Chapter 39: Speechless
Returning home again, Nangong Ying breathed in the long-missed fresh air. Indeed, the air in the south was comfortable, completely different from the north. Since quitting her athletic career two years ago, she hadn’t flown around the country so frequently. If she confirmed her future development direction, it was likely she would be flying all over the country.
This feeling of drifting wasn’t very good. When she was young, she didn’t like running around the country. She thought she could stay at home peacefully when she grew up. Unexpectedly, she still couldn’t escape this fate.
Also, regarding Li Yuexin’s recommendation for her to participate in the screen test, she had agreed and proactively called the director, putting on a good show. She would go for the screen test next week, without even needing to participate in the initial audition.
The only thing she cared about was how Yu Linna was doing, whether she had passed the audition. Yu Linna indeed had no talent in acting, although she worked hard. As a friend, she hoped Yu Linna would have the chance to get the screen test, although the possibility wasn’t high.
“Hello, Linna? You’re already on your way back? Then your audition… I see, congratulations! Let me pick you up. I’ll take you to eat. You definitely haven’t been eating properly.”
Only after learning about her situation over the phone did Nangong Ying breathe a sigh of relief. She really hadn’t expected Yu Linna to pass such a fiercely competitive audition and secure one of the thousand or so screen test qualifications. Although it wasn’t officially confirmed yet, it was at least an opportunity for her.
No matter what, it was something worth being happy about.
Leaving the airport, Nangong Ying took a taxi to the train station. She had quite a bit of luggage, all placed in the trunk. She had gained a lot during her days in Beijing, learned many things. There was still a long time before her official stage performance. Before that, she wanted to go back to school and catch up on her cultural lessons. After all, she had less than a year until the college entrance exam. Additionally, she had decided to apply to art academies. In March of the coming year, she would fly to other provinces to take the school exams, obtain the admission qualification letter, and finally take the college entrance exam. With her current academic level, there wasn’t a big problem. The biggest trouble was that she had to balance work and study.
Arriving at the train station, Nangong Ying paid the fare, took her luggage from the trunk, and waited at the train station exit for Yu Linna’s return. After waiting for about half an hour, the train arrived. A crowd of people got off the train, and the cold train station instantly became congested.
“Linna, I’m here! Linna!”
“I see you, I see you!”
Yu Linna waved her small hand and squeezed out of the crowd. Although the flow of people was large, fortunately, her blonde hair was conspicuous enough, making it easy to find her in the crowd. Nangong Ying struggled to pull her out of the crowd.
Compared to when they parted, Yu Linna was obviously thinner, her complexion wasn’t very healthy, and her skin was sallow. Putting an arm around her shoulder, Nangong Ying patted her back. This little girl was like a bamboo pole, easily broken with a slight bend. If not cherished properly, she would break.
“Congratulations, little star. Don’t forget me when you become famous.”
“Hehe… It’s not settled yet. It’s too early to say this. Besides, I should be the one saying that.”
Being hugged, Yu Linna looked a little embarrassed. Although they were both girls, Yu Linna still felt a bit shy. She wasn’t used to being so intimate with people.
“Let’s go eat. What do you want to eat?”
“I want a big meal.”
“No problem.”
Holding her hand, snatching her luggage to carry, Nangong Ying strode away from the train station. Getting farther and farther away from the crowd, her smile deepened. Although Yu Linna said she could carry her own luggage, Nangong Ying still insisted it was no problem. After all, she had studied sports; carrying things was nothing to her. In contrast, Yu Linna was unbelievably thin.
Looking closely at Yu Linna, her height was indeed a bit short. Because she hadn’t eaten nutritious food since childhood, her body hadn’t developed well, and her height stopped at just over 1.5 meters. It was said that mixed-race people were taller than average East Asians because of genetics. But Yu Linna, although she had the face, didn’t have the genes; her height was even shorter than Asians of this age. Nangong Ying understood this point too; after all, the places where she should have developed hadn’t developed well.
“Why are you staring at me?”
“Nothing. Let’s go eat.”
Nangong Ying coughed awkwardly. Regarding staring at her friend’s chest, she swore she didn’t mean to; she was really just curious.
Nangong took her to a large restaurant nearby. The restaurant looked quite decent from the outside, with a large Maneki-neko (lucky cat) placed at the entrance. Inside, there were potted plants placed by the counter. Nangong Ying put down the luggage, picked up the menu, and ordered several dishes, all Yu Linna’s favorites. Usually, when she took Yu Linna out to eat, it was like this: the menu always passed through her hands, never given to Yu Linna. And Yu Linna also trustingly left the menu to her.
“Speaking of which, we’ve known each other for some time now, haven’t we?”
After ordering, Nangong Ying somehow started feeling nostalgic. This made Yu Linna, who was playing with her phone nearby, a bit confused.
“It’s been over two years, right?”
“Yes, so much time has passed.”
Recalling their first meeting in the first year of high school, to their current intimacy, Nangong Ying’s life had gotten used to having such a girl by her side. Although she often ran around and couldn’t always play with her, Yu Linna’s relationship with her had always been very good.
Moreover, Yu Linna trusted her unconditionally, 100% trust. Even Fang Jianing didn’t have this kind of treatment, which showed Nangong Ying’s status in her heart.
She wanted to be friends with Yu Linna for a lifetime, to get along well like this forever. If possible, she really wanted to hang out with her properly. Yu Linna had nothing, only her. Therefore, she had to protect everything about her, not let her get hurt.
But…
Some things, after all, couldn’t be hidden.
“Nangong, what’s wrong with you today… Is something on your mind?”
“…”
Nangong Ying leaned back in her chair, her expression a bit complicated. She was thinking about what tone would be appropriate to bring this matter up. But after thinking back and forth, she couldn’t find a tactful way to say it. Instead, thinking too much made her mind more chaotic.
“Nangong…”
“Linna, it’s like this. I’m also going to participate in the screen test for the ‘Ice Seal’ crew.” (Note: The text says ‘Ice Seal’ here, but previously ‘Storm Seal’. Assuming ‘Ice Seal’ is a typo and it should be ‘Storm Seal’)
“Eh? What did you say? Didn’t you not participate in the audition?”
Bringing up this topic, Nangong Ying found it a bit difficult to speak. She hesitated for a moment, but still decided to say it.
“I have a recommendation from within the industry, so I don’t need to participate in the audition; I can go directly to the screen test. I think this is also an opportunity for me, and I’m quite interested in trying out filming movies and such.”
Yu Linna fell silent. She was a little surprised at first, but then quickly calmed down. She silently poured herself a cup of tea and waited obediently for the food to arrive.
After a few minutes, the dishes arrived one after another. Yu Linna didn’t hold back, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating without saying anything more.
“Linna, I… Don’t be silent.”
“I think it’s fine. You don’t need to worry about me. And isn’t everyone equal in the face of opportunity?”
Yu Linna forced a smile.
But her heart felt bitter.
Compared to Nangong Ying, she was indeed too far behind. She could go directly to the screen test with just a recommendation, while she had struggled painstakingly just to get the qualification, and wasn’t even sure she could make it to the end. She didn’t blame Nangong Ying. She knew she wasn’t good enough. She knew from the singing competition that it was absolutely impossible for her to stand out on the same stage as Nangong Ying; she would at most become a background board.
Nangong Ying was so outstanding. Being with her, she was nothing. Asking her to compete head-on with Nangong Ying, was such a thing really possible? Could she, Yu Linna, really win against Nangong Ying? She couldn’t imagine it at all.
“Linna, I want to go higher. I won’t limit myself to the path of a singer. I want to become a multi-faceted artist. Acting is also an attempt, and I believe that as my friend, you won’t be worse than me. Let’s compete fairly once, okay?”
Yu Linna ate properly, without answering.
She knew this kind of thing, she understood the reasoning, but…
Competing on the same stage with Nangong Ying, wouldn’t it be too difficult?
“Hey, isn’t this Linna? You’re actually eating here with Classmate Nangong.”
Suddenly, someone patted her shoulder. Yu Linna looked up, puzzled. A familiar face came into view, a fresh and refined face with a smile, giving off a healing aura at first glance.
“Fang Jianing? What are you doing here?”
“Eating out with my family. Hello, Classmate Nangong. I’m Linna’s deskmate. My name is Fang Jianing~”
Saying this, she pointed to a table behind her. Yu Linna turned around and saw a kind-looking couple sitting opposite them. Yu Linna recognized the young woman sitting next to the middle-aged man; she had seen her last time at Fang Jianing’s house. It was Fang Jianing’s mother.
“Hello, Uncle and Auntie.”
Yu Linna immediately stood up to greet them.
“Hello, we meet again, Little Linna.”
The young woman returned a polite smile, her manners impeccable, without a single flaw.
Nangong Ying looked at this smiling girl. Judging by her appearance, this girl seemed to have a good relationship with Yu Linna, and they were even deskmates. She must take good care of Yu Linna usually, because Yu Linna’s personality didn’t like getting too close to others.
Mainly because she rarely had close friends in her early years, which made it difficult for her to get close to people after growing up.
“My name is Nangong Ying. Thank you for taking care of Linna.”
“Not at all, you’re too kind. Classmate Nangong, can I add you as a friend? Can I add you?”
“Uh…”
What’s with this girl? Her eyes are shining, like she wants to eat someone.
“Of course, no problem. Here, this is my QR code…”
“Thank you very much!”
Anyway, it’s just adding a friend, not a big deal. Forget it, Nangong Ying thought. Fang Jianing was always enthusiastic about adding friends, especially pretty young ladies. Although she herself said her sexual orientation was normal, it always made people doubt her words.
“It’s a rare opportunity. How about we hang out together? I know many fun places nearby.”
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