After Rebirth, the Cold and Aloof Film Queen Always Wants to Cuddle with Me - Chapter 23
Chapter 23
“Great! Cut!” Director Liu immediately stood up and applauded. “As expected of Movie Queen Ye—flawless acting. Xiao Lin, go get some rest.”
Jingjing quickly stepped forward with an ice pack, gently pressing it against the right side of Lin Ruijiao’s face. A large, obvious red mark had already formed, starting to swell. President Ye really didn’t hold back, huh!?
On set, only Ye Ruihuan and another popular young actress remained filming a scene, but before long, the director called it off. Despite how short the scene was, Ye Ruihuan NG’d several times before it passed. Director Liu didn’t call her out directly, but he stared at her intently.
Ye Ruihuan touched her nose awkwardly, her eyes drifting in Lin Ruijiao’s direction. It probably hurt a lot. A trace of worry unconsciously appeared in her eyes. Realizing she was completely off her game, she immediately went looking for Lin Ruijiao during the break.
Her assistant Li was already on top of things and had moved a lounge chair next to Lin Ruijiao’s.
Ye Ruihuan sat down casually. Li handed her a bottle of water right away.
“You okay?” she asked lightly, glancing toward Lin Ruijiao.
“Mm, I’m fine.” Lin Ruijiao pressed the ice pack to her face, managing a small smile. Her heavy costume robes hadn’t been removed yet.
It was just a slap for the scene—nothing serious. She’d been through worse. Lin Ruijiao didn’t want to come off as petty. If an actor got upset every time they got slapped in a scene, what was the point of acting?
She glanced up and noticed some glitter from Ye Ruihuan’s costume stuck to her face. She gently reached out, “You’ve got something here,” and brushed the glitter off.
“Thanks.” Ye Ruihuan’s lips curved into a slight smile.
Nearby, the young actresses whispered among themselves:
“Did you see that? No wonder she got into the production—must’ve grabbed onto a powerful thigh…”
Lin Ruijiao didn’t have any scenes after that, but Ye Ruihuan still had a few remaining—some of her most iconic moments. As much as Lin Ruijiao disliked her, she couldn’t help but want to witness those famous scenes in person.
Meanwhile, everything that had just happened on set had already been caught on camera by fans, including the dramatic moment of “Lin Ruijiao slapping Movie Queen Ye in return.”
In the leaked photo, Ye Ruihuan looked stunned, eyes wide in disbelief, while Lin Ruijiao—facing away from the camera—had her palm firmly on Ye Ruihuan’s cheek. At a glance, it looked exactly like Lin Ruijiao had slapped her.
That night, the candid photo hit the trending topics on Weibo. The tag #NewcomerLinRuijiaoSlapsYeRuihuanBack surged in popularity.
[Comments from netizens:]
“Whoa, who is Lin Ruijiao? She dared to hit Ye Ruihuan? For real?”
“Wait, aren’t they from the same company?”
“No way—President Ye taking that kind of hit?!”
“This drama is spicy! Ye Ruihuan is the CEO of Huarui Entertainment!”
“Always thought Ye Ruihuan bullied rookies. Finally someone stood up to her!”
“Weren’t there rumors about power struggles at Huarui? Is Queen Ye losing her grip?? Yyds my queen, nooo!”
“Rooting for the newbie! Ye Ruihuan’s only done a few films—no need for that diva attitude!”
“This kind of gossip is delicious. I gotta admit, Lin Ruijiao is brave!”
Jingjing showed Lin Ruijiao the posts. She scrolled through a bunch of them with zero expression. She, the actual victim, was somehow being painted as the aggressor. Amazing. People sure were quick with the slander.
“It’s fine. Ignore it,” Lin Ruijiao said, barely glancing up as she continued icing her face and reading through her script. After all, this didn’t just involve her—no need for her to deal with it alone.
Of course, Ye Ruihuan saw the trending post too. She read every single comment carefully. Was her public image really that bad? Even when rumors were this off-base, people still piled on the hate…
There were quite a few people praising Lin Ruijiao, too. Had the little bunny offended someone before? How come the rival PR teams worked so fast?
She’ll come to me when she needs help, Ye Ruihuan thought. She even saved the photo pinned to the top of the trending post. Was her expression really like that?
She remembered the feel of Lin Ruijiao’s soft palm. Delicate, almost boneless fingers—fair and slender.
Her hands are so pale… why is the rest of her a bit tanned? she wondered.
Thinking of the slap she delivered earlier, the smile vanished from Ye Ruihuan’s face. She usually never hesitated during shoots, but this time, she felt… regret. She really had hit too hard. That face… what condition was it in now?
“Xiao Li, do we have any medicine?” she asked, holding a glass of red wine.
“To give to Miss Lin? Yes, we do.”
“Good. Send it to her.” But just as the words left her mouth, she changed her mind. “Actually, have her come up here.”
A while later, Assistant Li returned—alone.
“Miss Lin said she’s not feeling well, so she won’t come,” she reported cautiously, watching Ye Ruihuan’s face for a reaction.
“…I’ll go myself,” Ye Ruihuan said, draining her wine glass in one swift gulp.
Moments later, she arrived at Lin Ruijiao’s room.
Hearing the voice outside, Lin Ruijiao’s throat tightened, her eyes darkening.
“Jingjing, stay here,” she instructed.
When she opened the door, her face had already switched expressions. “Ruihuan, what brings you here?”
Jingjing (in her heart): Lin-jie’s expression switch was Oscar-worthy. Three Flower Awards incoming!
“Medicine,” Ye Ruihuan said casually, handing it over without much thought.
“Thanks, Ruihuan.” Lin Ruijiao smiled sweetly at her.
“Still hurt?” Ye Ruihuan sat beside her uninvited, casting a side glance at Jingjing.
“A bit.” Lin Ruijiao forced a grin, keeping her pure, gentle mask intact.
“Let me see.” Ye Ruihuan reached out, covering Lin Ruijiao’s hand that was holding the ice pack.
The moment their hands touched, Lin Ruijiao flinched. She lost her grip, and the ice pack dropped—causing their hands to part instantly.
Ye Ruihuan pressed her lips together. Seeing the red handprint still clear on Lin Ruijiao’s face, a wave of guilt and regret surged in her eyes.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Her tone suddenly turned cold.
“Say what?” Lin Ruijiao froze while picking up the ice pack. Did she find something out?
“Your face is in bad shape. Get dressed—we’re going to the hospital,” Ye Ruihuan said with a frown, tugging at her arm.
“It’s fine. The swelling will go down with the ice,” Lin Ruijiao replied with a light laugh. “No need to overreact.”
But Ye Ruihuan looked completely serious.
“Really, there’s no need. One night of icing and I’ll be good.” Lin Ruijiao looked up with a gentle smile, tugging at the hem of Ye Ruihuan’s clothes.
Unbelievable. She actually saw worry and nervousness on Ye Ruihuan’s face?
“…Alright. Then apply this quickly.” Ye Ruihuan picked up the ointment she’d brought. “This was what Xiao Li prepared. Should work well.” As she spoke, she reached out to apply it herself.
“No need. Jingjing can do it.” Lin Ruijiao turned her head and waved Jingjing over.
Ye Ruihuan froze for a moment.