Transmigrated as the CEO's Top-Tier Stand-in - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Meng Rendong was awakened by the doorbell.

The insistent “ding-dong” sound in her ears grew louder. She clearly felt everything in front of her begin to mist over and blur, as her consciousness gradually rose. Following the chaos, hunger, headache, and other sensations flooded in, making the simple act of opening her eyes and getting up from the sofa incredibly heavy, as if her soul was about to drop out of her body.

She sat on the sofa, dizzy for a while, listening to the incessant ringing of the doorbell. Frowning, she tried to compose herself for a long moment before dragging her weary body to the door. She looked through the peephole.

It was Wang Luoshui.

Meng Rendong’s expression was flat. Unaware that her lips were pale and she looked quite haggard, she simply opened the door. Her white complexion made her eyes appear darker and deeper, like a cold mountain hidden in eternal night.

Wang Luoshui was almost startled by her gaze. She raised her right hand, showing the friend the food bags full of late-night snacks, and asked casually: “Why did you leave so quickly? You didn’t even tell me. Were you just asleep? Did I wake you up?”

Meng Rendong silently moved aside, letting her in without answering any of the questions. However, as Wang Luoshui entered and changed her shoes, Meng Rendong closed the door and dropped a question:

“You already know, don’t you?”

Wang Luoshui paused her bending motion, then straightened up. Her gaze met Meng Rendong’s, who was leaning against the door and quietly watching her. Silence filled the entryway for a long time. Wang Luoshui sighed first, inexplicably understanding the meaning of her words.

If she didn’t know Ji Yu’s attitude toward her, how could Wang Luoshui have realized that her early departure tonight was due to some kind of blow? She even showed up late at night with late-night snacks during work hours, clearly intending to talk all night.

Sure enough, after sighing, Wang Luoshui said somewhat helplessly: “I didn’t deliberately pry… It’s just that the show did an interview with her earlier. Of course, the interview hasn’t been released yet… I was planning to find an opportunity to tell you the truth…”

Meng Rendong straightened up, walked away from the door, and headed toward the living room, lightly tossing out a word: “Hmm.”

She wouldn’t displace her anger onto her friend. Besides, Meng Rendong knew Wang Luoshui’s character.

Wang Luoshui followed her, carrying the takeaway bags. She saw Meng Rendong standing in front of the wine cabinet, with her back to the living room, slightly looking up at the collection of wines usually used for decoration in the cabinet. After a moment, she asked: “What do you want to drink?”

Wang Luoshui rummaged through the bags, individually placing the takeaway items: porridge, skewers, and spicy hot pot, along with two cans of cola. She sat on the sofa and looked up: “Rendong, you didn’t usually drink.”

Meng Rendong was noncommittal, seemingly unaffected by her friend’s assertion. After a while, she chose a bottle of Romanée-Conti on her own, skillfully carrying the bottle with her fair fingertips as she approached. Glancing at the cola on the table, she slowly opened her mouth:

“I didn’t drink before because I hadn’t discovered its virtues.”

After thinking for a moment, she added carelessly: “I used to think Ji Yu was too clingy, like a dodder flower. Now, even if I begged her, she wouldn’t spare me a glance.”

Wang Luoshui: “…”

Looking at Meng Rendong’s calm, almost eerie demeanor, she couldn’t help but recall an expression: If not in silence, then in perversion.

After all, logically, when a person who greatly valued dignity and pride is suddenly abandoned by the obedient little lover she kept by her side, and then discovers the other party never loved her, how big of a blow would that be? After such a blow, there should be anger, or sadness, or disappointment, but definitely not this calmness.

Because the more normal the surface, the more turbulent the waves in the heart.

And her friends wouldn’t even know how to begin comforting her.

Wang Luoshui was in this predicament now. She wanted to comfort her but couldn’t find an opening. Forcing it would seem deliberate. She could only laugh it off, then lowered her head to scoop some porridge for Meng Rendong, saying: “The seafood congee at this place is excellent, and the seafood flavor is superb. Have you tried it?”

Meng Rendong squinted at the congee, then pulled out a bottle opener from the coffee table drawer. With a “pop” sound, the rich aroma of red wine slowly drifted from the long bottleneck.

She did pick up the food topic, but the underlying meaning was still elusive:

“Smells good. Do they have it in your show’s canteen?”

Wang Luoshui: “…?”

For a moment, she didn’t know whether Meng Rendong was refusing to give up after being greatly affected, still thinking about Ji Yu, or simply asking casually. A hesitant expression appeared on her face.

Meng Rendong had only asked offhand. When she didn’t receive an answer for a while, she looked up and saw Wang Luoshui’s face full of confusion. After a brief thought, she understood her friend’s concerns, so she smiled slightly and said:

“I was just asking casually.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t go harass your trainees anymore.”

“Director Wang, please also rest assured that the investor will no longer interfere with the show’s operation on site.”

Wang Luoshui opened and closed her mouth, pausing several times, finally only able to follow her lead: “Cut the act. I’m not complaining about you. Maybe they’ll even feel strange when you stop coming in a couple of days.”

Saying this, Wang Luoshui felt it was inappropriate, as if she was insisting on inviting Meng Rendong to continue her frequent visits. Just as she was about to change her expression and hand the congee to Meng Rendong, she saw her friend take it, thank her, stir the warm seafood congee in the bowl, and speak again:

“Luoshui.”

Wang Luoshui: “Hmm?”

Meng Rendong’s dark eyes looked into hers: “Don’t worry about me. This is no big deal.”

It’s just that I broke up with someone the moment I realized I liked them.

It’s nothing.

Wang Luoshui’s intention for coming was exposed. She lowered her head and drank two sips of congee, watched Meng Rendong get up and retrieve two wine glasses, and accepted one. After observing Meng Rendong’s expression for a long time, she found that her friend genuinely seemed to be getting over it. She sighed in relief and smiled:

“It’s best if you think that way.”

“Rendong, you will eventually meet someone who cherishes you greatly and is worth cherishing.”

Inside the hotel in the Yanxia Mountain Scenic Area.

Chu Nanxing was practicing the theme song in the A-class classroom, striving to perform better on stage tomorrow than before. But just as the music neared its end, her movements suddenly stopped.

The girl group leader from Xiaoxi Entertainment next to her, who was practicing with her, noticed she didn’t keep up with the beat. She finished the last set of movements, slightly catching her breath, and looked at her curiously:

“Nanxing, are you tired?”

She thought Chu Nanxing was exhausted from a full day of rehearsal at the venue and then practicing too long in the classroom after returning, which led to her feeling discouraged and not completing that round of the theme song well.

Unexpectedly, Chu Nanxing seemed distracted, her gaze fixed on the mirror in front, as if she hadn’t heard her voice.

The girl called out a few more times, then walked over to the sponsored drinks, grabbed a bottle of milk for her, and asked: “Why don’t you go back and rest today? I feel like you’ve been working too hard recently. Are you even getting four hours of sleep a day?”

Chu Nanxing turned around slowly, but didn’t take the milk in her hand. She flashed a perfect smile and softly replied: “It’s okay, I feel fine. But I am indeed a bit tired now. I’m going to wash my face and come back.”

The girl watched her leave, nodded in agreement, and then continued to play the theme song music, hoping to avoid any performance accidents due to nervousness during the official show.

Chu Nanxing headed towards the classroom door. After walking down the long corridor and avoiding the fixed-camera shots, her expression slowly turned cold.

She walked near the sink, turning on the faucet. Amidst the rushing sound of water.

Chu Nanxing calmly placed her hands under the faucet, letting the cool water run over them. She kept her eyes lowered until the rushing water sound lasted about half a minute. She stopped the water and reached for the blue hand soap dispenser beside the sink.

Pooch.

Chu Nanxing pressed the foam into her hands, coating her palms and the backs of her hands by interlacing her fingers. Just then, she carelessly looked up at the mirror in front of her.

The mirror reflected her delicate makeup. Her fair face had perfectly drawn features, with thick, curled eyelashes. The eyeshadow magnified the radiance of her eyes. Blusher subtly added color, and her lips were slightly curved, seemingly capable of provoking people’s souls.

However, as she stared at the mirror, the mirror surface suddenly changed.

Like water disturbed by a pebble, a slight ripple appeared.

Lines of golden text began to emerge on the mirror’s surface.

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