After Swapping Bodies with the Movie Queen, She Ended Up with Me (GL) - Chapter 19

At the lighthouse check-in spot, Mu Lingwan and Rong Qing found a white upright piano standing by the shore. Though the white-painted piano looked worn, it appeared quite photogenic on camera. Mu Lingwan pulled Rong Qing into a four-handed duet of “Two Tigers” for the shot.

Neither Rong Qing nor Mu Lingwan were skilled players, but the white sand and white piano made for perfect photo opportunities.

“This framing is excellent,” the production team praised Rong Qing’s camera angles. “She doesn’t seem like a variety show rookie – very professional in every aspect.”

“Maybe she’s just naturally good at this,” the assistant director murmured, admiring the romantic seaside scene in the frame and considering it for the first episode’s cover.

“Are the guest stars confirmed?” the director asked.

“All arranged. They can join filming in the next couple days.”

“Perfect. That’ll really spice things up – this show’s going to be fantastic.”

The assistant director glanced at Mu Lingwan and Rong Qing on the monitor and sighed inwardly…

Beyond the scheduled check-in locations, there was a beach music festival performance that day featuring unknown but talented singers. After taking photos by the stage, Mu Lingwan dragged a chair to the farthest corner where she and Rong Qing sat reviewing their pictures.

“Completed spots: lighthouse, piano, love boat, surfboard art wall, beach music festival…” Rong Qing flipped through their photos. The festival shots showed fans had painted beautiful designs on their faces, with the lively crowd creating a vibrant, dynamic background.

Each photo was perfectly framed and composed – social media ready.

“This one’s gorgeous,” Rong Qing held a photo up toward the stage lights, making the colors glow.

“Like it?” Mu Lingwan lounged beside her, lazily dangling a pale red flip-flop from her toes as she sipped water. Tilting her water bottle like a wine glass, she drawled, “Post it on Weibo if you like it.”

“…Maybe not.” Rong Qing organized the photos and stretched, watching the distant stage where the singer belted out “Wumeng Mountains” to an enthusiastic crowd.

Though all the filming locations were coastal, they were spread far apart. At 4pm, with sunset approaching, they just needed their final shot – an orange seaside sunset – before wrapping.

“Looks fun,” Rong Qing murmured enviously at the crowd. “Just not my kind of music.”

Mu Lingwan glanced over. “What would you want to hear?”

After a pause, Rong Qing replied, “Teacher Xu Qing’s song ‘The Sun.'”

Xu Qing was a singer Rong Qing had always admired. When she first debuted, she sang some love songs that became nationwide hits. However, this single “The Sun” was released after she visited a rural girls’ school several years ago, with all proceeds going to establish a girls’ fund to help those who couldn’t afford education.

Mu Lingwan froze momentarily upon hearing the song’s name. After a few seconds of silence, she said to Rong Qing, “If Teacher Xu Qing were here, you could hear her sing this song.”

“What a shame Teacher Xu Qing went to another location for check-ins,” Rong Qing sighed regretfully.

After another announcement from the stage sent the audience into cheers, Mu Lingwan watched the performance for a while before putting down her water bottle and standing up. “I can sing that song too,” she declared.

Before Rong Qing could react, Mu Lingwan had already walked to the stage. After discussing something with the band, the lead singer excitedly turned to look at Rong Qing sitting nearby and nodded eagerly.

“Next up, let’s welcome Teacher Rong Qing to perform ‘The Sun’ for us! Give her a warm welcome, woo-hoo~” The female lead singer hyped up the crowd before handing the microphone to Mu Lingwan.

The band, familiar with various pop songs—especially this classic—could start immediately once they found the sheet music.

As the melodious prelude began, the stage lights softened into warm hues. Mu Lingwan stood illuminated in her black leather jacket, with an orange sunset and crimson sea painted behind her.

Clutching the black metal microphone, she hummed the prelude in a low voice, quieting the audience as they looked up at her.

“I want to give you a pair of pure white wings, to take you flying to the place you long for…”

Mu Lingwan’s lowered lashes trembled like beautiful silk flowers under the lights, refracting colorful glimmers. Her clear, pleasant voice transformed her into someone else entirely as she sang into the microphone.

Rong Qing sat transfixed, watching her own image under the spotlight. She used to dream of this—standing alone on a grand stage with thousands of eyes watching, singing songs she loved and making countless fans happy through her music.

Though she’d always dismissed such dreams as absurd upon waking, now for the first time, Rong Qing saw herself on stage from another’s perspective.

That was the best version of herself.

Her nose stung and eyes reddened as Mu Lingwan delivered a stunning rendition of “The Sun” with steady vocals and varied techniques, earning thunderous applause from the audience.

When the song ended, Mu Lingwan looked up to see Rong Qing staring at her with reddened eyes and froze.

It’s just a song—why was she moved to tears?

Though puzzled, Mu Lingwan felt an inexplicable tightness in her chest. After returning the microphone, she jumped off the stage and pushed through the crowd to Rong Qing. Picking up her belongings, she said quietly, “Let’s go take our last photo.”

Rong Qing and the others had walked several steps before realizing what had happened. She quickly rubbed her eyes, grabbed the instant camera and the photos, and hurried after them.

By around 5 o’clock, the sun was finally nearing the horizon, casting a shimmering orange-red glow over the sea. Mu Lingwan pulled Rong Qing over and snapped a photo with the instant camera before Rong Qing could even react.

Mu Lingwan looked at the developed photo and paused before saying, “Your eyes are so red.”

Rong Qing glanced at the photo and saw that her eyes were indeed reddened. She quickly apologized, “Sorry, I got sand in my eyes earlier on the beach…”

Mu Lingwan saw through it but didn’t call her out. Instead, she pulled Rong Qing in for another photo. Then, she tucked the first photo into her pocket—the second one showed Rong Qing’s eyes much less red, so Mu Lingwan placed it in the stack with the others.

“That makes the full set,” Rong Qing said, counting the photos they had taken at each check-in spot. Once she confirmed they were all there, she looked up at Mu Lingwan curiously and asked, “That song… how did you know it?”

Mu Lingwan replied flatly, “Why wouldn’t I know that song?”

Rong Qing quickly clarified, “I didn’t mean anything bad by it! I just thought you sang it really well.”

And she meant it—it sounded way better than her own singing.

Mu Lingwan studied Rong Qing’s expression, confirming she wasn’t just flattering her, then pursed her lips slightly and said, “Singing is the easiest thing. If you can’t sing well, maybe you weren’t paying attention in your vocal lessons.”

Before Rong Qing could retort, Mu Lingwan added, “Let’s go. We should take the cart back to the villa.”

The two boarded the six-seater electric convertible again. Barely five minutes into the ride, a familiar voice called out from behind them.

“Hey! You two up ahead!”

Xu Qing stood up, gripping the convertible’s sunshade rod, waving a handkerchief she’d somehow gotten her hands on. “Wait for us! Let’s head back together!”

Mu Lingwan turned around, resting her arm on the seatback with a frown. As another identical electric cart pulled up beside them, she asked, puzzled, “Why are you here?”

Xu Qing grinned. “Rong Qing, is this really your style? Aren’t you supposed to be the cute idol type? Why are you looking more and more like your girlfriend?”

Rong Qing immediately leaned forward. “No, no! This… this is cute too.”

Mu Lingwan and Xu Qing both turned to stare at her, impressed by her ability to lie so blatantly. Mu Lingwan always had such a stern expression—only Rong Qing would dare call her “cute.”

Xu Qing twitched her lips into a stiff smile. “Ah, love really is blind. Little Qing’er, you’re adorable no matter what.”

Mu Lingwan shuddered at the nickname “Little Qing’er,” shooting Xu Qing a glare. Noticing how muddy she was, she asked, “Where did you two go? How did you end up covered in dirt like this?”

Rong Qing then noticed that while Xu Qing’s upper half was fine, her pants and shoes were caked in mud. But since she was wearing brown cargo pants today, it hadn’t been immediately obvious.

“Ah, don’t even mention it,” Xu Qing sighed as she sat back down helplessly. “Our mission was to check in at the mountain temple. It was supposed to be simple, but then we ended up doing several more tasks. I spent the whole afternoon digging up radishes, and the temple abbot even gave me a whole basket to bring back. Look, they’re all right here.”

The others turned to see a basket of radishes properly placed in the back seat. Each radish was as thick as an arm, with fresh, dewy greens still clinging to them and soil clinging to their roots. You could almost smell their earthy freshness.

“That basket must weigh thirty or forty pounds, right?” Rong Qing exclaimed in amazement as she eyed the radishes. “If we made radish-stuffed buns with these, how many days would they last?”

Though Rong Qing’s words were spoken casually, they struck a chord with Xu Qing, who immediately glanced nervously at the camera crew following them, her eyes widening in shock.

Surely… it couldn’t be what she was thinking?!