The Stand-in is Exceptionally Clingy [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The CEO and Her Canary

◎”Teach Me Something Else.”◎

The filming location for Sea of Fog was a small town by the sea, east of Lichang. Day after day, the waves crashed against the rugged rocks and clustered stone houses. The air was filled with the lingering, briny smell of the sea. On cloudy nights, the tide swept in with the moonlight, washing away the footprints left on the beach. A few people foraged along the shore with buckets and flashlights, scooping up small crabs to make a raw marinade.

The town had many similarities to the one described in the script, but it wasn’t quite as humid, and there were no days of continuous misty rain. Jian Ke raised a hand to shield her eyes from the setting sun, which was no longer so scorching. She silently wondered, if it were a town like this, would Li Zhi have chosen to stay?

Probably not. Li Zhi had to return to the city, to her comfortable lifestyle, to the bustling crowd. It didn’t matter when the town’s rain would stop, or what the girl by the pier looked like when she blushed from holding hands for the first time.

“Jian Ke-laoshi, I’ll have to trouble you to guide me later.”

A clear, soft voice sounded, and a fair, delicate, and pure face came into Jian Ke’s view. The actress had gentle features and a small, oval face, and her face was flushed with nervousness as she spoke. Both her looks and her temperament were an excellent match for Ning Xuan from the book. Jian Ke was impressed by Director Wen’s eye for casting.

Jian Ke: “Don’t call me ‘laoshi.’ I’m a newcomer, too. Let’s work well together.”

Because it was a sunny day, the crew decided to film the scene on the observation deck first. In this scene, Li Zhi and Ning Xuan had already met and had made plans to watch the sunset together. The sunsets in the town were exceptionally beautiful but also rare. Sometimes you could wait for a month and never see that touch of gold and purple.

Jian Ke wore a pair of tight blue jeans, her hands resting on the wooden railing as she leaned slightly forward. Her slender waist and graceful figure were outlined alluringly. A lady’s cigarette was held between her long, slender fingers. She raised a hand to push a strand of wind-blown hair behind her ear, a graceful posture that conveyed a mature and melancholic quality.

Ning Xuan, behind her, seemed to be captivated by Li Zhi’s unique charm, standing still with her sketchbook in her arms. After a moment, she lowered her head and slowly walked over.

Li Zhi felt the movement and turned around. “You’re here?”

Ning Xuan nodded slightly. “The sunset… will be out in half an hour…”

They stood close to each other. The faint smell of smoke drifted on the wind, making the girl feel a bit curious. The town had many tourists every year, but Ning Xuan had never seen anyone as beautiful and enchanting as Li Zhi. She looked at Li Zhi’s face, partially hidden by the smoke, and found the courage to ask, “Is smoking… really that good?”

Li Zhi exhaled a puff of smoke and held out the cigarette. “Want to try?”

Her voice was alluring. The orange glow of the setting sun shone on her fair, graceful arm. Ning Xuan stared at the charming, smiling woman in front of her, unable to snap out of her daze for a long time.

“Cut! Shen Zhi, what are you staring at? Let’s do that again.”

The director’s voice came through the megaphone, and Shen Zhi finally reacted, lowering her head in shame, her eyes welling up with tears. “I’m sorry, I… got distracted.”

Jian Ke could only say, “It’s normal to be nervous the first time. You’ll get used to it after a few more tries.”

But what happened next made Jian Ke want to slap herself. What a crow’s mouth she had!

Shen Zhi kept getting it wrong. Either she’d choke on the smoke and cry, smudging her makeup, or she’d forget her lines. A cigarette in Jian Ke’s hand would burn down to a short stub, and then be replaced with a new one. She felt like she was being marinated in tobacco smoke, turning into a walking mosquito coil. It wasn’t until the sun had completely set that the day’s filming was finally over.

Jian Ke’s elbows were aching. She shook her arms as she climbed down from the observation deck. Shen Zhi followed her, apologizing and praising her at the same time. “Jian-laoshi, your smoking was so captivating. The crew couldn’t take their eyes off you during the shoot.”

“I was the same. I stumbled over my lines so many times because I wasn’t used to Jian-laoshi’s world-ending beauty.”

Shen Zhi’s voice was soft, like she was being spoiled. Her innocent appearance made her words sound sincere, making people want to be lenient with her. This was the main reason she wasn’t yelled at despite so many mistakes.

But Jian Ke was not buying it. She automatically ignored Shen Zhi’s compliments and replied vaguely, “I learned it from someone else.”

The words were deliberately kept low, making them difficult to hear. Shen Zhi wanted to ask, but Jian Ke quickly went down the steps, and soon all that was left was her back.

Shen Zhi: …

Jian Ke’s smoking movements were a perfect replica of Lou Bianxia’s. The way she raised her hand, the way she held the cigarette, the way her brows arched when she exhaled the smoke—she had watched it countless times and had imitated it in her mind countless times. Before the camera started rolling, the image that appeared in her mind was of the woman leaning on a balcony with a certain charm.

According to Jian Ke’s observations, Lou Bianxia smoked one cigarette every one or two days. Unlike others who were addicted to nicotine, she seemed to prefer the elegant scent of a lady’s cigarette. The glow of the cigarette’s tip would flicker, like a star in the ink-black night. Lou Bianxia wouldn’t take many puffs before extinguishing it in the ashtray. It was her way of concentrating.

When she found out Jian Ke wanted to learn how to smoke, Lou Bianxia taught her firsthand. A good teacher makes a good student. Jian Ke sat by the window, and Lou Bianxia came up from behind, her soft hands tracing her skin before slipping into Jian Ke’s. Lou Bianxia’s fingertips brushed between her fingers, and she placed a warm cigarette in Jian Ke’s palm. The breath on her earlobe tickled. “Do you want me to light it for you?”

A soft chest pressed against her back. Lou Bianxia’s icy skin and bones of jade pressed against her warm body, and Jian Ke felt the fire in her heart burn even brighter. The crisp sound of the lighter opening rang out. Lou Bianxia leaned her head on Jian Ke’s shoulder, looking at her long, graceful neck as she lit the cigarette.

Feeling the dampness on the back of her neck, Jian Ke’s heart trembled, and her fingers holding the cigarette involuntarily shrank… The lighter fell to the floor. The cigarette, which was supposed to be put out in the ashtray, was still perfectly intact, with only a small gray mark at the tip.

An alluring, soft voice with a hint of a captivating smile said, “What’s wrong? Don’t want to keep learning?”

Jian Ke: “Teacher, I’d rather you teach me something else.”

…

Back at her B&B, Jian Ke ordered some takeout. There weren’t many places to order from in the small town, but fortunately, there was a McDonald’s. Even though Chen Qiu had repeatedly told her to manage her weight, Jian Ke felt this bit of calorie intake was harmless. She pinched her slender waist, which had no extra fat, and was satisfied enough to order a bubble tea as well.

Lou Bianxia’s video call came in at that time. The video’s background was at home. Lou Bianxia was wearing a black suit jacket, and what looked like a blue camisole dress underneath. Her long hair seemed to have been carefully styled, revealing a face with exquisite makeup. Her clear, lustrous skin glowed, her lips were a rosy pink, and the diamond earrings on her earlobes sparkled with white light. She looked cold, beautiful, and distinguished. It seemed she had just returned from a banquet.

Jian Ke had never seen Lou Bianxia dressed up for an event and was a little stunned. Lou Bianxia pursed her lips slightly, resting a hand on her cheek and leaning closer to the camera. “Why aren’t you talking? Did filming go well today?”

Jian Ke looked into Lou Bianxia’s bright, questioning eyes and somehow sensed a kind of adorable, sexy beauty, and her gaze subconsciously wandered. It fell on the other woman’s soft face, her slender, pale wrists, and her neck and chest that emitted a gentle glow. The alluring curves presented an extreme beauty, as vivid and rich as an oil painting.

Jian Ke awkwardly touched her nose and quickly took a screenshot. “Sister, why are you so beautiful today?”

Lou Bianxia said coldly, “I went to a gala.”

Jian Ke: “A gala? Was it fun?”

“It was very boring.” Lou Bianxia’s tone was icy, with a hint of disdain. “Instead of spending time and money preparing for a gala, it would be better to use it to develop the company.”

Jian Ke looked at her lowered eyes and the blush on her cheeks that looked like it might be from alcohol and suddenly realized, “Did you drink?”

Lou Bianxia rested a hand on her cheek, her eyes calmly watching her. “I had a glass of champagne. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Jian Ke: “There are still some dumplings I made in the freezer below the fridge. They’re sealed with cling film. You probably didn’t eat much at the gala and you drank, so if you don’t eat something, your stomach will hurt later tonight.”

Lou Bianxia nodded, the faint buzz of alcohol making her seem a little slow. “What did you film today?” Lou Bianxia asked casually. “Did you meet the actress you’re acting with?”

Jian Ke: “…We just filmed the smoking scene on the mountain top.” As for Shen Zhi, she couldn’t just say the other actress seemed to be a bit of a “tea b*tch.” It was only the first day, and it seemed a bit far-fetched to make that judgment just from her frequent mistakes. So Jian Ke was silent for a moment before saying, “Yes, I did. She’s quite good-looking.” Sometimes, when it was hard to judge a person’s character, it was better to just comment on their appearance.

“Oh? It sounds like you’re getting along quite well?”

Jian Ke: ? Where did you get that idea?

“We’re just colleagues. It’s only the first day we’ve met. We’re not very familiar with each other.”

The corners of Lou Bianxia’s mouth turned up, but there was no smile in her eyes. “Not familiar? You just said she’s good-looking. Is that not familiar?”

A chill ran down Jian Ke’s spine, but she still didn’t realize what was wrong. “I didn’t praise her. I just thought her temperament and looks fit the character of Ning Xuan well. We didn’t even talk much.”

“Oh, so you regret that?”

Jian Ke was startled. “No, I don’t regret it. I didn’t even want to talk to her. We only talk when we’re acting…”

Bzzz.

—The video call was hung up.

Jian Ke: !!!

The 520 System’s voice rang out: “Host, the female lead’s favorability rating has dropped…”

Tears welled up in Jian Ke’s eyes: A drunk Lou Bianxia is super hard to appease!!

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