After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's "White Moonlight" - Chapter 38.1

“Take my car back; I’ll treat you to lunch.”

Cheng Siyu was about to find an excuse to refuse, but she saw Zhao Xixi with an “I understand everything” expression on her face as she walked away with Li Yexing.

In the end, Cheng Siyu got into Ji Yun’s car. The car still used the same aromatherapy that Ji Yun had loved in their previous life, but the music playing was “Listen to Me,” sung by Cheng Siyu herself.

As the car began to move slowly, Cheng Siyu didn’t know what to say. She opened her phone and saw that the small stir caused by the morning’s live broadcast had already been covered up by a selfie Qin Xiangqing posted from the set, captioned: “On set, don’t cue me.”

The live broadcast had also increased the click-through rate for the TV series. Cheng Siyu and Ji Yun’s CP (couple pairing) finally had a name, though it followed the original book’s convention: the “Hard to Break Feelings CP,” using the surnames of the two main characters from the novel.

“Siyu.”

While waiting at a red light, Ji Yun suddenly called her name.

“Hmm?” Cheng Siyu responded.

Ji Yun said awkwardly, “I feel like we don’t really seem like we’re dating.”

She felt there was a gap between Cheng Siyu and herself. Sometimes Cheng Siyu treated her with a politeness reserved for strangers, and other times she was as close as a best friend; it just didn’t resemble a normal romantic relationship.

“Then what are we doing? Playing house?”

Cheng Siyu offered a rare smile as she replied. She knew Ji Yun’s intuition wasn’t wrong; she simply couldn’t throw herself wholeheartedly into a relationship again. Even if she acted, she couldn’t recreate how she used to be—but who could blame her?

“Maybe so,” Ji Yun replied. “I’ll play the mom, and you play the dad.”

“Pfft.” Cheng Siyu smiled lightly and fell silent. Ji Yun turned her head to quietly watch her profile. When Cheng Siyu smiled, dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth, possessing a captivating beauty.

“You’re really beautiful.”

“It’s a green light.” Cheng Siyu wasn’t used to being stared at, especially by Ji Yun. She always felt an awkward sensation that Ji Yun was looking through her to see someone else, so she motioned for Ji Yun to look ahead.

Ji Yun snapped out of her daze and turned back to the road. Only then did Cheng Siyu feel a bit more at ease, turning her gaze toward the window.

At that moment, she opened WeChat. Xi You had sent her a message: “The movie is tentatively scheduled to start filming next Monday. I can’t wait to see you.”

Watching the screen, Cheng Siyu’s fingers hesitated for a few moments before typing: “Why? Out of all your lovers and ex-girlfriends, is there no one you’re satisfied with?”

Xi You quickly replied: “Nonono, once I set my sights on a target, I pursue them exclusively. I’m not the type to keep one eye on the bowl while reaching for the pot.”

After thinking for a few seconds, Cheng Siyu sent back an “I don’t believe you” emoji.

“Who are you chatting with? Are you going to cheat right in front of me?” Ji Yun noticed the faint smile on her face, and a sense of crisis inevitably rose in her heart.

“You get jealous too easily,” Cheng Siyu said, feigning helplessness. In reality, she knew Ji Yun had an almost paranoid possessiveness over her lovers. It was ironic, considering Ji Yun was originally someone who lingered among countless flowers.

“Do I? This is just the normal behavior of a lover,” Ji Yun argued righteously.

Seeing Ji Yun’s childish temperament, Cheng Siyu knew that explaining would only fuel her suspicion, so she stopped responding.

“What do you want to eat?” Ji Yun’s tone grew a few degrees colder.

“Anything.” Cheng Siyu no longer coddled her as she had before, her tone just as firm. She then added indifferently, “Or you can just drop me off at the dorm, and I’ll eat at the cafeteria.”

She knew this would make Ji Yun angrier, but she did it on purpose. For no reason at all, she wanted to retaliate against Ji Yun, wanting to see her angry yet unable to find an outlet for it.

Ji Yun pulled the car into a parking spot. Just as Cheng Siyu thought she would be thrown out like in her previous life, Ji Yun spoke softly.

“I was wrong.”

Cheng Siyu kept her head turned toward the window, maintaining silence. Ji Yun continued, “I shouldn’t have doubted you so casually. I’m sorry.”

Hearing Ji Yun’s words, a sense of absurdity welled up in Cheng Siyu’s heart. An undetectable smile touched her lips. She had an impulse to tell Ji Yun: Don’t be sorry, your suspicion was right—I was indeed chatting with someone else.

But ultimately, logic took over. Cheng Siyu didn’t say it aloud, instead saying faintly, “I forgive you.”

“Then what are we eating?” The light returned to Ji Yun’s eyes.

“Let’s go to the grilled fish place at the school entrance,” Cheng Siyu said. Though she wanted to laugh deep down, a buildup of tears threatened to spill, which she forcefully suppressed.

This was the shop she had visited most often with Ji Yun in her previous life. Since being reborn, she hadn’t gone there once. She always felt that by stepping into old places, all the tragedies would repeat themselves. But now, it seemed unlikely.

“Okay.” Ji Yun agreed without hesitation, like a puppy wagging its tail after receiving its owner’s approval. Cheng Siyu simply leaned against the seat, resting her head on her hand and looking out the window, her heart devoid of ripples.

“I really envy Sister Moxu.”

Ji Yun’s sudden exclamation interrupted Cheng Siyu’s thoughts. She responded, “Why?”

“She and her girlfriend can stick together every day. You and I can’t, and it makes me suspicious of everything.”

Ji Yun sighed. Cheng Siyu regained her focus and joked, “Then come be my assistant. I’ll have Sister Xixi pay you a salary.”

“Forget it, that won’t work. I want to wait until I win Best Actress so I can stand with you and announce our relationship high-profile.”

Ji Yun said every word with conviction. Cheng Siyu only gave a flat reply: “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”

In reality, she knew very well that she would likely have a final showdown with Ji Yun long before she ever won Best Actress. The best ending for the two of them would probably be to become strangers.

Fifteen minutes later, the car reached the parking lot near the grilled fish shop.

“Let’s get out.”

Cheng Siyu unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door. The scent of fresh air unique to the aftermath of rain flooded her nostrils, washing away the gloom in her mind.

A second later, Ji Yun naturally took her hand—the one wearing the bracelet—and pulled her forward.

When Cheng Siyu realized it, she wanted to pull away, but Ji Yun held on tighter. “The road is slippery after the rain, be careful not to fall.”

Hearing those words, Cheng Siyu stopped struggling, though she felt the warmth of Ji Yun’s palm felt somewhat unreal.

“Boss, one signature set meal, please.” Cheng Siyu didn’t look at the menu on the side, greeting the owner with familiarity.

“Isn’t this Xiaoyu? I thought you stopped studying to become a big star! I see you on TV every day.”

The owner was a kind-hearted woman in her late forties. Seeing Cheng Siyu, she began to make small talk. Previously, Shen Moxu would drag Cheng Siyu here for meals whenever they had time, saying she knew the owner; they always got free extra dishes and drinks.

“Hahaha, I’ve been out filming lately, it’s indeed been a while,” Cheng Siyu made a vague excuse to explain her absence.

“What about Xiaoxu? I haven’t seen her in a long time either.”

“She’s also filming,” Cheng Siyu replied. “I’ll bring her back to eat here when she’s back.”

The proprietress grinned widely. “Great, I’ll be waiting for you all.”

Only after the owner left did Ji Yun start chatting with Cheng Siyu again. “Did you come here often before?”

“Shen Moxu knows the owner. She used to bring me here every few days,” Cheng Siyu answered.

“Then why didn’t you bring me?” Ji Yun started to act temperamental again. Cheng Siyu could only soothe her casually. “I forgot because I was busy. I’ve been exhausted from filming lately.”

“Hmm.” Ji Yun reluctantly accepted the explanation. Then, seeing Cheng Siyu browsing Weibo on her phone, she remembered something and added, “I followed you on Weibo. Why haven’t you followed me back?”

Cheng Siyu’s hand paused on the phone. She said helplessly, “I’ll follow you back now.”

“Okay.”

Subsequently, Cheng Siyu followed back a bunch of stars in her follower list. Her finger stopped when she saw Qi Yan.

“Do you think I should follow Qi Yan back?” Cheng Siyu consulted Ji Yun, who was on good terms with Qi Yan.

“Either way is fine. You and Jiang Shizi are nothing; she won’t eat you.”

Ji Yun said it indifferently. In her eyes, Qi Yan had become moody only because she was abandoned by Jiang Shizi; before meeting Jiang Shizi, Qi Yan was the epitome of gentleness and elegance.

“Hmm…” Cheng Siyu hesitated for a long time. It seemed bad to follow everyone else but her, but following her back seemed even worse.

“Never mind.” After weighing it, Cheng Siyu still didn’t click.

“The director of your next drama is Xi You, right?”

After the food arrived and they were halfway through eating, Ji Yun suddenly blurted out the question. Cheng Siyu suspected she wanted to ask about every single suspicious point around her in one day.

“Yes.”

With the experience of her previous life, Cheng Siyu had a thorough understanding of Ji Yun’s suspicious and jealous nature. she answered while pretending not to care.

“She seems interested in you. You should keep your distance from her,” Ji Yun said pointedly, placing a piece of fish in Cheng Siyu’s bowl.

“Alright, alright. So no single women should appear around me, is that it? You suspect Jiang Shizi, and you suspect Xi You.”

Cheng Siyu finally lost her patience and questioned back. But Ji Yun looked aggrieved.

“I’m just afraid you’ll fall for someone else. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m an actress; I have to film. If you want to monitor me 24 hours a day, you should just be my assistant.” Cheng Siyu placed the fish back into Ji Yun’s bowl with a trace of anger, then said, “Eat it yourself. You don’t need to serve me. Eat more and shut your mouth.”

In her previous life, Cheng Siyu had thought that Ji Yun developed a paranoid, insecure personality because she had seen her father’s possessive and controlling nature toward her mother since childhood.

In this life, after careful thought, she realized that many people have bad parents—she herself was even worse off than Ji Yun—yet she could learn to handle people and things with kindness. Why couldn’t Ji Yun?

“I was wrong, sorry.” Ji Yun obediently put the fish in her mouth and chewed in small bites.

Seeing this, Cheng Siyu didn’t say anything more and continued to eat in silence.

Until they finished, neither of them spoke again. Cheng Siyu paid the bill; she didn’t want to owe Ji Yun anything.

“I said I’m sorry, don’t be mad anymore.” Ji Yun tried to get close to hold her hand several times, but Cheng Siyu dodged.

“I was wrong! If you ignore me, I’ll apologize to you on Weibo by @ing you so everyone knows.”

Hearing this, Cheng Siyu was stunned. She gave her a look and stopped refusing her hand.

“I know my desire for control is a bit strong, but I will change.”

When they reached the bottom of Cheng Siyu’s dorm building, Ji Yun whispered in Cheng Siyu’s ear. Seeing that she wasn’t smiling, she reached out to tickle her waist. After several experiences, she knew Cheng Siyu’s sensitive spots.