After Rebirth, the Cold and Aloof Film Queen Always Wants to Cuddle with Me - Chapter 11
Chapter 11
“Ruihuan, didn’t you say you’d get me an acting coach?” Lin Ruijiao couldn’t hold it in anymore and finally asked. Otherwise, there was no point in Ye Ruihuan’s visit.
“I did,” Ye Ruihuan replied, taking her usual seat.
Assistant Li motioned to Sister Wang and Aunt Liu, and they quickly disappeared from the living room.
The coffee table had already been set with tea and fruit. Ye Ruihuan picked up a cup and sniffed—it smelled elegant and rich. Not bad. Then she looked up at Lin Ruijiao, whose round eyes stared blankly back at her. She seemed to be in better spirits lately, suggesting she’d had a decent time, though she still looked a bit silly.
Thinking of her own recurring nightmares, Ye Ruihuan’s gaze darkened. She asked casually, “Do you dream when you sleep?”
Without much thought, Lin Ruijiao replied, “No.”
Ye Ruihuan took a sip of tea. It was delicate and slightly sweet, sliding down her throat and soothing her slightly restless heart. So it seemed she was the only one tormented by dreams.
Lin Ruijiao adjusted her expression, sat upright, and looked at Ye Ruihuan with bright, expectant eyes. She couldn’t help wondering who her acting coach might be. But Ye Ruihuan just sat there, relaxed, occasionally glancing at her without saying much. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
“What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?” Ye Ruihuan asked with amusement—Lin Ruijiao rarely had this kind of expression, like a little puppy wagging its tail for its owner.
“Um… where’s my acting coach?” Lin Ruijiao asked, looking up at her happily.
“She’s right here,” Ye Ruihuan chuckled. So that’s what she was waiting for.
“Huh?” Lin Ruijiao froze. Here?? “You?” she asked, staring at her in disbelief, clearly shocked. This was worse than having no coach at all. All that anticipation for nothing!
Ye Ruihuan nodded, the smile on her face deepening. “Is that a problem?” Her eyes flashed with a hint of danger.
“No, no, not at all.” Lin Ruijiao quickly nodded, though her gaze dimmed. After a pause, she hesitated and tried to protest, “Ruihuan, isn’t this a bit inappropriate? I mean, I can’t trouble you like this.” Though Ruihuan’s acting skills were excellent, she didn’t want her to be her teacher—she couldn’t afford that kind of favor.
“It’s appropriate.” Ye Ruihuan said with a calm, final tone that made Lin Ruijiao feel utterly defeated.
The smile on Lin Ruijiao’s face stiffened, her eyes becoming unreadable. Her act had officially backfired. The last thing she wanted was to be alone in a room with her.
“What, not happy about it?” Ye Ruihuan asked, her smile playful.
“No, no, Ruihuan is such an amazing actress—people beg to be taught by her,” Lin Ruijiao forced a sweet smile, her flattery on point.
Ye Ruihuan’s smile grew more genuine. She loved seeing the little bunny make that expression—so very much like her dreams.
“Alright then, it’s settled. I’ll be back tonight.”
Lin Ruijiao tactfully stood up and watched her leave, her eyes quietly pleading that she never return. Or at least not tonight.
Ye Ruihuan turned and smiled at her, catching the look of subtle disappointment on her face. “What’s this? Can’t bear to see me go?” she teased, lifting a hand to touch Lin Ruijiao’s cheek. Her gaze drifted to her red lips. Tsk, her lipstick was a bit heavy today.
“No… not really… that’s not…” Lin Ruijiao stammered, nodding and shaking her head in confusion. Inside, she regretted everything—Does this woman have nothing better to do?!
“Don’t be sad. I’ll be back tonight,” Ye Ruihuan said, patting her head with amusement.
“Okay, Ruihuan, take care,” Lin Ruijiao smiled sweetly, though it was clearly forced.
Ye Ruihuan loved that fake smile. It was so entertaining.
After Ye Ruihuan left, Sister Wang suddenly reappeared.
“Ruijiao, is President Ye really going to teach you acting? Assistant Li told me just now,” she asked excitedly, sitting next to her.
“Yes,” Lin Ruijiao sighed lightly.
“Then you’d better make a good impression,” Sister Wang advised earnestly.
“Mm-hmm,” Lin Ruijiao replied distractedly. What was Ye Ruihuan thinking, coming to teach her? In her previous life, she’d have been thrilled. Now? She couldn’t care less.
“Sister Wang, do we have anything scheduled later?” Lin Ruijiao asked, desperate to leave the house.
“Hmm… I don’t think so,” Sister Wang finally remembered that they hadn’t received any bookings. “Don’t worry—President Ye really likes you. You’ll get lots of great opportunities.”
“Mm-hmm,” Lin Ruijiao nodded thoughtfully.
After leaving the Yuwan Villa, Ye Ruihuan went straight home. Ye Zhi was supposed to come by—they had some work stuff to discuss.
But after a long wait, Ye Zhi still hadn’t shown up. Bored, Ye Ruihuan started going through company emails on her tablet. With Assistant Li handling things, everything was moving along smoothly—contracts were signed quickly and efficiently.
As dinnertime approached, Ye Zhi finally arrived in a hurry.
“Waiting for me to eat, huh? So polite,” she said as she seated herself at the table.
Ye Ruihuan didn’t look up, focused on her phone.
“Wow, you dressed up so nicely today!” Ye Zhi feigned surprise. “Must’ve gone to see Lin Ruijiao—you really couldn’t wait, huh?” Her smile was full of mischief. This was the only thing she could tease Ruihuan about.
“You can’t even shut up while eating,” Ye Ruihuan shot her a glare.
“I heard you’re giving Lin Ruijiao acting lessons now?” Ye Zhi asked, still smiling, but her eyes were cold.
Assistant Li stiffened at those words.
“What’s it to you?” Ye Ruihuan didn’t even look up.
“She’s an artist I signed. Of course I need to know,” Ye Zhi said, her smile fading. “You’d better remember what you said. Don’t fall for her.”
“No way,” Ye Ruihuan snapped.
“You better not.” Poor girl if you do, Ye Zhi muttered inwardly. With that temper of yours? Yikes.
Assistant Li finally relaxed. Dinner had been intense—Ye Zhi had pushed every one of Ruihuan’s buttons. She was brave!
After dinner, the two of them moved to the living room to discuss work.
“Any good scripts lately?” Ye Ruihuan asked, deep in thought.
“Why are you asking me? You usually know all this stuff,” Ye Zhi replied while swiping her tablet.
“Fine. How many projects have you submitted?”
“Just Zhou Yanyan’s ‘Moonlit’, but I’ll look into more soon—some decent scripts and production teams are coming up,” Ye Zhi reported.
“Okay.” After a pause, Ruihuan asked, “So why did you want to see me?”
“You should’ve gotten the news by now,” Ye Zhi said seriously. “There’s an industry gala Friday night at XX Garden. A lot of big names will be there.”
“So?” Ye Ruihuan replied coldly. “I’m not interested.”
“Dong Yulan and the others will be there too,” Ye Zhi said, smiling.
“How do you know?” Ruihuan asked, suspicious.
“Ye Junhua told me. And some major directors and investors from here and abroad will be there too.”
“Why aren’t you going?”
“I’m going—with you.” This kind of important event? She wasn’t letting Ruihuan go alone and stir up trouble.
“Alright, fine. I’ll go.”
“That’s more like it. You can check out the talent, maybe do a bit of scene reading,” Ye Zhi encouraged.
“Mm-hmm.” Ruihuan seemed thoughtful. It had been months since she’d done any acting or public appearances. Time to brush up her presence.
After finishing their work talk, Ye Zhi left at some point, and Ruihuan spent the rest of the afternoon lounging on the couch, flipping through shows until night fell. She finally got up slowly.
“Miss Ye, why don’t we invite Miss Lin over?” Assistant Li suggested thoughtfully. “It’s pretty late already, no need to go to Yuwan Villa.”
“No need. We’ll go after dinner,” Ruihuan refused outright. She didn’t like irrelevant people coming to her house.
“Okay,” Li said, settling on the couch beside her to continue watching TV.
Back at the villa, knowing Ruihuan would show up that evening, Lin Ruijiao and the others had already eaten dinner and were waiting in the living room. Staring out into the dark night, Lin Ruijiao couldn’t help but recall the lonely waiting of her past life. She got up and headed to her room—she hated waiting, especially for that person.
“Ruijiao, where are you going?” Sister Wang called.
“I’m not feeling well. Going to rest.”
“Alright, I’ll call you when President Ye arrives.”
“Okay.”
The spacious living room glowed under the dazzling chandelier. As Lin Ruijiao’s slender figure faded into the shadows, she looked particularly fragile and lonely.
Taking advantage of the time, she took a bath. When she heard rustling noises outside, she knew Ye Ruihuan had arrived. Right on cue, Sister Wang knocked on her door.
“Why are you in pajamas?” she asked, surprised.
“I just took a shower,” Ruijiao replied calmly, walking downstairs.
“Alright then…” Sister Wang had wanted to give her a pep talk—after all, President Ye was their golden goose, and Ruijiao should’ve made an effort. But thinking better of it, she sighed—Oh well, they’re close anyway.
When Ye Ruihuan walked in, this was what she saw: Lin Ruijiao in a simple dress, makeup-free and pure, descending the stairs lightly, her skirt fluttering like the wings of a white butterfly gracefully flying toward her.
Ye Ruihuan couldn’t help but watch a bit longer. That butterfly had already landed before her.
Ruijiao smiled softly. “Good evening, Ruihuan.”
“Good evening.” Maybe it was the lighting or the dreamy nighttime atmosphere, but for once, Ruihuan thought the little bunny looked… quite pretty.
Everyone else discreetly went upstairs, leaving the two alone.
“You’ve already gotten ready for bed?” Ruihuan asked, glancing at her own perfectly styled outfit and feeling slightly cheated. This girl really didn’t take her seriously.
“Mm, since you’re teaching me acting tonight, I figured bare-faced would make it easier to see expressions,” Ruijiao made up an excuse.
“Fair. Given how terrible your acting is,” Ruihuan teased, chin lifting slightly, smiling faintly.
Ruijiao’s smile froze. Heh heh heh… This Ye Ruihuan… what a petty old woman!