I woke up to find I have a child - Chapter 41
One sentence about cutting nails revealed countless facts to Han Feixu.
She followed Ye Mingxin to her bedroom in a confused state. The two of them simply laid on the bed side by side for a while.
Her eyes were half-closed at the blinding bright light flashing above her. She opened her eyes to find a crystal chandelier hanging on the ceiling, its dozens of crystals shining down at her. Han Feixu stared at the crystals and at the dozens of blushing and dazed crystal reflections of herself that stared back at her.
Han Feixu: “…”
She suddenly sat up straight and Ye Mingxin looked up at her in confusion and also sat up.
She swallowed roughly and pointed at the bathroom, “Go take a shower, the stench of alcohol on you is too strong.”
Ye Mingxin stared quietly at her and then turned to leave. Han Feixu’s nonchalant and innocent expression changed immediately as she took this advantage to escape, crawling out as quietly as she could when a hand suddenly grabbed her ankle.
—Ah, what is pulling on the heel of my fate? (T/N: No idea what flowery meaning author is trying to get here, but the literal meaning is: what the fuck is pulling on my heel and stopping me from escaping)
Ye Mingxin casually pulled on her leg, causing her leg to straighten and her body to fall flat on the bed. A few seconds later, she crawled back into her original position and lowered her muddled and aching head.
Ye Mingxin was right, she really can’t drink at all. Just smelling the fumes is causing her to feel faint and dizzy, lowering her inhibitions to the point that she had impulsively followed Ye Mingxin back to her room. Now, at these final crucial moments, she was regretting it.
She inwardly scolded herself for being such an irresponsible person…
B-But one couldn’t blame her! She’s never been in an actual relationship before nor has she ever even seen other people around her fall in love before. The only experience she has is from a few inappropriate films she peeked at.
Ye Mingxin sighed above her. There are many kinds of sighs, and this one didn’t feel like one with negative meanings behind it.
She raised her head quietly and found Ye Mingxin staring down at her helplessly.
Seeing her raise her gaze, Ye Mingxin began, “If you don’t want to….”
“It’s not that I don’t want to….” Han Feixu quickly interrupted her and then her volume dropped a notch, “Right, it’s because I’m not ready….”
As for Ye Mingxin, it’s been over three months since the last time they’ve done it, so she really couldn’t hold herself back any more. She blinked, “Really? It’s not because you don’t want to?”
Han Feixu squirmed and whispered, “Really.”
Han Feixu understood that this is a partner’s duty in a relationship. After all, the CEOs in all those novels especially like to say that one line, “Woman, this is your duty.”
Han Feixu doesn’t not want to do it, and she has many reasons why, both emotional and physical. The most important reason being, no matter how old she thinks she is right now, the fact of the matter is she’s already 26-years-old! And, by that logic, she’s been married for 6 years too! So, she really should start to slowly adjust her mental age to her actual age!
Ye Mingxin smiled and slowly leaned over, “Then, you can help me instead.”
Han Feixu: ???? Are you sure dear? Aren’t you afraid that I might somehow accidentally poison you instead???
Of course such exaggerations such as poisoning won’t happen in this lifetime.
A few moments later, Han Feixu found herself staring dazedly at the dark ceiling above her.
Even if she didn’t actually do anything, how come she still felt that she did everything in the end….
In that quiet and stifling hot night, Han Feixu suddenly had the urge to play her violin again.
The next day, Ye Mingxin opened her eyes before the alarm clock went off. She sat up and looked out the brightly lit window, a smile blooming across her face. It has been a long time since she woke up feeling this good.
Han Feixu had gotten up before her. The two of the were going to attend the opening ceremony for the drama in the Beijing Botanical Garden at 8 o’clock, so Han Feixu was already waiting and sitting at the dinner table when she went downstairs.
The first sentence Han Feixu said to her that morning, “Do you know where my violin is?”
Ye Mingxin, who was about to say a loving ‘good morning’ to her wife, “…..”
Ye Mingxin pondered about it, “At the Huacui Villa, I believe? Do you want it? I can have someone get it for you.”
Huacai Villa, where is that? The Ye Family’s old residence? But didn’t Ye Mingxin say her grandfather lives on a big swath of land that he never developed? So where did this name come from?
With these thoughts in mind, she asked her question. Ye Mingxin smeared a thin layer of maple syrup on her toast, “Huacui Villa is where we used to live and was given to us when we got married. After we moved, the place is empty and only the housekeeper and two other servants still live there. You should still have the housekeeper’s phone number. If you need anything, you should call him and ask him to deliver it.”
Han Feixu stayed silent and then said, “No need for that, I was just thinking about it.”
She had felt the need for it last night, but now she doesn’t feel like she need it anymore = =
There are a total of four locations they will be filming ?Return of the Phoenix?, specifically the grasslands of the stronghold at Zhangjiakou, the Forbidden City used during the Ming and Qing Dynasty, the Wuxi Three Kingdoms Film and Television City, and finally Beijing’s Botanical Gardens.
The most important location is of course the Forbidden City. After all, a palace drama will contain mainly scenes of fighting among the harem inside the palace. The grasslands will be used to film the emperor’s expeditions against the tribes of Tibet, and the Three Kingdoms Film and Television City will be used to film the Revolt of the Three Feudatories. Meanwhile, the Botanical Garden will actually have only a few scenes, namly three scenes that appear much later in the drama. Specifically, when the princes are all grown up and the eighth prince* returns to the city after completing an important task assigned by the emperor. He is conferred the title “Prince of the Third Rank” and begins scheming for the throne in a garden much like the Botanical Gardens. (T/N: The Eighth prince, Yunsi, was one of the favored princes to win the throne but ultimately lost to the fourth son, Yinzhen.)
Since it was too much work to go back and forth between the many places, Director Tian decided to first film the scenes in the Botanical Gardens, then move to Zhejiang, a province close to the Three Kingdoms Film and Television city. Then take a few actors to the grasslands, and make more arrangements when the time comes.
And there is also another reason why Director Tian is holding the opening ceremony of the film in the garden. That is, he is a superstitious person. In his opinion, Beijing is full of “dragon spirit” and so they can brush up on more fortune if they hold the ceremony in the Botanical Garden.
This time he has paid attention to every little detail. If he can’t make a comeback this time, he will cry a river = =
The scenes of the botanical garden have almost nothing to do with the main actors. Only some “important” ministers and supporting roles will appear once or twice in these scenes. Therefore, when Han Feixu and Ye Mingxin were just going to give their greetings and take a few photos. After taking the photos, they can leave.
Ye Mingxin reminded her: “You should ask someone to drive your RV there first. There will be a lot of traffic on the road today, so who knows when your RV can arrive.”
Han Feixu swirled the milk in her cup, “I know, Liang-jie already told me she will get an assistant to drive it over this afternoon.”
Although the salary of an actor’s assistant may not be high, it is still a highly competitive field and they all have special skills. For example, the newly recruited Little South has an A-level driver’s license and knows two foreign languages.
Who knows what Ye Mingxin was thinking as she lowered her head and smiled faintly, so Han Feixu asked her with a strange look, “What’s the matter?”
“Oh, it’s nothing, just thinking about the expressions of the crew when your RV shows up,” Ye Mingxin stretched out a hand and began counting on her fingers, “A sugar daddy, a mistress, a mysterious family background, the daughter of a mobster, and countless other speculations that I can’t even think of. About 7-8 new rumors will erupt on the spot, and that is just a conservative estimate.”
Han Feixu: “….”
She snorted, “I don’t care what the others say, I just want to enjoy life a little!”
“Ok, ok, enjoy as much as you want,” Ye Mingxin replied in an indulgent manner, “Then, when we’re filming, will you let me, someone with no RV of their own, enjoy it as well?”
Han Feixu waved her hand, “No problem!”
Ye Mingxin stood up and walked over, leaning down to place a kiss on her temple, “I thank niang-niang* for the reward. This lowly one will be leaving first. Eat quickly, one can’t be late today.” (T/N: Chinese title for consort/empress/lady of rank. “My lady” just doesn’t do it justice so I left it in pinyin)
After saying those words she left a frozen Han Feixu behind.
Han Feixu glanced to the side quickly, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Auntie Li wasn’t looking their way at all. She then stuffed two last mouthfuls of bread into her mouth and stood up.
She recklessly ran out and Auntie Li walked over to clear up the table.
As she stacked the plates on top of each other, Auntie Li smiled deeply, “Ah, young people nowadays~”
It took about an hour for them to drive from their house to the botanical garden. The opening ceremony would start at 9:30 in morning and because she forgot that she could enter through the employees’ side entrance, Han Feixu lawfully and honestly bought two adult admission tickets to get in.
It was only after she bought the tickets that she learned of the existence of the side entrance.
Wei Xun drove them around to the side entrance, and after much searching, they finally made it to the ceremony.
Zhong Yuanyuan, who had arrived much earlier than her, trotted over, “Was there a lot of traffic?”
“No.”
“Huh? Oh, what’s that in your hand?”
“Tickets.”
“……”
Fortunately, the admission tickets are not too expensive, about 10 yuan each (~$1.50). Well, that was only because the grand flower expo wasn’t starting till later in the year. During that event, tickets are at least twice the usual cost = =
Ye Mingxin stood with Yu Tingxue in the distance and Han Feixu fell silent when her eyes landed on them.
Ye Mingxin hasn’t actually said anything to her yet, the two barely exchanged a greeting in the first place. Yu Tingxue is a stoic and taciturn person and treated everyone coldly except for Yin Jiahe.
Yin Jiahe was wary of Han Feixu after what happened last time, but Han Feixu actually approached and said hello to her first when they noticed each other.
“I see that all of you have arrived early.”
Today Han Feixu wore a chiffon cut-out floral dress, but Yin Jiahe wore a more casual outfit suited for the hotter climate. On her upper body is a low-cut T-shirt of contrasting sky blue and light gold colors and on her lower=body she wore a pair of jean shorts. And just like her outfit, her attitude towards Han Feixu was just as chilly.
“En, a bit.”
Han Feixu: “…..” How can she continue this conversation with just that???
The only common ground between the two of them is this drama and Jiang Lingyan’s variety show. Han Feixu had nothing else to say, “Have you received the announcement for the next shooting location?”
“I have.” Her tone was still as enthusiastic as before, but she added a few more words this time, “Didn’t they say it would be in Shanghai this time?”
“Yes, I heard that Director Jiang had asked a lot of different places and only the Shanghai Women’s Federation* agreed.” (T/N: This organization not only helps advance women’s rights but also helps women/girls who have been assaulted, kidnapped, abused, etc.)
The content of the next episode is to volunteer at the Women’s Federation and they will be dealing with the personal lives of regular civilians up-close. There are a lot of legalities involved and Jiang Lingyan is so busy that she is staying in Shanghai right now searching for women who are willing to share their stories on air.
Although she likes to torment celebrities, Jiang Lingyan does not like tormenting ordinary civilians. So, she had decided she will only find two girls of relatively young ages who have been abducted and trafficked, but have received little to no psychological trauma. If any topics of sexual assult comes up, they will have to censor it. Although Jiang Lingyan wishes to turn this episode into a sort of social documentary, this program in essence is still a variety show. And people watch variety shows to laugh and relax and not become even more depressed.
They cannot cross certain lines.
Everyone on the show has read the script of the movie and naturally guessed what Jiang Lingyan’s intentions are for this episode. Han Feixu praised her actions, “Director Jiang is awesome.” Although the woman has put them through so much trorture, she always focused on the deeper things instead of what’s just on the surface.
Yin Jiahe agreed with her but there was one thing she didn’t understand, “Why do you always call Jiang Lingyan, Director Jiang?”
Han Feixu blinked, “Huh?”
Yin Jiahe asked, “Have you broken up with her?”
….What do you mean break up with her? She hasn’t even been in a good relationship with Jiang Lingyan in the first place!
Yin Jiahe is from the city of Tianjin where in their local dialect, “breaking up” is slang for “end of a friendship”, but Han Feixu doesn’t know this and so she naturally misunderstood.
Yin Jiahe stared at her and continued, “Are you still with her?”
Han Feixu was dumbfounded, “Who is this ‘she’?”
“….”
Ying Jiahe looked at her in shock, “You’ve really left her then? Don’t you two feel awkward working on the same set together?”
Han Feixu felt confused, “What are you talking about? Who has left whom, and who am I still with?”
Yin Jiahe raised her chin towards Ye Mingxin.
Han Feixu finally understood, “No, I have not.”
Yin Jiahe was not particularly curious about their relationship. She had only planned to ask the question then show some concern or empathy and then end the conversation there. However, after hearing Han Feixu’s answer, she looked her up and down and added, “It’s not easy to love someone in this business. To be able to stay together for more than two years in this business is a high achievement. I admire the both of you.”
Han Feixu couldn’t remember how close she was to Yin Jiahe before her amnesia nor could she remember how long Yin Jiahe has been in a relationship with Yu Tingxue, so she could only vaguely follow-up with a general question, “Uh, yeah, then how about you and Yu Tingxue….?”
Yin Jiahe looked off into the distance with a blank expression, “En, it’s okay.”
Han Feixu: “…..”
She really can’t continue this conversation with just these two words!! TAT
During their conversation, Ye Mingxin and Yu Tingxue’s eyes glanced at them from time to time. Yu Tingxue raised her head and told Ye Mingxin seriously: “You’re being too obvious. Your relationship with her will be revealed at this rate.”
“I’m not afraid of it being revealed.” Ye Mingxin replied casually.
“Oh,” Yu Tingxue replied quietly and glanced towards the other two again. She frowned when she saw they were still talking, “What are they talking about? Weren’t they not very close before?”
Although Ye Mingxin didn’t know what they were talking about, she knew why Han Feixu had made a beeline towards Yin Jiahe. The reason is simple. Because Yin Jiahe is very good-looking.
“……”
Although she really didn’t want to admit it, Yin Jiahe really is beautiful. Before they came, she already knew that Han Feixu, this notorious face-con, would definitely strike up a conversation with her = =
If there wasn’t anybody around her, Ye Mingxin’s vinegar jar would have definitely been overturned by now. However, the Yu Tingxue beside her is even more of a control freak than her. Don’t be fooled by her petite and weak figure as this woman is actually a super control freak. With her here, Ye Mingxin no longer had any strong feelings on the matter.
Around 9:30, the offering table Director Tian set up was basically filled. Director Tian walked over with a confident smile on face. First, he chatted with the male lead of the drama and then he went to find Ye Mingxin. He gave her a pat on the shoulder and praised and encouraged her when he noticed Yu Tingxue beside her. The smile on his face became even bigger and more sincere.
“Aiya, so President Yu is here too! We were only able to start filming so soon thanks to the additional investments President Yu provided and for you to come here in person despite your busy schedule…. Why, I must treat you to a meal after this so make sure to not leave right after the ceremony! Little Lu, hurry and go reserve a table at Shangri-La, make sure to order a few extra dishes! President Yu is such a busy person and must not have time to wait for the dishes to be served, so we must order them in advance!”
Standing to the side, Han Feixu was shocked. So it turns out that not all CEOs are the same as the ones in the novels. For example, in the novels the male CEO’s height starts around 1.9 meters (6’2 ft) and the female CEO’s at 1.7 meters (5’6 ft). Yet, in reality, there are also pocket-sized and delicate looking CEOs like Yu Tingxue!
She’s only heard of the term “bringing capital into the set”* before, but she didn’t expect to see it in action now. Han Feixu glanced at Yin Jiahe, but found that the person in question was looking indifferently at the conversation.(*T/N: A saying in China where an actor brings in a lot of investment capital for a film by just participating in it.)
Yin Jiahe noticed Han Feixu’s movements in her peripheral vision and turned her head. The two of them stared at each other. The corners of Yin Jiahe’s mouth twitched upwards and she smiled, but anyone could tell that it was a little forced. Neither of them spoke.
Han Feixu felt as if she saw something she shouldn’t have and she silently lowered her head, wishing she could turn invisible right about now.
Suddenly, a burst of cheers sounded in the distance.
Lin Yi is quite popular. Wherever she goes, there will be people who flock to her. As she got out of the car, a group of people immediately surrounded her and greeted her loudly.
Lin Yi smiled and responded to each person one by one. Han Feixu calmly observed everything from the sidelines and felt a sense of deja vu.
Ah, that’s right, when Ye Mingxin appeared at Jiang Lingyan’s cocktail party there was a reaction like this.
However, Ye Mingxin’s aura only attracts the people in the celebrity circle. The staff and technical crew may have a good impression of her, but they don’t like her to the point they would immediately surround her wherever she appears. Meanwhile, Lin Yi’s aura seems to radiate 360 degrees, shining everywhere and attracting everyone indiscriminately with no end in sight. Well, except for the corner Han Feixu was in.
She couldn’t help it alright, she really doesn’t know Lin Yi ?(?_?)?
While everyone’s attention was on Lin Yi, Han Feixu took this opportunity to escape the corner of awkward conversations. She tools a few steps to the side. Ye Mingxin noticed her movements and walked over.
Seeing her approach, Han Feixu immediately lowered her voice and asked, “Are Yin Jiahe and I on good terms?”
“No, you two are just acquaintances.”
“Then why does she act like she knows me very well and even asked me about our situation?!”
Ye Mingxin studied the panicking expression on Han Feixu’s face and explained, “Because Jiang Lingyan, Yu Tingxue, and I used to be classmates. Furthermore, we have all lived in Beijing after graduation and kept up the good relations. We’ve gone to a few parties together and she also participated in them, so naturally she knows. What’s wrong? Did you say something to her?”
“She asked me some questions, and then I politely returned with some questions of my own. She didn’t seem very happy when I did that.”
Ye Mingxin comforted her, “It’s not you. Her relationship with Yu Tingxue is a bit complicated. Just don’t ask about them in the future, we shouldn’t get involved in other people’s personal affairs after all.”
Han Feixu nodded furiously. She will never inquire about other people’s private lives again, even if that person asks her first = =
Ye Mingxin was about to speak again, but when she noticed someone approaching them from the corner of her eye. She raised her head and found that it was Lin Yi.
Ye Mingxin immediately entered into her high level emergency mode.
Lin Yi greeted Han Feixu first, her attitude friendly and open as she spoke, “If I knew you were returning this year as well, I would’ve offered to return together.”
Han Feixu blinked blankly and then replied in what she hoped was a normal-sounding tone, “Hahaha, it’s okay, we’ve ended up bumping into each other again anyway.”
Lin Yi smiled, “You’re right.”
After she finished speaking, she turned her gaze to the person beside Han Feixu. Lin Yi chuckled slowly, her voice as clear as running water and as sweet as a song as she spoke, “Mingxin, long time no see. If you aren’t busy tonight, how about going out for a drink?”
Ye Mingxin: “I have an investors’ meeting to attend later tonight, so I can’t go.”
“Is that so? How about tomorrow night?”
“I have an endorsement conference tomorrow night.”
“The day after tomorrow?”
“A photoshoot for a magazine’s cover.”
“The day after the day after tomorrow?”
“Company party.”
Lin Yi narrowed her eyes and continued the neverending chain, “The day after the day after the day after tomorrow? You shouldn’t be doing anything then, right? You’ll be filming on that day after all.”
Ye Mingxin smiled, “My body is always so overwhelmed due to working too much. After working five days continuously, yesterday I made an appointment for the fatigue-relieving massage package at the Dongyang Massage Center. Unfortunately, that appointment is set for the day after the day after the day after tomorrow.”
Han Feixu: “….”
Everyone else: “…..” Hmm? Why is there a sour smell in the air?
The opening ceremony started about half an hour late. Surprisingly, Director Tian didn’t get angry. Only the assistant director knew that the reason Director Tian wasn’t mad was because the Director was afraid that a certain someone would be late, so he deliberately sent an invitation to everyone that was half an hour earlier. The real opening ceremony started at ten o’clock. = =
First the director, then the investors, then the main actors, each one of them bowed towards the pig head and burned incense on the offerings table. Once Han Feixu finished sticking her incense sticks into the incense burner, she moved to the side.
Li Yi is not a main actor, only a guest star for a few scenes, so she is only here to observe. She walked over to Han Feixu and asked, “Are you comfortable living in China again?”
Han Feixu raised her head, but Lin Yi’s expression was blank, so she nodded, “Pretty good.”
Lin Yi relaxed, “That’s good to know. I remember when I stayed in the U.S. for two years before, and then returned to China, I was disoriented by the jet lag and the different tastes here. I’ve lived in China for more than 20 years, yet it only took two years for my body to become more suited to the United States than my native country.”
Lin Yi continued without waiting for a response, “Why did you decide to act in a drama? I was very surprised when I saw Liang Zhu in Director Tian’s office. Aren’t you more of a movie actress?”
“There was a lull in work, and we couldn’t find a good script so we decided to substitute with this instead.”
Lin Yi nodded knowingly and then asked, “How is the relationship between you and her?”
Han Feixu was just asked a similar question earlier, that awkward scene was still clearly stuck in her mind and so she decided to borrow Yin jaihe’s golden sentence after a few moments of silence.
She said dryly, “En, it’s okay.”
Lin Yi laughed, “Really? See, I told you it would work as long as you listened to me. After all, I am someone who has experienced similar things. By the way, did you use the method I told you to do? Was it effective?”
What method? What effectiveness?
Han Feixu was confused, and so stayed silent before repeating, “En, it’s okay.”
…..Ah.
She suddenly understood why Yin Jiahe loved to use this sentence….because it’s just too addictive = =
T/N:
Chinese censorship strikes again! So you may have noticed the vague wordplay (ie. playing the violin) in the scene at the beginning of this chapter. This means *sexy* shenanigans were involved, but as for what exactly (although from context you were supposed to get that nothing was done to Han Feixu)…well that’s up to the reader’s imagination……