fists…

On the second-floor corridor above her, Lin Xin was looking at the distant sea, and Ye Linghua was staring blankly at her. Lin Xin’s beautiful, perfect profile revealed a gentle yearning for love in the sunlight.

Perhaps sensing Ye Linghua’s intense gaze, she turned her head. Her face, hailed as “divine” in the entertainment industry, asked with a slight concern, “Why are you suddenly saying this…”

Before she could finish, Ye Linghua’s figure suddenly leaned in. A sweet scent enveloped the air beneath Lin Xin’s nose, followed by the long-awaited soft touch on her lips.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, freezing the world in this moment, all sound isolated.

Only the final, faint whimper of a sigh escaped their lips as their kiss ended.