The Stand-in is Exceptionally Clingy [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The CEO and Her Canary

◎Each Takes What They Need◎

Because she had a schedule to report to the company today, Jian Ke made an effort to shorten her breakfast time.

Lou Bianxia leaned back in her chair with a composed look, watching Jian Ke wolf down her food. She saw her swallow a steamed bun in two big bites, her cheeks puffing out like a hamster hoarding food. Her eyes were bright and sparkling. Then, she quickly scooped up some vegetable porridge that had cooled to the perfect temperature. Her speed was fast, yet her movements were graceful and unhurried. Lou Bianxia felt like she was watching a pleasing live-stream of someone eating, which gave her a big appetite, causing her to eat one more sandwich than usual.

Jian Ke was wearing the latest autumnal shirt from a brand called “Ou Fei,” which Lou Bianxia had personally picked for her. The light brown plaid and orange-yellow collar had a young, vibrant feel that suited Jian Ke perfectly.

Lou Bianxia felt like she had found a new hobby: dressing up Jian Ke. The closet was full of clothes in different styles. Lou Bianxia had the freedom to mix and match to create different looks—cute, mature, cool, or sexy. It felt a bit like a child carefully dressing her beloved doll.

“Don’t forget the milk on the table.”

Jian Ke glanced at the glass of milk she hadn’t touched. Her hand paused, but she smiled, picked it up, and drank it.

Jian Ke didn’t like milk because she could always taste the raw, animal-like flavor. If she drank too much, she would get “milk-sick”—a strange taste sensation. She normally only drank yogurt. Drinking milk was the white moonlight’s preference: one glass in the morning and one at night, and it had to be fresh milk.

As the entire glass went down, the unavoidable milky taste filled her mouth, and her head began to feel dizzy. She had heard of people getting sick from blood or needles, but rarely from milk. Jian Ke thought she was a bit strange, but she hadn’t expected this symptom to carry over to this body.

The 520 system called out Jian Ke’s name in her mind, sounding worried.

Jian Ke shook her head, forcing a smile as she said goodbye to Lou Bianxia and walked out. She had to leave soon, or her face would start to turn red, as if she had been drinking bad alcohol. Fortunately, the dizziness came and went quickly, and by the time Jian Ke arrived at the company, it had mostly subsided.

Jiaxun Media’s star-making plan was the most comprehensive and well-developed in the industry. It included everything from a star’s persona and fan-attraction methods to their mix of variety show and acting resources and their later transition. It was all custom-made by a team of star-makers.

Jian Ke sat in a chair, a little nervous, looking at a group of people gathered around her. Her manager, Chen Qiu, placed four or five different star-making plans in front of her. “Don’t be nervous. Take a look at these first.”

“If you have any requests, you can say them directly.”

Jian Ke looked at the thick stacks of documents and felt a headache coming on. It was as if she could see her lazy life waving goodbye to her.

Jian Ke thought it didn’t need to be so complicated. “Actually, I only have one request.”

Everyone looked at her.

Jian Ke said, “I just want to be famous. As long as I can be famous, I think any plan is fine.”

But as soon as she finished speaking, she noticed everyone’s eyes suddenly became much more enthusiastic. Their intense stares made her wonder if her milk-sickness had returned.

Jian Ke: ‘Did I say something wrong?’

Her manager, Chen Qiu, laughed. “That is our shared goal. Otherwise, what would be the point of all the effort we put into these plans?”

“I just didn’t expect that Miss Jian is also an ambitious person.”

When they received the order to create a custom, A-list star-making plan for a newcomer, everyone in the room felt a lot of pressure. The pressure didn’t come from how difficult the plan was to create, but from the artist herself. Even the best and most perfect plan requires the artist to execute it. The team behind them also needs to constantly modify and improve the plan based on public feedback and fan loyalty. Only then can a “star” shine even brighter. If the “star” doesn’t want to shine or falls halfway, the entire team fails.

Jian Ke so openly laying out her ambition made them feel more at ease.

Faced with everyone’s sudden enthusiasm, Jian Ke was still confused. She was about to ask a question when she heard the conference room door open. The person who walked in was wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, dressed in a simple hoodie and jeans, but she still managed to show off a graceful, well-proportioned figure.

Chen Qiu said, “The big star is finally here?”

The woman gave a flat “Mm,” and plopped down in a chair next to Jian Ke. She lifted her chin. “Is this her?”

Chen Qiu said, “Yes, this is her. You’ll be heading to the set this afternoon. I’ll have to trouble you to mentor her.”

The woman took off her sunglasses, revealing an exceptionally beautiful and familiar face. “You probably know me. I won’t introduce myself. I can take good care of you, but there’s one condition you must follow: don’t be a burden to me.”

Jian Ke nodded in agreement, but her heart was in shock. Qiao Jingjing was Jiaxun’s current top celebrity, the most profitable female star. She was now willing to mentor a newcomer who had just started. Jian Ke was very curious how Jiaxun’s boss had managed to convince her.

Chen Qiu said, “Since that’s settled, you two can leave together. Jian, I’ll send you the relevant documents. Take a good look at them on the way.”

Jian Ke followed Qiao Jingjing to her chauffeured van. As expected from the company’s biggest star, the van looked exceptionally luxurious and grand. The interior was very spacious. Behind the seven seats was a clothes rack, and a moving black curtain created a small changing space. There was also an extendable chair that could be laid down to become a small single bed, complete with pillows and a blanket. There was even a small TV screen for projection.

“If you like it, you can ask your person to buy you one.”

Jian Ke: ‘Huh? My… my person?’

Qiao Jingjing blinked. “Don’t pretend you don’t know. You’re CEO Lou’s girlfriend, right?”

“You know CEO Lou?”

Qiao Jingjing said, “I don’t know her well. I’ve only met her once during a business collaboration, but she’s also a big beauty. For your sake, she gave up a lot of resources and collaborations with Zhou Li. The reason I agreed to mentor you is because she promised me a leading role in a New Year’s Day film next year.”

“And I get to pick from scripts for other big-name IP dramas,” she continued. Anything Lou Bianxia invested in would undoubtedly be a high-quality production. “As expected of Suimu. They’re just so rich and powerful. Of course, I’m not bad either. This is a win-win deal.”

Jian Ke was a bit dazed. Lou Bianxia’s willingness to spend money was just too, too much.

Qiao Jingjing said, “You managed to win over a ‘flower on a high peak’ who is known in the industry to be unobtainable. Not sure how many men and women are going to be heartbroken. Maybe in the future, I’ll even be able to benefit from your connections.”

Jian Ke looked at the scenery flashing by outside the window. She really wanted to tell Qiao Jingjing that she and Lou Bianxia weren’t in a romantic relationship but a transactional one. They weren’t even considered lovers.

Because she was just a stand-in.

Each taking what they needed.

After pondering for a while, Jian Ke still took out her phone and sent a message to Lou Bianxia.

—”I’m heading to the set today. The company arranged for Qiao Jingjing to mentor me.”

Perhaps because it was lunchtime, the reply came quickly. “Have they arranged your path and persona? If you’re not satisfied with anything, tell me directly. I’ve already spoken with Zhou Li.”

Jian Ke replied, “Everything is great. Thank you so much, CEO Lou.”

Lou Bianxia replied, “Since you’re new, ask Qiao Jingjing if you don’t understand anything.”

Jian Ke said, “I heard from Senior Qiao that you gave up a lot of resources for Jiaxun. You didn’t have to.”

Lou Bianxia replied, “Since you’re my person, how could I not do that? I can get back the resources and profits from other places. It’s not a big problem.”

The words were incredibly arrogant. Jian Ke looked at Lou Bianxia’s profile picture, a small smile appearing on her face. She suddenly, very much, wanted to hug Lou Bianxia.

Walking on Snow was a tragic fantasy romance drama. Qiao Jingjing played the female lead, the head disciple of the first immortal sect, the Cloud Bell Sect. She was a gifted talent, with her life’s mission being to uphold justice and vanquish demons. While traveling, she unexpectedly saved the male lead, who had been injured by demons. Their feelings grew, but the male lead was a mortal, unable to fight demons with her.

After much hesitation, just as the female lead finally decided to retire from the martial world, she discovered that the male lead was the supreme lord of the demon realm. During their fight, the female lead was injured and escaped back to the Cloud Bell Sect, beginning their long-distance, tragic romance.

This was the synopsis for the first half of the series. The crew only planned to film up to this point. It was a low-budget web series, relying entirely on Qiao Jingjing’s star power. The second half would only be considered based on the reaction and budget after it aired.

So, the question was, who was Jian Ke playing?

She flipped through the cast list repeatedly until she found her name at the very end, which had obviously been added on later.

“…Junior Sister.” That was it. She didn’t even have a proper name.

Qiao Jingjing gave a light cough. “She’s the female lead’s deceased junior sister. She sacrificed herself during a fight with the demon clan, and this solidified the female lead’s resolve to slay demons.”

“In the show, she only appears in the female lead’s dreams. She doesn’t have a full shot of her face, just a back view in a white dress. I was actually the one who filmed that back view.”

Qiao Jingjing said, “But since you’re here, the character will probably get a full face shot.”

Jian Ke asked, “So the screen time and lines…”

Qiao Jingjing looked a bit embarrassed. “Less than three minutes. Lines… none.” She felt that even the “three minutes” she said was an exaggeration, as the original role was just a back view with a smiling side glance, and the lighting was so bright you couldn’t see clearly.

“You don’t have to be too sad. The junior sister is considered the female lead’s ‘white moonlight’ figure. Even though her screen time is only three minutes, she will be replayed repeatedly in the female lead’s dreams. This can be considered… a memorable role,” Qiao Jingjing said, trying to make it sound better.

Jian Ke said, “I’m not sad. I’m not sad at all. Even though I have a formal acting education, I have no prior acting experience. Having this opportunity is already a rare blessing.”

Qiao Jingjing smiled. “You have a good mindset, then.”

As they were talking, they arrived at the set. Qiao Jingjing introduced Jian Ke to the director, then went to the dressing room with her assistant to change.

The director was younger than Jian Ke had imagined. She had a round face and thick glasses. It was rumored that she was a former award-winning screenwriter who became a director, so her scriptwriting skills were excellent. Jian Ke watched as the director scrutinized her from the front and the side. After a moment, the director’s eyes lit up, and she pulled Jian Ke to a corner, looking very secretive.

Jian Ke: ?

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