After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's "White Moonlight" - Chapter 41

“No need to say sorry. I should actually thank you both for giving me exposure; otherwise, I might not have gotten this many job offers.”

Cheng Siyu let out a sigh. She understood Jiang Shizi’s helplessness and couldn’t bring herself to say anything reproachful. On the contrary, she felt a bit of envy—Jiang Shizi was able to do so much for the person she loved, even if it meant being pointed at and condemned by a thousand fingers.

“I still remember that I owe you a request. I can fulfill it anytime,” Jiang Shizi said, offering the only way she could express her apology.

“I’ll think about it.” Cheng Siyu didn’t make a request immediately. She didn’t quite know what she wanted at the moment, but she felt that keeping the favor would surely be useful later.

While the two were chatting, the door to the dressing room opened. Cheng Siyu turned her head and saw Li Enyu arriving. However, there was only one assistant standing beside her.

“Little Enyu, why are you here alone today? Where is your mother?” a nearby assistant director asked.

Li Enyu merely nodded timidly. “Mom took my younger brother for a check-up. I’m a big kid now.”

After saying that, she ran over and sat in the makeup chair next to Cheng Siyu.

When their eyes met, Li Enyu gave an embarrassed laugh. She was currently in her tooth-shedding phase, and her smile was a bit “leaky” due to the gaps, but it didn’t affect her good looks at all.

“Siyu, the screenwriter wants to talk to you about the scene,” Wen Zhiluo said, opening the door while holding a script.

“Okay,” Cheng Siyu responded. She stood up to walk out, but as she passed Li Enyu’s seat, her pocket suddenly felt heavier. Once she was outside, she felt it—it was the texture of a candy.

When she reached the director’s lounge, Cheng Siyu found that only Xi You was sitting there.

“I thought the screenwriter was going to talk to me?”

Cheng Siyu sat in the chair next to Xi You and opened the script she had brought.

“I wrote this script myself,” Xi You said.

“Mm.”

As Xi You spoke, her gaze lingered on Cheng Siyu’s wrist. That gemstone bracelet was as reflective and eye-catching as ever, and her gaze softened.

“The first scene involves jumping off a high building. I don’t think I need to give you many tips on your acting.”

Her teasing, low, and husky voice echoed again, making the atmosphere in the two-person lounge feel exceptionally ambiguous.

Cheng Siyu leaned closer to her, her breath hitting Xi You’s face. Her light brown eyes met Xi You’s as she replied playfully, “Then, did you call me here to exercise some ‘unspoken rules’ on me?”

“Of course—if you’re willing.”

Xi You took her hand, and their lips pressed tightly together.

This was the first time Cheng Siyu had kissed someone other than Ji Yun. Xi You’s kissing technique was noticeably more skilled than Ji Yun’s, and she pulled away just as Cheng Siyu was about to lose her breath.

“I want to taste you more and more.”

Xi You’s voice was beautiful enough to make one sink into it. If Cheng Siyu were someone who hadn’t seen the world, she would have surely lost herself in the moment. But she was someone who had died once; she simply wiped her mouth and stood up calmly.

“Your kissing technique could use some improvement.”

Leaving behind that remark, she walked away, leaving Xi You sitting there, quietly watching her back.

If Xi You hadn’t noticed the flush rising on Cheng Siyu’s ears, she probably would have felt insecure about her skills.

Half an hour later, all the actors had finished their makeup and changed into their costumes, waiting for the cameras to roll.

Cheng Siyu arrived on the “rooftop.” In reality, the rooftop was just a set; everything below was a green screen that required post-production. The difficult part was imagining this green environment as being on top of a skyscraper.

“3, 2, 1, action!”

At the assistant director’s command, everyone was ready. Following the script, Cheng Siyu walked slowly onto the rooftop, looking down at the traffic passing below.

Cheng Siyu had once thought about dying. That was during the period right after her mother passed away and she had just been brought back to the Cheng household by Cheng Wuxing.

She had forgotten what had sustained her until now; she only knew that in her past life, her spiritual pillar had been Ji Yun, but in this life, she only had herself.

The next second, just as the script dictated, she jumped off without hesitation and landed on the sponge mats.

“Cut!”

Immediately after, Lin Zhizhi rushed to her side with water to help her up. Although the drop to the mats was only a few meters, Cheng Siyu hadn’t moved at all after jumping down, making Lin Zhizhi suspect she was injured.

“Siyu! Are you okay?”

Lin Zhizhi reached Cheng Siyu and helped her up, only to realize she had fainted at some point.

In her dazed state, Cheng Siyu felt as though she had fallen into darkness. When she opened her eyes, what she saw was her own funeral. She looked around and recognized the cemetery where her mother had been buried.

It wasn’t until she saw a new grave next to her mother’s that she was certain she had returned to her past life. Was this the scene after her death? It wasn’t as desolate as she had imagined.

In front of the grave stood a photo of her from when she was alive. it was a student ID photo taken when she first entered university; she was wearing a standard white shirt and grinning broadly.

Cheng Siyu wanted to touch it, but her fingers passed right through, touching only nothingness.

Just then, a commotion nearby caught her attention. It turned out the area was filled with people who had come to pay their respects.

Among the mourners were Shen Moxu, Cheng Wuxing, and Cheng Hanyi. When she saw Ji Yun, dressed neatly, she felt a bit dazed. Hadn’t Ji Yun said she never wanted to see her again?

Cheng Siyu walked over to Ji Yun’s side, but she simply passed through her like a ghost. Turning back, she saw faint traces of tears at the corners of Ji Yun’s eyes.

So, she cries when I die, Cheng Siyu thought with a smile—not knowing if she was laughing at Ji Yun or herself.

“I’m sorry,” Ji Yun said, looking down at the photo on the grave.

But in the next second, Shen Moxu walked straight up and slapped her. Ji Yun didn’t dodge; she took the blow fully.

A distinct handprint immediately appeared on the face that Ji Yun took such pride in, but she didn’t hit back. Instead, she knelt down. Everyone present was stunned by the scene, and no one dared to step forward to mediate.

“What right do you have to say you’re sorry? You were messing around everywhere before she died, and now that she’s dead, you come here to act all devoted? Truly a Best Actress, Ji Yun.”

Shen Moxu mocked her, the tears in her eyes finally overflowing. She hit Ji Yun frantically.

“Cheng Siyu died for you. She’s dead! You’ll never meet anyone like her again.”

At that moment, rain began to fall. The people nearby pulled Shen Moxu away, but Ji Yun remained kneeling on the spot, motionless, letting the rain soak her black suit.

Cheng Siyu just stood there watching quietly. A newspaper blew past, carrying the headline: “After Her Lover’s Death, Best Actress Ji Spends Several Days Drinking at Bars, Suspected of Having Deep Feelings.”

How hilarious. She and Ji Yun had been photographed countless times, yet Ji Yun had denied it every single time. It was only after she died that she finally gained the title of “lover.”

“Siyu, Siyu, are you okay?”

When Cheng Siyu woke up again, she was in the lounge. Only Lin Zhizhi was by her side, and there was a strong, sweet taste of fruit candy in her mouth.

“She’s awake, she’s awake!” Lin Zhizhi’s voice called out.

Supported by Lin Zhizhi, Cheng Siyu sat up from the chair. Her mind was still filled with the image of Ji Yun kneeling before her grave. Was it a dream? It felt a bit too real.

“The doctor said you fainted because of low blood sugar. You must remember to eat breakfast next time.”

After saying this, Lin Zhizhi stuffed a steaming bun into her hand and added, “The director ordered me to make sure you finish this.”

The taste of fruit candy still lingered. Cheng Siyu took the bun; it must have just come out of the steamer, as it was still a bit hot.

She struggled to chew and swallow the fruit candy in her mouth, then took a sip of water before taking small bites of the bun.

“Siyu, you scared me to death. You just suddenly fainted. I thought I was going to lose my job.”

“Ahem.” Cheng Siyu took another sip of water before saying, “Isn’t me fainting more important than you losing your job?”

“Well, it’s not that… sob… it’s just that Sister Xixi told me I couldn’t let anything happen to you, or she’d fire me.”

Lin Zhizhi added a few more explanations. Cheng Siyu waved her hand to make her stop; she was afraid that if Lin Zhizhi kept talking, she’d get angry enough to faint again before she finished eating.

“Who carried me in here?”

With half a bun in her stomach, Cheng Siyu regained her senses. Leaning back against the sofa chair, she vaguely remembered someone running toward her after she collapsed.

“Director Xi,” Lin Zhizhi answered. “Before I could even say anything, Director Xi had already picked you up. She must work out; I saw her muscles—they looked really good.”

As she spoke, Lin Zhizhi began to fangirl again. Cheng Siyu just stared quietly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

“You’re awake?”

The door to the lounge opened, and Xi You walked in, approaching Cheng Siyu.

“Mm,” Cheng Siyu responded.

Xi You took hold of her wrist and said, “You need to eat more. You’re too thin.”

“We’ll see,” Cheng Siyu replied, though she didn’t pull her hand away. Lin Zhizhi looked at the two of them, unsure of what to say. After three seconds of hesitation, she stood up.

“I’m going to the bathroom.”

Then she scurried out the door.

“Your assistant is quite cute.”

“Do you want her?” Cheng Siyu recognized the playfulness in her tone and responded with a joke of her own.

“No thanks. Compared to her type, I still prefer someone like you.”

Xi You looked at Cheng Siyu’s profile, her voice turning seductive once more. She picked up Cheng Siyu’s hand—the bracelet making a metallic clinking sound—and placed a light kiss on it.

“I have a partner right now. Aren’t you afraid I’ll cheat on you after we get together?”

Cheng Siyu ignored her gesture, but Xi You seemed prepared for the question and replied, “After we’re together, I’ll use my actions to make you feel that everyone else is tasteless.”

Cheng Siyu understood the underlying meaning. She let out a light laugh; she knew exactly what kind of person Xi You was, and that was exactly the kind of person she needed.

“Does President Xi say that to every lover?”

“No. Before, they didn’t even wait for me to speak; they’d climb into my bed on their own.” Xi You looked at Cheng Siyu. “You’re the first one I’ve actively pursued.”

“Then President Xi should work harder and try to make me climb into your bed of my own accord.”

After saying that, Cheng Siyu picked up her script to head out. Xi You stood up and leaned against the wall, watching her back.

“I will,” she said.