Transmigrated as the CEO's Top-Tier Stand-in - Chapter 43

Chapter 43

As if spellbound, Si Tian stared blankly at Meng Rendong’s face. Countless questions flooded her mind in an instant.

The self-talk-like conversations from the past resurfaced in her memory:

“Am I too desperate, finally going crazy? Who are you? My second personality?”

“And who are you?”

“I’m Si Tian.”

“Are you my split personality? I think I read somewhere that people with childhood trauma are likely to split personalities, and the new personality has its own experiences and can even take on the burdens for the host…”

“Stop.”

“We’re roommates in a different sense. Should I give you a name?”

“No need. My name is Meng Rendong.”

That dawn first appeared in her world, and Si Tian was once ecstatic, thinking she could finally escape the darkness and pain, until she discovered that the other person wasn’t born to endure her suffering, but for a girl.

A girl named Ji Yu, who had been sent to the hospital by a passerby after falling into the water, and also came from a difficult family background.

For a long time, Si Tian felt like a creature that couldn’t see the light, destined to live in darkness. She watched Ji Yu and Meng Rendong laugh in the sunlight with envy, watching them seem utterly unaffected by their original families and environments, able to become each other’s reliance as long as they were together.

She watched Meng Rendong, after promising her a wonderful life, take Ji Yu to practice dancing every day, and saw Ji Yu’s extraordinary talent revealed for the first time in the dance studio.

But Meng Rendong was also working hard in her own way. On the surface, it seemed like Ji Yu was trying to keep up with Meng Rendong’s pace, but in reality, Meng Rendong was secretly working twice as hard, trying to show reliable talent in front of her friend.

Si Tian sometimes didn’t quite understand Meng Rendong’s drive, so she asked her about it.

“Why… are you working so hard?”

Meng Rendong was wiping off sweat at the time and told her: “I once had a friend I treasured very much who died right in front of me, and I was powerless. I absolutely hate that feeling—”

“Since that incident, I swore I would never let her be harmed again.”

Si Tian asked in confusion: “Hmm? Her? Are you referring to your friend? But didn’t you say your friend already…?”

Meng Rendong looked down at the ground, gently exhaled, and after a moment, inexplicably replied: “I’m not entirely sure, but it doesn’t matter. I just need to know that I want to protect her.”

Si Tian responded with a half-understanding “Oh” and then fell silent again.

It was Meng Rendong who asked her during a break: “Do you plan to continue like this forever?”

Si Tian: “What?”

Meng Rendong casually twisted open a soda bottle, took a drink of the cool summer refreshment, and sighed: “This is your body. I guess I might not stay here forever. You have to have your own life. By then, you should be free enough, and your family won’t be able to hurt you anymore. Have you thought about what you want to do?”

Hearing her say this, Si Tian felt an inexplicable tension. Having grown used to avoiding problems, the thought of facing the many maliciousness of the human world again made her instinctively push back:

“We’ll talk about it… when the time comes.”

“Didn’t you… didn’t you say you would help me achieve a successful life?”

“Are you going back on your word?”

Meng Rendong was silent for a while, then said softly: “No, I will keep all my promises.”

Si Tian then comfortably retreated back into her own corner. Before Meng Rendong said those words, she had envied Meng Rendong and Ji Yu. She envied their carefree lives, and even began to feel an illusion that living like that wasn’t very difficult.

Until three years later.

One morning, she opened her eyes and found that the voice in her body had vanished, never to appear again.

Si Tian was urged by the group members and manager who came in to quickly wash up, put on makeup, and go on stage. It was then that she realized that some things, she just couldn’t do well.

For those years, Meng Rendong had shielded her from the wind and rain, cleared the path, and tried to pave a smooth road for her, to repay the debt of using her body to satisfy her private desires for so many years—

But the other person had simply disappeared in advance.

She took only one step on that unpaved, crooked red carpet before being pricked and bleeding profusely by the thorns stretching out from the roadside. She never had the courage to move forward again.

In the bustling venue.

Si Tian snapped out of her memories, unconsciously pinching the orange bracelet on her right wrist with her left hand. Her voice was drowned out by the sudden cheers from the front row.

“So you really weren’t my second personality…”

So Meng Rendong really didn’t come for her.

Si Tian looked up at the stage again, meeting Ji Yu’s gaze as the camera turned to her on the screen.

Next to her beautiful peach blossom eyes, the red five-pointed star appeared playful yet exceptionally alluring, contrasting with Rong Bai’s cold and cool look beside her. Thus, even though their costumes were in the same color scheme, they conveyed completely different feelings.

It couldn’t help but make people look forward to what kind of stunning stage this team would present.

Meng Rendong’s gaze also lingered on Ji Yu. When the camera turned away, she reluctantly leaned over, glancing at Si Tian beside her.

Although she had somewhat guessed that Si Tian’s appearance might be similar to her own, and had been shocked once before, seeing it again still felt incredible.

Meng Rendong even wondered:

Could it be that her father had an affair when he was young and secretly had a child with a mistress outside?

Given Meng’s father’s affectionate nature, this was not impossible.

“What did you just say?” she asked Si Tian.

Si Tian shook her head and said to her: “Let’s… watch Ji Yu’s stage first?”

Meng Rendong deeply agreed, naturally assuming the content of the other’s words was unimportant. She thought that since they had already met, it wouldn’t hurt to wait a while, and this messy environment wasn’t a good place to talk business anyway.

So the two watched the stage together.

Sun was a fast-paced song with a wild style.

The choreography was power-oriented. Essentially, a complete song and dance performance required the entire stage to be filled with released hormones.

It must be said that the center position choice for Ji Yu’s group was exceptionally good. Even when compared to Chu Nanxing’s previous group, their performance was in no way inferior and didn’t make the audience feel fatigued.

Rong Bai’s appearance truly fit the song, and her camera presence was also good. From the moment the rhythm started, her eyes firmly captured the lens.

The other members of the group were not overshadowed by her center style either.

During the chorus, Ji Yu had a solo moment. She hit a high note, glancing coolly at the camera. Her eyes were cold, but the star at the corner of her eye was the color of burning red, symbolizing heat. The huge contradiction of cold and hot blended her charm into something even more captivating.

As Meng Rendong watched their performance of Sun, an ancient myth surfaced in her mind.

Legend had it that there were once ten suns in the sky, incarnations of the Three-Legged Golden Crow.

And the ten Golden Crows clearly had different personalities.

Chu Nanxing, Rong Bai, and Ji Yu were suns of completely different styles. Chu Nanxing was like a stunning sunset, making the clouds across the sky bright and dazzling, mesmerizing people with her beauty.

Rong Bai was the summer blazing sun, the noon sun, so intensely hot that people didn’t even dare to look directly at it. Her aura swept through everything, as if all darkness had no place to hide, and the whole world was left only with her light.

As for Ji Yu…

She was the first light of the morning, the beam of light that pierced through the cloud cover after continuous rain, and the gentle sun that warmed all things in the cold winter.

At first glance, she didn’t seem intense, but every time people encountered her, they couldn’t help but feel hope.

She was like a torch in the dark, a faint glow in the long night.

Just one glance at her, and the seed of light was quietly planted in the heart, then gradually sprouted and grew. At first, it was a spark, then it spread across the wilderness, and the fire in one’s eyes was her image.

And the observer willingly let her kindling roll over their heart, invading their limbs and bones, making their blood hot and boiling for her.

“Next, please use the voting devices in your hands—”

“To cast a vote for your favorite trainee.”

When Meng Rendong recovered from the long shiver, she found that the hairs on her arms were standing up. She wasn’t sure if it was from the too-strong air conditioning in the venue or from the shock of Ji Yu’s performance just now.

She took out the voting device she had been given upon entry, pressed the number belonging to Ji Yu, and tossed the device to the assistant beside her, then looked at Si Tian:

“Shall we go sit in a café?”

Although Si Tian also cast a vote for Ji Yu, the winning results for the two groups hadn’t been announced backstage yet. Seeing Meng Rendong walking out without a care, she couldn’t help but say:

“…It’s not over yet.”

Meng Rendong shook her head lightly: “It’s over.”

Si Tian originally wanted to stay longer, but seeing Meng Rendong already walking against the flow of the crowd, she instinctively followed her steps. The two passed through the crowd and reached the outside of the venue, only to realize that the moon had risen sometime ago.

Looking at Meng Rendong’s back walking ahead, Si Tian hesitated, but finally couldn’t hold back, voicing the doubt in her heart:

“Do, do you have so much confidence that Ji Yu will win?”

Meng Rendong leaned forward. The warm light from the streetlamp nearby filled her eyes, making her dark, bright eyes like glazed porcelain. When shone upon by daylight, even the embryo was crystalline and beautiful, inspiring awe.

Despite having a similar face, Si Tian was still amazed by her appearance at the moment, because she knew that she would never have such a gaze.

Composed, indifferent, as if the collapse of Mount Tai before her wouldn’t change her expression.

Only a strong and tenacious soul could exude such an aura.

In this daze, Si Tian saw Meng Rendong gently curl her lips. Tenderness naturally flowed from her expression, and even the half of her face illuminated by the streetlamp seemed softened:

“Every stage is unique, and every performance shouldn’t be defined by winning or losing—”

“But the human heart is always biased.”

“Her performance is enough to make hearts lean towards her, and the human heart is enough to tip the scales of victory.”

Si Tian moved her lips.

After a long while, she lowered her gaze, as if lamenting, or perhaps admitting something, and said in a low voice:

“You’re still the same as before.”

Not just Meng Rendong, but Ji Yu too.

No matter how many setbacks or blows they encountered, they could always stand up, their vitality as tenacious as grass in the wild.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Meng Rendong slightly raised her eyebrows: “Oh? It sounds like we’re very familiar with each other?”

Si Tian showed a look of surprise. She carefully sized up Meng Rendong in front of her, and after a long time, asked with a mix of confusion and probing:

“You… don’t remember?”

Meng Rendong met her gaze without changing her expression, but a heavy stone dropped in her heart.

It seems she didn’t find the wrong person.

Si Tian indeed knew about her strange dreams, and she might even give her more unexpected surprises.

She pretended not to understand, and said to Si Tian: “Remember what?”

Si Tian: “…”

She wasn’t sure if Meng Rendong was pretending to be ignorant.

But perhaps because she had spent three years with the other person, she instinctively wanted to trust her. Moreover, she also wanted to know the reason why she hadn’t successfully died. After much hesitation, she said:

“Seven years ago, in the summer—”

“That was the first time you appeared in my world.”

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