"Enough with the excuses—when I tell you to find something, you find it." Ye Ruihuan slipped out of bed and disappeared into the ensuite bathroom.
By the time she emerged from her bedroom, Ye Zhi had already made herself comfortable in the living room, contentedly working through her breakfast.
"Why do you always come here to mooch food?" Ye Ruihuan complained, though she immediately snatched a dumpling with her chopsticks.
"Don't you dare touch my dumplings! Aunt Zhang made these specifically for me." Ye Zhi finally looked up from her tablet, eyeing her sister with amusement. "Well, well—someone's dressed to impress today. Who's the lucky victim?"
Ye Ruihuan's glossy black hair cascaded over her shoulders like liquid silk. She'd chosen a pearl-adorned blouse that screamed expensive elegance, paired with jeans that hugged every curve. The ensemble transformed her usual intimidating presence into something almost innocent and playful. Almost. If you could ignore the predatory gleam in her eyes and the way she carried herself like she owned the world, she might have passed for the perfect daughter of a distinguished family. Such a waste, Ye Zhi mused privately. All that beauty ruined by an ego the size of a small country.
"Nobody in particular." Ye Ruihuan claimed another dumpling, pointedly ignoring her sister's accusatory stare.
"Right. Yesterday you were lounging around in pajamas, and today you look like you stepped off a magazine cover." Ye Zhi didn't bother looking up from her screen as she demolished her sister's facade. "You're meeting Lin Ruijiao."
"Have you found those resources I asked for?" Ye Ruihuan deflected, though her pause betrayed her.
"Which resources? You mean those three—no, four—no wait, was it five or six?—actresses, models, and singers who supposedly resembled Dong Yulan? The ones you've completely abandoned?" Ye Zhi's voice carried years of accumulated frustration.
"They... haven't terminated their contracts yet?" Ye Ruihuan's uncertainty was telling. She'd lost interest in her collection of look-alikes long ago. Pretty dolls grew boring when they lacked substance, and none of them had captured even a fraction of Dong Yulan's essence.
"Two cut their losses and ran. Two more are still haunting the company offices, hoping for a miracle. The remaining two are bleeding the company dry while they wait for their big break." Ye Zhi sighed heavily. "Please tell me this new one will have the sense to quit on her own."
The unspoken accusation hung in the air: If you wanted Dong Yulan so badly, why didn't you do something about it when you had the chance?
"We'll see. Any decent scripts floating around lately?" Ye Ruihuan asked, her tone carefully neutral.
"There's 'Half Moon.' Zhou Yanyan from our roster landed the female lead. Best Lin Ruijiao could hope for is third billing."
"Third female lead works."
"I'm holding you to that—this is absolutely the last one." Ye Zhi's finger jabbed the air for emphasis. "These women are decorative objects, nothing more. Don't create problems I'll have to solve. I'm not your cleanup crew."
"I'm not an idiot, Ye Zhi." Ye Ruihuan sipped her milk with practiced indifference.
Ye Zhi arched a skeptical eyebrow. The jury was still out on that one.
"And stop calling me at all hours! The company keeps me busy enough without your midnight dramatics."
Ye Ruihuan offered no promises. She finished breakfast in silence, then retreated to her room to prepare for what she privately thought of as her royal audience.
When Ye Ruihuan arrived at Yuwan Villa, her makeup was flawless—the same artfully understated perfection she'd worn the day before. But the villa greeted her with hollow silence. No sign of her latest acquisition anywhere.
Her perfectly sculpted brows drew together in confusion. Had she imagined the entire evening? The contract signing, the luggage, the breathless confessions of admiration—had it all been some elaborate fever dream?
She dropped her designer bag onto the pristine sofa and speed-dialed Ye Zhi.
"Where the hell is Lin Ruijiao?"
"How should I know? Isn't she supposed to be with you?" Ye Zhi's exasperation crackled through the phone. "Honestly, Ruihuan, how many times are you planning to call me today?"
"She's not here."
"Then contact her manager. I'm texting you the number now." The line went dead.
Ye Ruihuan immediately dialed the new number.
"Lin Ruijiao's representative?" Her voice could have frozen summer rain.
"Y-yes! This is Manager Wang. May I ask who's calling?"
"Ye Ruihuan. Where is she?"
"President Ye! I... wasn't Ruijiao staying at your villa last night?"
"Clearly not." Each word dropped like an ice cube.
"She must be at home then. I'll send her contact details and address right away. Is there... may I ask what this is regarding?" Manager Wang's voice trembled slightly.
"Bring Lin Ruijiao to the villa. You're coming too. Now." The phone went silent.
Ye Ruihuan's frown deepened, irritation flickering behind her dark eyes. The girl had been here last night—she was certain of it. Lin Ruijiao had practically glowed as she gushed about being such a devoted fan, had practically bounced with excitement over getting an autograph. When they'd signed the contract, she'd acted like she'd won the lottery and planned to live here forever.
So where the hell was she?
Ye Ruihuan settled into the sofa like a monarch claiming her throne, long legs crossed with casual elegance. Everything about her posture screamed power and possession—a queen who was not accustomed to being disappointed.
Meanwhile, Manager Wang was frantically calling her client. Lin Ruijiao was buried deep in her covers, determined to ignore whatever force was conspiring against her sleep. She'd already silenced her alarm—why wouldn't the universe take the hint?
Finally, grudgingly, she answered.
"Jesus, where have you been? President Ye has been trying to reach you for ages—" Manager Wang's voice hit her like a fire hose.
"I'm home, obviously. What does President Ye want?" The mention of Ye Ruihuan snapped Lin Ruijiao to full consciousness.
"How would I know? Get dressed—we're going to Yuwan Villa immediately. I'm already on my way to pick you up."
"Understood." Lin Ruijiao frowned as she agreed. This deviated from her memories of the previous timeline entirely. After signing the contract, there had been a long period of radio silence from Ye Ruihuan. What had changed? Was it because she hadn't spent the night at the villa? But that seemed like such a minor detail...
What exactly did Ye Ruihuan want?
She grabbed the first outfit that came to hand—a simple combination that would have to suffice. Before she could analyze the situation further, Manager Wang was pounding on her door.
"You're wearing that to meet President Ye? THE President Ye of Huarui Entertainment?" Manager Wang looked scandalized. "Change immediately. And you haven't even started your makeup! Bring everything—you can fix your face in the car. Move! We cannot keep President Ye waiting."
"This is fine—simple and chic." Lin Ruijiao moved with deliberate calm, gathering her essentials. "There's no need for theatrics."
"But you always said meeting your idol required proper presentation!" Manager Wang sputtered. "This is President Ye we're talking about! Showing up like this is practically insulting!"
"I've already met her," Lin Ruijiao replied with a serene smile. "Honestly? I was more impressed by Dong Yulan. She's my role model now." She steered the bewildered manager toward the exit. "This outfit is perfectly appropriate. Let's go—punctuality is what matters."
Manager Wang could only shake her head in confusion. Overnight, Lin Ruijiao had undergone some inexplicable transformation. Yesterday she couldn't shut up about Ye Ruihuan, and now she acted like she could take her or leave her.
"At least fix your makeup in the car," Manager Wang pleaded once they were mobile. "And explain something to me—why didn't you stay at the villa last night? You brought your luggage and everything."
"The place felt too empty. I got spooked being there alone." Lin Ruijiao dutifully began applying cosmetics, though her heart wasn't in it. She really didn't want to put on this performance just for Ye Ruihuan. "Do you know what this meeting is about?"
"No idea, but President Ye sounded... displeased. Probably because she expected to find you at the villa. Be extremely careful with your words." Manager Wang studied her client's face with growing concern. The dramatic personality shift was impossible to ignore, and timing couldn't be worse. "Whatever's going on with you, keep it to yourself until we're out of there."
"Of course." Lin Ruijiao understood the precarious position they were in. Manager Wang had been loyal through multiple lifetimes—she deserved honesty, but that conversation would have to wait. Right now, survival took precedence.
While she waited, Ye Ruihuan had somehow acquired a cup of premium black tea. She sat in solitary elegance, surveying her domain with satisfaction. The villa was magnificent but lacked the final touch—proper staff. She'd been neglecting this property, preferring her primary residence at Guiting. But Yuwan served its purpose perfectly for housing her rotating collection of beautiful distractions.
She reached for her phone to call Ye Zhi.
"Arrange for a housekeeper at Yuwan Villa. Today."
"Are you kidding me right now? That's what assistants are for! Is yours completely useless? Stop calling me!" The line went dead, and when Ye Ruihuan tried calling back, she discovered she'd been blocked.
Her mood, already precarious, took a sharp downward turn.
The villa's grandeur surrounded her—soaring ceilings, imported marble, artwork worth more than most people's homes. She should have felt satisfaction, but instead, a cold fury began building in her chest. Everything about her posture radiated barely contained menace. Her dark eyes held a predatory gleam that would have sent most people running.
A tentative knock interrupted her brooding.
"Enter."
"President Ye!" Manager Wang bustled in with an overly bright smile, Lin Ruijiao trailing silently behind.
The moment Lin Ruijiao stepped into the room, she was struck by the tableau before her. Ye Ruihuan sat bathed in golden sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking like some avenging angel—beautiful, terrible, and absolutely untouchable.
"Sit." The single word carried the weight of imperial command.
"Thank you, President Ye." Manager Wang perched nervously on the edge of her chair. "How can we assist you today?"
"Do I need a reason to summon you?" Ye Ruihuan set down her teacup with deliberate precision, the crystal chime echoing like a warning bell.
The temperature in the room seemed to plummet. Manager Wang felt every instinct screaming at her to flee, but she forced herself to remain motionless.
"Of course not! You're absolutely welcome to call us anytime."
Throughout this exchange, Lin Ruijiao kept her eyes fixed on her hands, maintaining perfect silence.
"Why didn't you stay here last night?" Ye Ruihuan's attention shifted like a spotlight, pinning Lin Ruijiao in place.
"President Ye, Ruijiao was—" Manager Wang began desperately.
"I asked her."
"The villa is very large, President Ye. I felt... intimidated staying alone." Lin Ruijiao's voice was small and apologetic, but something in her tone didn't quite ring true.
For a moment, Ye Ruihuan's expression softened. Those wide, innocent eyes were genuinely appealing—the kind of vulnerability that stirred protective instincts she'd thought long buried.
But then the inconsistency hit her.
President Ye. Yesterday, Lin Ruijiao had been blushing and stammering, calling her "Sister Ye" with breathy admiration. The formal distance now felt like a deliberate slap.
"President Ye," Manager Wang interjected quickly, reading the dangerous shift in atmosphere, "if you'd like Ruijiao to stay here, she can move in tonight."
Despite the increasingly frantic signals from her manager, Lin Ruijiao spoke with calm finality: "I appreciate the generous offer, President Ye, but I'm quite comfortable in my own home. Large, empty spaces make me anxious."
Her voice held no trace of the fear she claimed to feel.
Manager Wang actually grabbed her client's sleeve in panic.
Something dark and predatory flickered behind Ye Ruihuan's composed mask. This was not the same person who had signed the contract. Yesterday's Lin Ruijiao had been a eager little bird, desperate to please and pathetically grateful for any attention. This version was composed, distant—almost indifferent.
Ye Ruihuan had dealt with enough ambitious actresses to recognize calculation when she saw it. But this felt different. More like... disillusionment?
She withdrew her gaze and poured herself fresh tea with studied casualness, letting the silence stretch until both women were visibly sweating.
"A housekeeper will be arriving later today," she announced finally, her tone deceptively light. "You'll both be moving in. Today."
"Of course, President Ye! Thank you so much!" Manager Wang practically radiated relief.
"Thank you, President Ye." Lin Ruijiao's acceptance sounded resigned rather than grateful.
"Go pack your things then." Ye Ruihuan dismissed Manager Wang with a regal wave, then fixed Lin Ruijiao with an unblinking stare. "You. Stay."