"Ruihuan, didn't you say you were getting me an acting coach?" Lin Ruijiao couldn't contain herself any longer and asked directly. Otherwise, Ye Ruihuan's visit would be completely pointless.
"That's right." Ye Ruihuan settled into her usual seat.
Assistant Li gestured to Sister Wang and Aunt Liu, and they all promptly disappeared from the living room.
Tea and a fruit platter were arranged on the coffee table. Ye Ruihuan lifted her teacup and inhaled the aroma—rich and elegant, quite pleasant. She then looked up at Lin Ruijiao, who sat across from her with wide, vacant eyes. She seemed in better spirits, clearly having had a good time recently, though she still looked rather simple-minded.
Remembering her nightmares, Ye Ruihuan's eyes darkened as she asked casually, "Do you dream when you sleep?"
Without much thought, Lin Ruijiao replied, "No, I don't."
Ye Ruihuan took a delicate sip of tea. The liquid was smooth and sweet, sliding down her throat and soothing her slightly agitated heart. "So I'm the only one tormented by these dreams."
Lin Ruijiao adjusted her expression and sat properly, her eyes bright with anticipation as she looked at Ye Ruihuan. "Who could this acting coach be?" But Ye Ruihuan remained leisurely and unhurried, saying nothing, only occasionally glancing at her. "What on earth is she thinking?"
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" Ye Ruihuan rarely saw this expression on Lin Ruijiao's face—like a little puppy wagging its tail at its owner.
"Um... where's my acting coach?" she asked, lifting her gaze with pure joy.
"Right here, isn't she?" Ye Ruihuan couldn't help but smile. "So that's what she's waiting for."
"What?" Lin Ruijiao's mind went completely blank. "Right here???"
"You?" She stared at Ye Ruihuan in disbelief, her eyes full of shock. "This is worse than having no coach at all—I've been looking forward to this for nothing."
Ye Ruihuan nodded, her smile deepening. "Is there a problem?" Her eyes carried a hint of danger.
"No, no, of course not." Lin Ruijiao nodded hastily in agreement, darkness flickering in her eyes. After a moment, she hesitated before attempting to dissuade her: "Ruihuan, isn't this... inappropriate? How could I trouble you like this?" Though Ye Ruihuan's acting was excellent, she definitely didn't want her to be her teacher—she couldn't handle that kind of pressure.
"It's appropriate." Ye Ruihuan's red lips parted to deliver those two words that spelled doom for Lin Ruijiao.
Lin Ruijiao's smile became slightly stiff, her gaze so hollow that her true emotions were unreadable. "Great, my act has backfired. I don't want to be alone in a room with her at all."
"What's wrong? Not pleased?" Ye Ruihuan asked with an amused curve of her lips.
"Not at all! Ye... Ruihuan's acting is so exceptional—people would beg for this opportunity." Lin Ruijiao immediately smiled and flattered her.
Ye Ruihuan's smile became even more delighted. She loved seeing the little rabbit make this expression—it was so perfectly similar.
"Good, then it's settled. I'll come back tonight."
Lin Ruijiao tactfully stood up as well, watching her leave with longing eyes. "Hopefully she won't come tonight—or ever again, for that matter."
Ye Ruihuan turned back with a smile, but saw her looking down with apparent disappointment. "What's this? Can't bear to see me go?" She reached up to caress Lin Ruijiao's cheek, her gaze settling on those crimson peach-colored lips. "Tsk, her lipstick is a bit heavy today."
"No... I... it's not..." Caught off guard, Lin Ruijiao stammered incoherently, shaking her head and nodding simultaneously. Internally, she was full of regret. "Does Ye Ruihuan really have this much free time?!"
"Don't be sad—I'll be back tonight." Ye Ruihuan patted her head consolingly, her eyes full of amusement.
"Alright, Ruihuan. Take care." Lin Ruijiao nodded, the smile tugging at her lips sweet but obviously fake.
But Ye Ruihuan loved seeing her make exactly this kind of expression—it was absolutely fascinating. After Ye Ruihuan left, Sister Wang appeared from wherever she'd been hiding.
"Ruijiao, is Boss Ye really coming to give you acting lessons? Assistant Li just told me." Sister Wang sat down beside her excitedly.
"Yes." Lin Ruijiao sighed softly.
"Then we need to make a good impression, Ruijiao." Sister Wang spoke earnestly.
"Mm-hmm." Lin Ruijiao nodded perfunctorily. "I really don't know what Ye Ruihuan is thinking, actually coming to teach me acting. In my previous life, I would have begged for this opportunity, but now I couldn't care less."
"Sister Wang, do we have any other arrangements coming up?" Lin Ruijiao didn't want to stay here at all.
"Well... I don't think so." Sister Wang suddenly remembered they hadn't received any job offers. "Don't worry—Boss Ye likes you so much, there'll definitely be plenty of good commercial opportunities later." Sister Wang patted her back consolingly.
"Mm-hmm." Lin Ruijiao nodded thoughtfully.
After leaving the Yuwan Villa, Ye Ruihuan went home. Ye Zhi would be coming over today to discuss some work matters.
But after waiting a long time, Ye Zhi still hadn't arrived. Ye Ruihuan had to take out her tablet and browse through company emails first. With Assistant Li there, everything was much more organized—contracts were signed smoothly and efficiently.
Near dinnertime, Ye Zhi finally rushed over.
"Ye Ruihuan, are you waiting for me to eat dinner? How considerate." Ye Zhi very consciously seated herself at the dining table.
Ye Ruihuan looked at her phone, ignoring her completely.
"Oh! You're dressed so beautifully today!" Ye Zhi feigned surprise. "You went to see Lin Ruijiao, didn't you? So eager." Ye Zhi wore a smug smile—this was the only thing she could tease her about.
"Even eating can't shut you up." Ye Ruihuan rolled her eyes at her.
"I heard you're giving Lin Ruijiao acting lessons too." Ye Zhi asked with a bright smile, though her eyes remained indifferent.
Assistant Li's heart tightened upon hearing this.
"None of your business." Ye Ruihuan didn't even glance at Ye Zhi.
"She's an artist I signed after all—of course I need to show concern." Ye Zhi's smile gradually faded. "You'd better remember your words. Don't let fake feelings become real—don't actually fall for her."
"Impossible." Ye Ruihuan immediately denied it.
"Better keep it that way." Ye Zhi couldn't help complaining internally. "If you fell for someone, they'd be so pitiful with that terrible temper of yours!"
Assistant Li's heart finally settled back in place. That meal felt eternal—every sentence from Sister Ye Zhi hit Boss Ye's sore spots. "Sister Ye Zhi is so brave!"
After dinner, the two discussed work in the living room.
"Are there any decent scripts lately?" Ye Ruihuan asked thoughtfully.
"Why are you asking me? Aren't you usually well-informed about these things? They're all pretty much the same." Ye Zhi scrolled through her tablet.
"Fine. How many productions have you invested in?"
"Just Zhou Yanyan's 'Moonlight Serenade,' though we should look at more options soon. There are some good scripts and teams coming up." Ye Zhi reported the situation honestly.
"Alright." After a pause, Ye Ruihuan continued, "So what did you want to see me about?"
"You should have received the message, right?" Ye Zhi looked at her seriously. "There's a party at XX Garden this Friday night. Quite a few industry celebrities will be attending."
"So what? I'm not interested." Ye Ruihuan looked at her expressionlessly, her tone full of resistance.
"Dong Yulan and her group will be there." Ye Zhi smiled sweetly.
"How do you know?" Ye Ruihuan turned to look at her, her eyes full of suspicion.
"Ye Junhua told me." Ye Zhi said confidently. "Plus many renowned domestic and international directors and investors."
"Why don't you go?" Ye Ruihuan understood—Ye Zhi wanted to gauge industry trends.
"I'm going with you." She couldn't let Ye Ruihuan attend such an important event alone and cause trouble.
"Fine, I'll go."
"Exactly. You can see if there are any good teams worth working with." Ye Zhi continued persuading her.
"Mm-hmm." Ye Ruihuan's eyes were thoughtful. She hadn't acted in over half a year or participated in any programs or activities—it was time to maintain some visibility.
After finishing work discussions, Ye Zhi left at some point. Ye Ruihuan spent the entire afternoon curled up on the sofa, casually flipping through TV shows and movies, completely lazy. By the time it got dark outside, she finally stirred.
"Boss Ye, should we have Miss Lin come over instead?" Assistant Li asked considerately. It was so late—there was no need to go to the Yuwan Villa.
"No need. We'll go after dinner." Ye Ruihuan immediately refused. She didn't like having these irrelevant people in her home.
"Alright." Assistant Li sat on the sofa and continued watching TV with Ye Ruihuan.
Knowing Ye Ruihuan would come tonight, Lin Ruijiao and the others had finished dinner early and were waiting in the living room. Seeing the complete darkness outside, Lin Ruijiao couldn't help remembering those lonely waiting times from her previous life. She immediately got up and headed to her room—she hated waiting, especially for Ye Ruihuan.
"Ruijiao, where are you going?" Sister Wang called after her.
"I'm not feeling well. I'll go to my room first." Lin Ruijiao made up an excuse.
"Alright, I'll call you when Boss Ye arrives."
"Okay."
The living room was spacious and bright, with crystal chandeliers casting brilliant halos that made the décor even more luxurious. Lin Ruijiao's departing figure was exceptionally slender and graceful, gradually disappearing into the darkness, radiating a fragile sense of loneliness.
Taking advantage of the time, Lin Ruijiao simply took a bath. When she heard rustling sounds from outside, she knew Ye Ruihuan had arrived. Soon enough, Sister Wang knocked on her door.
"Why did you change into pajamas?" Sister Wang was startled.
"I took a bath." She answered calmly, heading downstairs.
"Alright." Sister Wang had wanted to give her some advice—after all, Boss Ye was their benefactor and deserved proper treatment. But then she thought better of it, since they had a good relationship anyway. Sister Wang sighed softly and let it go.
When Ye Ruihuan entered, she saw exactly this scene: Lin Ruijiao in a simple dress, completely natural without makeup, clean and pure, lightly stepping down the stairs with her hem creating beautiful arcs—like a graceful white butterfly fluttering its wings as it flew toward her.
She couldn't help but look a few more times, and the butterfly had already flown to her side.
Lin Ruijiao smiled softly at her. "Good evening, Ruihuan."
"Good evening." Perhaps it was the perfect lighting in the room, or maybe the night naturally carried a dreamy atmosphere, but Ye Ruihuan actually found this version of the little rabbit quite attractive.
The others tactfully went upstairs, leaving the space to these two.
"You washed up so early?" Ye Ruihuan looked at her own elaborate outfit and felt somewhat cheated. "This little girl doesn't take me seriously at all."
"Mm, since you're coming to teach me acting tonight, a bare face shows expressions more clearly." Lin Ruijiao made up an excuse for herself.
"True, considering your acting is absolutely terrible." Ye Ruihuan went along with the dig, lifting her chin slightly with a faint smile on her face.
Lin Ruijiao maintained her fake smile: "..."
Heh heh heh... This Ye Ruihuan... really is a petty old woman!