Fall In Love With A Substitute – The Movie Queen’s Little Fortune Butterfly, Chapter 29

After Luo Chun repeatedly assured that “Ms. Song will definitely attend,” Lin Qinglu skeptically put down her phone and proceeded to criticize her agent.

In between, there were several activities, stealing time from the busy schedule to have a meal and chat with Ms. Song, and “Tianlai” confirmed its shooting schedule, officially starting filming. The lead Lin Qinglu brought her own team to join the production.

Coincidentally, joining the crew was Ji Liu, guest-starring as a fiery pepper-like character. Due to her limited scenes and scheduling reasons, she finished filming a few days earlier.

After finishing her scenes, Ji Liu’s daily routine involved either sitting on a small stool playing with her phone, browsing Weibo for marketing, or caring about the emotional life of primary school chickens.

The studio was cold, even colder than outside. Ji Liu was dressed in costume, wrapped in a military coat, munching on caramelized melon seeds:

“This won’t do, Old Lin. You’re too hesitant, it’s been months and you still haven’t confessed? You haven’t even touched the handlebars of the bicycle yet. When will you let the readers get on the high-speed rail?”

“Hurry up and confess. You can be flirtatious when acting, why do you lose your charm after filming?”

Lin Qinglu held a thermos cup, emitting white-hot gas. She reached out her arm in front of Ji Liu, almost knocking over the melon seeds in her hand.

No matter how slim and graceful a female star was, wearing a down jacket or a big cotton coat made their arms round, like a big snow leopard. Their big cat paws were round and chubby, with thick pads.

“What are you doing? Do you want some?” Lin Qinglu asked, lifting the thermos cup.

Ji Liu picked up a caramelized melon seed, pretending to pour it onto Lin Qinglu’s arm. She immediately retracted her arm and patted the nonexistent dust off it lovingly.

“Not noticed?” Lin Qinglu glanced at Ji Liu’s military coat and big cotton jacket, lifting her chin, “Canada Goose.”¹

Ji Liu: ?

???

“Wearing a down jacket and still acting smug?” Ji Liu’s tone was full of disbelief, then turned sorrowful, “You’ve been famous for so many years, can’t you have some dignity?”

Luo Chun murmured, “Probably not, it was sent by Ms. Song, that goose.”

“Tsk.” Ji Liu suddenly realized, “So it’s our leading lady’s caring little coat.”

“Indeed, when we just joined the crew and it hadn’t cooled down completely, Ms. Song had someone send over the down jacket.”

“Yeah, she put it on as soon as she received it. I was worried she’d get overheated those few days.”

“Really has some dignity.” Ji Liu sighed, genuinely concerned for her sister’s well-being, “What did you give her in return? By the way, that would make things clear.”

“Do I have to confess?” Lin Qinglu was a bit puzzled, her flipping of the script paused, “Isn’t our current situation fine?”

Song Pianxian even sent her a gift; this was caring about her health, quite thoughtful.

“How do you know Song Pianxian’s intentions?”

“If you shout on Weibo, plenty of fans would be willing to buy you a down jacket, okay? They’d crowdfund a factory to buy it for you.”

How is that the same? This is sophistry. Lin Qinglu frowned disapprovingly, closing the script, ready to criticize Ji Liu.

Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, Ji Liu was about to block her ears, when Liu Lele, playing with her phone, shouted and saved her:

“Huh? Lin and Song are being sweet!”

The main CP, Lin Qinglu, immediately responded, looking like a fan who just hit the jackpot, her eyes lit up:

“What sweetness?”

Luo Chun & Ji Liu: …

“Ms. Song liked your post.” Liu Lele exclaimed excitedly, “It’s the one you posted on Weibo.”

Before, upon learning that Song Pianxian would attend the birthday party, Lin Qinglu was overjoyed. She personally edited and pinned a post on the official schedule on her homepage.

Lin Qinglu: Birthday party, glad to see you there.

At first glance, it seems easily understood as addressed to every fan. Combined with the popularity of Lin Qinglu’s first birthday party, which even trended and had significantly more likes and retweets than other official posts.

Song Pianxian liked this post.

“Pianxian never plays on Weibo, this is the first time she’s liked someone.”

“Our relationship, isn’t it normal for her to like my post?”

Compared to Liu Lele, Lin Qinglu’s words are still relatively sensible.

Ji Liu breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed her sister hadn’t gone crazy yet.

She was about to ask her sister what “our relationship” meant, when she saw Lin Qinglu looking back at her, raising her cat tail, looking quite pleased:

“She liked my post, she must like me.”

“…”

Ji Liu dropped her melon seeds.

Luo Chun expressionlessly put on her headphones and listened to music.

Liu Lele looked conflicted, wavering between the fervor of being a CP fan and the last shred of sanity: “Sis, it’s, it’s not really necessarily…”

Lin Qinglu was busy taking screenshots and saving them, backing them up to the cloud.

This was Song Pianxian’s first time liking her post.

After tidying up, she looked at Liu Lele: “Did you just say something?”

Liu Lele: “…Nothing.”

Jian Yixin was unaware of what was happening at the film and television base.

After leaving the film and television base and returning to normal life, every two weeks, Jian Yixin would return home to attend family banquets.

During the post-dinner chat, her younger siblings were discussing hot topics on Weibo and asked for her opinion.

She opened Weibo to understand the situation and casually commented, causing the group of youngsters who hadn’t yet entered society to fall into contemplation.

Jian Yixin took a look at her neglected homepage, where almost all the records were side by side with Lin Qinglu’s name.

She clicked into it, saw Lin Qinglu’s pinned post, chuckled softly, and gave it a like.

A small gesture, across a great distance, stirred up waves in another place in the vast night.

Jian Yixin’s mother, Mrs. Chen, called her to speak, and Jian Yixin turned her wrist, putting away her phone.

Unexpectedly, Mrs. Chen’s conversation topic was also Lin Qinglu.

“…before, Chen’s responsible person came to me, saying that this spokesperson selection is the best ever in history. The new series was put up, and the first batch was directly sold out, restocking three or four times.”

“After the offline TVC advertisement was aired, sales kept rising. This time, what… a birthday party event? Sales hit a new high again.” Mrs. Chen elegantly sipped her tea, smiling, “My daughter has good taste.”

As an aristocratic woman, Mrs. Chen naturally valued more than just sales figures; she only said the last sentence casually. In any case, in a mother’s eyes, every little advantage of her child would be magnified.

Jian Yixin was just peeling oranges for Mrs. Chen. Since Lin Qinglu was mentioned, her expression softened a bit. She patiently listened to Mrs. Chen’s words before smiling and saying:

“Qinglu’s talent is unquestionable.”

Previously, when she was still at the film and television base, Mrs. Chen asked why she hadn’t seen her precious daughter at recent banquets.

At that time, Jian Yixin was just lounging in the audio-visual room watching a movie. She casually mentioned it to Mrs. Chen, who repeatedly stated that “there isn’t a single promising new generation female star.”

Jian Yixin didn’t argue over the phone, but after hanging up, she had the butler buy the complete collection of Lin Qinglu’s films on deluxe DVDs for Mrs. Chen.

The next time they contacted, Mrs. Chen was already obsessed with Lin Qinglu and couldn’t extricate herself. Even the background music during their call was Lin Qinglu reciting lines from movies. She also told Jian Yixin that she had asked Chen to invite Lin Qinglu to endorse.

This was how Lin Qinglu ended up with two endorsements related to the Song family at the same time.

It can be said that this endorsement was entirely the result of Lin Qinglu conquering Mrs. Chen with her acting skills and personal charm, with little to do with Jian Yixin.

Mrs. Chen asked, “I heard from your brother that you’re friends with her?”

“Yes, we have a good relationship.” Jian Yixin carefully peeled the white veins off the orange and ate a slice herself first.

Mrs. Chen, afraid of the acidity, Jian Yixin confirmed the orange’s sweetness before handing it to her, saying, “She’s been busy with her schedule, so we haven’t seen each other for a while.”

“Being an artist is quite hard.” Mrs. Chen took it and a hint of innocence flashed across her elegant face:

“Next time, why don’t we call her out and have dinner together?”

“Hmm?” Jian Yixin paused with the orange in her hand.

“Last time, when she signed the contract, I was abroad. I haven’t seen her in person yet.”

“I see. I’ll arrange it later.”

“And,” Mrs. Chen lowered her voice, “I heard from the responsible person that Lin Qinglu came out, right? Your cousin, Lulu, likes girls.”

“I think Lin Qinglu is very good, very responsible. There aren’t many public figures in China who have come out, and she’s also such a good actress. I’ll introduce them to each other. If it works out, great; if not, they can still be friends.”

“…” The orange in Jian Yixin’s hand almost rolled to the ground. She regained her grip on the orange, peeled it open, and juice burst from the round orange segments onto her fingertips, emitting a faint sour scent.

“You haven’t even met her yet, and you believe in her character like this.”

“We’re about to meet—”

“Auntie, cousin, what are you talking about? Who are you going to meet?” A lively and crisp voice emerged from behind the sofa.

“This child scared me.” Mrs. Chen glanced at her and patted her chest. “We’ve just been talking about you.”

Chen Lu circled to the front of the sofa. “Talking about me? What about me?”

Mrs. Chen said, “Do you want to meet Lin Qinglu?”

“Of course, who wouldn’t want to meet Lin Qinglu?” Chen Lu’s eyes sparkled.

She sat next to Jian Yixin, hugged Jian Yixin’s arm, tilted her head, and affectionately said:

“By the way, Sister, you’re the boss of Moonlight, so it’s much easier to meet Lin Qinglu now. Ah, why didn’t I think of this earlier.”

Jian Yixin smiled and glanced at Chen Lu’s face.

Chen Lu was cute and lively, full of energy and beautiful, very likable. She hadn’t graduated from university yet, but her grades were good, and Jian Yixin also appreciated this cousin.

“That settles it then.”

Mrs. Chen gave her daughter a meaningful look but found that her daughter showed no signs of becoming a matchmaker, her expression as calm as ever.

“I can’t agree on my own, I need to ask Qinglu what she thinks.”

“Right, respect her, then you ask.”

Jian Yixin set aside the peeled sour orange, wiped her hands clean, picked up her phone, and sent a message:

“My mother and cousin would like to meet you. Do you have time?”

The reply came back almost as fast as an auto-reply, without punctuation: “Yes.”

Jian Yixin hesitated. She wasn’t sure if she should reveal Chen Lu’s sexual orientation. For her, sexual orientation wasn’t something that needed to be specially disclosed before making friends.

But with Mrs. Chen’s intention in between, if she didn’t tell—

“I’m available anytime.” Perhaps noticing her lack of response, Lin Qinglu sent another message.

Chen Lu, who was sitting close by, saw the message on the phone:

“Ah, Lin Qinglu agreed, that’s great.”

“Cousin, you and Lin Qinglu seem to have a good relationship. You were chatting until after ten last night.”

In front of the main character, Jian Yixin naturally couldn’t say anything. She temporarily put away her phone:

“Yeah, we exchange a few words every day.”

“People you like must have decent personalities.” Mrs. Chen said, looking forward to the meeting even more.

Jian Yixin smiled and engaged her in another conversation.

Chen Lu slipped away from her cousin and aunt, hid in a corner, and posted on her social media account:

PrettyLuLu: I said before that Lin-Song was just your speculation, they’re just friends, and you don’t want to believe it. Song Pianxian is definitely straight, she’s just kind to everyone! Due to work reasons, I’m about to observe Lin-Song up close, I’ll give you all the details when I get back, definitely bursting the Lin-Song bubble! #ScissorsHand

Lin-Song is no longer the same as before, with extremely high popularity. Combined with Chen Lu’s history of struggling against Lin-Song, this post immediately received a large number of comments:

“I! Don’t! Believe it! Lin-Song is sending sugar again today!”

“May I ask what the host’s job is? Is it still possible for me to switch majors now?”

“Bad woman! Don’t tell me the truth, okay? Lin-Song is the last joy in my dark life of preparing for postgraduate exams #Crying”

“You won’t be pretty anymore! Malicious LuLu!”

…

As for the reason for work and such, it was just Chen Lu’s excuse, of course, she couldn’t answer. But about Lin-Song sending sugar, she immediately observed for a moment, then relaxed and replied:

“People say you can’t chat so just browse Weibo and like posts casually, don’t make wild guesses.”

After all, looking at the time, it was something that happened when they were chatting together.

Lin-Song is indeed fake!

Her cousin is so beautiful and gentle, she doesn’t want to see her cousin with another woman!

Chen Lu clenched her little fists, self-proclaiming herself as the destroyer of Lin-Song’s fantasies, just waiting to reveal the true side of this CP.

After leaving the Song family, Jian Yixin continued her conversation with Lin Qinglu.

Before formally confirming the meeting time and place, Jian Yixin said:

“My cousin’s name is Chen Lu, and she also likes girls.”

“What does that mean?” Lin Qinglu, holding her phone, asked Liu Lele.

Liu Lele, with zero dating experience but self-proclaimed capable of guiding primary school chicks, glanced at the chat box and confidently said:

“Pianxian is reminding you to pay attention to the topics. Don’t ask your little cousin how old she is or if she has a boyfriend or something, it’s very impolite.”

I see, Lin Qinglu suddenly realized.

The most important thing about this meeting was meeting the parents. Lin Qinglu quickly put her little cousin aside and said:

“Okay. Let me know when you’ve set the time, I can take leave to go back.”

Finally, Lin Qinglu opened the inventory of cat emoticons, carefully selected one with both cuteness and dignity and sent it over.

She waited and waited but Ms. Song didn’t reply.

Is she busy with official duties?

After waiting for a while, Lin Qinglu didn’t wait anymore. Instead, she brought back Luo Chun and Ji Li, the others who had gone out for a barbecue.

“Sis Luo, I’m going to take a few days off and go back.”

Luo Chun couldn’t be bothered to ask where she was going. Was there a need to ask?

But taking leave and such—

“No, the crew has progressed.”

“I’m going to meet Pianxian’s family.”

“Meeting anyone’s family is not—wait, who??”

Liu Lele acted as the commentator, carefully and passionately recounting the events.

Luo Chun was momentarily confused, how did it come to meeting the parents so suddenly?

She glanced at Ji Li, and they both saw bewilderment on each other’s faces.

Could it be that they, as fairies, were different from ordinary people, able to skip directly from confession and courtship to marriage?

Luo Chun suddenly reacted, “Wait, which family member?”

No, regardless of who it was, it was very serious!

Mr. Song, her dad, was a recluse who rarely ventured out. Mrs. Song, her mom, was elegant and magnificent, managing foundations and brands that left people in awe. Song Zhe, her brother, was currently at the helm of the Song family, a figure even ordinary wealthy heirs couldn’t easily meet.

“It’s her mom and her cousin.”

“Mrs. Chen!” Luo Chun exclaimed softly, “She’s Chen’s owner. You’re meeting the brand owner, so you must prepare well—have you set a time?”

“Not yet,” the actress replied casually, “There’s no need to make a big fuss. Auntie enjoys watching my movies, so it’s just a casual meeting.”

“And there’s also a cousin, um, I’ll prepare a gift for you…” Luo Chun automatically ignored the actress’s words and began thinking about the meeting details.

Liu Lele chimed in from the side, while Lin Qinglu tried to keep her excitement in check. Only Ji Li remained on the sidelines, still struggling to accept the situation.

Finally, Ji Li lamented with envy, “Sister, what did you tell me back then?”

“You said you didn’t want to marry into a wealthy family…”

Lin Qinglu’s swaying cat tail froze for a moment.

“Blame it on Song Pianxian.” Lin Qinglu complained, feeling a bit distressed yet sweet at the same time.

“…”

Liu Lele said solemnly, “The essence of human nature is truly fragrant, and netizens never deceive me.”

The meeting of the four, eagerly anticipated by three parties, arrived quickly.

Accompanied by Jian Yixin, Chen arrived at the appointed clubhouse, opened the door to the banquet hall, and saw Lin Qinglu already waiting inside.

She glanced around, but Luo Chun and Liu Lele were nowhere to be seen.

Lin Qinglu had meticulously done her makeup, and her attire was carefully selected, simple yet stylish.

Facing Mrs. Chen, she changed her lazy demeanor, striving to exude a healthy and sunny young woman’s aura, warm yet restrained, considerate and meticulous. Coupled with her face, she was exceptionally likable.

Jian Yixin had spent a long time with Lin Qinglu, so it was easy for her to notice Lin Qinglu’s changes. But for Mrs. Chen, this was their first meeting.

With a glance, Jian Yixin noticed the genuine smile on Mrs. Chen’s face, knowing that she liked Lin Qinglu’s demeanor.

“Has Chen Lu arrived yet?” Mrs. Chen asked after taking her seat.

Jian Yixin replied, “She’s working on a group project for school. She’ll be here later, so we don’t need to wait for her.”

“I see.” Lin Qinglu pointed to the upscale and delicate gift bag next to her, “Then the gift for your cousin will have to wait a bit.”

“You’re so considerate.” Mrs. Chen, with her innate fan filter, began to praise Lin Qinglu indiscriminately, expressing her affection for her.

Lin Qinglu felt delighted by the praise from the elder, maintaining a calm and reliable demeanor on the surface, smiling and saying, “It’s nothing.”

She’s probably going to be my future sister-in-law, so what’s a gift compared to the red envelopes I’ll have to give her on holidays in the future?

Lin Qinglu refilled Mrs. Chen’s tea and occasionally glanced at Jian Yixin—

How am I doing? Is my performance okay?

Jian Yixin met her clear eyes and suddenly didn’t know what to say, a hint of soft helplessness in her gaze.

“Qinglu, dear.” With just a few words, Mrs. Chen became very affectionate, “Tell me, in the movie ‘Admiration’ you played in, you were…”

Lin Qinglu snapped back to attention, focusing on answering the elder’s questions.

Mrs. Chen, a fan of Lin Qinglu, was eager to ask questions, while Lin Qinglu answered with the diligence of meeting her future mother-in-law. With different intentions, they engaged in enthusiastic conversation, eventually turning Jian Yixin into the tea-serving assistant on the side.

In the conversation, Lin Qinglu perfectly showcased her years of experience in acting and the life experiences she had accumulated.

Talking with older and wiser individuals, she unintentionally expressed deeper aspects of herself with every word.

Listening on the side, Jian Yixin’s mind gradually calmed down, and as she looked at Lin Qinglu, her gaze couldn’t help but show appreciation and a hint of admiration.

Turns out, she didn’t know enough about Lin Qinglu.

Mrs. Chen completely forgot her original purpose, and when Chen Lu arrived, she began to hesitate, feeling conflicted—

Although her niece was quite outstanding, Lin Qinglu was mature, knowledgeable, and outstanding in every aspect. Could her niece match up with her?

Not quite appropriate.

Mrs. Chen, coming from a prestigious family, had some courage. Sensing the mismatch, she was ready to extinguish the thought completely, without any hesitation.

Chen Lu had no idea what had happened earlier or what outrageous thoughts her aunt had harbored. She only lamented that her group project had delayed her from recording the downfall of the Lin-Song CP.

Dressed maturely and sensually, as soon as she entered the banquet hall, her first words were calling out to her elder cousin. Then, she affectionately embraced her cousin’s arm before taking her seat.

As she sat down, she sweetly added, “I want to sit next to my cousin. I love sticking to my cousin the most.”

Before coming, Chen Lu had carefully considered how intimate relationships between same-sex friends were normal. She pondered how to tell whether a woman saw another woman as a friend or a lover.

With her clever mind, she immediately thought of a standard answer: of course, it was to provoke her and see if she would get jealous if possessiveness emerged.

Ordinary friends wouldn’t mind these affectionate actions, only those who liked each other would find it intolerable— even if they knew the other person was just a cousin.

Then, she could write on Weibo: When Song behaved intimately with other female friends, Lin didn’t mind at all; they were just ordinary friends.

Chen Lu propped up her chin and sweetly stared at her cousin, employing all kinds of coquettish tactics.

“Cousin, I want some watermelon too.” Chen Lu intentionally didn’t turn the plate, and once again acted cute.

Mrs. Chen said, “Just take it yourself; your cousin is talking to Qinglu.”

“No, I want my cousin to get it for me.”

With Chen Lu’s insistence, her cousin interrupted the conversation and reached out to get her some watermelon. Chen Lu was delighted, then confidently observed Lin Qinglu.

Seeing that, she knew Lin Qinglu definitely wouldn’t—

Huh?

Why is Lin Qinglu looking at me?

Her gaze doesn’t seem very friendly…

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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1. Canada Goose is a luxury brand known for their winter jackets and coats. ↩︎