After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's "White Moonlight" - Chapter 34

Fans of the Jiang and Qi families tearing into each other had been a common occurrence three years ago; it wasn’t surprising. However, seeing them still tearing into each other with such fervor after three years was rare. Nevertheless, because of this, the hype Xi You wanted had been achieved.

The program hadn’t even started recording yet, but the entrance of the building where the show was being filmed was already surrounded by circles of people. They were fans of Qi Yan and Jiang Shizi, along with a small number of CP fans.

Watching the scenes flashing past the car window, Cheng Siyu felt that even before today’s “drama” had begun recording, it had already been laid over with a circle of gunpowder, just waiting for a single spark to blow everything to smithereens in an instant.

After entering the studio, Cheng Siyu looked around; the two main figures had not appeared yet. Thus, she sat obediently in her spot, waiting for Li Yexing to apply her makeup.

“Is your program crew obsessed with hype?”

Midway through, Cheng Siyu heard a commotion. It was Qi Yan’s voice; she was arguing with someone from the director’s team.

“Sorry, Sister Yan, President Xi has the final say in these matters. We only found out this morning as well.”

The deputy director apologized to Qi Yan with a face full of regret, but Qi Yan’s expression remained dark.

“Where is Xi You? Tell her to come out. Does she think she hasn’t pulled in enough investment?”

“President… President Xi hasn’t arrived yet,” the deputy director stammered. Although Cheng Siyu was standing some distance away, she seemed to be able to see beads of sweat the size of beans on his forehead.

Hearing this, Qi Yan frowned, took a phone out of her pocket, found a number, and dialed it.

The phone rang for a long time without being answered. Qi Yan was so angry she nearly threw the phone in her hand.

Left with no choice, Qi Yan had to go to the dressing room to do her makeup first. Unluckily, her exclusive dressing room was being cleaned, so she could only sit in the seat next to Cheng Siyu to wait.

Cheng Siyu tried her best to remain calm and not be affected by the low-pressure surrounding Qi Yan, but in the next second, Qi Yan took the initiative to approach her.

“Are you interested in following me for a while? Whatever Jiang Shizi gives you; I’ll give you double.”

After the air froze for three seconds, Cheng Siyu felt like she must have traveled to another dimension.

“I want to see what traits you have that I don’t. Why does Jiang Shizi like you?” Qi Yan added, seeing Cheng Siyu frozen in place.

“We really are just ordinary… friends,” Cheng Siyu said seriously and strictly.

While the two were stuck in a stalemate, Xi You arrived wearing a black suit, with a cold-faced Jiang Shizi standing beside her.

Seeing Jiang Shizi, the aura around Qi Yan dropped even further. She spoke mockingly:

“How does Movie Queen Jiang have the time to condescend to participate in our show? Didn’t you say you never do variety shows?”

Indeed, when Jiang Shizi first debuted, because she lacked a sense of variety humor, the marketing narrative was that she was only responsible for acting—a dedicated actress.

“I’ve become a has-been,” Jiang Shizi replied simply, then sat down in the seat to Cheng Siyu’s right.

At that moment, Qi Yan stood up to go and hold Xi You accountable. Once Qi Yan left, Cheng Siyu felt Jiang Shizi’s tense spirit suddenly relax.

“Dragged here by Xi You?” Cheng Siyu looked at the exhausted Jiang Shizi and teased.

“Pretty much. She spent all last night lecturing me on logic; I didn’t understand a word of it,” Jiang Shizi said, rubbing her temples with some distress.

Cheng Siyu didn’t know how to comfort her, so she could only pat her shoulder as a sign of respect.

A while later, after Qi Yan and Xi You finished their conversation, they walked back. Before entering her exclusive dressing room, Qi Yan’s gaze lingered on Jiang Shizi for a moment.

Not long after, Xi You also walked to Jiang Shizi’s side.

“See? It’s no big deal. Who says you can’t be on the same show after a breakup?”

She then added, “Look at me. Have I ever failed to stay on good terms with a bed partner after breaking up? That French designer from last time even invited me to dinner next week.”

Seemingly used to Xi You’s behavior, Jiang Shizi chose to block her out and closed her eyes to rest.

“Siyu, why aren’t you wearing that bracelet I gave you today? It’s our ‘couple’s style.'”

As she spoke, Xi You shook the bracelet in her hand, which differed from Cheng Siyu’s only by the pendant.

Cheng Siyu thought back; it was probably taken off when she was with Ji Yun last time. She explained casually, “I took it off to shower last time and forgot to put it back on.”

“Mm.” Xi You didn’t press further, but stared straight at Cheng Siyu, her eyes seemingly glowing.

She had seen all kinds of women; Cheng Siyu wasn’t the most beautiful she had seen, but she was the one with the greatest contrast between her inner and outer self. It made Xi You unconsciously want to dig deeper, to conquer.

Being stared at made Cheng Siyu feel uneasy, so she used the excuse of being thirsty to go to the water dispenser for a cup of water.

Before long, the program began recording again. This time, Cheng Siyu was arranged to sit with Jiang Shizi, while Qi Yan sat opposite them.

One could only say that Xi You truly understood what the audience wanted to see.

With a few simple introductory words from the host, the show began. The first family today was Qi Yan and He Wuyou.

The theme of this episode was taking children to visit their parents. Cheng Siyu originally thought Qi Yan would take He Wuyou to He Jinnian’s parents’ side, but to her surprise, they went to the Qi residence.

Thinking of Xi You’s previous description, Cheng Siyu had imagined Mother Qi to be a domineering and unreasonable old lady. But the reality was that Mother Qi was an exquisitely dressed, elegant, and noble elderly woman. According to the TV introduction, she had been a literature professor at a certain university in her youth.

Cheng Siyu found it hard to imagine how such a person could set aside her dignity to harass and accuse Jiang Shizi.

However, from their daily interactions, Cheng Siyu still discovered a hint of the truth. Mother Qi’s thinking was excessively rigid. For example, she required the not-yet-two-year-old He Wuyou to not spill food on the table; if it was spilled, she had to stand in a corner for five minutes.

There were also requirements that no noise be made while eating, no chatting or answering phones during the meal, and so on.

Cheng Siyu noticed that after Mother Qi appeared on screen, Jiang Shizi’s gaze no longer stayed on the big screen. Instead, she stared at the white wall beside it, her feet tapping the ground restlessly as if she were escaping.

Finally, that segment of the story passed. Afterward, it showed Qi Yan handling company business while playing with He Wuyou. The child’s laughter quickly infected everyone in the recording studio.

Only Jiang Shizi, though her lips were turned upward, had eyes that looked despondent.

It wasn’t until the time on the big screen changed to evening that Cheng Siyu saw Qi Yan’s husband, He Jinnian, appear. However, he seemed to be there just for a formality, coming to pick up Qi Yan and He Wuyou.

After a few simple, polite greetings, Qi Yan got into the car holding the sleeping He Wuyou.

In the car, the two began to chat, but Cheng Siyu felt they didn’t seem like a married couple; it was more like the politeness between friends.

Once this segment finished playing, the host began to lead the discussion topics. This time, the question was: How was your relationship with your parents when you were young? Has anything changed since growing up?

Cheng Siyu felt this question seemed specifically targeted at her and Jiang Shizi. However, not many people knew about her family situation yet, so it was likely targeted at Jiang Shizi, whose mother had refused to let her see her one last time before she died.

But Cheng Siyu noticed that Qi Yan was also visibly stunned when she heard this question. The question was likely created by the production crew for ratings. But regardless of the situation, the question had already reached Cheng Siyu.

“My relationship with my mother was quite good when I was a child. It’s just that I didn’t have the chance to spend time with her after I grew up.”

Regarding questions about family, Cheng Siyu’s heart seemed long ago numbed.

When the question reached Jiang Shizi, she was visibly startled, but she still relied on her years of polished acting skills in the industry to smooth it over.

“It was okay when I was little. After I grew up, she felt I was useless, so she gave up on me.”

When she said this, her expression was full of coldness and indifference; only Cheng Siyu noticed the flickering tears in her eyes.

Finally, the big screen began playing the observation status of the next family. Cheng Siyu quietly handed Jiang Shizi a tissue. She heard Jiang Shizi whisper, “Thank you.”

However, not long after, Jiang Shizi left the set on the pretext of going to the restroom. Cheng Siyu wanted to follow, but found that Qi Yan was a step faster and had also walked out.

Cheng Siyu sensed that the two needed to communicate privately, so she stayed in her seat watching the footage.

About twenty minutes later, the two walked back one after the other. Although there were no obvious signs of crying on Jiang Shizi’s face, her eyes were red.

The video for the second family soon finished playing. This time the question was more normal: asking everyone if they met anyone in their youth who left a deep impression on them.

Some said a first love, some said a life mentor. When it came to Cheng Siyu, she only said she met some very good friends.

Jiang Shizi answered that it was her deceased acting teacher. Qi Yan also gave an answer identical to Jiang Shizi’s after several minutes of hesitation.

After the first half of the recording finished, Cheng Siyu felt that recording this variety show was more tiring than filming a movie.

But when she came out of the filming location, she saw Jiang Shizi leaning against the wall with a dejected expression, while Xi You stood beside her comforting her.

“See? Her life is very happy. She can let go of her obsession, so why can’t you let yourself go? Her mom is her mom. It’s just a matter of moving house. If it really doesn’t work, you can stay at my place. I’ll get a few more bodyguards to watch over it.”

“Then what about your little lovers?” Jiang Shizi looked up half-jokingly and asked, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll steal them away?”

“My only little lover for now is Siyu.” Xi You had already discovered Cheng Siyu standing to the side. “I haven’t even got her yet. If you can beat me to it and steal her away, I’ll have nothing to say.”

“We’ll see.”

“See my foot! The contract is already signed. The lead for my next movie is locked in as you. If you bail now, we can’t be friends anymore.”

“I’ll go, I’ll go.” Jiang Shizi chose to give in. She also realized that she was still too fragile; constant avoidance would only make Qi Yan’s mother push her luck further.

The second half was about to start, and Cheng Siyu saw those kids again. He Wuyou had grown quite a bit. Li Enyu was the same as last time, jogging over to hand Cheng Siyu a candy before running back to her parents.

“How did you get on such good terms with these kids?”

Seeing this, Xi You walked to Cheng Siyu’s side and asked, “They run as soon as they see me. Especially that one from Qi Yan’s family; last time I held her, she cried like I was going to sell her.”

“Maybe… it’s because you look a bit fierce,” Cheng Siyu replied. When she first met Xi You, she had also been intimidated by her aura, and it was only after several interactions that she realized Xi You was actually like Shen Moxu—easy to get along with and very talkative.