"Alright, let's not waste any more time. Show me what you've got." Ye Ruihuan settled onto the sofa, crossing her arms as she fixed Lin Ruijiao with an expectant stare.
"How about the confession scene from Moonlight Serenade? Where the third female lead confesses to the second male lead she's been secretly in love with for years?" Lin Ruijiao stood before her with a gentle smile, knowing she had no choice but to keep up the act.
Ye Ruihuan nodded her approval.
Lin Ruijiao began her performance. She covered one arm with her hand in a gesture of nervous fidgeting, then buried her head before stealing glances at her imaginary scene partner. "I... I like you. I've liked you for so long. Please accept my feelings."
After finishing, Lin Ruijiao stood frozen in place, staring directly at Ye Ruihuan, waiting for her reaction.
"Do you really like me that much? Even your acting involves confessing to me?" Ye Ruihuan's tone was teasing.
Lin Ruijiao's mouth drooped at the corners, though she struggled to maintain her pleasant expression. Ye Ruihuan found this utterly fascinating—even when the little rabbit was upset, those round eyes of hers were adorably endearing.
"It seems you haven't improved much these past few days." Ye Ruihuan reached for the teapot on the coffee table, pouring herself a cup.
"Haven't I?" Lin Ruijiao asked reflexively. She hadn't held back that much this time.
"Very ordinary performance. No intensity, completely lacking in physical expression. The shyness and nervousness weren't convincing, and your eyes lacked depth." Ye Ruihuan sipped her tea—still fragrant, though she was growing tired of it after drinking it for so long.
"But don't worry, I'll teach you. These aren't insurmountable problems." Confidence radiated from Ye Ruihuan's smiling face.
"Mm-hmm." Lin Ruijiao nodded, though her downcast eyes held traces of mockery and suspicion. "How much could she possibly teach?"
"Come here." Ye Ruihuan beckoned with her hand, as if calling a pet.
Lin Ruijiao obediently moved to sit beside her, maintaining just the right distance—neither too close nor too far.
"Turn on the TV. We're watching a movie." Ye Ruihuan's hands never stopped moving as she poured Lin Ruijiao a cup of tea as well.
Her pale, slender fingers contrasted beautifully with the vintage brick-red teacup, making her hands appear even more delicate and luminous.
Lin Ruijiao caught this scene while internally complaining, and couldn't help comparing it to her own hands. Indeed, Ye Ruihuan's skin was fairer and more flawless than hers.
Wait—wasn't she supposed to be teaching acting? How had they ended up watching movies? Despite her confusion, Lin Ruijiao turned on the TV and navigated to the movie interface, waiting obediently for Ye Ruihuan's next instruction.
"Let's watch this one—Down the Mountain." Ye Ruihuan lifted her chin toward the large HD screen, which displayed the faces of Dong Yulan and herself.
Lin Ruijiao licked the corner of her mouth. This Ye Ruihuan really was something else—even when watching movies, she chose her own films...
"Have you seen this movie before?" Ye Ruihuan asked casually, her gaze still fixed on the screen.
"Yes, Down the Mountain is so famous—a must-watch high-rated film starring the popular Best Actress Dong Yulan and Ye Ruihuan. Senior Dong Yulan won numerous prestigious awards both domestically and internationally for this film, including the highest honor in domestic cinema, the Three Flowers Award." Lin Ruijiao recited this information while internally rolling her eyes.
Though she had to admit, Senior Dong Yulan was truly legendary. To be framed and blacklisted at the height of her career, lose both parents, yet still deliver such a perfect performance in this film—and then announce her relationship with her girlfriend right at the peak of her success—that story was still circulating online as a beautiful tale.
Lin Ruijiao couldn't help but feel admiration and envy. It wasn't surprising that Ye Ruihuan would fall for such a person.
"Of course you'd know—after all, your idol is in it." Ye Ruihuan's tone was deliberately teasing.
Lin Ruijiao thought: "Right, right, you're absolutely correct," while secretly rolling her eyes.
"Watch carefully and learn." Ye Ruihuan's gaze remained glued to Dong Yulan's face on screen. This film was shot years ago, and in the six years since, they had won all the awards worth winning in the industry, yet they rarely collaborated or even kept in touch anymore.
Ye Ruihuan felt a wave of melancholy. Even as friends, their bond had grown thin. Of course—Yulan had Xia Dongyang now, and they even had children together. Naturally, she would socialize less. This was how Ye Ruihuan comforted herself.
Her gaze held deep nostalgia as she watched the film, with an underlying obsessive love hidden within. After all these years, she still hadn't let go. Lin Ruijiao watched the movie intently throughout, completely unaware of the emotional turmoil and flowing affection of the woman beside her.
After some time, Ye Ruihuan suddenly turned and asked, "What do you think?"
"Think about what?" Lin Ruijiao looked up with red-rimmed eyes and a tear-stained face, confused. Even though she'd seen this movie many times, she couldn't help getting absorbed in it. They were at the story's turning point—the most heart-wrenching moment. "Waaah... Senior Dong Yulan's acting is so good! But it's so tragic..."
"Aren't you supposed to be studying acting?" Ye Ruihuan couldn't help pursing her lips. She'd really gotten caught up in watching.
"I am." Lin Ruijiao looked at her innocently with red eyes, her misty almond-shaped eyes as pure as a forest deer's.
Ye Ruihuan found herself at a loss for words. Lin Ruijiao was crying so heartbrokenly, perfectly synchronized with the character on screen.
"So... what did you learn?" Ye Ruihuan turned back to the screen, where her own scenes were now playing.
"Senior Dong Yulan's acting is incredible..." Lin Ruijiao said through her tears, which spilled from the corners of her eyes as if all the pent-up emotions from recent days were flowing out at once. She couldn't help but keep watching the TV.
"Ye... Ruihuan, what was it like on set back then?" Lin Ruijiao blinked her misty eyes at her, full of curiosity yet looking pitiful.
This question pulled Ye Ruihuan's memories back to the past. After a moment of contemplation, she said softly, "It was difficult. She had a very hard time. The set and hotel were surrounded by haters and media reporters. But she was strong."
"Ah?" Lin Ruijiao was somewhat surprised. This was even more intense than what she'd known. Just imagining such a scene felt terrifying. But what surprised her more was that this was Ye Ruihuan's response.
The two fell into synchronized silence, watching the screen until the movie ended.
"That's enough for today. Study this on your own. Yulan's acting in this film is worth analyzing." Ye Ruihuan took out her phone to message Assistant Li.
"Thank you, Ruihuan." Lin Ruijiao's eyes were still red-rimmed, her voice carrying traces of tears.
Soon, Assistant Li appeared in the living room, looking puzzled at their condition.
"Sister Ye, is everything alright?" she approached to ask.
"Nothing's wrong. We watched a movie. Let's head back." Ye Ruihuan stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
"Take care, Ruihuan." Lin Ruijiao wiped the tears from her eyes, her misty gaze now devoid of emotion.
"Mm." Ye Ruihuan nodded absently. The memories stirred by the film left her feeling melancholy, and strangely sad emotions had emerged. Something seemed to have changed, though she herself was completely unaware of it.
After Ye Ruihuan left, Lin Ruijiao didn't see her for several days, not even receiving a single message. It was strange, but for her, this was perfect—she could focus wholeheartedly on studying acting techniques, enjoying her own time, free and content.
"Ruijiao, do you have any work arrangements? Hasn't Boss Ye mentioned what we'll be filming next?" Sister Wang was growing anxious. This time, Boss Ye had given them no word at all, and even when she contacted Assistant Li, she got no useful information.
"Nothing yet, don't worry, Sister Wang." Lin Ruijiao was also puzzled. This wasn't like Ye Ruihuan's usual behavior. She needed to think of a way to make a move. "I'll use this time to work on my acting skills," she reassured her.
Sister Wang opened her mouth but said nothing. Ruijiao didn't even have an assistant yet—who knew when Boss Ye would arrange one for her. And while she was officially Lin Ruijiao's manager, she'd been in a state of unemployment. This couldn't continue—she felt they could be kicked out at any moment.
During these days, Ye Ruihuan was busy preparing for the gala. Luxury brand outfits arrived at her home one after another, but none seemed quite right. She needed to make a perfect appearance at this event. After so long, she finally had a chance to see Yulan again, and she had to prepare thoroughly to meet her in the best possible condition.
Though she still had strange dreams at night, the emotions they brought were largely dispersed by her anticipation and joy for the gala. She couldn't even be bothered with Lin Ruijiao anymore.
After five days without word from Ye Ruihuan, Lin Ruijiao began to panic. Could she really be shelving her indefinitely? It seemed possible—who could predict that woman's temperament? Besides, she was just using her as a substitute for her white moonlight, and this substitute wasn't even trying to cling to her... With no work scheduled, Lin Ruijiao sighed. After an internal struggle, she opened her chat with Ye Ruihuan and sent a message.
[Ruihuan, when is our next acting lesson?] followed by a cute, pleading emoji.
But half an hour passed with no reply. One hour, two hours... nothing. It seemed the other party simply didn't want to respond to her.
This wouldn't do. She couldn't tie her career to the unpredictable Ye Ruihuan—too much uncertainty. After much deliberation, Lin Ruijiao decided to take the initiative and called Assistant Li.
At that moment, Assistant Li was with Ye Ruihuan, helping select gala gowns. Various brand outfits had been sent to the house—they were running out of storage space.
Just as Ye Ruihuan was asking which outfit looked better, Assistant Li's phone rang.
Ye Ruihuan glanced at her and continued examining the dresses. "Answer it."
"Thank you, Sister Ye." She quickly stepped aside to take the call.
"Hello," she said, feeling pressured under Ye Ruihuan's gaze and hoping to finish quickly.
"Assistant Li, hello. I wanted to ask if I have any upcoming work?" Lin Ruijiao got straight to the point.
Recognizing the familiar voice, Assistant Li relaxed. "Miss Lin, you'd need to ask Sister Ye about that."
"She hasn't replied to my messages yet." After a pause, Lin Ruijiao continued, "Assistant Li, do you know anything?"
"Is that Lin Ruijiao?" Ye Ruihuan suddenly spoke up.