After Rebirth, the Cold and Aloof Film Queen Always Wants to Cuddle with Me - Chapter 30
Chapter 30
The next day, unaware of Lin Ruijiao’s reaction, she had already left the house early, and even her little assistant was gone.
At this moment, Lin Ruijiao was sitting in the car, slowly eating her breakfast, a worried look on her face. “Jing Jing, how was I last night?”
Jing Jing adjusted her glasses and looked at her seriously: “Lin Jie, you were drunk last night… then Madam Ye escorted you back to your room…”
“And then?” Lin Ruijiao stared straight at her, full of blame and regret—why hadn’t she controlled her drinking?
“Later, when I went to find you, I ran into Madam Ye. She said you were asleep and told me not to disturb you. That was all.” Jing Jing reported everything truthfully.
“Alright.” Jing Jing’s account matched Lin Ruijiao’s vague memories pretty well. When she woke up, she was wearing pajamas—probably what she changed into when washing up. She faintly remembered Madam Ye supporting her from behind.
Recently, she’d been busy and hadn’t seen Madam Ye. Over time, she figured it was best to just let this incident be.
Lin Ruijiao spent the next period running around various events, attending interviews and variety shows with many leading actors from “Yue Ban” and “Feng”. She even bumped into old acquaintances like Zhou Yanyan and Liu Qingqing.
Because the previous variety shows had performed well, many programs were happy to invite the low-profile but well-reputed Lin Ruijiao, though most still focused on hyping her “sisterly bond” with Zhou Yanyan.
Thus, Lin Ruijiao was quite busy for a while, going out early and returning late, frequently appearing on screens everywhere.
Even Ye Ruihuan, living under the same roof, barely had any chance to see her. Despite living together, she had to rely on online information to keep up with Lin Ruijiao’s activities.
The weather grew colder day by day, and no better gigs came her way. So she stayed home, surfing the internet and scrolling through news about Lin Ruijiao.
In a video, Lin Ruijiao wore a pink gauzy princess dress, smiling brightly, looking pure, tender, lively, and adorable.
Ye Ruihuan couldn’t help but smile along. Such a lovely Jiao Jiao—so pretty, she just wanted to cuddle her!
The host asked in an interview, “What type do you like, Ruijiao?”
Lin Ruijiao shyly smiled and said, “Hmm… probably someone about my age, cheerful and sunny…”
Ye Ruihuan didn’t finish watching and quickly swiped to the next video. Every word in that sentence seemed aimed at her.
She then watched every post and video related to Lin Ruijiao. She hadn’t realized the little bunny had been attending so many events lately—no wonder she was so busy. Suddenly, Ye Ruihuan felt strangely isolated. She had acted in “Feng” too, so why hadn’t she been invited?
There were many online interviews suggesting discord between her and Lin Ruijiao. The little bunny played coy and didn’t respond directly—typical media handling.
Besides, there were plenty of magazine shoots of Lin Ruijiao, mostly portraying a pure and lively image, likely thanks to the effect of the “Yue Ban” drama. On screen, she wore fresh, delicate outfits. After “Feng” aired, her screen image might change.
Though pretty, this image was limiting—it boxed her into a certain type of role, and high-end brands wouldn’t approach her. Most brands emphasized a sense of luxury, and her popular appeal didn’t fit that. Even with some public attention, she was still a small star, tangled with some scandals.
After browsing all the news about Lin Ruijiao, Ye Ruihuan began analyzing her career trajectory.
Just as she was about to log out of Weibo, a post in the lower ranks of the trending list caught her eye:
#Zhou Yanyan and Lin Ruijiao — Sister Flowers#
Ye Ruihuan’s brows immediately furrowed. How come the little bunny was with Zhou Yanyan again? Hadn’t the audience had enough of this “sister flower” marketing?
She clicked on the post. It was a preview clip of a slow variety show, edited to highlight exciting moments. Netizens had screenshots showing intimate moments between the two, clearly indicating a close relationship.
Ye Ruihuan’s tense brows tightened further. Her fingers froze on the screen. Eventually, she opened the trailer.
On screen, the two sat on the grass, sharing their hearts, chatting about fun things, holding hands and walking closely, finally hugging tightly.
Even Ye Ruihuan couldn’t help but exclaim, “Such good sisters!” But her lips pressed tightly together, eyes clouded with complex emotions, a storm of unnamed feelings sweeping across her heart as she looked at the close and beautiful scene.
A cold snort followed, and a bitter, faint smile appeared on Ye Ruihuan’s face. She covered her erratically beating heart, stirred, slowed, and broken because of her.
She recalled scenes of Lin Ruijiao and Zhou Yanyan’s closeness during “Yue Ban”—their affectionate behavior, looking like best friends, their enviably close relationship later on…
She licked her lips, the sour and bitter helplessness washing over her repeatedly.
Everyone seemed close, their relationships tight—except for her. She was drifting farther and farther away. There seemed to be an insurmountable chasm between them. She couldn’t cross it; Lin Ruijiao was unwilling to come closer.
She closed her eyes sarcastically, a mocking smile tugging at her lips.
At night, the wind howled outside. Ye Ruihuan curled up on the sofa, leisurely watching TV, her gaze occasionally drifting toward the door.
Suddenly, there was a stir outside. Ye Zhifeng burst in, rushing: “Hey, you’re really here?!”
Ye Ruihuan pouted and shifted her gaze, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes.
“Oh, so you don’t welcome me?” Ye Zhifeng didn’t miss a single expression on her face. “Stop pretending. Why did you spend so much buying a foreign winery? And liquor?!” Ye Zhifeng held up a tablet, nearly waving it in her face. “Our company doesn’t even have that business! The employee perks are way too extravagant!” She said, exasperated. Ye Ruihuan was always causing her trouble.
“This is called business expansion.” Ye Ruihuan gave her a light, careless glance.
“…Expand what? If you want to drink, use your own card!” Ye Zhifeng glanced around. On both sides of the room, shelves had been stocked with many bottles of wine she hadn’t noticed before. “Or if you want to run that kind of business, do it yourself! Why come work at Hua Rui Entertainment?”