"No, it doesn't count," Lin Ruijiao answered firmly.
"Is that so? Do you know who 'she' is that I'm referring to?"
"..." Lin Ruijiao pressed her lips together, remaining silent.
The white mist around them began to dissipate, and colorful bubbles materialized out of thin air. As the bubbles burst, Ye Ruihuan's figure came into view—she was kneeling pitifully on the ground, weeping with heart-wrenching despair.
Lin Ruijiao's brow furrowed slightly as complex, indescribable emotions spread through her heart. Her composed expression crumbled entirely, and her naturally hanging hands unconsciously clenched into fists.
"How dishonest of you."
"What's the point? I'm already dead."
"You will be together." A clear voice rang out in the space without any emotional inflection, devoid of feeling.
"No, we won't." Lin Ruijiao's translucent hands tightened into trembling fists.
"Is that so?" As the voice faded, bubbles began rising again, radiating sacred light. With each burst, scene after scene of beautiful, blissful moments unfolded before Lin Ruijiao's eyes.
Under brilliant sunshine, she and Ye Ruihuan walked arm in arm, shopping happily together. In the warm glow of theater lights, they playfully watched movies in pure joy. In a sacred cathedral, they celebrated their perfect wedding ceremony... Frame by frame, these images gradually became transparent before dissolving away, as crystalline tears silently rolled down her cheeks.
"These are all lies..." Lin Ruijiao coldly rebuked, her moist eyes filled with unwavering determination and a trace of mockery.
"Child, go back," the clear, childlike voice gradually faded into nothingness. "Cherish..."
"Go back? Where? Cherish? What?" Lin Ruijiao couldn't help but cry out. But no more sounds came from the vast white space.
A wave of dizziness struck, and Lin Ruijiao lost consciousness. After an unknown amount of time, she gradually awakened, her senses slowly returning. A surge of joy stirred restlessly within her heart.
Before she could understand the source of these complex emotions, Lin Ruijiao's gaze fell upon the contract on the coffee table. The bold signature reading "Lin Ruijiao" stabbed straight into her eyes like a knife.
She knew this contract all too well. In her previous naivety, she had foolishly regarded this stack of papers—essentially a "slave contract"—as a token of love between them. She never imagined that later, when she wanted to escape from Ye Ruihuan, this expensive contract would become her prison, forcing her into helpless submission.
"Go back"—so this was what it meant? Lin Ruijiao looked down at her own pale, delicate hands. Had she really returned to this time?
"Since you've already signed, everything will proceed according to the contract. You'll stay here tonight." Ye Ruihuan's casual words carried the arrogance of someone in power. At that moment, she was carefully admiring her freshly done manicure, completely oblivious to Lin Ruijiao's strange behavior.
"Hah, Ye Ruihuan is as consistently detestable as ever..." Lin Ruijiao couldn't help but think sarcastically.
"Since there are no objections, I'll be leaving now." Ye Ruihuan stood up and headed for the door. Her gaze inadvertently swept across the room and met Lin Ruijiao's resolute eyes. She paused briefly but continued walking out without concern.
Ye Ruihuan wore light makeup and a pale-colored dress, presenting a gentle, lovely appearance. However, her slightly upturned eyebrows and imperious gaze made her seem coldly arrogant yet exquisitely beautiful—the perfect image of an untouchable wealthy young lady.
But that refined, beautiful face was filled with indifference, even carrying a hint of condescending disdain. Upon seeing this familiar countenance again, Lin Ruijiao's eyes unconsciously flashed with amazement, but once she came to her senses, she found Ye Ruihuan's appearance thoroughly grating, causing her heart to ache faintly. With such a nonchalant demeanor, how had she ever believed that this lofty Actress Ye, the CEO of Huarui Entertainment, actually liked her? A mocking smile curved Lin Ruijiao's lips, cold as winter.
Only after that proud figure completely disappeared did Lin Ruijiao shift her gaze from the contract on the coffee table and survey her surroundings. The villa's simple yet luxurious style remained unchanged. From the smallest vase to the largest piece of furniture, Lin Ruijiao knew every detail of their placement—better than Ye Ruihuan herself. This residence where she had spent several years, this "home" where she and Ye Ruihuan had once been so intimate. Complex emotions flickered in Lin Ruijiao's eyes as she confirmed she had truly returned to the past.
If that was the case, then while everything could still be changed, she would rewrite her life and remove Ye Ruihuan—this disruptive element—from her world entirely.
The moment memories of their past interactions began to surface, Lin Ruijiao forcibly pushed them back down, sealing away all those recollections. Without a trace of lingering attachment, she pulled her suitcase toward the door, clutching the contract they had just signed.
From today forward, she would no longer be the naive, foolish Lin Ruijiao of the past. She would not be infatuated with Ye Ruihuan again, nor would she walk the same path to destruction as in her previous life. She would create her own glorious years.
The only trouble was this "slave contract," though fortunately, her original manager, Sister Wang, would still be handling her career. Lying on her own bed, Lin Ruijiao had just begun typing a message to Sister Wang on her phone when she paused, then deleted everything and gave up.
Outside the window, the moon hung large and round like an illuminated light bulb, bright against the star-dotted dark blue canvas of the night sky.
The bright light kept Lin Ruijiao awake, and she couldn't help but recall that torrential rainy night when Ye Ruihuan had collapsed beside her bed, crying her heart out. The image flashed by momentarily, causing her to frown—these weren't thoughts she should be having.
Reflecting on her previous life, after following Ye Ruihuan, she had indeed gained considerable resources within the industry, but she had always remained nothing more than a caged canary. She had abandoned her own dreams, wanting only to stay by Ye Ruihuan's side, but it all turned out to be nothing but a golden dream...
Ye Ruihuan had kept her around only because she resembled her white moonlight, Dong Yulang—that industry veteran known for both virtue and artistry, gentle and beautiful. Lin Ruijiao had loved Ye Ruihuan with complete devotion, abandoning everything for her, and Ye Ruihuan had indulged in playing house with her. But she never expected that from beginning to end, Ye Ruihuan had loved her white moonlight, never her.
She, Lin Ruijiao, had been nothing but a joke.
A tear glistening with light slid from the corner of her eye. She hadn't expected that after all this time, she could still feel heartache. But of course—that had been her teenage idol, the person she had truly loved during her youth.
But not anymore. The Lin Ruijiao of the previous life was dead, and the perfect Ye Ruihuan she had adored had died along with her former self.
Lin Ruijiao reviewed the timeline of her previous life, recalling various scandals and events that had erupted in the industry. Now, she hoped to avoid some of those pitfalls.
Meanwhile, even in her pitch-black, lightless room, Ye Ruihuan also found it difficult to fall asleep.
"How strange, why was today's dream different?" Ye Ruihuan placed her hand over her wildly beating heart, murmuring to herself as her rapid breathing gradually steadied.
She turned on the delicate lamp on her nightstand, and warm yellow light instantly spread throughout the room. But Ye Ruihuan's heart remained far from calm. She couldn't remember the specific details of her dream, only that it had featured that extra who looked like Yulang, and this mixture of painful yet pleasant emotions spreading through her chest—complex and unforgettable.
"Too strange. Could she have put some kind of spell on me?" Ye Ruihuan got up to pour herself a glass of water.
Ye Ruihuan had encountered this unknown eighteenth-tier extra, Lin Ruijiao, on a film set where she was making a guest appearance. Someone from some financial backer had clearly inserted this incompetent person who couldn't even manage a simple slapping scene, taking forever to get it right—obviously being deliberately bullied.
Already having waited far too long, Ye Ruihuan grew impatient. She swept over in her long robes and delivered a sharp slap: "What's wrong? Do you need me to teach you how to act? If you can't even do this, what business do you have acting?"
The person immediately deflated, bowing and scraping: "Sister Ye, no need, no need."
Anyone working in the industry knew: you could offend anyone except Ye Ruihuan. Even crossing financial backers was preferable. When Ye Ruihuan lost her temper, she would fight to mutual destruction, and no one could handle her. Besides, Ye Ruihuan herself was essentially a financial backer.
This pitiful, nameless supporting actor being bullied was Lin Ruijiao, and Ye Ruihuan's intervention had essentially done her a small favor.
Afterward, Lin Ruijiao removed her costume and headed straight for Ye Ruihuan's dressing room. Under the bright lights, she could clearly sense everyone's gazes lingering on her. She clenched her hands, took a deep breath to gather her courage, and said: "Sister Ye, thank you!" Her bright, watery eyes sparkled with excitement and shyness.
Only then did Ye Ruihuan get a clear look at her face. She was three parts pure like her beloved, three parts gentle like her beloved, and her features were three parts similar to her beloved. But it was her gaze that resembled her most—pitifully vulnerable yet remarkably resolute.
With just that one glance, Ye Ruihuan remembered her, and from that day forward, she began having frequent dreams. The content was almost always the same—intimate and tender moments with this little extra. She even began to suspect she had become obsessed with her. But during tonight's meeting, she felt neither psychological stirring nor physical impulse. Perhaps she really did need a girlfriend?
Ye Ruihuan sipped her warm water, trying to recall the details of her recent dream, but still couldn't remember. Everything was shrouded in gray-white mist, blurry and indistinct.
Suddenly, those resolute eyes flashed through her mind, and the girl's dazed expression from earlier that evening replayed clearly in her thoughts.
"Wasn't she happy when signing the contract with me? Why did she seem so absent-minded after signing, looking somewhat disappointed?" Only now did Ye Ruihuan notice the changes in the other person. What could she possibly be unhappy about with such favorable terms?! Ye Ruihuan felt puzzled, with an inexplicable irritation brewing, though she had no idea where this emotion came from.
The industry was full of beautiful women, and there were plenty who resembled Yulang. Lin Ruijiao could barely be considered ordinary, yet the conditions she offered were already unprecedented in the industry. How dare she still be unsatisfied! Ye Ruihuan assumed the other party was dissatisfied with the contract terms. For someone who was merely a vase resembling Yulang, what right did she have to be dissatisfied! With her abilities, she could only spend her entire career as an extra in the industry! This godsend opportunity, and she actually found it lacking?!
The more Ye Ruihuan thought about it, the more unsettled she became, so she picked up her phone and called her half-sister, Ye Zhi.
"Ye Zhi, what was that extra's name again? Lin something?"
"My dear aunt, you're calling me in the middle of the night just to ask this? Do you know what time it is? If there's something important, talk about it tomorrow!" Ye Zhi replied irritably.
"Wait, Lin what?" Ye Ruihuan fixated on this question, insisting on getting a clear answer from Ye Zhi right then and there.
"Ye Ruihuan! You signed her, so you should at least know her name!"
"Lin what?" Ye Ruihuan completely ignored the other party's complaints and continued asking.
"Lin Ruijiao!" Ye Zhi hung up immediately after answering. "What a lunatic, having some kind of breakdown at 2:30 AM. Doesn't she know how busy and tired her sister is?!"
"Lin Ruijiao..." Ye Ruihuan murmured. So that was her name. Getting older really did affect one's memory.
Repeating this name, Ye Ruihuan crawled back under her covers, rolling the characters of "Lin Ruijiao" around in her mind until she drifted off to sleep in a hazy stupor.
At eight in the morning, Ye Zhi appeared in Ye Ruihuan's room—not for any particular business, but purely to get revenge for having her sleep disturbed the night before.
"Ye Ruihuan! Get up! What were you asking me about last night?!" Ye Zhi pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed with a mischievous smile.
"What? Don't bother me, get out!" Ye Ruihuan buried her head under the blanket and mumbled drowsily.
"Get up! Weren't you the one who called me last night? About that Lin Ruijiao matter." Ye Zhi held her tablet, reviewing several emails. Ye Ruihuan certainly had it easy—she created Huarui Entertainment and dragged her in to work, dumping all the company's affairs on her. That was bad enough, but she also created daily chaos to add to her troubles.
"Aaaah, so annoying." Ye Ruihuan threw off her blanket and sat up. "That Lin Ruijiao..." She wasn't fully awake yet and couldn't even remember what she had wanted to accomplish the night before.
"Oh, so you know her name now?" Ye Zhi shot back sarcastically.
"Lin Ruijiao, right? See if there are any decent resources lately and give them to her. We can't just sign someone and then ignore them completely." Ye Ruihuan smoothed down her messy hair.
"Oh, suddenly growing a conscience? Has our CEO Ye finally developed a merciful heart?" Ye Zhi continued scrolling through her tablet and replying to emails as she spoke.