After Rebirth, the Cold and Aloof Film Queen Always Wants to Cuddle with Me - Chapter 17
Chapter 17
The finger that had just fallen suddenly lifted again, hesitating back and forth for a long while. She hadn’t seen the little bunny these past few days and thought she might take the initiative to reach out. But in the end, after being so terribly defamed, there still wasn’t a single word from her. Not a sound.
Looking at the chat screen, Ye Ruihuan’s lips were pressed into a firm line, her face void of any expression.
A wave of frustration and helplessness surged in her chest. It had been a long time since she’d felt this way. Someone who always got whatever she wanted—how had she ended up tasting this kind of emotion because of Lin Ruijiao?
She had to admit, those dreams in recent days had really been affecting her subconsciously. Every night, the same nightmares looped endlessly, always too vague to make sense of. Yet that one spring dream remained hauntingly vivid, playing clearly in her mind over and over, as if to remind her she had done something wrong in it. Something… bad.
That seductive figure floated before her eyes again. Fine, if the little bunny wouldn’t come to her, she’d just go find her instead.
Ye Ruihuan had been handling a lot of work lately. A new script had found its way to her, and the crew behind it wasn’t bad. Although it was a TV drama, the role itself intrigued her—she wanted to give it a try.
She immediately gave Ye Zhi a call.
“Ye Zhi, I’m thinking of taking that role in Phoenix.”
“Mm, sounds good,” Ye Zhi replied casually. She knew Ye Ruihuan wouldn’t contact her just for something so minor.
“Arrange for Lin Ruijiao to be involved too,” Ye Ruihuan added lightly.
“…Isn’t Lin Ruijiao pretty busy these days?” Ye Zhi asked teasingly, her voice laced with amusement.
“She doesn’t seem that busy to me. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be accepting all those random promotional gigs,” Ye Ruihuan narrowed her eyes, her tone turning cold.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Alright.”
After hanging up, Ye Zhi immediately called Lin Ruijiao herself, her eyes gleaming with amusement.
“Ye Zhi-jie,” Lin Ruijiao greeted as she surfed the web, hunting for any clues about new productions she could audition for.
“Ruijiao, there’s a project called Phoenix. Are you interested?”
“Yes! Thank you, Ye Zhi-jie.” She agreed without hesitation. Phoenix was genuinely a great script—she had rewatched the series countless times in her past life. Now that she had the opportunity to be part of it, of course she wouldn’t let it slip by.
“Ye Ruihuan will be in it too,” Ye Zhi casually dropped the bomb.
“…Sure,” Lin Ruijiao’s voice immediately weakened. In her previous life, Ye Ruihuan hadn’t been in this drama at all. Why had the timeline changed so drastically?
“Okay. Wait for further notice. You’ll need to go audition,” Ye Zhi said. She wasn’t going to use her connections for such a small matter. If Lin Ruijiao wanted to prove herself, she’d have to rely on skill and results. Besides, watching Ye Ruihuan’s reaction should be entertaining.
“Got it, thank you Ye Zhi-jie.”
Even if Ye Ruihuan was involved, Lin Ruijiao wasn’t about to let such a great opportunity pass her by. At worst, she’d just have to put on an act in front of Ye Ruihuan—no big deal. She sighed deeply.
A few days later, she received a message from Sister Wang—an audition invitation from the Phoenix production team.
The sun was shining brightly, the sky a brilliant blue, and fluffy white clouds floated lazily above. The autumn air was cozy and pleasantly warm.
When she arrived at the location, she was surprised to see such a large crowd queued up outside. Some were even current top-tier popular actresses. It seemed like landing a role in this drama wasn’t going to be easy. The original cast was already impressive—basically the best of the best in her eyes. Still, she didn’t believe her acting was any worse than theirs.
“Hey, look at the girl in the back. Who is that? Never seen her before.”
“No clue.”
“Looks like she’s from Huarui Entertainment. Isn’t she the one who was being marketed as a duo with Zhou Yanyan online?”
“Ah… so it’s her. She doesn’t really look the same in person. Must be Photoshop.”
“Zhou Yanyan’s one of the Big Four, why would she drag around a newbie like that…”
“Probably a company-forced pairing. Still, this newbie really doesn’t stand out.”
…
Whispers drifted toward Lin Ruijiao. As expected, no one knew her. No matter—it should get better once Moonlight Half airs. Her sixth sense told her that.
“You’re Lin Ruijiao, right? I’m Liu Qingqing. I acted with Sister Zhou before too!”
A cute girl suddenly appeared before her. Round face, big eyes, super adorable—she even had the sweetest voice.
“Yes, nice to meet you,” Lin Ruijiao replied, her own voice softening in response.
“I’m a fan of Sister Zhou! What’s it like working with her?” Liu Qingqing asked brightly, radiating innocent charm.
“It was great. She’s really talented, very professional, and a genuinely kind person,” Lin Ruijiao answered honestly.
The other girl’s eyes curved into a happy crescent. “Right? Sister Zhou is amazing!”
“Everyone here for auditions today seems so talented. I probably don’t stand a chance,” Liu Qingqing said glumly, glancing at the long line ahead.
“Don’t say that. We both acted with Sister Zhou, didn’t we?” Lin Ruijiao finally recalled who she was—she really did have some connection to Zhou Yanyan. In Phoenix, she had played a cute little maid, quite a likable role.
“You’re right! We got this!” the two continued chatting easily until one of the staff came calling.
“Lin Ruijiao! Who’s Lin Ruijiao? You’re up!”
“Here!” Lin Ruijiao quickly jogged forward.
But the moment she stepped inside the room, she froze. Ye Ruihuan was sitting at the judges’ table.
Why was she here? She usually hated these kinds of situations.
Right now, Ye Ruihuan looked cold and composed, exuding professionalism and intensity. It was a rare sight—and strangely captivating.
Quickly regaining her composure, Lin Ruijiao bowed and greeted them cheerfully, “Hello, teachers!”
“Alright, this role,” the director said, selecting a page from a few sheets and handing it over.
Ye Ruihuan glanced at it, one eyebrow arching subtly.
Lin Ruijiao took one look at the page. It was just a short scene, no character background—not even a name. Clearly, this was to test the actor’s improvisation. The director, Liu, was known for his harsh standards, but his works were critically acclaimed.
Fortunately, as a diehard fan who had rewatched Phoenix countless times, she knew every character and storyline by heart. This was nothing to her.
She was surprised, though, to see that the role she’d been given to audition for was a major one—essentially the third lead in Phoenix. Such a massive production, with such intricate character relationships—she never imagined she’d get a shot at such a significant part.
The character was a noble consort: born into a decent family, seemingly harmless but extremely shrewd—not exactly a villain, but far from innocent.
The script excerpt given was from the character’s later arc, where her scheming nature was in full bloom—three parts bitterness, three parts calculation, and the rest cloaked in innocent charm.
Lin Ruijiao quickly centered herself and stepped forward.
She wore a polite smile, but the curve of her lips was slightly stiff, her eyes sharp and resentful. Her expression showed traces of spite.
“Heh. If she dares to cast Xuan Yi aside today, what’s to stop her from finishing him off tomorrow? I won’t let her have her way. We’ll see about that.”
After the monologue, the corners of Ye Ruihuan’s lips twitched. Her smile had grown a little stiff. Since when did this little bunny get so good at acting? No wonder she had the guts to ignore her. Turns out, she had real skills to back it up.
“What do you think, Xiao Ye?” the director asked with a faint smile.