Fall In Love With A Substitute

The Movie Queen’s Little Fortune Butterfly (9)

Looking forward to Lin Qingyu liking it

Halfway through the movie, the pastry chef carried over freshly baked butterfly pastries and lemonade.

Taking advantage of when Liu Lele’s foot got stuck, Lin Qinglu picked up one of the warm and sweet pastries and pretended to speak casually, “You asked him to make this?”

“Eh?” The little dance understudy seemed to pause for a moment before finally answering, “I did. Come give it a taste.”

Her tone was very nonchalant, carrying with it a “Be a darling for me and eat it quietly. Don’t bother me while I’m watching the movie” feeling.

Lin Qinglu: ……

Humph!

She glared at the young and inexperienced her on the screen and took a huge bite out of a butterfly pastry.

***

Ye Zixuan followed Ji Jing into the city.

As was standard in CEO novels, on the highest floor of the revolving restaurant (already fully booked) sat two people spending their time eating lunch together.

Ye Zixuan had likely privately studied many CEO novels and was quite well-versed in the different kinds of rising-to-fame-from-nothing female leads in such novels.

She avoided mentioning her own career and also paid no heed to Ji Jing’s work. Except for when she spoke with him about his family’s Samoyed, she would simply ask him if he had encountered any interesting incidents.

As Ji Jing began talking about his experiences abroad, Ye Zixuan rested her chin in her hand, her eyes full of admiration: “Wow, Ji Jing, you’re too impressive… That sounds amazing.”

Ji Jing very much enjoyed the delicate woman’s gaze of adoration and said, “It was nothing much. My life has always been like this.”

“I’m just someone from an ordinary household. Being able to hear you casually talk about your experiences already makes me very happy.”

“If you would like to, we could go together next time.” Ji Jing chuckled and said, “Right now you’re already a famous actress known to all. There’s no need to belittle yourself.”

Ye Zixuan vented her grievances: “In front of you, I may still seem like that Ye Zixuan, but by no means am I a celebrity.”

Ji Jing elegantly placed down his cutlery and said, “I brought you a few gifts.”

“Huh?” Ye Zixuan felt delighted, and she blinked as if in a trance.

“Hold out your hand.”

“What are you trying to do?” Ye Zixuan interrogated, but she held out her hands faster than anyone else would.

Going beyond her expectations, a secretary didn’t abruptly appear to deliver an exquisite present. Rather, Ji Jing gripped her own hand himself.

Ji Jing wasn’t going to say that he would give himself to her, right?

Although there wouldn’t be a better present than that, this manner of going about it was too embarrassing, wasn’t it—?

“I requested HY to add you to the list of spokesperson candidates.” Ji Jing smiled and said, “Make sure to take care of your attitude for these coming days. If this goes smoothly, you’ll be able to obtain the endorsements of the HY Asia-Pacific Region.”

HY??

Even though it was just a spot as a candidate, Ye Zixuan was still dazzled by this gift, nearly unable to control her expression.

“Really?” Her voice trembled slightly as she said, “I…I’m so happy.”

“This is the best present I’ve ever received. Ji Jing, you’re just too incredible. To give me such good resources…”

Spokesperson of the HY Asia-Pacific Region. This is something that even Lin Qinglu doesn’t have: blue-blooded endorsements—[1]

Arriving at this thought, Ye Zixuan, as if pricked by a needle, sobered up a bit.

Ah, that’s right. Lin Qinglu doesn’t have the support of anyone prominent, and HY is definitely aware of this.

“…Who else is on the list of candidates?” Ye Zixuan harbored a bad premonition as she asked with lips pursed.

Ji Jing frowned.

Starlight[2] and HY rarely collaborated, and they never seemed to reveal the depths of their true intentions to him.

Contrary to expectations, because HY had the support of the Song family, the distant politeness during their exchange was just their usual conduct when receiving business partners.

Nevertheless, how could he make a fool of himself in front of his own woman?

Ji Jing said lightly, “I forgot. Later, I’ll have Xiaozhou call and ask.”

Ye Zixuan set aside her uneasiness for the time being and continued to flatter Ji Jing: “Ji Jing, you treat me so well that if, in the future, you’re not with me anymore, I don’t know what I’d even do…”

Ji Jing smiled dryly. The atmosphere around the two of them was extremely intimate.

***

As the movie was approaching its end, the scene was fixed on the frame of a girl and her elder sister.

The screen gradually dimmed, and Jian Yixin softly sighed, only now slowly separating herself from the story.

“You’re done watching?” a faint voice next to her abruptly asked.

“Mhm,” Jian Yixin replied instinctively.

She turned her head, looking, from the real world, at the matured girl.

“Ms. Lin, you brought her to life,” Jian Yixin focused her attention on Lin Qinglu and said.

The young high school girl carried a somewhat inexperienced appearance. Her childish air was partially cast off, revealing with it a demeanor similar to a plump flower bud. When the budding flower had almost fully bloomed, it was frozen within the movie’s frame.

While the cub had a lovable appearance, its gaze, however, was just beginning to display its sharpness. Often, the naive and cute will also bear a breeze-like elegance.

“What’s with the politeness? Am I that old?” Lin Qinglu didn’t reply and instead asked a question in a gloomy tone, a bit of discontent mixed within.[3]

Jian Yixin was a little bewildered but promptly denied her words: “No, how could that be?”

The current Lin Qinglu was languidly bewitching, but her appearance carried with it a heroic charisma. Jian Yixin remembered that as the scene faded, her pupils were a reddish-brown color, revealing an unusual charm.

Even with the same set of actions, as long as she does them, she would inevitably exude an air that other people didn’t have. When she was playing the role of Lady Zhao, she was like one of the many spots on a leopard.

“In that case, call me by my name.” Seeing as how her attitude seemed fairly sincere, Lin Qinglu mercifully made a small concession.

How come you refer to Liu Lele by name, and yet still refer to me as Ms. Lin?

“May I?” Jian Yixin picked up the lemonade and took a sip, gradually extricating herself from the lingering aftertaste of the movie. Once again, she became the Song Pianxian who earnestly wanted to complete her job and forge a good relationship with Lin Qinglu.

“Why not?”

“Okay, Qinglu,” Jian Yixin whispered.

With the light not yet turned on in this media room, the soft voice was affectionately indulgent, so much so that her fingertips on the glass seemed to harbor an implication of deep attachment.

Lin Qinglu’s fingers lightly hooked onto the cushion’s tassels. A shudder burst down her spine.

She did not speak.

Jian Yixin, however, was in thought. Did the intimacy this time have anything to do with the dinner gathering last night?

It seems like the power of money is indeed effective? After meeting Song Zhe, the mission target started treating me much more intimately.

Regardless of the reason, it’s a good thing. 

Jian Yixin didn’t think about it any longer and turned her head only to find that not many of the butterfly pastries were left. Unable to hold back, she smiled and said, “Isn’t Lele supposed to be taking care of you?”

“She’s already seen this movie. One look at the screen and she returned to the hotel.” Lin Qinglu’s voice cracked and was low.

As such, it was the two of them that watched the movie together.

But for Song Pianxian, she genuinely was here to watch the movie.

In the ordinary course of events, with Song Pianxian so absorbed in one’s own movie, not once messing around on her phone, eating snacks, or having poor manners during the movie, it would only make sense if Lin Qinglu was very pleased.

How come she didn’t really feel that happy though?

Lin Qinglu frowned, thinking to herself. Just as she started pondering, she was interrupted.

“Then, thank you, Qinglu, for accompanying me until the end of it.”

“Eh?” Lin Qinglu raised her eyes and looked over.

Jian Yixin patiently explained, “You see, Lele had just watched it before and she left, while you had acted the leading role. There is not a single person who is more familiar with the plot than you.”

“You accompanied me until the end and didn’t leave me behind by myself.”

After hearing this much, Lin Qinglu simply felt that the little dance understudy’s voice sounded extremely soothing all the way from the very first to the very last sentence.

In particular, the very last sentence—

She wanted to retort: How could I leave you here by yourself?

Only, these words carried with them some inexplicable strangeness. 

They conveyed excessive affection and crossed a sort of indistinct line. 

“I’m mainly here to eat the butterfly pastries,” said Lin Qinglu in the end, discarding the first sentence.

“Ah, so that’s why?” 

“Yeah,” Lin Qinglu coolly said.

“In that case, we should hurry up and finish the last bit of them. Don’t want Lele to know.”

Song Pianxian’s voice resounds, full of life. It’s as if even the possibility of it dwindling doesn’t exist.

For me on the other hand, an indescribable sense of loss is welling up in my heart. 

Lin Qinglu took the pastries that the little dance understudy passed over. During that movement, she was very careful to avoid her fingers.

She failed to understand the reason why.

***

When Ye Zixuan returned, something about her appeared different.

If one insisted on describing in what way, her whole person brightened: the gloominess caused by her years-long inhibitions from Lin Qinglu was washed away completely by her prince. 

Ye Zixuan treated people more affably, and Jian Yixin watched on with cold eyes, feeling as though that bit of amiability leaked a notion of superiority as if she were giving alms to the poor.

The Motion Picture District’s Western Pastry House was officially open for business.

Although the pastry chef was prone to getting worked up, his handiwork was the real deal. Moreover, the Song family did not care whatsoever about any profits, and he was allowed to change the price as he pleased. The day’s leftover pastries would be sold at even lower prices, to the extent that he was just short of shouting, “3 for 10 yuan.” Briefly, in the district, a Western desserts craze surged.

The pastry house’s second floor, however, never opened to the public. Jian Yixin occasionally visited alone to see a movie. All of them were ones Lin Qinglu had starred in.

She realized that her compliment to Lin Qinglu about how she brought whoever to life was sheerly superfluous. 

It was akin to praising a sixth-grader by saying, “You can recite the multiplication table now. Very impressive,” in an insipid way. 

The more she watched, the more she understood Lin Qinglu’s strengths.

Nevertheless, according to Jian Yixin’s innermost heart, the Lin Qinglu in the movie Worship still left the greatest impression on her.

That character felt the most alive.

Lin Qinglu seemed a little more familiar to her.

All of the cast and crew knew that the dance understudy’s beauty was truly advantageous: not only did it allow her to successfully attract the attention of the director’s honored guest who had a Maybach, but also, as a result, allowed her to develop a friendship with the movie queen.

Jian Yixin didn’t know if someone had directed these malicious rumors at her, but she didn’t take them to heart.

She only cared about Lin Qinglu, her mission target.

Now that I think about it, Lin Qinglu’s manager should’ve arrived by now with my present for Lin Qinglu. 

Presumably, as far as Lin Qinglu is concerned, it should be a pleasant surprise.

If one had to say, Jian Yixin was somewhat looking forward to it.

She was looking forward to Lin Qinglu growing more and more powerful. 

And she was also looking forward to her liking it.

The author wants to say something:

When the pastry chef lifts his head and sees Lin Qinglu, his state of mind is about the same as mine when I was on the street and by chance encountered Joey Wong.[4] 

Lin Qinglu: Song Pianxian, you’re really just here to watch the movie, huh!

TL Notes:

If you see any mistakes or have any suggestions, feel free to contact me or write a comment! ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

[1] essentially saying that her endorsements are from/backed by a prominent family

[2] Changed from previous TL’s Xing Yao (and the ”Celestial Stars” I had it as originally) and i’m not sure if this change is better or not. Please lmk what y’all prefer

[3] Our protag is using 您 (nin2) here which is the formal version of “you”

[4] Taiwanese actress: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_Wong