Always Chasing My White Moonlight Omega - Chapter 38.1

After giving her statement at the police station in the afternoon, Ruan Yang returned to the film set.

Qu Shanshan didn’t arrive until the evening. Since most of her scenes were already shot, her timing didn’t affect the crew much.

When she arrived, Ruan Yang was filming a night scene. Qu Shanshan walked over and handed her one of the two milk teas she was carrying.

Ruan Yang looked tired, perhaps needing a pick-me-up, and didn’t refuse the drink. She said “thank you,” pierced the straw into the cup, and took a sip.

“What did you and my sister talk about after we left?” Qu Shanshan seized the opportunity to sit beside Ruan Yang, taking small sips of her own milk tea. “Why did she look so upset when she got back later?”

Ruan Yang kept her eyes fixed on the screen. “Nothing much.”

It seemed she wouldn’t get any answers from Ruan Yang, and her sister wasn’t talking either. Qu Shanshan pressed her lips together and fell silent.

But…

Sitting next to Ruan Yang, Qu Shanshan couldn’t help stealing glances at her profile.

She hadn’t actually seen how Ruan Yang had burst into the room and kicked Su Xinzhi down the night before, but perhaps because she hadn’t witnessed it, her imagination ran wild, filling in the gaps. All day, her mind had been occupied with these thoughts, leaving no room for anything else. Being near Ruan Yang now made her suddenly tongue-tied.

“What’s wrong?” Ruan Yang set down her milk tea, noticing Qu Shanshan staring at her distractedly.

Thinking Qu Shanshan might be watching the screen like she was after all, she was the lead actress and had gone through a traumatic event the previous night Ruan Yang softened her voice. “Would you like to watch how others act and learn from them?”

As she turned her head to speak, her clear, gentle voice sounded right beside Qu Shanshan’s ear.

Qu Shanshan’s earlobes suddenly felt hot, and she almost stumbled backward in embarrassment.

Clutching her milk tea cup tightly, she stood up and waved her hands frantically. “No, no, it’s fine! I’m a bit tired. I’m going back to sleep now!”

With that, she dashed off in the opposite direction as if fleeing.

Ruan Yang watched her retreating figure for a moment before turning her attention back to filming the next scene.

Over the following few days, most of the scenes for the entire series were completed. Qu Shanshan only had two more shots to reshoot before wrapping up.

On the day they wrapped, Qu Shanshan approached Ruan Yang with a smile. “Senior, are you free tonight? Would you like to join us for dinner? I’ve invited a few other lead actors too. After I finish reshooting the final scene tomorrow, my part will be done.”

Ruan Yang stood watching the crew pack up the equipment and thought it over. She had no plans for the evening, so joining them for a meal wouldn’t be a problem.

Just as she was about to say “sure,” her phone rang from her pocket.

Ruan Yang answered, and the person on the other end asked, “Is this Miss Ruan Yang? Hello, there’s a package for you. I’ve already brought it to the entrance of S University. Could you please come out to collect it?”

A package for her?

Ruan Yang was taken aback. “What package?”

She hadn’t ordered anything recently. Even if she had, it wouldn’t have been delivered to the university at this time.

“It’s a pot of roses. I’ll wait for you at the school gate.”

With that, the caller hung up.

Under normal circumstances, Ruan Yang would have dismissed such a call as a scam and ignored it, but this time it was about roses.

Roses.

She suddenly thought of Xu Zhiyi from yesterday.

“Sorry,” Ruan Yang said, turning to Qu Shanshan, who was waiting for her response. “I have something to do, so I won’t be joining you. Enjoy your meal, it’s on me.”

Qu Shanshan seemed reluctant to give up and couldn’t help asking, “Is it something urgent?”

Ruan Yang paused, and Qu Shanshan’s voice suddenly grew very soft, almost a whisper. “After I wrap up filming tomorrow, I’ll be heading to another set. It might be a long time before we see each other again…”

As she spoke, the light in her eyes dimmed slightly.

Ruan Yang stared at her for a few seconds but ultimately replied, “I’m sorry, I still can’t go.”

“…” Qu Shanshan looked up, her fingers tightly clutching the hem of her clothes. After a long moment, she nodded and accepted the situation. “Alright, go ahead and take care of your business.”

The delivery person was still waiting at the school gate, so Ruan Yang didn’t say anything more and turned to leave.

After taking a taxi back to school, Ruan Yang found the delivery driver who had called her earlier. As soon as he saw her, he handed over the item. “You must be Miss Ruan Yang. These are your roses.”

Ruan Yang was taken aback when she received the item. During the call, the delivery person had mentioned a “pot” of flowers, and she had assumed he’d used the wrong measure word.

Now, seeing the actual item, she realized it wasn’t a mistake, it really was a pot of roses.

The delivery driver, too, had never seen anyone give roses in a pot instead of a bouquet. As he spoke, he pulled a basket from his vehicle and placed it at Ruan Yang’s feet. “These are also for you.”

Ruan Yang stared at the tools, fertilizer, and even a copy of The Rose Cultivation Guide in the basket, momentarily stunned.

Just then, the ringtone exclusive to Xu Zhiyi sounded. Ruan Yang cradled the flowerpot with one hand and answered the call.

“Did you get the flowers?” Xu Zhiyi asked directly.

Ruan Yang glanced down at the flowerpot in her arms, filled with delicate, unopened buds. “Yes, I did.”

“Good.”

Xu Zhiyi’s voice came through the phone, the faint static making it hard to tell if she was smiling. “These are flowers I just bought. I’m heading out of town for a shoot and will be gone for about one or two months. During that time, I’d like you to take good care of them. I’ll pick them up when I return.”

It wasn’t actually the season for roses, and out-of-season roses were difficult to cultivate without professional facilities.

Ruan Yang had no experience, but she glanced at the thoughtfully provided guide in the basket and softly replied, “Okay.”

Xu Zhiyi wasn’t at all surprised that Ruan Yang agreed. After getting her confirmation, she asked Ruan Yang to add the number on WeChat and send a daily photo of the flowers to keep her updated.

This request caught Ruan Yang off guard. She asked, “Are these flowers very important?”

“Yes, very important.” A soft laugh came through the receiver, gently tapping against Ruan Yang’s eardrums. Xu Zhiyi said quietly, “So, Ruan Yang, take good care of them.”

After a slight pause, Xu Zhiyi’s tone grew slightly more serious. “Remember to message me every day.”

For some reason, those words made Ruan Yang’s heart itch inexplicably.

Her expression softened involuntarily.

Even though she knew the other person couldn’t see her, she still nodded silently and replied, “Mm.”

After hanging up the phone, Ruan Yang stood at the school gate for a moment before taking the flower and the basket back to the film set.

In the following days, everyone on the set witnessed a peculiar sight: their director carried a potted plant with her everywhere she went. She watered it while filming and picked off bugs while eating.

Not only that, but the director also took photos of the plant from every possible angle, treating it almost like a revered ancestor.

The entire crew was astonished. If Ruan Yang hadn’t remained as quiet and reserved as usual, they might have suspected she had been possessed by some unknown flower spirit.

Since she was the director, no one dared to comment on her peculiar behavior. Ruan Yang paid no attention to others’ opinions and focused solely on caring for the plant, regularly updating Xu Zhiyi on its progress.

Xu Zhiyi was often too busy to reply every day, but Ruan Yang didn’t mind.

Soon, Ruan Yang’s short film entered its final stages. By the time she wrapped up the last tasks, her leave from school had also come to an end.

With all the footage sent off for editing, Ruan Yang returned to school with the potted plant, attending classes while keeping an eye on the editing progress and content.

Since she was back in class, she no longer carried the plant with her everywhere. She returned to her dormitory, S University offered excellent accommodations, with double rooms.

As soon as her roommate, Lu Yiye, saw Ruan Yang return, she stood up immediately.

Ever since the incident on the island, Lu Yiye had noticed that Ruan Yang’s attitude toward her had grown noticeably colder. Before, their relationship as roommates had been passable, but after Lu Yiye made a comment about Xu Zhiyi on the island, Ruan Yang had become almost unreachable.

At the start of the semester, Ruan Yang had suddenly taken a month off. Hearing from other students that she was filming her own project, Lu Yiye had refrained from disturbing her. But even after Ruan Yang returned to school, her demeanor remained distant.

Lu Yiye couldn’t accept this situation.

Seeing Ruan Yang back in the dorm, she smiled and stood up to greet her. “You’re back, Yangyang.”

Ruan Yang set down her backpack and immediately went to check on the rose on the balcony, replying indifferently, “Mm.”

Lu Yiye quickly pulled two tickets from her drawer and walked over to Ruan Yang. “Yangyang, I have two VIP tickets for Xu Zhiyi’s birthday event at the end of next month. Do you want to go with me?”

Xu Zhiyi’s birthday?

Ruan Yang bent down to loosen the soil around the rose with a small tool, then glanced at the tickets in Lu Yiye’s hand.

“I’ll think about it,” she said.

The Empire’s Omega Equality Day also fell in October, with Xu Zhiyi’s actual birthday the day after. When Xu Zhiyi first debuted, her agency had publicly listed her birthday a day earlier to coincide with Omega Equality Day for promotional purposes. So, the day of her birthday event wasn’t actually her birthday at all.

After saying this, Ruan Yang stood up and carried the potted plant outside to bask in the sun.

She truly didn’t mean anything else by it, but in Lu Yiye’s eyes, this rejection seemed to carry a different implication.

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