After Rebirth, the Cold and Aloof Film Queen Always Wants to Cuddle with Me - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

“…Um… Ruirui… you look very pretty.” Lin Ruijiao swallowed hard and buried her head, not daring to look at the other person. How could she be so dumb at a time like this? How did she not notice this kind of mistake? Her eyes flashed with regret and frustration.

But to Ye Ruihuan, this little display meant something else entirely: the clueless pretty face had finally figured out how to latch onto someone powerful. Still, she wasn’t the least bit interested in Lin Ruijiao’s petite figure.

Ye Ruihuan chuckled without replying and turned her gaze away. Then she asked, “Why are you on set so early? Isn’t your scene scheduled for later?”

“Yes. I came early to observe and learn. This is a good opportunity, and I didn’t have anything else going on,” Lin Ruijiao answered truthfully.

“That’s good… So what did you learn today? Act out a scene from today’s storyline and let me see,” Ye Ruihuan said casually.

Lin Ruijiao was momentarily stunned. Was the sun rising in the west today? Since when did Ye Ruihuan become so helpful? She definitely wasn’t like this in her previous life.

This was going to be tricky. Right now, she was just a run-of-the-mill extra, without the acting experience she had in her past life. So, she had to fake it for now.

Lowering her eyes, she recalled the scene played by the two leads earlier today. The role was a bit challenging for her current skill level; she hadn’t had the chance to play a full-fledged character yet. So, she decided to water it down.

“Any scene is fine. Your pick.” Seeing her hesitation, Ye Ruihuan got up to pour herself a glass of red wine. The crimson liquid swirled in the glass, dancing in sync with her pleased mood.

“Okay, then I’ll perform the scene where the female lead reacts after being confessed to by the male lead.” Lin Ruijiao stood up and began to get into character.

Her expression shifted to one of flustered surprise, her eyes sparkling with a hint of excitement. She turned toward Ye Ruihuan, flailing a bit, and stammered, “…You… you can’t do this! We’re not supposed to date this early!”

Ye Ruihuan leaned against the bar, her flawless arm resting on it while she gently swirled her wine glass. In the warm yellow light, the smile on her face was unreadable.

“That’s it?” she asked, sipping her wine, the rich flavor spreading in her mouth.

Lin Ruijiao swallowed nervously. “That’s it.” Even if she had more skills, now was not the time to show them off—especially not in front of Ye Ruihuan. She had to pretend her acting ability was… limited.

Ye Ruihuan waved her over. “You really shouldn’t be dating early,” she said with a smile spreading like wine’s fragrance on her face. “And you shouldn’t be drinking either.”

Lin Ruijiao: …I didn’t even want to date.

Bathed in the soft light, standing beside Ye Ruihuan, Lin Ruijiao suddenly found her… oddly gentle. The usually cold and aloof CEO seemed to have vanished. Her skin was flawless, and Lin Ruijiao couldn’t help but stare.

Ye Ruihuan swallowed her sip of wine, the blush spreading across her face. She set down her glass and turned to face Lin Ruijiao with a smile. “Your instincts were right, but your acting is terrible.”

The wine’s aroma filled the air. With her cheeks flushed and a smile tinged with intoxication, Ye Ruihuan was still as blunt as ever—words like arrows to the heart.

Lin Ruijiao’s scattered thoughts were wiped clean in an instant, her mood plummeting. Even if she had faked the performance, she still didn’t want to hear such a harsh critique from Ye Ruihuan. Her smile faded significantly.

“It’s okay. With me around, you won’t embarrass Huahuan Entertainment,” Ye Ruihuan added confidently, a smirk on her lips.

“…Mm-hmm.” With nothing else to say, Lin Ruijiao could only nod helplessly.

“In that scene, smiling alone isn’t enough. You need more emotional layers. Your facial expressions were too weak,” Ye Ruihuan critiqued professionally.

Then she shifted expressions herself—brows furrowed slightly, lips twitching upward despite herself, her eyes filled with three parts hesitation and seven parts joy. After a beat, she said with a complex expression, “…You… you can’t do this! We’re not supposed to date this early!”

Lin Ruijiao watched with wide eyes, not missing a single nuance. She had to admit—Ye Ruihuan’s acting really was top-tier.

“See what I mean?” Ye Ruihuan smiled again, her expression returning to normal as her slender fingers wrapped around her wine glass. The deep red wine made her porcelain skin look even paler.

Smelling the strong aroma of wine, Lin Ruijiao nodded again, her brain starting to fog up. Her eyes sparkled in confusion, like she was half-drunk herself.

Her round, innocent-looking eyes shimmered with moisture. When Ye Ruihuan glanced over, she accidentally got caught in their clarity—lost and unable to pull away.

After a while, Ye Ruihuan turned around and took another sip of wine. “You should go over the script more. Study your character thoroughly,” she said in a voice that was unexpectedly husky.

“Okay, thank you, Ruihuan.” Lin Ruijiao replied absentmindedly.

“Heh…” This little bunny… “Alright, go on. I’m tired.” Ye Ruihuan looked down at the nearly empty wine glass, her face reflected in it—obscure and unreadable.

“Okay, I’m leaving.” Lin Ruijiao didn’t look back as she left.

Ye Ruihuan swirled the wine in her glass, her emotions scattered with it. Time to sleep—she was starting to feel dizzy…

Back in her room, Lin Ruijiao couldn’t help but think: Ye Ruihuan really was different in this life. She even gave her acting tips. But still, better to keep her distance.

The next morning, Ye Ruihuan left the hotel early. Before departing, her assistant Li made sure to say goodbye to the director and formally asked him to look after their Huahuan Entertainment girls: Zhou Yanyan and Lin Ruijiao. She even secretly messaged Zhou Yanyan to keep an eye on the rookie. All of this was Ye Ruihuan’s way of “rewarding” Lin Ruijiao.

After a restful night, Ye Ruihuan was in high spirits on the return trip, unable to hide the smile on her face.

Her assistant Li saw everything clearly through the rearview mirror: Jackpot! Looks like Miss Lin was willing to listen!

Lin Ruijiao continued spending every day on set, but her treatment was much better than before. Sister Zhou even shared her break room with her. The rest of the crew also treated her more politely—probably because of Ye Ruihuan. Even the director would occasionally guide her personally.

Lin Ruijiao didn’t mind much. She simply followed the crew’s arrangements, learning as much as she could. All she wanted now was to act well. But she couldn’t deny that Ye Ruihuan had opened many doors for her. Her agent Wang Jie was overjoyed—signing with Huahuan Entertainment was definitely the right move! Even Lin Ruijiao’s status had been elevated. Overall, her time on set was now fulfilling and pleasant.

But on the other hand, Ye Ruihuan’s happiness didn’t last long. Soon, she started having dreams again—romantic dreams, where Lin Ruijiao seduced her, and the two of them tangled together… And nightmares, too, still featuring Lin Ruijiao, though the events were vague and muddled. But the pain in those dreams—heart-wrenching and unforgettable.

Every other day brought a new dream. Ye Ruihuan felt like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. She didn’t even like this little stand-in flower vase that much, so why was she constantly appearing in her dreams? It was absurd!

The rain outside fell steadily, the air calm and still. Lying on her sofa at home, Ye Ruihuan shivered. Just in case… she figured she should reach out to the little bunny.

That bunny hadn’t even come to check in or show appreciation. So clueless… And she even had the nerve to say “you look pretty”! Typical sweet-talking nonsense.

Thinking of the way Lin Ruijiao had looked in her dreams—flirty, leaning close with those rosy lips—Ye Ruihuan suddenly felt parched. What the hell was going on? There were beautiful women all over the industry, so why this one? Ye Ruihuan really couldn’t figure out what it was about her that was so alluring…

With that, Ye Ruihuan dialed her number.

At the same time, Lin Ruijiao was lying in bed studying her script and writing a character backstory. Her phone suddenly rang. Seeing it was an unknown number, she hung up.

Not long after, her phone buzzed again. She was stuck on the backstory anyway, so she checked it—there was a new friend request on WeChat. The note read: I’m Ye Ruihuan.

Her hand trembled as she tapped “Accept.” What did Ye Ruihuan want now? She was really acting strange in this lifetime.

Ye Ruihuan: Didn’t answer your phone?

Reading the message, Lin Ruijiao’s eye twitched. So that was Ye Ruihuan calling just now. What a pain…

Lin Ruijiao: No… it showed as an unknown number…

She quickly explained and sent a sticker apologizing.

Ye Ruihuan: [Hmph]

Just as Lin Ruijiao was about to respond, a video call request popped up. She swallowed nervously. This was really a tough spot—she couldn’t reject it… After a few seconds of hesitation, she shakily accepted the call.