Transmigrated as the CEO's Top-Tier Stand-in - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

“She is in this world.”

The moment she heard these words, Ji Yu was struck as if by lightning. Her eyes involuntarily widened, her breathing rhythm slowed, and for a moment, the flow of blood in her veins seemed to decelerate, all to buy more time to process the shock.

Her fingers, which hung naturally by her side, twitched. After a long pause, she quietly called out: “System.”

Ji Yu closed her eyes, feeling as if something was lodged in her throat, preventing her from speaking. Fortunately, her communication with the System was internal:

“You know… you can’t joke about this.”

Taking a shallow breath, Ji Yu said word for word: “Because, I will believe you.”

If Si Tian truly was alive.

If Si Tian was truly in some corner of this world, Ji Yu thought, then no matter the cost, even if she had to turn over every stone, she would find her.

Her tightly closed eyelashes trembled. Ji Yu realized that the painful, unwilling memories she had long buried were being violently unearthed at this moment.

She thought she had forgotten.

Yet, the scars were still vivid.

The Painful Past

She still remembered the flood of news that covered the internet after the news of Si Tian’s suicide by slashing her wrists broke. Because her girl group was one of the top in the country, the entertainment reporters gathered like sharks sniffing blood, excitedly vying to be the one to dig up the freshest exclusive news. Her death became a media frenzy.

Counting backward from the day Si Tian committed suicide, Ji Yu hadn’t seen her in a full six months.

Before that, she and Si Tian had participated in the same idol survival show, but Ji Yu missed the debut spot by one position and had to return to her trainee life with regret.

Fortunately, Si Tian didn’t mind. In the first half-year after debuting, she often snuck out to see Ji Yu, encouraging her, keeping an eye out for suitable opportunities and resources in the industry, and urging her not to give up.

Ji Yu thought their relationship could continue this way forever.

However, in the second half of the year, the girl group’s schedule became heavier. Si Tian might be in the country in the morning but had to fly abroad in the afternoon. Film, music, fashion… there was no field she wasn’t involved in. Although they used instant messaging apps, the intervals between messages were like slow-paced forum chats from an older era; whether they managed to connect depended entirely on luck.

Ji Yu once tried to adjust her time zone to match Si Tian’s, but when Si Tian was abroad filming a show, she didn’t get her phone for several days. When she finally got it back from her assistant, she messaged Ji Yu, who instantly replied. Si Tian realized what she was doing and immediately made a long-distance call, ordering Ji Yu to eat and rest well, and even assigned her a lot of “homework.”

Ji Yu’s budding night owl routine was thus forced back to normal.

She had to find another way.

She joined Si Tian’s major fan group and got Si Tian’s flight information. She even went to the airport to pick up Si Tian when she returned to the country. That time, however, she ran into extreme fans harassing the girl group members. The crowd instantly became riotous, and the scene was so chaotic that a stampede almost occurred. If Si Tian hadn’t spotted Ji Yu in the crowd and pulled her up, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Ji Yu was subsequently forbidden from coming to the airport to meet her.

When she was feeling down, Si Tian came to visit her once. Touching her head, Si Tian smiled and said: “Once this group disbands, I won’t be so busy. I’ll spend all my time with you, okay?”

Ji Yu pretended not to miss her much. She took Si Tian’s hand down, looked away, and after a moment, turned back to ask: “I made rockmelon-flavored ice cream. Do you want to try it?”

Si Tian’s eyes curved into a smile, and she answered: “Sure.”

As Ji Yu turned away, she heard the other person casually say: “I might be a bit busy for the next six months, and I might not have much time to visit—Ji Xiaoyu, don’t cry if you can’t reach me, okay?”

Ji Yu didn’t turn around then, because she didn’t want Si Tian to see the reluctance in her eyes.

She forced her voice to sound normal, stood straight, and said to Si Tian’s back: “Got it! Stop being so conceited!”

Then she heard Si Tian’s soft laugh.

Looking back now, Ji Yu thought, If only I had turned around then. She might have been able to see what expression Si Tian had when she said “very busy” in that relaxed tone.

That way, she might have caught on earlier.

And she wouldn’t have had to endure the pain, so much later, of sifting through those media reports, tracing back the days through the lines of text, repeatedly scrutinizing the memories, wishing she could cut them into frame-by-frame images, using a magnifying glass to look at Si Tian’s expressions, and replaying their past conversations again and again, only to discover how many sharp glass shards were hidden within those seemingly ordinary moments of teasing.

“Si Tian, why do you always come to me? I can go visit you too. Isn’t your house nearby?”

“My family is a bit crazy. You’ll be scared if you go. Be good. Wait for me at the school gate after class, or at the dance studio. As long as you don’t run around, I’ll always find you.”

“Huh?”

“Huh what? Open your mouth. How does this hard candy taste?”

“Sour…”

“Then eat more.”

“?”

“These people online are so annoying! They haven’t seen anything, so why are they taking out their frustrations on you? Saying you fought with outsiders in junior high, bullied classmates, and in high school you… hey, how come they’re making up such realistic stories? It’s disgusting!”

“Why are you angry? Which celebrity suddenly becomes popular without being criticized? Stop looking at this. Come, try the cake I just had someone buy. This one really tastes good. Ah—”

“…Forget it. You shouldn’t look at these things either. You’ll just get angry if you see them. Si Tian, promise me you won’t look.”

“Got it. How does the cake taste?”

“Hmm, too sweet.”

“Got it. I’ll take care of it. You’re such a picky little ancestor.”

“Si Tian, why do you only ever ask about me? I want to know how you’re doing too. Why don’t you tell me about life in your group? I never hear you mention anyone else, or the company.”

“Anyone else? Aren’t you my solo fan? When did you become a group fan? Huh?”

“Be serious!”

“Got it. I’m doing great. You’ll know once you debut. I’m just afraid if I say too much, you’ll be too envious of me, right?”

“As for the company, well… once the group disbands, I’ll have my own studio, a cooperative relationship, that’s all.”

“Is something making you unhappy?”

“No. Stop thinking about it. Come on, today I’ll take you to a new treasure restaurant I discovered.”

“If the cuisine is sweet, forget it. I just remembered I still have a new dance to learn. Hey, don’t drag me!”

“It’s not sweet. Sichuan food. Are you coming or not? If not, I’ll ask someone else.”

“I’m coming! I’ll change right away! Don’t ask anyone else! I eat a lot!”

Ji Yu unconsciously leaned against the wall and crouched down.

Her forehead rested on the cold wall.

Those past snippets of conversation were like bubbles floating into the air, each one a dazzling rainbow, incredibly charming. Now, when she reached out to touch them, she could no longer hold onto that beauty.

Si Tian didn’t let her go home because Si Tian’s family severely favored sons over daughters. Especially after she entered the entertainment industry, they became even more relentless in demanding money from her. Unable to cope, she severed ties with her family. In retaliation, her family sold her information to her rival company, allowing them to continuously hire anti-fans and heavily attack her career at every critical juncture.

Si Tian didn’t talk to her about the group because the second-place debut member had always been jealous of Si Tian’s popularity. So, she not only desperately spread rumors about Si Tian behind her back, but also sought out Si Tian’s parents to authenticate the black material, shaping Si Tian into the image of an unfilial daughter, and cozying up to the company’s high-level executives, snatching many of Si Tian’s resources.

Si Tian didn’t talk to her about the company because her manager constantly arranged for her to attend those extravagant banquets and introduced her to those big bosses. She refused time and again, and the manager, thinking she was difficult, colluded with other members to ostracize her.

Until the second half of that year—

Si Tian had an abnormal performance during a fan appreciation event. It was an event only major fans could attend, so it wasn’t widely broadcast. Although Ji Yu had heard about it from fans, she hadn’t seen the broadcast and couldn’t attend due to a prior commitment.

By the time she heard the news, it was already the next day.

The top two trending topics were:

“Si Tian Suicide”

“Si Tian Falls on Stage”

Even now, whenever Ji Yu thought of this, she still felt unable to breathe.

Why?

Why couldn’t she notice?

Why didn’t she know anything?

The Decision

“Yuyu!”

The System sensed Ji Yu’s extremely unstable mental state and hastily threw all the calming cards and buffs it had onto her, repeatedly emphasizing in her mind: “It’s over! Those things are in the past!”

“Si Tian is still alive, isn’t she?”

If Si Tian’s soul location was still in the previous world, the System would only assume she had reincarnated. But in this world, which had no intersection with Ji Yu’s own, Si Tian’s soul being here could only mean one thing.

Transmigration.

Although it didn’t know why Si Tian’s soul had also been drawn here, at least for Ji Yu right now, this was good news. The System thought so and asked again:

“Yuyu, do you still want to go back?”

Ji Yu leaned her hand against the wall. After a long pause, she opened her eyes and looked at the pure white wall in front of her. Ignoring the white dust on her palm, she whispered in her mind:

“Go back…”

“Go back where?”

“All I ever wanted was just to stay where she is.”

Since Si Tian was in this world.

Then, of course, she would stay.

Ji Yu used the calming effects the System had just applied to steady herself. An excitement, close to the ecstasy of having lost something and finding it again, welled up inside her. She had to exert tremendous effort to stop herself from immediately abandoning the show and running out to search for Si Tian.

She had been gone too long. The production staff began contacting her via earpiece:

“Ji Yu? Are you still in the restroom?”

Ji Yu collected herself, glanced at the equipment she was wearing, and gently let out a breath. Although the emotion in her eyes hadn’t fully subsided, her voice had returned to its usual gentleness:

“Yes, sorry, I have a bit of a stomach ache. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, should we have someone send you some tissues?” the earpiece asked.

Ji Yu thanked them, politely declined, got up, and walked back towards the main area. After a few steps, a strange conjecture popped into her head. Ji Yu suddenly stopped. Her shoes scraped against the smooth floor, echoing in the empty corridor.

“System.”

“Yes?”

“Could it… could it be Meng Rendong?”

Thinking of this possibility, Ji Yu felt her mind fill with chaos.

She couldn’t help but review her four years with Meng Rendong, but compared to Si Tian, she had invested so little thought into Meng Rendong that what felt like a long companionship was merely a collection of scattered fragments.

Ji Yu felt a moment of emptiness.

The System’s answer came in time: “No.”

She softly uttered an “Ah,” as if unsure how to react to this answer.

There was neither relief nor regret.

She had once tried to find Si Tian’s shadow in Meng Rendong. Perhaps because Meng Rendong hadn’t been entirely sincere with her at first, aside from the sweet tooth, Ji Yu hadn’t found any other trace.

Yet, that single point alone had kept Ji Yu immersed for four years, unwilling to sober up.

She lowered her gaze, watching the marble tiles underfoot reflect the fragmented ceiling lights. She walked step by step toward the recording area, but this time, her heart was not as calm as when she was merely completing a task.

Instead, a tiny spark of hope arose.

Hope for a reunion with an old friend.

Sensing her mood, the System added a bonus: “Yuyu, though I can’t expand the tracking range, because that would seriously affect world order, but!”

“As long as Si Tian appears within a one-kilometer radius of you, I’ll know!”

“You will meet eventually, don’t worry!”

Hearing the System’s words, Ji Yu showed her first genuine smile in a long time. The curve of her lips was much more relaxed. She gently replied:

“Okay.”

The Restroom Confrontation

Ji Yu passed the restroom again on her way back.

The door to the women’s restroom was closed. She merely glanced at it, didn’t break her stride, and proceeded gracefully toward the recording area. She had been gone too long; it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to be missing when Qi Feng announced the theme song assessment.

Because she only passed by, Ji Yu didn’t know what was happening inside the restroom.

Meng Rendong violently pushed away Chu Nanxing’s approaching shoulder. Her mind felt like it was exploding, making it difficult for her to see anything nearby. Leaning against the door, she pressed her right hand to her forehead and grasped the doorknob with her left, but whether due to lack of strength or something else, the door remained unmoving.

Hearing the cry of pain beside her, Meng Rendong’s headache intensified. The world was spinning, forcing her to close her eyes as she whispered:

“I’m sorry, Nanxing, I didn’t mean to.”

“I suddenly have a terrible headache.”

“You’re still filming, right? Just call Xue Lian and have her come over. You should go back quickly.”

Meng Rendong had never known she had any strange hidden ailments. Ever since Ji Yu left and Chu Nanxing approached, her head had started to ache vaguely. Initially, she didn’t pay much attention, but when she heard Chu Nanxing say she had something to tell her, she instinctively followed. Now the pain intensified. She couldn’t even hear what Chu Nanxing was saying, only feeling as if her brain was being violently scrambled.

An inexplicable wave of irritation surged in her heart.

That’s why she couldn’t help but push away the person who kept talking.

Meng Rendong’s eyes were closed, so she couldn’t see that the person she pushed hadn’t actually been touched, merely letting out a fake cry of pain. Even now, Chu Nanxing’s eyes held a hint of a smile.

Only the concern in her tone sounded genuine:

“Rendong, what’s wrong?”

“Why don’t I ask the production team for a leave of absence and take you to the hospital?”

Her voice drew closer, carrying a strong scent of perfume. It wasn’t the rose or milk scent Meng Rendong had mentioned before, but a woody fragrance that surged into Meng Rendong’s nose, worsening her headache.

“Don’t come closer!”

Meng Rendong’s voice was edged with uncontrollable irritation.

Chu Nanxing’s expression froze upon hearing those three words. She thought Meng Rendong had discovered something. She genuinely waited for a moment, but realized Meng Rendong said nothing more.

She chastised herself for being overly sensitive.

Then, she dropped the concerned expression. Ignoring Meng Rendong’s rejection, she took a step toward her. With every step, Meng Rendong’s face grew paler, until Chu Nanxing stood close again.

She looked down at Meng Rendong—

The woman who was always so arrogant was now half-crouched on the ground, her forehead resting against the door panel without any concern for her image, as if desperately trying to escape this place. Yet, ultimately, she was stuck.

Meng Rendong’s consciousness seemed to be blurring.

Chu Nanxing tugged at the slightly longer hem of her performance outfit, which she had just worn on stage. Being particularly meticulous, she slowly crouched down, meeting Meng Rendong’s face at eye level. Her gaze was aggressive, sweeping down from Meng Rendong’s forehead, eyebrows, eyes, and nose bridge, inch by inch across her features.

She first spoke with feigned worry: “Rendong.”

“Rendong, wake up. I’m calling an ambulance.”

Meng Rendong’s eyelashes fluttered, but she gave no response.

Chu Nanxing stopped her pretense, resting her chin on one hand. She noticed a strand of Meng Rendong’s hair falling across her face and gently tucked it behind her ear with a fingertip. She then leaned in closer and spoke leisurely with a mischievous, almost coaxing tone to the now-unconscious woman:

“How pitiful.”

“Why do you always have to be like this?”

“It was the same with Chu Jianyu before, and now it’s the same with that Ji Yu. Always keeping your eyes on them, foolishly running after them—”

“When you should be mine.”

Here, she chuckled to herself, seemingly quite pleased with this conclusion. Then, using that malicious, yet subtly sweet, negotiating tone, she addressed the woman who had lost consciousness:

“Stop running away. Just stay by my side. Give me yourself and your entire world, okay?”

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