Falling in Love with a Stand-in [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Movie Queen’s Little Butterfly (01)

“Pianqian.” The man before her smiled warmly, his voice kept very low. “Do you have time at noon?”

It was an ambiguous invitation; even if overheard by others, it could be excused as official business.

Jian Yixin thought playfully as a faint pink flushed her cheeks. She stole a glance at Shen Yu, then lowered her head and whispered, “I do.”

Shen Yu nodded. Just as he was about to say more, the assistant director called him over. He quickly uttered, “See you at the old place,” and turned to leave.

The sweet, youthful voice of System 09 rang out: “Emotional assistance ended. Please prepare to receive basic information, Host.”

Jian Yixin sipped some warm water to soothe the discomfort of just arriving in this world. Once her body felt better, she didn’t delay. She stood up and, following the system’s instructions, found an empty dressing room to receive the data.

The male lead of this world was the CEO of Xingyao Entertainment, and the female lead was Ye Zixuan, an actress under Xingyao. Ye Zixuan had caught the CEO’s attention, and after a series of romantic entanglements, they reached a Happy Ending.

Everything seemed fine, but since the Quick Transmigration Bureau had dispatched Jian Yixin to fix it, there had to be something illogical about this world.

That illogical existence was Lin Qinglu.

Lin Qinglu had debuted at a young age. Her very first film won the highest honors in the industry, and she personally snatched the Best Newcomer award domestically and Best Actress at the International Laurels. Becoming a Movie Queen within two years of her debut, the entire nation was obsessed with her.

More impressively, this glory was no flash in the pan. Through a continuous stream of excellent works, Lin Qinglu stood firmly at the pinnacle of the acting world, becoming a living legend in the industry.

She stood so high that people couldn’t even feel jealousy—only awe. Her comprehensive attributes were rated SSS-rank by the Bureau, yet in this world, she was merely “cannon fodder.”

Therefore, ensuring Lin Qinglu received treatment matching her SSS-rank status was Jian Yixin’s mission this time.

Jian Yixin began reviewing her own identity profile.

According to the system, she belonged to the Stand-in Department and could only inhabit the bodies of “stand-ins.” This time, she had become the dance double, Song Pianqian, who was to perform a solo dance in place of Lin Qinglu in the movie Zhao Niang.

The crew only knew Song Pianqian as an excellent dancer, unaware that the consistently low-profile girl came from a top-tier wealthy family and had only joined the crew as a dance double to chase her idol.

And her idol was Shen Yu, the actor playing the film’s male lead—who was also the gentle second male lead of this novel world, hopelessly in love with the female lead, Ye Zixuan.

In the original plot, Song Pianqian was devoted to Shen Yu, but Shen Yu used her to deliver a heavy blow to Lin Qinglu as a way to curry favor with Ye Zixuan.

What that “heavy blow” was exactly wasn’t detailed here.

Jian Yixin understood and looked at herself in the mirror.

Song Pianqian was born into the elite; her looks were top-tier, but her elegant and noble temperament was her rarest trait. Because she had received too much information in a short time, Jian Yixin’s soul was under pressure, making her face pale—which ironically made this beautiful face appear even more pitiable and endearing.

Jian Yixin was used to maintaining a perfect state at all times.

Having integrated the original body’s memories, she skillfully brought out her cosmetics to touch up her makeup. Her technique was so precise that System 09 was stunned, involuntarily asking, “…Host, were you a beauty blogger before?”

Jian Yixin put away her lip brush, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and smiled. “I don’t remember.”

Right. Her new host had lost her memories due to a previous mission failure, meaning she had lost all her experience. She was as green as an intern. Predictably, the mission would be tricky; she might even fail again.

The host looks so gentle and easy to bully, like she’s not very bright…

A sense of duty welled up within 09.

Although she had forgotten everything, as an employee of the Bureau, Jian Yixin instinctively knew that completing her mission to perfection was her job.

Filming outside had ended. Only the equipment crew remained, eating lunch while guarding the props.

As Jian Yixin walked past, their voices dropped. Noticing this, she smiled and nodded politely. “Hard work, everyone.”

“No, it’s… it’s not hard,” someone stammered in response. They didn’t look away even after she was several meters away, until a buddy nudged him with an elbow. “Staring like an idiot, wake up!”

“Song Pianqian is so beautiful,” the man sighed. “She looks even better than Ye Zixuan.”

“If Ye Zixuan hears that, you’re in for it.”

Following the “old place” in her memory, Jian Yixin found a Western restaurant.

Upon entering, a waiter led her to a private booth on the second floor. Shen Yu was looking at his phone and locked the screen as soon as he saw her enter.

The moment she saw Shen Yu, the Bureau’s “Emotional Assistance” feature activated automatically, allowing an employee with no acting foundation to display Movie Queen-level acting.

“Pianqian,” Shen Yu called out tenderly.

Seeing her idol, Song Pianqian’s eyes sparkled, and she offered a small smile. “I’m late, I made you wait.”

“To meet with you, I don’t mind waiting any amount of time.”

Song Pianqian’s face flushed again. Shen Yu felt satisfied; he was now more confident about what was to follow.

Shen Yu lived up to his role as the second male lead, exuding the “gentle supporting character” vibe. To be fair, a second lead who could battle the male lead wouldn’t be too bad-looking. He was quite easy on the eyes, so the meal wasn’t too agonizing.

When the dessert was served, Jian Yixin finally got to the main point.

“Pianqian, you know the situation in the crew.” Shen Yu frowned slightly.

Jian Yixin cooperated. “What situation?”

Shen Yu sighed. “Among us leads, Lin Qinglu is from Yuegui, while Zixuan and I are from Xingyao. The two companies have a bad relationship. When we act together…”

Shen Yu didn’t finish, but his furrowed brows silently spoke of his grievances. To Jian Yixin, he looked like a victimized little wife.

While thinking this, Jian Yixin took a bite of the Panna Cotta. It happened to be lemon-flavored.

So sour.

Jian Yixin elegantly set down her dessert spoon, tilted her head, and said, “Can the two of you, you and Ye Zixuan, not compare to one Lin Qinglu?”

Shen Yu: “…”

The confusion on the little beauty’s face was so innocent and natural, as if she didn’t realize how piercing her words were.

Shen Yu endured it and smiled bitterly. “We usually have scenes against her individually, not as a trio.”

Jian Yixin realized. “You shouldn’t take it to heart.”

Shen Yu: “?”

“You have to look at it this way,” Jian Yixin recalled and said slowly with a smile. “The year before last, you acted against Lin Qinglu in a variety show, and your loss was so disastrous it trended on social media.”

Shen Yu: “??”

“Last year, you played the second lead to Lin Qinglu, and rumors of a romance spread. Lin Qinglu then stated you weren’t close, making you a laughingstock. You stayed on the trending list for a week.”

Shen Yu: “???”

Jian Yixin’s eyes were full of encouragement. “See? This year, you’re already the male lead in her female-centric movie. you are always improving. That is what’s truly amazing.”

Shen Yu’s pride was being stabbed through repeatedly. This little fan was dancing wildly on his scars. He was so angry he nearly jumped up to point at her nose and ask, “Are you a fan or a hater?”

But Jian Yixin’s expression was too sincere. When she reached the last sentence, her eyes were like autumn waters and her lips curved in a smile. Shen Yu’s temper suddenly vanished.

Whatever, she just doesn’t know how to talk. I’ll bear with it as long as she’s obedient.

Shen Yu tried again. “Let’s not mention those surface-level things. Privately, Lin Qinglu has used many underhanded tactics against me.”

To prevent Song Pianqian from asking annoying questions, he didn’t give her a chance to speak and continued, “Lin Qinglu acts so arrogantly that I can’t take it anymore. With her around, I can’t act well.”

“Then what should be done?” Jian Yixin, having poked him enough, cooperated leisurely.

Shen Yu subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. “Are you… willing to help me?”

“In this crew, I can only trust you.” Shen Yu’s eyes were deep with affection.

Jian Yixin didn’t say yes or no, but looked away, appearing shy.

Seeing this, Shen Yu’s damaged ego recovered. “I just want to vent my frustration, give her some trouble, and let her understand I’m not to be bullied.”

“What can I do to help you?”

“You are Lin Qinglu’s dance double, and you are so beautiful.” Shen Yu lowered his voice. “Just cooperate with me and frame Lin Qinglu…”

Jian Yixin, who hadn’t received the full plot details, listened intently.

“…Frame Lin Qinglu for ‘unspoken rules’ (casting couch/sexual harassment) against you.”

Jian Yixin: “?”

“Will anyone believe that?” Jian Yixin doubted the second male lead’s brain was functioning correctly; he only came up with terrible ideas.

Shen Yu was firm this time. “Why wouldn’t they?”

“She’s gay.”

When Jian Yixin walked out of the restaurant alone, she was still a bit stunned.

“Lin Qinglu is gay?”

09 was also dazed. It said apologetically, “Regarding sexual orientation, because Lin Qinglu has no record of romance, it was not included in the data.”

“But looking into Lin Qinglu’s life history, the information is verified as correct.”

In other words, Lin Qinglu was a natural-born lesbian.

“It’s okay.” Jian Yixin exhaled softly, comforting 09 instead. “Now you can update your information.”

09 responded dully, then remembered: “The recording is done. Let’s give it to Lin Qinglu quickly.”

Before entering the room earlier, Jian Yixin had ordered 09 to turn on the recording function, capturing Shen Yu’s entire plot.

Jian Yixin hadn’t agreed to Shen Yu’s request. Shen Yu was “understanding” enough to let her consider it for two days. He didn’t know that Jian Yixin only went to the meeting to stay in character and to get a recording to offer as a gesture of loyalty to build a relationship with Lin Qinglu.

But now…

Jian Yixin thought as she walked. She was certain the original host had never heard rumors about “Movie Queen Lin being a lesbian.” If she went to Lin Qinglu with a recording that exposed her private orientation, Lin Qinglu would most likely become extremely guarded against her.

Lost in thought, she rounded a street corner. A shadow loomed; it was too late to react. Seeing she was about to collide with someone, she instinctively twisted her waist.

Perhaps because her movement was so large she looked like she was falling, the person reached out to catch her—

They hooked onto Jian Yixin’s trench coat belt. Once Jian Yixin was steady, they immediately withdrew their hand. Not only was there no lingering touch, but the hand was withdrawn so fast it almost seemed like they were repulsed.

Jian Yixin: “…Thank you.”

She steadied herself and looked at the other person.

“Lin Qinglu has appeared,” 09 announced.

Jian Yixin’s gaze landed right on the person’s face.

She knew what Lin Qinglu looked like, but seeing her in person revealed a languid air in the curve of her brow and a wild, free-spirited charm on her lips. Unlike internet celebrities or ordinary actresses, her features were more open and bright, yet she was completely feminine. Every gesture and look was full of allure.

Blended together, she was almost impossible to look away from.

Looking at her, Jian Yixin couldn’t help but marvel internally.

Truly SSS-rank.

Lin Qinglu frowned and looked at the pastry bag in her hand.

Inside the transparent bag, the freshly baked Butterfly Pastries (Palmiers) were extremely brittle; they had crumbled quite a bit just from the movement.

Only after Jian Yixin noticed the pastries did Lin Qinglu say nonchalantly, “You’re welcome.”

Suddenly, Shen Yu walked out from the Western restaurant behind them. Lin Qinglu’s gaze went over Jian Yixin’s shoulder, watching for two seconds before she looked at her own dance double with interest:

“I heard you and Shen Yu are quite close?”

Jian Yixin choked.

That idiot Shen Yu is still thinking of framing her, while she sees right through everything.

Lin Qinglu noticed Shen Yu looking their way from the corner of her eye.

She lowered her head slightly, leaning close to Jian Yixin’s ear, maintaining a slight distance:

“Your eyes are very beautiful, but your taste in people is quite poor.” Her voice was low and slightly raspy.