After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's "White Moonlight" - Chapter 35

“Do you think so too?”

Xi You leaned in close, the faint scent of perfume drifting into Cheng Siyu’s nose.

“It’s alright, but I’m not a child anymore.” Cheng Siyu stepped back slightly. She was still not used to intimate contact with people, even if she didn’t particularly dislike Xi You.

Just then, Jiang Shizi was also about to enter the studio. After exchanging a few words with Xi You, Cheng Siyu walked in with Jiang Shizi.

As they were entering, He Wuyou happened to be trotting out and bumped straight into Jiang Shizi.

After the collision, the little girl sat dazed on the ground. Jiang Shizi instinctively reached out to help her up, but she dodged the gesture.

“Mommy said you are a bad woman and I shouldn’t talk to you,” a childish voice chirped from her mouth. Having said her piece, He Wuyou bypassed the two of them and ran outside.

“Pfft.” Cheng Siyu couldn’t hold back a snicker, while Jiang Shizi stood frozen as if struck by lightning, her pale face gradually flushing a faint red.

“Let’s go, ‘Bad Woman’.”

Cheng Siyu walked ahead of Jiang Shizi. Seeing that the other woman remained motionless, she gave her a reminder.

“I am not… a bad woman,” Jiang Shizi finally retorted after a long silence.

After the second half of the recording began, the little children went through another round of self-introductions.

This time, the host asked them which guest they liked the most and instructed them to stand behind that person.

He Wuyou, the first to be asked, pondered for a moment before quietly being the first to stand behind Jiang Shizi.

Even Jiang Shizi was caught off guard. She turned around and asked, “Didn’t you say I was a bad woman? Why do you like me the most then?”

After a moment of awkwardness, He Wuyou pouted and explained, “You are a bad woman, but you’re pretty.”

Hearing this, everyone present—except Jiang Shizi and Qi Yan—burst into laughter. It seemed the mother and daughter’s aesthetic preferences were surprisingly consistent.

The last to choose was Li Enyu. She quickly stood behind Cheng Siyu. When the host asked her why, she simply said it was because Cheng Siyu gave her candy.

The second half of the program maintained a peaceful atmosphere until the recording ended.

Once the show was over, Cheng Siyu had just sat down in the rest area to catch her breath when her phone rang with that familiar ringtone.

“Hello?”

“Sister Siyu, are you done recording?”

“Yeah, otherwise how would I be answering your call?” Cheng Siyu replied.

“Oh right, true, hahaha! Let me tell you, I’ve signed with Western Territory too.”

“Really?”

“Yes! I found out the founder of Western Territory is a good friend of my mom’s. Plus, you’re there, so doesn’t that mean we can work together?”

Ji Yun was ecstatic on the other end of the line. Over here, Cheng Siyu frowned slightly, though this was within expectations.

“Congratulations.”

“No need. Are you going back to A-City tonight?”

“Yes.”

“I’m going back tomorrow; I’m staying one more day to play.” Ji Yun reported her itinerary to Cheng Siyu, who listened quietly. She knew the reason Ji Yun wanted to stay in S-City was because Ji Yan was there.

“Stay safe,” Cheng Siyu cautioned.

Ji Yun suddenly changed the subject. “It’s been two days—did you miss me?”

Cheng Siyu froze for a moment, then answered perfunctorily, “I did.”

“I missed you too! When I get back tomorrow, we can meet up.” Ji Yun’s voice suddenly jumped several decibels, forcing Cheng Siyu to move the phone away from her ear.

“Okay, sure,” she replied. But in her heart, she wondered: with the “original version” Ji Yan right there, was there really a need for her, the substitute, to be remembered?

“Then see you tomorrow! Remember to think of me.”

“I will.” After saying this, Cheng Siyu hung up. At that moment, she happened to see Qi Yan leading He Wuyou—who was bundled up in a down jacket like a little Zongzi—away.

Sitting in the shadows not far away, Jiang Shizi’s gaze remained fixed on the two of them until they disappeared from sight.

Cheng Siyu didn’t know what Jiang Shizi was feeling; it probably wasn’t pleasant. But she thought to herself that if she were in Jiang Shizi’s shoes, she might not be able to shoulder everything and maintain such a heartless facade as she did.

That night, Cheng Siyu returned to A-City. On the plane, she looked through the movie script Zhao Xixi had sent her.

It was another “double female lead” drama titled Her. It told the story of a mundane day when a woman named Yi Wu jumped to her death from a high-rise shopping mall.

After her story was forgotten by the public, a girl named Song Ci, a commoner who came to the big city to work just like her, moved into the rental room Yi Wu once lived in. Under a hidden compartment beneath the bed, she discovered the diaries and photos Yi Wu left behind.

Through tracing the trajectory of Yi Wu’s life from childhood to adulthood, Song Ci gradually discovered the reasons why she ultimately chose suicide. In the end, Song Ci gave up everything in the big city and returned to her hometown.

Cheng Siyu’s role was Yi Wu. Xi You had specifically messaged her saying this role was custom-made for her.

The other lead, Song Ci, was to be played by Jiang Shizi. Xi You said her looks were most suitable for playing someone who would retreat into the mountains and forests.

What surprised Cheng Siyu was that the actress playing the young Yi Wu was Li Enyu. It seemed Xi You had seen the comments she herself had come across online.

Additionally, the person playing Yi Wu’s teenage lover was Wen Zhiluo.

After landing, Cheng Siyu took a taxi back to her dormitory. She had only been away for a month, yet it felt like over a year had passed.

When she dragged her suitcase back into the room, her roommates swarmed around her to ask about her daily life filming in S-City.

Cheng Siyu gave a few simple answers and then collapsed into bed, exhausted, and fell asleep instantly.

The next day, she managed to sleep until she woke up naturally. The dormitory was empty; her roommates had either gone to class or to film.

She checked her phone and saw only one message from Ji Yun: “I’m on the plane!” accompanied by a selfie of her on the aircraft.

Cheng Siyu sent back a “Received” emoji and then opened Weibo.

Xi You had achieved her goal. The variety show had reached the number one trending spot, followed by tags for Jiang Shizi and Qi Yan. Cheng Siyu also caught some of the heat, though her name was at the very bottom of the trending list.

After the past few days of exposure, her follower count had gradually grown. Where there used to be only a dozen comments, there were now thousands.

With this in mind, Cheng Siyu edited a simple “Morning” and posted it.

In no time, comments from fans came flooding in. Some urged her to post selfies, some reminded her it was already noon, and others asked about the recording of the show.

After scanning a few, Cheng Siyu decided to get up. But she suddenly remembered that Shen Mexu was still in S-City with Qin Xiangqing on set, so she didn’t have her usual dining partner.

After weighing her options, she opened a food delivery app.

When her roommates returned at noon, they saw Cheng Siyu eating takeout.

“Already an actress and still so down-to-earth?” Roommate A teased.

“I call this ‘not forgetting my roots’,” Cheng Siyu retorted.

“By the way, is the stuff between you and Jiang Shizi real?” Roommate B suddenly asked.

“Also, was the gossip about Qi Yan and Jiang Shizi from back then true? Did Jiang Shizi really dump Qi Yan, causing her to get married out of a broken heart?” Roommate C chimed in.

“I didn’t realize it before,” Cheng Siyu spoke up.

“Realize what?” the roommates asked expectantly, their eyes fixed on her.

“That you guys were such gossips,” Cheng Siyu said dryly.

In the end, for all questions, Cheng Siyu gave a standard response: I don’t know, haven’t heard, can’t tell.

“I actually expected to hear something from you,” Roommate A sighed, collapsing onto the bed in defeat.

Cheng Siyu didn’t answer. Instead, she mimicked the pose and slumped onto her bed. “It’s fine. Who knows, maybe you’ll have a chance to see them yourself in the future?”

“Oh right, let me ask one more thing. How did He Wuyou’s face feel? She looked so cute in the variety show, so adorable and well-behaved.”

“I never touched it,” Cheng Siyu answered honestly.

“How did you resist? Have you been through rehab or something?” Roommate B couldn’t help but roast her.

“I just wasn’t thinking about it at the time.” Cheng Siyu wasn’t particularly fond of children. Li Enyu was an exception because she felt the girl was like her younger self; she usually avoided other children, let alone wanting to touch or hold them.

“Siyu, for you to be invited to a child-themed variety show with that attitude… what kind of heaven-defying luck is that?” Roommate C said. She walked over to Cheng Siyu and took a few deep breaths. “Let me inhale some of your luck. Why haven’t any variety shows reached out to me?”

“Inhale away, inhale away.” Cheng Siyu sat up “generously” to let her soak up the good fortune.

Just then, her phone sitting nearby rang. That love song specially sung for her by Ji Yun played throughout the entire dormitory once again.

“Isn’t this Ji Yun’s song? It sounds so good! But Siyu, which version is yours? I couldn’t find it when I searched for Ji Yun before.”

To prevent them from asking further, Cheng Siyu used the call as an excuse and walked out onto the balcony.

“I’ve landed! Want to grab dinner tonight?”

As soon as the call connected, Ji Yun’s voice came through. Cheng Siyu frowned and said, “Sure, but no drinking.” She didn’t want to haul a drunk Ji Yun into a taxi ever again.

“Deal!” Ji Yun agreed readily. “I’ll come find you tonight then. But one more question: what are we eating?”

“You decide.” Cheng Siyu had no dietary restrictions; she ate anything.

“How about hot pot?”

“Sure,” Cheng Siyu answered without hesitation.

“Great, I’ll hang up now!”

“Okay.”

After hanging up, Cheng Siyu walked back into the room to find her roommates researching her ringtone.

“It’s not on the Green app.” “Not on the Red one either.”

“Siyu, done with your call? Hurry and tell us where that ringtone came from!”

“I recorded it secretly.” Cheng Siyu didn’t want others to know about her relationship with Ji Yun, so she instinctively made up a lie.

“I see. Have you had a change of heart toward her?”

After all, every roommate had witnessed the scene where Ji Yun’s confession was rejected by Cheng Siyu.

“No, I just accidentally recorded it, thought it sounded good, and changed it,” Cheng Siyu explained perfunctorily.

“Then send a copy to us too! We’re fans of Ji Yun now; we’re all ‘Green Beans’ (Sijidou) now.”

The roommates asked eagerly. Cheng Siyu asked in confusion, “What are ‘Green Beans’?”

“Ji Yun’s fandom name! You don’t even know that? You guys have filmed two dramas together!”

Cheng Siyu froze. After a few minutes of silence, she couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle.

It turned out the fandom name that Ji Yun refused to tell her in their previous life was this one—and she had changed it to “Clouds” after jumping to another company.

“What are you laughing at?”

“That name… sounds pretty good,” Cheng Siyu replied calmly.