Transmigrated as the CEO's Top-Tier Stand-in - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

“What… did you say?”

Meng Rendong thought she hadn’t fully woken up and that everything before her was a dream.

But the Ji Yu in this dream was a little too bold, actually daring to utter the three words “breakup fee” to her. Meng Rendong felt utterly confused. Her temples pulsed wildly, and her vision momentarily darkened.

Ji Yu saw that the sleepiness had not yet faded from Meng Rendong’s face, and her star-like eyes held a rarely seen confusion. Ji Yu’s hands involuntarily clenched at her sides. Then, her voice grew firmer as she repeated her previous statement:

“I said, let’s end this relationship.”

Using the word ‘breakup’ to describe them wasn’t entirely accurate.

After all, they hadn’t started out as a couple.

Meng Rendong’s posture stiffened. She was about to tell Ji Yu to be obedient and stop making such jokes, but was suddenly distracted by a sharp pain in her palm. When she came to, she realized she had inadvertently squeezed the bank card too hard; the thin plastic body was slightly bent in her hand.

The pain instantly woke her up.

It cruelly revealed the truth: this was not a dream. Ji Yu was genuinely breaking up with her, and had even handed her a bank card.

In that moment, Meng Rendong was furious to the extreme, yet a thread of absurd laughter rose in her heart.

She had never imagined that she would one day be humiliated with money by someone she kept.

She sat up on the bed. Without even looking at the card in her hand, she tossed the flimsy plastic onto the bedside. Her expression was a humorless half-smile, a floating light in her eyes as she fiercely suppressed the rage that threatened to erupt. Because of the extreme repression, her voice came out slightly hoarse:

“Ji Yu.”

Meng Rendong stared intensely into her eyes, calling her name with unprecedented patience and a coaxing, gentle tone. “Did I not tell you not to joke about such things?”

“Now, take the card back, apologize to me, and I’ll pretend nothing happened.”

Despite the softness of her voice, the warning in her words was stronger than ever.

Meng Rendong knew Ji Yu was obedient, gentle-natured, never caused conflicts, and was completely compliant with her.

She thought, no matter what issues they had, or what she had overlooked, Ji Yu could simply bring it up. She wasn’t an unreasonable person. Why resort to using a breakup as blackmail?

She didn’t like this tactic.

But she had already planned on developing a long-term relationship with Ji Yu and slowly transitioning their relationship into a normal one. She couldn’t explode in anger just because Ji Yu broke one of her rules. She didn’t want Ji Yu to fear or be afraid of her.

As long as Ji Yu went back to how she was before, everything would be fine.

Unfortunately.

Ji Yu was destined to disappoint Meng Rendong this time.

Seeing Meng Rendong insist on avoiding the topic, Ji Yu’s words changed several times on her lips before she finally said: “I don’t have many clothes. I can pack up and leave shortly. I will also restore the areas of the apartment that I modified, especially the original study. I made some changes to the walls and floor—”

“Ji, Yu!”

Meng Rendong grit her teeth. She didn’t care about the damned study now. All she wanted to know was what was wrong with Ji Yu’s mind that she was insisting on breaking up with her.

“Did… did someone say something to you? Was it about my friends at the bar last time? Or about me forgetting your birthday?”

“Ji Yu, if something is bothering you, just say it. We can communicate—”

Listening to Meng Rendong drag the conversation further and further away from the point, a hint of helplessness appeared on Ji Yu’s face. She couldn’t help but interject: “CEO Meng… Meng Rendong.” She hesitated between several forms of address, finally choosing the most formal one.

Meng Rendong’s voice instantly stopped.

She suddenly realized that this was the first time in all these years that Ji Yu had addressed her this way.

All the intimacy they once shared seemed to scatter like reflections in water.

Ji Yu smiled slightly at her. In the time they had been talking, the faint redness around her eyes had gradually faded. Her almond-shaped eyes looked at Meng Rendong with the same gentle warmth as always, but Meng Rendong could see clearly now: those eyes no longer held the former adoration.

Those red marks, evidence of their past intimacy, were gradually fading, wiping away the history they shared.

Meng Rendong instinctively reached out to grab Ji Yu, her voice cold, trying to mask her panic with harshness: “You are not my employee. Don’t call me that.”

Ji Yu slowly pulled her wrist free, seemingly oblivious to Meng Rendong’s increasing grip strength. The smile on her lips hadn’t changed at all, and her voice was as soft as always, but the words she spoke sounded utterly merciless to Meng Rendong:

“CEO Meng.”

She said, “Our relationship was abnormal from the start. I don’t want to continue it anymore. Let’s part amicably, okay?”

As soon as she finished this sentence—

Without any further struggle from Ji Yu, Meng Rendong instinctively let go. It felt as though another moment’s hesitation would have meant throwing her dignity onto the floor to be trampled on.

Ji Yu, seeing her decisiveness, sighed in slight relief, quickly turned, and walked out to pack her belongings.

Twenty minutes later.

Ji Yu stuffed four or five casually chosen outfits into a bag, packed the dog bowls and the water dispenser, which she had washed clean and put into a separate bag. Then, she took the leash, fastened it onto the Corgi, and headed toward the main door. Aside from the small modifications to the dance studio and the complete set of kitchenware, she had made almost no other changes to the apartment in the past four years.

She didn’t look back as she opened the door, but Meng Rendong walked out of the bedroom.

Seeing her calmly taking even the dog bowls, Meng Rendong’s eyes reddened slightly, not from sadness, but from anger. Four years together, and when this person leaves me, is she more concerned about a dog?

“Ji Yu!” she called out again.

The Corgi turned to look at her, seemingly worried she might do something rash to Ji Yu.

Ji Yu stopped, standing still.

Meng Rendong glared at her back, as if intending to imprint her appearance into her memory forever. Her throat moved, and after a long moment, she finally spat out: “If you walk out of here today, don’t regret it, and never think about coming back to me.”

Ji Yu slightly tilted her head, never turning around to face her. Meng Rendong heard her whisper: “Take care.”

Bang.

Ridiculous.

Too ridiculous.

The moment she heard the door close, Meng Rendong put a hand to her forehead, stood at the bedroom entrance for a moment, and let out a low, humorless laugh.

A person who used to rush to greet me the moment she saw me, whose heart and eyes were filled only with me, is telling me she wants to break up?

How will Ji Yu live now, cut off from me, like a fish out of water?

Meng Rendong frantically took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down and prevent any rash actions. For a moment, only her ragged breathing could be heard in the empty apartment.

A long time later.

She went back into the room to grab her phone, her expression cold as she called Xue Lian: “Find reliable people to keep an eye on Ji Yu, but don’t let her see them. I need to know her every move from today onwards.”

Meng Rendong thought.

I must see you restless and distraught because you lost me.

I want to watch you come back and beg me, telling me you will never dare to leave again.

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