After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's "White Moonlight" - Chapter 4

Late at night, Cheng Siyu jolted awake from her bed in the guesthouse, teardrops hanging from the corners of her eyes at some unknown moment.

She had had a dream. In it, Ji Yun was in bed with another lover, staring at her while tearing the commemorative notebook she had painstakingly handmade to pieces, crushing it into the dirt.

“Cheng Siyu, I’m bored of this. You can leave now.”

In the next second, everything around her turned to ash. In the dream, she had fallen, yet she still desperately and foolishly wanted to reach out and hold the Ji Yun standing before her.

Once she returned to reality and looked at her surroundings, Cheng Siyu drank a glass of warm water from her bedside table before she finally calmed down.

Ironically, the habit of keeping a glass of warm water by the bed was something Ji Yun had taught her. It was simply because Ji Yun felt that after “doing the deed,” it was easy to get a dry throat.

“I like this about you the most; others don’t know to do these things.”

“Mm.” Such words had given Cheng Siyu a significant sense of accomplishment at the time. Even though she knew she wasn’t Ji Yun’s only lover, being told she was the “favorite” was enough for her.

At that moment, the sky began to pale as sunlight slowly filtered through the curtains, spreading across the room.

Having lost all desire to sleep, Cheng Siyu casually opened the school forum. She found that the posts on the front page were almost all related to Ji Yun. It seemed that because her finale performance at the school anniversary was so outstanding, the topic had escalated to the point of appearing on the A-City news.

Perhaps because she had encountered too many people and things related to Ji Yun these past few days, Cheng Siyu’s heart was beginning to feel a bit numb. Yet, the memories etched deeply in her mind continued to remind her of everything.

Cheng Siyu spent two days wandering the old streets and districts of her hometown until she was called back by a sudden school activity, boarding the bus for the return trip.

“Siyu!”

The moment she walked into the milk tea shop she had agreed to meet Shen Moxu at, her friend’s voice rang out.

“Do you know? This activity is for a movie casting at our school!”

Before Cheng Siyu could even sit down, Shen Moxu hurriedly pulled out her phone and showed her the photographed materials.

On the screen was a youth-themed movie titled Chiyue Liangxia (Moonlit Pool, Cool Summer). The main draw was the director—a world-renowned figure who had gradually stepped back from the industry in recent years due to health reasons.

However, before he fully retired, he wanted to film one last masterpiece as a memento. Since Cheng Siyu’s university happened to be the director’s alma mater, he wanted to find students from the school to play the leading roles.

In her previous life, both Ji Yun and Shen Moxu were selected. Not long after the movie was released, it became a massive hit. Because of it, Ji Yun was scouted and signed by a major company. Shen Moxu was also chosen by Xiyue Entertainment.

Back then, Cheng Siyu had missed the opportunity and could only work as part of the behind-the-scenes crew. It was during that time that she saw Ji Yun playing the female lead.

Cheng Siyu only remembered that when she was overwhelmed and frazzled with work, Ji Yun had handed her a cup of iced milk tea.

Though it might have been a trivial gesture to Ji Yun, Cheng Siyu had fallen in love with that flavor as if she had been drugged.

This event had become a regret for Cheng Siyu in her past life—not just because of Ji Yun, but because she had lost a career opportunity. When she watched Shen Moxu become a famous figure at school because of that movie, the sense of regret was something that even Shen Moxu treating her to five milk teas couldn’t fill.

“Hey, hey, what are you thinking about? Do you want to go sign up together? Maybe we can even add it to our resumes.”

“I’m going. Why wouldn’t I?”

Hiding forever wasn’t the solution. Since there was no way to avoid Ji Yun for the rest of her life—and since Ji Yun didn’t know her yet and she might not even be selected—she decided to treat this as a chance to make up for her past regrets.

“But there are several roles. Which one do you want to audition for?”

Cheng Siyu clicked on the simple script Shen Moxu had sent her. The plot followed Ye Xingyue, a “good girl” at school who, through an accident, meets the male lead, Chi Li, who had dropped out of school early to join the underworld. From there, a series of redemption stories unfolded.

In the previous life, Ji Yun had played Ye Xingyue, while Shen Moxu played Jiang Ming, a “delinquent girl” working at the same shop who had always liked Chi Li.

Cheng Siyu didn’t plan on competing with them for those roles. The character she had always wanted to play was Chi Li’s older sister, Chi Xia. Chi Xia was a very complex character: her mother died when she was young, her father was a gambler, and her younger brother still needed to attend school. At thirteen, she was forced to drop out and work to support the entire household.

It wasn’t until she turned nineteen that her life saw a turning point. That year, her father passed away, and while working at a bakery, she happened to be scouted by the CEO of a franchise who hired her as a consultant.

On the surface, she was a sales consultant for the franchise; behind the scenes, however, the CEO proposed to keep her as his mistress. Chi Xia initially refused, but she was eventually forced to agree after the CEO threatened her, saying, “If you don’t agree, I’ll make sure your brother can’t survive in F-City.”

From then on, gossip about Chi Xia being a certain CEO’s “little honey” began to circulate throughout F-City, eventually reaching Chi Li’s ears. He initially thought it was just a rumor until he went to find Chi Xia and heard unbearable sounds coming from her room.

Their relationship shattered. Chi Li cried out as he threw the tuition money Chi Xia had given him back at her. When Chi Xia tried to explain, he called her “dirty” and told her to get lost—the further, the better.

Although Chi Xia’s plot only occupied a small portion of the movie, it had sparked a lot of discussion among the audience. The only pity for Cheng Siyu was that in her previous life, Chi Xia was an unpopular role played by a green newcomer; many of the parts she found profound hadn’t been portrayed well.

“You want to audition for Chi Xia? Why not Ye Xingyue? She’s the female lead,” Shen Moxu said, noticing her gaze lingering on Chi Xia’s introduction page.

“Too many people will choose the lead. Picking an unpopular role increases the odds of being selected. Besides, I might not even get it,” Cheng Siyu said casually.

“True. Then I’ll stick with Jiang Ming. Being able to call for backup to protect the male lead when he’s in danger is just too cool, isn’t it?”

“Aren’t you usually the one who runs away the fastest?”

“Cheng Siyu! Give me back that milk tea I bought you!”

“Not a chance.”

When Ji Yun woke up again, it was already noon. The large screen in the KTV was still playing songs, and people were slumped all over the sofas and floor. She picked up her phone with some effort.

The screen was filled with messages. Before she could look closely, another call came in. Looking at the unfamiliar number, she hesitated for a moment before deciding to answer.

“Xiao Yun?” A woman’s voice came from the other end, accompanied by the noisy sound of wind.

This voice was incredibly familiar to Ji Yun—it was her cousin, Ji Yan.

“Mm,” Ji Yun replied.

“I’m returning to the country tomorrow. Feel like coming out for a meal?” The voice on the other end was cheerful and relaxed, forming a sharp contrast with Ji Yun’s current somber mood.

“Sure. When? Which airport? Send me the details, I’ll pick you up,” Ji Yun agreed quickly. Ji Yan’s voice always managed to create ripples in her heart, seemingly sweeping away the gloom that Cheng Siyu had brought her.

“No need, Xiao Yun. My boyfriend is picking me up. Oh, I forgot to tell you—I’m getting married next week!”

Ji Yan’s words instantly plunged Ji Yun into an ice cellar. She tried her best to make her voice sound light. “Okay, I see.”

“Oh my, why do you sound so unhappy? Did you have a fight with your little girlfriend? That’s just how relationships are.”

The “little girlfriend” Ji Yan referred to was, of course, Cheng Siyu. There was a time when Ji Yun, wanting to chat with Ji Yan, told her about her relationship issues with Cheng Siyu to ask for advice.

Back then, to dispel Ji Yan’s doubts, Ji Yun had specifically taken a photo of herself with Cheng Siyu and sent it over. As a result, Ji Yan still believed that Ji Yun’s girlfriend was Cheng Siyu.

“My boyfriend and I argue all the time too, but we make up quickly. He’s always the one who comes to apologize to me, hehe.”

Hearing Ji Yan’s words, Ji Yun stunned. In the past, she would also argue with Cheng Siyu, but every single time, it was Cheng Siyu who took the initiative to apologize to her.

She had never seemed to care; she would just ignore Cheng Siyu for a few days, and the girl would always come crawling back on her own.

Once, after a fight with Cheng Siyu, she went to a bar. She played until late at night, and her phone died. By the time she found a charger, the screen was covered in missed calls from Cheng Siyu.

Furthermore, when she finally went home and reached the apartment, she saw Cheng Siyu at the door, sitting on the floor in a daze, half-asleep, her face stained with tears like a discarded puppy.

Ji Yun had intended to ignore her and just unlock the door to go inside, but the sound of the keys clinking woke Cheng Siyu up. She immediately lunged forward to hug Ji Yun, sobbing into her ear, “I was wrong, please don’t leave me, okay?”

To Ji Yun, this had originally been a mundane, ordinary occurrence. But for some reason, at this moment, it kept playing over and over in her mind. She suddenly felt as if she had lost something.

“Xiao Yun, tomorrow at 12:00 PM, Yiyu Restaurant. Be there or be square. I’ll introduce my boyfriend to you.”

The day of the audition arrived quickly. A crowd of people lined up outside the auditorium, each holding a numbered tag, waiting for their number to be called. Cheng Siyu and Shen Moxu were no exception.

“Wow, isn’t that the department heartthrob Shan Xiyuan? He’s here too? So many legendary people are showing up today.”

“Mm-hmm,” Cheng Siyu hummed perfunctorily to Shen Moxu while looking at the acting notes she had written down based on her memories from her previous life. But the consequence of not looking where she was going was that she tripped over something and accidentally bumped into someone’s shoulder.

“Sorry, I’m so sorry.”

When Cheng Siyu snapped out of it, she spoke hurriedly. However, the person didn’t seem to mind much, only saying:

“It’s fine. Did I scare you at the banquet last time?”

At that moment, Cheng Siyu looked up and met Ji Yun’s clear eyes. But in just a flash, Cheng Siyu averted her gaze.

Yet, her heart began to beat uncontrollably again. It seemed that every time she saw Ji Yun, the feeling of her heart racing was something already engraved into her very bones.