Always Chasing My White Moonlight Omega - Chapter 54.1

“Have you had enough of this?”

Ruan Yang rarely used such a tone with her, and upon hearing it, Xu Zhiyi felt as if a string in her heart had been plucked sharply.

She felt an itch, but as if refusing to admit defeat, she couldn’t bring herself to ask Ruan Yang to let go.

Her fingers gripped the edge of the conference table, and she tilted her head back. The fluorescent light fell on her neck, casting a bright glow that made her look like a delicate, beautiful porcelain doll.

“How am I making a scene?” Xu Zhiyi held back until the corners of her eyes flushed red. “Isn’t it, hmm… you who’s been holding onto me?”

From Ruan Yang’s perspective, she could clearly see the tip of Xu Zhiyi’s tongue as she spoke with slightly parted lips, along with the faint marks left on her lower lip from biting.

For no apparent reason, Ruan Yang’s throat felt dry. She released her fingers from massaging the sole of Xu Zhiyi’s foot and suddenly stood up, crouching beside Xu Zhiyi’s knees.

The itching sensation finally subsided, and Xu Zhiyi let out a soft gasp. Noticing Ruan Yang’s movement, she lifted her leg and rested her foot on Ruan Yang’s shoulder.

Ruan Yang looked up just in time to see Xu Zhiyi raise an eyebrow, giving her a challenging glance.

Her Zhiyi never seemed to learn her lesson.

She turned her head and gently kissed the soft curve of Xu Zhiyi’s calf, then nuzzled it lightly.

“Be good, stop making a fuss.”

After saying this, Ruan Yang grasped her ankle and bent down to help her put on her high heels.

Throughout the process, Ruan Yang’s movements were incredibly gentle, meticulous and attentive.

Xu Zhiyi kept her gaze fixed on the crown of Ruan Yang’s head. Unlike Ruan Yang’s usual cold demeanor, the swirl of her hair seemed to carry a touch of warmth and softness.

“All done.” After helping Xu Zhiyi put on her shoes, Ruan Yang stood up but did not sit back down.

“Let’s go, I’ll walk you out,” she said.

“Kicking me out already?” Xu Zhiyi’s tone inexplicably turned lazy as she tapped her fingers on the script beside her. “I still have questions to ask.”

Ruan Yang studied Xu Zhiyi’s expression and knew she had no real questions staying behind earlier had just been a way to tease her.

But she said nothing, simply watching Xu Zhiyi quietly. The two locked eyes for a moment before Xu Zhiyi finally broke the silence.

She stood up, smoothed her dress, and slung her bag over her shoulder. “Alright, it seems Director Ruan isn’t in the mood for my questions today. I’ll have to wait for another time. What a shame.”

Her tone was light and cheerful, with no trace of regret whatsoever.

Once Xu Zhiyi put her sunglasses back on, breaking their eye contact, Ruan Yang felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

She walked to the door and opened it, then stepped aside to let Xu Zhiyi pass. Xu Zhiyi quickly regained the same expression she had when she arrived, stepping out of the conference room expressionlessly and heading toward the elevator at the end of the hallway.

The general manager was already waiting at the entrance of Runying’s building. Seeing Xu Zhiyi and Ruan Yang walking out one after the other, seemingly on less-than-friendly terms, she smiled even more broadly and approached them.

She respectfully escorted Xu Zhiyi to her car. Just as the car door was about to close, Xu Zhiyi suddenly turned her head, her eyes behind the sunglasses glancing back toward the entrance once more.

Just as the general manager thought Xu Zhiyi was about to say something, he never expected her to say nothing at all. With a loud “bang,” she closed the car door and instructed the driver to drive off.

Ruan Yang watched quietly as Xu Zhiyi left.

The meaning behind that brief exchange of glances was clear to both of them.

On the way back, Xu Zhiyi sat alone in the back seat. About ten minutes after leaving Runying, her phone rang. She picked it up and saw that, as expected, it was Xu Rongjiang calling.

As usual, she let Xu Rongjiang wait for a while before finally answering the call.

Unlike his usual habit of immediately launching into a scolding, this time Xu Rongjiang remained uncharacteristically silent for a long moment.

After a while, he finally asked, “I heard you took on a project at Runying?”

“Yes,” Xu Zhiyi admitted frankly. “The contract is already signed. Is there a problem with me taking on a project from my own family’s company?”

She guessed that the general manager had reported everything that had just happened to Xu Rongjiang as soon as she left. However, she hadn’t expected Xu Rongjiang to wait this long to call her. She had assumed he would try to stop her as soon as he heard she was taking on a project at Runying.

“Of course, there’s no problem,” Xu Rongjiang said, frowning deeply as he looked at his secretary standing before him. “You filming for Runying might actually help save the company.”

His words were insincere, he wished Xu Zhiyi would never set foot in Runying again!

A large portion of Runying’s upper management consisted of trusted aides promoted by Xu Zhiyi’s grandfather. Xu Rongjiang had worked hard to install Su Liu as the general manager, and now that Xu Zhiyi was there, those stubborn old-timers who had been wavering about siding with him might change their minds.

The young secretary in front of him couldn’t hold back his tears and sobbed quietly. A few days ago, someone from Runying had called, asking him to inform Xu Rongjiang about the young mistress’s visit to the company. But he had been busy with other tasks and forgotten, which was why Xu Rongjiang had just scolded him harshly.

Since the contract was already signed, there was nothing Xu Rongjiang could do about it. Still, he thought of Ruan Yang and tentatively asked, “What made you suddenly decide to go to Runying? Was it, Yangyang who asked you to go?”

If Ruan Yang had invited Xu Zhiyi, it would mean their relationship was better than he had imagined.

Xu Rongjiang did not want Ruochu to fall back into Xu Zhiyi’s hands. The reason he had valued Ruan Yang before was precisely because he knew her relationship with Xu Zhiyi was extremely strained.

But if their relationship had improved, he would have to reconsider Ruan Yang’s usefulness.

On the other end of the line, Xu Zhiyi scoffed. “Of course not. How could someone like Ruan Yang dare to order me around? I just liked the script. Wasn’t it you who sent her to Runying? I wanted to see for myself what kind of trouble you’re trying to stir up in my grandfather’s company.”

Hearing this, Xu Rongjiang breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Xu Zhiyi was simply there to oppose him.

“What do you mean by ‘trouble’?” Xu Rongjiang set aside his earlier concerns and began to feel irritated by his daughter’s tone again. “Your grandfather has passed away. I am now the head of Ruochu. What’s wrong with me sending Yangyang to Runying to gain experience? Unlike you, who spends your days idling around, she actually works hard. Since you’re at Runying now, you should help Yangyang and teach her properly. Do you hear me?”

Even now, he was still trying to sow discord between her and Ruan Yang. Xu Zhiyi’s tone carried a hint of disdain: “I’d be doing her a favor by not causing her trouble, and you expect me to help her? My dear father, you’d better keep your mind active, or I’m afraid you’ll develop dementia one day, and I’ll have to visit you in the hospital.”

With that, Xu Zhiyi hung up the phone.

She had been waiting for Xu Rongjiang’s call all along. Now that she had dispelled his suspicions about her and Ruan Yang, she promptly blocked his number again.

The world suddenly felt much quieter. Sitting in the back seat, Xu Zhiyi thought to herself that Xu Rongjiang probably wouldn’t bother Ruan Yang now.

In fact, with her involvement, he might even treat Ruan Yang better.

It was already autumn, and the weather outside was beautiful, with the sun shining brightly.

She tossed her phone onto the car seat beside her, took out the sunny doll hair clip from her backpack, and pinned it to her forehead.

In the following days, Ruan Yang was fully occupied with preparations for the launch of Cui Yan Jue. She placed great importance on this project, overseeing almost every aspect of it. During this time, she also sought advice from Wu Jun, gaining valuable experience, but her schedule was so packed that she barely had a moment to rest.

Her days were a constant cycle between school and the company. As soon as classes ended, she had to rush straight to Run Ying.

Around this time, several months later, the short drama Ruan Yang had previously filmed was completed and released on a popular short video platform.

Short video platforms had grown rapidly in recent years, and the vertical-screen short drama format was becoming increasingly well-known. Ruan Yang’s drama, with its exquisite cinematography, beautiful leads, and innovative storyline, attracted a wave of organic viewers as soon as it was released.

This small-scale drama, which had almost no prior marketing, quickly gained popularity on the platform. Within just a few days, promotions and recommendations for the show flooded the internet, successfully breaking through to a wider audience.

Along with the drama’s rising fame, its lead actress, Qu Shanshan, also saw her popularity soar. Her makeup and styling in the drama were consistently on point, and her acting stood out significantly, making her instantly memorable.

With her charming and distinctive appearance, and likely some behind-the-scenes support from Qu Lingxuan, Qu Shanshan seemed to appear before the public eye overnight, gaining a modest level of fame.

Qu Shanshan called multiple times to share the good news with Ruan Yang, but Ruan Yang was too busy with Run Ying’s affairs to answer any of her calls. As time passed, Qu Shanshan realized Ruan Yang was swamped and stopped calling.

About a month and a half later, as deep autumn set in, Cui Yan Jue finally began filming, and the main cast and director held the opening ceremony.

On the day of the ceremony, many media outlets showed up. Most were there for Xu Zhiyi this was her first project after leaving Xun Guang and her first time taking on such a role. Whether the outcome was good or bad, the news would have plenty of material to write about.

That morning, the main cast and crew gathered in the lounge, chatting as they waited for the ceremony to begin. Ruan Yang walked in and, seeing many empty seats, headed straight for the one next to Xu Zhiyi.

Xu Zhiyi was engrossed in her phone and didn’t notice Ruan Yang sitting down beside her.

Shi Fangxuan noticed Xu Zhiyi staring intently at her phone and glanced down, asking, “What are you so engrossed in?”

Xu Zhiyi looked up without hiding anything, showing Shi Fangxuan her phone screen. “Watching this short drama.”

Although both had been in the entertainment industry for a long time, this was their first time working together in fact, their first meeting.

Xu Zhiyi raised her eyes and, seeing Shi Fangxuan’s face up close, froze for a moment. She then scanned the room until she spotted Ruan Yang beside her.

Ruan Yang noticed the surprise in Xu Zhiyi’s eyes and gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head.

Xu Zhiyi turned back and studied Shi Fangxuan’s face again.

So similar. Really similar.

Shi Fangxuan didn’t catch the emotion in Xu Zhiyi’s gaze. She watched the phone screen for a while and recognized it as the popular short drama. “Oh, you’re watching this. My staff has been talking about it lately. Is it good?”

Xu Zhiyi, still a bit dazed, nodded. “It’s alright.”

Curious, Shi Fangxuan asked, “Who directed it?”

Ruan Yang, seated beside Xu Zhiyi, unconsciously straightened her back.

“Let me check,” Xu Zhiyi paused the video and tapped on the account’s profile, where the director’s name was listed in the bio. “It’s Yan Xia.”

“Yan Xia?” Shi Fangxuan hadn’t heard the name before. “Probably a new director.”

As she spoke, Shi Fangxuan noticed Ruan Yang, who seemed a bit tense nearby, and remembered she was also a new director. She couldn’t help but remark, “Newcomers these days are really impressive.”

The “impressive newcomer director” herself glanced at Xu Zhiyi and noticed she was still staring intently at the name, even frowning slightly.

In truth, Ruan Yang hadn’t hidden her identity while filming this project. If Xu Zhiyi searched online, she would easily find out that Ruan Yang was the director.

“Yan Xia!” Xu Zhiyi murmured the name. For some reason, it bothered her.

Just as she was about to exit and search for more information, a crew member came in and announced, “Everything’s ready. The auspicious time is almost here. We can start the opening ceremony.”

This was mainly directed at Ruan Yang, who nodded and replied, “Alright, thank you for your hard work.”

She stood up, and the rest of the main cast followed suit, heading out.

Xu Zhiyi had to set aside her curiosity about Yan Xia, put away her phone, and join the others at the opening ceremony site.

The ceremony followed the usual steps: burning incense, paying respects to the deities, handing out red envelopes, and finally unveiling the camera. Most of the actors present had attended such events before and knew the drill, so everything went smoothly.

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