Ye Ruihuan's face carried the hazy flush of intoxication, her lips curved in an almost imperceptible smile. Yet her behavior appeared completely normal, leaving Assistant Li—who had been attending to her throughout the evening—unable to gauge her true state. In all the years she'd worked for Sister Ye, she could count the times her boss had been drunk on one hand.
What a rare sight indeed. She'd never seen Sister Ye like this before. It seemed this Miss Lin was different from the others—unlike those decorative vases from the past. But Miss Lin's personality also seemed rather enigmatic. Future work would likely prove challenging.
Within such a short span of time, news of Ye Ruihuan nurturing a newcomer had somehow spread rapidly throughout the industry circles. She had already arranged for Ye Zhi to handle the matter, though the effectiveness remained to be seen.
With Moonlight Serenade awaiting broadcast and Sister Wang still in training at Huarui Entertainment headquarters, Lin Ruijiao naturally had no work assignments. Despite this, she filled her days with a packed schedule: aerobic exercise, posture training, acting classes, and maintaining strict dietary control. She seemed determined to achieve peak condition immediately, ready to take on any opportunity that came her way. Regardless of what it might be, given her current status in this life, the most important thing was to appear before the public and let everyone know she existed in the industry.
Over the past half month, Ye Ruihuan had punctually given her acting lessons according to schedule, without any excessive behavior. She continued to tease and provoke her occasionally, just as before. Her gaze would unconsciously fall upon Lin Ruijiao from time to time, but she could only pretend not to notice these instances.
It was as if that night's unusual behavior from Ye Ruihuan had never occurred—no one mentioned it, and she herself never spoke such wild words again. Everything seemed relatively normal. Only Lin Ruijiao felt a unilateral sense of disgust, forcing herself to maintain her facade and play along. Through this ordeal, even Lin Ruijiao felt her acting skills must have improved considerably.
But there was one thing she couldn't understand: in her previous life, Ye Ruihuan had barely paid attention to her existence at this time. Why had she changed so dramatically in this life, actively seeking her out? It was truly irritating.
Yet this irritating Ye Ruihuan continued to seek resources for her.
"Ye Zhi, haven't there been any decent commercial opportunities recently?" Ye Ruihuan asked languidly.
"There have been," Ye Zhi nodded knowingly, looking at Ye Ruihuan with a smile of unclear meaning. "Just not for Lin Ruijiao." She stated this bluntly, giving Ye Ruihuan no chance to continue.
"Why not?" Ye Ruihuan frowned slightly, her eyes filled with contemplation.
"Her status isn't high enough."
"How is it not enough?" Ye Ruihuan instinctively countered. That little rabbit was promising material—she'd seen how hard she'd been working these past days. It was clear she genuinely loved acting, and even Ye Ruihuan couldn't help wanting to provide some opportunities.
"She's not enough, unless you boost her profile," Ye Zhi said, revealing nothing about her conversations with Lin Ruijiao while quietly observing Ye Ruihuan's reaction. It seemed her fascination with Lin Ruijiao hadn't worn off yet—her entire heart was focused on that woman. This wasn't a good sign.
Ye Ruihuan pondered deeply for a moment without responding. "Are there no casting calls at all?"
"None. Without Moonlight Serenade airing, she's just an eighteenth-tier extra. You should understand this better than I do," Ye Zhi glanced at her.
"Don't you think she has great potential?" Ye Ruihuan had to approach the topic indirectly.
"I don't. There are many talented people in the industry. That's not reason enough for us to promote her," Ye Zhi firmly refused.
Ye Ruihuan found herself speechless—the other party was indeed being reasonable. Moreover, asking her to boost Lin Ruijiao's profile was simply impossible. Such an action would be unreasonable and would likely backfire, making them a laughingstock. Ye Ruihuan prided herself on being different from those industry capitals who randomly inserted people without understanding acting.
So the matter had to be dropped. After all, there would be other opportunities.
Lin Ruijiao knew she had no work lined up, so she focused on self-improvement during this period. After all, her current state was far from what it had been in her previous life—she had issues in various areas, but the most important thing was to perfect her physical form first.
However, a piece of news disrupted these plans: Sister Wang had secured her a magazine shoot, together with Zhou Yanyan.
Moonlight Serenade hadn't finished filming yet, so Zhou Yanyan had to request leave from the crew to come to the Xingchen Building for the magazine shoot.
"Sister Zhou!" Seeing Zhou Yanyan approaching from afar wearing sunglasses and carrying herself with cool elegance, Lin Ruijiao immediately went forward to greet her.
"Ruijiao! It's been so long!" The two walked shoulder to shoulder into the shooting location with intimate familiarity.
"Thank you so much for this opportunity, Sister," Lin Ruijiao said with a beaming smile.
Somehow, Sister Wang at the company had connected with Zhou Yanyan's agent. Combined with everyone's decent impression of her and the rumors that she was Boss Ye's favorite, the two agents had chatted and eventually decided to include Lin Ruijiao in Zhou Yanyan's magazine shoot.
"Oh, don't mention it—it's just a convenient favor. This shoot was originally for promoting Moonlight Serenade anyway, so it was perfect to bring you along," Zhou Yanyan said nonchalantly, looking at Lin Ruijiao with doting affection like a senior sister caring for her junior.
"Yes, yes, thank you, Sister Zhou." Lin Ruijiao raised her smiling face and responded obediently. In this industry, the chance of meeting helpful people was minuscule, and Lin Ruijiao's eyes couldn't help but show some gratitude.
"Alright, alright, let's get to work. Time for styling first."
Lin Ruijiao nodded and followed her into separate rooms. The theme was youthful pure love, so the styling naturally leaned in that direction—modern campus pure outfits. In no time, both their looks were complete.
Both wore light makeup, one cool and one pure, each carrying different charming qualities that complemented each other perfectly, creating a beautiful scene.
Everyone on set was immediately captivated by this pair of sister flowers, their gazes glued to them unwilling to look away. The two smiled at each other, radiant and brilliant, like characters stepping out of a dream campus era, their youthful aura freely flowing, beautiful as warm sunshine.
The photographer immediately grabbed his camera and directed a flurry of shots, continuously praising them.
Compared to Zhou Yanyan beside her, this newcomer Lin Ruijiao's expressiveness was actually slightly stronger. The staff on set couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, followed by whispered discussions.
[Who is this newcomer? I've never seen her before. This styling suits her so well!]
[You don't know yet? She's called Lin Ruijiao, from the same company as Zhou Yanyan. I heard she has quite a background!]
[What kind of background?! I think she's quite pretty—standing next to Zhou Yanyan, she's not inferior at all.]
[How can that be?! Obviously Zhou Yanyan is much prettier, and has better temperament too.]
[No, it's not that. Lin Ruijiao looks so pure... spirited. She suits this school uniform perfectly, instantly bringing back campus memories.]
[I heard someone's promoting this Lin Ruijiao! Apparently, even Movie Queen Ye visited the set when she was filming. There were even leaked photos on Weibo.]
[That must have been for Zhou Yanyan! The official account even posted about it later, mentioning our Goddess Zhou!]
[Ugh... stop talking, both sisters are beautiful.]
With the artists' cooperation and the photographer's excellent technique and aesthetic sense, the magazine shoot was completed smoothly in less than an hour.
But through this shoot, everyone present got to know Lin Ruijiao as a highly moldable newcomer in the industry. It seemed Huarui Entertainment's newcomers were truly not to be underestimated!
"Ruijiao, you look really beautiful," Zhou Yanyan couldn't help but praise when she saw the raw photos, her eyes full of approval. "It looks like our Ruijiao will become famous soon!"
"Thank you for the kind words, Sister Zhou!" Lin Ruijiao smiled modestly. Such a hard-won opportunity naturally required her best performance. Besides, she couldn't embarrass Sister Zhou who had invited her. She had to demonstrate her full capabilities to prove her professional competence!
"Sister Zhou looks beautiful too!" she smiled sweetly.
"Oh, stop with the compliments. Moonlight Serenade is about to wrap up, so there'll be a busy period ahead," Zhou Yanyan said gently. "Has Boss Ye arranged what direction you'll take next?"
"Not yet. I'm still just a small extra—what direction could there be?" Speaking of this, Lin Ruijiao couldn't help but sigh softly.
"Don't worry. Since you're already at Huarui Entertainment, take it step by step. Sister Ye Zhi won't overlook gold," Zhou Yanyan put her arm around her consolingly. "I understand your acting skills. If nothing else works, contact my agent—if there's anything I can bring you along for, I will."
"Yes, yes, Sister Zhou is so kind. Thank you." Lin Ruijiao smiled gratefully at her. Regardless of the reasons, help was help.
"Don't be so polite. I believe you can definitely make it!" Zhou Yanyan had always trusted her ability to judge people. This newcomer Lin Ruijiao definitely had the potential, and the way Boss Ye and the others treated her was worth examining. Lending a small helping hand wouldn't hurt, and besides, this little sister really resembled her younger self—completely devoted to acting and determined to climb higher.
"Alright, I need to return to the crew. See you next time!" Zhou Yanyan left after removing her styling.
Left alone, Lin Ruijiao had to take a taxi back to the Yuwan Villa. Not having an assistant was indeed inconvenient—this was still a problem to solve. She immediately sent a message to Ye Zhi. But before receiving Ye Zhi's response, she was attracted by a notification from Weibo.
Zhou Yanyan: "Magazine shoot with a lovely little sister! [Photo] @Hardworking Lin Ruijiao"
Below were numerous fans showering rainbow compliments. Lin Ruijiao also benefited from the praise, and her follower count even increased from a few hundred to over a thousand.
Lin Ruijiao's eyes curved into crescents as she tapped away, replying below.
[Sister Zhou is so beautiful (starry eyes)]
Ye Ruihuan naturally wouldn't pay attention to such things, but coincidentally, Ye Zhi beside her saw it.
"Ye Ruihuan, this Lin Ruijiao has quite a good relationship with Zhou Yanyan, doesn't she? Even bringing her along for jobs," Ye Zhi said deliberately.
Ye Ruihuan's hand playing with the jade safety pendant paused. She opened Weibo and immediately saw their interaction. Her curved lips pressed together, and her contemplative eyes held a danger she herself hadn't noticed.
It seemed like she hadn't visited that little rabbit for several days, hadn't she?