I woke up to find I have a child - Chapter 109

Han Feixu sat quietly next to her mother as her mother read the contract carefully. Han Feixu put her hands on her knees, and then cautiously raised her head to find Dugu Yuehua smiling at her.

She flashed a smile back, but not two seconds later she lowered her head again in embarrassment. 

She was both nervous and excited. It was her first time working with a director in the entertainment industry. 

After a long time, Zhong Ya finally finished reading the terms of the contract. She handed the contract over to Han Feixu to sign and Han Feixu obediently accepted it. She turned to the signature page, leaned over the table, and carefully signed her name. 

After getting both copies of the contract back, Dugu Yuehua handed it over to the assistant director to have him stamp it with the official seal. Dugu Yuehua then looked at Zhong Ya and said, “Teacher Zhong, if Feixu wants to be an actress in the future then it’s better to find her an agent as soon as possible. Having an agent will make her life in the industry much easier.” 

Zhong Ya smiled aptly, “We’re already looking. Her paternal aunt has a student who is a student. In two months, when both parties are available, we plan to sign the agent contract with her.” 

Dugu Yuehua nodded in understanding.

With Zhong Ya handling the dealings with Dugu Yuehua, Han Feixu stood up and glanced outside the door. The crew had already set up a few temporary structures like the movie’s flower pavilion, playhouse, and the Bai family’s large courtyard. All of the structures were in good shape. Zhong Ya had a meeting at the Writers’ Association that afternoon and wanted to take Han Feixu along with her as they began to leave. Dugu Yuehua politely said, “Why the rush? Let Feixu stay here a bit longer and get familiar with the surroundings. I’ll have someone take her home in the evening. How does that sound?”

Since she was already 18 years old, Zhong Ya no longer treated her like a child. Since Han Feixu was going to join this group eventually, spending a day on set to look around wasn’t an issue. After saying a few more words to Han Feixu, Zhong Ya left.

Dugu Yuehua had stuff to do too, and couldn’t give her a tour, so Han Feixu wandered the set on her own.

When Ye Mingxin arrived, Han Feixu was inspecting the main actors’ dressing rooms in the Bai family’s courtyard set. Ye Mingxin approached Dugu Yuehua and asked directly, “Is the contract signing done?” 

“Look at you, so anxious. Yes, it’s done.”  Dugu Yuehua chuckled. “I heard Han Feixu didn’t perform well in the first round and couldn’t even remember her lines. Did you open the back door for her so she could advance?” 

Ye Mingxin’s expression remained unchanged, “She has talent, but she was just too nervous during that round.” 

Han Feixu is indeed talented. Otherwise, she would not have passed the remaining rounds and obstacles before finally getting selected. Dugu Yuehua touched his chin as he studied Ye Mingxin, “Yes, you don’t seem like the type to open a back door for anyone. What’s your relationship with her?”

After a pause, Ye Mingxin answered, “She’s a mei-mei* of mine. We knew each other as kids. She doesn’t remember me now” (*T/N: Mei-mei = little sister, a title you use for younger female juniors or younger female relatives. Here Ye Mingxin uses it to imply a distant familial relation)

Understanding dawned on Dugu Yuehua. The two girls were probably distant relatives. He looked down at the day’s shooting schedule, then suddenly looked up, “Wait, when you suggested I go to the Beijing Film Academy and find a female lead among the new students….did you suggest that because of her?”

Ye Mingxin no longer spoke. 

Dugu Yuehua: “…You didn’t have to go to such great lengths. If you knew she was so talented, you could’ve just told me. I would’ve arranged a private audition just for her. If she did well, she could’ve passed directly without going through so many rounds.” 

That approach wouldn’t have worked. Han Feixu doesn’t remember her. If Ye Mingxin had appeared out of the blue and informed Han Feixu of a private audition, it would’ve revealed that she had been paying attention to Han Feixu all year long since they last met. 

Ye Mingxin turned to leave, “I’ll let you do your work. I’m going to look around the set.”

Dugu Yuehua stretched out a hand to stop her, but then hesitated and lowered it again. Ye Mingxin has always been like a closed gourd. No matter how warmly he tried to engage her in conversation, just one look at her face and he’d lose his ability to speak. It was like standing in the snow in the middle of winter only to have Ye Mingxin throw a bucket of ice water over your head. 

Han Feixu was much cuter in comparison. 

At that moment, the person he just called cute was squatting next to one of the fake walls on set and watching a painter work.

The painter spoke in a thick Tangshan* accent, Han Feixu listened intently, occasionally asking questions like, “They say painting up and down saves paint, but what about side to side?” (*T/N: city in China)

Ye Mingxin walked over slowly. She couldn’t hear the painter’s reply, but she was unable to hear the painter’s words, but could hear Han Feixu’s. 

“Oh…so painting side to side will hurt the arm.” 

Ye Mingxin: “….”

Noticing someone approaching, Han Feixu tilted her head to the left and, upon recognizing the newcomer, her eyes widened in shock, and she swiftly stood up. Her eyes sparkled just like any other fan who would scream upon seeing Ye Mingxin. Ye Mingxin’s face remained blank, but a careful observer could notice the smile in her eyes.

She took a step forward and extended her hand towards Han Feixu, “I’m Ye Mingxin, I look forward to working with you.”

Oh my god, her idol is going to shake hands with her…

Han Feixu nervously reached out her hand, her mind preoccupied with whether she had sweaty palms or not and hoping not to disgust her idol. Ye Mingxin didn’t seem to mind or notice any sweat, as she only briefly squeezed Han Feixu’s fingers before naturally retracting her hand.

“I saw your performances, they were brilliant.”

Han Feixu would never have imagined receiving such praise from her idol in this lifetime. She was so thrilled she started stuttering, “I-I’m a fan of yours, we met last year, you probably don’t remember… you gave me two chocolates back then and said—”

“Happy Youth Day, my little fan.”

Han Feixu was stunned. Ye Mingxin smiled, raising her hand to gently pat her head, just like that day, “I remember you. You seem a bit taller than last year.”

Han Feixu had turned into a screaming chicken on the inside, yet she managed to maintain a calm exterior and could even talk to Ye Mingxin, “Not really, my height is the same. I’ve just lost weight, so I might appear taller.”

Ye Mingxin’s patting paused for a moment, then looked Han Feixu up and down, frowning slightly, “Why did you lose weight?”

“For the role, I had to lose a lot. It’s not to the point of showing ribs under my clothes, but I definitely fit the image of the frail character right now,” Han Feixu twirled, her cheeks reddening with excitement as she looked at Ye Mingxin, “Don’t worry, idol, I won’t hold you back!”

Ye Mingxin always wore the same impassive expression, but for some reason, Han Feixu felt she didn’t look very happy right now. Although she wanted to spend more time with her idol, she followed her instinct of making the most of the situation before making a fool of herself. So, she decided to make a quick exit, citing some random excuse.

After all, there was no rush. They were going to spend every day for the next three months together. They had plenty of time together. 

Han Feixu left with a spring in her step, while Ye Mingxin watched her go, her brows furrowing.

Han Feixu had indeed lost weight. Her pants looked big on her as if her pants could fit another leg or two.

This won’t do. She needed to ask Qi Yu to hire another chef. 18 years old was still during the prime growing period and even most of the bones haven’t closed yet. How can she let her look so malnourished? 

Ye Mingxing completely ignored the fact that Han Feixu was wearing wide-leg styled pants and started texting her agent.

Upon receiving Ye Mingxin’s message, Qi Yu thought he must have read it wrong. A chef specialized in adolescent nutrition? 

Since when did they have teenagers on their team?? 

Author’s note: 

Starting with their 18 and 22-year-old selves first and then their 27 and 31-year-old selves. Starting with some sweet stuff, then get even sweeter later.