Chapter 347: Deep Dive
An Xiayue was waiting for dinner to be ready. She had long since smelled the fragrance coming from the kitchen. She touched her stomach. She was really hungry. Could she go and steal a bite from the kitchen now? A bold idea popped into An Xiayue’s head.
Unfortunately, just as she was about to do so, Yu Linna came out with a plate of food, interrupting her thoughts of stealing a bite.
After all, the food was already served. Was there still a need to steal a bite?
“It smells so good. It looks so delicious.”
An Xiayue looked at the steamed fish and crab on the table, her mouth almost drooling. They looked so delicious.
“I made a lot tonight. You can eat as much as you want. Don’t leave any leftovers.”
Yu Linna took off her apron, served the last dish, and confidently let her start eating. And An Xiayue was not polite either, picking up her bowl and chopsticks and starting to eat.
It had to be said, it was really delicious.
“Wow, delicious! Even better than the restaurant’s!”
It turned out that what she had said about her cooking skills being very good was true. This kind of taste, she was afraid, could only be made by a five-star hotel chef.
This little girl, even if she had no job in the future, could probably make a lot of money as a chef.
“So fragrant.”
An Xiayue was full of praise.
To her, as long as it was delicious, she loved it. If it was made by someone with very good cooking skills, that was even better. She was quite satisfied with Yu Linna’s skills. To be able to eat such delicious food, she would have no regrets even if she died.
Although An Xiayue was a foodie, the dishes she could make were very limited. It wasn’t that she couldn’t cook, but it was always just a few dishes, and all Western food. As for Chinese food, she could only make scrambled eggs with tomatoes and chicken stewed with mushrooms, and the taste could only be said to be so-so.
And now, in front of her was a great god. She could make many delicious dishes! All of which were in a field she knew nothing about!
“I was still wondering if you would be used to Chinese food, because I rarely cook Western food and don’t know the eating habits of Americans.”
“That doesn’t matter. I’m also half-Chinese. My grandparents live in China, and I come back every year for the New Year. So I’m not unaccustomed to it. If you want to learn how to cook Western food, next time you come to America, my family’s housekeeper will tell you how to do it.”
“So you’re a young miss after all.”
“Ahem, so-so. Petit bourgeois.”
This was a lie at a glance.
But regarding An Xiayue’s family situation, there were very few reports online, and it went without saying in the United States. Every time An Xiayue was interviewed, she only talked about work, not her family. The paparazzi had not been able to dig up any useful gossip, so no one knew her family’s background.
Only the insiders in the Hollywood circle in the United States knew about An Xiayue’s family background.
After eating, An Xiayue was satisfied. She was very obedient and finished all the dishes, with no leftovers. Originally, she was still thinking about whether to go out for a late-night snack tonight, but now she decided against it. She was already very full.
Yu Linna cleared the dishes and went to the kitchen to wash them. An Xiayue could only stay in the living room and look at her phone, because Yu Linna hadn’t bought a TV, so it was impossible to watch TV at home. And this small house had no landline, and Yu Linna didn’t bother to get one. She probably felt it was unnecessary because she lived alone.
It was small and narrow, with only furniture and nothing else. No celebrity posters, no video game consoles, no wallpaper. Nothing. Did this girl not have any entertainment at all? An Xiayue couldn’t help but think so.
After washing the dishes, Yu Linna came out. She took some fruit from the fridge, put it on the table, as a dessert after the meal. It was already 7 o’clock in the evening. Although it was still early, Yu Linna didn’t really want to go out. Mainly because she had no mood for it.
“Nana, I’ve been chasing your book recently. I’m a loyal fan. Remember to come to the premiere.”
“Eh, thank you…”
“When are you going to have a signing event? It’s been a year since your debut, right? It’s about time you showed your face.”
Yu Linna just smiled wryly and didn’t answer.
Come to think of it, it was really fast. A year. She had gone from a penniless little commoner to a great author, and now, she had become a has-been author. It could only be said that the world was unpredictable, changing in an instant.
She didn’t even know if she could continue to write.
“Sister Yue, next month, I’m going to Japan.”
Yu Linna also wanted to find someone to talk to about her feelings. She had only mentioned this matter to Xiao Yanhan, but to seriously confide in someone, An Xiayue was the first.
“To Japan, why?”
An Xiayue didn’t understand why she would suddenly run to Japan. Wasn’t it good to stay in the country?
“I want to go to the novelist exchange and study meeting in Japan, to learn their experience in writing bestsellers. I want to learn something. I have never received systematic learning, nor have I tried to settle down and study. You know, I haven’t been able to write good content recently. I seem to have fallen into a quagmire, just constantly repeating myself. Even if I’m trying hard to find different styles, I still can’t get out. I can’t write the work I want.”
Yes, she had been troubled, had been lost. How to write a good work.
When she had first written Ballad of the Enchantress, she had thought that her work was already very good. Even if it was a bit heart-wrenching, she also felt that she had told the story well. At that time, many of the works on the market were shoddy, and many were just money-making works. At that time, she had written a conscientious work like Ballad of the Enchantress, which had rectified the crooked trend at that time, making those money-making bad works have nowhere to hide and not getting the support of the readers.
And a year had passed. The market trend had improved, but her work could no longer be written with the same feeling as at the beginning.
Sometimes, even if she wanted to, she still couldn’t do it.
She even thought of the past, when she had always said that the authors on the market were just being perfunctory with their readers, not telling a story seriously. But now, what right did she have to say that about others? Now she couldn’t even tell a decent story. Thinking of this, she even wanted to laugh at her young and ignorant self at that time.
The quality of a work, sometimes, is not something the author herself can control.
What the author can do is to do her best, not to disappoint the readers, not to let the readers feel that this is a work without sincerity.
“Nana, have you entered a bottleneck period?”
An Xiayue asked uncertainly while eating fruit.
“It would be great if that were the case,” Yu Linna said with a wry smile.
“But I think it’s great for a person to do something with a purpose. What’s different about you from others is that you dare to step out of your comfort zone and face the unknown future. Just for this, I think it’s very admirable. Perhaps I should get to know you again.”
“But I’m already outdated. I no longer have such a great fame. If you’ve seen my Weibo, you’ll know that my fans have decreased a lot.”
“Isn’t it because you rarely interact with your fans?” An Xiayue said with a smile.
“But,” Yu Linna paused, “I know very well that I can no longer write a work like Ballad of the Enchantress. As an author, without a work, then you can only be forgotten.”
Yu Linna was originally a person with nothing. If her novel also left her, then what would she have left?
At this thought, she became uneasy.
She only had a pair of hands and a head. If she couldn’t think, couldn’t write, then where was her value?
She really wanted someone to tell her.
An Xiayue subconsciously went over and hugged her. Yu Linna’s body was trembling slightly, as if she would cry at any moment. An Xiayue hugged her, let her lean against her chest, and patted her head.
“Haven’t you already worked very hard? Is that not enough? If there is no road ahead, then just walk a new one out. I am the same as you. I don’t know where my future is, but I’m not afraid. I believe I can find my path. Nana, you can too. Believe in yourself. Isn’t there a saying, ‘Tomorrow will be better’?”
An Xiayue said with a smile.
Yu Linna couldn’t help but think of the past. When her days were hard, she would tell herself, “Tomorrow will be better.”
She never thought she would be comforted by An Xiayue at a time like this. Yu Linna smiled wryly.
“Sister Yue, thank you.”
At this point, that was all she could say.
Yu Linna looked at the time. It was already ten o’clock. She never thought that the two of them had been chatting in the living room for so long. An Xiayue hadn’t even found a place to stay.
“It’s so late. I should go and find a hotel to stay at. It’s not early anymore. I should probably…”
An Xiayue stood up and was about to pack her things and leave when her sleeve was pulled by Yu Linna.
“Sister Yue, it’s quite late. It’s not safe to go out. Why don’t you stay here with me?”
An Xiayue was completely bewildered.
“But you don’t have an empty room here…”
“I have two pillows. We can still sleep if we squeeze together.”
“Eh…”
“Or is it not convenient?”
“No, no. Then… I’ll be glad to accept.”
And so, An Xiayue stayed at Yu Linna’s house.
Although Yu Linna’s house was very small, and there was no extra space, Yu Linna’s body was very small, and the bed was quite large. It was still suitable for two people to squeeze together. After An Xiayue finished her shower, Yu Linna had already made the bed.
“Sister Yue, let’s go to sleep. It’s quite late. We’ll go out somewhere to walk around again tomorrow.”
“Mmm, okay.”
An Xiayue looked quite happy.
The lights were turned off, and the room entered into darkness. The two blonde girls looked at each other face to face. Those blue eyes made one want to take a second look. The two of them looked at each other and laughed.
“What are you laughing at?”
“Laughing at how beautiful you are.”
“Still not sleeping?”
“Can’t sleep. I want to chat.”
When the two of them were together, they seemed to have endless topics to talk about. Whether it was about food or work, they could always find a topic to talk about, and they could always talk endlessly. Although Yu Linna was not a star in the entertainment industry, she was still quite familiar with the film industry and could chat with An Xiayue.
And An Xiayue, on the other hand, really liked to get close to her and couldn’t hate her at all. She didn’t know why, but she always felt that this child was very familiar, as if she had known her for a long time.
“Nana, do you think we knew each other in our past lives?”
“What are you doing? So cheesy. Disgusting.”
“Are you disgusted with me? Let’s see how I deal with you.”
“Giggle, I’m ticklish! Stop it!”
The two girls started to fool around on the bed. The bed board creaked. When they had had enough fun, An Xiayue hugged this girl again, reluctant to let go.
This child was as soft as a pillow. It was so comfortable to hug her.
“Aren’t you hot, hugging me like this?”
“I feel quite cool.”
“Alright.”
The two of them looked at each other and then laughed again. It was late. It was about time to sleep.
