The Stand-in is Exceptionally Clingy [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 28.1

Chapter 28.1: The CEO and Her Canary

◎Observe and Learn◎

The next afternoon, Jian Ke received a photo from Lou Bianxia.

The photo showed a familiar pair of lace underwear. The background was the full-length wardrobe in Lou Bianxia’s bedroom, and it must have gotten mixed in by accident one day.

“Didn’t you say this was your favorite pair? You don’t want it?”

Jian Ke: “I moved in a hurry, so some things got left behind. How about you mail it to me?”

Lou Bianxia: “I’d be too embarrassed to mail it. Come get it yourself.”

Jian Ke thought for a moment and could only regretfully give up. “I’ve been a bit busy lately. Why don’t you just throw it away?”

Lou Bianxia: “…So that’s what you meant by ‘like’? You can just discard it so casually.”

Jian Ke looked at the message from Lou Bianxia, a little confused. The tone sounded a bit passive-aggressive.

Lou Bianxia has time to discuss the ownership of a pair of underwear with me. Could it be that Suimu Group is about to go bankrupt?

Then Lou Bianxia sent some more pictures, all of things Jian Ke had left at Jingxiu Garden.

Over the course of a year, the traces of a certain person’s life were scattered in every corner of the villa.

The DIY ceramic ornaments next to the projector in the living room, the sports knee pads on the long sofa in the gym, the two blue and pink aprons hanging on the kitchen wall, the two flourishing money trees by the window…

Jian Ke had, in this way, invaded Lou Bianxia’s life little by little.

Lou Bianxia walked through each room, her mind in a daze. She had always had a strong sense of personal space, rarely allowing outsiders to trespass.

Signing Jian Ke was an exception. The initial consideration for having her live at Jingxiu Garden was for privacy, but it was also to make it more convenient to see her.

The former Shu Yu was the person closest to her, and Lou Bianxia was naturally willing to share all her private spaces and territory with her.

When it came to Jian Ke, it didn’t seem so unbearable, not to mention that this little girl was very likable.

After that, things gradually got out of control. Lou Bianxia couldn’t remember exactly when she started to like Jian Ke. She had a photographic memory and could recall every little detail of her time with Jian Ke.

But her understanding of love was too limited, and her lack of experience made her particularly slow in this regard. The slow, quiet process of falling in love couldn’t be attached to a specific time and date, down to the minute and second, like a file or a piece of data.

Excessive doting and indulgence would lead to the current situation: two identical gold-rimmed necklaces tangled together in the jewelry box, tied in a knot that couldn’t be undone no matter how much she tried to pull them apart.

The coldness of the metal against her warm lips was a bit too much, and then it was warmed by the temperature inside her mouth.

At first, it was the light lick of a soft, pink tongue, pressing against the tip and rubbing against her teeth.

Lou Bianxia closed her eyes, her eyebrows furrowing sharply. Her teeth bit down on the soft gold chain, leaving a shallow indentation.

Jian Ke half-coaxed Lou Bianxia to let go, worried that the intense movement would cut her lips. She carefully took off their intertwined necklaces and placed them on the pillow.

The bedsheets were soft and smooth. With the continuous tossing and turning, the two inseparable necklaces sadly slid off the bed.

When Lou Bianxia picked them up from the carpet beside the bed the next day, they were already tangled to the point of being inseparable.

Feeling the slightly pitted and uneven texture on one of them, Lou Bianxia’s face turned red. With a hint of shame, she stuffed the knotted mess into the jewelry box and put it in the bottom drawer.

—It seemed destined to be banished to the “cold palace” to collect dust, never to see the light of day again.

“There’s still a lot of stuff. Since you moved out so decisively, you should have packed properly.” The tone seemed to carry a hint of complaint, but the true meaning of the words was the opposite.

If you couldn’t pack properly, then why were you in such a hurry to move out? Did anyone say they were kicking you out?

Jian Ke pursed her lips in frustration and typed quickly. “Of course, I packed carefully. But with so many things, how could I possibly take everything with me?”

She had no idea which nooks and crannies Lou Bianxia had found these things in. Jian Ke had forgotten about some of them herself.

Jian Ke said indignantly, “Just hold on to the things. When I have time another day, I’ll come and get them myself. I won’t trouble you.”

Lou Bianxia: “When? I’m very busy with work, and I’m not sure I’ll be home every day.”

“Don’t even think about getting in when I’m not there. The moment you moved out, I had someone change the fingerprint lock and the door code.”

Damn it! Does she need to be so defensive of me?!

Jian Ke was so angry she wanted to throw her phone. How did I not notice the female lead was so petty before?

Who was it that silently kept you company and carefully served you for a year? And who was it that racked their brains to set you up with your crush and break your indecisive, backward way of thinking?

You’re burning the bridge after you crossed it, and you’re so ungrateful.

Seeing that there was suddenly no response from the other side, Lou Bianxia’s lips curled up slightly. She guessed that Jian Ke must be fuming and cursing her in her mind.

Then, she frowned again, took out her phone, and called Cen Ming. “Lately, where has she been going when she’s not at home?”

The crew hadn’t officially started filming, and training at the base wasn’t scheduled to begin until next week.

So what was Jian Ke so busy with?

Cen Ming answered quickly. “Besides staying at home and going shopping with Miss Shen, she’s been going to a physical training class at a nearby yoga studio.”

“A physical training class? What did she sign up for that for?”

Cen Ming: “That training class is very famous. They have private one-on-one sessions specifically for celebrities. Miss Jian usually goes at six in the evening and comes out at nine.”

Lou Bianxia looked at the time on her watch and crossed her arms. “What kind of class takes three hours?”

Cen Ming paused for a moment. “I’m not very clear on that. The yoga studio has very strict confidentiality measures. All client private information is only known to the private instructors who have signed confidentiality agreements and cannot be leaked easily.”

Most high-end, private clubs have such rules so that clients can feel more at ease consuming their services there.

But Lou Bianxia had clearly cast this fact aside. She said with great unease, “Even the class content is confidential? That’s too strange.”

Cen Ming: … Her voice sounded quite helpless. “It’s considered a trade secret, so it’s… not that strange, is it?”

Lou Bianxia: “Suimu also has investments in a chain of yoga studios. Their annual revenue can’t even rank in the top five in the same market. What do you think the problem is?”

The topic had suddenly jumped to business.

But Cen Ming still went along with it. “Their market share is very low, and the potential customer base is saturated and difficult to expand. Muhe started too late, and its community-based business model faces many obstacles.”

“Well said. So what do you think should be done to change the situation as soon as possible?”

“This…” Cen Ming hesitated. “The proposals they’ve submitted haven’t been approved by you, so it seems we can only maintain the status quo.”

Lou Bianxia: “So, shouldn’t I, as the CEO, go into the market and understand the gaps and shortcomings between Muhe and other leading companies?”

Cen Ming was speechless.

Compared to the hundreds of millions of yuan in investment projects that Suimu Group handled every year, Muhe was truly just a drop in the ocean.

It wasn’t even the Group’s main business. It was loosely categorized under the entertainment sector and was managed by the third subsidiary. While it wasn’t a top player in the industry, it was at least profitable every year.

Proposals were submitted year after year and were rejected year after year; this was the norm. Lou Bianxia had never seemed to care that much.

“Ms. Lou, I’ll go sign you up for a physical training class at the yoga studio right now, with the same private instructor as Miss Jian. How does that sound?”

Lou Bianxia’s tone was still her usual cool and composed. “That works.”

Cen Ming: … Then please don’t suddenly use business as a ridiculous excuse next time.

Lou Bianxia timed it perfectly, arriving at the yoga studio ten minutes early.

The yoga studio was in an office building next to a commercial center, and the environment was elegant and quiet. When Lou Bianxia arrived, besides the front desk staff with their proper etiquette, there were very few clients in the lobby.

She wore a casual high ponytail and a pair of black sunglasses on her nose. She had a beautiful and elegant demeanor.

“Hello, I just signed up for a physical training class with Teacher Li. I’m here for my lesson.”

The front desk girl’s eyes frequently fell on Lou Bianxia’s face. Her heart raced, and her face turned red. She secretly wondered if this was a female celebrity from the entertainment industry.

She’s too beautiful!

“I’m so… so sorry, Teacher Li has private lessons in the evening. Your class is scheduled for nine in the morning.”

Lou Bianxia took off her sunglasses. Her deep, dark eyes made her stunningly beautiful face even more captivating and lovely. “But… I don’t have time in the morning. Can you switch me to the evening?”

“I really can’t do that. I don’t have the authority to make the change. It can only be arranged by the private instructor.”

“Then I’ll go in and talk to Teacher Li about it.”

The young girl hesitated. “But Teacher Li’s private lesson is about to start. We can’t let other clients in.”

Lou Bianxia smiled charmingly. “It’s just five minutes. I’ll come right out after we talk. I promise I won’t cause you any trouble. Little sister, can you really not make an exception?”

The front desk girl was dazzled by the alluring smile and lowered her head, her voice stuttering. “Then… please register. Teacher Li’s studio is on the 17th floor, number 5…”

“Thank you.” As Lou Bianxia walked past, a delicate, cold fragrance followed her. Her figure was graceful and beautiful, like a clear moon in the forest, suddenly appearing and reflecting on a deep pool, while a shower of petals fell rustling around the pool, their scent lingering.

But as the beautiful figure walked further away, the moon also disappeared without a trace, leaving only the lingering fragrance that made one stop and feel a sense of loss.

Lou Bianxia successfully went up to the 17th floor and arrived at the instructor’s studio.

Perhaps because she was about to teach Jian Ke’s physical training class, the instructor was already wearing a training outfit and was stretching beside the mirror.

She had a straight, shapely waist-to-hip ratio, and her posture was beautiful and powerful, perfectly highlighting her exquisite figure. Her long hair cascaded to her waist, and her elegant makeup was clean and fresh.

If Lou Bianxia hadn’t seen photos of Li Zhi on her phone, she would have thought this was a model or celebrity who had just walked out of an entertainment company.

No wonder so many female celebrities were vying to take her class.

Support The Stand-in is Exceptionally Clingy [Quick Transmigration]