Chapter 45
At this moment, Lin Leyao was completely unaware of the discussions about her in the next shed.
After getting into Xin Ying's car, Lin Leyao and Xin Ying did not return to the villa, but went to the Ji residence together.
Lin Leyao and Xin Ying have met quite a few times while filming away from home, but they have never met the maternal grandfather.
So as soon as this work was over, she and Xin Ying went back to the Ji residence to see Ji Hongchen.
Today is the first time Xin Ying has accompanied Lin Leyao back to the Ji residence since their marriage. Therefore, Ji Hongchen will not be the only one having dinner today. Ji Rong, Lin Shujun, and Lin Zhipei have also returned from their homes outside.
Since the last time Xin Ying directly contradicted Ji Rong at the dinner table on the day they got their marriage certificate, Ji Rong has never given Xin Ying a friendly look since.
However, Xin Ying was backed by the Xin family and the entire Huanning Group. Because of her concerns, Ji Rong could only keep a cold face and didn't say a single unnecessary word.
This time, without Ji Rong speaking up, Lin Leyao felt much more at ease.
At the dinner table, Ji Hongchen asked, "Yaoyao, when will your filming wrap up?"
Lin Leyao replied, "It should be after the Spring Festival."
Upon hearing this, Ji Hongchen's face showed a regretful expression: "So, does that mean you won't be able to spend the New Year at home again this year?"
Seeing the expression on her grandfather's face, Lin Leyao smiled and said, "The crew will have a holiday on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, so I'll definitely come back to spend the New Year with you!"
As soon as Lin Leyao finished speaking, Ji Rongzi spoke up for the first time at the dinner table: "Dad, have you forgotten that Leyao is already married? She will definitely be spending Chinese New Year at the Xin family's house this year!"
After Ji Rong finished speaking, Ji Hongchen suddenly remembered this matter.
Indeed, the two are married, and Le Yao will be spending Chinese New Year at the Xin family's house this year.
But he had watched this girl grow up since she was a child. Except for last year when she was on set and couldn't make it back in time, Lin Leyao had stayed by his side every Spring Festival.
Over the years, he had grown accustomed to having this little girl by his side. The thought of her spending the Lunar New Year at someone else's house this year instantly dampened Ji Hongchen's spirits.
When children get married, it's like fledglings learning to fly; they want to leave their home.
Having lived to this age, Ji Hongchen has encountered all sorts of major events, but the thought of his little granddaughter leaving home and even having to integrate into another family is something he finds hard to bear.
"Grandpa—" Lin Leyao keenly sensed her grandfather's emotions and opened her mouth to call out.
She couldn't help but turn to look at Xin Ying beside her.
He knew that her grandfather was reluctant to part with her, and she was reluctant to part with her grandfather as well. But she was not an unreasonable person. She and Xin Ying were already married, and she should spend the first Spring Festival after their marriage at Xin's house.
If she were married to someone else, she might try to spend the Lunar New Year at her own home, but the Xin family is different.
The two were originally engaged in a marriage of convenience, because the Xin family helped the Huanling Group through a difficult period, which was a great favor. In addition, Old Master Ji was a traditional man, and she couldn't bring herself to ask to stay at the Ji residence for the New Year.
Xin Ying didn't look at Lin Leyao, and had no idea that so many thoughts had flashed through Lin Leyao's mind in such a short time.
She put down her chopsticks, looked at Ji Hongchen and said, "Grandpa, Leyao will be spending the New Year at the Ji family home this year."
Upon hearing this, Ji Hongchen's expression froze. His first reaction was not joy, but hesitation.
"Le Yao is spending the Lunar New Year at home. What about your elders..."
Xin Ying smiled and said, "Although Le Yao and I have already registered our marriage, we haven't had a wedding yet. There will be a lot of people coming and going at home during the Spring Festival. I'm worried that if they see Le Yao suddenly appearing at home, they will think that our family doesn't value Le Yao. I don't want Le Yao to suffer this grievance, so let's have Le Yao stay at the Ji family's house for the Spring Festival before the wedding."
When Xin Ying said her last words, she looked at Lin Leyao beside her.
Not only were the people around her surprised, but Lin Leyao was also shocked. She never expected Xin Ying to say those words.
Xin Ying had already come up with a reason, and Ji Hongchen immediately accepted it happily. His originally upset mood was instantly healed by those two short sentences.
Ji Hongchen smiled and urged the two of them to eat more. Lin Leyao nodded and took a bite of the food in her bowl.
Then he couldn't help but look up at Xin Ying.
This time, Xin Ying, who was standing next to her, keenly sensed Lin Leyao's gaze and immediately turned her head to look over.
Previously, Lin Leyao's gaze was like a slippery little fish, difficult to catch. But this time, Lin Leyao seemed stunned, staring blankly at Xin Ying, lost in thought.
After gazing at each other for a while, Xin Ying couldn't help but slowly curl the corners of her lips into a smile.
She didn't say anything, but silently picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and put it in Lin Leyao's bowl.
Seeing Xin Ying's actions, Lin Leyao came to her senses. She didn't say anything and continued eating with her head covered.
As everyone ate and chatted, the atmosphere at the dinner table became much more harmonious than at the beginning, perhaps because Xin Ying had mentioned that Lin Leyao was staying home for the New Year.
Lin Leyao was seated right next to Ji Hongchen, with Xin Ying to her left. Lin Zhipei, as a junior, was also sitting on their side, right to Xin Ying's left.
Xin Ying kept putting food on Lin Leyao's plate when suddenly an unfamiliar voice sounded from the side.
"Sister Xin, why don't you and my sister have a wedding?"
Xin Ying didn't have much contact with Lin Zhipei, and in her few remaining memories, Lin Zhipei was always a very quiet person.
Last time I had dinner with Lin Zhipei and Ji Rong, Lin Zhipei only said two sentences at the table.
When Lin Zhipeng asked her a question, Xin Ying paused for a moment before replying, "Maybe it's because she's in a hurry to get the marriage certificate."
Lin Zhipei seemed very curious: "When are you going to have your wedding?"
Xin Ying patiently replied, "The wedding will definitely be next year, but the exact date depends on your sister's work schedule."
After listening to Xin Ying's answer, Lin Zhipeng nodded and asked, "Sister Xin, you've been really popular lately. You were trending on social media every day for a while, but you've been trending much less these past few weeks. I remember the last two trending topics were the bar and the official announcement."
Xin Ying smiled and hummed in agreement.
"So you suddenly made an official announcement because of those photos from the bar?"
"We made it official to avoid misunderstandings."
Lin Zhipei was very curious: "Was this your idea or my sister's suggestion? The announcement that day generated a lot of buzz, almost as much as some celebrities, and you only made the announcement unilaterally, without mentioning my sister at all!"
This was the first time Xin Ying had heard Lin Zhipei say so much, and she replied, "I think so."
Suddenly, Zhi Pei leaned towards Xin Ying, covered her mouth, and whispered, "Is my sister jealous?"
Upon hearing this question, Xin Ying paused for a few seconds before replying, "No."
Xin Ying added truthfully, "She didn't mention this trending topic to me."
Lin Zhipeng's eyes widened instantly, utterly surprised: "You didn't say anything?"
Xin Ying nodded in agreement.
Lin Zhipei couldn't help but say, "If I saw intimate photos of my wife with someone else, I would definitely be angry. I think most people would feel the same way; their first reaction would be to question who that person is. My sister has such a good temper, right?"
Xin Ying said, "She went to bed early that day and didn't see it."
However, after hearing Lin Zhipei's words, she pondered them carefully several times, and then her eyes suddenly darkened as if she had thought of something.
Lin Leyao replied, "Yeah, your announcement was super sweet. My sister woke up and her heart melted when she saw it. Why would she care about that photo? Let's not dwell on the past. My sister isn't pretentious at all."
Xin Ying hummed in agreement but didn't say anything.
Lin Zhipei probably realized she had said too much, so she stopped talking.
The surroundings quieted down, but Xin Ying was not at peace. She turned to look at Lin Leyao.
Lin Leyao noticed her gaze and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xin Ying shook her head and remained silent.
Everyone was so close, I wonder if Lin Leyao heard what she and Lin Zhipeng were talking about. If she did, what would she think when she heard about her bar trending on social media and that woman's "intimate photos"?
I don't think anyone wouldn't mind their partner having those kinds of photos leaked with someone else. Why didn't she talk to me about this trending topic back then? Why didn't she question me about it?
Xin Ying pondered this question for a long time, but she still couldn't figure it out before she left the Ji residence.
The two returned to the villa area. Lin Leyao had gone to the film studio to film a few days after getting their marriage certificate, so she hadn't spent much time in this house and was still quite unfamiliar with this home she shared with Xin Ying.
Once inside, Lin Leyao sat on the sofa in the living room. Unfamiliar with the house and having not spent much time alone with Xin Ying in a long time, Lin Leyao felt a little awkward.
After Xin Ying visited her on set, Lin Leyao thought a lot and came to a conclusion, and then she stopped thinking about it. She decided to let things take their natural course regarding her post-marital relationship with Xin Ying.
Lin Leyao was recalling what had happened earlier. Seeing her sitting blankly on the sofa, Xin Ying said, "You've been shooting for a magazine all day, go take a shower."
Lin Leyao immediately snapped out of her daze, stood up, and said, "Okay."
Seeing Lin Leyao walk straight towards the bedroom, Xin Ying asked, "Do you know where the clothes are?"
Lin Leyao replied simply, "I know!"
When Lin Leyao came out after showering, she saw that Xin Ying had already finished washing up in the guest room bathroom and was now wearing glasses and browsing emails on her iPad.
Upon hearing the sound, Xin Ying looked up at Lin Leyao. The next second, Xin Ying moved to the other side, giving Lin Leyao the half of the bed that had just been warmed.
Without hesitation, Lin Leyao slept in the spot where Xin Ying had been.
As Lin Leyao was still sighing about how comfortable the bed was, she heard Xin Ying next to her place the iPad on the bedside table, turn off the bedroom ceiling light, and leave the dim floor lamp by the bedside emitting light.
Lin Leyao felt the mattress beneath her dip down, and Xin Ying lay down next to her as well.
A warm body leaned closer beside her, and in the dim light, Lin Leyao closed her eyes.
But what I expected didn't happen. A kiss landed on my forehead, and Xin Ying's voice rang in my ear: "Sleep."
A few seconds later, Lin Leyao opened her eyes. In the dim, yellowish light, Xin Ying had already closed her eyes, seemingly ready to sleep.
Lin Leyao also closed her eyes. After shooting the advertisement all day, although she was very excited, her body was already exhausted.
Lin Leyao quickly fell into a deep sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, Xin Ying slowly opened her eyes.
Looking at Lin Leyao, who was already fast asleep beside her, Xin Ying reached out a hand and gently tapped Lin Leyao's head with her fingers.
After a while, a voice rang out in the quiet, dark bedroom.
"You brat."
--------------------
Author's Note:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 06:35:52 on March 5, 2022 and 04:07:09 on March 6, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: 55157345 (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!