The Stand-in is Exceptionally Clingy [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The CEO and Her Canary

◎Someone No One Can Afford to Offend◎

The voice was so damn “deafeningly startling.” Jian Ke flinched, and all the alcohol was gone from her system. Her mind was racing with “I’m done for, I’m done for,” and her body was frozen. She didn’t have the courage to turn around.

Ji Chen looked at Lou Bianxia. From Jian Ke’s reaction, she naturally understood that this was probably the legendary “little assistant.” Even though Ji Chen had seen countless beautiful women, she had to admit that Lou Bianxia was the most unique. Her skin was a pale, jade-like white, and her indifferent eyes swept over them. Her delicate features held a hint of coldness. Every gesture was one of dignity and elegance, like a solitary sea of clouds on a high mountain, looking down upon the mortal world. But at this moment, the lights in her eyes were leaping and burning. The sea of clouds was churning, and that cold, imposing face was tinged with worldly dust. Her brows showed a hint of anger and displeasure. Ji Chen felt instinctively that this person shouldn’t have such an outward display of emotion, but she didn’t know where that feeling came from.

And—she couldn’t shake the feeling that this beautiful woman looked familiar. Ji Chen immediately had a bad feeling, then shook her head, thinking she was just scaring herself. How could that person have any involvement with a small-time celebrity, let alone in a relationship like this…? She must be a little drunk, and the dim light of the bar had almost made her mistake someone for another.

With that denial, Ji Chen’s courage grew. She smiled faintly at Lou Bianxia. “You can’t call it ‘the next one.’ Since you’re just friends with benefits, you wouldn’t mind if I borrow her for a night, right?”

The hand on Jian Ke’s shoulder gripped tighter.

“Friends with benefits?” Lou Bianxia looked at Jian Ke. “That’s the first time I’ve heard that. Is our relationship ‘friends with benefits’?”

“Hmm?”

Lou Bianxia’s tone was soft, as if she were just teasing, but Jian Ke’s scalp tingled with fear at the sound. The effects of the alcohol had made her reactions slow. Her mind was practically sparking, yet she still had no idea how to handle this awkward (and deadly) situation. She could only lower her head and stay as quiet as a chicken, pretending she was completely drunk.

“Why didn’t you say anything when you came back today? I tried calling you a dozen times, but you never picked up. I had to contact your assistant to find out you had been taken away.” Lou Bianxia’s gaze landed lightly on Shen Zhi. The latter nervously lowered her head. She didn’t know why, but today’s “little assistant” had an especially powerful aura. Her strong survival instinct made her bury her head deep, unable to utter a single word.

Lou Bianxia glanced at Ji Chen, who was the only one in the group completely oblivious, but she still addressed Jian Ke. “Were you having a good time drinking here with them?”

Jian Ke stuttered nervously. “N-not happy.”

Lou Bianxia slid past Jian Ke’s shoulder and tapped on the nearly empty cocktail glass. “If you’re not happy, what are you still sitting here for?”

“Get up.” The tone was one of unquestionable, autocratic command.

A command would normally make people unhappy, but coming from this woman’s mouth, it felt natural, as if everything she said was right and should be obeyed. This was the natural authority of a superior who was used to giving orders.

Ji Chen frowned. “She’s just having a drink. Aren’t you interfering a little too much with her private life?” The moment the words left her mouth, she felt her arm being tugged. Shen Zhi secretly gave her a look, telling her to stop talking. It was an argument between the two of them, and others shouldn’t get involved.

Lou Bianxia pursed her lips and looked at the displeased Ji Chen. “I’ve always heard that the eldest daughter of the Ji family is a libertine. Seeing you today, it’s clear the rumors are true.” She took a step forward and lowered her voice. “Just one thing—does your Ms. Ji know that you’re now being a libertine with a woman?”

Ji Chen’s face instantly went pale, and she involuntarily took a step back. “You… you’re Lou…” She stopped speaking, then looked back at Lou Bianxia, composed herself, and asked, “What about you? Aren’t you afraid others will find out?”

Lou Bianxia crossed her arms. “Am I the same as you? Anyway, Jian Ke is my person now.”

Jian Ke was led away by Lou Bianxia. Ji Chen watched the couple’s backs with a grim expression, only now realizing that her back was drenched in cold sweat.

Shen Zhi asked her, “Who is that assistant? She even knows your aunt?”

Ji Chen: “Someone none of us can afford to offend.” Ji Chen muttered to herself. I wonder if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that she knows this secret about me. But how in the world did Jian Ke get involved with her?

Jian Ke followed Lou Bianxia out of the bar, looking dejected. As they walked towards a black Cayenne on the other side of the street, Jian Ke, in a rare moment, saw Cen Ming in the driver’s seat. Lou Bianxia had many assistants as a CEO, but most of them, like Chen Chang, helped her with official documents in the office and didn’t follow her to and from work. Cen Ming, as the head assistant, was different. In addition to following Lou Bianxia for business, she also handled some private matters not known to outsiders, such as Jian Ke, the substitute lover. Lou Bianxia wasn’t like some people who treated their personal assistants like servants. She seemed to be very resistant to outsiders getting too involved in her private life. That’s why even when Jian Ke lived in Jingxiu Garden, she had rarely seen Cen Ming.

Jian Ke shrank her neck, thinking that Lou Bianxia probably wouldn’t scold her in front of others. But as soon as she got into the car, Lou Bianxia erupted in anger. “Since you’re back, why didn’t you tell me in advance?”

“Did you ignore the dozens of calls I made to you?”

This was probably the first time Lou Bianxia had spoken to Jian Ke so harshly. Jian Ke was stunned and explained in a muffled voice, “Filming went on for a bit long this afternoon, and my phone ran out of battery. I wanted to go home early, too.”

Lou Bianxia’s face was stormy, and the air pressure was so low it felt like it was about to thunder and lightning. Jian Ke bit her lip, her heart filled with grievances. She couldn’t understand why Lou Bianxia was so angry. Lately, she felt that the frequency of the female lead’s anger was increasing, and her restrictions and demands were also growing. Why? Why was it so hard to complete the capture mission?

Emboldened by the lingering alcohol, Jian Ke couldn’t help but vent. “I just went out for a drink with a friend. Is that not allowed? Don’t you think you’re being a little too controlling, Ms. Lou?”

Lou Bianxia was taken aback, and then she laughed out of anger. “Friend? Can’t you tell what kind of look Shen Zhi was giving you? If I hadn’t come tonight, would you have傻傻gone with them to get a room?”

Jian Ke: “I never agreed to anything.”

Lou Bianxia sneered. “Oh, right, I forgot. You don’t like women in the first place. Is it tough for you to be with me? Do you need me to introduce you to someone else? I guarantee they’ll be better than anyone they’d introduce.”

Jian Ke held her forehead, which was aching and throbbing with anger. “I was just joking.”

“Joking? I didn’t hear a single bit of a joke in it.”

The black sports car drove smoothly through the night. Cen Ming sat in the driver’s seat, not daring to turn her head at all, calmly looking straight ahead, pretending to be invisible. The atmosphere in the car was incredibly tense. After their argument, the two of them just looked out their respective windows, not speaking.

This silence lasted all the way back to Jingxiu Garden. Lou Bianxia was the first to slam the car door and enter the villa, the sound of her heels clacking on the floor. Jian Ke—

Jian Ke was furious. She stumbled out of the car. Because she was so angry, she even sprained her ankle while walking on the flat ground. She could only hobble forward, taking one heavy step and one light step. What female lead? She was done appeasing her! What mission? She wasn’t doing it anymore! Let it all go to hell.

“Miss Jian,” Cen Ming, who had gotten out of the car behind her, suddenly called out. “Is there something I can tell you?”

Roughly two hours before Lou Bianxia arrived at the bar, due to the typhoon, five-story-high waves had been crashing on the beach by the town. The railings along the street had been destroyed, and the temporary film sets had collapsed.

Cen Ming: “The news reported that some crew members might have been swept away and that there was no news of them. Rescue personnel are doing their best to search for them.”

Jian Ke froze. The blue-roofed tents in the video looked particularly conspicuous. After the crew left, a few staff members responsible for dismantling equipment had indeed stayed behind… The comments online were overwhelming. Given the time and location, it was obvious which film crew had been in trouble.

Cen Ming: “Ms. Lou called your phone dozens of times, but it kept showing that it was off. So… she told me to drive towards the coast.” Jian Ke’s chest felt tight and heavy, as if it had been cut open.

“We contacted Mr. Zhou and your manager. They got in touch with the director and confirmed that the crew was safe.” Cen Ming couldn’t forget Lou Bianxia’s devastated expression and her undisguised anxiety at the time. Perhaps her initial intention was just to seek comfort, but unknowingly, some people had already slowly walked into her heart.

“After that, Ms. Lou asked for your assistant’s phone number and found out you had gone to the bar with Miss Shen.”

Jian Ke thought, no wonder Lou Bianxia was able to contact her assistant. She hadn’t even told her the number. She called out to the 520 System. “I didn’t hear the broadcast just now. Did Lou Bianxia’s favorability rating drop again?”

520: “It didn’t drop. It didn’t drop at all.”

Jian Ke lowered her eyes. Even after such a fierce argument, it hadn’t dropped?

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