Waking Up to a Contract Marriage with the Film Queen - Chapter 11

In Lin Xianing’s hotel suite, Le Yiqiu sat on the sofa with the rigid posture of a primary school student. She looked up innocently, caught the stern expression on Lin Xianing’s face, and immediately dropped her gaze back to her knees.

To be fair, Lin Xianing’s room was incredible—a sprawling, high-floor luxury apartment that felt more like a home than a hotel.

Back on set, Lin Xianing had been visibly stunned to see her. She had been about to walk over when Director Zheng Zhi beat her to it. He had whisked Le Yiqiu away to a private lounge, where an assistant served them tea.

The moment the assistant left, Zheng Zhi’s face crinkled into a smile so wide it looked like a folded accordion. “Teacher Yi Yi, I had no idea you were so young!”

Teacher Yi Yi?

Le Yiqiu froze at the name but remained silent. Zheng Zhi seemed to take her silence as a desire for discretion. “Ah, right! I should call you Teacher Le. President Zhao mentioned that you wanted to join the crew to learn, and that you didn’t want to use your ‘Yi Yi’ identity publicly.”

“So, tell me… Teacher Le, what exactly are you hoping to learn?”

Le Yiqiu hadn’t expected Zhao Yu to understand her so perfectly. With just one request, her agent had sussed out her true intentions.

“I just want to see how you work, Director Zheng. I want to watch your process from behind the lens.”

Her degree was in directing. While she was on the payroll as a screenwriter, telling Zheng Zhi she wanted to study his filming technique wasn’t a lie. Watching a scene take shape in real-time was the best way to understand how a script should be written to translate effectively to the screen.

Zheng Zhi was a big name in the industry. While he might not be on the same level as her former professor, he was a seasoned pro—the perfect mentor for her right now. Watching him work was the fastest way to re-download her professional knowledge.

She wanted to get back to the level she was at when she filmed Solitary City. She had re-watched the movie and realized it was a genuinely impressive piece of work. Every time she watched her own films, she felt a sense of deja vu, and specialized knowledge would surge to the surface of her mind, integrating into her current self.

“Of course!” Zheng Zhi chirped. “I’ll have Xiao Li set up a chair right next to mine. You can watch whenever you like.”

Since she was officially a writer, Zheng Zhi was more than happy to have her on set every day. His only regret was that he couldn’t use the name “Yi Yi” for publicity. Still, if this collaboration went well, he hoped to option more of her works in the future.

“Thank you, Director,” Le Yiqiu said with a graceful smile.

“Don’t mention it!” Zheng Zhi waved her off. He checked his watch. “It’s lunch time. If you have any dietary preferences, just tell Xiao Li and we’ll arrange a custom meal for you starting tomorrow.”

A-list stars usually had custom-catered meals, different from the standard crew boxes. Le Yiqiu wasn’t picky, but she appreciated the gesture.

As they walked out of the lounge, Zheng Zhi suddenly asked, “What’s your full name, Teacher Le?”

“Le Yiqiu.”

She didn’t notice that after she walked away, Zheng Zhi stayed behind, muttering the name to himself. “Le Yiqiu? Why does that sound so familiar?”

He was convinced that if a name sounded familiar to him, it didn’t belong to a nobody. He realized he wasn’t remembering the author “Yi Yi,” but the person “Le Yiqiu.”

He pulled out his phone and searched her name. He looked at the credentials, the awards, and the photos. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. She’s the Le Yiqiu who directed “Solitary City”!

As a director, Zheng Zhi kept tabs on talented peers. Solitary City hadn’t been a massive blockbuster, but its narrative depth and technical precision had left the industry in awe. They had called her a once-in-a-generation genius—before she vanished.

So Yi Yi is Le Yiqiu! She didn’t quit; she just switched to writing!

He scrolled further down and his jaw dropped. Le Yiqiu and Lin Xianing are married?!

The pieces clicked into place. “Learning,” his foot! A director who produced Solitary City didn’t need to learn from him. She wasn’t here to study; she was here to accompany her wife!

And those people online calling her a “deadbeat”? How could a deadbeat direct a masterpiece and sell a script for tens of millions? She was just being low-profile.

Zheng Zhi felt like he’d stumbled upon the secret of the century. He was nearly forty and had only just hit his stride; she had achieved greatness before even graduating. He realized she was a student of Director Tu, an international legend.

“The world really is unfair,” Zheng Zhi sighed, shaking his head as he headed off to lunch.

*****

Le Yiqiu had no idea her cover was blown. She had spent the entire afternoon in a state of nervous anticipation. Lin Xianing had sent her assistant to tell her: Find me in my room after wrap tonight.

Le Yiqiu subconsciously clutched the collar of her shirt. It couldn’t be…

Of course not. During the few times she’d caught Lin Xianing’s eye on set, she had seen nothing but cold irritation and displeasure. She’s mad at me, Le Yiqiu thought gloomily.

And so, here she was, the “delinquent student” waiting for her lecture.

“What do you want to drink?”

Lin Xianing’s first question wasn’t about why she was there. Her tone was flat, almost clinical.

Le Yiqiu blinked innocently. “Iced Coke?”

“No.”

“Iced Sprite?”

“No carbonated drinks.”

Le Yiqiu pouted slightly. “Iced milk?”

“Fine.” Lin Xianing pulled a carton of cold milk from the fridge and handed it to her.

Le Yiqiu felt that a summer without iced Coke was a tragedy, but iced milk was a decent consolation prize. Lin Xianing watched her gulp down half the carton, leaving a white mustache on her upper lip. With a sigh of resignation, Lin Xianing pulled out a tissue and handed it to her.

Le Yiqiu obediently wiped her mouth and looked Lin Xianing in the eye, waiting for the interrogation.

Lin Xianing wasn’t harsh; her voice was like a cool spring on a hot day. “Director Zheng told me you’re the on-set screenwriter?”

Le Yiqiu remembered how Zheng Zhi had bounded over to Lin Xianing during lunch, grinning like he’d won the lottery. “Xianing! Teacher Le is our on-set writer! If you have any issues with the script, just go straight to her!” Lin Xianing’s assistant, Chen Tao, had been bewildered. “Why does Director Zheng look like he’s shipping someone? Do we even have a writer named Le?”

Lin Xianing had assumed Le Yiqiu was here as a “visiting spouse”—a thought that had been annoying yet secretly a little sweet. But finding out she was here for work?

Lin Xianing’s mood had plummeted.

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