Lie to Me Again - Chapter 2

After signing the contract, Qi Yuqiu supported her weak knees and slowly pushed herself up from the floor. She looked at her new boss with a mix of trepidation and hope, biting her lip before whispering, “So, what should I do next?”

Jiang Songtang frowned. She stood up, casting a casual, fleeting glance at her. “My assistant will fill you in. I hope to see some improvement from you tomorrow.”

The woman before her was a far cry from the person in her memories. Even if their faces were seventy to eighty percent identical, Jiang Songtang couldn’t bring herself to feel the slightest spark of interest.

“Then, where should I go to find you tomorrow?” Qi Yuqiu asked.

Jiang Songtang didn’t bother to answer. The crisp, rhythmic click of her high heels faded into the distance. Soon after, a woman in professional attire with a straight, capable posture appeared at the door. Carrying a laptop and wearing a polite smile, she stepped inside.

“I am Director Jiang’s assistant, He Xi. Miss Qi, would you mind exchanging contact information? I have some videos of Miss Ji here that you can use to study her speech and mannerisms.”

As expected. As a stand-in, this is exactly what I should be doing!

Qi Yuqiu was an actress by trade, after all. Playing a character wasn’t particularly difficult for her, the only challenge would be maintaining the persona at all times without letting her true self slip through.

But she would work hard!

What had Jiang Songtang said? S-plus tier major productions were hers for the choosing!

Thinking about how she could secure such incredible rewards without having to sell her body, Qi Yuqiu felt giddy with joy. She didn’t even feel that being a “stand-in” was a blow to her dignity anymore, to her, it was just a high-paying job. Since when did jobs have a hierarchy of nobility?

“Alright, I’ll study them diligently!”

“This document outlines Director Jiang’s daily preferences. I hope you can commit them to memory as well.”

Qi Yuqiu nervously opened the file, expecting a dense, exhaustive list of high-maintenance demands. To her surprise, there were only a few brief lines: “Does not eat sweets, does not eat onions or ginger, prefers silence.” That was it, no other preferences were recorded.

“Is this all?”

“Yes, these are the only ones Director Jiang has mentioned.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll drop you off so you can rest. I’ll pick you up tomorrow to take you to Director Jiang’s residence.”

Qi Yuqiu’s pupils shrunken slightly, her small face tensing up in sudden nerves. “Ah, I… I have to live with her?”

Didn’t she say not to have any “delusions”? Why the cohabitation?

He Xi nodded. “This is Director Jiang’s wish.”

He Xi shared a similar thought, Director Jiang clearly loved Miss Ji, yet she was moving in with another woman. If Miss Ji ever found out.

He Xi cast a subtle, pitying glance at Qi Yuqiu. She couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for her, sensing that when the dust settled, the only person without power or influence would be the one to suffer.

Qi Yuqiu didn’t think that far ahead. She puffed out her cheeks and nodded seriously in agreement.

She didn’t actually know where the original owner of this body lived. She had to dig through the shipping addresses on her Taobao app to confirm the location. She didn’t know her passcode either, but luckily, the phone had fingerprint and facial recognition. Otherwise, she would have been completely doomed today.

Being in a completely strange place without family or friends, and having experienced such a whirlwind of events, it was only now that she had the mental space to process the fact that she had transmigrated into a book.

She gave the address to Assistant He, who drove her back. Along the way, Qi Yuqiu nearly wore out her phone screen searching for information. It seemed the original owner had no parents, or at least no contact info for them in her WeChat. Her pinned contact was her manager, but their last professional interaction was two months ago. She had fewer than a million followers on Weibo.

She was even more of a “nobody” than Qi Yuqiu had been. How tragic.

Searching through Alipay, she found the original owner’s ID and confirmed they shared the same name and birthdate.

Twenty-five years old.

A twenty-five-year-old actress still has infinite possibilities, but in this industry, no resources meant no opportunities. It was too hard to make it alone.

She was certain she had made the right move.

***

As the dazzling city lights faded, He Xi followed the navigation to an old alleyway.

Even for a minor celebrity, Qi Yuqiu hadn’t expected to live in a place like this. It was worse than her own previous apartment. Seeing the state of the old building after getting out of the car, she fell into a full minute of silence before forcing a smile to say goodbye to He Xi.

The streetlights in the alley seemed broken, one stretch would be lit, and the next would be pitch black.

She had to use her phone’s flashlight to carefully navigate her way upstairs. Once home, seeing a room full of designer brands, she finally understood why the original owner lived here. The security was far too low for a celebrity, and anyone with a modicum of fame wouldn’t dare stay here. It was only thanks to her lack of fame that she hadn’t been harassed by stalkers yet.

She checked the original owner’s accounts to see how much money she had, wanting to get a sense of her situation. However, after checking Alipay, WeChat, and her bank balance, Qi Yuqiu’s expression grew increasingly horrified.

211.66???

211.66!!!

Was this all the money she had? Really?

Wait, wait, wait, maybe there were some fixed-term deposits or savings?

Qi Yuqiu searched frantically, but eventually had to collapse and accept the reality. 211.66—what a staggering balance.

She was actually starting to feel lucky that she had been hired as a high-priced stand-in right after arriving, otherwise, she wouldn’t even be able to afford to eat.

The original owner had many luxury items, but she didn’t plan on selling them. After all, they were things the previous owner liked. She would pack them up and take them with her tomorrow. She had to terminate this lease anyway, she couldn’t afford it. With only two hundred yuan, she couldn’t even cover a month’s rent. Getting a bit of the rent back would be good, even if she lost the security deposit.

Sigh, and with the bad security here, what if these things got stolen while I was gone?

Qi Yuqiu let out a deep sigh.

She spent the late hours of the night packing her things, while simultaneously watching the videos He Xi had sent. She didn’t fall asleep until the middle of the night, and early the next morning, she was woken up by a call from He Xi.

The other woman’s tone was polite but distant. “Good morning. It’s time for me to take you to Director Jiang.”

Qi Yuqiu was exhausted, but she didn’t forget to be a professional. She huddled on the bed, rubbing her eyes blearily as she mumbled a response. “Mm, I have a lot of stuff, can I move it all there?”

“Yes. Please come down first, I’ll have someone come up to get the items.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll wash up and be right down.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Qi Yuqiu forced herself awake, hurriedly washed her face, and applied some light makeup. She pulled a floral maxi dress from the wardrobe, one she had picked out last night while studying the videos—and borrowed a small matching bag. Then, grabbing her phone, she hurried downstairs.

He Xi was waiting quietly. When the woman walked toward her, even she was momentarily stunned. The name “Miss Ji” almost escaped her lips, until the woman gave her a bright, sunny smile and chirped, “Good morning, Assistant He.” Only then did she snap out of it.

It was Miss Qi.

He Xi allowed a small, polite smile to touch her lips as she opened the car door. “Miss Qi, please.”

“Thank you, Assistant He.” Qi Yuqiu’s eyes curved into crescent moons.

They looked similar, but their personalities were worlds apart. One was gentle but traditional, the other was lively and warm.

Qi Yuqiu sat obediently in the car for a while, but thinking of her bank balance, she couldn’t resist leaning forward and biting her lip. “Um, Sister He, does this job include meals?”

If she had to pay for her own food, she’d likely starve to death before those S-plus productions ever materialized.

He Xi was momentarily surprised. First, because the woman had just called her “Assistant He” and had now switched to a more intimate “Sister He” the first time anyone had addressed her that way. Second, she hadn’t expected a question about free meals. Someone in a “kept” relationship with Director Jiang shouldn’t have to worry about such things.

“Rest assured, Miss Qi, you will be dining with the Director from now on.”

Since Director Jiang wanted a stand-in to soothe her inner longing and frustration, having Qi Yuqiu by her side would be like having Miss Ji there. Naturally, they would even eat their meals together.

Hearing that meals were included, Qi Yuqiu felt a wave of relief.

That was fine then. As long as room and board were covered, she could handle not buying anything new for a while. She’d wait until the villain’s promises were fulfilled.

She had spent part of the night brushing up on the novel’s plot. The “stand-in” storyline only lasted until the female lead discovered the truth. As long as she took her resources and left without making a scene when the villain eventually terminated the contract to please the female lead, someone like Jiang Songtang probably wouldn’t bother crushing an ant like her.

She just had to play another woman, no physical intimacy required, with room and board and a generous salary. It was an absolute steal.

As for the novel mentioning that the big villain was particularly difficult to serve…

A girl that beautiful? It’s only natural for her to be a bit high-maintenance, right?

Qi Yuqiu didn’t take it to heart at all, following Assistant He obediently until they stood before Jiang Songtang.

Jiang Songtang was currently sitting in her office reviewing documents, her expression just as cold and detached as the night before.

He Xi knocked and entered. “Director, she’s here.”

“Mm. You may go.”

Once the door closed, Jiang Songtang looked up coolly, then froze.

The woman standing at the door wore a white floral dress, her dark hair falling naturally over her shoulders, looking incredibly gentle and elegant. Those seventy to eighty percent similar features made her momentarily wonder if she had actually come.

This was Qi Yuqiu’s second time seeing Jiang Songtang, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward. She hesitated at the door, whispering, “Director Jiang? Should I call you Director Jiang or Miss Jiang?”

Jiang Songtang, the Director of the Jiang Group, was thirty-five this year. Her cold features were stunning, showing no signs of age.

Jiang Songtang snapped back to reality, her brow furrowing with a hint of displeasure. “Didn’t I tell you to study? She would never speak as timidly as you just did.”

Qi Yuqiu: “…”

Looks like I’ve upset the boss on my first day of work.

She grew nervous. She had thought they would chat for a bit to get settled into their roles, but it seemed she was mistaken.

“Just call me by my name,” Jiang Songtang added coldly.

Qi Yuqiu wasn’t sure if that meant her given name or her full name. She hesitated, but remembering Ji Qiuchi’s demeanor from the videos, she forced her body to relax. Her expression became natural, her voice softened, and a slight smile played on her lips. “Songtang, I’ll call you that from now on, alright?”

Only the tight grip on her handbag betrayed her internal tension.

Jiang Songtang’s eyes widened slightly. Those words sent a ringing echo through her mind, a memory of someone saying, “Songtang, what a lovely name. I’ll call you that from now on.”

Jiang Songtang clenched her fingers and looked down awkwardly, her slightly flushed lips pressing into a thin line. “Mm. Do not do anything unnecessary. If you fail to act like her, I will terminate the contract at any time.”

“Alright. Then, Songtang, have you had breakfast?” Qi Yuqiu asked with a soft, graceful smile.

“No.”

Her voice remained cold. It was hard to tell if she was cold to everyone, or if she even acted this way toward the person she loved.

Qi Yuqiu didn’t mind her attitude. She nodded and said, “Skipping breakfast isn’t good for your health. I’ll go downstairs and buy something for you.”

The female lead was a famous socialite from a good family, beautiful and well-bred. Qi Yuqiu had looked up her profile last night; her friends often described her as someone who seemed open-minded but was actually quite traditional. She liked to nag and was very health-conscious. Since she valued health, she surely wouldn’t like it if the people around her skipped breakfast.

Besides, Qi Yuqiu hadn’t eaten yet either.

However, as soon as the words left her mouth, the woman behind the desk looked over with an expressionless face and said coldly, “She would only have someone deliver it, she wouldn’t go buy it herself.”

Qi Yuqiu: “…”

I’d love to have it delivered too, but I don’t have any money! Damn rich people.

But Jiang Songtang wouldn’t consider such things. Her voice remained icy as she gave her a quiet, piercing look. “Don’t let it happen again.”

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