Always Chasing My White Moonlight Omega - Chapter 29.4

Qu Lingxuan was making a guest appearance in a role, and she had arranged for her assistant to buy the treats.

Ruan Yang’s grip on the milk tea tightened slightly, but in the end, she said nothing and accepted it.

It was almost noon by the time Qu Lingxuan arrived. The director warmly went to greet her. As soon as Qu Lingxuan spotted Xu Zhiyi, she immediately gave her a hug.

Ruan Yang had been watching, and when she witnessed the scene, she silently averted her gaze.

“What’s wrong?” After hugging Xu Zhiyi, Qu Lingxuan noticed her gaze quickly shifting toward a certain direction. Following her line of sight, she was surprised to see the girl named “Ruan Yang” from last time.

Confirming that Xu Zhiyi was indeed looking at her, Qu Lingxuan’s eyes flickered briefly before she turned to the director with a smile and asked, “Director Wu, the actresses in your crew are all so beautiful.”

She pointed toward Ruan Yang. “Especially that one her looks and aura, it must’ve been hard to find someone like her, right?”

Director Wu, noticing Qu Lingxuan was referring to Ruan Yang, couldn’t help but laugh heartily. “You’re not the only one who thinks so. It’s a shame Xiao Ruan isn’t pursuing acting.”

“Oh?” Qu Lingxuan feigned surprise. “She’s not an actress in the crew? Then why is she here?”

Xu Zhiyi glanced at Qu Lingxuan.

The director laughed even more heartily. “Xiao Ruan is my temporary assistant, a top student from Imperial University. She’s here to learn from me.”

“Oh, really?” Although Qu Lingxuan was smiling, her tone inexplicably carried a strange edge.

She seemed like she wanted to say more but was interrupted by Xu Zhiyi. “Senior, you must be tired. Would you like to go to the lounge to rest? Since the director is here, he can explain the script to you on the spot.”

“That works too,” the director patted Qu Lingxuan’s shoulder. “Come on, Lingxuan, I’ll take you to my lounge to sit for a while.”

The three of them headed toward the director’s lounge.

After lunch, the afternoon shoot began. The director brought out the two actors, who were already in full makeup and costume.

Qu Lingxuan’s cameo role didn’t have many scenes, and most of her interactions were with Xu Zhiyi.

The director took his seat and suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia. “The last time I saw the two of you on camera feels like a long time ago.”

“Yeah,” Qu Lingxuan suddenly lowered her head, casting an extremely affectionate gaze at Xu Zhiyi. “Even though a lot of time has passed, scenes like this still pop into my mind from time to time.”

Xu Zhiyi averted her eyes and said to the director with a smile, “It was only last year. I’m still young, Director Wu. Don’t make me reminisce about the past.”

The director laughed heartily and said, “True enough.”

Seeing Xu Zhiyi evade her gaze and ignore her words, Qu Lingxuan’s expression darkened abruptly.

Since the two had worked together before, they were familiar with each other’s acting habits. The scenes were shot smoothly and quickly, with almost no retakes.

The director praised their chemistry again, and his compliments could be heard throughout the entire crew.

“Is the director trying to set up Sister Zhiyi and Sister Lingxuan?” Ruan Yang overheard an extra whispering behind her. “It’s way too obvious.”

“I think so too,” another extra agreed. “Haven’t you heard that Sister Lingxuan has been pursuing Sister Zhiyi lately? If these two get together, they’d definitely be the most eye-catching couple in the entertainment industry!”

“Guess if they’ll make it. I heard they might have been together before. If it weren’t for that history, I’d firmly believe they’d end up together. But as everyone knows, Sister Zhiyi doesn’t go back to her exes.”

“But is Sister Lingxuan just any ordinary ex?” another person disagreed. “With Sister Lingxuan’s qualities, who couldn’t she pursue? I bet even Zhiyi won’t be an exception.”

“True. I’ve decided today, I’m becoming a fan of their couple. I hope my CP gets a happy ending!”

“Count me in!”

Ruan Yang suddenly felt a wave of irritation.

The crew had cooling tea to prevent heatstroke. Ruan Yang walked over and downed a cup in one go.

But even after drinking it, her heart remained restless.

In the evening, Qu Lingxuan treated the entire crew to a meal.

It wasn’t the same restaurant as last time but a more upscale one, simply because the director mentioned that Xu Zhiyi liked the food there.

The entire crew marveled at Qu Lingxuan’s generosity. Rumors about Qu Lingxuan possibly pursuing Xu Zhiyi had spread, and soon everyone was betting on how long it would take for Xu Zhiyi to agree.

After hearing the rumors brought back by Jiang Jiang, Xu Zhiyi gave the director a helpless look.

The director, thinking she was grateful, winked at her with a smile.

Xu Zhiyi: “…”

She silently picked up her water glass and took a sip. Just as she set it down, Qu Lingxuan thoughtfully asked, “Would you like something else to drink? The fresh pear juice here is excellent, would you like to try it?”

Xu Zhiyi instinctively glanced across the table.

Ruan Yang, as the director’s capable assistant, had been seated with the main and supporting actors at the same table quite coincidentally, right across from Xu Zhiyi.

At that moment, Ruan Yang was looking at her phone. When Xu Zhiyi glanced over, she didn’t even shift her gaze.

Xu Zhiyi withdrew her eyes and shook her head, her tone carrying a hint of implication, “No need, I don’t care for pear juice.”

Qu Lingxuan’s smile stiffened slightly.

Just as she was about to say something else, the dishes they had ordered began arriving one after another. Qu Lingxuan had no choice but to temporarily hold back her words and start eating.

The director hadn’t seen Qu Lingxuan in a long time. For some reason, the two got along exceptionally well, forming a friendship that bridged their age gap. After a few drinks, the director pulled Qu Lingxuan into conversation, reminiscing at length.

Most of the talk revolved around memories from the filming of last year’s movie. Aside from Xu Zhiyi, no one else at the table had been part of that production, so they couldn’t join in, quietly eating their food and listening to the two chat.

Only occasionally, when something amusing was mentioned, would they offer a few polite laughs.

Xu Zhiyi didn’t speak much either. Without even realizing it herself, her gaze kept drifting subtly toward the opposite side of the table.

Finally, when a particular dish on the rotating tray came to a stop in front of Ruan Yang, she suddenly spoke up.

“Ruan Yang,” she said with a faint smile, her tone casual, “I’d like to try the dish in front of you. Could you pass it over?”

But in an unnoticed corner, her fingertips gripping the chopsticks had turned white, betraying an indescribable tension.

Ruan Yang finally looked up for the first time during the meal.

She glanced down, the dish in question was spicy diced chicken with chili peppers.

Xu Zhiyi watched Ruan Yang’s every move intently.

She noticed Ruan Yang’s fingers tremble slightly, as if she were about to reach for the serving chopsticks. But just as her hand hovered mid-air, she suddenly stopped, changed direction, and instead gently turned the rotating tray to bring the dish directly in front of Xu Zhiyi.

“Here you go, Sister Zhiyi.”

Her tone was impeccably polite, leaving no room for criticism.

Yet, as Xu Zhiyi stared at the bowl of chicken laden with chili peppers, her mind was flooded with the image of Ruan Yang’s focused profile from the night before, meticulously picking out the peppers for her.

This small incident went unnoticed by everyone else at the table.

She forced a faint smile. “Thank you.”

After dinner, Qu Lingxuan offered to drive Xu Zhiyi back.

“Zhiyi,” Qu Lingxuan said, gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind Xu Zhiyi’s ear, “You’ve been turning me down all evening. If you refuse again, I’ll be really upset.”

Xu Zhiyi glanced at Ruan Yang, who was still absorbed in her phone, fingers swiping across the screen as if completely engrossed, entirely unaware of their exchange.

As if challenging someone, Xu Zhiyi picked up her bag and turned away.

“Let’s go, then.”

Qu Lingxuan declined her assistant’s offer to drive them and instead took the wheel herself, heading back to the film set with Xu Zhiyi.

In the car, Xu Zhiyi remained silent, her gaze fixed on the passing scenery outside the window.

“You seem like you have a lot on your mind,” Qu Lingxuan remarked halfway, glancing at Xu Zhiyi through the rearview mirror. “Would you like to talk about it, Zhiyi?”

Xu Zhiyi gazed out the window at the skyscrapers flashing by and the colorful, shimmering lights. After a long moment, she shook her head.

“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just a bit tired.”

Qu Lingxuan turned on some music, selecting a softer melody.

“Is it because you’re with me that you feel tired?”

The tone made Xu Zhiyi glance sideways at Qu Lingxuan. She offered a faint smile. “How could that be, Sister Lingxuan?”

Qu Lingxuan chuckled softly in response.

Seeing that Qu Lingxuan didn’t press further, Xu Zhiyi turned her attention back to the window.

After they had driven a bit farther and were waiting at a red light, Qu Lingxuan suddenly spoke up. “What perfume are you wearing today, Zhiyi? It seems different from your usual scent.”

Qu Lingxuan turned to look at her, her gaze deep and unfathomable. “I’ve never noticed you wearing this pinewood fragrance before.”

Xu Zhiyi’s hand, which had been massaging her temples, stilled.

The mark on the back of her neck had been tingling all day with a maddening itch, one she couldn’t touch, scratch, or relieve.

She lowered her hand, her smile stiffening. “I got tired of the old one. I felt like switching things up recently.”

The light turned green. Qu Lingxuan started the car, her eyes fixed ahead as she remarked casually, “It smells quite nice. Could you get me a bottle?”

Just then, the music in the car cut out, plunging the atmosphere into heavy silence.

It wasn’t until the next song began that Xu Zhiyi slowly replied, “I think this particular scent is out of stock. How about I give you a different fragrance instead?”

Qu Lingxuan drove on quietly, neither accepting nor rejecting the offer.

Soon, they arrived at the hotel entrance. Qu Lingxuan parked the car and leaned over with a smile to unbuckle Xu Zhiyi’s seatbelt.

“We’re here. Go on up and get some rest,” she said gently. “See you tomorrow.”

Xu Zhiyi studied the face so close to hers and realized that even at this proximity, her heart remained utterly calm.

In all these years, after working with so many actors, it seemed no one had ever made her feel that fluttering, heart-racing sensation.

She cut off her own thoughts, turned away, and opened the car door, avoiding Qu Lingxuan’s closeness.

“See you tomorrow.”

Xu Zhiyi stepped out of the car, waved to Qu Lingxuan, and headed into the hotel.

Behind her, Qu Lingxuan watched Xu Zhiyi’s retreating figure but didn’t drive off immediately.

She frowned deeply.

Zhiyi had lied to her.

That was no perfume.

As an Alpha, she knew better than Xu Zhiyi.

It was the scent of another Alpha’s pheromones.

The next morning’s scenes were relatively simple. Combined with the fact that Qu Lingxuan had treated the crew to a meal the previous night, the atmosphere on set was relaxed and lively except around Zheng Tang.

Xu Zhiyi was filming with Qu Lingxuan again today. On a whim, the director decided to add two more scenes for Qu Lingxuan.

Though Qu Lingxuan grumbled about the director finding ways to overwork her, she threw herself into the scenes with more dedication than anyone.

Adding scenes was easy in theory, but when it came time to shoot, the director suddenly realized they were missing an extra to play a maid beside Qu Lingxuan.

But finding the right extra wasn’t so easy, and deleting the passerby role to let Qu Lingxuan’s character step in herself didn’t quite fit the character’s persona. Just as the director was agonizing over whether to scrap the entire scene, Xu Zhiyi had just finished touching up her makeup.

She lifted her sleeve, the crimson floral adornment between her brows glowing vividly under the sunlight, making Xu Zhiyi appear exceptionally spirited.

“What kind of extra are you looking for?” She raised her eyes, and perhaps to better embody her role, her tone was especially gentle and charming.

Following Xu Zhiyi’s gaze, the director spotted Ruan Yang silently adjusting the equipment beside him.

Xu Zhiyi grinned like a fox. “Isn’t there a perfect candidate right here?”

Wu Jun snapped out of his thoughts. “Right, how did I not think of that!”

Even if Ruan Yang weren’t a director, with such outstanding looks and qualities, she could have shone brightly in the entertainment industry as an actress.

To have such a promising talent right beside him, and he’d never once thought to make use of her!

Wu Jun sighed regretfully, then turned to Ruan Yang with a smile.

“Think of it as a chance to challenge yourself. What do you say, Xiao Ruan? Want to give it a try?”

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