Transmigrated as the CEO's Top-Tier Stand-in - Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The third episode of Dream Chasing 100 finally arrived on Lychee Network.

It was nine o’clock in the evening.

Meng Rendong sat on the sparsely furnished apartment sofa. Although she had canceled some non-essential social engagements, she still returned quite late. She had little appetite for dinner and immediately connected the TV to the internet to play the newly released third episode on Lychee Network.

Compared to the first two episodes, where one had to look carefully to catch a glimpse of Ji Yu, the producers of this episode seemed to have finally noticed the shining gem and showed exceptional favor to her. They first released a smokescreen in the opening, featuring the broadcast announcement:

“Assessment passed. A.”

Following this, comments from Rong Bai and others were aired: “I watched her theme song performance; it was exceptionally good.”

“It’s her!”

“Ahhh! This is the dark horse from Class F.”

Just as the audience’s hearts were hanging, the camera cut to the assessment site, giving Ji Yu a direct, frontal, and almost heavenly profile shot. Then—

Meng Rendong straightened up, unconsciously pressing the remote control that was beside her leg. She didn’t know what she had pressed, but suddenly the screen was covered with colorful bullet comments, almost obscuring the entire large screen, dense with four characters:

“High energy ahead!!”

Meng Rendong gently “tsk-ed,” picked up the remote, and pressed pause. Since she didn’t watch TV often, she wasn’t very familiar with her almost-new television. After fiddling with the screen for a long time and nearly turning off the show, she finally figured out the full-on, half-on, and full-off modes for the bullet comments.

She first turned them all off and appreciated Ji Yu’s theme song performance… Even though she had experienced it firsthand on the hotel balcony before, watching it now through the TV screen, she could still feel her heart rate rise and fall with every dynamic curve of Ji Yu’s dance.

Even after those short few minutes passed, she still wasn’t satisfied.

Meng Rendong instinctively adopted the appreciation style of a dedicated fan: first, fully immersing herself in Ji Yu’s song and dance, then turning the bullet comments to half-on, watching the dance while reading the praises, inwardly agreeing with the flying “rainbow farts”:

“Sister Ji Yu’s dance jumped right into my heart, wuwuwu!”

“Through wind and rain, Yuyu is waiting for you on stage!”

“One vote from you, one vote from me, Yu Ge debuts tomorrow! If you don’t vote, and I don’t vote, when will our sister get her chance!”

“Look at our Sister Ji Yu, please! Doesn’t she deserve a vote! The comeback of Class F! The miracle of the selection show!”

Meng Rendong pressed pause, picked up her phone, and began to study the voting mechanism of Dream Chasing 100. After entering the website, she cast her ten VIP votes for the day, then started downloading several associated brand apps to continue voting for Ji Yu…

After twenty minutes of this, Meng Rendong felt exhausted. She sighed and decided to delegate this task to her assistant starting tomorrow. Then, she looked up and resumed the video playback.

The camera used a flashback technique to reveal to everyone how Ji Yu achieved such progress in just three days. Before watching, the audience had expected her to be tirelessly training under severely unfavorable conditions.

But the truth exceeded their expectations.

Ji Yu had already mastered the choreography and integrated it into her own style on the first night. When she went to the dance studio with Jiang Lianque and Ling Lan on the second morning, she astonished everyone with her performance and was then able to effortlessly teach others.

The half-open bullet comments were filled with gasps of admiration:

“The strong one from Class F is terrifying…”

“I thought Sister Ji Yu was bronze-level, but she’s a hidden King-level player. I apologize for underestimating her.”

“Now I suddenly understand why she was the Center at the last public performance.”

“But why was she F for the initial stage if she’s so strong? Is Dream Chasing 100 rigged?”

“Program manipulation?”

The bullet comments became a venue for audience discussion and argument. Some believed Ji Yu deliberately held back during the initial stage, intending to create a dramatic rise-after-fall effect, which is why she excelled later and showed her true ability. Others, including many of Ji Yu’s new fans, thought Ji Yu would not be the type of person to disrespect the stage.

The program seemed to have anticipated this round of debate.

After the mentors gave their evaluation, they quickly released Ji Yu’s interview segment, which was also several minutes long.

Wang Luoshui barely cut this interview. Ji Yu’s voice in the camera was initially a bit low, and she didn’t look directly at the lens much, but by the end of the interview, her eyes were shining with light, making her eyes look like stars, their brilliance deeply imprinted on the viewer’s heart.

Meng Rendong heard her say that her biggest dream used to be to become a member of a girl group…

The bullet comments didn’t stop while she was speaking:

“Used to be?”

“OMG, what is this angst?”

“I don’t know why, but I always feel like Ji Yu didn’t deliberately hide her skills. Maybe she wasn’t interested in taking the top spot at first, but something changed mid-way, which is why…”

“The person above, can you stop joking? No one forced her to participate if she didn’t want to. She came but acts like she doesn’t really want to win first place. What’s the deal? She gets to play both the good and the bad guy? Blech. Looks like the entertainment industry is getting another female star who wants to have her cake and eat it too…”

“Can’t selection shows survive without playing the pity card nowadays?”

“Turning off the bullet comments, it’s toxic.”

“Although I also hate reality shows always using these clichés, what if it’s true? Does the needle have to prick you before you feel the pain? Someone is willing to share her story, and you call it playing the victim. I hope if such a tragedy happens to you someday, you keep your mouth shut and don’t say a word, or I’ll slap the ‘playing the victim’ label on you too…”

Meng Rendong saw the hurtful and the warm words intertwining, and she also saw Ji Yu speaking about her friend being bruised and battered by the rules of the entertainment industry. For a moment, her heart felt like it had been thrown into this vortex, constantly churning, a painful fatigue rising within her.

Ji Yu must have known what the outcome would be if she shared this story.

Some would understand her, but others would maliciously step on her wound, spitting on it brazenly before leaving, or discussing it as a joke with friends.

She pressed pause with disinterest, casually opened Weibo, and, as expected, with the buzz of Dream Chasing 100, hashtags like #JiYu Class A# and #JiYuPlayingTheVictim# were already trending in the top ten.

But the number one spot was #EntertainmentIndustryUnspokenRules#.

It seemed as if the kindness of the world had prevailed.

In reality, most of those speaking out after clicking in were people who had genuinely been fans before, but were now lamenting their “white moonlight” idol’s downfall due to various rules within the industry.

Would they definitely understand Ji Yu?

Not necessarily.

The joys and sorrows of human beings are not universally shared; this is an eternal truth.

So why was Ji Yu still willing to tell this story?

She had never revealed even a single piece of information about her dreams or this friend during the four years she was by Meng Rendong’s side. Everything Ji Yu wanted, Meng Rendong could have provided.

The spliced and edited footage of Ji Yu’s words repeatedly floated in her mind:

“Because she was my light.”

“She has always been the one encouraging me. This time, can I be the one to give her strength?”

“I hope she can see me…”

Ji Yu’s voice was still so gentle. She had clearly been kissed with pain by the world, yet she still chose to respond with a song. The stories she saw in her friend’s life indicated that she already understood the nature of the entertainment industry, yet she still chose to speak out because she had someone she wanted to save.

Thinking of this, Meng Rendong’s heart felt like it had been sliced by knives and swords, then soaked in highly concentrated lemon juice. A sourness emanated from her entire being.

She raised her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose, closed her eyes, and leaned back on the sofa cushion. The voice in her mind shifted to another sentence:

“There’s something President Meng might not know: I have a friend who looks very much like you.”

Those words were spoken days ago, but even now, the blade forged by that sentence hadn’t dulled, stinging her as painfully as ever. Meng Rendong slowly slumped to the side, lying on the sofa like a truly wounded person.

In her confused state, the unusual, coherent dreams she’d been having over the past few days became the only sweet thing in her life.

In the dream, young Ji Yu looked like Chu Jianyu but was incredibly well-behaved and particularly clingy to her… It momentarily made Meng Rendong feel like she was back in the four years they were together.

Dream-Ji Yu also learned to dance and would actively seek her out to play. Meng Rendong had no complaints, except that she kept calling her “Si Tian, Si Tian.”

She thought, I should have told Ji Yu my real name earlier—

That way, I could at least hear my name from her lips.

Ji Yu seemed to have never called her by a term of endearment.

In fact, Meng Rendong had tried to tell Ji Yu her identity, but her dream self seemed to have a fixed script. Most of the time, Meng Rendong could synchronize with her dream self, but occasionally, when she wanted to say something different, she could only listen helplessly as she spoke different words.

It was as if she had accidentally walked into some fixed script set.

Or as if these events had already happened, and she was powerless to change them.

When the latter sentence surfaced in her mind, Meng Rendong couldn’t help but curl her lips, discarding the absurd thought. She then slowly fell asleep on the sofa, watched over by the paused video.

She even forgot the fact that she hadn’t eaten dinner again.

Meng Rendong slept until past seven the next morning.

When she woke up from the sofa with a stiff neck, she saw the TV was still on and remembered she hadn’t finished the reality show last night. However, today was another busy day, so even if she propped up her phone to watch during breaks, she might not finish the remaining content.

She resolved to continue catching up on the video when she returned that night.

Unexpectedly, when she arrived at the company at 8:30, her assistant finished reporting the day’s schedule and then asked: “President Meng, the chief editor of B Magazine is hosting a fashion cocktail party at 8:30 tonight. They sent an invitation to Huangting. I heard several directors will be attending.”

Meng Rendong stopped and turned to ask: “Which directors?”

She recalled the novel copyright Huangting had just acquired a few days ago and was currently looking for collaborators.

The assistant listed a few directors’ names she had heard. Meng Rendong frowned slightly. The assistant thought she was dissatisfied and was about to decline on her behalf, but then heard Meng Rendong sigh:

“Understood. Remember to tell Uncle Zhang to come to the parking lot early to wait for me.”

The assistant answered blankly: “Okay.”

Meng Rendong turned and walked toward the office, thinking with some regret:

I won’t be able to finish the video tonight either.

At the same time.

After informing the program staff, Ji Yu met Kong Rufan downstairs at the scenic hotel. Since the two planned to run a personal studio, everything had to be built from scratch, and it was impossible to have the same treatment as artists from major companies. Therefore, Kong Rufan drove her private car to pick her up.

A black Maybach.

Ji Yu glanced over the luxurious, piano-black car body, gaining a deeper understanding of her manager’s financial resources.

Kong Rufan smiled and pressed the side door opening button, waiting for her to get in from the driver’s seat. Ji Yu gracefully lowered herself inside. As she buckled her seatbelt, she heard the person beside her ask:

“Did you eat breakfast?”

“I heard Dream Chasing‘s food is quite good. I’ve looked at your profile. You seem to be the type with a smaller frame, and your figure looked perfect on camera during the performance, so there’s no need to follow those crazy dieting fads.”

Hearing this, Ji Yu smiled slightly, “I’m not dieting. I eat normally, but my appetite isn’t big right now.”

Kong Rufan asked her how much she ate for breakfast. After confirming that Ji Yu’s food intake wasn’t compromising her health, she slowly started the car and drove off. Along the way, she mentioned Ji Yu’s weak stomach and said she would arrange for a Chinese medicine friend to check on her. After chatting for a long time, as they neared the B Magazine building in the city center, Ji Yu finally heard her bring up the magazine cover shoot.

“I’ve selected three outfits for you, all with different styles: a red dress, a black denim look, and a formal-style set. We’ll let the photographer and post-production team decide which one is best for the cover.”

“The photographer today is Rally. His style is quite traditional, without too many flashy new elements. We’re aiming for this cover to be visually stunning at first glance, especially to align with the aesthetics of young people, which will solidify and attract more fans…”

“You should also know that B Magazine is currently the most accessible of the four major fashion publications and is quite willing to use promising newcomers for covers to quickly capitalize on traffic. Relatively speaking, the fashion and intellectual content inside the cover will be less. The style, well, laymen will enjoy the spectacle, but insiders might look down on it—”

Ji Yu was amused by her description.

Kong Rufan’s words were too straightforward, yet they concisely summarized the magazine’s characteristics. Even though this world differed from Ji Yu’s original one, hearing Kong Rufan’s explanation helped her quickly grasp the magazine’s identity.

Kong Rufan saw her smile and her own eyes crinkled with amusement. She then continued: “Of course, just remember these points. Don’t show it when you go in later. After all, even if B Magazine has declined in recent years, it’s still a top-tier publication, and they’re giving you the Silver October cover—”

“Given our current situation, this is truly a big step up. So, cooperate when necessary and don’t let people think you’ve developed an attitude before you’ve even made it big, okay?”

Ji Yu naturally understood the cautionary warning in her relaxed tone and nodded seriously:

“Don’t worry, Sister Kong.”

Ji Yu agreed to it and executed it perfectly.

Throughout the entire photoshoot, her expressive ability exceeded Kong Rufan’s expectations and repeatedly inspired the photographer. The sound of the shutter and flashes continuously filled the air. They took over a hundred pictures with just the first red dress.

And the quality was excellent, requiring almost no post-production retouching.

When Ji Yu went to change into the second outfit, Rally turned to Kong Rufan. The photographer was mixed-race, with very fair skin, a high nose bridge, and light brown eyes. He gave Kong Rufan a thumbs-up with his free hand, then spoke to her in impeccable Mandarin:

“You never disappoint, Kong.”

“Everyone you bring always surprises me. They said it was too risky for you to manage a girl group trainee this time, but look at her? My god, she’s so proficient it doesn’t look like her first time on a set. I heard this collaboration was with a newcomer and was worried I’d run out of inspiration and just have to go through the motions for your sake…”

“Who knew she’d be so photogenic!”

Kong Rufan listened as he praised Ji Yu torrentially, like the Yellow River. A smile of shared pride appeared on her face. After chatting with him for a few minutes and setting up an afternoon tea date for a few days later, she heard Rally say:

“Oh, the chief editor is here today too. She’ll definitely drop by when she hears you’re here. Apparently, she’s hosting a dinner party tonight. If you’re interested, bring your young talent along?”

Kong Rufan naturally gleaned a lot of information from this suggestion. With a slight curl of her red lips, she smiled: “Good.”

Ji Yu ultimately produced three finished photos in different styles. Rally liked the black style, while Kong Rufan preferred the first dress, feeling that the aura created a striking contrast with Ji Yu’s usual gentleness, making her memorable without being too cold.

The chief editor of B Magazine, Gu Ning, happened to arrive. Since Rally’s eye was more artistic, she prioritized commercial results, knowing what kind of Ji Yu would appeal to the market, especially considering her stage charisma—

They ultimately settled on the first dress for the cover image.

The dress also happened to be a new product from a luxury brand’s next spring/summer collection. Pairing it with B Magazine for promotion, combined with the heat of Dream Chasing 100 and Ji Yu’s own recent popularity, the magazine launch was a powerful collaboration between three parties.

By the time the shoot ended, it was almost afternoon. Gu Ning asked Kong Rufan about a big star she used to manage who had since retired, inquiring about their recent life. Later in the conversation, she casually said:

“I’m hosting a cocktail party tonight. Why don’t you bring Ji Yu along?”

“Dream Chasing 100 is a good start. She has the talent, and she’ll need to network like this in the future. You know the current market: singers and dancers not only have to excel in their own field but also get involved in film, television, and variety shows. Several big directors are coming tonight.”

With Gu Ning’s invitation, Kong Rufan naturally accepted.

Ji Yu wanted to go back and practice dancing, but she also knew that if she intended to enter this industry, she needed to be mentally prepared to sacrifice her personal time and interests for many less important things.

No one can always do only what they love.

“Yuyu.”

Just before heading out, Ji Yu suddenly heard the system’s voice in her mind.

She then realized that the system had been completely silent from the moment she left in the morning until the end of the photoshoot. She had been too busy and forgotten about it. Now, hearing it suddenly, she realized what was amiss.

“Why were you so quiet today?” Ji Yu asked with a smile.

The system said: “Because I’ve been busy for the past two days.”

After a thought, the system added: “Just five minutes after you asked me if I heard anything strange, I detected an unusual energy fluctuation.”

“Also… the initial setting when I brought you into this book world seems to have been tampered with. I’ve been busy with this for the past two days, trying to detect the source of that power.”

Ji Yu raised an eyebrow: “What was the result?”

The system’s voice sounded deflated: “I couldn’t find it, but this indirectly verifies my earlier suspicion—the world order developed a vulnerability after the death of the previous female lead, and it seems this vulnerability has been exploited.”

Ji Yu pretended to understand and nodded solemnly.

The system indulged in self-pity for a moment, then cheered up: “Yuyu, I’ve already overwritten your world setting again… and I’ve reduced the accidental factors on you to the minimum!”

Ji Yu: “?”

She asked somewhat blankly: “Does that mean I was originally supposed to have a lot of accidents today?”

The system said righteously: “With me here, who can harm you?! As long as I, the Corgi, am in this world, even if the loophole isn’t fixed, anyone who dares to mess with you from a god’s-eye view, I will destroy their entire heaven!”

Ji Yu nodded seriously, cooperating fully: “Really?”

The system immediately told her: “Of course! I’ve already found out what the arranged outcome of the accident for you was, and I’ve completely tampered with the content. That setting planned for you to meet an overbearing CEO tonight, and you were even going to be targeted by him—”

Ji Yu touched her stomach, feeling disgusted by the malice in the story.

The system quickly reassured her: “Don’t worry, Yuyu! Except for one small accident! Nothing else will happen!”

Hearing the words “small accident,” Ji Yu said faintly: “I’m suddenly less reassured.”

As a result, she was absent-minded when she left, wondering who would want to harm her so much. She then accidentally stepped on a small stone, which jarred the sole of her shoe. She looked down and suddenly heard the system let out a huge sigh of relief.

Ji Yu: “?”

The system: “It’s done. The small accident has passed.”

Ji Yu looked down at the stone again and couldn’t help but smile.

Later, at the cocktail party.

Ji Yu watched a familiar figure pull out a chair and sit down opposite her. A faint, dark fragrance wafted from the person, followed by a cool, clear voice in her ear:

“We meet again.”

Ji Yu turned her head. The face that met her eyes was still familiar and composed, seemingly devoid of emotion, except for those obsidian-like eyes, which were like an extinguished fire on a snowy night, still burning with embers.

Then the light quickly vanished.

She parted her lips, intending to greet her, but a thought suddenly curved in her mind, and she asked the system with a slightly strange tone:

“Overbearing CEO?”

“Targeted me?”

Is this the malicious plot that was supposedly targeting her?

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