The Stand-in is Exceptionally Clingy [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: The Film Empress and Her Little Assistant

◎”Move closer.”◎

Luzhu is a slow-paced water town in the Jiangnan region. Its centuries-old stone bridges and white-washed walls have a rich, historical charm.

This is a large part of why the film studio was built here; some of the scenery can be used directly.

—For example, the stone bridge where Lou Bianxia filmed the famous scene of her turning back with a smile.

But now, a sign for a famous online check-in spot has been erected by the bridge pier.

Since filming Young Girls, Lou Bianxia hadn’t set foot in this place, even though she visited the film studio almost every year.

Was this the timidity of being near home?

Lou Bianxia couldn’t describe her emotions. That ancient stone bridge, with its chaotic, mottled textures, the clear reflection in the green river below, and those few wide and narrow alleys…

Even with her eyes closed, she could see those scenes clearly, because she had dreamed of them so many times.

She had explored almost every alley in the past, examining every brick and tile. When the wind blew, the brass bells on both sides of the street made an ethereal clanging sound. When it rained, the raindrops on the dark roof tiles made a dull tapping sound.

Every time she walked through, the sun only illuminated one side of the wall, because the white walls were too deep and too high. When she looked up, she could only see a small square of blue sky.

Jian Ke led her to the bridge. Her profile, as she turned her head, seemed to overlap with a smile from many years ago, and a soft voice saying, “Senior Sister, the rain has stopped.”

Did I answer him?

Lou Bianxia squinted, trying to remember, but she couldn’t recall anything else.

The rough texture in her palm was familiar. The stone bridge had withstood the test of time.

That green figure seemed to be right by her side, his hand linked with Lou Bianxia’s arm. He was so close, his breath smelling like orchids. “Senior Sister, can we sneak away and have some fun later?”

“Sister Xia! Sister Xia!” Jian Ke got close to Lou Bianxia and waved her hand. “Why are you suddenly spacing out?”

Lou Bianxia was slightly startled. As if coming back to her senses, she grabbed Jian Ke’s hand. “The ointment was just applied. Don’t rub your hand on things.”

Jian Ke smiled playfully and leaned in.

“You’re so good to me, Jiejie.”

Lou Bianxia’s eyes dimmed slightly. “Is this what you call me being good to you? You’re my assistant, and I’m partly responsible for your injury.”

Jian Ke: “Is it just because I’m your assistant? Are you this gentle to all your assistants?”

Jian Ke tried to make her words sound casual and natural, without any hint of probing.

Little did she know, Lou Bianxia had already guessed what she was trying to do. She subconsciously avoided Jian Ke’s clear eyes.

“Maybe there’s another reason why I’m gentle with you?”

Jian Ke looked at Lou Bianxia’s absent-minded profile ever since they stepped onto the stone bridge. She understood perfectly.

Lou Bianxia must have been thinking of Shu Yu.

The two of them met and formed a bond through Young Girls. It was hard to say that there was no genuine emotion in those ambiguous, soft words from the drama.

They were sisters in the play, but their relationship turned sour due to a love triangle with a man. It was a hazy, ambiguous feeling that even the oil-paper umbrella that shielded them from the rain didn’t know about.

But it was something Lou Bianxia and Shu Yu had truly brought to life.

“I’m happy that you’re gentle with me, Jiejie. As for the reason, it’s not important to me.”

Jian Ke propped her chin up. The corners of her charming eyes slanted upward, a unique kind of charm in the world.

This child is too good.

The dense, hot air seemed to seep into Lou Bianxia’s bones. In that moment of daze, Jian Ke’s hand was already on her shoulder. The warmth from her palm seeped through the qipao and onto her skin.

“It looks like you don’t like it here, Jiejie. Let’s go.”

They walked down the steps, but not long after, a light, misty rain started to fall. It wasn’t heavy, but it was humid and sticky.

The moisture soaked into her clothes, clinging to her skin. Lou Bianxia subtly frowned. The next second, the person next to her grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a narrow alley.

The mist blurred her vision. A faint scent of hair perfume drifted in the air. The silhouette in front of her was blurry, a bit reckless and unrestrained, but it made Lou Bianxia’s heart swell.

The past was left behind. The green river was disturbed by raindrops.

In this moment, Lou Bianxia let herself go.

There weren’t many places to hide from the rain in the deep alley with its high white walls. Jian Ke pulled Lou Bianxia to take shelter under the eaves of a house.

Standing on the steps in front of the narrow wooden door, they were pressed close together, their arms touching. The eaves could only cover this narrow space.

Their warm, damp skin was pressed against each other. The space was so crowded that neither of them could move. They could only look up at the slanted rain.

They could clearly hear each other’s hurried breaths. From running, a blush bloomed on Lou Bianxia’s cheeks, as pink and white as peach blossoms on a branch.

“Your stamina… seems a little lacking, Jiejie?”

Jian Ke’s soft lips brushed against Lou Bianxia’s delicate ear. It felt like an electric shock, making her entire body tense up.

She didn’t know if her heartbeats were drowned out by the rain, but Jian Ke’s slightly-parted, smiling lips and her enchanting tone were like a spirit from the mountains and wildlands, captivating her very soul.

Her tongue felt a sharp pain. Lou Bianxia looked at the mischievous Jian Ke, only to see her looking up at the sky as if nothing had happened.

The ambiguous tease felt like it was just her imagination.

Act. Keep acting.

Rubbing her burning ear, Lou Bianxia pursed her lips. She began to subtly squeeze against Jian Ke’s thigh.

Lou Bianxia could clearly feel the unmistakable warmth through their clothes. Jian Ke, however, maintained a serious expression and moved toward the edge of the steps.

Her shoes were getting wet from the rain, slowly turning into a darker shade.

“Move closer,” Lou Bianxia’s voice, full of helplessness, rang out.

In the next second, Jian Ke was pulled back by Lou Bianxia.

The rain seemed to get heavier. The continuous streams of water pouring down from the eaves narrowed the dry space on the ground.

Lou Bianxia’s silk qipao easily soaked through, especially on her shoulder and the side of her chest, clinging to her body.

Jian Ke didn’t forget her duty as an assistant. She took out a tissue from her pocket. “Jiejie, your clothes are wet.”

Lou Bianxia took the tissue and just briefly wiped her shoulder. It was already summer, so she didn’t feel cold even though her clothes were wet. It was just a little uncomfortable.

“The rain should stop soon.”

Jian Ke couldn’t figure out where Lou Bianxia got that from. She suspected her mouth might be blessed.

Because after they stood there for about ten minutes, the gloomy sky suddenly brightened.

The rain lessened, and the soft mist floated away in the sunlight, gradually disappearing.

The sky was split into two. The distance was still gray and hazy, but the area right around them was sunny. The light on their skin felt a little hot.

In the deep alley with high walls, a woman in a qipao walked in front, her gait graceful. As she moved, her fair legs could be seen through the side slits.

Her low-heeled shoes made little noise on the stone pavement. Her steps were light and elegant.

After the ambiguous teasing while they were hiding from the rain, Lou Bianxia didn’t say another word to Jian Ke for the rest of the walk.

This made Jian Ke, who thought she had cracked a corner of the iceberg, quite discouraged.

Jian Ke asked System 521, “Do you think I didn’t flirt enough, or did I go too far?”

521: “My dear, the female lead’s favorability went up just now~”

Jian Ke raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure?”

521 brought up the backend. “And it wasn’t just a little bit~”

Jian Ke hadn’t noticed because Lou Bianxia was right next to her.

Now that she saw the skyrocketing points in a short amount of time, she was pleased. This is even more than what I earned from cooking chicken soup.

Looking at Lou Bianxia’s silent back—

…Since she wasn’t mad, then… was she just embarrassed?

After getting her hand bandaged, Feng Qian returned to the hotel where the crew was staying. The director called other actors and filmed another scene with Lou Bianxia.

A personal assistant was supposed to be available at all times. However, when Jian Ke offered to go back to the hotel with Lou Bianxia, she was rejected.

“The next two days’ scenes are very few. You don’t need to follow me constantly. I’ll contact you when I get too busy.”

Jian Ke felt like she was being “banished to the cold palace.” “Jiejie, did you find a new assistant and decide to get rid of me?”

Lou Bianxia saw her tugging on her sleeve. “If I find one, I’ll tell you.”

Jian Ke pouted. “Then… I’ll take you back to the hotel first.”

Lou Bianxia: “No need. I’m not going back to the hotel. I’m going home.”

“There’s someone at home, so I’m a little worried.”

Jian Ke stood there, a huge question mark in her mind.

Someone at home?! Who?

…

In the brightly lit living room, two people, one sitting and one standing, were surrounded by dynamic game sounds. But the atmosphere was tense and frozen.

“This is how many times now you’ve skipped class to play games all night in your dorm?”

The girl standing in front of her bore some resemblance to Lou Bianxia in her features. She had a standard oval face and was wearing thick, black-rimmed glasses, making her look refined and youthful.

She lowered her head, looking like she was being lectured seriously, but she still grumbled, “This is college, Sister. Why are you still telling me what to do?”

“If I don’t, do you plan on failing every class during final exams?!”

“It’s not that serious. Exams are still a long way away. It’s not a big deal if I play a little longer.”

Lou Bianxia rubbed her forehead. “Both of you are driving me crazy.”

The words drifted into the girl’s ears, making her feel a sense of something fishy. “…Who are you talking about, Sister?”

“No one. This month’s allowance is gone,” Lou Bianxia said, completely ignoring the girl’s pathetic and wronged expression, and walked straight to the second floor.

At the end of the hallway was a screening room. The lights were off, and the only light in the room was the ethereal blue glow from the screen.

The movie was paused halfway through, the frame frozen on the scene where the two characters were arguing on the bridge.

This was a famous scene from Young Girls, where the underlying toxic relationship was exposed, and the conflict from the first half of the movie was completely brought to a head.

The beautiful and harmonious facade shattered. Suspicion and jealousy had just come to the surface. Both of them knew that once they broke through this barrier, their previous relationship would no longer exist.

Lou Bianxia closed her eyes tiredly. She vaguely heard the sound of a heated argument.

A glass was thrown to the floor, shattering into several pieces. The cluttered light and shadows on the wall reflected the figures of people pushing and arguing.

Lou Bianxia wanted to reach for Shu Yu’s hand, but before she could touch his fingertips, she was forcefully pushed away.

So Lou Bianxia could only sit silently on the sofa, watching the other person crouch down and sob softly with a cold eye.

Between the two of them, the one who broke up with the other was the one who cried until their eyes were red.

Lou Bianxia felt her entire body was exhausted. She silently picked up the broken glass pieces on the floor and threw them in the trash can.

That teary-eyed face, filled with sorrow and helplessness, still came to her in her dreams, making Lou Bianxia’s heart ache as she curled her body up.

Lou Bianxia propped up her chin, looking at the profile on the screen. She didn’t continue watching the movie as she usually did. Instead, she turned off the projector.

The room was plunged into a black swamp.

But not long after, Lou Bianxia’s phone screen lit up.

Jian Ke: “Are you asleep?”

Lou Bianxia: “What is it?”

Jian Ke sent several photos of the city’s bright night lights. Fireworks were even going off near the square, illuminating the sky.

“I just wanted to share it with you, so you don’t forget me during this time.”

—Even from a distance, Jian Ke still had to constantly make her presence known.

Lou Bianxia couldn’t help but smile faintly. She poked Jian Ke’s avatar of a puppy with starry eyes.

It really does look just like its owner.

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