Sister Wang: "Yes, President Ye."
Lin Ruijiao: "..."
How was Ye Ruihuan's behavior different from her previous life? Though this person hadn't changed at all—still insufferably arrogant. Having already signed this "contract of slave," Lin Ruijiao knew she had no right to resist and could only adapt as circumstances demanded.
After Sister Wang left, only the two of them remained in the spacious living room. Neither spoke, and the silence was so profound that the cricket songs outside could be heard clearly. Lin Ruijiao kept her head lowered, lost in thought, while Ye Ruihuan leisurely sipped her black tea.
"Are you dissatisfied with something here?" Ye Ruihuan suddenly spoke, looking at the simply dressed beauty before her. The woman's plain attire made her look even more like Yulian, causing Ye Ruihuan to unconsciously soften her tone.
"No, President Ye. I'm just timid and have trouble sleeping in new places," Lin Ruijiao replied softly without lifting her head.
"Then you must be dissatisfied with me?" The voice that had been floating like cotton suddenly turned stern.
Lin Ruijiao raised her head to meet the other woman's unfriendly gaze and replied calmly, "No, President Ye."
"You seem somewhat different," Ye Ruihuan said expressionlessly, her eyes harboring an unfathomable complexity.
"...President Ye, I haven't changed at all. I was just too excited about signing with Huarui Entertainment before, and now I've calmed down a bit," Lin Ruijiao met her gaze directly, her round eyes showing no ripples of emotion.
"Is that so?" Ye Ruihuan lifted her teacup and took a sip.
Lin Ruijiao nodded, a shallow smile blooming on her face.
Ye Ruihuan turned to look at the trees outside the window, where golden sunlight streamed through the gaps between green leaves, vivid and lovely. How interesting—this false smile on Lin Ruijiao's face was exactly like Yulian's. Something had indeed changed, but this was actually quite good. She liked it very much. The corners of Ye Ruihuan's lips curved upward in a playful smile, making her entire presence seem warmer.
Lin Ruijiao unconsciously pressed her lips together. Had she said something unnecessary? Why did Ye Ruihuan seem much happier? This was truly ominous. Now that everything seemed to be changing with her rebirth, she could only take things one step at a time. First, she needed to make Ye Ruihuan lose interest in her and maintain some distance.
"President Ye? You came to see me for...?" Seeing this, Lin Ruijiao continued to ask. Please leave quickly if there's nothing!
"To check on you." Ye Ruihuan pushed the teacup on the coffee table toward her. "Drink up, don't be polite."
"....?" Lin Ruijiao was momentarily stunned. It seemed the person opposite had no intention of leaving.
"Thank you for your concern, President Ye." Without Sister Wang to help deflect, Lin Ruijiao could only make polite conversation herself.
"Since you're afraid, I'll come check on you often in the future." Ye Ruihuan naturally noticed her displeasure and continued mischievously.
"???"
Lin Ruijiao had just taken a sip of tea and nearly spat it out at these words.
"Cough cough..."
Look at that—this person was indeed dissatisfied with her. Ye Ruihuan understood immediately.
"Drink slowly, there's more," Ye Ruihuan said with a smile.
The seven parts smile on her face made Lin Ruijiao's heart rise another three parts in anxiety. She hadn't done anything wrong, so why did Ye Ruihuan seem even more interested in her? Lin Ruijiao couldn't help but harbor some wariness in her eyes.
Ye Ruihuan saw this clearly. She really was like Yulian—like a startled rabbit on the grassland, oversensitive to every rustle around her, nervously watching with wide eyes, trying to find a sliver of hope for survival in the cruel wilderness.
And Lin Ruijiao right now was just like that rabbit. Sigh, this rabbit had been quite endearing before, at least her chatter had seemed festive. But this was fine too—with some time and training, it should turn out quite well.
"I'll go first. There's a decent opportunity coming up—we'll discuss it in detail tomorrow." After speaking, Ye Ruihuan picked up her bag and stood. "Oh, and take good care of that tea set. Use it when I come next time."
"Yes, President Ye." Lin Ruijiao also stood up.
"Don't be so formal. Just call me by my name." Ye Ruihuan turned back with a brilliant smile, as if the sun outside had moved further from the clouds, becoming even more dazzling.
But Lin Ruijiao's heart sank to the ocean floor, the pressure making it hard to breathe. "Name? Ruihuan?" Don't be ridiculous—wasn't that form of address exclusive to her white moonlight? She wasn't anyone's substitute. All warmth drained from Lin Ruijiao's body at those words, her hanging fingers trembling.
"President Ye, that wouldn't be appropriate, would it? There should be distinctions between superior and subordinate. Since you're the company's boss, it would be presumptuous for me to call you by name directly." In that brief moment, various thoughts churned through Lin Ruijiao's mind before she smiled innocently and politely declined.
"It's fine. You said it yourself—I'm the boss, so I make the decisions. Or would you prefer to call me 'Sister Ye'?" Ye Ruihuan's face was full of smiles, her eyes hiding teasing, even her tone tinged with pleasure, sounding surprisingly gentle.
Pink memories suddenly invaded, and Lin Ruijiao's face immediately flushed red, the blush spreading across her entire face at visible speed. She must have been completely out of her mind to say such things back then.
"No, no, no, President Ye, I... my head wasn't quite clear then. Please don't take it seriously." Lin Ruijiao explained in panic.
"Really? But what if I already have?" Ye Ruihuan pressed down on her shoulder, leaning close to her ear with a laugh.
"President Ye..." Lin Ruijiao didn't know what to do for a moment, sitting down naturally as her ears unconsciously tinged with a hint of red. Then, coming to her senses, she scooted aside, dodging Ye Ruihuan's hand that was reaching for her head.
"Don't call me President Ye." The hand hung empty in the air as Ye Ruihuan narrowed her eyes, most of the smile fading from her face.
These words, laden with coldness, pulled Lin Ruijiao back from her shameful memories of the past.
"Alright, Ye... Ruihuan." Lin Ruijiao lowered her head, even her voice becoming soft.
The sunlight remained warm and bright. Ye Ruihuan had heard what she wanted to hear, but clearly her mood wasn't as pleasant as before. That small step backward reminded her of Yulian—Dong Yulian, who had rejected her and could only be friends.
Ye Ruihuan said nothing and left directly, slamming the door behind her proud silhouette.
Lin Ruijiao's mind churned with complex memories, whether from this life or the previous one. During her time with Ye Ruihuan, she had done many foolish things, acting like a naive fool so stupid she couldn't bear to watch herself. It was utterly shameful! How had she managed to call out "Sister Ye" so naturally back then! Lin Ruijiao couldn't help but cover her face.
It had been the same in her previous life. When Ye Ruihuan asked her to call her "Ruihuan," she thought their relationship had progressed further, only to discover she was merely being used as a substitute. And she had foolishly given her genuine heart.
From beginning to end, Ye Ruihuan had only been looking at Dong Yulian through her. Every gaze directed at her had contained deep, unrequited love—obvious and unmasked. But she had only known that the other person was someone she admired, never delving deeper into the meaning.
Now, Lin Ruijiao no longer cared about these things. She picked up her teacup and took a light sip. This tea was indeed fragrant—truly befitting her luxurious lifestyle. She wondered where it had been found in this villa devoid of any signs of life.
Soon after, the auntie Ye Ruihuan had mentioned arrived, and Sister Wang returned with their luggage.
Meanwhile, at home, Ye Ruihuan kept thinking of Lin Ruijiao's evasive manner. Was she trying to distance herself?
Ye Ruihuan toyed with a jade safety pendant as large as her palm, translucent and green. "Distance herself?" Her lips curved into a dangerous arc, disdainful yet tinged with unwillingness. "She, Lin Ruijiao, doesn't have that qualification."
As everyone organized their belongings, Lin Ruijiao reviewed her entire conversation with Ye Ruihuan and finally caught the key point. After contemplating for a while, she slowly said to Sister Wang beside her: "Sister Wang, President Ye just told me there's a good opportunity coming up, and she'll come tomorrow to discuss it with us in detail."
"Oh, and Aunt Liu, please take good care of the tea set on the living room coffee table—it belongs to President Ye." She turned to instruct the newly arrived auntie.
"Good, it seems signing with Huarui Entertainment was the right choice. We have work so quickly." Manager Sister Wang beamed. Given their current status in the industry, they would normally have to beg others just for a supporting role, but it was indeed good to have a big tree to lean on.
After everything was arranged, a familiar sense of disorientation struck Lin Ruijiao again, as if her previous life had been just a dream, and she was still within that dream, still that innocent and brave girl, still in passionate love with Ye Ruihuan...
The gorgeous crystal chandelier cast brilliant light, drawing forth dormant memories: the joy of making a contract with Ye Ruihuan, the happiness of sharing a room with her, the pain of their eventual break...
She had always looked at her so deeply, seeing through her naked soul completely, looking through her to find traces of another person. Lin Ruijiao had only learned of this later. Unable to accept it, she had chosen to give up...
Under the lamplight, Lin Ruijiao's slender shadow stretched long. Memories played freely in her mind while she seemed frozen in place, unable to control the changing scenes in her head.
It had been a beautiful evening, with the sunset hiding behind thin clouds, dyeing the twilight clouds red across the horizon, extraordinarily beautiful. And she, Lin Ruijiao, had been waiting in such an evening for her lover Ye Ruihuan to return.
That day marked their one-year anniversary. Lin Ruijiao remembered it clearly, counting the days in anticipation. She had reminded the other person beforehand, and full of beautiful expectations, she waited until nightfall, until the stars twinkled, but the other person never returned, sending no word either.
Helpless and bored, she wandered disappointedly around the house again and again, suddenly discovering Ye Ruihuan's tablet left there. Following the gestures she remembered, Lin Ruijiao tried again and again until she finally unlocked it.
She browsed through every app. Every social media account without exception followed only Dong Yulian—the industry's renowned and virtuous Best Actress, who was also Ye Ruihuan's friend of many years. Not only that, but the photo album was filled entirely with pictures of Dong Yulian, including many photos and videos of the two of them together.
In that instant, Lin Ruijiao finally understood that everyone saying she resembled this Actress Dong was true, that Ye Ruihuan didn't love her, that from beginning to end, Ye Ruihuan had loved her.
Lin Ruijiao felt utterly hopeless, tears streaming down uncontrollably. It was her own wishful thinking, her own greed, living in fantasy every day. No wonder—how could the lofty Ye Ruihuan ever fall for an ordinary extra like her?
"Que'er"? Even Ye Ruihuan's pet name for her seemed so pitiful—she was just a poor little sparrow. So that was it, so that was it... Lin Ruijiao felt cold all over, her fingers trembling involuntarily, her legs so numb she stumbled when walking, her mind completely blank as sorrow and heartache consumed her entire being, including her soul.
Only then did she remember that tonight there was a gala, which many in the industry would attend, including Dong Yulian. No wonder—Ye Ruihuan usually had no interest in such occasions... All the small details from the past now connected, forming the stark phrase "Ye Ruihuan loves Dong Yulian," making their past seem absurd and laughable, while she, Lin Ruijiao, was nothing but a joke—a pitifully foolish joke...
That powerless heartache bubbled up in Lin Ruijiao's chest. Sensing danger, she quickly terminated this memory. She sighed deeply and walked downstairs. Being back in this place again—wasn't it equally laughable?