Transmigrated as the CEO's Top-Tier Stand-in - Chapter 52

Chapter 52

After Ji Yu went out, she found that only Chang Xue, Jiang Lianque, and Chu Nanxing remained in the pool area. Rong Bai and the others were either just leaving the director after reviewing their footage and preparing to shower, or were already on their way.

She asked the program assistant about the return time and found out they had to wait for everyone’s shooting to finish and packing up before a car would be called. So, she had no choice but to find a clean spot nearby to sit and wait.

“Grrr~”

Her stomach rumbled in protest of hunger.

Ji Yu merely raised a hand to rub it, looked around, and then sat there in contemplation, thinking about the next stage performance.

After the last stage, the production team introduced another major challenge, giving everyone three major category options: “Dance,” “Rap,” and “Vocal.” The remaining seventy-two trainees now had priority to choose their preferred performance type based on their ranking. Each major group of eighteen people was then divided into two groups, A and B, for a confrontation battle.

The battle songs were adapted versions of current popular hits.

Ji Yu chose Vocal this time.

She knew she had left a deep impression on all the audience and fans in the dance category. If she continued down the path of dance, with her current popularity, she would remain a strong contender for one of the final nine debut spots, provided no devastating scandal emerged.

But she didn’t want this. She wanted to show improvement and give her fans a surprise.

In terms of stage impact.

“Vocal” tended to be softer, able to move the audience, but lacked the strong visual impact of “Dance.” It would be very difficult to win first place purely with “Vocal.”

Thinking this, she took out her iPod from her bag, plugged in her earphones, and began listening to the song.

The program assistant suddenly raised a hand and patted her shoulder.

Ji Yu turned her head and saw a new sandwich in the assistant’s hand. She was slightly surprised and took off one earphone. Before she could ask, the assistant spoke first:

“The new owner of this venue is very generous. They ordered afternoon tea earlier, and now they’ve sent over some late-night snacks for everyone… You’ve all been filming all day, you must be hungry, right?”

Ji Yu nodded her thanks. As she took the sandwich, a distinct emotion swelled up in her heart again.

Before she could unwrap it, she suddenly saw Chang Xue, wrapped in a towel, approaching her direction. Water was still dripping from her hair. She smiled at Ji Yu: “I’m so hungry too!”

Ji Yu held out the sandwich in her hand toward her.

Chang Xue smiled her thanks, took it, and said: “Nanxing has been taking almost twenty retakes for one segment and still hasn’t found the right feeling… Teacher Ji is the fastest one to finish among us. Why don’t you go take a look?”

She sat next to Ji Yu, tore open the plastic wrapping of the sandwich, and took a large bite out of a corner, clearly planning to fill her stomach before going to wash up. However, the towel hadn’t completely dried the water on her, and the wet stain on the bench spread towards Ji Yu.

Under the eager gaze of the assistant and Chang Xue, who hoped to finish work early, Ji Yu appropriately stood up, avoiding the water on the bench so as not to wet her newly changed clean clothes. She couldn’t find a reason to refuse and could only walk back towards the filming area.

The sound of splashing water rang out.

Chu Nanxing poked her head out of the water. Because she had lost too much body heat, her lips were now a sickly white. The director, who originally didn’t want them to wear too much makeup, had to ask the makeup artist to apply some waterproof makeup on her, lest the scene of an underwater mermaid turn into a horror film image of a water ghost crawling out of the frame.

Noticing Ji Yu approaching, Chu Nanxing’s fingertips unconsciously tightened. She sighed in relief inwardly, and her expression immediately shifted to one of seeing a savior:

“Teacher Ji is here?”

Hearing this title, which she couldn’t tell was a joke or simply following a trend, the hairs on Ji Yu’s arms stood up.

Chu Nanxing awkwardly pushed her hair back behind her ears, leaning on the edge of the pool with her chin resting there. While the director had deliberately given her time to find her feeling for the camera, she gestured to Ji Yu:

“I really don’t know how to film this segment. I’m a little confused. Does Teacher Ji have any experience she can share?”

Ji Yu was still a good distance from the pool edge. Hearing her words, she turned to look at the director, realizing he looked tired and had walked to the outside corridor to smoke. Only a few other staff members remained. She semi-squatted down where she was and asked Chu Nanxing calmly:

“Oh?”

“Didn’t the director explain the requirements for this part of the shoot to you?”

Chu Nanxing still wore that one-third apologetic smile: “Of course he did… but I seem to have a poor ability to understand. I heard that Teacher Ji also filmed a segment of this dance. If it’s not too much trouble, could you demonstrate it again, please?”

Ji Yu: “…”

She looked at Chu Nanxing acting out her little scene without expression. The system, however, couldn’t tolerate it and made a retching sound in her mind: “Yue…”

Ji Yu felt a little nauseous from the overly vivid sound, wondering if her stomach was upset from being hungry for too long. She said softly: “What part don’t you understand?”

Chu Nanxing stood in the water and smiled at her: “Chang Xue and Lianque also demonstrated it for me on the shore just now, but I still don’t quite understand—”

“If you don’t mind, could Teacher Ji come into the water and demonstrate it for me?”

“Of course, if you feel it’s too much trouble, then forget it.”

A smile hung on her face. She was lying in the water, so cold that her neck had lost all color, yet she insisted on enduring it, forcing the director to criticize her several times, just to drag the moment out until now for her scheme.

This move by Chu Nanxing was a true open conspiracy (陽謀).

It left Ji Yu in a difficult position.

Chu Nanxing wasn’t entirely confident either.

She just felt a little resentful.

On that translucent script screen, she had written one ending after another for Ji Yu. The first time was being humiliated at the hotel and jumping off a building. The second time was in this pool, in front of everyone, where she would drown from leg cramps and no one would notice, then be rushed to the hospital and die from failed resuscitation.

But none of the outcomes for Ji Yu ever went as she wished.

She was unwilling to accept it.

She decided to stop relying on external forces and use her own method to get a small revenge on Ji Yu.

Recalling how Ji Yu had initially refused to enter the water at the venue, Chu Nanxing still harbored a final hope… What if Ji Yu was really afraid of water?

In any case, she needed to vent her frustration.

“Don’t go, Yuyu, ignore her.”

“If she dares to post what happened today online, I’ll delete all those sockpuppet accounts. Don’t pay attention to her.”

Ji Yu heard the system’s frantic persuasion in her mind. She looked at Chu Nanxing, and finally, she calmly asked: “How long is the segment you failed to pass after dozens of retakes?”

Chu Nanxing’s face turned three shades paler upon hearing the phrase “dozens of retakes,” as if Ji Yu had openly shamed her. However, everyone else looked normal, so she couldn’t be overly sensitive and throw a tantrum.

She could only endure it, watching Ji Yu fiercely with eyes that seemed laced with poison. She spoke:

“Twenty-something seconds.”

Ji Yu nodded, told her to wait, and went to the restroom to change clothes. The system kept trying to dissuade her mid-way: “It’s dangerous, Yuyu, don’t go.”

Ji Yu conservatively estimated her three-minute card and told it: “I know what I’m doing. No need to panic yet.”

The system had to sullenly stop its pleading but still couldn’t resist adding:

“You… be careful of her.”

Ji Yu nodded.

The moment she submerged into the water, she instructed the system to activate the last card.

The three-minute countdown began.

Ji Yu took a deep breath and spoke to the waiting Chu Nanxing: “I’m very hungry right now, so I don’t have much energy. I might only be able to demonstrate it once…”

Chu Nanxing realized something and asked, pretending to be troubled: “Ah? Can’t it be a little longer?”

Ji Yu smiled and told her: “Any longer and I’ll collapse from exhaustion right in the pool.”

Chu Nanxing couldn’t gather much information from her smile, so she had to agree for now. However, as Ji Yu swam near the camera, she also submerged and followed. After Ji Yu performed a few moves, she suddenly grabbed Ji Yu’s wrist.

Ji Yu: “!”

She held her breath and turned to look at Chu Nanxing, who looked back innocently, then made a gesture as if demonstrating the move she had just taught, but doing it incorrectly.

Ji Yu looked at her coldly but didn’t dwell on the interruption. After Chu Nanxing let go, she continued performing the routine.

She didn’t have much time left.

The system’s card status countdown now felt more like her death countdown, hanging over her head.

Ji Yu finished the entire sequence, not caring whether Chu Nanxing had learned it or not. She stood up, intending to head for the edge of the pool. The moment she emerged from the water, she subtly sighed in relief.

Grasping the metal ladder railing, Ji Yu exerted force, ready to completely leave the water—

Suddenly, a force came from behind.

It landed on her shoulder.

Chu Nanxing’s smiling voice whispered close behind: “Teacher Ji, don’t leave yet. I still didn’t quite get it…”

Ji Yu was caught completely off guard, pulled backward into the water behind her.

Her palms lost their grip on the ladder railing.

There was a loud “Plop!”

In fact, even if Ji Yu fell into the water right now, she could still move freely because the time was still within the system card’s calculation range. If she wanted to, she could completely regain her calm, get up from the water, and climb back out.

But the moment she plunged back into the pool, she choked on the water.

The pool here wasn’t very deep, less than 1.7 meters, not even counting as a deep-water pool. She could easily poke her head out with a little effort.

But when a person chokes on water, they uncontrollably panic. This is especially true for untrained individuals. Their limbs instinctively flail. Even if she didn’t feel much fear at the moment, the imbalance of air pressure in her chest made her instinctively sink.

The water went over her head.

Ji Yu choked on water repeatedly, feeling a burning sensation in her nose, lungs, and everywhere.

Splashes erupted on the water’s surface.

Chu Nanxing stood by the ladder, looking somewhat stunned, as if she were genuinely terrified, until an even louder “Plop!” sounded beside the pool!

She stared as a figure approached Ji Yu from behind, like a professional lifeguard, quickly scooping her up and carrying her to the shore.

Affected by the commotion, the former lifeguard, the director who had just returned from smoking, and the other filming staff gathered around, including Rong Bai and others who had emerged from the shower room.

“What’s wrong?”

“What happened?”

“Drowning? What’s going on? Wasn’t someone watching this pool?”

“Hey? Who is that person?”

“Hurry up! Where’s the doctor! Quick, save her, oh my god!”

Ji Yu felt the world spinning. Endless pain surged through her body. She couldn’t even hear the sounds around her or know where she was. Even her vision was a blank void.

She vaguely felt herself spitting out a few mouthfuls of water and could feel the strings of involuntary tears forced out of her eyes.

But all those sounds were far away from her.

Her soul felt light and airy.

As if it had left her body.

Then, the next instant, it was violently yanked back. Suddenly, countless sounds mixed together, entering her ears:

“How is Ji Yu?”

“Jianyu, Jianyu, look at Mommy…”

“Isn’t this the shallow area? What on earth happened?”

“There are no safety measures here at all, and such a large lake. Why wasn’t anyone watching these children play?”

“Wake up… it’s alright!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I was late… it’s all my fault…”

Countless voices, some familiar, some unfamiliar, sounded in rotation, as if a thousand people were surrounding her at once, showering her with various concerns. But all she felt was noise.

Ji Yu felt an uncontrollable fear, although she didn’t know where it came from. Perhaps the system’s card had finally expired, or perhaps she had choked on water so badly that she was experiencing a near-death hallucination.

She was trembling with fear.

So she couldn’t help but curl her limbs, wanting to hug herself for warmth.

She embraced another source of warmth.

After pulling Ji Yu out of the water, Meng Rendong performed emergency first aid, pushing people away coldly when she saw the three layers of people surrounding them—some worried about Ji Yu, some about her—to ensure the crowd didn’t suffocate the area of air.

Feeling Ji Yu wake up, she sighed deeply in relief, leaning in and whispering:

“It’s alright. Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid…”

As her words of comfort settled, she was instinctively embraced by the semi-conscious person, feeling the wet warmth cling tightly to her.

Meng Rendong was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized Ji Yu hadn’t recovered. She swiftly lifted her in a fireman’s carry and rushed toward the emergency doctor who was hastily approaching—

On the spot.

Chu Nanxing remained in the water, watching Meng Rendong rush away with Ji Yu in her arms. For some reason, she suddenly shouted loudly at her:

“It has nothing to do with me! It wasn’t me!”

She sounded like she was defending herself.

Meng Rendong’s steps paused for an instant. She turned back to look at her. That single glance was utterly devoid of warmth, like looking at a rock, a tree, or like looking at a continuously performing, deceitful clown.

Then she turned her head and continued walking.

Even though she didn’t say a single word.

Chu Nanxing felt she had been judged once again.

Seven years ago.

Meng Rendong was the same. After rescuing the person, she listened to her crying loudly in fear nearby, gave her a cold glance, and then continued to stare silently at Chu Jianyu, who had already lost her breath.

No matter how much Chu Nanxing cried afterward, pulling Chu Huaide’s hand and sobbing in front of her, saying:

“I’m sorry… Sister Rendong… I didn’t mean to, I was scared… I didn’t know my sister would… sob sob Don’t be mad at me!”

No matter how she explained, or how she proclaimed her innocence to Meng Rendong.

Once Meng Rendong looked at her with those dark, frozen eyes, no matter how much she had prepared to say, she couldn’t utter another word.

She knew.

Meng Rendong was suspicious of her.

It had never changed.

Not far away.

Meng Rendong stood outside the emergency room door, replaying the scene in her mind, her heart surging with both fear and relief.

But after thinking of Chu Nanxing.

She pulled out her phone from her pocket and made a call.

“Hello.”

“Can you help me find a way? I want to see the investigation files for the ‘7.24 Drowning Incident in Binjiang Homestay Area’ seven years ago.”

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