Transmigrated as the CEO's Top-Tier Stand-in - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was very late when Meng Rendong brought Chu Nanxing home.

As Chu Nanxing got out of the car with her, she looked at the high-end residential complex she had never visited before. She gazed up at the high-rise building, dotted with lights in the hazy night, and a touch of surprise appeared on her face:

“You moved out?”

After asking, she quickly recalled Meng Rendong’s awkward standing at home and tried to amend her sudden slip of the tongue: “But this place is quite close to your company, convenient for commuting. Are you living here alone?”

Meng Rendong paid no mind to her cautious scrutiny, nor did she pretend not to notice Chu Nanxing’s embarrassment. She simply nodded calmly and walked first toward the building they were heading to.

Uncle Zhang lifted Chu Nanxing’s suitcase from the car, originally intending to help carry it up, but Chu Nanxing smilingly declined. She held the handle herself, looked up at the building in front of her again, then suddenly pulled out her phone, snapped a photo of the building, and immediately posted it on her Moments, setting the visibility to only friends—

“Sneaked back. Guess where I am? [Image.jpg]”

Her social circle overlapped with Meng Rendong’s; after all, they were all part of the same city circle. Moments after the post went up, sharp-eyed people recognized the address and began leaving playful comments underneath.

Someone even called her directly:

“Nanxing, what’s the meaning of this? You came back for such a big thing and only called Rendong? What, the friendship of your sister flying over to spend New Year’s Eve with you last year has gone cold?”

Chu Nanxing quickly apologized with a smile, walking briskly to catch up with Meng Rendong, her cheerful voice echoing in the hallway:

“How could you say that, Axi? I was just afraid that if too many people knew, my parents would immediately haul me back. My bad, my bad, Ancestor, give me the address! I’ll come immediately with whips and thorns to beg for forgiveness!”

The other person snorted and immediately said: “The usual spot on the fifth floor of Dream Isle (Mengdao). Be here within an hour, and your sins shall be forgiven!”

Meng Rendong was waiting for the elevator. She heard a few fragmented sentences and just as she turned her gaze, she saw Chu Nanxing shaking her phone at her, looking innocently at a loss.

She recognized the voice of Yan Xi, took the phone from Chu Nanxing, and spoke to the other end:

“It’s too late now. She just got back. We’ll—”

Yan Xi wasn’t intimidated by her cold excuse and immediately interrupted: “Don’t bother, Meng Rendong. It’s not even midnight. Are you even an adult? Your nightlife is so barren? Hurry up, both of you come over. Tell me yourself, how long has it been since you gathered with us! You have no heart!”

A hint of helplessness appeared on Meng Rendong’s face. As she was about to speak, she heard the other person continue domineeringly: “Besides, I’m not here alone. Luo Shui and the others are here too. Nanxing came back because she wants a career in the domestic entertainment industry, but her family disagrees, right? I’m telling you, I have a decent project that’s perfect for her. Think carefully about whether you want to come!

“I’ve laid out the facts here. This project currently has no domestic equivalent, but it’s a huge hit abroad. CEO Meng, won’t you consider it?”

Meng Rendong heard this and couldn’t help but purse her lips.

Arriving at the Dream Isle bar was about forty minutes later.

Since Uncle Zhang had worked extra hours today, he was waved off by his boss and headed home after dropping Meng Rendong and the others off.

The first floor of the bar was as noisy as ever, as if the entire city’s fatigue and decadence for the day needed to be vented by the thunderous music beat. Fortunately, the fifth floor, where Meng Rendong’s group often stayed, was quieter. Otherwise, given her personality, she certainly wouldn’t come a second time after experiencing such noise.

When the two arrived, there were a few handsome or attractive young people accompanying them in the private room. Yan Xi immediately came up and shoved a wine glass into the hands of both Chu Nanxing and Meng Rendong:

“Old rules, three penalty shots first!”

Meng Rendong stared at the wine glass in her hand, but the adjacent Chu Nanxing reached out and took her glass as well. She smiled at Yan Xi with the most natural action: “Rendong isn’t a good drinker, Axi, stop with that. I’ll drink for her. After all, I’m the one who kept you in the dark, not her.”

Having said that, she quickly gulped down several cups of rice wine, neat and swift.

Yan Xi was pleased, immediately hooking her arm around Chu Nanxing’s neck and dragging her aside to chat about recent events. Others went to talk to Meng Rendong, but Yan Xi’s voice was loud, and what she said quickly spread:

“It’s good that you came back—”

“Keep a close eye on Rendong. It will save her from being constantly bewitched by scheming little foxes. Her personality is already cold; if this continues, she might drift away from us completely!”

The atmosphere in the private room suddenly quieted down.

Only Yan Xi, who was somewhat tipsy, didn’t notice. She seductively tossed her hair, then realized Meng Rendong was looking at her. Meeting those black eyes that were always steady and unperturbed, she paused, instinctively self-reflecting for a moment.

But soon, finding that what she said was indeed true, Yan Xi’s voice grew louder out of righteous indignation:

“It’s true. Was anything I said wrong?”

“Meng Rendong, back then, Ah Yu was not just your friend, she was our friend. After that incident, not just you, but Nanxing, me, Luo Shui, which one of us wasn’t heartbroken? How can you be the only one stuck on it, finding one person after another? This latest one is too much. The names are even similar. What was her name again… Ji Yu, yes, that name. What, do you think Chu Jianyu can be replaced by any Tom, Dick, or Harry!”

As the three words ‘Chu Jianyu’ came out—

The already silent private room was instantly thrown into chaos like a depth charge. Chu Nanxing’s eyes darkened. Meng Rendong’s gaze was so cold it looked like she wanted to pierce the person right through. Wang Luoshui inwardly thought, This is bad, and rushed to cover Yan Xi’s mouth, whispering frantically into her ear to hypnotize her:

“You’re drunk! Axi, you’re drunk!”

Seeing Meng Rendong’s face practically freezing over, she quickly tried to smooth things over: “Well, what Axi just said was nonsense. I’ve actually met Miss Ji. She’s very sweet and has a great personality. She’s been with Rendong for three or four years now. The names are just a coincidence, besides, the characters are written differently, right?”

She subconsciously sought Meng Rendong’s agreement, hoping to move past that remark.

Meng Rendong, however, said nothing, still staring intently at Yan Xi.

The atmosphere gradually tensed to the extreme—

Meng Rendong suddenly stood up without warning.

Wang Luoshui’s heart skipped a beat. She instinctively blocked the space between them, only to see Meng Rendong silently walking toward the door of the private room, opening the door, and leaving in one fluid motion.

Wang Luoshui looked back and forth, briefly instructing Chu Nanxing: “You keep an eye on her.”

Then she rushed out to follow.

Chu Nanxing nodded. She saw that the wine had somewhat scared Yan Xi into sobriety. Yan Xi was staring blankly in the direction Meng Rendong had left. After a moment, she turned to say something to Chu Nanxing, and seeing her looking downcast, she lightly tapped her shoulder, speaking with disappointment:

“Nanxing, show some spirit. Why else did I call you back? I’ve been watching Rendong for you all this time. This woman named Ji is the most manipulative one I’ve seen. If you like her, go for it quickly, or you’ll lose everything.”

Chu Nanxing forced a stiff smile.

Yan Xi, however, thought she was bothered by the mention of her sister, Chu Jianyu, earlier. Her tone softened, losing its former dominance: “Anyway, I just can’t stand the people around Rendong. They’re all kinds of shady characters. Ah Yu is Ah Yu, she’s unique, right?”

Chu Nanxing lowered her head. Her fringe shrouded her face in the dim light of the private room, making her expression unclear.

After a long time, she nodded very lightly.

Outside.

Wang Luoshui caught up with Meng Rendong, holding her arm anxiously: “Axi drank too much tonight. She didn’t mean it. You know, none of us want to bring up what happened back then, especially with Nanxing here—”

Meng Rendong nodded indifferently, once again hiding her emotions.

Wang Luoshui couldn’t discern her attitude, so she reluctantly started a new topic: “You… you’ve been with that Miss Ji for so long. Since you haven’t broken up yet, your relationship must be pretty good, right? If that’s the case, bring her to meet us sometime. It can prevent misunderstandings. It’ll be good for both you and her, don’t you think?”

Meng Rendong’s gaze paused.

Knowing that Wang Luoshui’s words made sense, she quietly replied: “Okay.”

After a moment’s pause, she added somewhat awkwardly:

“Thank you.”

“That’s enough for tonight. I’ll host next time. You should go back.”

This night was destined to be sleepless.

Not just for Meng Rendong, but for Ji Yu as well.

She drew two consecutive ten-pulls from the system, obtaining three Sleep Aid Cards and four Beautiful Dream Cards. There were also various scene experience items, but the most unique one was the last card:

“Deluxe Sugar-Substitute Cake Recipe x1.”

She stared at the cake recipe for a while, looking puzzledly at the Corgi system next to her, who was sniffing the floor tiles, pretending to be very interested, but its tail was wagging so fast it was a blur, like an electric fan.

Ji Yu cupped the dog’s head and asked it, “What mischief are you plotting again? I checked; these aren’t the ingredients for a pet cake.”

The Corgi widened its eyes and looked at her. After a long stare-down between person and dog, the Corgi finally realized Ji Yu hadn’t remembered at all and said, “It’s your birthday in a few days! Did you forget?”

“And you can’t eat sweets because your stomach is so bad. I finally came up with this gift. This is the most delicious, healthy, safe, and super low-sugar cake in my database, the kind that won’t make you gain weight! I painstakingly chose this birthday gift, it’s just a shame I can’t materialize it directly—”

The Corgi’s disappointment was palpable. Its tail stopped wagging, and its head drooped.

Ji Yu blinked, gave a soft “Ah,” and then looked at the cake recipe again. It had been many years since she had eaten cake. Now, seeing that the Corgi had remembered her birthday and prepared such a thoughtful gift, she smiled. She picked up the dog and walked toward the practice room:

“Thanks. I’ll make you something delicious tomorrow. How about I buy you an A5 steak?”

“I’m not doing it for the food! Remember that! I want a big one!”

“I know, I know. I’m just too moved and really want to repay you. Is that better?”

“Hmph!”

“Can you please not wag your tail so hard when you’re being tsundere?”

Ji Yu practiced Poppin for another night. When dawn broke, she went to work at the nearby children’s art center. The teachers were allowed to practice on the piano there for free, and the children were well-behaved. It was a good, relaxing side job for her.

Fortunately, Meng Rendong hadn’t come over these past few days, allowing her some peace. She even booked a baking studio on her birthday. Because the utensils at home were too basic to make a cake, she specially rented a baking studio for a few hours, planning to follow the system’s recipe and make a delicious cake herself.

Ji Yu was rarely filled with a sense of anticipation.

She carried the beautifully packaged cake toward her home. While waiting at a traffic light, she suddenly received a call from Meng Rendong: “Why didn’t you reply to my message?”

Ji Yu checked her phone, her tone apologetic: “I… I was busy this afternoon and didn’t see it—”

Meng Rendong didn’t bother to press for details, only saying: “I sent you an address. Be there within half an hour.”

Ji Yu parted her lips, intending to say something, but Meng Rendong had already hung up.

She felt helpless. She looked at the cake in her hand and had no choice but to flag down a taxi on the roadside.

It was the Dream Isle bar again.

When Ji Yu pushed open the door, she was still a bit dazed, especially when she realized that not only was Meng Rendong there, but also several people she hadn’t met before. She paused her steps.

The others weren’t familiar with her, and it was their first time seeing her, so their gazes were assessing.

Meng Rendong waved at her from where she sat, signaling her to come over. Chu Nanxing and Yan Xi were sitting next to each other playing dice, not even looking her way. Only Wang Luoshui, afraid of an awkward silence, smiled proactively at Ji Yu. Seeing the cake package in her hand, she wondered what it was for and intended to call someone to help put it in the fridge.

However, Yan Xi suddenly glanced over and chuckled:

“Miss Ji is too polite.”

“Just coming is enough; why bring us gifts?”

“What is this, a cake you made yourself?”

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