After Rebirth, the Cold and Aloof Film Queen Always Wants to Cuddle with Me - Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Lin Ruijiao instantly froze, forgetting how to react. Was she really that popular? Wait—more importantly, what about the CP (couple pairing) she was shipping!?

“Xuanxuan, weren’t you and that Wang Wenye…” Lin Ruijiao began slowly, hesitantly.

“Yeah, but he’s like a piece of wood. It’s so boring to talk to him. Probably can’t even hold a proper conversation for more than a few minutes. So after thinking about it, I realized I get along best with you, Ruijiao-jie, so I wrote your name,” Chen Xuanxuan said casually.

“…I guess that makes sense.” After a moment, Lin Ruijiao replied.

“But if you do that, and he writes your name, won’t he get hurt? What if he ignores you afterward?” Lin Ruijiao followed her line of reasoning.

“He probably won’t. And if he does, that just proves he didn’t care that much about me anyway,” Chen Xuanxuan shrugged helplessly.

“…Mm.” Lin Ruijiao didn’t really know what to say. The other party’s attitude was rather ambiguous.

The two of them sat side by side on a swing entwined with blooming flowers. The only sounds were chirping insects; even the breeze was gentle. The full moon in the sky added to the serene and peaceful atmosphere.

Chen Xuanxuan turned her head and gave Lin Ruijiao a bright smile.

Lin Ruijiao forced a stiff smile in return, thoroughly confused by the situation. She’d come to ship CPs, not break up the original ones!

Neither of them could remember what they talked about afterward. The final scene of the first episode of the variety show ended with a shot of their backs.

After watching all this, Ye Ruihuan nearly crushed the tablet in her hands. That Chen Xuanxuan…

So the little bunny really did go on the show to flirt with someone else. Just thinking about it made Ye Ruihuan feel like her heart was being squeezed—it ached so much it was hard to breathe. Her thoughts were consumed by this suffocating pain.

Meanwhile, the livestream comments were full of:

“LOL, Ruijiao’s face totally froze—she’s so obviously straight!”
“It’s like that moment when your favorite CP falls apart!”
“Haha, how are we supposed to ship this now!?”
“Props to the network for daring to air a girl-girl date. LOL.”
“Lin Ruijiao: I just came to be background, how did I end up the main focus?? So cute ahhh~”

Reading all these viewer comments made Ye Ruihuan’s tense expression soften a bit. Her heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled. It seemed the little bunny probably didn’t have romantic feelings for anyone else. But…

What if she did?

Ye Ruihuan’s mind was a tangled mess, full of chaotic emotions. What was she supposed to do about Ruijiao?

She sighed deeply, her brow furrowing and relaxing repeatedly. She turned to look out the window—the weather was warming, and some life was returning to the big trees outside. But the bare trunks still looked unchanged.

Just like her relationship with Lin Ruijiao—stagnant. Her lips were pressed in a thin line, and her expression turned gloomy again.

During these days on the variety show, Lin Ruijiao had learned to downplay her presence. She pretended not to notice any kindness directed at her, to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings. She was extremely cautious, never walking alone with anyone—always dragging someone else along.

So, in the current livestream, Lin Ruijiao sat between Chen Xuanxuan and Jin Yan. Both had their attention focused on her. It was as if a drop of invisible sweat slid down Lin Ruijiao’s forehead. She feigned interest in a nearby tree and wandered away, leaving Chen Xuanxuan in the middle.

Assistant Li had long noticed Ye-jie’s changing expression and restless demeanor. She sighed quietly, flipping through the duo’s upcoming schedule. With how Ye-jie looked, her heart had already flown to where Lin Ruijiao was. She might just leave on a whim.

Sure enough, moments later, Ye Ruihuan stood up and instructed Xiao Li to help pack. She was preparing to head to the filming location of Lin Ruijiao’s show.

Meanwhile, Lin Ruijiao deeply regretted joining the show. It was nothing like what she’d imagined. She never should’ve shipped a CP right in front of the actual participants—it was a complete mess now.

The atmosphere in the lounge was extremely awkward. All the male guests were showing interest in her, and even the other two female guests seemed a little hostile. Chen Xuanxuan clung to her everywhere, completely ignoring her original partner Wang Wenye, who was left cold-shouldered. Yet, he didn’t give up—he continued to stay by Lin Ruijiao’s side. But the resentful glances he shot her were impossible to ignore.

At this point, Lin Ruijiao could barely control her expression at the dinner table. Her smile was stiff, and her round eyes flickered with discomfort. To her left was her supposed “good sister” Chen Xuanxuan, and to her right and across the table were overly attentive male guests.

Suddenly, she became the center of attention. Anything she said would seem wrong. Acting aloof wouldn’t work now. Internally, she was crying out in frustration.

And on the livestream, the comments flew in:

“LOL, Ruijiao’s expressions are killing me…”
“She’s me right now. 100% relatable. She’s totally thinking: Why did I agree to be on this show?!”
“She’s got that “Who am I, where am I, what am I doing?” look written all over her face”
“Chen Xuanxuan, please spare your Ruijiao-jie. Her smile is frozen!”
“Honestly, with those male guests, there’s not much worth choosing from”
“Is this a dating show or Lin Ruijiao’s misadventure?”
“Highlight moment! She’s so funny, how is she like this??”
“Aww our Ruijiao is just so lovable, no wonder everyone likes her”

In the show’s control room, the crew caught every little detail. Naturally, Lin Ruijiao’s awkward expressions and the guests’ subtle movements didn’t escape them either. Many viewers had tuned in to ship CPs or watch drama unfold, but ended up falling for Lin Ruijiao instead. Overnight, her micro-expressions became viral memes across the internet.

Even Ye Ruihuan couldn’t hold back her laughter watching Lin Ruijiao’s reactions. They were too real—Ruijiao was so amusing and cute. She really had a talent for ending up in weird shows. Well, now she was getting a taste of her own medicine… And as for Chen Xuanxuan and Jin Yan—could they please stay away from her little bunny?

After watching the new episode, Ye Ruihuan finally relaxed. The oppressive atmosphere around her lightened considerably.

Later that night, during a break in group conversations, Lin Ruijiao gently expressed her views and subtly declined the affections of the interested guests. During a girls’ chat session, the other two female participants’ hostility lessened. Chen Xuanxuan, who had been clinging to Lin Ruijiao, also clarified that she was only interested in Wang Wenye. With everyone’s intentions made clear, there was no need to keep playing games.

The vibe finally improved, and Lin Ruijiao encouraged everyone to pursue their crushes bravely—after all, how else was she supposed to ship CPs?

That night, she finally felt at ease and could get some real rest. The other guests were off chatting or dating—none of it had anything to do with her.

That’s when she finally picked up her phone—and was shocked by the flood of WeChat messages from industry friends. Many had sent her memes of herself. She sat on the bed, stunned.

She immediately opened Weibo to check what was going on. What!? The show had a livestream!?

Lin Ruijiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The good news? She was trending on Weibo. The bad news? The trending tag was:
#LinRuijiaoIsLiterallyMe

She checked her messages again—so many people teasing her. Even Jingjing had sent her reminders. Her face flushed red with embarrassment. How could she not have known it was live? How humiliating… This was a whole new level of embarrassment.

She wanted nothing more than to dig a hole and disappear. Was everything she’d done caught on camera!?

Overwhelmed with shame, she buried her face in the blanket and didn’t move for ages.

That very moment was edited into the show’s behind-the-scenes footage—and got almost as much attention as the episode itself. The comments:

“LOL”
“I bet she just found out it’s livestreamed”
“My Ruijiao is adorable”
“I’m a fan now. She’s so real. That’s rare in this industry! LOL”

Finally realizing there were still cameras in the room, Lin Ruijiao jumped out of bed and rushed to cover one. The last shot captured her with a flushed, embarrassed face.

There was no undoing it now. She could only be more careful with her expressions in future recordings. Thankfully, she hadn’t done anything too embarrassing. And at least the Weibo response had been kind—no hate or trolling. That was a small miracle.

The next morning, everyone sorted out breakfast on their own. Lin Ruijiao casually boiled some greens for herself.

“Ruijiao-jie, I happened to make some noodles. Want to eat together?” Chen Xuanxuan cheerfully brought her a small bowl. Lin Ruijiao glanced at Wang Wenye standing behind her, feeling a bit awkward.

“Come on, I’ve already made enough. Don’t be shy,” Chen Xuanxuan said with a warm smile, placing the bowl in front of her and sitting beside her. Wang Wenye followed suit.

Lin Ruijiao decided to just accept it. “Thank you, Xuanxuan,” she said with a gentle smile.

“You’re welcome~” Chen Xuanxuan replied playfully, then turned to Wang Wenye with a grin. “You eat too.”

That made the favoritism very obvious. Wang Wenye looked like he didn’t matter at all.

Viewers were cracking up over Chen Xuanxuan’s behavior:

“Looks like she still prefers her Ruijiao-jie LOL”
“Wang Wenye totally paused for a second. Don’t stall! Or you’ll be left out next time!”
“No wonder Ruijiao looks stiff today”
“LOL, you don’t know? Apparently she only just found out the show was live yesterday. Her friends even posted screenshots of their chats—so funny. She’s adorable!”
“That explains it. She was way more fun before!!”
“+10086”

“Apparently there’s a special guest coming today,” Jin Yan said casually as she strolled over and joined the conversation.