After Rebirth, the Cold and Aloof Film Queen Always Wants to Cuddle with Me - Chapter 45
Chapter 45
The other guests silently looked up at the two of them, then the hall once again fell into silence. Wasn’t this supposed to be a dating show? Why did it feel more like a brutal celebrity feud unfolding on set?
Were these two really on bad terms? Then why did she still choose Lin Ruijiao? Or did they have some kind of agreement with the production team to ensure the show’s popularity???
These questions lingered in everyone’s minds, but given the tension in the air, no one dared speak up.
Lin Ruijiao furrowed her brow upon hearing the choice but wasn’t surprised. Her eyes held a resigned “just as I thought” expression. Ye Ruihuan was, as expected, trouble.
Still, since they were still recording, Lin Ruijiao couldn’t say anything openly. The atmosphere had already been thrown into chaos because of her.
After a long moment, the crowd’s pitifully sympathetic “Sister Ruijiao” finally broke the silence:
“Everyone, I’m getting sleepy after eating. I’ll go up and rest first.”
She gave a polite smile and left behind a thin, solitary figure as she walked away.
Ye Ruihuan’s expression hadn’t changed from beginning to end. This little bunny probably finds me annoying again, she thought. The smile in her eyes faded as she stood up too:
“Everyone, I’ll leave as well.”
Everyone nodded rapidly like pecking chickens, forcing polite smiles in response. Once Ye Ruihuan left, the group exchanged awkward glances, speechless for a while. Eventually, the conversation resumed, filled with light-hearted anecdotes.
Meanwhile, the camera followed Ye Ruihuan upstairs. Inside the room, Lin Ruijiao was tidying up, her microphone set aside.
Ye Ruihuan immediately took off her mic and softly called, “Ruijiao.” No one heard her. The cameraman waited outside.
Inside the room, the two women stared at each other. The cameraman moved closer and managed to catch one line from Lin Ruijiao:
“Why did you choose me?”
Her tone was filled with blame and frustration.
Ye Ruihuan’s smile disappeared completely. The cold expression she usually wore on screen returned, and she seemed wrapped in a heavy gloom.
Lin Ruijiao stepped forward, controlling her tone and expression:
“There are things we need to sort out. Please don’t film us. Thanks.”
Then the door closed.
When this episode aired, the screen was filled with bullet comments:
“Oh my god, are they finally going to fight?”
“Why does it cut off here??? What happens next?”
“WTF, Lin Ruijiao dared to scold our Ye-jie?! Who does she think she is?!”
“Why can’t Ye Ruihuan stop clinging to our Jiao-jiao? Isn’t she done leeching attention?”
“Go Jiao-jiao! Tell her off!! We’re not that easy to manipulate!”
“Lin Ruijiao, don’t be so rude!!”
“Am I the only one who thinks this looks like a lovers’ quarrel?”
“‘Lovers,’ seriously? My girl Jiao-jiao doesn’t even bother with her.”
“Pfft, Ye-jie would never be with Lin Ruijiao. She must be forced by some sponsor or something.”
“Wait… did they really share a room? Or are they just acting?”
“Obviously staged. Ye-jie wouldn’t room with her. She probably stayed somewhere else.”
“But other guests on the show said they slept in the same room??? What’s going on??”
“It’s all scripted. Jiao-jiao would never willingly share a room with her.”
The comments were chaotic. Even though the truth was right there, neither fandom believed it. They were locked in a constant war of words.
But viewers were increasingly curious. Many came to the show for sweet couples, yet were now drawn into what felt like a mystery thriller — incomplete, confusing, and fascinating. No one could make sense of it.
That closed door only made everyone more curious:
What on earth happened inside afterward?
Unfortunately, no one could answer. Even the crew didn’t know. The microphones were off, the room cameras shut down, and the cameraman had been sent out.
Inside, the tension was palpable. Neither woman looked pleased.
Ye Ruihuan was especially upset. Lin Ruijiao had lashed out at her.
She hadn’t expected that kind of hostility — such rejection and resistance to being near her.
“I’m not familiar with any of the other guests…” Ye Ruihuan forced a weak smile, trying to explain.
“Don’t play dumb. You know exactly what I mean. Why are you on this show?” Lin Ruijiao asked again, clearly annoyed.
“Because you’re here,” Ye Ruihuan replied plainly this time, no longer hiding it.
“Me?” Lin Ruijiao let out a bitter laugh, her eyes filled with disdain.
“Don’t pretend you came here for me, Ye Ruihuan.” Her voice was sharp and cold. Her gaze felt like a knife straight to Ye Ruihuan’s chest.
Ye Ruihuan’s eyes welled with sorrow. There it is — the little bunny really does hate me. She dropped her gaze and said nothing. She knew anything she said now would only make things worse.
“If you’ve got so much free time, go crash someone else’s show. What do you mean by coming to mine just to have fun? Now the show’s turned into a circus, with all sorts of weird trending topics on Weibo.” The more Lin Ruijiao thought about it, the angrier she got. Maybe it was because Ye Ruihuan had been more passive lately — she let her tongue slip freely.
Seeing Ye Ruihuan swallowing her anger in silence, Lin Ruijiao suddenly realized something. She stopped talking.
Things had already escalated far enough. She couldn’t break the contracts — neither the one with the show nor the one with Ye Ruihuan’s agency.
Lin Ruijiao looked up again. Ye Ruihuan’s expression was unreadable. There was nothing more to say. The girl would just keep doing whatever she wanted, never thinking about how others felt.
Lin Ruijiao smoothed her expression and turned to the bathroom to wash up, leaving Ye Ruihuan deep in thought.
The situation was worse than Ye Ruihuan had imagined. She knew Ruijiao might be angry — but not this angry. Not like this.
She also hadn’t expected their drama to draw so much attention. Fan wars online had spiraled out of control.
From Lin Ruijiao’s words, it was obvious she cared a lot about those baseless rumors. The mess had grown too big.
Ye Ruihuan gave a bitter laugh. In her eyes, not even gossip is about me. I mean nothing at all.
Now there was nothing left to explain — all she could do was figure out how to fix it.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Lin Ruijiao slowly cooled down. Hot water ran down her back, washing away her frustration.
As her thoughts cleared, regret crept in.
That was Ye Ruihuan, she thought. Why did I lash out at her like that? So aggressive…
The foggy mirror reflected her frown. She ran over the whole thing in her mind.
Yes, she had been impulsive.
But even so… what could she say to her now?
She hadn’t expected Ye Ruihuan to react so gently this time — not a single angry word. When had her temper mellowed so much?
Once she finished washing up, Lin Ruijiao felt anxious. They still had to finish filming together. Falling out completely would make things worse.
She nervously glanced around the room, searching for Ye Ruihuan and trying to read her expression.
When Ye Ruihuan saw her, she immediately stood up.
To Lin Ruijiao’s surprise, there was no hostility — instead, her face held a soft, gentle expression.
“Jiao-jiao, if it bothers you, I can arrange to have the trending posts taken down. I promise there’ll be no gossip online.”
“…No need,” Lin Ruijiao said, a slight smile on her lips.
“Doing PR now would feel like covering our ears. Might as well ride the wave — it’s not every day you get free trending exposure.”
Ye Ruihuan’s forced smile finally softened. She visibly relaxed, her whole body unwinding. A tender look spread across her face again — one that no one could understand.
Lin Ruijiao quickly averted her gaze, afraid of falling into that smile.
Ye Ruihuan really is acting strange today, she thought.
The night grew deeper, and the lights in the room were switched off. The silence was so thick they could hear each other breathing.
From the other bed came small, quiet movements. Ye Ruihuan smiled faintly.
So the little bunny hasn’t fallen asleep yet.
“Jiao-jiao…” Ye Ruihuan called out softly. In the dark, her voice sounded extra warm and gentle.
“…Hmm?” Lin Ruijiao answered.
She couldn’t sleep. Too many thoughts. Since joining this show, she realized, nothing had gone smoothly.
“You’re awake too.” Ye Ruihuan’s voice carried a hint of a smile.
“…Yeah. Probably because I napped too long earlier.”
The room fell silent again, wrapped in unspoken emotion.
“Do you think this show is fun?” Lin Ruijiao asked suddenly, then immediately regretted it. Why did I say that?
“It’s not bad,” Ye Ruihuan answered sincerely. Her voice was clear and soft.
“Because you’re here.”
“…So you mean I’m fun to watch?” Lin Ruijiao reflexively asked, then scolded herself — why did I bring that up?
“…What are you thinking?” Ye Ruihuan chuckled softly. “Of course not.”
She paused, then added,
“I just want to be with you. It’s not about whether it’s fun.”
“…I see.”
So that’s it. It’s not about her — Ye Ruihuan just wants to see her white moonlight, senior Dong Yulan.
Lin Ruijiao stayed calm. She was used to this.
If she was just a substitute for someone else… was it really worth it for Ye Ruihuan to humble herself just to join this dating show?
She hadn’t expected Ye Ruihuan’s love to run this deep.