After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's "White Moonlight" - Chapter 23

Cheng Siyu hadn’t reacted in time before that card was handed into her palm.

“Let’s be friends.”

Immediately after, the woman walked away with crisp, decisive steps in her high heels, looking as if she had finally exacted a long-awaited revenge.

It took a long time, until she heard Ji Yun’s snicker, for Cheng Siyu to snap back to reality. She now realized that the scene just now was the “good show” Ji Yun had mentioned, and that woman was likely Si Fei’s nominal stepdaughter.

However, before she could examine the card closely, it was snatched away by Ji Yun, who whispered with a touch of childish possessiveness, “You are mine.”

Cheng Siyu didn’t argue with her. She merely used her peripheral vision to glance at Si Fei. Si Fei’s family matters had long ceased to be a secret in the industry, and everyone present was watching her with the mindset of someone enjoying a piece of gossip.

Before anyone else could say anything, Si Fei covered her face and ran out in a state of utter mess. Her exquisite dress was now soaked through with wine, stained in dark patches—even more disheveled than Cheng Siyu had been moments ago.

Aside from Cheng Siyu and Ji Yun, everyone present was a veteran of grand occasions; they all acted as if nothing had happened. By the time lunch ended, Si Fei had not reappeared.

On the car ride to the opening ceremony, Cheng Siyu messaged Ji Yun on WeChat: “Do you know her daughter?”

Ji Yun replied quickly: “Met her at a party before.”

Before Cheng Siyu could chat further with Ji Yun, Zhao Xixi had already begun educating her on the gossip surrounding Si Fei’s family.

From Zhao Xixi’s narration, Cheng Siyu finally understood the gist of it: Si Fei’s husband was named Xi Mu, a big boss of an entertainment enterprise. The stepdaughter was named Xi You, who currently worked in her father’s company as a manager. Xi Mu’s original wife—Xi You’s mother—had been part of a business marriage; she divorced shortly after Xi You was born to start her own business ventures.

Hearing this, Cheng Siyu couldn’t help but sigh, “This circle is truly a mess.”

“And then, Si Fei was originally an artist managed by Xi You. In the end, she climbed into the father’s bed, which is why their relationship turned sour.”

“I see.”

“Oh right, Xi You is pretty much like her father—a major ‘scumbag’ woman, the type who changes girlfriends every few days,” Zhao Xixi added. “And according to my incomplete statistics, at least twenty beauties in the industry have slept with her, but not a single one has made a public scene about it.”

“That sounds intense?” At that moment, a cute, girlish voice chimed in. It was Li Yexing, holding her lunch.

“What? You want to try?” Zhao Xixi turned her head toward her. “But she only likes women of Siyu’s type.”

“What a pity,” Li Yexing sighed.

“It’s fine, I like Siyu’s type too,” Lin Zhizhi echoed from the side.

Hearing these words, Cheng Siyu choked and coughed twice, hurriedly defending herself, “I’m straight, I have a partner.”

“Siyu, what does your boyfriend look like? Can you show us? I wonder what kind of person managed to win you over.” Li Yexing, possessing a soft voice that completely contradicted her appearance, gradually leaned in closer.

Fortunately, Zhao Xixi gave Li Yexing a light smack on the head. “Go away, she’ll say it if she wants to.”

Just then, Cheng Siyu received a message from Ji Yun. She had sent: “I really want to eat with you,” followed by a pitiful emoji.

In recent days, in order to prevent paparazzi and others from realizing their relationship—and to give herself some time to relax—Cheng Siyu had told her not to meet privately for a while. What she didn’t expect was that in less than a day, Ji Yun would already be unable to hold back.

Cheng Siyu hesitated for a long time before sending back a “head-pat” emoji. When she put her phone away, she discovered that everyone’s eyes—except for the driver’s—were focused on her with gossiping intensity…

Si Fei did not appear for the entire afternoon, and the opening ceremony proceeded exceptionally smoothly because of her absence.

Cheng Siyu even managed to exchange a few words with the male lead, Su Mingshu. Upon asking, she learned he was younger than her and found out he had a very ambitious goal: to be kept by a wealthy woman and live a life of leisure.

“Filming is so tiring. Isn’t it good to have someone provide for you?”

Cheng Siyu didn’t comment on his “lofty” ambition, but when he asked if she could introduce any wealthy women to him, she felt an urge to introduce him to Zhao Xixi.

“What are you two talking about?”

At that moment, Ji Yun sat down between the two of them, feigning an innocent expression. In reality, she had been quietly staring at them for a long time. Although she kept Cheng Siyu’s words in mind and hadn’t dared to approach, she couldn’t take it anymore when she saw Cheng Siyu and Su Mingshu chatting so happily.

She sat between them and, from an angle invisible to outsiders, quietly took hold of Cheng Siyu’s hand.

Feeling the warmth of her palm, Cheng Siyu’s body instinctively tensed, but she ultimately suppressed the urge to pull away.

Even when people return to the past, certain habits remain; specifically, this hand-holding gesture. In the past, Cheng Siyu would always grip back harder, afraid she would be let go of in the next second.

“Talking about dreams.”

Seeing Ji Yun sit down, Su Mingshu—acting like he was among friends—repeated his dream to her.

“Sister Siyu, is your wish like that too?” After listening seriously for a while, Ji Yun looked at Cheng Siyu with a sincere expression, pretending they were merely being polite, though her grip on the hand tightened.

Cheng Siyu snapped out of it and replied, “No.”

Fortunately, the director called for the actors to come over just then, ending their awkward conversation—though only two of them were awkward; the other was still lost in his fantasies of wealthy benefactors.

Time flew by to the next day when the first scene was scheduled to be filmed. To leave a good impression on the director and screenwriter, Cheng Siyu arrived at the set early to study the script.

Today’s scene was the first meeting between Duan Xiaohe and the Lan family.

Duan Xiaohe’s state of mind was complex; she wanted to escape her previous family, but she feared falling into another abyss.

While the rest of the Lan family reacted with suspicion and reluctance toward this child from the bottom of society, only Lan Yulin stepped forward to accept her, calling her “Sister,” teaching her how to address others, and taking her to her own room.

In the original book, Lan Yulin did this to leave a good impression on Duan Xiaohe, thereby achieving the goal of flirting with her. In the drama, this was changed so that she sincerely wanted Duan Xiaohe to integrate into the family.

In the script, Lan Yulin’s character had been changed into an “innocent white flower” raised in a loving environment, while Duan Xiaohe was modified into an ungrateful, scheming woman.

Looking at the revised script, Cheng Siyu had already expected this. How could Ji Wanli be kind enough to give her a positive role? He simply wanted her to serve as a foil for his daughter.

As Cheng Siyu read the script while having her makeup done, the other actors in the cast arrived one after another. As soon as Ji Yun arrived, she sat in the chair next to Cheng Siyu.

Li Yexing glanced at Ji Yun and then whispered to Cheng Siyu in admiration, “The big boss’s daughter is really beautiful.”