After Rebirth, the Cold and Aloof Film Queen Always Wants to Cuddle with Me - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Wang Jie: “Understood, President Ye.”

Lin Ruijiao: “……”
Why is Ye Ruihuan acting a bit different from the last life? But still, she hasn’t changed at all in essence — proud and arrogant to the bone. Lin Ruijiao, who had already signed a “slave contract,” knew she no longer had the right to resist. She could only adapt to the situation.

After Wang Jie left, the spacious living room was left with only the two of them. Neither spoke a word, and the silence was so thick one could hear the chirping of insects outside. Lin Ruijiao sat with her head down, lost in thought. Meanwhile, Ye Ruihuan leisurely sipped her tea.

“Are you unhappy with this place?” Ye Ruihuan suddenly broke the silence. She looked at the modest beauty before her. The simple attire made her resemble Yu Lan even more. Unconsciously, her tone softened.

“No, President Ye. I’m just timid and not used to new places,” Lin Ruijiao replied softly without lifting her head.

“Then is it me you’re unhappy with?”
Her voice, light like drifting cotton, suddenly turned sharp.

Lin Ruijiao looked up and met her cold gaze head-on. Calm and unruffled, she replied, “No, President Ye.”

“You seem different.” Ye Ruihuan’s face was expressionless, her eyes murky and unreadable.

“…President Ye, I’m not any different. I was just really happy and excited to sign with Huari Entertainment before. Now I’ve calmed down a little.”
Lin Ruijiao looked straight into her eyes, her round pupils serene and unwavering.

“Is that so?” Ye Ruihuan took a sip of her tea.

Lin Ruijiao nodded, wearing a faint, polite smile.

Ye Ruihuan turned to look outside at the trees. The golden sunlight filtered through the leaves, playful and lovely.
How interesting — that fake smile of Lin Ruijiao’s was identical to Yu Lan’s. So something had changed. But that was fine. She liked it. A small, playful smile tugged at her lips, softening her entire presence.

Lin Ruijiao subconsciously pressed her lips together. Did she say something wrong? Why did Ye Ruihuan suddenly seem pleased? This couldn’t be good. Everything seemed to be changing subtly after her rebirth. She’d just have to take things one step at a time. First and foremost — make Ye Ruihuan lose interest in her, and maintain some distance.

“President Ye? Did you come here for something?” Lin Ruijiao asked, hoping she’d leave soon.

“I just came to check on you.”
Ye Ruihuan pushed the teacup on the table toward her.
“Go on, drink. Don’t be shy.”

“……?”
Lin Ruijiao was stunned. Looked like she wasn’t planning to leave anytime soon.
“Thank you for your concern, President Ye.”
With Wang Jie gone, she had to handle the conversation herself.

“Since you’re scared, I’ll come check on you more often,” Ye Ruihuan added, amused by her discomfort.

“???”
Lin Ruijiao almost spat out her tea.
Cough cough…

See? She’s clearly not satisfied with her. Ye Ruihuan now understood it completely.

“Drink slowly. There’s plenty more,” Ye Ruihuan said with a smile.

That seven-tenths smile on her face made Lin Ruijiao’s heart jump in fear. She hadn’t done anything out of line… Why did Ye Ruihuan seem even more interested in her now? Lin Ruijiao couldn’t help but grow wary.

Ye Ruihuan noticed everything clearly. She really did resemble Yu Lan — like a startled rabbit on a vast prairie, overly alert to every gust of wind and rustling leaf, nervously scanning her surroundings for a sliver of survival.

And right now, Lin Ruijiao was that rabbit.
Sigh, the rabbit used to be lively and talkative, at least cheerful. But this wasn’t bad either. A bit of training, and she could be quite delightful.

“I’ll leave for now. There’s a good opportunity coming up. We’ll discuss it tomorrow.”
Ye Ruihuan stood up, picking up her bag.
“Oh, and put away the teaware on the table. I’ll use this set next time I visit.”

“Yes, President Ye,” Lin Ruijiao stood up with her.

“No need to be so formal. Just call me by my name.”
Ye Ruihuan turned to her with a bright smile. The sunlight outside seemed to shine even brighter at that moment.

But Lin Ruijiao felt as if her heart had sunk to the bottom of the ocean, too heavy to breathe.
Her name? Ruihuan? Don’t joke — that name was reserved for someone else, her white moonlight. She wasn’t a substitute.
The warmth drained from Lin Ruijiao’s body, her lowered fingers trembling slightly.

“President Ye, I’m afraid that wouldn’t be appropriate. There’s a hierarchy, and you are the boss of the company. Calling you by name seems… presumptuous.”
A storm of thoughts swirled in her mind. She finally smiled gently and declined.

“No worries. Like you said, I’m the boss. I make the rules. Or… would you rather call me ‘Sister Ye’?”
Ye Ruihuan’s smile held a hint of mischief, her voice laced with amusement — even sounding a little tender.

A wave of pink-toned memories crashed in. Lin Ruijiao’s face flushed crimson, quickly spreading across her whole face.
She must’ve been out of her mind to say such things before.

“No no, President Ye, I… I wasn’t thinking clearly back then. Please don’t take it seriously,” Lin Ruijiao said in a panic.

“Really? But I am taking it seriously. What now?”
Ye Ruihuan leaned closer, placing a hand on her shoulder and whispering into her ear.

“President Ye…”
Lin Ruijiao didn’t know what to do. She sat back down, ears burning red.
Then she instinctively slid to the side, dodging Ye Ruihuan’s approaching hand.

“Don’t call me ‘President Ye’.”
Ye Ruihuan’s hand hung mid-air, her narrowed eyes losing their earlier warmth.

That cold edge in her voice yanked Lin Ruijiao out of her shameful memories.

“Okay… Ruihuan,” Lin Ruijiao said softly, head lowered.

The sunlight remained warm and bright.
Ye Ruihuan had heard what she wanted to hear — but her mood had clearly soured.

That tiny step backward reminded her of Yu Lan — the Yu Lan who had rejected her, who had only wanted to be friends.

Ye Ruihuan left without saying another word, slamming the door behind her, leaving only a proud silhouette.

Left behind, Lin Ruijiao was swarmed by memories from both lives. Every moment with Ye Ruihuan felt like a series of foolish acts, too embarrassing to bear.
How could she have ever called her “Sister Ye” with such eagerness?

In the last life too — when Ye Ruihuan asked her to call her Ruihuan, she thought their relationship had grown closer.
In reality, she was merely a stand-in. And she had given her heart away, foolishly.

Ye Ruihuan had only ever looked at her through the lens of another — her love, Dong Yulan.
Every glance from her carried deep, unspoken affection — not for Lin Ruijiao, but for the woman she resembled.

Now, Lin Ruijiao no longer cared.
She took a sip of tea — fragrant and elegant, like the style of someone born into luxury. Where did she even find it in this lifeless villa?

Not long after, the housekeeper Ye Ruihuan mentioned arrived. Wang Jie also returned with their luggage.

Meanwhile, back home, Ye Ruihuan kept thinking about Lin Ruijiao’s evasive behavior.
Was she trying to distance herself?

Ye Ruihuan played with a palm-sized, translucent jade peace charm.
“Distance?” She smirked, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
“Lin Ruijiao has no such right.”

Everyone was busy unpacking.
As Lin Ruijiao recalled the entire conversation with Ye Ruihuan, a key detail finally struck her.
She thought for a moment, then turned to Wang Jie.

“Wang Jie, President Ye said there’s a promising opportunity coming up. She’ll be back tomorrow to discuss it.”

“Oh, and Aunt Liu, please put away the teaware on the coffee table. It belongs to President Ye,” she added to the new housekeeper.

“Looks like signing with Huari Entertainment was the right choice,” Wang Jie said with a bright smile.
“For our level, it’s nearly impossible to get even a supporting role unless we beg. Having a powerful backer really does make a difference.”

Once everything was settled, that familiar sense of disorientation returned to Lin Ruijiao — as if her past life had been a dream, and she was still living in it.
She was still that brave, naive girl, still in love with Ye Ruihuan…

The dazzling crystal chandelier cast a glowing light, dragging out fragments of buried memory —
The joy of signing the contract with Ye Ruihuan, the happiness of living together, the heartbreak of their fallout…

She had always looked at her with deep affection — but not for her. Through her, she saw someone else. Lin Ruijiao had only discovered the truth later and couldn’t accept it. So she chose to walk away.

Bathed in light, Lin Ruijiao’s slender silhouette stretched long and thin across the floor.
The memories ran wild in her mind, like a film stuck on fast-forward. She couldn’t stop them.

It was a beautiful evening. The sun hid behind thin clouds, painting the sky in red and orange.
And she, Lin Ruijiao, had been waiting at home for her lover — Ye Ruihuan — to return.

It was their one-year anniversary. Lin Ruijiao remembered it vividly, counting down the days. She had reminded her in advance and waited with excitement.
But night fell. The stars came out. Ye Ruihuan never came — not even a message.

She wandered the house aimlessly in disappointment.
Then, she found Ye Ruihuan’s tablet.

Following vague memories of her password pattern, she tried again and again — and finally unlocked it.

She opened every app and social media platform. All of them followed only one person — Dong Yulan, the award-winning actress and Ye Ruihuan’s long-time friend.
Not just that, her photo gallery was filled with pictures of Dong Yulan — solo shots, selfies, videos of the two together.

That’s when Lin Ruijiao realized: the rumors were true. She did look like Dong Yulan.

And Ye Ruihuan didn’t love her. She never had.

Ye Ruihuan loved her — Dong Yulan.

Lin Ruijiao broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
She had been delusional. Greedy. Living in a fantasy.
How could someone as high and mighty as Ye Ruihuan ever fall for a nobody like her?

“Little Sparrow?”
Even Ye Ruihuan’s pet name for her seemed pitiful in hindsight. She had always just been a sad little sparrow.

So this was the truth.
Lin Ruijiao was frozen, limbs trembling, legs weak, mind blank. Her entire soul consumed by heartbreak.

That night, she remembered, there was a gala.
A big industry event. Dong Yulan was attending.

Of course Ye Ruihuan would go — despite usually hating such things.

All the details finally clicked together.
They spelled out one cruel fact:
Ye Ruihuan loved Dong Yulan.

And everything between her and Ye Ruihuan — all of it — was nothing but a farce.
And she, Lin Ruijiao, was just a pathetic joke…