After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's "White Moonlight" - Chapter 32

“Why did you come over all of a sudden?” Cheng Siyu asked. Her grey eyes, usually carry a sense of detachment, now harbored emotions that were difficult to decipher.

“I saw a bracelet and thought it suited you, so I came,” Xi You’s voice carried a seductive rasp, as if the two were already a couple in the throes of a passionate romance.

“Thank you,” Cheng Siyu replied with polite formality, followed by, “I need to get back to work.”

“Mm.”

With that, Cheng Siyu stepped onto the film set, only to realize that Xi You was following closely behind her.

The two did not speak again. Cheng Siyu sat back down in the dressing room, while Xi You walked directly toward the viewing area reserved for the director and screenwriter.

Later, through Zhao Xixi’s explanations, Cheng Siyu learned that Xi You was also one of the investors in this drama. When the incident with Si Fei happened previously, it was Xi You who had found Jiang Shizi to step in and save the production.

“When did you buy that bracelet?”

While Cheng Siyu was spacing out over her script, Ji Yun had approached her side at some unknown point, picking up her hand to examine it.

“A gift from a brand,” Cheng Siyu came up with a casual excuse. Afterward, to keep Ji Yun from becoming suspicious, she took advantage of a moment when no one was watching to proactively press a kiss onto Ji Yun’s forehead.

“Don’t get jealous over nothing.”

This gesture was very effective on Ji Yun; her face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

“I’m not jealous, I… I just…” Ji Yun stammered in response, but the corners of her mouth curled upward nonetheless. Aside from that one time after drinking, this was the first time Cheng Siyu had initiated a kiss.

At that moment, Cheng Siyu sensed a gaze lingering on her. Looking back, she saw Xi You, whose eyes held a hint of profound meaning.

Cheng Siyu couldn’t quite define her relationship with Xi You. She only felt that she wanted to retaliate against Ji Yun, and Xi You had happened to break into her life at this specific juncture. This relationship remained purely on the surface and would not develop into anything deeper.

Perhaps it was simply a case of each getting what they needed.

“Siyu, I really like you so much.” Ji Yun sat in the chair to her right, gazing at Cheng Siyu with eyes as bright as stars. Cheng Siyu offered a faint smile and replied, “Me too.”

Yet, in her heart, it was as still as dead water.

That evening, Cheng Siyu received a message from Zhao Xixi. The episode of Little Ones she participated in had set a new ratings record, and the production team was inviting her to become a permanent guest.

Cheng Siyu knew this was inseparable from Xi You’s influence, so she simply said she would think about it. Afterward, she opened Weibo to look at the news related to that episode.

As expected, her interaction with He Wuyou had attracted many people. Topics such as “Those years, me and my mom’s love rival” and “I’ve fallen for my mom’s rival” began to surface online. Some edits even deliberately spliced in Qi Yan’s reactions.

As a result, a crowd of viewers who had arrived excitedly to watch Cheng Siyu and Qi Yan tear each other apart ended up being charmed by their interactions.

However, the most viral moment was the second Cheng Siyu handed a candy to Li Enyu. Fans were surprised to find that the two shared a certain facial resemblance. Coupled with the reflection of tears in Cheng Siyu’s eyes at the moment the candy was offered, a photo titled “When I Grow Up, I Become You” occupied the top of the Weibo trending searches.

Many viewers expressed sympathy for Li Enyu in the comments, sharing their own experiences. Others went so far as to highly recommend that Cheng Siyu and Li Enyu play the same character together.

Cheng Siyu rubbed her head, and at that moment, she received a message from Xi You: “I’m preparing a movie recently and I’m short of a female lead. Are you interested in auditioning?”

Xi You was a director of the new generation who had only risen to prominence in the last two years. Though she had made few films, she had won many awards. An opportunity like this was something Cheng Siyu, who was currently in her developmental phase, could only dream of.

“Are you this good to every bed partner?” Cheng Siyu was about to send it, but after hesitating, she replaced the words “bed partner” with “person you’re pursuing.”

“No, I am only good to those I believe have value.”

The reply came back quickly from the other side. Cheng Siyu looked at it but didn’t reply again.

In the evening, just as Cheng Siyu lay down on her hotel bed, her phone rang. it was Ji Wanli’s assistant.

Cheng Siyu had almost forgotten she still had this “boss.” She opened her phone and picked up.

“Miss Cheng, President Ji has been ill these past few days and hopes to see the young lady.”

In a familiar tone, Cheng Siyu simply asked back, “So what do you want me to do?”

“Persuade her. The young lady… she listens to you the most.” There was a moment of hesitation in the voice on the other end.

Hearing this, Cheng Siyu fell silent for a few seconds. She had no idea when Ji Yun had started listening to her “the most,” but for the sake of the resources Ji Wanli gave her, she could only answer, “I’ll try.”

“If you can do it, President Ji will give you the lead role resources for the next movie. If you can’t, we can only look for another candidate.”

“I understand.”

Cheng Siyu responded. At this moment, she felt like one of those imperial concubines whispering “pillow talk” into the Emperor’s ear. This made her even more disgusted with this life of being manipulated. But it was something she couldn’t cast aside for the time being.

She recalled the day she signed the contract with Ji Wanli.

“Fine, but I have one condition.”

“Speak,” Ji Wanli said, his fingers interlaced, clearly not taking Cheng Siyu seriously.

“Once Ji Yun falls for someone else, the contract is automatically void.”

“Of course.”

In Cheng Siyu’s heart, it was only a matter of time before Ji Yun had a change of heart. She had to find a way out for herself in advance. In her eyes, the current Xi You was a good choice.

The Xi family was also a century-old enterprise, and their status in the entertainment industry was almost on par with the Ji family; under Xi You’s management, there was even a faint trend of surpassing them.

Furthermore, according to the past, the treatment Xi You gave her former lovers was never too bad. Even if her relationship with Xi You broke down, she should still be able to have a place for herself.

Conversely, ever since she brought Ji Yun back from the bar last time, she realized that the last shred of affection she had for the current Ji Yun had been ground away. Now, she only treated her as a tool for social climbing, waiting for an opportunity to discard her as cleanly as Ji Yun had discarded her in her previous life.

Just as Ji Yun had said in the previous life: “I don’t owe you anything. It was just you pestering me of your own volition. Now I’m bored, so get lost.”

She had figured it out. She and Ji Yun were destined to be entangled. If that was the case, why shouldn’t the one getting hurt be Ji Yun?

Thinking this, Cheng Siyu felt as though the entanglement and obsession of the past few days had finally been laid down. She opened her phone’s music player for the first time in a long while and played a song.

She sat on the bed listening quietly. It wasn’t until the song ended that she stood up and sent a message to Ji Yun: “I can’t sleep. Can you come over and chat with me for a bit?”

Perhaps because Cheng Siyu rarely took the initiative, Ji Yun only replied with a “Okay.”

Looking at the emoji Ji Yun sent immediately after, Cheng Siyu felt as if she were seeing herself from her previous life. From another perspective, her past self and Ji Yun shared a common trait: they were both pitifully foolish.

A short while later, there was a knock on the door. Cheng Siyu opened it to find Ji Yun, who seemed to have washed up and dressed up specifically to see her.

“Come in.” Cheng Siyu opened the door. She then took out half a bottle of red wine that Jiang Shizi had left in her room’s wine cabinet in the previous life, pouring half a glass for herself and half for Ji Yun.

“Sister Siyu, don’t you usually not drink?” Ji Yun sat down beside her. Cheng Siyu simply said, “I’m in a bad mood,” then sat down as well, taking a light sip.

To Cheng Siyu, alcohol was more like a tool to bolster courage, like a cloth draped over her eyes that allowed her to act without scruples.

“What’s wrong?” Ji Yun asked proactively.

“I miss my family.” Cheng Siyu was a natural-born actress. The alcohol refined and enhanced her acting; even if she didn’t have a single bit of nostalgia for that home, she could still put on an appearance of weeping due to homesickness.

Hearing her reason, Ji Yun lowered her head in thought for a few seconds before comforting her, “It’s okay. You can go back once the filming is over.”

“He’s sick. I don’t know how many more years he has to live.” Cheng Siyu used Cheng Wuxing as a pretext without any hesitation. In her eyes, those thin threads of father-daughter affection had long been ground away by repeated double standards.

“Your father must be very good to you. My dad is sick too, and his assistant wants me to go back and see him, but I don’t even want to go back.” Following the topic, Ji Yun mentioned Ji Wanli.

“I really envy you, having your father so close to you.” Cheng Siyu forced herself to take another sip of wine, then moved toward her main purpose for the night. “Go back and see him. Life is unpredictable; what if he’s gone one day?”

“Sister Siyu, you don’t know him… the way he treated my mother.” Ji Yun angrily drained the red wine in her glass. “You could say he was the one who killed my mother.”

This response was exactly what Cheng Siyu had expected. She replied, “No matter how bad he was to your mother, he is still your father. He hasn’t mistreated you in any way, has he?”

Listening to Cheng Siyu’s words, Ji Yun couldn’t help but lower her head in reflection. While other wealthy daughters of the same age were troubled by a pile of “love debts” left by their fathers messing around outside, she was able to complete her studies in peace.

It could be said that, aside from failing her mother, Ji Wanli had fulfilled his duties as a father.

“Besides, if everyone didn’t know you had the title of the Ji family’s heiress, do you think things would have gone so smoothly for you on the film set? Why did Si Fei only lose his temper with me? Isn’t it because I don’t have a father like that?”

Seeing that Ji Yun was wavering, Cheng Siyu added fuel to the fire, then quickly corrected herself, “Sorry, I’m drunk. I shouldn’t interfere in the matters between you and your father.”

“It’s okay. You’re right.” The swaying scales in Ji Yun’s heart tilted to one side in an instant.

“This wine is really delicious.” Cheng Siyu looked at the flickering light reflected in the wine glass, as if she could see herself lying in a pool of blood again. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, as if mocking herself.

Ji Yun just stared blankly at the intoxicated her. The drunk Cheng Siyu was like a butterfly finally emerging from its cocoon; she was no longer as eccentric as usual, but had gained a few hints of a wandering poet’s wildness. Ji Yun also became firm in her heart: no matter which version of Cheng Siyu it was, she was radiant in her eyes.

That night, utilizing the slight intoxication after the wine, the two moved their conversation from the table to the bed. Clothing gradually piled up on the floor.

In the middle of the night, Cheng Siyu woke up feeling a wave of shivering. She sat up and saw that her clothes had been completely removed. In this life, Ji Yun’s touch had become quite gentle, allowing her to enjoy it as well—though she only felt it was a case of “belated deep affection is worthless.”