Always Chasing My White Moonlight Omega - Chapter 54.2

It was a good omen. After the ceremony, Ruan Yang treated the entire crew to a meal on behalf of the company. Once lunch was over, filming began in the afternoon.

The executives at Runying ultimately still didn’t fully trust Ruan Yang. Although they verbally agreed to let her direct, they ended up assigning several experienced assistant directors to the project. Ruan Yang understood Runying’s concerns and didn’t say much about it, as long as these people didn’t cause her any trouble.

After all, this drama was now Runying’s biggest investment, with substantial human and financial resources poured into it, leaving no room for errors.

The first day was quite rushed, and not many scenes were shot. After a busy day, Ruan Yang sat in her chair during off-hours, reviewing the footage she had filmed that afternoon.

While she was watching, her assistant, Xiao Ding, brought over her phone. “Director, someone has been calling you repeatedly. It seems urgent.”

Ruan Yang initially didn’t want to answer, but when she glanced down and recognized the number, she thought for a moment and took the phone to a quiet corner to return the call

“Uncle Xu?” she said as soon as the call connected. “You called me so many times is something the matter?”

Surprised that Xu Rongjiang would call her, Ruan Yang wondered about his intentions as she spoke.

“Yangyang, it’s nothing serious. I just saw the news today and noticed that your drama has started filming, right? I just wanted to check in on you.” Xu Rongjiang’s tone was noticeably less imposing than before, even carrying a hint of hesitation.

Ruan Yang firmly believed that Xu Rongjiang wasn’t the type to show such concern for her. She thought for a moment before replying, “Yes, we just started today. Don’t worry, Uncle Xu, everything is going well on set. I’ll work hard to live up to your expectations.”

“Of course, I trust you!” Xu Rongjiang’s response was almost eager, but then his tone wavered again. “Well, it’s just, Yangyang.”

“Uncle, feel free to speak plainly.”

Perhaps Ruan Yang’s straightforwardness finally gave Xu Rongjiang the resolve he needed. His tone grew more decisive as he said, “Yangyang, I’d like to visit the set sometime soon. You know how much I value you and Runying. This drama is very important for both you and the company, and I want to see how things are going and show some care on behalf of your mother.”

Was that all?

The reason gave Ruan Yang pause for a few seconds before she replied, “Sure, Uncle. You can come anytime you’d like.”

“Then I’ll come in a couple of days,” Xu Rongjiang quickly decided. “I’ll stop by then. If the drama shows real market potential, I might even invest more in it!”

Ruan Yang glanced at her phone to confirm it was indeed Xu Rongjiang’s number. Her mind was racing with thoughts, but she still thanked him. “Thank you, Uncle.”

She probed further to understand his motives: “Uncle, is this for Zhiyi’s sake? If Sister Zhiyi knew, she would surely be grateful.”

“It’s not for her,” Xu Rongjiang retorted, his tone laced with disdain whenever he mentioned his daughter. He snorted, “Why would I bother with that ungrateful girl? Is she worth my effort? Don’t worry, Yangyang, this is all for you and for the company’s sake.”

Xu Rongjiang’s attitude only deepened Ruan Yang’s frown. She had assumed he was calling about Xu Zhiyi, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

After ending the call, Ruan Yang stood in place for a long time, unable to figure out what Xu Rongjiang’s intentions were.

I’ll just have to wait and see when Xu Rongjiang comes over in a couple of days.

Ruan Yang pressed her fingers to her temples and sat back down in front of the camera.

Meanwhile, in the top-floor office of the Ruochu Group headquarters, Xu Rongjiang set down the phone and turned his gaze back to the computer screen.

Displayed prominently were news articles and candid photos from the opening ceremony of Cui Yan Jue.

He stared at the group photo of all the main cast for a long time before taking off his glasses. His usually sharp and piercing gaze softened unexpectedly as it fell upon a figure standing beside Xu Zhiyi.

He then closed his eyes, seemingly lost in some memory.

The next day, Ruan Yang found some time in the afternoon to visit Xu Zhiyi at her resting place. Xu Zhiyi was chatting with Shi Fangxuan and, upon seeing Ruan Yang arrive, exchanged a few words with Shi Fangxuan.

Assuming Ruan Yang was there to discuss work matters with Xu Zhiyi, Shi Fangxuan didn’t think much of it and nodded before returning to her own lounge.

Ruan Yang walked in, and Xu Zhiyi patted the armrest of the seat beside her. Ruan Yang sat down there.

“You seem to get along quite well with Senior Shi Fangxuan,” Ruan Yang remarked.

Xu Zhiyi chuckled. “We do get along. She looks so much like your mother, I thought her personality would be similar too, but it turns out she’s completely different from your mother.”

The meaning behind those words was unclear, so Ruan Yang didn’t press further.

She knew Xu Zhiyi still held resentment toward her mother.

Changing the subject, Ruan Yang told Xu Zhiyi about Xu Rongjiang’s upcoming visit to the set in a couple of days.

Xu Zhiyi was eating fruit from a platter on the table. Upon hearing Ruan Yang’s words, her expression remained completely unchanged. She speared a piece of watermelon with a fruit fork and slowly brought it to her mouth, saying leisurely, “If he wants to come, let him. Isn’t it a good thing that he’s investing in your project? There’s no need to refuse when someone is so eager to throw money at you.”

Ruan Yang studied Xu Zhiyi for a few more moments. After confirming that Xu Zhiyi truly showed no emotional reaction, she fell silent for a while before suddenly asking, “Aren’t you angry?”

Xu Zhiyi paused her fruit-eating and looked up. “Angry about what?”

“About me joining Runying,” Ruan Yang pressed her lips together. “In the past, you would’ve been furious.”

“Oh, that!” Xu Zhiyi tilted her head, studying Ruan Yang for a moment before saying unexpectedly, “I don’t know.”

She lowered her gaze, her eyes resting on Ruan Yang’s fingertips. “Maybe I just don’t see the point.”

“Why is there no point?” Ruan Yang pressed.

“Because I trust you,” Xu Zhiyi told the truth. She crossed her left leg over her right, tapping her foot idly on the floor. “Actually, I’ve known for a long time that you’re not a bad person.”

It was just that in the past, her judgment had been clouded by prejudice, making her believe that everyone was like her father coveting her family’s wealth.

Ruan Yang had always been good to her. Even when Xu Zhiyi used to say harsh things to her, Ruan Yang never retaliated with equally vicious words.

All it would have taken was a simple recording, leaked online to expose Xu Zhiyi’s malicious and harsh side, and her reputation would have been ruined.

But Ruan Yang had never done that.

It could be said that Ruan Yang was the person in the world who understood her darkest side the most and also the one who tolerated it the most.

“I’m sorry, Zhiyi, I should have told you earlier.”

“Let’s not talk about that anymore.” Xu Zhiyi interrupted Ruan Yang, lost in her own thoughts and failing to notice how Ruan Yang had just addressed her. She set down the fruit fork and smiled. “After work tonight, do you want to go back to the city wall to watch the sunset again?”

The word “yes” was already on the tip of Ruan Yang’s tongue, ready to be spoken, when she thought of her current workload.

Unfinishable. Absolutely unfinishable.

At this thought, she sighed and shook her head. “I won’t go. I have other things to attend to tonight.”

Xu Zhiyi suddenly realized that Ruan Yang was no longer that little assistant. Months had passed, and she was now a director of a film crew.

A director’s responsibilities were far greater than those of a small assistant.

As she looked at Ruan Yang’s increasingly defined jawline, a pang of something akin to heartache flashed through her.

“It’s alright, just take good care of yourself,” she sighed. “Eat properly and rest early.”

Xu Zhiyi felt she understood Ruan Yang a little better than before, because after hearing her words, Ruan Yang’s amber pupils trembled slightly.

Intuition told Xu Zhiyi that this was guilt.

She frowned. “You don’t skip meals when you’re busy, do you?”

Xu Zhiyi usually ate wherever she was filming and rarely had meals with Ruan Yang, so she hadn’t realized that Ruan Yang’s eating habits were so irregular.

Ruan Yang actually wanted to say that she did eat properly, but since it was Xu Zhiyi asking, she didn’t want to lie. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded. “Sometimes, I forget.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t eat at all.

As if afraid that Xu Zhiyi would be angry, Ruan Yang blinked twice, revealing a rare hint of pleading.

This expression was unusual and intriguing. Xu Zhiyi took a few extra glances, her lips unconsciously curving into a smile. But remembering the seriousness of the matter, she suppressed her smile and glanced around the table. She picked up an unpeeled orange from the fruit tray and placed it in Ruan Yang’s hand.

“Here, take this,” she said, then seemed to think it wasn’t enough. After a moment’s consideration, she added, “Starting tomorrow, I’ll come find you at mealtimes. I’ll make sure you eat properly.”

For Ruan Yang, this was almost too good to be true. Her eyes lit up. “Really?”

It was only at times like this, with such an expression, that Xu Zhiyi was reminded that the person in front of her was younger than her still a university student who hadn’t yet graduated.

An inexplicable urge to pat Ruan Yang’s head arose, but she held back, fearing it might undermine Ruan Yang’s dignity as a director.

“Mhm,” Xu Zhiyi replied softly.

Ruan Yang fell silent, holding the orange in her right hand and turning it over and over.

The break room grew quiet.

An indescribable atmosphere flowed between them. For a moment, Ruan Yang felt as if she were in a dream.

A certain thought began to sprout, urging Ruan Yang to speak up now. But as soon as it surfaced, she suppressed it again.

She looked up at Xu Zhiyi and found that Xu Zhiyi was also looking at her.

They gazed at each other for a while before Xu Zhiyi suddenly parted her lips.

“You!”

“Wait a little longer,” Ruan Yang immediately covered Xu Zhiyi’s lips.

She told herself the same thing.

Wait a little longer.

At least until she and her mother had moved out of the Xu family, until she could stand in the sunlight and openly confess her feelings.

She wouldn’t allow Xu Zhiyi to face any criticism because of her.

She wanted their relationship to be accepted by everyone.

With this thought, Ruan Yang stood up, her emotions calming in her eyes.

Xu Zhiyi raised her hand to remove Ruan Yang’s hand from her face. Her eyes sparkled like crushed diamonds, a flicker of mischief passing through them. “Wait a little longer? I was just reminding you to eat this orange. It doesn’t seem as sweet as the one you peeled for me last time.”

Ruan Yang’s grip on the orange tightened.

“Well, since you said to wait a little longer,” she chuckled, “then we’ll wait a little longer.”

It sounded as though they were talking about the same thing, yet not quite.

For some reason, Ruan Yang suddenly felt her face grow warm. The palm that had just touched Xu Zhiyi’s lips was now held firmly by her.

“I’ll go now,” Ruan Yang said.

“Mm,” Xu Zhiyi nodded.

And so, Ruan Yang fled the scene as if escaping.

For the rest of the afternoon, her emotions remained unsettled.

She finally admitted defeat, realizing she was no match for Xu Zhiyi. She couldn’t outplay her.

Fortunately, the afternoon workload was still heavy, leaving Ruan Yang with little time to dwell on these thoughts.

By dinnertime, Ruan Yang checked the schedule and saw that Xu Zhiyi, who was in another team, should have already clocked out.

She hadn’t planned on eating, but remembering Xu Zhiyi’s words, she asked Xiao Ding to bring her a boxed meal.

While eating, she overheard other staff members chatting behind her, their conversation peppered with phrases like “Xu Zhiyi” and “Weibo.”

Ruan Yang quickly opened her own Weibo and noticed a small red dot in the “special attention” section.

She tapped on it and immediately saw Xu Zhiyi in the center of a nine-photo grid.

The surrounding pictures were all sunsets taken at the city wall they had once visited together. Clicking on the center photo, she saw Xu Zhiyi standing under the warm, golden-orange sunset, radiant and smiling brightly, her hands forming a circle above her head.

In the middle of that circle, the round sunset filled the space completely, casting a sacred golden glow over her entire figure.

Ruan Yang saved the photo and scrolled down to see Xu Zhiyi’s caption: “Sneaking an orange after work.”

Instinctively, she glanced at the comments and spotted the top comment: “Where’s the orange? All I see is the sunset, doge.”

Checking the time, she realized this wasn’t the earliest comment. It had risen to the top because Xu Zhiyi, who rarely ever replied to comments, had responded to this one:

“The orange has been eaten.”

Ruan Yang read Xu Zhiyi’s reply and suddenly glanced at the orange she had left untouched on her desk all afternoon.

Ruan Yang: “…”

She hadn’t eaten it. She had forgotten.

For the first time, Ruan Yang felt a pang of guilt.

As if trying to deceive herself, she turned off her phone, hurriedly picked up the orange, peeled it, and stuffed segment after segment into her mouth.

Just as Xu Zhiyi had said, the orange wasn’t sweet, it was even a little sour.

But she kept eating, her expression unchanged.

When she finished, she raised her hand and touched the corner of her mouth.

It was curved upward.

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