Transmigrated as the CEO's Top-Tier Stand-in - Chapter 45

Chapter 45

A Story from Another World

The unbelievable development slowly revealed the events that occurred in another world—

Meng Rendong always lived in Si Tian’s body. Even after debuting a step ahead of Ji Yu, she never forgot about her. Relying on the education she received since childhood, combined with hard work and effort, she thrived in the entertainment industry, striving to pave a path for Ji Yu.

In this process, she certainly encountered obstacles.

But compared to Ji Yu, those were not important.

Meng Rendong had a complete life plan for herself in that world. After debuting in the girl group, she could use the group’s two years of operation to continuously improve herself, earn enough money, accumulate enough resources and contacts, and strive for a successful transition so that she could establish her own studio after the girl group disbanded.

This way, Meng Rendong could sign Ji Yu to her studio.

And also allocate resources to her.

In the process of achieving her goals, Meng Rendong inevitably had moments where she was stretched too thin. She gradually became busy, and even opportunities to meet Ji Yu became fewer—

But she clearly knew that these sacrifices were meaningful.

A brief separation was for a longer reunion.

At that time, she thought she would stay with Ji Yu in that world for a very long time, and it wouldn’t matter even if she never returned to her own world.

“But…”

“In the summer of your third year there, which was also half a year after the group was formed.”

“One morning, you disappeared without a trace.”

Only half of the hot water remained in Si Tian’s cup. Her gaze was fixed on the irregular dark ink stone pattern on the table. When she reached this point, she paused for a long time, as if unsure how to explain the following events to Meng Rendong.

But those tragedies that occurred wouldn’t disappear just because she avoided facing them.

Meng Rendong’s eyes fell on the spoon on the coaster. After stirring her coffee, she had carelessly placed the spoon next to the cup, leaving a light brown stain on the white coaster.

She vaguely guessed what happened next.

Based on her impression of Si Tian during their time together in the dreams and their current meeting, Meng Rendong could generally conclude that her sudden departure must have caused Si Tian a lot of trouble, to the extent that she wasn’t ready to face this world, and she had also placed her on too high a pedestal.

It must not have been a pleasant experience.

“When I woke up and regained control of the body, I actually wished it was just a dream.” Si Tian placed the now lukewarm glass cup back on the table. Her slightly reddened palm pressed against the cool tabletop, and she instinctively avoided Meng Rendong’s gaze as she spoke: “Because you were the one who learned to dance, you were the one who debuted, you were the one who filmed commercials, ran announcements, worked hard to earn money, and gained the love of fans…”

“Just handling the commercials and commercial performances you left behind was enough to exhaust me. When I finally had time to rest, I often thought, is it possible that I’m the escaping second personality, and this life was originally yours? Otherwise, why did I feel like a clown who stole someone else’s costume and clumsily stood on the stage? Facing the audience’s gaze, I was so terrified, even uncontrollably seeing all sorts of bad news about me when browsing the internet…”

“Every time I heard someone say, ‘Si Tian’s current state is much worse than before,’ ‘Si Tian’s performance is a bit half-hearted now,’ or ‘Si Tian’s stage this time was actually lip-synced,’ I would feel fear. I was afraid they would discover the truth, expose my inconsistent characteristics, and realize that I was a patient with a split personality…”

“I didn’t even dare to see Ji Yu.”

Only then did she raise her head and meet Meng Rendong’s eyes, although she quickly lowered her gaze again. Her look was full of remorse, as if she blamed herself for failing to take good care of the friend the other person had cared about.

Meng Rendong heard her continue:

“I was very afraid, afraid that she would notice I was acting strangely, and also afraid that she would blame me for losing you… I admired the relationship between you two so much, and I knew how much she valued you. I didn’t want to be the one to break her illusion.”

“It’s just that the situation became increasingly difficult for me to handle.”

“There were always people in the group who didn’t quite like you. Maybe you didn’t care when you were there, but I… perhaps because I’m exceptionally sensitive to others’ opinions, every time I performed poorly, or someone snatched resources from the manager, or was occasionally ridiculed with sarcasm, I would silently take it to heart.”

“The more I tried not to care, the more I actually cared. Once I cared, the pressure of sharing the stage with her the next time became immense, especially since I was the Center…”

“I don’t know when it started, but public opinion became increasingly bad. I saw people online telling me to get out of the group, and I was subjected to strange harassment and attacks during public performances. I couldn’t help but hope for your return. I wanted to be saved again, but I didn’t wait for another miracle. I waited for my parents.”

The spoon Meng Rendong had just picked up hit the edge of the cup.

She moved her lips. Even though she couldn’t recall what happened then, she was already aware of what she had done wrong.

She shouldn’t have arbitrarily decided someone else’s life out of her own selfish motives.

If she had just quietly watched Ji Yu from Si Tian’s body back then, without acting on her own accord, without living Si Tian’s life, would Si Tian have been driven to a dead end later?

She had been too hasty, forcibly pulling Si Tian up to the clouds, only to let go.

“I’m sorry.”

Sweat broke out on Meng Rendong’s forehead. Recalling the story Ji Yu had told, she felt restless. For a moment, she felt that she had harmed Si Tian.

Hearing her apology, Si Tian paused, then shook her head gently: “No, I’m not telling you this to get an apology… Besides, I was the naive one.”

“I was always avoiding things. From the moment you appeared, I comfortably retreated into a corner, watching you create a successful life for me, using it to fulfill my own dream, as if I had walked this path myself—”

“But it wasn’t until you left that I realized that a person who always waits for others to save them, even if they luckily receive help this time, there will eventually be a time, next time, the time after that… when they can only watch helplessly as the torrent sweeps over them and swallows them, and they are powerless, because they gave up countless opportunities to learn to save themselves when passing by the pool in normal times.”

“When you were still here, even when you practiced singing and dancing all night, or when you were shooting commercials, or studying scripts, if only I had been willing to come out and let you teach me those things… I wouldn’t have fallen into that situation later. I was the one who didn’t seize the opportunity.”

Meng Rendong was at a loss for words, seemingly racking her brain to offer some form of comfort.

But she was genuinely bad at it. So much so that Si Tian accidentally caught a glimpse of her expression out of the corner of her eye while speaking. Her lips curved slightly, and she proactively steered the conversation back onto its original track:

“You should have heard the rest of the story from Ji Yu on the show. I don’t have your abilities. After my parents were dealt with by you once, they gained experience and came back to blackmail me. I was always unable to escape their control. Even years later, seeing their faces still made me feel suffocated…”

“The pressure of public opinion, the anxiety of not being able to harmonize with the group members, coupled with the manager gradually feeling that I had no economic value, etc., my parents stepped forward and added the biggest fire to all of this—”

“I wanted to escape again.”

“I didn’t know how to coexist with this world.”

Hearing this last sentence, the atmosphere in the private room became somewhat heavy.

Perhaps because “life and death” is always a heavy topic, even an apology seemed pale. Meng Rendong tightly pursed her lips, unsure of what to do to compensate for the harm Si Tian had suffered.

Si Tian sensed her mood. She deliberately picked up the glass cup and gently clinked it against her coffee cup. After the sound of “clink,” she revealed a very slight smile:

“But I opened my eyes again.”

“In this world, I saw you both again.”

“Initially, I thought God hadn’t given up on mocking me, preparing to live out this boring life like a walking corpse, swearing not to provide it with any more entertainment…”

“But today, when I met you, I suddenly understood: God is actually looking out for me.”

“In my most helpless childhood, it let you come into my world, letting me know that the correct way to face setbacks is to be independent and self-reliant, to stand up where you fall. However, I didn’t grasp it then; later, when I gave up again, it gave me a new life without holding grudges, allowing me to start over. This time, I truly take control of my life.”

“Moreover, now I no longer have to feel guilty about deceiving Ji Yu, nor do I have to take this secret between you and me to the grave. I can finally stand in front of her with confidence and tell her: Hello, I am Si Tian, I am your fan, and I love the radiant look of you on stage.”

Si Tian recalled the past, suddenly realizing.

Her current self seemed to be the exact person she had been long hoping to be in her childhood.

In this world, she no longer had to face her original parents, nor was she forced to play up to everyone and read faces. As an independent adult, the experience left by those clumsy performances now allows her to easily find some decent tutoring jobs. And when facing her former friends… whether it’s the familiar Meng Rendong or the Ji Yu she only knew one-sidedly, she doesn’t have to feel guilty.

It turns out this is her best self.

It turns out this is what a new lease on life feels like.

So much so that she genuinely developed a little expectation for this world and her future life.

The story concluded.

Si Tian drank all the remaining water in the cup, placed the empty cup aside, put her hands on the table, and rested her chin on them, looking across at Meng Rendong like a good girl.

Meng Rendong was stunned by her expectant gaze:

“You…”

Si Tian, in an excellent mood, widened her smile. Having shared these stories, she truly felt relieved, so her smile was much brighter:

“I’ve figured it all out!”

“Before, I didn’t dare to go find Ji Yu because I was afraid of being exposed. Now, all I have to do is take you with me, tell her the truth, and you two can live happily ever after!”

It was clear that she had always known Meng Rendong’s intentions toward Ji Yu—

Unexpectedly, Meng Rendong immediately responded:

“No.”

Si Tian: “?”

Si Tian: “Why? You sacrificed so much for Ji Yu back then. Don’t you want her to know it was you who did it?”

Meng Rendong: “…”

She really did want to.

Unfortunately.

She said with a slight ache in her chest: “I… mainly, some things, I realized too late.”

Si Tian was completely puzzled: “Such as?”

She thought back to Meng Rendong’s attitude toward Ji Yu in those previous years, and then to Ji Yu’s current path to idol stardom, still missing the Meng Rendong who inhabited her body. She genuinely couldn’t fathom how difficult this romance could be.

In Si Tian’s mind, Meng Rendong and Ji Yu were the type to confess in one second, get married the next, and spend their wedding night the moment after!

Meng Rendong found it a bit awkward to say: “Actually… according to your ‘two worlds’ theory, Ji Yu should have arrived in this world a few years ago.”

Si Tian: “Hmm?”

Meng Rendong thought of the other person’s ill-timed summer outfit when they first met.

And the light that shone in her eyes when she saw her.

The truth gradually took shape in her mind.

This made her next words even weaker: “But… I didn’t remember anything at the time, and I don’t know what was wrong with my head. I might have been a bit simple-minded after my soul left the body…”

Si Tian couldn’t help but say: “So you didn’t recognize her?”

Meng Rendong shook her head, “No.”

She subtly expressed: “We fell in love at first sight.”

Si Tian: “…?”

Meng Rendong continued: “And she stayed by my side just like that.”

Si Tian was confused: “Isn’t that great? You could seize the opportunity to pursue her, and with your current status—”

Meng Rendong looked down at her coffee expressionlessly, ruthlessly revealing the truth to this first, and perhaps only, shipper of her and Ji Yu:

“I didn’t cherish her.”

“She stayed by my side for four years, but I didn’t pay attention to her every move, treating her as a pastime for my leisure.”

“So she dumped me a while ago.”

“And now she’s completely focused on finding you.”

Si Tian: “…”

She was so shocked by this twist that she was momentarily speechless.

After a long pause, she dryly uttered: “So…”

Meng Rendong nodded painfully, agreeing: “So if she finds out now that the Si Tian she was with wasn’t you, but me—”

Si Tian gently stroked her chin and offered her advice in a gentle voice:

“How about you be more careful in your next life?”

Perhaps feeling this was too heartless, she added: “I’ll remember to visit you every Qingming Festival.”

Meng Rendong: “…”

Meng Rendong: “…………”

So she really was doomed to die, wasn’t she!?

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