The Stand-in is Exceptionally Clingy [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 35.1

Chapter 35.1: The CEO and Her Canary

◎”Because she fell in love with you.”◎

The endless plain unfolded under the sunlight. The snow had stopped falling around dawn, and only an occasional cold wind blew, so quiet that you couldn’t hear a sound.

The outline of the distant mountaintop was a hazy bluish-green. At the foot of the mountain, a forest of fir trees stood in silent stillness. The black trunks and the crystal-clear ice pillars of frozen water droplets made the entire world seem to have come to a halt.

It should have been a desolate and lonely atmosphere, but it was transformed by the sun, which was gradually becoming more dazzling.

The snow had cleared, and the dark clouds had dissipated. On the gold-dusted snowfield, a chorus of laughter and joyful noise was heard again.

The ski resort was lively, and with a full set of rented ski gear, you could have fun all day.

The entrance was covered with mottled footprints. Jian Ke held her ski poles and took one step at a time, moving forward on her skis. From behind, her wobbling, clumsy posture looked like a not-so-smart penguin.

The beginner’s slope was the most crowded. Jian Ke wore a light pink ski suit, with a hat that covered her ears completely. Just as she was about to go up the slope, she was startled by someone swooping down at high speed and jumped to the side.

She landed with a heavy thud, clumsy and comical.

The feeling of snow hitting her face was soft but stinging. She felt that her posture was really ungraceful. Because her skis were stuck, she struggled for a long time but couldn’t get up.

A clear burst of laughter came from behind. Jian Ke turned her head helplessly and saw Lou Bianxia standing there, laughing with her hands on her hips.

It was rare to see her so unserious and undignified. Lou Bianxia wiped away the tears that had welled up at the corners of her eyes and walked over to Jian Ke, half-helping and half-dragging her up.

Lou Bianxia: “Are you sure… you’re ready for the slope at this level? Maybe you should join them.”

Jian Ke followed Lou Bianxia’s finger… and saw the children’s class not far away.

Seven or eight fully-equipped children with matching yellow hats were listening attentively to the ski instructor, their heads bobbing up and down like a group of little yellow ducks on a riverbank.

This was a field trip for the elementary school. On a rare good winter day, the ski resort would invite the nearby schools.

If she squeezed in there, she would be a walking embarrassment, standing out like a sore thumb.

Lou Bianxia: “I heard the instructor’s explanation is quite simple and clear. It’s very helpful for beginners.”

Jian Ke glared at her, unwilling to admit defeat. “Adult experience is accumulated through practice.”

But the facts proved that some things should not be said with too much certainty, as it hurts when your words come back to bite you.

Jian Ke, overestimating herself, went up the slope. Her descent could only be described with four words—

“Too horrible to look at.”

She would fall into a snowdrift in a new, strange posture every time, then stubbornly climb back up the slope, only to fall again. It was an endless cycle.

Some things, it seemed, just don’t get better with practice. Jian Ke sadly wiped the snow from her face and sighed to herself. Suddenly, she heard a few cheers and whistles.

She turned around, propping herself up with her ski poles, and saw a beautiful figure gliding down the beginner’s slope. With a professional and beautiful posture, she leaned forward, jumped, and for a moment, her skis were in the air. The feeling of weightlessness was like a light swallow gliding past, smooth and graceful.

Lou Bianxia skied several times, her movements beautiful and elegant, sharp and unrestrained. Jian Ke couldn’t help but smile as she watched the woman’s dazzling charm, unable to tear her eyes away.

When she stopped at the bottom of the slope for the last time, Lou Bianxia lifted her ski goggles and was about to walk toward Jian Ke when she was suddenly surrounded by a few men. The tone of their conversation was clearly flirtatious, their intentions obvious.

Jian Ke watched the scene silently. She knew exactly how excellent and charming Lou Bianxia was.

But usually, she was always buried in work, and because of her status, the first impression she gave people was one of fear and inaccessibility. Over time, people around her gave up and left, knowing better.

But Lou Bianxia in her personal life was a quiet, cold beauty. Her cool temperament was the most likely to arouse a person’s desire for conquest, making them fall for her.

Why do more and more people seem to be gathering around her? Jian Ke frowned so hard you could squash a fly between her eyebrows.

She’s always saying that I attract trouble and that I’m popular with women, but I think her ability to attract men is just as strong.

As someone’s heart grew sour enough to be used as a dipping sauce for dumplings, Lou Bianxia said something, then gracefully broke through the circle, holding her snowboard, and walked over.

“How’s my little one’s skiing coming along?” Lou Bianxia asked calmly, pretending she hadn’t seen Jian Ke’s countless clumsy falls before.

Jian Ke blurted out, “Naturally, I’m not as skilled as Ms. Lou. You only skied a few times and already have a large group of followers.”

Lou Bianxia smiled, looking at the sarcastic Jian Ke. She held back her laughter. “What followers? They just saw that I was good at skiing and asked a few questions.”

Jian Ke muttered to herself: Who are you trying to fool? Look at how excited those men are. A peacock showing its feathers? A terminal case of courtship?

“And,” Lou Bianxia leaned in and wiped a speck of mud off Jian Ke’s goggles. “I told them I was here with my girlfriend.”

Jian Ke’s eyelashes fluttered rapidly. Even though she was behind goggles, she felt Lou Bianxia’s teasing was tangible.

“Do you need me to teach you? You little dummy.” Lou Bianxia’s voice was full of laughter.

Jian Ke’s neck turned red with embarrassment. She mumbled, “…Yes, please.”

…

“Bend your knees, keep your skis a good distance apart, and keep your center of gravity forward when you glide…” Lou Bianxia patiently instructed Jian Ke, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently pushing down to adjust her posture.

But after a short while, Jian Ke started to slide down.

The distance between her skis grew wider and wider, as if she was about to do the splits. Her ski poles were stuck firmly in the ground but seemed to be useless decorations.

“Don’t slide down… Brake, use the braking posture…”

Jian Ke was on the verge of tears. “I can’t control it.”

Her arms and legs were her own, and she had remembered the posture, but she just couldn’t keep her balance. Her body wouldn’t listen.

Seeing that she was about to crash into the person standing in front of her, Lou Bianxia helplessly grabbed the back of Jian Ke’s ski jacket and held her tightly from behind.

The warm breath near her ear and the irresistible force around her waist made Jian Ke feel a little awkward. She lowered her head and glared at her feet on the skis.

You’re so useless.

It was inconvenient to practice in such a crowded place. Jian Ke had already seen many embarrassing incidents of people crashing into each other.

Lou Bianxia’s gloved hand patted Jian Ke’s goggles. “Someone here doesn’t have the right to laugh at others.”

She looked around and took Jian Ke to a slightly farther, smaller slope. The slope wasn’t steep, which made it easier to practice.

But Jian Ke seemed to have no talent for this. After finally managing to maintain her balance on flat ground, she was still falling in various ways on the slope.

She sighed and heard the laughter of a few children. Not far away, a few children in ski suits were gliding around and playing, as if they were on flat ground.

Jian Ke looked on enviously. Their skill level seemed much higher than a beginner’s. They must have had lessons.

The children were chasing and playing, accompanied by laughter. They would rush through the adults, as if showing off, and after being scolded, they would laugh and glide away.

Before long, they “strolled” to the small slope where Jian Ke and Lou Bianxia were and started circling Jian Ke.

They probably saw that Jian Ke was clumsy and looked like a beginner, so two of them, being troublemakers, went to bump her skis.

Jian Ke stumbled and fell into the snow. She heard the children laughing.

But before they could laugh for long, the agile Lou Bianxia skied up behind them and accurately grabbed the two children who had bumped Jian Ke’s skis.

She grabbed one ear with each hand and scolded them with a stern face, warning them that if they caused any more trouble, she would find the ski resort manager and their parents.

With their ears turning red from being pulled, the two children cried and apologized repeatedly. Only then did Lou Bianxia slowly let go.

If you don’t discipline children, they’ll tear down your house.

Jian Ke felt a little amused watching Lou Bianxia scold the children, but her smile soon froze.

The few kids who had been disciplined looked at each other with resentment, rushed up to Lou Bianxia, and pushed her.

Lou Bianxia was standing on the edge of the small slope, near a drop-off. Because the snow was so thick, the edge wasn’t very clear.

With the sudden push, her body fell backward, and she fell right down the drop-off.

The sight shocked both Jian Ke and the brats.

“Lou Bianxia!”

Jian Ke rushed over. The brats also panicked and quickly ran away.

The small slope was gentle and not too steep, but there was still a significant difference in height between the drop-off and the snow below.

Jian Ke bent down to look and saw Lou Bianxia, in her black ski suit, lying quietly in the white snow, motionless and silent.

For a moment, her mind went blank.

With trembling hands, she unbuckled her skis and stumbled down the slope. Because she was so anxious, she lowered her body, half-sliding and half-kneeling down the slope, her legs numb from the friction.

But all her senses seemed to have disappeared. There was no sound in her ears, her eyes were wet with tears, and she ran awkwardly toward Lou Bianxia.

Panic, fear, anxiety, urgency—all kinds of emotions gathered heavily in Jian Ke’s chest in just a minute or two.

It was as if a black hole had opened up somewhere in her body, and a cold wind was roaring through her.

“Lou Bianxia!” Jian Ke shouted again, her voice hoarse and tearful. She hadn’t even gotten close yet, but she couldn’t stop crying.

Hot tears streamed down her cheeks and then quickly cooled, leaving a clear wet trail.

—Until Jian Ke saw Lou Bianxia on the snow suddenly open her eyes, prop herself up with her arms, and slowly sit up.

It was as if her soul had taken a trip around hell and then risen back to the world of the living. Her cold body warmed up again. Jian Ke’s legs turned to jelly, and she knelt beside Lou Bianxia, unable to wipe away the tears on her face.

But Lou Bianxia gave a gentle smile. “You’re this worried? I should have stayed down for a little longer.”

Jian Ke bit her lip, both angry and anxious as tears flowed. “How can you joke at a time like this? What if you fell on a rock or something?!”

I’m so worried about her, but she’s just going to close her eyes and pretend to be dead??

Lou Bianxia wiped away Jian Ke’s tears. The touch of that warm dampness sent a tremor straight to her heart. She was defeated. “Alright, don’t cry. The snow is so thick, a fall from this height is no big deal.”

“I just felt a sharp pain in my back, so I was a little stunned.” I didn’t mean to worry you.

The brief, rapid fall, followed by a “thud” like she had landed on a hard surface made of ice, caused a momentary dizziness that blurred and darkened her vision.

She closed her eyes and felt her body turn cold, as if she really felt something close to death.

Her chaotic mind found a moment of clarity when she heard Jian Ke’s two frantic shouts. Lou Bianxia could feel the other person running toward her.

The hoarse voice carried a sense of worry and anxiety that could be heard even through the biting wind.

Jian Ke raised her hand and felt Lou Bianxia’s back, carefully checking her. “Even if there are no external injuries, you need to go to the hospital for a check-up.”

“Since this is a ski resort, the area around here must have been cleared thoroughly.” Seeing Jian Ke’s anxious, tear-streaked face, Lou Bianxia felt her heart soften.

She hugged the woman who was still quietly sobbing. “But I’m really happy that you were so worried about me.”

The warm sun shone on the two of them. The hazy sky slowly turned blue as the layers of mist faded. The bluish-green outline of the distant mountains seemed to become much clearer, and even the ice pillars on the fir trees were dripping with water.

Jian Ke’s sobs gradually stopped. Feeling the warmth of the embrace, the feeling of having gotten something back that she thought she had lost finally allowed her to relax the tight nerve in her body.

She couldn’t help but hug her back tightly.

Lou Bianxia’s expression froze for a moment. She rested her chin on Jian Ke’s shoulder and smiled softly, her eyes twinkling like stars, gentle as light.

She asked casually, “If I were to confess to you again right now, would you say yes?”

Jian Ke was stunned. In that instant, a voice in her heart seemed to be questioning her.

Is the mission really that important?

The person Lou Bianxia loves now is me. Why can’t I be with her?

Even if she is destined to be with Shu Yu, that won’t happen for another five or six years.

Before that, she wants to stay with Lou Bianxia, before the final ending arrives.

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