Against the Light - Chapter 173
Chapter 173: New Year's!
“So you're Lin Yuqing.”
In the room, Shi Qing sat on the sofa and beckoned for Lin Yuqing to sit down.
“Hello, I am.” Lin Yuqing sat down calmly.
“How old are you?”
“Eighteen.”
Shi Qing raised her eyelids and gave her another look.
Eighteen. In her eyes, that was just a half-grown child, but the person before her looked nothing like one.
“Why does Xiao Ye like you so much?”
Lin Yuqing's eyes curved slightly as she revealed a gentle smile.
Shi Qing narrowed her eyes.
A knock came at the door. Gu Xinran pushed it open a crack and peeked inside.
“What is it?” Shi Qing frowned.
“Xiao Qing, you can go out first.” Gu Xinran entered the room and shooed Lin Yuqing away.
Shi Qing stared at Lin Yuqing's departing back for a moment. “Xiao Ye is young and naive. She trusts people too easily. Aren't you going to keep an eye on things?” she asked, looking at Gu Xinran with displeasure.
Gu Xinran chuckled. She had just heard from Xiao Ye that Grandma had detained her Auntie Lin, so she knew something was up and rushed over.
“Mom, I won't beat around the bush. I trust Xiao Qing completely—enough to entrust my own life to her.” Gu Xinran looked directly into Shi Qing's eyes.
A flash of surprise crossed Shi Qing's eyes. She was quite confident in Xinran's judgment of character, but she had never heard her say something like this before.
“If you're still concerned, you can have Auntie Ye run a background check on her.” Gu Xinran knew that even if she didn't say it, Shi Qing would definitely have Lin Yuqing investigated. After all, she was close to Xiao Ye, and Xiao Ye was the apple of Shi Qing's eye—she wouldn't tolerate even a speck of dust.
Shi Qing didn't respond.
“How is Yu Hua?”
“She's woken up and is in good spirits. It's just that her arm injury needs rest. I'll be accompanying her to physical therapy regularly from now on.”
“Mm, take good care of her.”
“I know. Don't worry.”
Gu Xinran waited a moment, and seeing that Shi Qing had no further instructions, she got up and left.
Just as she stepped outside, she saw Xiao Qing waiting by the door.
“What's wrong?” Gu Xinran asked.
“Did I cause trouble for you?”
“It's fine. Xiao Ye is the family's precious treasure, so Mom is very particular about who she interacts with.”
Lin Yuqing smiled upon hearing this.
Seeing her smile, Gu Xinran knew what she was thinking. In their past life, the little one had been lonely and helpless after the two of them left. In this life, that void was finally being filled.
“Come on, I'll take you to see someone.”
Gu Xinran led Lin Yuqing straight to Yu Hua's hospital room.
When they entered the room, they saw Xiao Ye sitting by the bed, carefully massaging Yu Hua's shoulders like a little doctor, her small brow furrowed with effort.
“Xiao Ye, you can't do this kind of work.” Gu Xinran quickly went over and lifted the little girl up.
“Put her down. Let her massage me. It's surprisingly comfortable.” Yu Hua glanced at Gu Xinran.
Yilan spread her hands at Xinran. “I already said that. Neither the big one nor the little one will listen.”
Gu Xinran rolled her eyes. “Xiao Ye, look who's here.”
“Huh? Eep? Auntie Lin!” Xiao Ye was ecstatic. She climbed off the bed and pattered over to Lin Yuqing.
Only then did Yu Hua notice the newcomer, and she sized her up from head to toe.
Lin Yuqing silently lit a candle for herself. Here it comes, that piercing, assessing gaze is back!!
“Come closer.” Yu Hua stared at Lin Yuqing for a moment, then gestured with a nod.
Not understanding, Lin Yuqing looked down at Xiao Ye, who was hugging her leg, and carried the little girl as she moved to the bedside.
“This is Director Yu Hua. She's Yilan's mentor, and also my mother,” Gu Xinran introduced shamelessly.
Before Lin Yuqing could react, Yu Hua's expression stiffened. She shot her a look. “In your dreams.”
“...?”
“Ahem.” Gu Xinran coughed loudly. This woman, must you always undermine me?
“So you're Lin Yuqing. I've seen clips of your acting. Have you studied acting before?” Yu Hua patted the bed, motioning for her to come and sit.
Lin Yuqing was flattered. She glanced at Xinran, then obediently walked over and sat down.
“Sister Ran taught me everything.”
“Her? She could produce such a good student?”
Gu Xinran put her hands on her hips, glaring indignantly at Yu Hua, who completely ignored her.
Lin Yuqing smiled and nodded.
“Looking at your eyes, I can tell you're someone with a story. Come work with me.” Yu Hua extended an olive branch to her.
“Hey now, could you be a little more considerate when you're poaching people? I'm still standing right here,” Gu Xinran said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
“I want her.” Only then did Yu Hua look at Gu Xinran.
“Fine, she's yours.” Gu Xinran was very agreeable and accepted immediately.
Lin Yuqing was completely bewildered through the whole exchange.
“Mama! Auntie Lin belongs to Xiao Ye! How could Mama give her to Grandma!” Xiao Ye protested, stomping her feet anxiously.
Gu Xinran smiled and poked her little head. “Grandma wants to teach your Auntie Lin new skills, not steal her from you.”
“Oh, is that right?”
Yu Hua looked at the little girl with surprise, only now realizing just how much she liked Lin Yuqing.
Gu Xinran pulled Lin Yuqing aside. “Teacher Yu is very experienced. If you study with her for a while and get to know more people on film sets, it will help you in the future.”
Lin Yuqing nodded. “Okay.”
The two exchanged a smile.
“Right, you haven't seen Su Yu yet, have you?” Gu Xinran suddenly remembered. Because of Teacher Yu's incident yesterday, she hadn't had a chance to catch up with Su Yu. But from the look in Su Yu's eyes, she must have recovered some of her past life memories as well.
“Hmm? She's here too? Then she...”
“Yes, she should be coming. She used to work on Teacher Yu's crew too.”
Lin Yuqing smiled. Fate was truly a wondrous thing. It was so good that friends from the past could meet again as friends in this life.
Just as the two were murmuring, they heard a knock on the door.
Gu Xinran went to open it. With a gentle smile, she turned her head to Lin Yuqing. “Speak of the devil.”
Lin Yuqing immediately followed her gaze.
Their eyes met. Su Yu froze for a moment, then took a deep breath, walked over, and hugged Lin Yuqing tightly.
Lin Yuqing chuckled softly, placing her hands on Su Yu's shoulders and returning the embrace.
“Is it you?” Su Yu whispered in her ear.
Lin Yuqing nodded.
Su Yu's tears nearly fell.
In their original world, she had watched with her own eyes as her dearest friend passed away.
“It's me,” Lin Yuqing responded again. She took a soft breath, and her gaze fell on Fang Yi, who had come in with Su Yu. She instinctively pulled her hands back, straightened up, and created some distance to avoid any misunderstanding.
When Bai Yilan saw the two of them hugging, she felt a wave of emotion. The next second, she immediately turned to look at her own little vinegar jar and, sure enough, saw the little one's face fall. Her lips pouted, and her expression was full of grievance.
Bai Yilan suppressed a laugh and glanced at Xinran, giving her a look. Xinran also looked at Xiao Ye, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
“That little one is probably thinking, 'Why does everyone want to steal my Auntie Lin?'” Yilan teased.
Fortunately, Lin Yuqing straightened up just in time, so the little girl didn't get upset enough to cry, though she was still a little angry.
In the evening, Gu Xinran dragged Fang Yi, Su Yu, and Lin Yuqing to a nearby restaurant to eat and catch up.
At the dinner table, aside from a thoroughly confused Fang Yi, the other three chatted with exceptional rapport, though they were still careful to avoid sensitive words like “past life.”
“Su Yu, what are your plans now that you're back?” Gu Xinran asked.
Originally, she had sent Su Yu abroad to study, partly because Su Yu genuinely liked fashion design, and partly because she hoped Su Yu could help her after completing her studies. She never expected that Su Yu would actually recover her past life memories.
“It depends on what you need. I can direct, or I can design.”
“Direct? You studied that abroad too? Didn't you go to study fashion design?” Fang Yi looked at her in surprise.
Su Yu glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.
“I think you guys have a secret, and you're deliberately hiding it from me,” Fang Yi said, looking unhappy.
The others exchanged a smile.
“Oh, right, I heard Star Wardrobe Season 4 is about to start!” Fang Yi said suddenly.
“Oh?” Gu Xinran looked up.
Su Yu was also surprised. “That variety show is still running?”
“Yeah, hey, didn't you used to really like this show?”
“Sigh, everyone's blind sometimes.” Su Yu waved her hand dismissively. She was young and naive back then; it was best not to bring it up.
“Also, Ye Ting will be a judge on the show this time,” Fang Yi continued.
“Ye Ting? She hasn't been canceled yet?”
“I've actually been paying attention. Chan Ye's sales have been getting worse and worse these past two years, and their designers can't seem to come up with anything new. Ever since Sister Lan appeared on Queen's Stage with the Yi Ren brand, people in the industry have often compared the two companies' designs. It's driving Ye Ting crazy.”
“She doesn't have any powerful backers to cling to lately, so she's going all in this time. She invested in this season of Star Wardrobe, and the winning designer will go directly to Chan Ye. She wants to use this method to inject new blood into her company.” Fang Yi briefly explained what she had found out.
Gu Xinran nodded. Just as she was pondering, Su Yu suddenly raised an eyebrow, a plan forming in her mind.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Yu Hua's arm recovered well. Gu Xinran took her to the hospital for physical therapy every week, even pausing some of her own filming work to stay by Yu Hua's side. When on set, she would help massage Yu Hua's arm to aid muscle recovery.
Meanwhile, Bai Yilan was overseeing the post-production editing of Deep Love.
Su Yu had signed up for Star Wardrobe Season 4 and had been busy with filming. Gu Xinran had assigned Fang Yi to her, taking care of her every need. Gu Xinran had a bit of a selfish motive, hoping the two could use this opportunity to get to know each other better and hopefully make things official soon.
As the end of the year approached, filming on the set was also nearing its end, and Yu Hua was back to her workaholic ways.
Just today, she had called everyone to start filming early in the morning, and now it was almost one o'clock, but she hadn't even had a sip of water.
Gu Xinran chased after her with a cup of water. Finally, she got exasperated and retorted, “Even Xiao Ye is less trouble than you!” which left the old woman speechless and obediently let everyone take a break.
During the lunch break, everyone was sitting around in small groups, chatting. Gu Xinran was eating with the old woman when she suddenly heard someone exclaim.
“Hey? Isn't that Su Yu?”
“What? Who? Su Yu?”
“Come see for yourselves! It really is Su Yu. Her name is right here on the screen. You think I can't read?”
Hearing this, everyone immediately crowded around, huddling together to look at the small phone screen.
“Whoa, holy cow, it really is Su Yu. What's she doing on that show? What show is it?”
“Star Wardrobe. Isn't that a design show? Oh, right, didn't Su Yu go abroad to study design? Now that she's back, she's got to show off her skills.”
“Nice, nice. Hey, has anyone seen this show? Tell us about it.”
“I've seen it. This is the finale. They have to pick the top three from the works of eight designers. The judges and the live audience vote together. The winner gets to go directly to Chan Ye, sign on as their top designer, and get an annual salary. It's got to be at least a million to start, right?”
“There's such a good deal? Isn't that like reaching heaven in a single step? A big company backing you right from the start of your career.” Many people were envious.
Gu Xinran listened from the side, the corners of her lips turning up unconsciously in a faint smile.
“What wicked idea are you cooking up now?” Yu Hua asked, catching her expression.
“Hmm? Nothing.”
“Ye Ting plagiarized your work back then. You think you'd let her off so easily? I don't believe it.”
Gu Xinran chuckled. “I've been holding in this anger for over three years. You can't blame me for wanting to get some justice.”
Yu Hua glanced at her and gave her a huge eye-roll.
That night, the trending topics exploded.
Gu Xinran, who hadn't been on the trending list for a long time, successfully parachuted back to the top.
Question: Just how many hidden forces does Gu Xinran have?
The champion of Star Wardrobe Season 4 is, yet again, one of Gu Xinran's people. Ye Ting, please try to live on with a smile :)
Never mess with Gu Xinran!
Topics like these frantically flooded the screen.
Gu Xinran's fans were ecstatic. It was like a carnival for them. They rushed to Ye Ting's Weibo to post all sorts of sarcastic comments and, while they were at it, gave Su Yu a follow.
Half a month later, the editing for Deep Love was complete. It passed review and was scheduled for release on New Year's Day as a holiday blockbuster.
Gu Xinran personally reposted the promotional material for Deep Love, and netizens' comments were severely polarized.
One group said that since it was a film directed by Teacher Bai and produced by Xinran, it was bound to be good. After all, their reputations spoke for themselves, and they would definitely go support it!
The other group, however, asked why the lead was some unknown little camerawoman. Was she really going to force this person into the spotlight by making a camera operator the lead? They weren't optimistic that a newcomer could handle such a major role and begged Xinran not to be deceived and used by this rookie!
Gu Xinran didn't respond to any of this. After reposting, she immediately went offline to play with Xiao Ye.
The New Year arrived as scheduled. Yu Hua's film crew also managed to wrap up smoothly on the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. The old woman was so happy that she gave everyone a long vacation.
As soon as filming wrapped, Yu Hua and Lin Yuqing were picked up by Gu Xinran and driven straight to Shi Qing's residence.
On the way, Gu Xinran's phone rang. She glanced at it and answered directly.
“Mama! Where are you!” Xiao Ye's voice came from the other end.
“Mmm... we're on our way. We'll be home in about ten minutes. Does Xiao Ye miss Mama?”
“Yeah, I miss you! Did Mama bring Grandma and Auntie Lin back?”
“Yes, don't worry~”
“Then Mama, hurry back~”
“Okay, hanging up now.”
Gu Xinran hung up, her face full of a doting smile. She glanced in the rearview mirror at the two in the back seat, who were also smiling unconsciously.
“Hey, Grandma, have you prepared a New Year's gift for your granddaughter?” Gu Xinran asked with a smile.
Yu Hua's expression didn't change. She looked completely composed, as if she had already thought of this, which surprised Gu Xinran.
Before long, the car pulled into the parking garage.
They had just reached the entrance, and before Gu Xinran could even open the door, it swung open on its own.
“Mama!”
“Hmm? Did Xiao Ye see Mama?”
“Yeah, she was watching you from upstairs the whole time. She saw your car as soon as it entered the garage. She's been waiting at the door for ages and even said she heard your footsteps,” Bai Yilan said, leading Xiao Ye back a few steps to let them in and have them change into the slippers that had been prepared.
The moment the two of them stepped inside, they were clearly stunned. The interior decor was completely unexpected—it was pink everywhere. Balloons floated on the ceiling, and the words “Happy New Year” were pasted on the walls. The festive atmosphere was certainly strong.
“Grandma, Auntie Lin, Xiao Ye hasn't seen you in so long!” The little girl opened her arms and hugged each of them in turn.
Yu Hua patted the little girl's tummy. “Cub, how much good food have you been eating?”
Xiao Ye looked down, giggled, and squirmed a little shyly.
Ye Nan and Shi Qing also came over at the sound of their voices. They all greeted each other. Having seen each other quite a bit recently, they were no longer strangers.
“Come in and rest. Make yourselves at home, don't be formal.” Ye Nan invited them to sit down and brought out a fresh platter of fruit. The little girl naturally sat on Lin Yuqing's lap, picked up fruit from the plate, and fed a piece to Yu Hua, then a piece to Lin Yuqing, showing no favoritism.
“Cub, Happy New Year. This is the first New Year Grandma has spent with you, and it's also the first time I've ever given someone a New Year's gift.” Yu Hua took a small gift box out of her pocket.
Xiao Ye was a little surprised and also very curious. She turned her head to look at Bai Yilan.
“You can accept what Grandma is giving you, but you have to thank her first,” Bai Yilan said with a nod.
“Mmm, thank you, Grandma!” Xiao Ye took it with both hands and clumsily opened the gift box.
“Wow, is it a bracelet?” Xiao Ye picked up the chain and sniffed it with her little nose. “It smells nice!”
“It's an anklet. It repels mosquitoes. I heard from your mama that the cub is very afraid of mosquitoes, right?”
“Yeah, Xiao Ye can't be bitten by mosquitoes!” Xiao Ye nodded seriously. “Grandma, help me put it on!” she said, looking at Yu Hua expectantly.
Yu Hua took the anklet and helped the little girl put it on her right ankle. The little one wiggled her foot, a delighted expression on her face. She even walked a few circles on the floor, pulling up her pant leg to show off her fair little ankle.
“Is it pretty?” she asked, showing off.
“It's pretty,” everyone praised in unison.
The little girl was overjoyed and came skipping and hopping back.
“Thank you, Grandma! Xiao Ye loves it!” She wrapped her arms around Yu Hua's neck and kissed her on the cheek.
Yu Hua was thrilled, hugging the little girl and not wanting to let go.
“Xiao Ye, Auntie has a gift for you too.” Lin Yuqing took a small, palm-sized doll out of her bag. She had often heard Xinran mention that Xiao Ye was obsessed with a cartoon featuring a white unicorn named Buka. So, she found the cartoon, watched it, bought a few Buka dolls, and then hand-sewed one herself based on the design. It was small and exquisite, clearly made with great care.
“Wow! It's Buka!” The little girl's eyes lit up. She clutched the small doll in her hands, unable to put it down. “Thank you, Auntie Lin!” With that, she gave Lin Yuqing a loud smooch.
After the kiss, she giggled foolishly to herself and stole a glance at Bai Yilan.
Bai Yilan was taken aback by the look. Go ahead and kiss her. Why are you looking at me? As if I could stop you anyway :)
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