Always Chasing My White Moonlight Omega - Chapter 52

The news of Ruan Yang securing Xu Zhiyi quickly reached the ears of the old stubborn factions at Runying.

In less than half a day, every single one of the company’s hundreds of employees had heard that Xu Zhiyi was set to become the lead actress in their newly confirmed TV series!

Anyone who had worked at Runying for a while had heard the rumors that Xu Zhiyi never accepted roles from Runying. But this time, Xu Zhiyi had made an exception.

And she had done it for their company’s newly parachuted-in director, a college graduate with supposedly no experience!

This revelation left everyone, except the informed Runying executives, speculating about Ruan Yang’s background. Just how had she managed to persuade Xu Zhiyi?

No matter how much the lower-level employees speculated, the higher-ups at Runying fell into a collective silence upon hearing the news.

They were well aware of Xu Zhiyi’s relationship with Runying. Xu Zhiyi’s grandfather, Xu Yu, had founded the company and built it into the powerhouse it was today. Without the Xu family, none of these executives would hold their current positions.

The idea of their own young mistress starring in their company’s production was something they would normally wholeheartedly support.

But Xu Rongjiang.

Some of the higher-ups had already aligned themselves with Xu Rongjiang’s faction. As soon as the meeting ended, they promptly relayed the news to him.

Unfortunately, Xu Rongjiang was preoccupied with corporate affairs and missed their calls. His secretary promised to pass on the message, but the rest of the afternoon passed without any further updates.

While they were still hesitating and deliberating, Ruan Yang had already sent the preliminary contract to Xu Zhiyi, asking her to review it and suggest any adjustments if needed.

It wasn’t until nearly evening that Xu Zhiyi messaged back, saying she had gone through everything and found no major issues. She would come to sign the contract in a few days.

A few days.

Ruan Yang pressed her lips together, staring at those words for a long moment.

She typed and deleted messages repeatedly, unsure of what to say.

For some reason, she was afraid something might go wrong afraid that Xu Zhiyi had only acted on a whim and would change her mind once she cooled down.

Perhaps sensing Ruan Yang’s prolonged silence, Xu Zhiyi sent a question mark. Then, as if guessing her thoughts, she followed up with another message, telling Ruan Yang to arrange a time with Jiang Jiang, she would definitely show up on the agreed day.

The corners of Ruan Yang’s lips curled up despite herself. She deleted her unsent draft and quickly replied with an “Okay.”

There was no further response. Xu Zhiyi was probably busy again.

Ruan Yang read Xu Zhiyi’s message over and over before finally relaxing, leaning back in her chair.

Through the hotel’s glass window, she could see the blazing crimson sunset over the riverbank. It all felt surreal, like a dream.

The exhaustion of the past few days seemed to sink away with the setting sun.

She basked in the quiet contentment for a while before her phone rang.

Opening her eyes, Ruan Yang picked it up and saw that it was Qu Shanshan calling.

She knew exactly why Qu Shanshan was calling, but after a brief hesitation, she answered.

“Senior Ruan Yang?” Qu Shanshan’s eager voice came through the moment the call connected.

Ruan Yang gave a soft “Mm,” her gaze still fixed on the view outside.

“Senior, I heard,” Qu Shanshan’s voice lacked its usual liveliness, carrying an unspoken tension. “I heard that the lead Omega for your film has already been decided, is that true?”

“Hmm,” Ruan Yang tapped her fingers rhythmically on the table. “Sorry, I forgot to have my assistant inform you.”

She repeated, “I’m really sorry.”

Qu Shanshan fell silent for a long moment before speaking again, her tone tinged with grievance. “Why, Senior? Did I, did I not do well enough?”

It wasn’t that Qu Shanshan was boasting, but from the moment she saw the role, she felt confident she was perfect for it. Even during the audition, Ruan Yang’s assistant had chased after her to say her performance was excellent, far better than the others who had auditioned, and that she stood a good chance of being selected.

So why, when the final decision came out, did she hear from others that Ruan Yang had already chosen someone else?

Suppressing the sadness in her heart, she said, “Senior, I’m not questioning you. I just want to know, was there something I didn’t do well enough? Was there a gap between me and the character in your mind? And can I ask who you’ve chosen instead?”

Despite Qu Shanshan’s efforts to hide it, Ruan Yang could still sense her frustration and confusion.

She stopped tapping the wooden table and instead opened the glass window, letting the evening breeze drift into every corner of the room.

Truth be told, Ruan Yang didn’t dislike Qu Shanshan. In fact, she sometimes found girls like Qu Shanshan, brimming with emotion, quite endearing. Unlike herself, whose emotional detachment made life feel like stagnant water.

She genuinely recognized Qu Shanshan’s talent and hard work as an actress.

“Xu Zhiyi,” Ruan Yang said after a moment of thought. “I’ve chosen Xu Zhiyi. Qu Shanshan, it’s not that you didn’t do well enough. On the contrary, you did very well. But from the moment I first read the script, the image of the protagonist in my mind has always been Xu Zhiyi.”

This thought had come to her abruptly yet naturally. After carefully reviewing the script again, she became even more certain of her decision.

She could honestly admit that her choice wasn’t influenced by any personal fondness for Xu Zhiyi.

“Sister Zhiyi?” Qu Shanshan sounded surprised, as if she hadn’t expected Ruan Yang’s choice to be her own sister.

She remembered hearing the news about their sisterhood back at the Xu family.

This realization eased Qu Shanshan’s disappointment somewhat. If she hadn’t been chosen because of Xu Zhiyi, it wasn’t so hard to accept.

The gap between her and Xu Zhiyi right now was simply insurmountable.

“If it’s Sister Zhiyi, then I really do still have a long way to go in terms of acting,” Qu Shanshan admitted, the weight in her heart lifting slightly as her confidence began to return. “Alright, I’ll keep working hard on my acting. Sorry to bother you, Senior. You should get some rest.”

With that, Qu Shanshan hung up the phone.

She still felt a little sad, but compared to earlier, it was much more bearable.

As she turned to head back inside, phone in hand, she suddenly noticed Qu Lingxuan standing at the villa’s entrance, leaning against the wall and watching her.

Qu Lingxuan wasn’t sure when she had arrived. Seeing Qu Shanshan’s expression shift from aggrieved to somewhat better in an instant, she couldn’t help but sigh, “Qu Shanshan, can’t you show a little more backbone?”

She genuinely didn’t want her younger sister to have too much interaction with Ruan Yang.

Ever since that visit to the Xu family, when Ruan Yang had spoken those words to her, she had sent someone to thoroughly investigate the entire relationship between the Xu family and Ruan Yang.

Ruan Yang had lived with the Xu family for so many years, yet she wasn’t Xu Zhiyi’s sister in any conventional sense.

Their relationship was something that couldn’t be spoken aloud, and yet, under such circumstances, Ruan Yang had still developed those kinds of feelings for Xu Zhiyi and had shown no hesitation in displaying them in front of her.

This alone made Qu Lingxuan realize that Ruan Yang was far more complicated than she had imagined.

Her sister, with her naively simple heart, was no match for someone like that.

Moreover, after years of navigating the romantic battlefield herself, this was the first time she had seen even the faintest glimmer of a first crush in her clueless younger sister.

She had to nip this in the bud.

“Show more backbone how?” Qu Shanshan pouted, frustrated. “I couldn’t even land a role I really wanted.”

It was Xu Zhiyi, after all. How could she possibly compare?

Qu Lingxuan had initially thought Qu Shanshan had dashed out after glancing at her phone because she had received news of passing the audition.

Now she realized that wasn’t the case.

“You didn’t get it?!” Qu Lingxuan frowned deeply, her emotions indescribably mixed.

She hadn’t wanted her sister to join Ruan Yang’s production, but she had never imagined her sister wouldn’t even be chosen.

“Then who did?” Having read the script herself due to Qu Shanshan’s involvement, Qu Lingxuan couldn’t fathom why her sister wouldn’t be suitable for Ruan Yang’s project.

When Qu Shanshan uttered Xu Zhiyi’s name, even someone as worldly as Qu Lingxuan was stunned.

“What?” she exclaimed under her breath. “Has Ruan Yang lost her mind? And Xu Zhiyi too?!”

Qu Shanshan was startled, her eyes widening.

She didn’t understand what her sister meant by “lost her mind.”

Wasn’t it just acting in a drama?

But Qu Lingxuan, upon hearing the news, didn’t even bother to explain. She hurriedly rushed inside, leaving Qu Shanshan standing alone outside.

Qu Shanshan didn’t chase after her. Instead, she pulled out the little bear hairpin she had bought with Ruan Yang from her pocket, gently touching it before sighing.

It’s fine.

After all, the drama her sister had arranged for her was also filming in the same studio complex. Maybe they’d run into each other eventually.

As she comforted herself outside, Qu Lingxuan inside was frantically dialing Xu Zhiyi’s number over and over.

After ten relentless minutes, Xu Zhiyi finally answered, her voice laced with a mix of confusion and her signature languid tone.

“Lingxuan-jie?”

Normally, Qu Lingxuan would feel her heart soften at Xu Zhiyi’s almost coquettish tone. But today, it only irritated her. “My sister told me you’re acting in Ruan Yang’s drama?”

Xu Zhiyi hadn’t expected the news to reach Qu Lingxuan so quickly.

Fresh from her work, she was now lounging on the sofa in her hotel room.

For some reason, as Qu Lingxuan spoke these words, Xu Zhiyi suddenly pictured Qu Shanshan standing before her with tear-filled eyes.

Her mood inexplicably brightened, and her tone turned casual. “Yeah, so what?”

“So what?!” Qu Lingxuan’s voice even carried a hint of accusation. “Do you even realize what you’re doing, Xu Zhiyi? Why would you go against your principles to film Run Ying’s production? Was it Ruan Yang who forced you? Don’t go! That sister of yours is no good, she doesn’t have pure intentions toward you!”

Hearing Qu Lingxuan speak so vehemently about Ruan Yang, Xu Zhiyi’s brows furrowed tightly.

“You investigated us?”

Qu Lingxuan fell silent.

Xu Zhiyi’s voice turned icy. “Why shouldn’t I go? It’s my choice. Lingxuan-jie, we’ve already broken up. Please watch your words you have no right to speak about Ruan Yang like that, nor do you have the right to interfere in my life.”

This was the first time Xu Zhiyi had ever spoken to her in such a harsh tone. Qu Lingxuan’s anger flared, a sense of frustration rising in her chest like her goodwill had been trampled underfoot.

“I’m doing this for your own good, Zhiyi. Believe me. You treat Ruan Yang like a sister, but she doesn’t necessarily see you the same way!”

Xu Zhiyi suddenly went quiet. Hearing the steady breathing on the other end, Qu Lingxuan thought her words had finally gotten through. A desire to “save” Xu Zhiyi sprouted in her heart.

She pressed on, “If Ruan Yang forced you into this, just tell me. I’ll help you. But you have to stay away from her! You don’t know what kind of person lies beneath that pretty face, nor do you realize the disgusting thoughts she harbors toward you.”

“How do you know I don’t?”

Xu Zhiyi on the other end of the line seemed to let out a soft laugh, cutting Qu Lingxuan off abruptly.

There wasn’t a trace of surprise in her voice, it was eerily calm, as if she were an outsider.

Even Qu Lingxuan, the actual outsider, was more agitated than she was.

The corners of Xu Zhiyi’s lips curled slightly, her tone unhurried.

“I know.”

I know everything.

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