Chapter 62 Part 1

Everyone had their own lives, and they each had their own matters to attend to.

A brief parting was just a prelude to a longer reunion.

Still, a month apart wasn’t brief at all. On May 18th, Le Yiqiu boarded the plane back to the country. Before departing, she had told Lin Xianing that the teacher’s wife had some affairs to handle, Teacher Tu couldn’t get away, and Sister Tu Xun had no time either. After discussing it, they let her go.

Lin Xianing had a habit: in the month leading up to filming, she would immerse herself completely in studying the script, losing herself in the role.

That way, when shooting began, she could slip right into character.

The crew had scheduled filming to start on June 1st—Children’s Day—and this film would be Lin Xianing’s only project that year.

When she learned Le Yiqiu was returning, Lin Xianing set her script aside for once and headed to the airport.

Unable to appear in public, Lin Xianing waited inside the car.

Spotting the familiar nanny van, Le Yiqiu handed her luggage to Chen Tao and hurried aboard.

As she walked, she called out, “Sister Peach, could you have Brother Chen stow my bags? I brought gifts for you all.”

She was only back for three days this time. Apart from some Maple Leaf Country specialties, she hadn’t packed much else.

She had thought of everyone close to Lin Xianing—her own friends and the teacher’s wife included—as well as the items Teacher Tu had asked her to deliver, all crammed into an enormous suitcase.

“What do you mean ‘Sister Peach’? That’s awful. I’m younger than you.”

Chen Tao laughed and scolded her before calling over, “Brother Chen, lend a hand.”

Brother Chen was a seasoned fighter; one oversized suitcase was no trouble for him, nor would adding another be.

Bodyguards for celebrities were never ordinary people, least of all for someone like Lin Xianing, whose status far exceeded that of a mere actress. Those who stayed by her side had to be worth at least ten skilled fighters, if not a hundred.

Lin Xianing had once suggested assigning one of Brother Chen’s colleagues from camp as Le Yiqiu’s bodyguard and finding her a fitting assistant, but Le Yiqiu wasn’t used to having people trail her and turned it down.

Zhao Yu was helping select an assistant, someone Le Yiqiu would interview personally later on.

The instant she spotted Lin Xianing, Le Yiqiu swept her into her arms and squeezed tight, overcome with the impulse to fold her right into her own body.

Had it really been a month apart? A whole month without seeing each other—in this moment, neither wanted to tear their gaze from the other’s face for even a second.

This was what they called a short parting better than a honeymoon.

Le Yiqiu caressed Lin Xianing’s cheek. “You’ve gotten thinner.”

Lin Xianing was noticeably slimmer. With how busy and exhausted she’d been lately, who knew if she had been eating properly.

“Just a bit.”

The two caught up on everyday matters, each sharing bits of their recent lives.

Once home, Le Yiqiu pulled out the gifts for Brother Chen and Chen Tao to take with them.

She had some for Zhao Ruo as well, which Chen Tao would drop off at the company.

After they left, only Le Yiqiu and Lin Xianing remained.

It was morning domestically, and Le Yiqiu had caught a few hours of sleep on the plane, so she wasn’t overly fatigued.

They freshened up quickly and set off to visit the teacher’s wife, bringing along the things Teacher Tu had entrusted to her.

Compared to seeing Le Zhuo and Xie Dan, meeting Le Yiqiu’s teacher and teacher’s wife felt far more like meeting the parents.

They had guided her, promoted her, supported her—more parental than her own flesh and blood.

After her grandmother’s passing, it was encountering the teacher that had given Le Yiqiu a taste of family again.

Lin Xianing knew just how much the Tu couple cherished Le Yiqiu, which only heightened her nerves.

“Is this outfit suitable?”

Lin Xianing was dressed in a full suit, formal to a fault—like she was heading into a business negotiation rather than meeting family.

Le Yiqiu chuckled as she slipped off Lin Xianing’s jacket. “It’s scorching today. Way too many layers.”

Le Yiqiu herself wore a sleeveless white tee topped with a yellow plaid shirt as a lightweight jacket, black trousers, and casual black leather sneakers—stylish and understated.

Following her advice, Lin Xianing changed into a white short-sleeved shirt, light-wash jeans, a blue-gray cropped plaid blazer, and white dad sneakers with green soles.

Their looks were so youthful they could pass for college students—striking and vibrant.

Elders always appreciated tidy outfits in bright, sunny colors.

When they arrived at the teacher’s wife’s home, she grinned from ear to ear.

“I’m getting on in years, so I just love it when the young ones get together. You’ve come to keep me company—teacher’s wife is delighted.”

The teacher’s wife had someone bring fruit and tea. “Your Sister Tu Xun is always so busy. She rarely comes home at all. This daughter of mine—we hardly see her once a year.”

For all her words, her tone brimmed with pride.

Raising such an accomplished scientist daughter was certainly praiseworthy.

“The teacher mentioned our set is near Sister Tu Xun’s workplace, but we haven’t crossed paths with her yet.”

Le Yiqiu smiled in reply, then held a peeled grape to Lin Xianing’s lips.

Lin Xianing pursed her lips bashfully, her finger poking Le Yiqiu’s waist discreetly beneath the table to signal her to eat it herself.

“Xiaxia really is a beauty.”

The teacher’s wife beamed as she praised her. “Beautiful with top-notch acting to boot. Teacher Tu’s always singing her praises. I’d only seen her in movies before— she’s even prettier in person than on screen.”

“The camera can’t capture a fraction of a beauty’s allure.”

Lin Xianing smiled demurely. “Teacher’s wife, you’re too kind.”

“I think teacher’s wife has it right. The lens can’t do my wife justice.”

Le Yiqiu might tease, but she kept her terms of endearment measured—calling her “wife” was a rare slip that left Lin Xianing flushed. In front of an elder, she didn’t dare react overtly, settling for another secret waist poke.

Watching the pair’s affection, the teacher’s wife chuckled warmly. “Xiaxia, treat this place like your own home. Don’t stand on ceremony.”

“Yes, thank you, teacher’s wife.” Lin Xianing replied sweetly.

Le Yiqiu gazed curiously at this obedient side of Lin Xianing—one she’d never witnessed before.

“Don’t stare.” Lin Xianing whispered.

She’s shy!!!

Le Yiqiu’s grin widened. This sweet, bashful Lin Xianing—reserved yet endearing—was utterly novel and captivating.

With a laugh, she popped the grape into her mouth, wiped her hands clean, and ceased her teasing.

They spent the time chatting with the teacher’s wife about work and daily life.

After lunch, with the teacher’s wife due for her nap, they took their leave without lingering.

As they departed, Lin Xianing exchanged contact info with the teacher’s wife, urging her to call anytime she needed anything.

Le Yiqiu knew full well that Lin Xianing never initiated adding contacts—not even always reciprocating others’.

“Lin Xianing.”

“Hm?”

“I missed you so much.”

Le Yiqiu’s affections were always this straightforward and ardent. Yearning was yearning; love was love.

Lin Xianing’s lips curved into a smile, her mood lifting at the words.

Le Yiqiu drove while Lin Xianing rode shotgun, cruising back home.

All of a sudden, Le Yiqiu mused that it would be nice if the car just kept going.

If the opportunity arose, a road trip with the one she loved—pausing in cities for a few days of fun before heading home when tired—sounded ideal.

But it was only a fleeting thought. With their packed schedules, it wouldn’t happen anytime soon.

Back home, they opted for a nap.

Le Yiqiu, fresh off a fourteen-hour flight and a nonstop visit to the teacher’s wife, was bone-tired. Three or four in the afternoon was the sleepiest hour.

They rinsed off swiftly and slipped into bed together.

With her familiar form cradled close and that beloved scent filling her senses, Le Yiqiu’s month of insomnia and restless nights in strange beds melted away.

During that month abroad, she slept fine amid the work frenzy but struggled in downtime—tossing uncomfortably, reduced to reading dull books under a nightlight until drowsy.

With Lin Xianing beside her, sleep claimed her in seconds.

Her exhausted body and frayed mind gave out in that instant.

When she awoke, night had fallen, but the sleep had been deeply restorative. The mental strain from days of work had fully eased.

Lin Xianing must have risen earlier; Le Yiqiu lay staring at the ceiling for a moment before getting up to find her.

Lin Xianing sat on the floor by the sofa, script in hand. The coffee table held a decanted bottle of red wine, her glass nearly drained.

“Why are you drinking?”

Le Yiqiu settled beside her and glanced at the script.

《Alive?》

“Alive?”—the two words trailed by a question mark. It looked like a tragic film.

Lin Xianing lifted her gaze, her eyes shadowed with unclear emotion.

“The character’s an alcoholic, perpetually buzzed. Just getting into the role early.”

Lin Xianing seldom drank. She’d been truly drunk twice. The first time was at the Lin Family—not quite drunk, her mind replaying her kiss with Le Yiqiu over and over.

The second brought fuzzy recollections of truth-or-dare embarrassment before blacking out entirely.

With such limited experience, nailing that boozy despair on set would be tough.

She could portray drunkenness or desolation separately, but the specific haze of alcohol-fueled wretchedness? It was like dredging up one’s sorrows while intoxicated and committing that sensation to memory.

This character was a hollow shell when sober—inhuman. Only in drunken stupor did wretched humanity emerge.

Lin Xianing had puzzled over the emotional nuance for ages, convinced something was missing. Perhaps only by getting thoroughly soused could she capture it.

When Le Yiqiu sat down, she was still immersed, the flavor not quite right. Convinced she hadn’t drunk enough, she was about to pour a second glass—then Le Yiqiu arrived.

Snapping out of character took a moment, hence that enigmatic look.

“Want more?”

Le Yiqiu fetched a wineglass and topped up both. “I’ll drink with you.”

“You don’t have to.” Lin Xianing interjected.

“It’s fine. A little with you.”

Le Yiqiu smiled and took a small sip of the fine red wine. She didn’t care for it—still tasted off.

They sat in silence as Lin Xianing set the script aside, leaning back on the sofa to sip.

Every so often, she turned to gaze out the window at the city nightscape.

The city was vast, the world vaster still. They were small, but they reigned as queens in their own realm.

They strove to helm their own lives, correcting course even when veering off track.

Somehow, a melancholic air settled between them.

“Did something happen? With the Lin Family?”

Le Yiqiu set down her empty glass and refilled them both.

She knew Lin Xianing too well; this sorrow couldn’t stem from the script alone.

Her acting prowess didn’t demand such deep method immersion. Something must have occurred.

They’d been back over a month now, so the Lin Family situation had likely evolved.

Lin Xianing had told her not to pry and promised to seek help if needed, so Le Yiqiu had held her tongue.

In moments like this, she felt so powerless—unable to assist Lin Xianing.

Sensing the self-reproach, Lin Xianing clasped her hand. “The Lin Family’s millennial legacy isn’t something outsiders can shake.”

“Over half of Jianglin City’s properties tie back to the Lin Family, with their influence lurking behind every industry.”

“Most ancestral holdings were transferred abroad long ago, and new ventures have flourished. The family’s assets defy simple calculation.”

Even the world’s top tycoons had quantifiable fortunes; ancient clans like theirs did not. The older the lineage, the more they shunned the spotlight.

And that was just the domestic side—a mere tenth of the total. An astronomical sum no ordinary person could fathom.

During the variety show, Lin Xianing had met contacts in every country they visited. Le Yiqiu knew it was work and hadn’t pried.

In the end, she added, “The Lin Family is more than just wealthy.”

Indeed, a thousand years of stewardship couldn’t be summed up lightly.

From ancient chaos to modern turmoil, the Lin Family had endured. Outsiders couldn’t topple it—only internal vermin gnawed away steadily.