Transmigrated as the CEO's Top-Tier Stand-in - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

A New Focus

When Ji Yu returned to the recording area, there were still three girl groups left to perform.

It was now 12:10 AM.

Ling Lan had already discarded three drafts of her writing, her pockets stuffed with tiny wads of paper. When she turned sideways to let Ji Yu in, she was stretching her neck to snatch a Pocky stick offered by Jiang Lianque.

The girls around them were all covering for them, making sure the camera didn’t catch their secret snacking.

Watching this scene, Ji Yu felt no surprise.

With Jiang Lianque’s unique charisma, her ability to instantly cater to everyone’s small needs, and her effortless knack for remembering others’ interests, it was only natural that all the girls would eventually gather around her and want to interact.

Ji Yu sat down naturally, as if she had simply taken a slightly longer restroom break. No one knew that she had almost bid farewell to all the stories here.

Catching the faint, sweet smell of Ling Lan’s Pocky, Ji Yu realized she was also a little hungry. Remembering the soda crackers Jiang Lianque had given her earlier, she tore open the packaging and slowly brought a piece to her mouth.

Just as she finished the cracker, she noticed a green-packaged wet wipe in her peripheral vision.

Ji Yu looked up, and, sure enough, saw Jiang Lianque smiling at her.

Then, the golden-haired young woman’s voice rang out, gentle and possessing a magical quality that subconsciously soothed the heart:

“Crackers can be oily. A wet wipe will clean your hands better. Want one?”

Ji Yu: “…Thank you.”

After a moment’s thought, she proactively asked: “What kind of food do you like? If you’re free when the recording is over, let me treat you to a meal. I’m a decent cook.”

Jiang Lianque didn’t decline. She nodded, helped tear open the wet wipe packaging for Ji Yu, and handed it over gracefully: “Alright, it’s a deal then. I remember you like to cook, so your skills must be excellent!”

Ji Yu’s smile grew wider, thinking of something: “I can’t guarantee the skill, but I had plenty of free time before, and I had a friend who liked my cooking, so I developed the hobby.”

Jiang Lianque saw the light sparkle in Ji Yu’s eyes, and a hint of astonishment flashed in her heart.

Ji Yu’s eyes were naturally beautiful. Softened slightly, they curved into a warm smile. Her pupils were purely black, giving one a sense of silent focus if you looked into them for a moment under the lights, as if the world stood still, leaving only her and the reflection of oneself in her eyes.

When she displayed this pure smile, the world seemed to follow suit, blooming into spring.

Jiang Lianque felt a sense of warmth spreading from Ji Yu’s smile. After a moment, she asked thoughtfully, “Did something good happen just now? You seem to be in a much better mood.”

Ji Yu’s smile slightly retracted. She immediately reviewed her previous expressions and asked back, uncertainly:

“Was I… that obvious?”

Jiang Lianque nodded, then added: “It’s good that you’re happy. When people are in a good mood, their luck is never bad.”

Ji Yu thought of Si Tian, currently somewhere unknown, and the eagerness to find her soon. As she lowered her gaze, her lips curved with deep tenderness:

“I hope your words ring true.”

🍽️ Boxed Lunch and a Quiet Threat

Another ten minutes passed.

The final group finally finished their performance. Qi Feng announced a half-hour break, and the production team had boxed meals delivered and handed out water bottles to everyone. After some of the cameras were turned off, even the staff who had been tightly monitoring the scene sighed in relief.

Everyone used the half-hour to try and recover their energy.

Ji Yu opened her boxed meal, seeing braised pork meatballs with soy sauce, bean sprouts, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes. She picked up her chopsticks and slowly ate the food with the rice. Beside her, Ling Lan muttered quietly about the meal. Although the sounds were faint, Ji Yu didn’t lean in to investigate. She was afraid that getting too close would remind her of the days dominated by classical culture during her studies.

Her gaze casually swept across the hall, and she noticed Chu Nanxing walking in from a corner.

Ji Yu wasn’t interested in her movements, but her glance happened to catch Chu Nanxing’s eye. The girl, dressed in loose, long clothes, met her gaze for two seconds, then uncharacteristically offered her a smile.

It was completely different from the way she had scorned and then deliberately made things difficult for Ji Yu when they first met on Dream Island.

Was it for the cameras?

Or something else?

Ji Yu’s expression was calm. She didn’t bother to analyze the meaning of Chu Nanxing’s smile, nor did she care to engage in formalities with her, slowly shifting her gaze away.

“Nanxing, what are you looking at? Anyone interesting?”

Li Xing, who had formed a temporary group with Chu Nanxing, reached up to touch the exaggerated silver hoop earring below her ear. She followed Chu Nanxing’s line of sight and saw the striking gold and silver pairing.

“Are you looking at the genius academic, or the opera singer?”

Since it was break time, everyone’s microphones were off, so they spoke without much restraint.

Chu Nanxing shook her head. She glanced again at the big ‘F’ sewn on Ji Yu’s clothes and said meaningfully, “Neither.”

“I’m looking at the F-class girl between them.”

Li Xing hadn’t even memorized Ji Yu’s name. Hearing Chu Nanxing call her “F,” she lost interest and looked away, her tone carrying a hint of contempt: “What’s there to see? She can’t sing or dance, and she has no variety sense. She’ll be eliminated in a few episodes.”

Chu Nanxing made no comment, just looked toward Ji Yu again, and finished the thought in her mind:

That’s exactly what should happen.

“Here, I saved this meal for you. I expect we still have things planned for tonight. Although it doesn’t taste great, eat something. The production team cafeteria will probably feed us grass every day later. Cherish the days when we can eat meat.” Li Xing removed the somewhat cumbersome jewelry from her hands, put it in her pocket, and handed the boxed meal on the chair to Chu Nanxing.

Chu Nanxing thanked her, took it, opened it, unwrapped the disposable wooden chopsticks, and casually poked at the rice.

Li Xing sat beside her, seeing that she clearly didn’t care for the meal. She was about to ask if there was anything she liked and offer to share some of her untouched food, but after asking twice, she didn’t hear Chu Nanxing’s reply.

“Nanxing?”

“What are you thinking about?”

Chu Nanxing snapped back to attention, smiled at her friend, and shook her head, saying it was nothing. Then, without checking what her chopsticks were touching, she bent her head and started eating.

She was thinking about Meng Rendong.

It had been so close earlier. Meng Rendong was about to become exactly what she wanted.

But Wang Luoshui showed up.

How annoying.

It made her think of her childhood. Among the children who grew up together, Chu Jianyu, Meng Rendong, and Wang Luoshui always huddled together. Chu Jianyu was the leader, Meng Rendong was the untouchable type, and Wang Luoshui had the weakest presence.

Yet, these three turned out to be more trouble than the last.

In the end, it was Chu Jianyu who disappeared first.

Thinking of her biological older sister, Chu Nanxing’s mood suddenly brightened. Uncharacteristically, she didn’t pick out the sliced garlic in the vegetables but ate it with the bok choy, chewing slowly and deliberately.

Patience.

She told herself.

This world is yours. The troublesome people will eventually disappear, one by one.

The End of an Era

Wang Luoshui was unaware that she had been marked in someone’s mental ledger.

She was currently watching Meng Rendong in the lounge.

Earlier, Meng Rendong had said she wanted to meet Ji Yu. Wang Luoshui saw that she seemed composed and knowing her extreme pride, surely wouldn’t cause a scene. She revealed Ji Yu’s location, hoping they could resolve any misunderstandings or, if not, at least part ways amicably.

Instead, both of them vanished without a trace.

Wang Luoshui waited patiently. Unable to see what was happening on their end, she had to ask staff to contact Ji Yu, who was wearing equipment. Ji Yu returned, but Meng Rendong was still missing.

She had to call Meng Rendong.

After twelve rings, the call automatically disconnected. Thinking of how utterly drunk Meng Rendong had been recently, Wang Luoshui had a bad feeling. While she knew Meng Rendong should be safe in the Meng family hotel, the show had two major stars from TEB. What if someone with malicious intent had infiltrated?

When she went to the restroom, which was a blind spot for cameras, she found Meng Rendong and Chu Nanxing.

Chu Nanxing was startled when she saw Wang Luoshui, then let out a huge sigh of relief. She stood up and said, “Director Wang, you came just in time. I came to the restroom and ran into CEO Meng. She seemed dizzy from low blood sugar. I was about to call the emergency services.”

Meng Rendong was then helped by the staff to this lounge.

Fortunately, to ensure everyone’s health during the closed-door recording, the program was equipped with medical personnel. After a check-up, Wang Luoshui was told that there was no major issue.

Anything more would require an X-ray at the hospital.

Now, during the halftime break, Wang Luoshui assigned the interviews with the well-performing girls to her assistant director and walked over to the lounge. As she entered, she met Meng Rendong’s dark eyes.

She breathed a sigh of relief and walked over with hot water: “Are you okay?”

“I never knew you had problems with low blood sugar. What, heartbroken and unable to eat lately?”

Meng Rendong’s headache had just started to ease. Thinking of Wang Luoshui’s words, she casually replied: “Maybe my routine has been a bit messy lately.”

Plus, she hadn’t eaten dinner tonight.

Thinking carefully, it was probably because Xue Lian wasn’t with her. Her other assistants didn’t know her habits and were afraid of violating her taboos, so they adhered to the principle of “less trouble is better,” and if she didn’t ask, no one mentioned it.

And…

The person who used to ask about her diet and cater to her habits was gone.

Thinking of this, Meng Rendong’s eyes dimmed. She stared quietly at the ceiling, lost in thought. Wang Luoshui saw her expression, sighed, and asked: “Did you eat dinner? Should I have someone send another boxed meal over? You can make do.”

“Judging by your appearance, the conversation didn’t go well, did it?”

Meng Rendong rarely responded, but she gave a faint “Mm.”

Wang Luoshui had been enduring the long recording day and couldn’t spare the energy to completely fuss over her. Assuming her “Mm” was an answer to all the previous questions, she stood up and instructed the assistant outside to bring in another boxed meal. She also pulled out one of the tea bags she usually carried and brewed her a precious cup of black tea.

Meng Rendong quietly ate. Wang Luoshui watched her, noticing how her wine-red collar hung loosely, the image of refined perfection gone, revealing a rare look of disarray. She sighed again.

After some hesitation, she spoke up: “Rendong.”

Meng Rendong looked up at her.

Wang Luoshui’s next words carried a tone of gentle persuasion: “If it’s really too difficult, just let it go.”

A hint of difficulty flashed across her face, but she eventually spoke firmly: “To be honest, when I first saw her, I knew why you found her. She looks so much like Jianyu, doesn’t she?”

Perhaps due to being overly hungry and suffering an unexpected ailment, Meng Rendong’s face was pale. The side profile, in the indoor light, revealed a cold, inorganic quality, like porcelain.

She didn’t answer. Wang Luoshui took it as agreement: “At first, I thought maybe it was fate, that the universe was returning what you lost in another form, and you two got along well for four years.”

Meng Rendong suddenly interrupted: “Not well.”

Wang Luoshui: “What?”

Meng Rendong looked up at her, placed the one-third-empty meal box aside, picked up the black tea, and lowered her eyes to watch the steam floating up from the tea, as if her eyes were being moistened by it. She slowly repeated:

“Not well. I was not good to her.”

Wang Luoshui looked resigned, as if she had guessed this, and sighed: “Maybe. That’s why she left now. Even with your repeated attempts to hold onto her, you couldn’t change her mind. Rendong… why don’t you just accept it?”

“Sometimes, that’s just how relationships are. Bonds break easily. If one person loses the will to continue, the other person’s efforts are useless.”

“We have to learn to accept one fact: nothing in this world is supposed to belong to you forever, and no one is required to stay by your side.”

Meng Rendong’s fingers tightened with every word Wang Luoshui spoke.

She gripped the glass cup tightly, as if this force could keep the people and things Wang Luoshui spoke of forever within her grasp.

But the water in the cup was too hot. Holding it for long made her palm sweat. If she relaxed her grip even slightly, it would slip from her hand, forcing Meng Rendong to support the bottom with her other hand.

She looked at the cup. Long after Wang Luoshui finished speaking, in the silence, she gently broke it:

“I know.”

She looked at Wang Luoshui, a rare genuine emotion showing in her eyes, like a great swan that usually soared in the sky, now stranded on the mudflat, her eyes filled with sorrow:

“Back then, I couldn’t save Jianyu because I was too late.”

“But this time, with Ji Yu, I was right on time. And I messed everything up.”

“If I hadn’t treated her as Jianyu’s replacement, and instead got to know her properly, maybe things wouldn’t be like this today. Just because she gave her all at the beginning, I thought she would love me like that forever, so I treated her lightly, ignored her, and took everything she gave for granted.”

“I treated her like the sun. No matter what, whenever I was tired or weary, I thought I could look up and always see her watching me—”

Here, Meng Rendong finally couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

A sound of self-mockery.

She paused, seemingly unused to such self-criticism. Only after allowing herself a moment to process this embarrassing, internal admission of romantic failure, did she continue:

“But she’s human too. And humans get tired.”

“I was the one who exhausted her, made her unable to continue, and made her stop expecting anything from me.”

Meng Rendong summarized her feelings plainly: “Having things turn out like this is my own fault.”

She looked back at Wang Luoshui, regaining her usual cold, collected demeanor for making decisions, and agreed: “You’re right. I shouldn’t bother her life anymore.”

Ji Yu had already said goodbye to her many times.

It was she who wouldn’t let go, who refused to give up.

The heavens had been kind enough to her, replacing the lost Chu Jianyu with a Ji Yu who looked exactly like her. Perhaps no one else in the world would have such luck.

Only she, living in good fortune, failed to appreciate it.

Standing in the present, she couldn’t let go of the past, and in the end, she remained utterly alone.

Wang Luoshui heard her profound realization but didn’t feel relieved. Instead, she stared at her with a look of concern.

She wanted to ask, Do you realize you might have actually fallen in love with Ji Yu?

But she swallowed the sentence.

Because it was too cruel.

The term “hindsight” sounds ordinary, but only when it applies to oneself does one understand the deep, bone-piercing pain it carries.

In the end, she could only pat the back of Meng Rendong’s hand and offer a sentence that may or may not be comforting: “Jianyu’s death wasn’t your fault. We were all there, and none of us could save her.”

Meng Rendong shook her head slightly, it was unclear which point she was refuting.

Their conversation unwittingly passed the entire break. An assistant came in to remind Wang Luoshui to resume recording. She nodded and stood up. Before leaving, she reminded Meng Rendong to straighten her collar.

Meng Rendong called out to her: “Can I… watch with you?”

Wang Luoshui knew her intention. She raised an eyebrow and replied jokingly: “Of course, CEO Meng. You’re the capital investor. I welcome you with open arms.”

Theme Song Assessment

Ji Yu was watching the stage projection of the Chasing Dreams 100 theme song.

Only a short clip was shown.

But it was enough to convey a burst of youthful vitality.

Qi Feng stood on the stage, smiling at them: “So, do you like the theme song?”

The girls below couldn’t wait to reply: “We love it!”

Qi Feng nodded: “Then I assume you’ll all be very motivated to learn it. Alright, next I’ll announce your first task after being sorted into classes—”

“The theme song song and dance will be assessed in three days.”

“Please note, this assessment will re-determine your class placement and also influence the first round of rankings one week later.”

“Everyone, good luck!”

He smiled warmly, but the audience below erupted in shock and wailing:

“What?!”

“Three days? Feng Ge, are you serious?”

Ji Yu, amidst the crowd, neither complained nor showed any fear. Few people noticed her soft smile.

Behind the screen.

Meng Rendong sat beside Wang Luoshui, her fingertips moving subtly at her side.

She was vaguely tracing the curve of Ji Yu’s lips across the screen.

Support Transmigrated as the CEO’s Top-Tier Stand-in