Chapter 147: Heart-to-Heart with the Queen Under the Moon (Bonus 6000 Monthly Tickets!)

Watching Wei Ming ride off with Zhu Lin cradled in his arms, the second male lead, Xiao Shen, worriedly asked: “Letting him take our person like this—could it be dangerous?”

The director told the driver: “Let’s follow them in the car and see what’s going on.”

“I’ll go prepare it!”

Director Zhang Qichang turned to Ma Jingwu: “Ma Laoshi, who exactly is this man?”

Ma Jingwu remained calm, speaking slowly: “Have you heard of Wei Ming?”

Na Renhua felt the name was familiar: “That writer?”

Ma Jingwu nodded. Everyone was stunned, especially Director Zhang Qichang: “The same guy who wrote ‘The Herdsman’—the one both Beijing Film Studio and Shanghai Film Studio fought over?!”

He’s said to be only in his teens, still a gatekeeper at Peking University—truly a prodigy.

Ma Jingwu smiled: “That’s him. We met at the Writers’ Congress. In just three months, his fame and influence have grown even more.”

Director Zhang exclaimed: “Then how did he end up here? And how does he know Xiao Zhu?”

Ma Laoshi shook his head—he had no answer. Soon, the driver returned.

“The villagers say the main road out of the village is blocked by falling rocks—cars can’t pass!”

This proved Wei Ming was telling the truth. Ma Laoshi said: “Then we have no choice but to trust Wei Ming.”

“Trust me, hold on—help is coming soon! Don’t fall asleep!” Wei Ming urged Zhu Lin.

Zhu Lin was amused by his exaggerated tone and lightly tapped his thigh: “I just have a fever—I’m not dying.”

She curled up in Wei Ming’s arms, her back pressed against his chest, legs brushing his, wrapped in a military overcoat—the night had turned bitterly cold.

Wei Ming held the overcoat tight with one hand and guided the reins with the other: “You’re a medical worker yourself—and yet you’re the one who fell ill.”

“I didn’t,” Zhu Lin rebutted. “Lots of people get sick when they first come to Yunnan. I’ve only been sick once—it’s already impressive.”

“Fine, fine, you’re impressive, you’re the most impressive.” Wei Ming soothed.

Zhu Lin sniffed and asked: “How did you know I was here?”

Wei Ming: “Oh, I went to Yuxi and ran into a colleague from your crew—they told me.”

Zhu Lin: “I meant how did you know your crew was filming in Yuxi?”

She’d only told Wei Ming she was in Yunnan—never the exact location.

Wei Ming grinned: “I planted a spy in your crew.”

“Is it Ma Laoshi?” Zhu Lin noticed Ma Jingwu seemed to know Wei Ming.

“Oh my, Sister Lin, you’re burning up and still thinking sharp!” Wei Ming praised.

“It’s Ma Laoshi. I heard he’s the male lead in this film, and that his wife teaches acting at the Film Academy. I also have some friends there—I asked around and found out where they were shooting. He doesn’t know, though.”

Zhu Lin laughed: “Sounds complicated.”

“Of course. I went through hell just to send you those cassette tapes.”

Zhu Lin’s heart warmed. After hesitating, she asked: “So you came to Yunnan specifically to see me?”

Wei Ming: “No, not specifically. It was fate—pure coincidence. I came to Yuxi to find family.”

Hearing Wei Ming hadn’t come for her, Zhu Lin felt a pang of disappointment—and then relief. “Find family? But your mother’s side is from Sichuan-Chongqing, right?”

Wei Ming: “I found my relatives there, but there’s still a young aunt lost somewhere.”

He briefly explained: “I came here after spotting a clue—but it wasn’t the right person.”

Zhu Lin patted his leg reassuringly: “Where there’s sincerity, even stone will yield. I believe your mother and your aunt will reunite.”

“Yes, we’ll keep searching,” Wei Ming said firmly.

At that moment, they reached the rockfall. They’d covered half the journey—but Nibai suddenly stopped running and began ambling.

Wei Ming knew the horse was exhausted, carrying two people—but exhaustion was no excuse. At a critical moment, you couldn’t slack off!

But Zhu Lin was understanding: “Forget it. Don’t run. The night wind’s too strong—it’ll sting.”

Wei Ming realized she was right. With Zhu Lin blocking the wind in front, he hadn’t felt it at all.

He suggested: “How about you ride backward? Then the wind won’t hit your face.”

“Huh? Can you even do that?”

“Of course. Even Zhang Guolao rode his donkey backward.” Wei Ming halted Nibai, lifted Zhu Lin from under his arm, turned her around, rewrapped her in the overcoat, and settled her against his chest.

Though she stood 1.66 meters tall, in Wei Ming’s hands she was as light as a toy.

“Better now?” Wei Ming asked.

Zhu Lin nodded softly. Her face wasn’t the only thing flushed—her ears and neck were red too. Her legs pressed tightly against his with every step the horse took. But she was sick—and feared the wind more than anything.

Slowly, they rode along the Yunnan mountain path beneath the moonlight.

For stability, Zhu Lin instinctively wrapped her arms around Wei Ming’s waist. He could feel the curve of her upper body. Then she remembered something and quickly loosened her grip. Both she and Xiao Wei had partners—this wasn’t right.

But Wei Ming took her hands and placed them firmly on his waist: “Hold tighter. Otherwise the wind gets through. The day-night temperature difference in Yunnan is worse than I thought.”

“Oh~” Zhu Lin hugged him again, eliminating every gap between them. She was already sick—she couldn’t let him catch cold too.

Still, that thought lingered in her mind.

“Xiao Wei, where’s your partner from?” Zhu Lin asked. “The last time I visited Peking University, I heard you went out with her.”

Wei Ming: “I was seeing her off—to the airport. She was returning to her home country.”

“Her home country? She’s not Chinese?!” Zhu Lin’s eyes widened.

“Yes. She was a British exchange student. She went back after graduation.”

“Will she come back?”

Wei Ming smiled: “Maybe when she’s old, she’ll remember her student days in China—and return to relive her youth.”

Zhu Lin understood: It was a graduation breakup. Poor Xiao Wei—his first taste of love ended like this. He must be heartbroken.

!

The older sister couldn’t help but feel pity for the younger brother. She gently patted his back, offering maternal comfort.

“I’m fine. At least I loved passionately. Having this experience means I’ll never regret it when I’m old—better than drifting into a loveless marriage just because it’s expected.”

Wei Ming: I didn’t mean anything by that. Don’t overthink it, Sister.

But she was already overthinking. After all, wasn’t her own love life just drifting?

Age had come. Introduced by others. She didn’t love him deeply—but since staying single was becoming awkward, they got engaged. Last year, on her birthday, they set the wedding date. Will she, when old, feel she’d wasted her youth?

“Enough about me,” Wei Ming said, sensing Zhu Lin’s long silence. “How’s it going on set? Is filming going smoothly?”

At this, Zhu Lin sighed: “Everyone else is fine, but I’ve made too many mistakes. Haven’t you noticed my voice is hoarse? Today, I had to shout in a forest scene—over ten times—before they accepted it.”

Wei Ming: “Ha! I thought it was just the fever. If you want to pursue acting seriously, you need proper training in voice, diction, movement, and acting. Ask Ma Laoshi—he can help.”

Zhu Lin softly murmured “Mm.” At first, she’d only wanted to dabble. But after filming this long—even though she was exhausted, her face darker from the sun, far less comfortable than in the lab—it was genuinely fascinating. Some things here, she’d never encounter in a lab her whole life.

A seed of ambition to become a professional actress had begun to sprout.

Wei Ming checked his watch. Around eight, they finally reached the small town.

Only then did Zhu Lin notice his watch glowed. What kind of watch was that?

Meanwhile, Xu’s family was still waiting for Wei Ming to return for dinner. Cui Cuicui, starving, urged: “Maybe Brother Wei’s eating at a friend’s place. Let’s start without him.”

Cui Cuicui’s father, Cui Sheng, said: “Wait another half hour. If he hasn’t come back, we’ll eat.”

Doctor Xu Yingying suddenly perked up: “They’re back!”

The uncles were puzzled. Cui Cuicui explained: “My mom can hear Nibai’s neigh from miles away.”

Sure enough, soon Nibai galloped into the courtyard with Wei Ming and Zhu Lin on his back. Wei Ming dismounted first, then helped Zhu Lin down.

Zhu Lin had wanted to walk, but after the bumpy ride and her illness, her legs were weak—she could barely stand.

Wei Ming swept her up in a bridal carry and called out: “Sister Yingying, I’ve brought a patient—please check her!”

Doctor Xu: “What’s wrong? What’s the illness? Put her on the bed.”

Others gathered around. Zhu Lin felt embarrassed—but Doctor Xu closed the door, leaving only Wei Ming inside.

Zhu Lin clearly described her symptoms and possible causes.

Doctor Xu listened and thought: Hmm, a fellow medical worker—she could probably diagnose herself.

Doctor Xu touched Zhu Lin’s forehead: “Medicine will take too long. I’ll give you an injection.”

“Okay.”

Doctor Xu prepared the shot. Seeing Wei Ming still there, she said: “It’s a butt shot.”

“Ah? Oh.” Wei Ming stepped out.

Outside, he first introduced himself to Cui Cuicui’s father.

At the same time, Comrade Cui Sheng exposed Cui Cuicui’s lie: “Don’t believe her—she actually loves a different writer.”

Cui Cuicui tried to cover her mouth, but it was too late. Wei Ming thought: That makes sense—how could a primary schooler like serious literature?

Wei Ming called to Cui Cuicui: “Cuicui, who’s your favorite writer? I know people in the literary world—I can help you get their books, unless it’s Lu Xun, Lao She, or Guo Moruo—everyone else, I’ve got connections.”

Cui Cuicui’s eyes lit up: “Do you know Wei what? The one who writes fairy tales!”

…

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(End of chapter)