Misunderstandings

However, with all the industry bigwigs present, Lin Ruijiao still felt somewhat uncomfortable. Fortunately, Sister Yulan beside her was very gentle, constantly looking after her and chatting with her from time to time.

When she turned her head, Ye Ruihuan was serving her food, and upon closer inspection, it was all dishes she loved to eat. Lin Ruijiao was momentarily stunned, lowering her eyes to say, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Jiaojiao." Ye Ruihuan smiled brilliantly.

Such a straightforward gesture would inevitably cause misunderstandings—their relationship wasn't actually that close. When Lin Ruijiao looked up again, everyone was staring at her meaningfully, and even Sister Yulan's face showed the gossipy expression of someone who had "shipped" them.

Director Wenxian showed no particular expression, maintaining his usual cold demeanor and aloof aura. Was he perhaps emotionally numb?

Lin Ruijiao now found herself in an impossible situation. She truly had no special relationship with Ye Ruihuan, but everyone present seemed to have already assumed they were a couple.

"Ruijiao, are you two planning to get married? Where will you hold the wedding?" Sister Yulan suddenly teased.

In an instant, everyone's attention focused on them.

"...Ah? No, no..." Lin Ruijiao stammered in shock, her chopsticks suspended mid-air and waving about.

"Oh, don't be shy." Dong Yulan waved her hand dismissively, pulling Xia Dongyang closer. "Dongyang and I aren't married—we just don't feel it's necessary."

"...Mm..." Lin Ruijiao's face turned bright red as she slowly nodded, suddenly unable to say anything.

Ye Ruihuan's smile grew even more radiant, and after a long moment, she finally spoke to rescue the situation: "Stop teasing Jiaojiao, she gets embarrassed easily." Her clear voice was filled with gentle affection, as if declaring that they were indeed together.

"..." Lin Ruijiao turned to look at her and shot her a glance—was this how she was going to explain it?

"Alright, alright, we'll stop. But you could still have a wedding ceremony. When the time comes, be sure to invite us to join the celebration." Dong Yulan continued with a laugh, her gentle smile full of playful teasing.

"Of course, definitely." Ye Ruihuan raised her wine glass as soon as she finished speaking.

"..." Lin Ruijiao was forced to raise her glass as well, forcing a smile onto her face.

There was no hope of clearing up this misunderstanding now...

Looking straight ahead, Ye Zhi curved her lips into a smile and turned to whisper something to the person beside her, her gaze constantly fixed on the two of them—presumably talking about them.

Lin Ruijiao felt her face had completely frozen. It was all Ye Ruihuan's fault for saying such things, causing everyone to misunderstand. As this continued, Lin Ruijiao's earlier anxiety disappeared entirely, but deep resentment toward Ye Ruihuan rose in its place.

Even though the culprit was smiling as she served her food with a warm expression, this only made them look more like a couple.

Unlike what Lin Ruijiao had imagined, the meal ended with everyone chatting casually, completely different from previous business dinners where commercial collaborations would be discussed. It felt quite heartwarming.

After dinner, everyone dispersed. Ye Ruihuan and Lin Ruijiao went home together. With many things still to be done, everyone abandoned thoughts of hanging out together.

Lin Ruijiao felt somewhat reluctant to leave. Sister Yulan was truly gentle—a gentleness that emanated from her very bones, making people feel comfortable around her.

If she had met Senior Dong Yulan first when she was working as an extra, would her path have been different? With such a positive and gentle senior as a role model, and one who had a lover, she wouldn't have become so obsessed with Ye Ruihuan or tasted the bitterness of love. The ending would probably have been much better...

Lin Ruijiao somehow found herself thinking along these lines, and a wave of depression rose in her heart. Looking again at Ye Ruihuan, who wore a shallow smile and an innocent expression, she inexplicably felt even more annoyed. The gap between idols was simply too vast.

"Jiaojiao, what's wrong?" Seeing her tightly pressed lips, Ye Ruihuan sensed something was off with her mood.

"Nothing much." She couldn't help but give her a resentful glance.

"What's wrong? What did I do?" Seeing the situation deteriorating, Ye Ruihuan quickly dropped her playful expression and asked sincerely.

"..." Lin Ruijiao simply couldn't be bothered to deal with her anymore. She turned and went to her room, even locking the door behind her.

"..." Ye Ruihuan felt bewildered, carefully recalling every detail of their time together. Was she still angry about the jokes at dinner?

Did Jiaojiao dislike her so much? She didn't want her name associated with hers, didn't want any connection with her at all. Ye Ruihuan's heart felt as if it were being sliced into pieces, falling into an endless hell, bone-chillingly cold. Did Jiaojiao really hate her that much?

She had smiled so cheerfully in front of Yulan—a side of her she had never seen before. Did Jiaojiao prefer the gentle type?

For a moment, Ye Ruihuan felt overwhelmed. She had once liked Yulan too, and now the person she liked had become her rival in love. The current situation was truly... delicate.

Should she pretend to be gentle to win her favor? But that would go completely against her nature. Ye Ruihuan hesitated for a long time.

Finally, she sighed deeply in resignation.

In the time that followed, even during dinner, Ye Ruihuan hadn't prepared herself psychologically to feign gentleness, so she remained silent throughout. Lin Ruijiao was even more taciturn, having no mood to pay her any attention.

Assistant Li and Jingjing exchanged glances—what was wrong with this little couple again? Previously, they had been surrounded by a pink, bubble-filled backdrop, but now it had transformed into a snowy winter day, full of coldness, the awkward atmosphere gradually freezing into ice.

The two ate carefully, thinking it best not to draw attention to themselves in front of their bosses.

Assistant Li sighed inwardly. Sister Ye's romantic life was truly exhausting—so taxing on everyone around her. Miss Lin was also someone with her own ideas, making their interaction patterns as unpredictable as the weather.

Please, you two, just get along lovingly!!!

This atmosphere continued until the next day. Everyone rose early to head to the film crew's location for auditions. When Lin Ruijiao arrived, the sea of people before her exceeded her imagination.

She hadn't expected Director Wenxian's crew to attract so many people. Yesterday's crowd had already been substantial, but today's was even larger. Everyone in the industry, regardless of their status, seemed to have come—as if the entire entertainment industry had gathered. Among the crowd, Lin Ruijiao even spotted many familiar faces, waving and greeting everyone one by one.

After withdrawing her gaze, Lin Ruijiao's smile faded by three degrees. Standing beside her, Ye Ruihuan truly made it impossible for her to smile.

"Ruihuan, Ruijiao!" Dong Yulan's gentle voice came from behind them.

"Sister Yulan!" Lin Ruijiao's smile immediately brightened.

The instant change in expression was crystal clear to Ye Ruihuan standing beside her, causing a wave of bitterness to surge in her heart. She tugged at the corners of her lips: "Ruihuan."

"So many people today." Dong Yulan looked at the packed venue and remarked, only noticing the strange atmosphere when she turned back. "Did you two have a fight?" She widened her eyes, full of confusion and concern.

"...No." Both answered in unison, immediately making the air three degrees colder.

"Are you having a little spat?" Seeing their synchronized response, Dong Yulan couldn't help but laugh.

"No." Both shook their heads again.

Dong Yulan took both their hands and placed them together, patting Lin Ruijiao's hand. "Ruijiao, Ruihuan and I have known each other for many years. Her personality is quite contrary—at first glance, she might seem annoying, but her heart is very soft." She suddenly leaned close to Lin Ruijiao's ear and whispered, "She seems quite clueless about romantic matters, but anyone can see she really likes you." Dong Yulan smiled at her warmly.

Lin Ruijiao's face suddenly turned bright red, whether from her idol's sudden intimacy or her words.

She froze momentarily, Sister Yulan's words playing on repeat in her mind. Past events flashed through her memory, and she had to admit Sister Yulan's assessment was quite fair.

When she came to her senses, she quickly released the other's hand. Ye Ruihuan showed no intense reaction, her face breaking into a gentle smile, her eyes full of Lin Ruijiao. In her gaze, Lin Ruijiao's features, illuminated by the light, sparkled brilliantly.

Lin Ruijiao looked up to meet her eyes, seeing herself reflected in them, her blush deepening as if from embarrassment.

When she looked elsewhere again, she found everyone's attention focused on them, their gazes full of curiosity, with some even whispering to their companions.

Now she really couldn't clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River. Who knew how these rumors would spread...

The moment Lin Ruijiao lowered her head, Sister Yulan beside her raised her hand and waved gently, nodding in greeting.

Everyone smiled back without making any moves, continuing to wait in line.

"Looks like the auditions won't be finishing anytime soon..." Dong Yulan suddenly said.

"Yes, why are there so many people?" Ye Ruihuan was quite surprised.

"This production has many supporting roles, all quite important. Director Wenxian doesn't want to just find random people to fill them—he pursues perfection." Dong Yulan's tone was full of certainty. "But the auditions won't be easy—it's quite an undertaking."

"...Maybe we should come back later. There are too many people right now." Ye Ruihuan said slowly.

"Mm-hmm, you really are different from before..." Dong Yulan agreed, her smile full of teasing. "In the past, you would have said, 'I'm an investor, can't I cut in line for an audition?' or 'With my acting skills, do I need to audition? Can't I just be directly cast?'" Dong Yulan exposed her completely.

"...Did I?" Ye Ruihuan's smile didn't diminish as she asked back.

Everyone nodded, with Lin Ruijiao even voicing her agreement: "Exactly like that, no mistake."

Ye Ruihuan: "..." She felt targeted.

"...Let's wait a while. I think Director Wenxian will be overwhelmed." Dong Yulan left her sentence half-finished.

Ye Ruihuan nodded slowly, agreeing.

Sure enough, before long, staff members came looking for them—specifically for the two Best Actress winners. With too many people auditioning today, Director Wenxian and his team couldn't handle it all, so they called the two over to help. Xia Dongyang and Lin Ruijiao were brought along as well.

When Lin Ruijiao realized what was happening, she found herself forced to sit on the judges' panel alongside Xia Dongyang, both just sitting there with nothing particular to do.

Ye Ruihuan and Dong Yulan conducted interviews separately while Director Wenxian worked next door—there were simply too many people on site.

Soon staff brought over a large stack of papers containing character scenarios and dialogue segments from the production. Seeing everyone bustling about, she joined in helping to organize the audition space.

Ye Ruihuan and Dong Yulan became judges and began conducting interviews. Suddenly, Lin Ruijiao realized the meaning behind Sister Yulan's earlier suggestion to stay—she must have anticipated this situation. Sister Yulan was so thoughtful and considerate.

Many accomplished veteran actors came in for auditions, making Lin Ruijiao, sitting on the sidelines, feel embarrassed to face them. She didn't deserve to sit here, though fortunately, she was just helping out while Sister Yulan and Ye Ruihuan did the actual judging.

This gave Lin Ruijiao a good understanding of what auditions were like. Everyone was unfamiliar with the script and auditioned randomly, with judges selecting scene fragments for actors to perform based on the information provided. It was completely random, but acting ability was immediately apparent.

Lin Ruijiao learned a great deal, especially from the veteran actors who, lacking clear character backgrounds, would add small details to make their characters more well-rounded.

After half a day, it was finally break time. As people gradually dispersed and the room emptied, Lin Ruijiao hurried to bring everyone water—work wasn't easy for anyone.

"Thank you, Jiaojiao." Ye Ruihuan's face also showed some fatigue.

"Thank you, Ruijiao." Dong Yulan smiled back, gentle and beautiful.

That smile alone made most of Lin Ruijiao's fatigue disappear. Having been completely focused throughout, the sudden relaxation brought a wave of exhaustion.

The rather cold Sister Xia nodded, which counted as thanks.

Before she could fully relax, Director Wenxian entered: "How did it go?" His voice was emotionless.

"Not bad." Ye Ruihuan handed over their notes.

"...Mm." Director Wenxian looked them over for a while before responding slowly.

But his gaze then swept over and landed on Lin Ruijiao, seemingly surprised. Though no expression was visible on his face, Lin Ruijiao sensed this emotion.

"You perform a scene." Director Wenxian looked directly at Lin Ruijiao.

"...Me?" Lin Ruijiao pointed to herself, surprised and nervous, her gaze fixed intently on him.

She saw him nod.

Ye Ruihuan and Dong Yulan stepped forward, smiling encouragingly.

"Jiaojiao, good luck, don't be nervous." Ye Ruihuan gently patted her shoulder.

"Ruijiao, we believe in you. Good luck, you can definitely do it." Dong Yulan smiled brightly in encouragement.

"...Mm-hmm." Lin Ruijiao took the paper from Director Wenxian.

Looking at the scene, she was somewhat surprised. If she remembered correctly, this character was the sister of Sister Yulan's character—naive and spoiled, doing many annoying things that drew criticism, but with pure motives, so her audience reception wasn't too bad.

She quickly ran through the lines in her mind, building up the emotion.

Then she transformed her expression, crossing her arms and lifting her chin slightly as she looked ahead: "Sister, didn't you say we wouldn't have anything to do with their family anymore? Why do you keep helping them? There's no benefit in it, and it makes you run around all day, exhausting yourself." Lin Ruijiao pouted slightly, her eyes darting about, her tone full of disdain and contempt, carrying arrogance beyond her years. Her reproach contained three parts concern for her sister...

After the performance, Director Wenxian remained standing in place, staring directly at her without any indication, taking his notes and leaving.

Lin Ruijiao's hopeful expression immediately faded, replaced by confusion and nervousness. What was that supposed to mean?

Ye Ruihuan stepped forward and patted the dazed Lin Ruijiao: "Director Wenxian is just like that. Don't worry, you performed very well just now." She quickly consoled her.

Dong Yulan stopped her small steps forward and said with a smile, "That's right, Ruijiao, be confident." She then left with her partner Xia Dongyang, giving the two some space.

"...Was it really okay?" Lin Ruijiao asked somewhat dejectedly. Director Wenxian's reaction was truly unreadable. She hadn't expected her audition to end so abruptly. Her mind went blank, and only now was she coming back to her senses, feeling her performance had been full of flaws.

"It was really good, don't be nervous." Ye Ruihuan comforted her gently. "Don't worry, even if you don't get selected, I'll get you into the crew anyway." Ye Ruihuan said lightly.

Lin Ruijiao glanced at her, brushed off her hand, and walked straight outside.

Ye Ruihuan smiled helplessly and followed closely behind. The little rabbit really couldn't take teasing. With her around, she didn't know what the other was worried about.

In the afternoon, the group continued helping with auditions in the same room. The crowd outside was visibly thinning, and many industry acquaintances came for auditions—everyone exchanged nods and smiles as greetings. Lin Ruijiao sat uncomfortably on the sidelines, truly feeling she didn't deserve to be there, though she was also tempted by the opportunity to observe and learn from everyone's acting.

Due to Lin Ruijiao's activities with the crew over these two days, her good relationships with both Ye Ruihuan and Dong Yulan, and even Director Wenxian having her sit in during auditions, rumors about Lin Ruijiao began circulating in the industry. People said she had significant backing, probably with some big shot behind her, that she was thriving in the industry with everyone showing her deference...

When these rumors reached her, she smiled helplessly. What big shot? Everyone really had active imaginations—it was all a misunderstanding!

Fortunately, the auditions ended after two days. Both Dong Yulan and Ye Ruihuan were exhausted, and even Lin Ruijiao felt somewhat tired.

In the evening, there was another dinner gathering, reportedly hosted by Director Wenxian to express his gratitude.

"...Ruihuan, didn't you and Sister Yulan audition?" Lin Ruijiao suddenly remembered this detail and leaned close to ask.

Ye Ruihuan smiled back: "That's right. Yulan and I are old acquaintances. Director Wenxian knows our acting range—he's probably already assigned us roles." She replied casually.

Lin Ruijiao's expression stiffened: "..." How enviable.

"Don't worry, after you work with Director Wenxian a few more times, you won't need to audition either..." Ye Ruihuan naturally put her arm around her.

Lin Ruijiao pursed her lips and dodged out of her embrace. "We're not that close." She stared at her with wide, round eyes.

"...Hmm? Not close?" Ye Ruihuan curved her lips into a smile, her melodious tone carrying unknown implications that sparked the imagination.

"...Not close!" Lin Ruijiao shot her a fierce look and trotted over to Dong Yulan's side. Sister Yulan was still the best.

"Sister Yulan, Sister Xia." Lin Ruijiao greeted them.

The two walked hand in hand at a leisurely pace ahead. Dong Yulan smiled when she saw her approach: "Ruijiao." Sister Xia beside her nodded with a fainter smile, seemingly annoyed that her alone time with her wife was being interrupted.

Seeing Sister Xia's expression, Lin Ruijiao was used to it by now. Though Sister Xia was cold-faced, she was actually very thoughtful and gentle—just a bit possessive.

Lin Ruijiao obediently followed beside Sister Yulan without saying much, just listening to their casual conversation and occasionally responding to questions.

"...Ruijiao, seeing you so full of youthful energy really makes me envious." Dong Yulan couldn't help but sigh. "We're getting old now... This is the era for you young people."

Xia Dongyang beside her smiled comfortingly: "Not at all."

"How so? Sister Yulan is only a few years older than me. That's nonsense." Lin Ruijiao immediately responded.

"Exactly, how are you old?" Ye Ruihuan also chimed in questioningly, though her tone was obviously sour, as if she wasn't just speaking to Yulan.

Lin Ruijiao glanced at her, her meaning crystal clear.

Ye Ruihuan gritted her teeth: "Why are you looking at me like that? Am I old?"

"No, I didn't say anything like that." She innocently shrugged.

Dong Yulan and Xia Dongyang exchanged knowing smiles.

The evening dinner was just a meal. Director Wenxian left after eating hastily, having paid the bill in advance. Only their group remained, along with their respective assistants.

This was actually more relaxed and pleasant, but before long, Assistant Li received a message from the crew—Sister Ye's invitation to star in "Floating Life."

"No wonder Director Wenxian left so quickly." Ye Ruihuan laughed.

"Indeed." Dong Yulan also checked her phone.

"Huh? What?" Lin Ruijiao was confused.

"...Check your phone messages, from the crew." Ye Ruihuan answered.

Lin Ruijiao hurriedly pulled out her phone, but there were no new messages.

"...There's nothing..." Lin Ruijiao said dejectedly, looking as if she might cry the next second. After sacrificing so much for this film, she couldn't accept this answer.

"Nothing?" Everyone present was quite surprised. In terms of acting ability, Lin Ruijiao was qualified.

"...Nothing." Lin Ruijiao replied listlessly, completely deflated.

"That can't be right." Ye Ruihuan frowned and glanced at Assistant Li, who immediately began inquiring with the relevant personnel.