She immediately smiled and nodded at her.
Ye Ruihuan quickly looked away, though her expression seemed to soften somewhat.
"Ruijiao, do you know that person?" Liu Qingqing asked in confusion.
"Mm-hmm, she's our company's boss, Ye Ruihuan."
"Ah? She's Ye Ruihuan? So impressive, and so beautiful too," Liu Qingqing praised sincerely. "I didn't expect the real person to be this good-looking." Her tone was full of envy.
"You being able to get into Huarui Entertainment must mean you're pretty impressive too," Liu Qingqing continued to compliment.
"Mm-hmm, not really." Lin Ruijiao laughed, deflecting the compliment. "Passing your audition was impressive too." Yet beneath her playful response, her thoughts churned. Once, she had been exactly like Liu Qingqing—gazing up at the untouchable Ye Ruihuan with nothing but awe and envy.
"Action!" The director's sharp command cut through her reverie, snapping the actors into motion. Within minutes, he called cut, and the cycle began again—take after failed take, over a dozen attempts before they finally captured one usable scene.
"Little Ye, what do you think?" the director asked with a gentle smile to Ye Ruihuan beside him.
"Pretty good." She just nodded, looking completely indifferent.
Lin Ruijiao, who took everything in, couldn't help but become serious. It seemed the rumors about Director Liu being very strict were true.
"Ruijiao, this director is so stern..." Liu Qingqing's face was full of worry.
"It's fine, just act well. Besides, aren't we here to learn?" she consoled, the sunlight filtering through the gaps illuminating her brilliant smile, making it sparkle.
From across the set, Ye Ruihuan's lips pressed into a thin line. Why did she look so effortlessly happy? Why wasn't that brilliant smile directed at her? Emotions she couldn't name stirred restlessly in her chest.
"Isn't that the promising newcomer from the other day's auditions? Perhaps we should invite her to join us," Director Liu suggested, following Ye Ruihuan's line of sight to where Lin Ruijiao stood.
"That won't be necessary." Ye Ruihuan's refusal was immediate and final.
Director Liu's smile didn't waver as he returned his attention to the monitors, saying nothing more.
After some unknown amount of time, when Lin Ruijiao looked back again, Ye Ruihuan was no longer there. Since there weren't any scenes for her anyway, she had probably already left.
Not seeing any trace of Ye Ruihuan, Lin Ruijiao felt much more relaxed. Suddenly, even the time on set seemed more beautiful. As long as she wasn't there, she could stay on set for a lifetime.
Lin Ruijiao spent the day on set like this, chatting and laughing with Liu Qingqing beside her, occasionally discussing the script and the acting techniques of the actors present. It was wonderful.
When the crew finished for the day, Lin Ruijiao was preparing to return to the hotel when she was suddenly called by the director. "Hey! That newcomer! Lin Ruijiao!" Director Liu waved at her.
"Don't be in a hurry to leave. Everyone's going to dinner together later, you should come too." His words were firm, and after speaking, he turned to discuss some set scene issues with the producer.
Even though Lin Ruijiao wanted to refuse, she had no opportunity to bring it up, so she could only cooperatively follow behind everyone.
What she'd imagined would be a casual meal among colleagues transformed the moment they arrived at the restaurant. Ye Ruihuan sat at the head table, her presence commanding the room like gravity itself.
Lin Ruijiao froze, her stomach dropping. So much for avoiding confrontation. Hadn't she left the set? Why was she here, looking perfectly composed while Lin Ruijiao felt like she was drowning? Complex emotions churned through her as she stood paralyzed at the entrance.
"Come on, Xiao Lin, take a seat." Director Liu's gesture was casual, but his words carried the weight of expectation.
The table was a constellation of industry power—directors, producers, investors, and A-list actors she'd only glimpsed in passing. They'd arrived early but stayed out of sight, she realized. A strategic absence that now made perfect sense.
Her smile felt increasingly brittle. By every measure of rank and experience, she had no business at this table. That she'd been invited at all could only mean one thing: Ye Ruihuan's influence. The thought made her jaw clench. When would she finally escape this woman's shadow?
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Xiao Lin," Director Liu announced with obvious pride. "She's tremendously talented—and happens to be Xiao Ye's junior from university. I trust you'll all look out for her." His approval was transparent, almost protective.
Heat flooded Lin Ruijiao's cheeks as she rose from her barely-settled chair. "Director Liu, you're far too generous." She bowed deeply to the assembled group. "Hello everyone, I'm Lin Ruijiao. Thank you all for your favor." She sincerely bowed.
As she took her seat, she offered Ye Ruihuan a polite nod and her most diplomatic smile. This kind of power dinner wasn't meant for someone at her level, yet here she was, thrust into the spotlight. The whole situation made her skin crawl.
Lin Ruijiao didn't say much throughout, just quietly listened. However, Ye Ruihuan maintained a cold demeanor with few words throughout. All her speech seemed indifferent. Listening to their conversation, she learned that Huarui Entertainment had also invested in this production "Phoenix," which explained such treatment - even she was benefiting from it.
But she didn't need their charity. Determination flickered in her eyes like candlelight. She had the talent to earn her place legitimately.
"Speaking of the production," Director Liu's voice cut through her thoughts, "Xiao Ye and Xiao Lin, you two share some challenging scenes together. They won't be easy to execute."
"Don't worry, Director Liu. You know you can trust my abilities," Ye Ruihuan replied smoothly, though her smile seemed carved from ice. "I'll ensure Xiao Lin delivers as well."
"Absolutely, Director Liu. I'm completely confident," Lin Ruijiao added, matching the other woman's professional tone.
"Excellent. Xiao Lin has remarkable potential—during auditions, she absolutely captivated the entire panel." Director Liu's praise continued flowing.
Lin Ruijiao smiled and nodded, saying nothing more. She wouldn't accept praise without any achievements. It would be better to wait until after filming to praise. Everything now was just talk, tapping them on the shoulder, warning that if they didn't perform well, don't blame anyone for making things difficult.
Beside her, Ye Ruihuan's gaze dropped to her plate, understanding the subtext perfectly. This kind of performance was more suited to someone like Ye Zhi. She was already exhausted by the charade.
After dinner ended, Ye Ruihuan's expression darkened along with the sky. She secretly tugged at Lin Ruijiao's sleeve and glanced at her.
Lin Ruijiao didn't understand but obediently followed behind her. When everyone had dispersed and was nowhere to be seen, Ye Ruihuan grabbed her.
"Why did you come?" The question struck like a blade, sharp with accusation.
"Director Liu invited me." Lin Ruijiao broke free from her grip and told the truth.
Faced with such transparent innocence, Ye Ruihuan's anger seemed to deflate slightly. "You can't just accept every invitation that comes your way," she said, frustration creeping into her voice. "Don't be so naive."
Moonlight streamed down around them, softening Ye Ruihuan's usually sharp features and making her dark eyes luminous. To Lin Ruijiao's surprise, she caught a glimpse of something that looked almost like... concern?
"All right. But what about you?" she asked, emboldened by the gentle night. "Does it matter?"
"How many good people were at that table? You could be sold and not even know it. Don't casually accept invitations to such occasions." Ye Ruihuan said seriously. She disliked such occasions the most - playing roles, fake to death.
"Okay, what about you?" The moonlight seemed to have its own filter, softening some of Ye Ruihuan's sharpness. She couldn't help but continue asking.
"Me? Who dares to provoke me?" Ye Ruihuan said disdainfully, that detestable, arrogant appearance showing again.
Lin Ruijiao silently followed behind her.
"Anyway, just act normally, don't be afraid." Ye Ruihuan paused in her steps and turned around, starlight reflecting in her eyes as she looked at Lin Ruijiao.
This made her entire person seem gentle and beautiful. Lin Ruijiao obediently nodded, then smiled: "Thank you, Ruihuan." The other's sincere advice deserved a genuine thank you from her.
Lin Ruijiao's round eyes sparkled under the moonlight, extremely beautiful, with her face reflected in them. The smile on her face was pure as a flower, and Ye Ruihuan liked it very much, involuntarily falling into this charming smile.
"Mm." Walking ahead, Ye Ruihuan couldn't help but let the corners of her lips turn up. In the dim night, none of this was noticed, including the obvious blush on her face and her red ears.
Under the moonlight, the two figures walked one in front of the other, their shadows overlapping and intertwining, looking distant yet intimate. Lin Ruijiao jogged forward to walk shoulder to shoulder with her.
When Lin Ruijiao returned, Jing Jing was already waiting in the room to see if she had any other needs. As a first-tier newcomer who hadn't started filming yet, she didn't have an assistant accompany her. That would be too ostentatious. No matter what, given her current situation, it was better to keep a low profile.
Later, Lin Ruijiao continued to stay on set with the crew as usual, together with Liu Qingqing. She hadn't seen Ye Ruihuan for some time, but for her, this was good news. Anyway, now everyone on the crew knew she was from Huarui Entertainment, the director seemed to value her highly, everyone was polite to her, and no one actively provoked her. Things were going relatively smoothly.
Moreover, watching so many veteran actors perform on site, she had learned a lot from asking for advice. This period was also a kind of advanced study for her. After all, such a big production wasn't something you could encounter casually, and it brought together so many veteran actors.
Even so, there were still some people without eyes who would come to provoke her. Small troubles were one thing - Lin Ruijiao would turn a blind eye and pretend nothing happened, but this person was pushing their luck, obviously targeting her.
"Ruijiao, we should probably avoid them recently," Liu Qingqing said worriedly.