Surprisingly, despite finding herself back in this house she never wanted to return to, Lin Ruijiao slept soundly that night.
Early in the morning, Aunt Liu had already prepared their breakfast. Sister Wang's face was etched with exhaustion—clearly she hadn't slept well the night before.
"Ruijiao, President Ye said yesterday that she'd come today. Do you know when?" Sister Wang asked nervously.
"President Ye didn't say." Lin Ruijiao replied indifferently. Ye Ruihuan had only mentioned it in passing—whether she'd actually come was still uncertain.
"Alright, but did she say what kind of project it was? A movie? TV drama? Magazine shoot?" Sister Wang pressed on relentlessly. They were both struggling at the bottom of the entertainment industry, where resources were something they'd never dared to dream of. This was such a crucial opportunity for them! Sister Wang was deeply concerned about whatever President Ye had mentioned.
"No." Lin Ruijiao silently searched through her memories from her previous life. According to the timeline, there should be some decent scripts and production teams around this time. But only one drama would become a massive hit, and she only remembered that the female lead was from Huarui Entertainment. She didn't know much about these details because in her previous life, she had no work assignments at this time and had rested in this villa for quite a while, until she approached Ye Ruihuan about wanting to act.
Currently, she wasn't worried about work at all. The only obstacle was Ye Ruihuan herself. She'd wait and see. "Alright." Sister Wang frowned, still preoccupied with the matter.
"Ruijiao, nothing happened between you and President Ye, right?" Sister Wang was still somewhat uneasy.
When they'd signed the contract initially, Huarui Entertainment's terms had been almost too good to be true, making her wonder if the company's CEO had taken a fancy to Lin Ruijiao. Sister Wang had been quite vigilant about potential unspoken rules.
But Lin Ruijiao had been thrilled and agreed immediately. She was a longtime fan of Ye Ruihuan, and when this contract fell into her lap, she couldn't wait to jump at the chance. Her exact words had been: "Sister Ye is so wonderful—talented and beautiful. Even sleeping with her would be my good fortune."
Sister Wang shook her head at the memory. In the end, Ruijiao had jumped ship to Huarui Entertainment and brought her along. From the current situation, Huarui Entertainment was indeed better suited for Ruijiao's development.
But Ruijiao's attitude toward Ye Ruihuan had changed dramatically recently, making her worry whether her artist had suffered some disadvantage.
"Nothing happened." Lin Ruijiao responded calmly, completely unaware of Sister Wang's rich inner turmoil beside her.
Sister Wang was only five years older than her, conscientious in her work, and had taken good care of her at their previous company. She felt comfortable entrusting her back to her.
...
"Ruijiao, is that really what President Ye said yesterday? How come it's already evening and she still hasn't come? Not even a message." Sister Wang asked urgently while checking her phone.
"That's what she said. Maybe President Ye has other matters to attend to." Lin Ruijiao replied thoughtfully. That was President Ye—a super busy person. How could she have time to bother with insignificant people like them?
Lin Ruijiao suddenly remembered the countless dark nights in her previous life when she'd waited for her. Hope, anticipation, joy, disappointment... all of it had eventually burst like colorful bubbles. As if it had all been just a one-sided dream... Lin Ruijiao's hands unconsciously clenched tighter.
As night fell and stars began to twinkle, Ye Ruihuan found herself somewhat nervous. After seeing Lin Ruijiao yesterday, she'd had a dreamless night. She wondered if she would dream tonight, and what those dreams might be like.
She suddenly remembered something and took out her tablet, logging into an anonymous account to check Dong Yulan's social media activity across various platforms. As expected, there were still no updates. She then checked her assistant's account—news about Dong Yulan was becoming increasingly scarce. Ever since she'd had a child with Xia Dongyang, she'd been in a semi-retired state. Even if Ye Ruihuan wanted to contact her, given their relationship, she didn't know how to approach her. It was better not to disturb their peaceful, happy life.
Ye Ruihuan watched several compilation clips from variety shows they'd appeared on together. Her usually proud expression softened, becoming serene and gentle, with joy flowing freely in her eyes. Embracing such blissful feelings, Ye Ruihuan slowly drifted into sleep.
When the room was pitch black, somehow Ye Ruihuan jolted awake from her slumber. She was breathing heavily, with beads of sweat forming at her temples. She quickly turned on the light, and her dazed expression gradually cleared, her eyes full of contemplation... Lin Ruijiao? What was this complex feeling? What was this dream about? What exactly had happened? She had no way of knowing, but she only knew that this Lin Ruijiao seemed very important to her... Ye Ruihuan couldn't help but furrow her brow at Lin Ruijiao's recent changes...
But she had already thoroughly investigated the other woman's background. A graduate of A Film Academy, with no resources, connections, or backing. Her childhood dream had been to become an actress, but after several years in the industry, she was still just an unknown extra—accurately speaking, she lacked acting talent. Ye Ruihuan prided herself on having some talent, though compared to Yulan, whose acting skills were naturally gifted and exceptional, even she felt somewhat envious.
Somehow, she recalled Lin Ruijiao's shy demeanor: "Sister Ye, you're my idol." A glimmer of darkness flashed in her eyes. Recently, the other woman's behavior showed no sign that she considered her an idol. There was definitely something off about her—she'd need to keep a closer watch.
Immediately, Ye Ruihuan added Lin Ruijiao to her schedule. If she continued having these dreams, she'd go crazy.
After waking up, Ye Ruihuan couldn't fall back asleep. When dawn broke, she changed into workout clothes and went out for a jog.
When Ye Zhi arrived, she was eating breakfast at a leisurely pace. Seeing her tightly pressed lips, Ye Zhi knew that Ye Ruihuan had dreamed again. The timing of when she'd first started having these dreams was also suspicious—it was the day Dong Yulan and Xia Dongyang's child made headlines on Weibo. That day, Ye Ruihuan had cried her eyes out. Later, everything returned to normal, except she'd started dreaming again these past three months. This time, it was supposedly because of Lin Ruijiao.
It was for this reason that Ye Zhi had agreed to help her sign Lin Ruijiao. But the main reason was that Ye Ruihuan was willing to pay two hundred thousand for her help. Seeing her displeased expression, Ye Zhi simply settled into the sofa to handle work matters.
Ye Ruihuan couldn't be bothered with her and left after finishing breakfast. Her destination was naturally the Yuwan Villa.
Upon learning of Ye Ruihuan's arrival, Lin Ruijiao was immediately pulled from her room by Sister Wang, while Aunt Liu hurriedly prepared tea and refreshments.
"Good morning, President Ye." Sister Wang immediately rushed forward with enthusiasm. In contrast, Lin Ruijiao appeared exceptionally cold, as if she didn't welcome her arrival.
"Please, sit." Ye Ruihuan set her bag aside and looked directly at Lin Ruijiao, her light gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny. When tea was served, she still showed no reaction.
"President Ye, is there something you need with our Ruijiao?" Sister Wang tentatively asked.
"Yes. Please leave us alone." Ye Ruihuan turned to look at Aunt Liu nearby.
"Of course, President Ye."
Sister Wang was stunned for a moment before realizing she was also being asked to leave. "Of course, of course, President Ye. Please take your time talking." Sister Wang headed upstairs, looking back every few steps.
"Have you experienced anything strange recently? Dreams, for instance?" After much deliberation, Ye Ruihuan finally asked.
"...No, President Ye. Why do you ask?" Lin Ruijiao's heart skipped a beat. Did Ye Ruihuan know something?
"Nothing. I just find you rather odd lately." Ye Ruihuan immediately dismissed her suspicions.
"Do you have any thoughts?" Ye Ruihuan asked out of nowhere.
"About what?"
"Your development direction in the entertainment industry." Ye Ruihuan lifted her teacup for a delicate sip.
"I want to act." Lin Ruijiao met her gaze and answered honestly.
"Good." Ye Ruihuan acknowledged and then fell silent.
Only then did she notice that Lin Ruijiao hadn't bothered to dress up today. This was quite like Yulan, though her plain face made her look even less similar.
"There's a decent script available recently. A small supporting role." Ye Ruihuan spoke casually, like a lofty superior from the clouds.
"That's fine. I can do it."
Lin Ruijiao agreed immediately. Ye Ruihuan raised an eyebrow—not greedy, that was good.
"Aren't you curious about what the script is? What role you'd be playing?"
"Having a role to play is enough." Lin Ruijiao replied sincerely, a flash of bitterness in her eyes. Bottom-tier actors like them didn't have the luxury of being choosy—normally, even begging might not guarantee them a role.
"Mm... alright. My assistant will send the script over shortly. You can take a look." Ye Ruihuan finished speaking and took out her phone, tapping and clicking on the screen.
Lin Ruijiao simply sat on the sofa waiting, calmly sipping her tea with complete composure, not caring one bit about her benefactor's presence.
"I remember you saying I was your idol?" A hint of mockery flashed in Ye Ruihuan's eyes.
"Yes." Due to the other's request, Lin Ruijiao simply omitted any honorifics. She'd answer whatever Ye Ruihuan asked.
"Really? You certainly don't act like it."
"President Ye, I have many idols."
Time seemed to freeze in that instant. Ye Ruihuan was momentarily speechless, not knowing what to say. Lin Ruijiao truly didn't regard her, the boss, with any respect at all.
Wherever she went, wasn't she always treated with deference, with people afraid of displeasing her? How dare this person be so irritating? She definitely needed proper discipline.
"Such as?" After a long pause, Ye Ruihuan finally responded.
"Dong Yulan, Best Actress Dong." After Lin Ruijiao spoke these words, even the leaves outside the window seemed to stop swaying, and everything fell silent.