So awkward. What now? Why couldn’t she have alcohol-induced amnesia?
Beyond the awkwardness, though, was sweet reminiscence. She was replaying the kiss, terrified she’d fixate on Lin Xianing’s lips when they met.
If caught ogling, she’d die of shame.
Le Yiqiu dawdled downstairs. The living room was spotless.
Lin Xianing sat on the sofa, sipping tea while reading the newspaper.
Some news never hit public channels—only papers carried it. Lin Xianing had the habit.
Sunshine poured in on this clear, pleasant day.
It streamed through the glass, bathing Lin Xianing. Her shoulder-length brown-dyed hair—from filming—glowed ethereally under the light, making her look like a descended immortal, heart-stirringly pure.
Le Yiqiu stared a moment, then hurried back upstairs for the camera on the table.
For a natural shot, she crept lightly to the perfect angle, undetected.
Half-kneeling, reverent, she raised the camera, aimed at Lin Xianing, and clicked the shutter.
The burst of shots caught Lin Xianing’s attention. She turned in surprise.
The camera captured it all.
Reading intently in the sun; shocked twist of the head; realizing it was Le Yiqiu shooting; the smile that followed…
Every expression enchanted Le Yiqiu, preserved forever.
Reviewing the photos, Le Yiqiu beamed, satisfied.
“Look good? Let me see.” Lin Xianing beckoned her over.
Le Yiqiu skipped across, eager to share her treasures.
“Look at this one…”
She gushed over her favorites, oblivious to the tender gaze Lin Xianing fixed on her.
That’s when Le Yiqiu realized—were they sitting a bit too close?
She lowered her eyes and found herself staring at Lin Xianing’s lips. Then she couldn’t help but swallow, her throat dry, and awkwardly shifted her gaze away.
She forced herself not to look at Lin Xianing, but the pleasant scent from Lin Xianing’s body lingered at the tip of her nose, stirring a restless heat within her.
Le Yiqiu quickly shoved the camera into Lin Xianing’s hands. “I’m going to grab some water.”
Lin Xianing blinked, her eyes fixed on Le Yiqiu.
Le Yiqiu’s footsteps were a bit flustered, her back too rigid. And thinking back to their intimate contact just moments ago…
Lin Xianing realized what was happening and embarrassedly pressed the back of her hand to her burning cheek, hoping to cool it down a little.
Le Yiqiu fled in disarray, entirely focused on cooling herself off, and didn’t notice Lin Xianing’s actions behind her.
She poured herself a large glass of cool water and gulped it down, barely managing to suppress the pounding in her chest.
She leaned against the bar counter to recover for a good while. Feeling more or less okay, she walked back to the living room.
Throughout the whole process, Lin Xianing acted perfectly natural, as if yesterday’s events had never happened.
Had Lin Xianing completely forgotten about getting drunk yesterday? Some people remembered what happened after drinking, while others forgot it entirely.
Maybe Lin Xianing was the latter, which would make the remembering Le Yiqiu feel awfully awkward.
But Lin Xianing not remembering their intimacy from last night brought Le Yiqiu a sigh of relief—and a touch of disappointment.
Since Lin Xianing didn’t remember, Le Yiqiu had no intention of bringing it up.
Under her restraint, their interactions returned to normal.
Seeing her return, Lin Xianing gently set the camera on the coffee table. “Let’s have breakfast. Xiang Shang made it this morning.”
At Lin Xianing’s words, Le Yiqiu glanced toward the dining room and finally noticed the breakfast on the table.
The Small Courtyard had no little kitchen of its own. If they wanted something to eat, they had to go to the big kitchen, which didn’t fire up outside fixed hours.
Unless they cooked it themselves—like when Xiang Shang made an Ice Bowl last time and got shaded for it for ages.
After getting those electric appliances for the bar counter, things had become much more convenient.
This big family was ridiculous. Even eating wasn’t free.
Fortunately, the New Year was just two days away. Once the ancestral rites were done after the holiday, Le Yiqiu could leave the Lin Family.
But not Lin Xianing. She had to stay with the Lin Family until the Lantern Festival.
Originally, after that little spat with Eldest Uncle Lin last time, Lin Xianing could have used it as an excuse to leave with Le Yiqiu after the New Year.
However, Lin Xianing had her own plans—an opportunity to completely break away from the Lin Family, one she didn’t want to pass up.
In the process, Le Yiqiu might get caught up in it. But conveniently, Le Yiqiu was going abroad to film with Teacher Tu Sheng, far from the Lin Family’s chaos.
Staying with the Lin Family, she couldn’t help and would only become a tool for the Lin Family to attack Lin Xianing.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t help Lin Xianing at all; it was that Lin Xianing didn’t want her taking risks.
But plans couldn’t keep up with changes. An accident delayed Lin Xianing’s scheme.
Third Uncle Lin had a sudden illness and died, throwing everyone into a panic.
The day before the New Year, the Lin Family’s few hundred members gathered for the first big assembly in the Great Waiting Hall.
The main table still held the usual people. There was no helping it—the Lin Family’s direct lineage had seniority.
The first big gathering appeared harmonious on the surface. But right at the dinner table, Third Uncle Lin started convulsing. The family doctor rushed over, but rescue efforts failed. He was gone before they even reached the hospital.
This unexpected event delayed the Lin Family’s ancestral rites, turning a proper New Year into Third Uncle Lin’s funeral.
Le Yiqiu couldn’t leave the Lin Family after the New Year either. Tu Sheng notified her that filming was suspended—minimum three months.
Last time, Teacher Tu went abroad to handle local shooting issues. No one knew what happened, but they got stuck there.
The locals’ goal was obviously to fleece the crew. Tu Sheng wasn’t one to compromise easily. Some things led to a second time after the first.
If they caused trouble during filming, strangers in a strange land had no choice but to take it from the local snakes.
Since filming had already started, they had no option but to push through.
Trouble before shooting at least gave them a chance to switch locations.
So Tu Sheng rewrote the script and chose a new filming site.
The crew had a partner film company there, but it was clearly in cahoots with the locals.
Tu Sheng gathered evidence and sued the company.
Rewriting the script plus all the mess took a full three months front and back.
The Lin Family plunged into chaos after Third Uncle Lin’s death. Whether Eldest Uncle Lin, Father Lin, or anyone else, none would let go of what was in Third Uncle Lin’s hands.
And Third Uncle Lin’s children were all useless. The family was left with nothing but little lambs—how could the big bad wolves outside not eye them?
The week of New Year became Third Uncle Lin’s funeral, followed by frantic preparations for the ancestral rites.
The Lantern Festival passed quickly. Despite the undercurrents in the Lin Family, no one dared make a real move before the rites ended.
Everyone feared drawing fire as the lead bird. Until someone stuck their neck out first, they’d suppress their desires for a short time. But human patience had limits.
Lin Xianing didn’t want to get involved for now. The day after the Lantern Festival, she went home with Le Yiqiu.
But they were still in Jianglin City, so the matter might still affect them.
Their first day back in Jianglin also marked the end of their vacation with Chen Tao.
Chen Tao arrived a day early and hired an auntie to clean the house for them.
Besides Chen Tao, the first New Year’s visitor was Lin Xianing’s agent, Zhao Ruo.
This time back, Lin Xianing chose to stay at Le Yiqiu’s house.
Compared to both their homes’ setups, Le Yiqiu’s place was more convenient.
Lin Xianing had no work lately, and friends would come visit. The two could only live together briefly.
After all, besides themselves, no one knew their marriage was fake—not even close friends like Luo Luo and Zhao Ruo.
With friends visiting and no divorce yet, of course they’d live together.
After getting the news that Luo Luo was coming over, Le Yiqiu shyly suggested cohabitation to Lin Xianing.
Lin Xianing happily agreed, since she also had friends coming to visit.
In fact, they could have met up outside for meals and fun, gathering beforehand.
It was just an excuse to live together.
Zhao Ruo sat in the living room, eyeing the spotless space. She sat cross-legged with Lin Xianing by the coffee table.
“Aren’t you two living separately?”
The living room showed no signs of two people living together. It wasn’t like other couples’ cozy little nests—cold and impersonal, like no one had stayed here for days.
Zhao Ruo was an agent through and through; her eyes were sharp. She spotted the flaws in the house at a glance.
Le Yiqiu hadn’t lived here long, and the place still lacked a lived-in feel. Lin Xianing had just moved in a day ago, and their things weren’t mixed at all. It was obvious.
The one saving grace was Le Yiqiu’s lovestruck nature. She’d printed out their few joint photos—their wedding ones—and placed them on surfaces around the house.
She’d also printed recent selfies of the two.
When Lin Xianing first arrived and saw these photos, she felt surprised, then touched and happy.
Sometimes, these casual details stirred the heart more. Who knew—maybe that’s why Lin Xianing came to stay.
These photos had clearly been prepared long in advance.
A while back, Le Yiqiu had turned the guest room meant for Lin Xianing into a photo-processing space. When tired from scriptwriting, besides gaming, she’d develop photos.
Gradually, the room’s walls filled with pictures.
Of course, she had her little schemes. Since she and Lin Xianing weren’t divorced, cohabitation was inevitable sooner or later. At least for handling friends and family, they’d need short stints together.
How could she let Lin Xianing sleep alone? That wouldn’t show proper hospitality as the host.
Naturally, sharing a bed demonstrated her welcoming nature, so the guest room was unnecessary.
