The Stand-in is Exceptionally Clingy [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 33.1

Chapter 33.1: The CEO and Her Canary

◎Where have I seen her before.◎

The deep, dark night had not a single star, as if heavy black ink was splattered across the sky. Only the faint, cool moonlight from the blurry moon on the horizon cast a soft glow.

The streetlights cast a dark green reflection on the leaves. A tall plane tree cast a pitch-black shadow, and the lonely street was filled with nothing but the sound of the biting wind and a boundless silence.

Jian Ke, wrapped in her coat, huddled on the steps next to the tree. The shoulder-high bushes were neatly trimmed, perfectly concealing her figure.

She rested her arms on her thighs and looked at the black Mercedes with its headlights on in the parking space not far away.

Compared to the luxury cars the woman usually drove, this one was modest and understated.

The driver’s window was down, revealing half of Lou Bianxia’s profile. The interior light illuminated her beautiful, gentle features, like a glowing pearl or a shimmering piece of fine jade.

Her beautiful eyes looked out at the empty, silent street, holding a deep, reserved emotion that gave off a faint, melancholic atmosphere.

Jian Ke lowered her head and looked at her phone screen. On it was a message from Lou Bianxia from twenty minutes ago. “I bought you some drunken crab from Fengweiju. When are you coming back?”

She lowered her head and typed, “I saw a movie poster on my way back and thought it’s been a while since I’ve seen a movie, so I went to a showing.”

She then added, “It’s a midnight screening. I won’t be back until late. You don’t have to wait for me~ [smiling.jpg]”

She scrolled down, and there was their conversation from noon—

Lou Bianxia: “Things are finished here. The food you ordered has been packed. I’ll bring it over.”

Jian Ke: “No need, Ms. Lou. I’ve already eaten. You should eat. Cen Ming said you have a lot of work this afternoon, so don’t bother.”

Lou Bianxia: “Okay.”

Sitting in her car, Lou Bianxia lowered her eyes and looked at Jian Ke’s message. Her eyebrows furrowed, and the light in her eyes dimmed slightly.

The soft-sounding message was followed by a cute smiling emoji. Jian Ke liked to use emojis when she chatted, and this time was no exception. At first glance, it didn’t seem any different from their previous conversations.

But Lou Bianxia felt a strange sense of being brushed off.

She tapped on the chat box, wanting to ask which movie theater Jian Ke was at, but she restrained herself and deleted each word. She replied with her usual coldness: “Okay.”

Hiding behind the bushes, Jian Ke let out a sigh of relief. When she looked up again, she saw the black Mercedes suddenly turn off completely, and its headlights went out.

Lou Bianxia took a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the passenger-side glove compartment.

The cigarette pack had been opened, but there were still two neat rows inside.

The lighter’s flame flared in the darkness, and a familiar, faint smell of smoke wafted out. The spark of the fire flickered in the gloom, with a hint of crimson. The light, cloudy smoke was scattered by the wind.

This made the woman’s face look a little blurry.

Lou Bianxia held the cigarette between her slender fingers and leaned back in her seat, her posture lazy and uninhibited. The collar of her black shirt was casually undone, revealing her fair skin.

She rubbed her brow, then lowered her head and bit the cigarette, leaving a circle of marks on the slender edge.

Jian Ke stayed in the shadows, her arms propped on her thighs. She used the few flickering lights that escaped to rest her chin on her hand and watch Lou Bianxia’s sexy and distant look while she smoked.

The waiting time seemed to stretch on indefinitely. The cold night wind ruffled the leaves of the plane tree, and one fell from a branch and landed at Jian Ke’s feet. She gently breathed on her red hands and rubbed her slightly stiff legs.

Only after the cigarette was finished did the sound of the engine starting reach her ears. The window rolled up, and the two bright headlights shone directly into the darkness ahead.

After watching Lou Bianxia’s car drive away, Jian Ke slowly stood up from the steps, brushed off the nonexistent dust from her pants, and started walking downstairs.

Jian Ke’s face was devoid of expression, as if nothing had just happened.

520, cowering in a corner, felt that Jian Ke now understood, but there were some things that, according to the rules, the system couldn’t tell the host. So it remained silent and dared not say another word.

Just then, Lou Bianxia’s message came in again. “Don’t stay out too late. No matter what time you get home, remember to let me know you’re safe.”

Jian Ke’s fingers tightened around her phone. Her fair skin turned pink from the force. Her eyes instinctively followed the direction of the car as it drove away.

…

On the day Snow Buried Gold officially started filming, Jian Ke finally met the actress playing “Miss You Er.”

It was a semi-familiar face: Lin Qingyi, who had participated in the same season of Mission: Restart with her.

But she remembered that Lin Qingyi wasn’t from Jiaxun Media, right?

Jian Ke lowered her head obediently, letting the makeup artist draw her eyebrows while looking at the message Wang Qiu had sent her.

Lin Qingyi’s contract with Xingchuan Entertainment had expired. She would probably sign with Jiaxun after this, and the movie Snow Buried Gold was a welcome gift for her.

For a star who debuted as an idol, their career was short, and their resources were limited. To maintain long-term popularity in the entertainment industry, they had to transition to other fields.

Compared to Xingchuan, whose resources were limited in all aspects, Jiaxun was obviously a better choice.

But Jiaxun already had its top star, Qiao Jingjing. Bringing in Lin Qingyi—

Jian Ke: “Will Sister Jingjing agree to this? It’s like giving half of her resources to Lin Qingyi.”

Wang Qiu: “Whether she agrees or not, isn’t it up to President Zhou to decide?”

“Just try to avoid her as much as possible on set. If you accidentally get into a conflict, her fans won’t be lenient with their words.”

This was the life of a top star, surrounded by controversy wherever they went.

Jian Ke: “I’ll be careful. Don’t worry.”

But she couldn’t really avoid Lin Qingyi, as her character had many scenes with Miss You Er.

The inn in the film was a real set built by the crew over two months. The red wood lacquer was aged, and red paper lanterns hung from the eaves, swaying in the wind over the snow-covered plain.

The old wooden door creaked in the wind. The crew had timed the filming to be during the best time for the plain to be covered in snow.

The snow on the ground was thick. The fir trees in the dense forest stood tall with white branches, but the winter sun high in the sky was still warm, giving off a faint heat on the skin.

A Le walked through the snow, pushing hard on the mottled door of the tavern. After a long time, the sound of a wooden board being removed came from inside, revealing a beautiful, cool oval face.

“…Staying for the night… or just for a meal…”

“Cut! Let’s do that again.”

In an instant, Jian Ke felt the cold wind blowing from Lin Qingyi, which even the heat pads under her clothes couldn’t resist.

Lin Qingyi’s face was expressionless, but behind the strands of hair falling from her bun, her round earlobes were gradually turning red.

The advantage of being an idol was that Lin Qingyi’s posture and every gesture were beautiful. Paired with a flawless face that could handle any makeup, she looked good from every angle.

But… her lines and acting were a bit weak.

She stumbled and had to restart multiple times before she finally found a bit of a feeling, but it was still a bit bland. In the end, they only managed to get one shot after a whole morning of work.

Jian Ke sat on a small stool in the crew’s tent and heard Director Wang complaining to the associate director. “Lin Qingyi’s acting is about the same as Lin Jing’s. Why would a top star want to be an actress? Isn’t she just ruining her own reputation?”

The associate director tried to smooth things over. “Her acting is a bit weak, but it’s not that bad. Her fame is so big that when the movie is released, a large number of fans will help promote it.

“And she’s coming to us at a loss. We don’t have to spend money and we get the traffic. Why not?”

Director Wang laughed. “That’s true. It’s a good deal.”

Jian Ke listened for a while, then picked up the red date soup that Xiao Yang had put in the insulated bag and walked to another tent.

Lin Qingyi was sitting alone on a plastic stool by the windbreak, a little far from everyone else. She was flipping through the script and quietly practicing her lines.

Jian Ke: “When you recite, your tone should be a little more melodic, and you should soften that awkward, overly-read feeling.”

She couldn’t stand listening to it anymore and spoke without thinking. She then realized that it might have been a bit rude.

But Lin Qingyi wasn’t angry. She looked up, her black, bright eyes clear and bright. Her tone was very direct. “Jian Ke, teach me how to act.”

Jian Ke placed the warm red date soup next to her hand and was taken aback.

“Why are you suddenly…”

“You’re a professional, you’re a good actress, and you’re a good person. Please… teach me.” Lin Qingyi’s face was still a blank mask, and her stiff, forceful tone made it sound like a command, not a request.

Jian Ke: “…”

If they hadn’t been on a show together before, Jian Ke would have thought Lin Qingyi was unhappy with her.

“I know you also taught Shen Zhi.” Lin Qingyi took a bank card from her small bag and handed it to Jian Ke. “This is a tutoring fee.”

Jian Ke looked at the bank card in front of her and at Lin Qingyi’s unwavering, expectant eyes. “I can, but… I don’t need the card.”

“How did you know I taught Shen Zhi?”

“Sister Jingjing,” Lin Qingyi said. “Sister Jingjing said she would look for you as soon as she got on set.”

“We’re sisters, biological ones. She’s surnamed Qiao, and I’m surnamed Lin because one of us followed our dad and one followed our mom.”

Jian Ke looked at Lin Qingyi, who was explaining everything. “I actually… don’t need to know all this.”

Although Lin Qingyi’s acting was weak, her image and temperament were a perfect match for “Miss You Er.” They were both cool beauties with a naturally commanding authority when they were silent.

The only problem was that when she got nervous with her lines, she would unconsciously slip into a dialect.

Lin Qingyi said shyly, “It’s probably because I rolled my tongue too much when I was a kid.”

Jian Ke: ?? Is there a necessary connection between the two?

Since her contract with Xingchuan Entertainment was terminated, Lin Qingyi’s assistants had all left. New ones were still being recruited, so Jian Ke asked Xiao Yang to get some food for Lin Qingyi when she went to get their meals.

The crew’s bento boxes were good, but they were too greasy and fattening.

Xiao Yang pursed her lips and looked at Lin Qingyi next to her, her expression looking a little strange.

Jian Ke whispered, “I just asked you to get an extra meal. Why are you upset? Didn’t I just give you a raise?”

Xiao Yang: “…This isn’t about money at all.”

Jian Ke: “Then what is it about? Don’t tell me… you’re an anti-fan of Lin Qingyi?”

Xiao Yang rubbed her head in distress. “No, I just think she’s been getting too close to you lately, always sticking to you…”

Jian Ke narrowed her eyes. “I get it. Did Sister Qiu ask you to keep an eye on me? It’s fine. See how well I’m getting along with Lin Qingyi? What could possibly go wrong?”

Xiao Yang: …I’m afraid you’ll get along too well with her and the big boss will get jealous!

“Then you should be careful, Sister Jian…” Xiao Yang ran away. She had warned her, so if anything happened later, it really wasn’t her fault.

…

After joining the crew, Jian Ke became busy. She spent most of the day on set, and when they wrapped up late at night or in the early morning, she stayed in the hotel the crew had booked.

In these situations, Xiao Yang would usually send some work photos of Jian Ke to Lou Bianxia. This had become a routine.

Lou Bianxia wouldn’t specifically ask for anything. She would just occasionally look at the photos and know what the young one was up to.

She thought Xiao Yang was a smart assistant and had even offered to pay her a double salary.

This time, when Jian Ke joined the crew of Snow Buried Gold, Xiao Yang also sent many photos, but—

Lou Bianxia zoomed in on each photo, and her eyes suddenly narrowed.

Who is the person next to Jian Ke?

In fact, Xiao Yang had tried her best to only photograph Jian Ke, not letting Lin Qingyi into the frame, to create the illusion that Jian Ke was practicing her lines alone.

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