The Stand-in is Exceptionally Clingy [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The CEO and Her Canary

◎Favorability Decreased?◎

It was like a sweet summer orange, its peel lightly broken, juice splashing out and making one’s mouth water. Red lips were rubbed and nibbled, a tongue tracing the parted seam of the lips before tentatively entering, gently intertwining.

Lou Bianxia felt her back being pressed down. Jian Ke held her in her arms with a force that was almost rough, a stark contrast to the careful gentleness of their previous kisses. Lou Bianxia’s hands rested weakly on Jian Ke’s shoulders, making a small, weak motion to push her away, signaling to be gentler. In the next second, she felt a light nibble on her lip. It didn’t hurt, but it sent a tingling sensation through her.

Lou Bianxia’s entire neck flushed pink. She slumped weakly into the other’s embrace, unable to keep up with Jian Ke’s rhythm, only able to passively accept. From the kiss, she felt Jian Ke’s restless and anxious emotions. She didn’t know where this mood came from, but she raised her hands and placed them on Jian Ke’s back, silently stroking her to comfort her.

In the narrow room, only the sound of heavy breathing and the ambiguous wetness of their lips echoed. It wasn’t until both of their breaths became unsteady that Jian Ke finally released her, stepping back. She narrowed her eyes at Lou Bianxia’s cheeks, which were as pink as a peach, and thought she looked very easy to bully. Jian Ke stretched out a finger and gently wiped the leftover moisture from Lou Bianxia’s lips. The color of her lips was now even more magnificent, like a dignified oil painting splattered with a flush of scarlet, its petals dewy, shedding its pure elegance and taking on a hint of seduction.

Lou Bianxia’s eyes still held the hazy confusion of a misty mountain after a rain. Her eyes were moist and red, but before Jian Ke could pull her finger away, she angrily bit the tip.

She said with a hint of fury, “What’s with the sudden craziness?”

Jian Ke lowered her head, her voice muffled. “I ran into Assistant Chen on my way up.”

Lou Bianxia’s angry expression suddenly froze. “Chen Chang? You saw her?”

Jian Ke looked up, as if carefully observing Lou Bianxia’s reaction, her tone firm. “Assistant Chen likes you.”

This single sentence made all the anger that Lou Bianxia had just gathered in her chest completely leak out, leaving a hollow feeling.

“What did she say to you?” Lou Bianxia’s tone was helpless. Judging by Chen Chang’s personality, she must have been sarcastic to Jian Ke.

Jian Ke remained silent, just moving from the office desk to the sofa. She forcefully changed the subject. “I brought some congee from home for you. You must be hungry from working so late.” She pursed her lips and, in a visibly unhappy mood, opened the container and ladled congee for Lou Bianxia. Her whole aura screamed “unhappy.”

Originally, Lou Bianxia didn’t feel the need to explain the situation with Chen Chang. But seeing the young woman’s reaction, she added, “No matter what Chen Chang said to you, she and I have always just had a superior-subordinate relationship. Nothing else.”

Jian Ke: “I saw Assistant Chen carrying a box. Did you fire her?”

Lou Bianxia: “I didn’t fire her. She’s just being transferred to a branch company. We probably won’t see her much anymore.”

Jian Ke seemed to have gotten a satisfactory answer and broke into a childish smile.

Lou Bianxia took the bowl from Jian Ke’s hand and gently stirred the nourishing congee with a spoon. Steam rose, carrying the sweet aroma of millet. The warmth spread from her mouth all the way to her stomach. Her eating movements were extremely elegant and refined, reflecting a graceful upbringing. Just watching her was a pleasure.

Shu Yu once made congee for a sick Lou Bianxia. It was only that one time, but ever since, Lou Bianxia had a special fondness for and obsession with millet congee. She had tried many times but could never replicate the same flavor. Over time, it had become a regret.

Jian Ke noticed a flash of disappointment in Lou Bianxia’s eyes and knew that the taste wasn’t right. But the recipe for the “white moonlight’s” congee was probably only known to her.

Jian Ke: “Sister, is the congee not good?”

Lou Bianxia: “…It’s good. It’s just not quite like the one I used to have.”

A glimmer flashed in Jian Ke’s eyes. “My congee is a little sweeter and more fragrant than others’.”

Lou Bianxia frowned and nodded. “Did you add osmanthus honey?”

Jian Ke: “When I was going to a promotional event, the place had a large grove of osmanthus trees. They smelled so fragrant. I shook a lot of the blossoms down and learned how to make osmanthus honey from the locals. That’s what’s in the congee…”

“It is quite sweet, but don’t add it next time,” Lou Bianxia suddenly interrupted, her eyes lowered to the specks of orange floating in the bowl. “I don’t like things that are too sweet.”

Jian Ke, who was about to ladle another bowl for Lou Bianxia, froze.

The 520 System’s voice suddenly rang in her head. “My host, the female lead’s favorability… just dropped…” Its voice was hesitant, because this was the first time Jian Ke’s actions had caused Lou Bianxia’s favorability to decrease.

Jian Ke: “Tch, looks like I used the wrong method this time. It backfired.”

“…Host, are you okay? I can’t believe the favorability can drop. Why is the female lead so unhappy about a bowl of congee?” It chattered on.

Jian Ke: “It’s not a big deal. If it drops, I’ll just find another way to bring it back up. This just reminds me not to make congee for her in the future.”

However, she would have to drink all the leftover congee herself.

Jian Ke knew in her heart that what Chen Chang had said was right. Lou Bianxia’s heart would always only have room for one person, and that person was Shu Yu. All the special treatment and care she received from Lou Bianxia were because of Shu Yu. Luckily, Shu Yu would be returning. Lou Bianxia’s long wait would come to a perfect end, and she would finally taste that bowl of congee with the correct recipe. At that time, Jian Ke would also be able to successfully complete her mission and leave this world. It would be a happy ending for everyone.

After this logical realization, the strange feelings that had welled up in Jian Ke’s heart gradually dissipated. It was all that provocative Chen Chang’s fault for making her say those competitive words and leading her down a strange train of thought.

“So, why did you suddenly come to find me? Who bullied you again?” Lou Bianxia watched the young woman’s troubled expression and barely suppressed the smile on her lips.

Jian Ke scratched her cheek and told Lou Bianxia about the script, but she omitted the steamy and hazy dream. Having an erotic dream after reading a script would sound… quite inappropriate.

“So you came here just because you’re not happy with the ending of the script?” Lou Bianxia rubbed her forehead, a mix of helplessness and indulgence coloring her cool eyes. “Isn’t it about to start filming? You can talk to the director.”

Jian Ke shrank down, her face full of serious distress. “I can’t talk to the director. The ending… it feels like it can only be this way.” The town was just a temporary vacation spot for Li Zhi. She belonged to the city, not to this place. Just as she couldn’t stand the weeks of damp, rainy weather, couldn’t stand the white hoodie that never dried, couldn’t stand the constant dripping sounds. It was as if, except for Ning Xuan, she didn’t fit in with the town at all. To leave or to stay? During their intimate moments, Li Zhi had already given Ning Xuan the answer. Ning Xuan couldn’t leave the town, just as Li Zhi couldn’t choose to stay. The fog and the sea could never truly merge. They could only indulge in their fleeting time together. Later, no one knew if Li Zhi ever returned to the town, or if she and Ning Xuan ever met again. The script ended with their final embrace on the beach.

Jian Ke looked at Lou Bianxia, and that damp, humid dream seemed to return with its moisture, turning the sky and sea upside down. After their passionate moment, Lou Bianxia had silently looked out at the sea and cried. Jian Ke felt as if she had become Li Zhi in the story, heartbroken by the thought of saying goodbye to her lover. But she couldn’t treat Lou Bianxia as if she were Ning Xuan in the story, could she? Ning Xuan was introverted, with the delicate and sensitive emotions of an artist, but she was also timid and vulnerable because she was born deaf in her right ear. How could she possibly substitute Lou Bianxia for a character so completely different? Jian Ke muttered to herself. Then she thought, who else could she substitute? She didn’t have a “white moonlight” or a young assistant. So, of course, she could only use Lou Bianxia as a stand-in.

Jian Ke touched her nose, thinking about Lou Bianxia’s enchanting figure like a siren in her dream, and couldn’t help but cough lightly. She stood up. “Well… since the congee has been delivered, I’ll… head back now.” “Sister, you should… work hard.”

Afraid that her own improper thoughts would be exposed, Jian Ke was eager to grab the container and run.

Lou Bianxia pursed her lips, a hint of displeasure in her brows. The young woman hadn’t been here for long, so why was she leaving? But then again, she still had work to do, and she shouldn’t be too negligent.

“I’ll be home tomorrow night.”

Jian Ke smiled sweetly: “Okay, great. I’ll be waiting for you at home, Sister.” She slipped to the door, then heard Lou Bianxia call out to her again.

Lou Bianxia: “Aren’t you leaving the congee? I haven’t finished it.”

Jian Ke was stunned: “Didn’t you think it was a little sweet…”

Lou Bianxia frowned: “It was especially sweet.”

Lou Bianxia had never liked overly sweet things. She politely declined desserts, milk tea, and chocolate. So this osmanthus-honey congee was, to her taste, excessively and cloyingly sweet. But, after all, this was the first time the young woman had cooked for her. She wasn’t… completely unable to tolerate it?

“Just this once. If you make it again next time…”

The 520 System suddenly exclaimed, “My host, the female lead’s favorability just dropped again!”

Jian Ke quickly interjected: “No osmanthus honey! I absolutely will not add it next time!”

Lou Bianxia visibly looked relieved.

So she just didn’t like sweet things—Jian Ke smiled, feeling as if she were bathing in a spring breeze.

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