Ye Ruihuan's hand holding the teacup froze in midair. She gazed thoughtfully at the tea leaves floating in her cup. After a moment, she lifted her eyes to look at Lin Ruijiao, her expression a mixture of fascination and confusion.
"What a coincidence. Dong Yulan is my idol too," Ye Ruihuan said slowly, taking a sip of tea.
"Would you like to meet her? We're friends." Ye Ruihuan smiled at her, her tone betraying no emotion whatsoever.
Lin Ruijiao found herself momentarily confused by Ye Ruihuan's words and their underlying meaning.
"Thank you, President Ye." Lin Ruijiao could only smile back and nod.
"Didn't you say you'd call me by my name?" The rising intonation was almost seductive.
"Ruihuan?"
"Mm." Ye Ruihuan responded with obvious pleasure.
Lin Ruijiao really did resemble Dong Yulan in this moment, and the way she called her name felt similar too. Ye Ruihuan's gaze toward Lin Ruijiao couldn't help but carry a hint of delight.
Seeing this, Lin Ruijiao lowered her head and pressed her lips together. She'd been right—Ye Ruihuan did like Dong Yulan. Even her preferred way of being addressed hadn't changed. It seemed the differences in this lifetime were indeed due to the butterfly effect she'd caused.
After leisurely finishing her tea, Ye Ruihuan left. Sister Wang, who had been monitoring their conversation, immediately emerged from her room.
"Ruijiao, what did President Ye say? Do we have any upcoming schedules?" she asked urgently.
"Yes, President Ye said there's a decent script available recently. Her assistant will send the script over later."
"Wonderful!" Sister Wang hugged her excitedly. "Did she mention when we'd audition?"
"No, but Sister Wang, don't worry. We'll just follow President Ye's arrangements." Lin Ruijiao smiled reassuringly. Sister Wang was always fretting about their work matters.
"You're right, you're right."
At some point, Aunt Liu had also appeared. "Ruijiao, should we prepare a room for President Ye?"
Sister Wang was naturally sociable and had quickly become friendly with Aunt Liu, which naturally extended to her relationship with Lin Ruijiao as well.
"No need, Aunt Liu. President Ye probably won't have time to come rest here, and she wouldn't stay here anyway." Lin Ruijiao immediately declined. In her previous life, Ye Ruihuan had only visited occasionally to check on her, staying here for less than a month total. It would be better if she didn't come now—better if she didn't see her at all.
Lin Ruijiao truly didn't see how she resembled Dong Yulan. Best Actress Dong was so beautiful, gentle and lovely—an elegant, beautiful swan. In comparison, calling herself an ugly duckling wouldn't be an overstatement. But one day, this ugly duckling would also transform into a beautiful swan on screen.
Soon after, the assistant Ye Ruihuan had mentioned arrived.
"Hello, are you Miss Lin Ruijiao?" came a gentle voice. Every gesture displayed professionalism and elegance.
"Yes, hello." Lin Ruijiao smiled warmly. Seeing this familiar face again made her quite happy—this assistant had helped her tremendously in her previous life. Without her, given Ye Ruihuan's temperament, they would have openly fallen out long ago.
"Miss Lin, my surname is Li. You can just call me Xiao Li." Assistant Li walked over directly, sat beside her, and pulled out a thick volume from her bag. "This is the script for 'Half Moon' that Sister Ye mentioned. Take a look, and if you need the electronic version, just let me know." She then produced a tablet.
"No need, thank you." Lin Ruijiao eagerly took the script and began flipping through it, with Sister Wang also crowding over to look.
Meanwhile, Assistant Li quietly observed this new "substitute" her boss had found. Scanning her from head to toe, she was neither stunning nor particularly plain. Assistant Li couldn't help but wonder if her boss had misjudged this time. The previous substitutes they'd found in the industry who resembled Best Actress Dong Yulan had at least sixty percent similarity, while this Miss Lin, who looked pure and fearless, only resembled her in the eyes and brows.
However, these weren't her concerns to worry about. Whatever happened was President Ye's decision. This Miss Lin seemed quite easy to get along with, so their upcoming collaboration should be much smoother. If she could make President Ye happier, she'd be grateful to heaven. She couldn't help but sigh softly.
"Miss Lin, here's my contact information. If you have any questions, just reach out to me." Assistant Li handed over her business card. "I've delivered the script, so I'll be going now." She stood up to leave.
"Thank you, Secretary Li." Lin Ruijiao also stood and smiled at her.
Sister Wang immediately followed, seeing her out while chatting and laughing about who knows what.
After Lin Ruijiao received the script, Ye Ruihuan remained silent for about ten days. It wasn't that Lin Ruijiao missed her, but Sister Wang, as her manager, was highly crisis-conscious, constantly mentioning President Ye and fearing they'd fall out of favor with the company.
Instead of hearing from Ye Ruihuan, they received news from the production team—"Half Moon" was about to begin filming.
Ye Ruihuan jolted awake from her dreams again, sighing wearily. During this period, the company had matters requiring her attention, and she'd heard that Director Wenxian had a new project in development. Undoubtedly, Dong Yulan would participate, and Ye Ruihuan naturally didn't want to miss such a good opportunity to spend time with her, so she was actively pursuing it.
Without seeing Lin Ruijiao, Ye Ruihuan continued having nightmares from time to time. She'd grown accustomed to waking up in the middle of the night, but the heart-wrenching emotions left by the dreams lingered persistently. She wanted to see clearly what happened in these recurring nightmares, what role Lin Ruijiao played, and what her position was, but after more than ten days, the nightmares remained frustratingly vague. She couldn't recall the details, only the general silhouette of Lin Ruijiao, which left her increasingly haggard.
She turned on the bedside lamp, sat up, and leaned against the headboard. After much thought, she called Ye Zhi.
"Hello, the number you have dialed is turned off..." Ye Ruihuan pressed her lips together. Ye Zhi was being quite petty!
She found Lin Ruijiao's contact information, fingering the jade safety charm in her hand. After a moment, she tapped the screen and dialed. However, the call was rejected almost immediately—rejected!
Ye Ruihuan's grip on the jade tightened involuntarily. This little girl had actually refused her call!
As soon as dawn broke, she called both Assistant Li and Ye Zhi repeatedly, finally learning that Lin Ruijiao was already on set.
Since many of their company's artists were in this production, the producer had invited her to be a special guest during auditions to help guide and evaluate—something she had no interest in, so she'd had her assistant decline.
She had no idea how Ye Zhi had gotten this unknown eighteenth-tier extra into the production. If she performed poorly and embarrassed Huarui Entertainment, it would damage their reputation.
"Xiao Li, contact Director Chen. I have time to visit the set for some on-site guidance." After much deliberation, Ye Ruihuan found herself a reason and instructed Xiao Li.
"...Alright, President Ye." Xiao Li's breathing momentarily hitched. Initially, the director had sent many messages inviting Sister Ye to oversee the audition site, all of which were declined. Now she was shamelessly eager to go—this job was truly difficult.
"How's Lin Ruijiao's situation?"
"She's reportedly studying the script seriously." Xiao Li answered truthfully, maintaining a neutral tone.
"Good. Hopefully she'll show some improvement, or she'll embarrass the company."
Xiao Li smiled: Isn't Huarui Entertainment's reputation entirely dependent on you? Given your industry reputation, do we even have face to lose?
"Arrange it. We'll go to the set this afternoon." Ye Ruihuan scrolled through her tablet schedule.
"I'll arrange for the driver right away."
Lin Ruijiao and Sister Wang on set had received Assistant Li's message early on. Lin Ruijiao sat to the side with her script, observing and learning, completely absorbed in the lead actors' performances, occasionally taking notes. Sister Wang was both nervous and excited—when President Ye arrived, she'd need to perform well. Since Lin Ruijiao didn't have an assistant, she'd come along to help.
Early autumn brought bright sunshine and pleasant temperatures—perfectly comfortable. Even with a large crowd outdoors, no one felt burdened. "Half Moon" was a pure romance campus drama, with most scenes taking place outside, perfectly matching the beautiful autumn season.
A black business car stopped beside the constructed street set. Ye Ruihuan emerged with her glossy black hair flowing, wearing a high-end casual athletic outfit, looking as relaxed as if she were out for a stroll. Assistant Li approached with an umbrella. The production team's producer and director hurriedly came over during their break, beaming.
"Welcome, President Ye, thank you for gracing us with your presence." The director quickly shook her hand.
"Of course I had to come see Director Chen's work." Ye Ruihuan forced a smile for the pleasantries.
"You're too kind. Best Actress Ye can give us some guidance."
Before Ye Ruihuan could respond, the female lead—Zhou Yanyan from their own company—approached. "Hello, Sister Ye. Are you here to check if my acting has improved?" Hearing their conversation, Zhou Yanyan smiled naturally and generously.
Ye Ruihuan smiled faintly and nodded, her curved lips devoid of warmth. She most despised these occasions—false pleasantries, utterly boring.
"Xiao Li." Ye Ruihuan glanced at her.
Assistant Li immediately understood, working with the driver to unload the food and drinks they'd brought. This location was quite remote, so she'd purchased supplies along the way. The producer quickly called several people to help, unloading boxes of bubble tea, fruit, and cakes.
Zhou Yanyan naturally took over the umbrella and walked inside with Ye Ruihuan.
"President Ye, you're too generous." Director Chen smiled widely.
"Not at all, it's appropriate. Our Huarui people are counting on Director Chen's care." Zhou Yanyan's presence between them made Ye Ruihuan's insincere smile quite blurred.
Zhou Yanyan clearly sensed Ye Ruihuan's displeasure. Though she didn't know why President Ye had come, her presence gave Zhou Yanyan face, making her future on set smoother.
Sister Wang watched the lively scene, constantly tugging at Lin Ruijiao's sleeve, but she turned a deaf ear, her heart entirely devoted to the script. She glanced over once, completely unconcerned.
Until President Ye walked over, her gentle expression gradually freezing, coldly staring at Lin Ruijiao, who sat hunched over without lifting her head.
Zhou Yanyan beside her couldn't help but hold her breath. This looked bad—this little sister Lin Ruijiao was probably a newborn calf unafraid of tigers.
Director Chen, sensing trouble, quickly slipped away. Everyone in the industry said Ye Ruihuan was not to be trifled with, and he didn't want to be the scapegoat.
"Good afternoon, President Ye." Sister Wang immediately stood and greeted her, desperately pulling at Ruijiao beside her.
Only then did Lin Ruijiao put down her script, slowly stand up, and nod blankly—the reluctance was obvious, as if she found her presence unwelcome.
"Hmm?" Ye Ruihuan narrowed her eyes, looking at her dangerously.
Lin Ruijiao really felt too embarrassed to use that form of address, especially in front of so many people. She licked her lips and mumbled: "Ruihuan."
At that moment, time's gears seemed frozen, the surrounding space stood still, and everyone was stunned. A falling leaf spun in the air, drifting past Lin Ruijiao's hair to land on the ground.
Sister Wang: ???
Zhou Yanyan: ???