Transmigrated as the CEO's Top-Tier Stand-in - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Once certain ideas emerge, they cling like maggots to bone, following like a shadow, difficult to banish from the mind.

“Even though today is just your final exam, CEO Meng will be here to observe. Furthermore, this performance relates to your ranking among the trainees. I believe many of you have heard that the company is currently negotiating a program with Lizhi Net—Chasing Dreams 100, the first domestic trainee survival show. You all want to participate, right?”

“Yes!”

In the spacious training room, more than a dozen girls in the prime of their youth, wearing form-fitting practice clothes and with meticulously styled hair and makeup, stood listening to Liu Xiaoli, the nearly forty-year-old general manager for trainees at Huangting Entertainment. Their eyes shone with a brilliant light.

It was the longing for dreams and the stage.

They had spent countless days and nights tirelessly shedding sweat and tears in unseen, monotonous dance studios. Now, they were eager to step onto that colorful stage and see what kind of flower their years of hard work could cultivate.

They wanted an audience; they wanted to hear applause—that was the dream that first led them into this industry.

And Chasing Dreams 100 was putting the opportunity right in front of them.

Hearing the urgent cry, Deputy General Manager Liu only offered a faint smile. She adjusted her glasses and chose to temper their enthusiasm beforehand:

“Your excitement now is useless. I need you to put that passion into your performance later. I won’t go easy on you just because I personally selected you and accompany your classes and practice every day, because the audience you will face in the future will be a hundred times stricter than me. They won’t care how many years you toiled off-stage; they will only look at the results.”

This speech made more than a dozen girls uneasy. They exchanged glances, and some were already nervously reconsidering whether they had ever slacked off during practice. Those who were underprepared even broke out in a sweat on their foreheads.

Deputy General Manager Liu took note of everyone’s expressions. She adjusted her glasses again, walked to the edge of a row of desks and chairs in the corner, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Her assistant immediately handed her the list of exam participants, and the regular teachers for dance, vocals, and acting also filed in.

Only the central seat remained empty.

More than a dozen girls went to the adjacent dance studio to prepare. Some were warming up their voices, others were reviewing the choreography with friends, and still others were scratching their heads over their acting class lines.

8:35 AM.

Meng Rendong arrived punctually on the fifteenth floor, with Xue Lian and Chu Nanxing by her side. As they reached the assessment room door, Xue Lian stepped forward and opened it for her.

Liu Xiaoli and the other teachers stood up in unison to greet her:

“CEO Meng.”

Meng Rendong nodded and asked them if they had eaten breakfast. After everyone confirmed they had, she glanced at the table, which only held documents, and instructed Xue Lian to buy some hot beverages nearby, according to everyone’s preference.

Liu Xiaoli smiled and said to her, “You are so thoughtful. I was so focused on the girls that I forgot about that… Is this young lady beside you Miss Chu? You recently returned from studying in H-Country and underwent professional training at an entertainment company there, right?”

Because Chu Jianyu left early, many outsiders were unaware of her existence, and over time, they only remembered the younger daughter, Chu Nanxing.

Liu Xiaoli held ten percent of the shares in Huangting and was considered a major shareholder. Given her years of experience in the trainee industry, trainee management within the company was largely under her direction, so she was more natural and casual around Meng Rendong.

Noting that Liu Xiaoli’s gaze carried scrutiny when she spoke to Chu Nanxing, Meng Rendong quickly understood after a moment of thought and interjected, feigning casualness: “Mhm. She hasn’t signed with a company yet and has already found friends to prepare for Chasing Dreams 100 together.”

Since the negotiation with Kong Rufan had failed, Meng Rendong had temporarily not signed a contract with Chu Nanxing. However, given Chu Nanxing’s inherent abilities, securing one of the initial 100 trainee slots for the show was more than manageable.

When Liu Xiaoli heard that Chu Nanxing wouldn’t be occupying one of Huangting’s program trainee slots, the smile on her face deepened. She signaled her assistant to add another chair, picked up the documents, and moved closer to Meng Rendong, speaking with warmth:

“This is the list of graduates from this batch. Miss Chu can also take a look. You’ve spent a long time in H-Country, where the entertainment company training model is mature and rigorous. Giving them guidance would surely be more than enough.”

Chu Nanxing smiled modestly: “You jest. Strictly speaking, I am in the same generation as them. I can’t offer guidance, but mutual exchange is fine.”

Meng Rendong checked the time, raised her chin, and instructed: “Let’s begin.”

In the dance studio.

Ji Yu casually wiped the sweat from her chin with the back of her hand. After finishing the dance, she reached for her phone to skip the song. When she lit up the screen, she checked the time and realized it was morning again. She stood still for a few seconds, then suddenly turned and headed out.

The Corgi had been watching by the door the entire time. Seeing her emerge, it stood up in surprise, wagged its tail, and circled her ankles:

“Is Yuyu hungry?”

Ji Yu squatted down, stroked its head, and smiled: “I think you’re hungry. Come on, to the kitchen. I’ll pan-fry a lamb chop for your breakfast today.”

The Corgi let out a long, drawn-out sound, unable to resist raising its body to push against Ji Yu’s knees, trying to jump onto her: “Yuyu! I declare you the most beautiful woman in the world!”

Ji Yu couldn’t help but laugh: “Stop that.”

Soon, the human and the dog were in the kitchen together, smelling the fragrant lamb chops, both ravenous. Ji Yu hadn’t had much appetite, but after preparing the meat, she unusually made herself a self-fried bacon and egg sandwich and paired it with yogurt.

After breakfast, she glanced at the Corgi still happily devouring its food in the bowl and said, “I’m going out for a bit. I’ll be back at noon. What would you like to eat?”

The Corgi only responded with a wagging backside: “Anything… whatever Yuyu makes is delicious!”

Ji Yu mused as she walked towards the door. After changing her shoes, she took the keychain hanging by the entrance. Remembering last night’s events, she took out her phone, opened her contacts, and after a long pause, composed a text message and sent it:

“Are you free today?”

Meng Rendong received the text message while frowning at a company trainee’s performance.

She leaned back in her chair, enduring her frustration, and finally interrupted the girl’s line delivery: “I won’t even comment on you not remembering your lines—”

“What is this pitch variation, high one moment and low the next? Is your throat doing the splits? It can’t possibly be a dramatic interpretation, can it?”

Liu Xiaoli forced a stiff smile next to her, desperately looking at the line instructor: “Is the dialogue particularly difficult, or is the class schedule too rushed?”

The line instructor nervously gauged their expressions and tentatively suggested: “Maybe she is too nervous.”

Liu Xiaoli then pretended to scold the student in front of her, ending with encouragement: “If you’re nervous, prepare better. You, step down and let the next one—”

Meng Rendong interrupted: “The stage won’t give you a second chance to prepare. You, failing grade for performance. Next.”

Liu Xiaoli: “…”

Her face darkened slightly, as if her hard work was being denied, yet she didn’t know how to argue. She could only sit there and watch the next trainee enter. Fortunately, this one hadn’t slacked off in acting class, performed well vocally, and flawlessly completed all the movements in her solo dance.

Just as she sighed in relief, she heard that familiar cold voice speak up again:

“Do you dislike us very much?”

Everyone present: “???”

Meng Rendong continued: “If you don’t dislike us, then why are you constantly facing your back to us?”

Liu Xiaoli: “…”

She was about to say something, but Chu Nanxing spoke up: “Maybe it’s because there are no cameras here, so she suddenly forgot which direction to face, right?”

After speaking, she glanced at Liu Xiaoli’s expression and quietly reminded Meng Rendong: “Your phone is ringing.”

Meng Rendong gave the phone screen a cold glance. She initially didn’t want to bother, but noticing the sender was Ji Yu, and recalling the dating tips she searched for last night, she patiently picked up the phone and started replying:

“Missing me?”

Ji Yu didn’t know how to respond.

Should she just say it directly?

Say, I want to break up with you?

Fortunately, Meng Rendong’s next message arrived quickly: “12:30 PM. I’ll come to your place. Don’t prepare lunch for me; I’ll eat at the company.”

Ji Yu let out a huge sigh of relief.

Now she didn’t have to lie.

She put her phone away, looked at the bustling market in front of her, and after a long while, carrying the hundreds of thousands of yuan she had just redeemed and which felt warm on her card, she went to the nearby supermarket, bought a microwavable meal, and went home.

12:25 PM.

Meng Rendong smoothly used her fingerprint to unlock the door. The moment she entered, she was slightly discomfited by the lack of cooking smells inside. But soon, seeing Ji Yu emerge from the room wearing a black spaghetti-strap dress, a smile instinctively appeared in her eyes.

Opening her arms, she stood by the entrance and raised an eyebrow, asking Ji Yu, “Didn’t you miss me?”

Ji Yu looked at her embrace, hesitated for a moment, but quickly reverted to her usual obedient manner. She walked toward Meng Rendong, nestled softly into her arms, wrapped her arms around her waist, and looked up at her:

“I want to—” say something.

The rest of the words were blocked by a kiss.

Ji Yu’s eyes widened. After a long exchange of breaths, as her breathing stabilized, she heard Meng Rendong chuckle softly in her ear: “I know what you want. So eager?”

Ji Yu: “No, I…”

Meng Rendong knew her too well.

Just the touch of their body temperatures could instantly ignite her feelings with just a few words, making Ji Yu’s intended refusal falter midway, leaving her no choice but to tacitly allow what followed to happen.

One was filled with more intense affection than usual, while the other held an unspeakable guilt—

Consequently, one was more aggressive, and the other was more compliant.

It created a feeling even more passionate than their previous times.

Ji Yu eventually couldn’t help but cry.

Meng Rendong stroked the back of her neck, which was damp with sweat, and asked with a smile, “Don’t you like it?”

She shook her head, unsure if she was truly resisting or simply overwhelmed.

Meng Rendong looked down and saw her eyes were clouded with a thin mist, looking utterly pitiful, as if she had been severely bullied. She instinctively kissed the other’s forehead and said:

“You like it.”

You like me, so naturally, you like what I give you.

Ji Yu closed her eyes, clutching Meng Rendong’s neck, but remained silent.

Later, the two fell onto the bed, drenched in sweat. Meng Rendong was captivated by the overly comfortable atmosphere, and drowsiness gradually washed over her.

Ji Yu, however, opened her eyes, sat up soberly, and silently watched her sleeping form from the bedside.

Similar.

Too similar.

The same love for sweets, the same smile, and even the same quiet appearance when asleep.

But…

Meng Rendong was ultimately not her.

Ji Yu came back to her senses. Her hand was only an inch away from Meng Rendong’s cheek. She kept it suspended there. After an unknown amount of time, she silently curved her lips and withdrew her slightly aching arm to her side.

Then, she got up to retrieve her bank card and returned to place it in Meng Rendong’s palm.

Meng Rendong seemed to be startled awake by the coolness in her palm. She half-opened her eyes and looked at Ji Yu. Against the light from the window, she saw the blush of passion still lingering on Ji Yu’s face and a hint of crimson at the corner of her eyes.

In this faint light, she heard Ji Yu say gently:

“Thank you for your care over the past four years. This is the breakup fee.”

“The card contains the living expenses you have provided over the years, which I have not touched. I have also paid the rent at market price and included a small personal compensation from me to you.”

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