The Stand-in is Exceptionally Clingy [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The CEO and Her Canary

◎Are You a Demon?◎

Lin Qingyi, who debuted as a girl group idol, was still one of the top female celebrities in the industry after ten years. She and Qiao Jingjing were rivals who “kings do not meet kings,” rarely appearing in the same place, but their fans had been fighting for years. She was wearing a white sports hat, and her shoulder-length hair beautifully framed her beautiful and alluring oval face. She was a cold beauty with an aloof, distant aura.

Jian Ke couldn’t help but think of Lou Bianxia. Their auras were somewhat similar, but Lin Qingyi was sharper and colder, like a blizzard in the dead of winter, chilling to the bone. Lou Bianxia, on the other hand, was more like a mysterious, ethereal breeze from a mountain forest. But when that breeze gently brushed against your cheek, you could feel the soft tenderness hidden beneath. She was like a distant green mountain, a journey taken one step at a time, with the babbling of a clear spring turning into soft, watery waves. The hazy, damp distance transformed into a fervent, moist longing. When the fog cleared, the first ray of sunlight to enter the forest radiated a warm, dazzling light.

Jian Ke patted her cheeks, pulling her wandering thoughts back to the present.

What exactly constituted a “sincere confession”? She brainstormed as she walked toward Lin Qingyi.

“What is this newbie going to do? Lin Qingyi really looks unapproachable. The pressure must be immense.”

“Sister Qingyi just looks cold on the outside (facepalm). She’s actually a dork. Don’t look at her expressionless face now; her brain is probably still rebooting.”

Jian Ke and Lin Qingyi were similar in height, and both had shoulder-length hair. With a mask covering Jian Ke’s features and her hat on, from a distance, their figures were indeed somewhat alike, which explained why the fans had mistaken her.

Jian Ke quietly clenched her fist and gave a look to the cameraman beside her, signaling that her mission was about to begin. To the audience’s eager anticipation, they watched her pull out her phone and, like a robot, begin to recite a long string of “rainbow farts.”

Audience: ‘???’ What’s going on? Does a scripted confession count as “sincere”? No television crew with eyes would accept such a perfunctory act. Besides… why do these words sound so familiar?

“…You are a star shining in my heart, held in my heart, never to fall. I want to give you a sea of stars, romantic and gentle, and may my roses never wither. The crabapples that pass through the hall have a rich fragrance and a unique sense of independence…”

“The above are all sincere confessions from the fans to Teacher Lin. I’m just relaying them verbally. I wonder if Teacher Lin is willing to accept her fans’ confessions?”

Lin Qingyi was already a little stunned when she heard Jian Ke’s first rainbow fart. Embarrassment and shyness showed on her red earlobes, but she forced them down with her cool, expressionless face. “Yes, of course, I accept. All the love and companionship from my fans have kept me going. I’m also very grateful to Sister Jian Ke for… relaying this, and giving me a chance to confess my love for my fans.”

“Wuwuwu, Lin Qingyi and her fans are forever locked together.”

“Sister Qingyi rarely says these things. Thanks to the new girl for the opportunity.”

“Her name is Jian Ke, and she’s so good at this. A fan’s confession is definitely sincere. I don’t believe the crew won’t let it pass.”

The director didn’t expect Jian Ke to come up with such a clever method. But seeing the positive comments in the live stream, he ruled that Jian Ke had completed the mission, adding that she couldn’t use the same method for other targets. Jian Ke passed by a stroke of luck, but she wasn’t particularly happy, because she still had to find the other two who had already disappeared.

“What are Liu Qingqing and Sun Yan doing?”

“I see that Sun Yan’s mission has already started. Time is tight, and the city park is quite large. Running three laps will take a lot of time and energy, and he has to yell as he runs.”

“Hahaha, I can already hear him from the outer loop of the park, “I’m a fool.””

“What about Liu Qingqing? Her live stream seems to have been a still image for a while. Did she set up camp? Gak gak gak—”

Jian Ke switched to Liu Qingqing’s live stream. The camera was pointed at a rock formation, with half of an elegant head sticking out of the cave entrance. It was a completely static image. Linking it to the other’s mission, Jian Ke silently mourned for her while starting to walk toward the Jiazhoudian Garden on the west side. There were many rock formations in the city park, but the ones that were secluded and big enough for a person to lie down in were only in the Jiazhoudian Garden area. The corridors turned, revealing octagonal windows. The window frames were adorned with intricate bamboo branches. The sunlight cast shadows of leaves on the white wall, which swayed in the negative space as morning turned to evening. The wind was quiet, with only a gentle rustling sound.

Jian Ke squatted by the white wall, looking left and right, but she still couldn’t see Liu Qingqing.

At that moment, the park’s speakers blared. “Guest Lin Qingyi, mission challenge failed.”

“Huh? What did I miss? Why did Lin Qingyi suddenly fail the mission? Did she… start?”

“I was just watching Sun Yan go crazy. I’m dying of laughter. Does anyone know what happened?”

“Lin Qingyi’s mission was to jump rope three hundred times. It shouldn’t have been difficult, but she had only jumped twenty times after getting the rope from the crew before Sister Li Jia intercepted her.”

“To prove that she wasn’t doing a mission but just exercising, she actually snapped the rope in half in front of Sister Li Jia. I can’t breathe, guys.”

“She killed 8,000 enemies but lost 10,000 men herself. Hahahaha, where did this beautiful idiot come from?!”

“My Sister Qingyi doesn’t care about face. It was clearly the rope’s fault. The quality was terrible.”

“My face is the same as Sister Li Jia’s. Are you f*cking kidding me?”

Jian Ke watched the comments and laughed until she almost choked. Then, from the rock formation to her right, she heard a burst of laughter that sounded like a chicken’s cackle.

Liu Qingqing: “What is Lin Qingyi doing?! She’s so funny. The rope said, ‘I didn’t provoke any of you…'”

The contagious laughter echoed through the garden, but she didn’t sense the approaching danger. Jian Ke calmly walked over to the rock formation. She had to admit that Liu Qingqing’s plan was brilliant. She had chased away her own cameraman and put a trash can over the live stream camera. If she hadn’t exposed herself with her laughter, Jian Ke might have missed her.

“Sister Qingqing,” Jian Ke called out. Liu Qingqing was so startled that she let go of her phone, which hit her face and made her nose hurt.

“Jian Ke? What are you doing here?” Liu Qingqing’s heart was pounding. But she relaxed, thinking Jian Ke couldn’t possibly know her mission.

Jian Ke: “I came here specifically to find you.”

Liu Qingqing stuck her head out. If it were at night, the scene would be quite horrifying. Her voice was confused. “Huh? To find me?”

Jian Ke’s voice was hesitant. “There’s something I’ve been holding in my heart for a long time. I’ve always wanted to tell you, but I never had the chance. Now that I’m finally on a variety show with you, Sister Qingqing, I can finally say it.”

Liu Qingqing had a bad feeling and quickly yelled, “Is this part of your mission?! I didn’t hear you! I didn’t hear a thing!”

Jian Ke walked to the front of the rock formation, her expression sincere, with tears welling in her eyes. Liu Qingqing’s feet were wedged between the rocks, her body maintaining a delicate balance. In her current state, even if she wanted to run, she couldn’t.

“I… I love you! My brain sweat, my heart, every organ in my body is saying I love you!” Jian Ke yelled with all her might, afraid Liu Qingqing and the audience wouldn’t hear.

Liu Qingqing’s mouth twitched, and her face fell apart. “Sister, your confession is so cheesy. How many years old is that joke?!”

Jian Ke pretended not to hear her. “So, Sister Qingqing, do you like my sincere confession?” She put extra emphasis on the word “sincere.”

“Sincere? You won’t even give a proper confession. How is that sincere at all?” Liu Qingqing didn’t want to sabotage Jian Ke’s mission, but could her confession be any more perfunctory?

Jian Ke really didn’t want to say a proper confession. It was just a game mission, there was no need to be serious. Even though she knew Lou Bianxia probably wasn’t watching the live broadcast, she didn’t want to say the words so easily.

Jian Ke tried another tactic. “Sister Qingqing, you’ve been up there for a while and you won’t come down. Is it for your mission?”

Liu Qingqing had a bad feeling. “You know the answer to that.”

Jian Ke smiled faintly. “Sister Li Jia and Sister Qingyi have both been eliminated. What if I called them over to help you ‘come down’? Since I can’t complete my mission, I might as well stop others from completing theirs.”

Liu Qingqing looked dejected. “Are you a demon?”

“Hahaha, that’s brilliant. Liu Qingqing’s mission is probably not to have both feet on the ground. Can she really hop past three people?”

“Jian Ke is so mean. She’s forcing Liu Qingqing to accept this confession.”

“She’s pretty and smart. I’m a fan of this newcomer.”

Liu Qingqing begrudgingly admitted to the crew that Jian Ke’s confession was sincere enough. Jian Ke put her hands on her hips, her expression a mix of smugness and triumph, which drew another round of laughter from the comments.

All that was left was Sun Yan. It wasn’t hard to find the person yelling “I’m a fool” in the park. Jian Ke followed the voice and found Sun Yan, panting on the greenway. Li Jia, Lin Qingyi, and Wang Xuanyu were also there. Li Jia was laughing with her hands on her hips, while Lin Qingyi still had a poker face but was clearly dragged there, her whole body screaming “I’m not with them.”

Sun Yan took the water Li Jia handed him, his throat dry. “I’ve yelled so much that I’m starting to forget what the word ‘fool’ means.” The park was much bigger than he had anticipated. It had been half an hour, and he had only just finished one lap. Thankfully, the crew had given them two hours, so he could still barely complete the mission. But that was only if he didn’t have these two roadblocks blocking his way.

Wang Xuanyu was still following them at a distance, holding a whiteboard, looking for an opportunity to join them. “Sister Qingyi, I’ve been your fan since you debuted. I really love your songs.” Wang Xuanyu then sang a few lines in his deep, magnetic, and skillful voice. “So, Sister, could you sign my name for me?”

“Ahhh, Wang Xuanyu is so sweet. Sign it, sign it for him.”

“That deep voice! And he’s so handsome and masculine. My ideal type.”

“He’s a singer in the boy group Cole. His voice is clean, and he’s a great dancer.”

“He’s in Cole? Why do I have no memory of him?”

“He’s a flop who just slacks off and steals resources, so of course no one knows him. His performance skills are terrible and he’s always a drag on the other members. This time he stole Wang Cheng’s resources.”

“How is it stealing? Wang Cheng was busy and found Wang Xuanyu to fill in for him.”

“Haha, do you really think Mission Re-Launch would need a last-minute fill-in? The crew wouldn’t even bother with a diva like that.”

Facing Wang Xuanyu’s pleading request, Lin Qingyi stood there like a statue. The words went in one ear and out the other, as if she hadn’t heard him at all. Her behavior looked quite rude, as if she was openly snubbing him. Wang Xuanyu lowered his head, looking wronged. His disappointed expression was clear in the live stream. But he quickly put on a smile and walked over to Sun Yan. “Brother Sun, could you sign for me? It’s so sad that my whiteboard doesn’t have a single signature on it.”

Sun Yan gave an awkward laugh. “It is pretty sad. But I can’t just sign your mission for you. How about you just sign it yourself? Sign it big, and it’ll fill up the whole board.”

Wang Xuanyu: …

“Hahahaha, Sun Yan, you’re killing me. He’s a comedian, and I’m not watching the other comedy shows without him!”

“He’s already arranged for next season’s guest list.”

“Sometimes I can’t tell if he’s genuinely funny or just has really low emotional intelligence.”

“Probably… both. He’s a natural comedian.”

“Hahahaha, Wang Xuanyu is a huge failure.”

“He should have asked Sister Li Jia. She’s easier to talk to, even if she seems a little tough.”

But Wang Xuanyu was even more afraid to approach Li Jia. When he had shamelessly followed them, she had already given him a few disgusted glares. So, he could only continue to follow them glumly.

“Is it just me? I feel like… Wang Xuanyu is being isolated?”

“Wuwuwu, I feel that way too. What did my idol do to be so disliked? It’s just a signature. Nobody will even sign for him, and their reactions are so cold.”

“How is this about isolation? Everyone is just trying to complete their missions. Wang Xuanyu’s mission is to get all the guests’ signatures. Only a fool would sign for him. Do you fans really think your idol can just act cute and everyone will fawn over him?”

“But throughout the live broadcast, it seems like no one else is interacting with him. They don’t include him in their conversations. Aren’t Lin Qingyi and he from the same company? Why isn’t she helping him?”

“Lin Qingyi helping a new guy? That’s a joke. With her personality, who could she mentor?”

“While mentoring newcomers is a tradition of Mission Re-Launch, why should a senior veteran have to go through so much trouble to do it? Since he’s on the show, he should take initiative. Why is your idol so high-maintenance?”

“Sun Yan and Jian Ke are both new, and they’re handling their missions on their own. Don’t expect to complete a mission by just saying a few sweet words.]

Jian Ke watched the surrounded Sun Yan, a bit troubled. If she were to rush in and confess now, she would definitely be gagged and “kidnapped” by Li Jia and Lin Qingyi. She had to find another way. She paused, then turned and walked away.

Li Jia watched the live stream as she walked. “Jian Ke’s live stream has been a still image for a long time, showing half of her face. I wonder what she’s up to? The comments say she’s given up.”

Sun Yan was noncommittal. “I don’t think so. She’s already confessed to Qingyi and Qingqing. Why would she give up halfway through? She’ll at least try.” Sun Yan subtly tried to run ahead, but Lin Qingyi, who was watching him closely, beat him to it. He could only give up in frustration. “What about Qingqing, then? You can’t just keep your eyes on me.”

The game would only move to the next round if everyone failed their mission. If even one person succeeded, all their efforts would have been for nothing.

Li Jia sighed. “I can’t find her at all. Ever since Jian Ke found her, she must have moved to a new spot. Her live stream is just a shadow of a tree, and it’s hard to tell where she is. I don’t know how she can hop so fast on one foot.”

“Or you could just give up on your mission and help me find Qingqing?”

Sun Yan: …I think I can still be saved.

In the narrow, tree-lined path, Sun Yan was looking for a way to escape when he suddenly saw a banner stretched between two trees not far away. The banner was clearly temporary. The red background with yellow letters for “Reading Day” was faintly visible, and on top, someone had written with a black marker, “Three years since your debut, keep moving forward, you’ve panned for gold in great waves, and finally the clouds part to reveal the moon.”

…It was clear whose handiwork this was. Because it was stretched across the middle of the path, it was impossible to ignore. There were more banners, one after another, chronicling Sun Yan’s journey. At the end of the last banner stood Jian Ke.

—”From now on, more and more people will love you.”

“Damn, as an old fan of Sun Yan, seeing these banners really makes me tear up.”

“I can’t believe it’s been three years since Sun Yan debuted.”

“Yeah, yeah. Brother Sun debuted three years ago, but he’s still a newbie. He’s been on so many variety shows, but he’s barely gotten any screen time. He’s wasted these past few years and is only now finally getting noticed by so many people.”

“Brother Sun is crying… He’s really touched by this…”

Jian Ke saw him wiping away tears and awkwardly scratched her head. “Actually, I… I just got these from your Weibo homepage and fan forum. Brother Sun deserves to be loved by more people.”

Sun Yan laughed and gave her a thumbs-up. “I am completely defeated by this sincere confession!”

—”Congratulations, guest Jian Ke, for successfully completing the mission.”

Jian Ke let out a sigh of relief, her face overflowing with joy.

Watching from the screen, Lou Bianxia unconsciously smiled as well. Her fingertip grazed the somewhat blurry face of the person on the screen.

“My little one, you’re quite clever.”

Mission Re-Launch wrapped up its new episode. In the end, only two guests successfully completed their missions. Liu Qingqing emerged from a hidden corner, her pants stained with dirt, but her face was full of happiness. For her fan rewards, Jian Ke chose to give out red envelopes on Weibo. She felt that giving money was a more direct method and more practical than things like promotional posters.

After a hard day of running, Jian Ke was exhausted and returned to Jingxiu Manor. The 520 system brought her good news: her Weibo followers had increased by over two hundred thousand, and she even had her own fan forum. It was a cause for celebration, and Jian Ke felt she was one step closer to her goal of being a top celebrity.

She collapsed on the sofa, too lazy to even lift a finger, and slowly closed her eyes, falling asleep. When she regained consciousness, it was to the constant vibrations of her phone. She sat up, squinting. The sky outside had already darkened. Lou Bianxia had returned from the company at some point and was watching TV with a cup of coffee.

“The crabapples that pass through the hall…” A far-too-familiar voice came from the television. Jian Ke turned her head in a daze and saw herself on the TV screen, reciting the rainbow farts to Lin Qingyi. Lou Bianxia seemed to be watching with great… relish?

Jian Ke: …Embarrassing, so f*cking embarrassing.

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