"Yes, yes, that's exactly right." With no other choice, Ye Ruihuan reluctantly joined their conversation.
"That's how it was back then. Director Wen Xian was quite warm-hearted at the time," Dong Yulan continued.
"Really? I heard he was fierce and very strict. I didn't expect him to have such a side," Lin Ruijiao couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
The two continued chatting, neither paying any attention to Ye Ruihuan, seemingly oblivious to her very existence. Xia Dongyang watched Ye Ruihuan's deflated expression, a hint of playful amusement flickering in her eyes.
Naturally, Ye Ruihuan caught every detail. She had expected Lin Ruijiao might not get along with everyone, but she never imagined that Lin Ruijiao and Yulan would hit it off so well, reaching such an absorbed state that they completely forgot about her. Ye Ruihuan was at a loss for words.
This situation was truly delicate... one was the person she used to like, and the other was the person she liked now...
"Um... Yulan, have you greeted Director Wen Xian yet?" Ye Ruihuan seized the moment to interject.
"...No, Director Wen Xian seems busy, so we'd better not disturb him," Dong Yulan replied, then turned back to continue chatting with Lin Ruijiao, even pulling out her phone to share some daily photos.
Lin Ruijiao was equally happy to share her own stories. Sister Yulan was truly so gentle. Suddenly, she remembered what Ye Ruihuan had mentioned before—how Dong Yulan had been severely maligned during her acting career, and how both her parents had passed away... To think such a gentle person had endured such pain. Lin Ruijiao's eyes filled with admiration.
"Look, this is our daughter..." Dong Yulan said warmly, exchanging a smile with Xia Dongyang as they showed her various photos of their daughter. "She's studying at A University now."
"How amazing! Getting into A University is so difficult," Lin Ruijiao exclaimed.
...
Ye Ruihuan truly didn't know what to do with these two. Looking up, she noticed many familiar faces from the industry. She put on a smile and nodded slightly, greeting everyone, and quite a few people were staring directly at them, slowly making their way over.
"Hello Sister Ye, Sister Yulan, long time no see!" A young-looking girl approached cheerfully, bowing politely. "Could you two seniors please give me your autographs?"
"Of course," Dong Yulan accepted the paper and pen with a gentle smile on her face.
Ye Ruihuan also signed her name.
"Excuse me, are you Lin Ruijiao?" The girl who had gotten the autographs suddenly turned to ask, looking at the person sitting quietly beside Dong Yulan with familiarity.
"...Ah? Yes, I am," Lin Ruijiao hadn't expected to be recognized and responded hastily.
"Hello Sister Ruijiao! I watched your variety show and really like you! Could you please give me an autograph too?" The girl looked about the same age as her, but Lin Ruijiao couldn't quite place who she was.
"Ah? Sure, thank you." Lin Ruijiao quickly signed her name, having never been asked for an autograph before. She couldn't help but smile.
"Thank you." The girl glanced around at everyone, her gaze finally settling between Lin Ruijiao and Ye Ruihuan, still smiling but with something meaningful in her eyes.
It seemed the online gossip and rumors couldn't be trusted—maybe the CP between Lin Ruijiao and Ye Ruihuan was the real deal.
Dong Yulan and Lin Ruijiao's conversation was interrupted. Where there was one person, there would be a second. Many people approached—some familiar, some strangers—either for small talk or autographs, eventually forming a circle around them.
Everyone chatted pleasantly, but their gazes clearly lingered longer on Ye Ruihuan and Lin Ruijiao, with ambiguous implications. Among these top industry figures was Lin Ruijiao, unremarkable and constantly mired in scandals, yet somehow close to both Ye Ruihuan and Dong Yulan simultaneously. No matter how you looked at it, this wasn't simple. The industry would surely have fresh gossip soon.
However, Director Wen Xian's auditions were confidential—everything happening today was secret, which was his usual style. Naturally, no media was present, and no one was foolish enough to cause trouble. For a moment, the scene resembled some kind of reception, with people mingling and exchanging pleasantries.
Ye Ruihuan had never liked such occasions, but with both Dong Yulan and Lin Ruijiao smiling and greeting people, she couldn't very well leave. Xia Dongyang, equally uncomfortable, had completely lost her smile and stood coldly beside Dong Yulan.
Ye Ruihuan also put on a cold expression, which significantly reduced the number of people approaching her. The auditions didn't start until tomorrow—why were they all so eager to come today?
Ye Ruihuan turned to look at the brightly smiling Lin Ruijiao, unconsciously developing a hint of fondness. The little rabbit was handling this situation quite well. Yulan too—facing such scenes and formal interactions, she was in her element, gracefully attending to everyone. But now she was much more genuine and casual than before.
"How have things been lately?" she asked Xia Dongyang, who seemed to have nothing to do.
"Pretty good." After a pause, Xia Dongyang did respond to her.
"Mm, you do look well. That's nice." Ye Ruihuan cast an envious glance. After being together for so long, they were still as loving as ever. When would she and Jiaojiao be like that?
When she looked up again, Chen Xiao and Ye Zhi had somehow mingled over, skillfully conducting business discussions in this setting. These two were real workaholics...
Huarui Entertainment would probably do quite well if it were truly handed over to Ye Zhi.
Suddenly, Ye Ruihuan's thoughts shifted. Before she knew it, the crowd gradually dispersed, redirected by Ye Zhi and Chen Xiao toward Director Wen Xian. Director Wen Xian was aloof and spoke little, his curly hair looking disheveled. From a distance, he seemed like a decadent artistic youth.
That's exactly what Lin Ruijiao thought when she saw him—quite different from the Director Wen Xian everyone talked about. She now held many business cards from the seniors present. Despite her joy, Lin Ruijiao felt somewhat melancholy. On her own, she would absolutely never have had the chance to meet these industry seniors. She was still just a nobody with no significant works, and most people were probably only being polite out of respect for Ye Ruihuan and Senior Yulan, or because of her relationship with them.
It seemed her acting career still had a long, uncertain road ahead...
"Ruijiao, this kind of occasion is a bit nerve-wracking, isn't it..." Dong Yulan smiled gently.
"...Mm, a little..." Suddenly being asked, Lin Ruijiao's stiff smile faltered.
"Then let's head back, back to the hotel," Ye Ruihuan said with a light smile. "There's nothing much to do here, and Director Wen Xian is busy. We can leave everything to Chen Xiao and Ye Zhi." Making unilateral decisions—that was one thing about Ye Ruihuan that truly hadn't changed.
"Alright, let's go back to the hotel. We've already made our rounds here anyway," Dong Yulan nodded with a smile, ever so gentle.
Looking at her, Lin Ruijiao couldn't help but smile too. Sister Yulan was truly so gentle—who wouldn't love such a person? How could there be so many people online badmouthing her? How detestable!
"Ruijiao, you probably don't know, but back when we were filming Director Wen Xian's movie, Ruihuan rented out an entire hotel, and we played card games in our rooms..."
"Yes, that was such a long time ago." A flash of nostalgia crossed Ye Ruihuan's face.
"...Really? That sounds so interesting. Everyone filming together must have been really fun," Lin Ruijiao said enviously.
"Mm-mm." Dong Yulan nodded but then fell silent.
Lin Ruijiao suddenly remembered that many things had happened to Sister Yulan during that period—she had probably recalled some unpleasant memories.
"Oh right, Ruijiao, we haven't exchanged contact information yet. Let's add each other," Dong Yulan said with a smile after a long pause.
"O-okay." Lin Ruijiao was flattered and quickly pulled out her phone.
When they returned to the hotel, Lin Ruijiao was still in a daze, following behind Dong Yulan and the others toward the other wing.
Ye Ruihuan grabbed her hand. "Jiaojiao, you're going this way." She gave a helpless smile and waved toward the other group. "Ruihuan, goodbye."
Dong Yulan teased, "Ruijiao, Ruihuan, goodbye. Ruijiao, you're also welcome to come home with me if you'd like."
"Sister Yulan, Sister Xia, bye-bye, see you later." Lin Ruijiao's face flushed red as she bid them farewell.
She obediently followed behind Ye Ruihuan. It was all because the hotel was fully booked—she had no choice but to share a luxury suite with Ye Ruihuan. The suite had multiple rooms, which she could accept. It would save Ye Ruihuan from constantly seeking her out and running back and forth like before. Besides, they had lived together at Yu Wan, so she was more or less accustomed to this arrangement.
"Jiaojiao, Yulan has a lover," Ye Ruihuan couldn't help but say, her heart uneasy.
"...I know. Sister Xia. How could I not know about my idol's affairs?" Lin Ruijiao immediately retorted. What did Ye Ruihuan take her for? Did she really think everyone was like her?
"I didn't expect you two to get along so well. What do you think of Yulan?" Ye Ruihuan showed no particular emotion, looking at her gently.
"...Mm, yes. Sister Yulan is so gentle and beautiful." Lin Ruijiao nodded as she spoke, her face full of joy and affirmation.
Ye Ruihuan didn't respond, merely nodding slightly as if in agreement. After a long pause, she said, "That's not gentleness—she's resilient, like a small grass with vigorous vitality that can survive anywhere."
"..." Lin Ruijiao looked up to meet her gaze, her expression puzzled and confused.
The nostalgia on Ye Ruihuan's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a brilliant smile as she looked at her.
Meanwhile, Dong Yulan's assistant Xiao Liu said thoughtfully, "Sister Yulan, that Lin Ruijiao seems a bit like you."
Dong Yulan was startled, then smiled in response, "Not at all. Ruijiao is very warm and pure." Dong Yulan praised her from the bottom of her heart.
"But her features do resemble yours somewhat..." Xiao Liu continued.
"Really? I didn't notice. I don't think we're alike. Dongyang, do you think we look alike?" She turned to look at her wife.
The latter shook her head, "No."
"See? We're completely different, Xiao Liu." Yulan smiled gently, radiating soft warmth throughout her being.
"...Alright then."
Ever since meeting Dong Yulan, Lin Ruijiao had been in excellent spirits. She hadn't expected Sister Yulan to be such a wonderful person, and so beautiful too. This was fantastic—successful fan meeting! At this thought, Lin Ruijiao couldn't help but hum a tune.
Seeing Lin Ruijiao so happy, Ye Ruihuan's smile actually faded. Why did she feel vaguely ignored? A faint sense of loss settled in her eyes. So this was how the little rabbit behaved when she liked someone.
Dark disappointment clouded Ye Ruihuan's heart. It seemed Jiaojiao still didn't like her...
Ye Ruihuan couldn't control her thoughts from going in this direction, overwhelmed by a sense of desolation. She even looked at the happily humming figure with some resentment, though the other person was completely oblivious to her obvious emotional change.
Suddenly, her phone rang. Ye Ruihuan answered—it was Dong Yulan.
"Ruihuan, let's all have lunch together later. That's what Chen Xiao suggested. Remember to bring Ruijiao."
"...Alright. Will Director Wen Xian be there too?" Ye Ruihuan asked.
"I'm not sure, but he probably will... Chen Xiao and Ye Zhi will definitely arrange everything," Yulan's gentle, cheerful voice came through.
"Okay." Ye Ruihuan agreed. Whether influenced by this gentleness or not, she also softened, the gloom dispelling from her being.
"Jiaojiao, let's go have lunch together later." Ye Ruihuan hung up and immediately shared the news with Lin Ruijiao.
Having listened intently to the conversation upon hearing it was Sister Yulan calling, Lin Ruijiao was even happier learning she could attend.
Lin Ruijiao's joy was written all over her face—she might as well have had "happy" tattooed on her forehead.
Watching such a delighted little rabbit, Ye Ruihuan couldn't help but smile, a gentle expression blooming. What did it matter? At this moment, Jiaojiao was with her.
Lin Ruijiao wasn't paying attention to any of this. Her mind was occupied with two things: Senior Dong Yulan and Director Wen Xian's audition, with the latter being more important. She had to make the most of this audition.
She had already gone through the entire plot of "Floating Life" and carefully studied each character's development. But facing so many industry giants, she still lacked confidence. Not to mention the other veteran actors, just Ye Ruihuan and Dong Yulan alone were already top-tier figures in the industry.
Beneath her smile lurked some worry. She wondered if Director Wen Xian would come to lunch. Lin Ruijiao was already getting nervous before the actual audition.
"Jiaojiao? What are you doing?" Ye Ruihuan approached. Lin Ruijiao was sitting motionless, seemingly lost in thought.
"...Nothing..." Lin Ruijiao was watching Director Wen Xian's works, slowly scrubbing through the footage, even watching behind-the-scenes content—everyone's state during filming and their interview responses.
"Why are you watching these old things?" Ye Ruihuan leaned in to look at the screen, laughing even more.
Ye Ruihuan's sudden approach from behind startled Lin Ruijiao, who quickly moved her phone aside, her face flushing, "What are you doing..."
They were very close, Ye Ruihuan's face almost touching hers, leaving Lin Ruijiao flustered.
"I'm not doing anything. What are you doing..." Seeing Lin Ruijiao's instinctive embarrassment, the amusement in Ye Ruihuan's eyes deepened.
"...Are you tongue-twisting?" After a pause, Lin Ruijiao shifted away from her.
Ye Ruihuan straightened up, looking at her with gentle eyes full of overflowing affection. Lin Ruijiao glanced up once, then quickly lowered her gaze back to her phone, though her eyes were completely vacant, not actually watching the screen.
Ye Ruihuan's intense gaze was impossible to ignore. When she was with Sister Yulan, Ye Ruihuan hadn't shown such extreme reactions, which made her inevitably think of Ye Ruihuan's sincere confession. Did Ye Ruihuan really no longer like Sister Yulan? Had she fallen for her instead?
After so many days together, she could occasionally sense Ye Ruihuan's feelings. But if this had been the previous life, they might have actually gotten together. In this reborn life, however, Lin Ruijiao had no interest in romance—she was single-mindedly focused on making something of herself in the entertainment industry, reaching the pinnacle of her dreams.
So facing such a Ye Ruihuan, her heart remained unmoved. She was merely curious about this different version of her. Lin Ruijiao understood her own feelings perfectly well. If she truly liked Ye Ruihuan, she would actively approach her like in her previous life, trying everything to stay by her side.
But the current situation was reversed—it was Ye Ruihuan using every means to keep her close.
And she had no qualification, right, or reason to refuse Ye Ruihuan. Even if she did, she would compromise, tactfully finding various excuses to keep her around, offering excellent conditions that were impeccable and difficult to reject.
This left Lin Ruijiao unable to refuse.
Ye Ruihuan then sat down beside her. The luxury suite was spacious and grand, yet Ye Ruihuan always stayed close to her, which Lin Ruijiao found quite troublesome.
"...Ruihuan, why don't you go somewhere else... I'm going to turn up the volume, and I'm afraid it might disturb you." Lin Ruijiao racked her brains for excuses to deal with her.
"...It won't. It's fine. I'm actually quite nostalgic about that period. Let's watch together..." Ye Ruihuan smoothly responded, leaving Lin Ruijiao at a loss for words.
Now it would be awkward for her to leave.
"...If there's anything you want to know, you can ask me. Don't I know better than this video?" Ye Ruihuan seemed to read her thoughts, continuing persuasively, her expression growing gentler, just waiting for the little rabbit to take the bait. Fortunately, she knew what the other person wanted.
"...Okay." Lin Ruijiao couldn't help but be tempted. When it came to Sister Yulan and Director Wen Xian, probably no one knew better than Ye Ruihuan.
It was always like this—Lin Ruijiao had no choice but to follow the information Ye Ruihuan provided.
"Is Director Wen Xian really as fierce as the rumors say?" Lin Ruijiao finally asked the question that had been weighing on her heart.
"...No, don't believe everything you read online." Ye Ruihuan couldn't help but ruffle her fluffy hair.
Lin Ruijiao was still lost in her thoughts and accidentally didn't dodge this contact. Oh well, they had done even more intimate things before. Lin Ruijiao consoled herself.
"Director Wen Xian is only strict about acting. Otherwise, he just doesn't talk much—he's not fierce at all. You'll understand later," Ye Ruihuan explained in detail.
"Then why did I see online that Director Wen Xian was scolding Sister Yulan in that situation?" Lin Ruijiao wondered aloud.
"That matter can't be understood from just one perspective. That was Director Wen Xian's way of expression. In that situation, he could only push Yulan that way. Besides, Yulan is inherently resilient—she used that movie to make her comeback..." Ye Ruihuan carefully explained the inside story from years ago.
"Although it sounds harsh, those of us who are close to her only saw it as encouragement," Ye Ruihuan continued. "And Yulan really needed that kind of encouragement at the time."
Lin Ruijiao recalled what Sister Yulan had said earlier—no wonder she had called Director Wen Xian gentle. Lin Ruijiao nodded slowly, processing both pieces of information.
But now she was worried about the audition, wondering if her acting skills would catch Director Wen Xian's eye.
"Ruihuan... what do you think of my acting?" Lin Ruijiao asked earnestly, her words full of sincerity.
"..." Ye Ruihuan couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. "I wondered what you were going to ask."
Seeing Lin Ruijiao's serious expression, Ye Ruihuan answered formally, "Your acting is very good."
"Really? Don't just brush me off," Lin Ruijiao pressed.
"...You've been acting in front of me for so long—if your acting wasn't good, how could you have managed it?" Ye Ruihuan teased.
"..." Lin Ruijiao remained silent. So she knew all along? She knew? Everything before had been an act? She knew everything. Lin Ruijiao was slightly shocked.
"Jiaojiao, be more confident. Your acting is excellent." Ye Ruihuan's hand somehow found its way to her long hair, gently stroking it.
Lin Ruijiao gathered her hair and glared at her fiercely, then moved away to sit on the side sofa, continuing to watch her video.
Ye Ruihuan smiled to herself. The little rabbit really couldn't handle teasing.
Soon it was noon. Ye Ruihuan received a message, and Yulan also sent Lin Ruijiao a message inviting her along.
At the hotel restaurant, everyone gathered together. Surprisingly, Director Wen Xian had also come, his decadent artistic aura intact. Beside him sat a somewhat familiar man—probably his partner producer, who had appeared with Director Wen Xian at various events according to online information.
"Everyone's here! Are we all present?" Chen Xiao smiled.
"Come sit, Ruijiao." Dong Yulan pulled the stunned Lin Ruijiao along.
"...Mm, okay. Hello everyone." Lin Ruijiao bowed deeply and sat down beside Sister Yulan.
"There shouldn't be anyone else, right?" Ye Ruihuan naturally took a seat beside her little rabbit.
"No, no one else. Just us few," Ye Zhi immediately responded.
"No one has any dietary restrictions, right? Even if you do, don't mention it now," Chen Xiao joked, placing the menu on the table where it rotated round and round.
No one seemed to mind. Everyone looked relaxed, which suggested they were all familiar with each other. The atmosphere was casual and comfortable, making her feel somewhat like an outsider who had infiltrated their circle.
"Ruijiao, don't be nervous. You've met everyone before—they're all very nice," Dong Yulan noticed her discomfort and gently comforted her.
"Mm-mm."
"Don't be formal. We're all old friends here," Ye Ruihuan also soothed her, gently patting her back.
Lin Ruijiao looked up at everyone present. They all chatted casually, with sporadic conversations and changing topics.
She slowly relaxed, her anxious heart settling. Everyone seemed to be people of few words, with Chen Xiao and Ye Zhi mainly maintaining the atmosphere. They must be working hard, though everyone seemed accustomed to this dynamic.
The familiar scene made Lin Ruijiao smile slowly.