Without Sister Wang around, the house felt particularly empty. In the vast villa, only she and Aunt Liu remained, creating an atmosphere of hollow loneliness that inevitably set one's thoughts wandering.
This was precisely Lin Ruijiao's state—clutching her phone, lost in contemplation with an unreadable expression. Her eyes showed internal struggle while her phone screen remained frozen on her Weibo page, her source of distress unclear.
A message notification snapped her back to reality. It was Ye Zhi's reply.
[My secretary is arranging it for you.]
[Alright, thank you, Sister Ye Zhi.]
With no current work obligations, she wasn't in any rush. Her attention shifted to the television playing a highly-rated must-watch film. She settled back leisurely—perhaps it was better to wait. There wasn't any good opportunity at the moment anyway.
Just then, sounds echoed through the house. It was Ye Ruihuan, emerging from the pitch-black night, her imperious gaze immediately locking onto Lin Ruijiao on the sofa.
Lin Ruijiao, who had been peacefully enjoying her solitude, felt a flash of darkness cross her eyes. Had she known Ye Ruihuan was coming, she should have gone upstairs to sleep early. Seeing the situation, she quickly stood up. In the brief moment she lowered her gaze, her expression transformed, a gentle smile gracing her features as her curved lips parted softly: "Ruihuan."
"Mm, what are you doing?" Ye Ruihuan approached directly, wearing only a simple dress, makeup-free like Lin Ruijiao herself. Bathed in the proud moonlight, she seemed draped in a layer of cool, ethereal silk, completely devoid of her usual arrogance, even carrying a hint of ascetic allure.
"Watching a movie." Lin Ruijiao's lips curved upward in a sweet smile.
"You seem quite leisurely." Ye Ruihuan sat down beside her.
"Well, I don't have any work." Lin Ruijiao's round eyes held pure innocence.
"True... are you complaining to me?" Ye Ruihuan raised an eyebrow, her expression utterly indifferent.
During the time she hadn't seen Lin Ruijiao, the nightmares continued their nightly visits. Those previous spring dreams had vanished without a trace, leaving only waves of budding desire and impossibly vivid images of Lin Ruijiao's allure—memories she was reluctant to forget.
Yet this little rabbit still maintained her facade of cheerful pretense. It was inexplicably irritating...
"No, no. Without work, it's nice to rest for a bit." Lin Ruijiao's almond eyes curved into crescents. Once things got busy later, there probably wouldn't be any time to rest.
Ye Ruihuan didn't respond, her eyes holding shallow contemplation.
"Zhou Yanyan?" After a long pause, she finally uttered the name.
"Hm?" Lin Ruijiao looked puzzled, like an innocent little white rabbit.
"Building a good relationship with her isn't as useful as clinging to my coattails. I trust you understand this, mm?" Ye Ruihuan reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind Lin Ruijiao's ear, her rising intonation carrying an almost imperceptible threat.
"...Yes, yes." Lin Ruijiao beamed at her brilliantly. From beginning to end, she had never intended to cling to anyone's coattails.
Ye Ruihuan's smile deepened, but her eyes remained ice-cold. This little rabbit still wasn't being obedient.
"Sister Zhou has been very kind to me. We're just friends." Lin Ruijiao continued smoothly, her smile pure and untainted by any ulterior motive.
Ye Ruihuan lifted her gaze with a smile. "If you want resources, you can come to me." Finally, some warmth entered her cool features.
"Alright, thank you, Ruihuan." Lin Ruijiao's lowered eyes were full of sarcasm. She had no desire to make requests of her—she didn't want to know what price would come after.
"No need to be so formal." Ye Ruihuan continued studying the other's face, unconsciously leaning closer.
Warm breath brushed against Lin Ruijiao's temple, making her tremble involuntarily as she instinctively pulled back slightly.
Ye Ruihuan's expression immediately turned cold. She sat back upright, staring directly at the television. Without a word, she left as abruptly as she had arrived.
Lin Ruijiao found it completely bewildering. No one could guess Ye Ruihuan's thoughts.
The acting lessons hadn't had many sessions to begin with, and since Ye Ruihuan's departure that night, Lin Ruijiao hadn't seen her for many days. She was perfectly content not having to constantly perform for Ye Ruihuan's benefit.
In the blink of an eye, Moonlight Serenade wrapped filming. The main cast and director began their promotional activities, with Zhou Yanyan consistently tagging Lin Ruijiao whenever she posted or shared on Weibo, giving her significant exposure.
The two increasingly interacted on Weibo, causing Lin Ruijiao's follower count to steadily climb. Subsequently, every Moonlight Serenade post included mentions of Lin Ruijiao. Somehow, she seemed to have leveled up—though still a minor celebrity, it was cause for celebration.
Her Weibo comments section began flooding with netizens. While many were supportive, her sudden rise also sparked considerable controversy.
[Ahhhh, saw the trailer, sister acts so well! Can't wait!!]
[Converted to a fan, Ruijiao is so beautiful! Totally smitten with your looks!]
[...]
[What? With that face value still trying to make it in entertainment? Stop dreaming and go to sleep.]
[Just a supporting character getting so much promotion—clearly someone's backing her hard.]
[Oh, so she's Huarui Entertainment's newcomer. Heh, heard rumors about executives promoting her...]
...
The comments weren't numerous, but Lin Ruijiao read every single one. Her smile gradually deepened—the response seemed decent enough. Negative comments were inevitable and perfectly normal. Having buzz was what mattered. Now she just had to wait for Moonlight Serenade to air. Judging by the official marketing push, it shouldn't be long.
Meanwhile, Ye Ruihuan was handling various business affairs at the company, completely unaware of Lin Ruijiao's activities. However, her assistant Li kept her finger on the pulse of everything surrounding Ye Ruihuan, including matters concerning Lin Ruijiao. Otherwise, how could she have remained competent in her role for so many years?
Since Lin Ruijiao appeared, Assistant Li had followed her Weibo account, staying completely informed of her activities. Ever since Sister Ye suddenly became angry and stopped visiting Miss Lin, it was probably about Miss Lin's interactions with Zhou Yanyan? Their relationship seemed quite good—had Miss Lin said something to anger Sister Ye? Or was Sister Ye simply jealous and sulking?
Assistant Li pondered this for quite some time. Sister Ye hadn't visited Yuwan Villa in ages, even skipping the previously scheduled acting lessons. Was she abandoning Miss Lin?
But Miss Lin's current situation seemed troublesome—many haters were attacking her online, calling her a capital-backed parachute into the production, criticizing her looks and acting... Assistant Li hesitated about whether to report this to Ye Ruihuan. Just days ago, she had been asking about Miss Lin's activities.
Finally finishing a stack of contracts, Ye Ruihuan turned her gaze from the fluffy white clouds outside the floor-to-ceiling windows to see Xiao Li looking troubled. "What's wrong?"
Assistant Li snapped back to attention, meeting those light, floating eyes. Now she had to speak up. She'd meddle just this once.
"Sister Ye, Miss Lin's situation doesn't seem very good."
"Mm?" Ye Ruihuan stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, admiring the view outside.
"Because of Moonlight Serenade many people online are attacking her." Assistant Li kept it brief.
"Don't worry about her." The indifferent words hung in the air with particular coldness, yet the window reflected her delicate face deep in thought.
"...Alright, Sister Ye." This time, Assistant Li truly couldn't read her thoughts. Those previous decorative stand-ins had never had such an enigmatic relationship with Sister Ye—completely impossible to decipher.
The company didn't intervene on Lin Ruijiao's behalf either. However, thanks to her rising popularity, numerous shows and events reached out. Combined with help from Zhou Yanyan's agent, Sister Wang secured many opportunities for her, though most involved joint appearances with Zhou Yanyan to promote Moonlight Serenade.
Finally having work, she naturally treasured every opportunity. Large or small, Lin Ruijiao accepted every activity without exception. Most were interview-based, serving as accompaniment, plus one currently popular variety show.
On this variety show, several Moonlight Serenade main cast members appeared, divided into pairs for game competitions. Whether by show arrangement or not, Zhou Yanyan repeatedly drew Lin Ruijiao as her partner. The two showed perfect chemistry during word-guessing and other game segments, creating compelling viewing. This sister-flower persona marketing had truly taken hold.
Thanks to clips released from the variety show, Lin Ruijiao gained more buzz, her Weibo followers continuously growing—and consequently, her detractors multiplied as well.
She personally remained completely unbothered. However, Ye Ruihuan's unclear emotional state was quite different, frequently checking Lin Ruijiao's Weibo activities.
Seeing the trending hashtag #Zhou Yanyan Lin Ruijiao Sister Flowers#, Ye Ruihuan clicked in to find various intimate interaction clips between the two. Some fans had even begun shipping their CP.
After viewing everything, Ye Ruihuan's brow furrowed tightly. This little rabbit had truly grown bold, completely disregarding her words and continuing to associate with Zhou Yanyan. Her hand gripping the jade safety pendant clenched tightly as obscure emotions surged wildly in her eyes.
Seeing her condition, Assistant Li privately felt the situation had become rather dire. Sister Ye usually maintained an air of serene detachment. Even when facing news about Dong Yulan, she merely appeared dejected. But now her face had darkened completely, looking extremely sullen and irritated. "Sigh, Miss Lin wasn't exactly the obedient type either."
"Lin Ruijiao should be finished with all her scheduled appearances, right?" Ye Ruihuan asked out of nowhere, her slight frown making her intentions impossible to read.
"Yes, she should be staying at Yuwan Villa recently."
"What do you think of Lin Ruijiao?"
"...Ah?" Assistant Li was stunned by the question. "Miss Lin is very pure, wholeheartedly devoted to her work." She quickly organized her thoughts for a balanced response.
"...Is that so?" Ye Ruihuan shifted her gaze from her phone, blinking as emotions flickered rapidly through her eyes—too fast to decipher, as unpredictable as her questions.
Finally, Ye Ruihuan looked contemplative. These recent dreams were truly driving her to confusion. The dream scenes were too vivid—she could barely distinguish what she was really like, and as for Lin Ruijiao, she was completely bewildered.
She opened her chat interface with Lin Ruijiao—completely empty of messages. She hesitated for a moment, then raised her finger and typed...