Transmigrated as the CEO's Top-Tier Stand-in - Chapter 53

Chapter 53

While Ji Yu was being taken to the venue’s medical room for observation, the situation outside the venue was chaotic. The assistant sent by Meng Rendong quickly called Wang Luoshui’s assistant to ask how to handle today’s incident.

The director also returned to review the footage, fearing that his production might be implicated in some accidental event. If such an incident were to spread, he would inevitably be connected to it.

The footage quickly showed.

Chu Nanxing had merely patted Ji Yu’s shoulder, wanting to consult her about some filming details. Unexpectedly, Ji Yu lost her footing and fell backward, choking on water. Fortunately, she was pulled out in time. The biggest issue was likely the shock; there were no other major problems.

The director let out a huge sigh of relief, waving to the surrounding program staff and to Rong Bai and the others: “It should just be an accident… But you all need to be careful next time. Don’t casually pull someone standing at the edge of the pool. It’s quite dangerous.”

Chu Nanxing sat nearby, her face pale, looking lost and stunned, as if deep in thought, not even registering the comforting words of Jiang Lianque and Chang Xue.

Jiang Lianque handed her a cup of hot water. Chang Xue, meanwhile, expressed some remorse, saying: “Teacher Ji handed her sandwich to me earlier. I was too hungry and forgot to ask if she had eaten. I was only thinking about your filming progress, thinking your segments should be similar, so I called her to help you. Who knew something like this would happen? Nanxing, don’t take it to heart. You didn’t do it on purpose.”

“If anything, it’s my fault. Sigh.” Chang Xue sighed deeply.

Jiang Lianque looked in Ji Yu’s direction, then back at Chu Nanxing. Finally, she whispered: “No one wants something like this to happen. I’ll go check on her and see how she is now.”

Chu Nanxing kept her head lowered, her spirits seemingly very low, remaining silent.

Chang Xue continued to talk to her about the director’s camera footage, her words constantly assuring her that it was nothing serious. Later, even the assistant sent by the production team squatted down beside Chu Nanxing, gently comforting her.

At the Medical Room Door

Meng Rendong stood like a door guardian outside the room. Ling Lan was the first to arrive. She smiled at Meng Rendong, then pointed at the room with some worry:

“I heard you are the new owner here?”

“Thank you for rescuing my friend just now. Is she… okay now?”

Meng Rendong had already changed into a new set of clothes. Fortunately, her assistant was well-prepared when she arrived, bringing two sets of clothes in different styles. Otherwise, because of Ji Yu’s incident, she wouldn’t have been able to leave in clean clothes tonight.

Noticing Ling Lan’s polite and courteous attitude, Meng Rendong lifted her eyes to look at her, then continued communicating with the person on the other end of the phone. Her slightly long fingernails occasionally tapped on the screen, producing faint “da-da” sounds.

“She choked on a bit of water, but it’s not a major issue. The main concern is the shock.” Meng Rendong blandly relayed the preliminary check-up results from the doctor. Fortunately, Ji Yu was pulled out in time, avoiding the need to call an ambulance, otherwise Wang Luoshui would likely have a headache over the bizarre rule that contestants leaving the set must end up in an ambulance.

Ling Lan softly said “Oh.” For some reason, she had intended to use her quick wit to sneak in and check on Ji Yu, but perhaps Meng Rendong’s unapproachable aura was too intense. Her initial restless thoughts were cooled by the draft at the doorway, and she gradually calmed down.

She simply stayed by the door to wait.

Rong Bai and Jiang Lianque also arrived successively. Realizing that even Ji Yu’s roommate, Ling Lan, could only wait outside the door, they inquired about the situation from a distance and then also began to wait nearby.

After contacting everyone she needed to, Meng Rendong looked up and saw the trainees waiting at the door of Ji Yu’s resting room. She subtly frowned but understood that they were all there out of concern for Ji Yu, so she said nothing.

She put away her phone, turned, and pushed the door open to enter.

Ji Yu was already awake.

Despite this, she still didn’t feel well. The sensation of choking in her nasal cavity and lungs lingered. Fortunately, the system no longer had the fear-eliminating card, but it still retained a variety of fancy cards like the “Spirit-Lifting” card and the “Light as a Swallow” card, allowing her to quietly rest in the room for a while.

Hearing the sound of the curtain being drawn open, she looked up at Meng Rendong. For a moment…

She seemed to see another similar, younger face overlapping with Meng Rendong, and the expression was one of profound despair, as if having suffered a massive blow.

That was the scene she had witnessed during her drowning episode.

But Ji Yu couldn’t clearly recall those confusing things now. She just blinked, suppressing those strange images, and met Meng Rendong’s gaze again. The moment she opened her mouth, her vocal cords produced a husky sound:

“Thank you.”

She remembered that Meng Rendong had saved her.

Meng Rendong, however, was in no mood to dwell on her aloofness and politeness. She simply reached out the back of her hand to check Ji Yu’s forehead. Before Ji Yu could react, she withdrew her hand and whispered: “Hmm, no fever… but it’s still best to go to the hospital for a check-up. The water here isn’t exactly clean, and it would be bad if bacteria caused inflammation.”

Ji Yu felt a fleeting warmth on her forehead. For some reason, after Meng Rendong withdrew her hand, she felt a sense of emptiness in her heart.

But she attributed this only to the loss of security and reliance on anyone after narrowly escaping a dangerous situation.

She gently hummed in agreement.

Meng Rendong was about to ask if she wanted to see the others when she suddenly heard Ji Yu ask slowly in her husky voice: “CEO Meng… how did you know I’m very afraid of water?”

Meng Rendong, who had already turned away, suddenly looked back at her upon hearing this.

The girl on the simple cot was pale. Perhaps due to her poor condition, the brilliance in her peach blossom eyes had faded by three points, replaced by vulnerability and unease. When she looked at Meng Rendong, it was like a silent plea for an embrace and warmth.

Meng Rendong sneered inwardly, dismissing it as an illusion.

She was clearly aware of how ruthless the amnesiac Ji Yu was towards her.

Meng Rendong suppressed her superfluous thoughts and said casually: “Not everything can be hidden. In the past, you didn’t like sweets, but you didn’t tell me, and I naturally indulged my own preferences upon you—”

“Now I know I was incredibly wrong. So, what you don’t say, I will use my eyes to see.”

When she put it that way, Ji Yu didn’t know how to respond.

Meng Rendong looked at her usual silence, thinking she would be used to it. But the panic she felt earlier, seeing her in danger and almost losing her again, only now belatedly washed over her. It had now transformed into a strange sense of grievance. Yet, she couldn’t express any of it, so she resorted to her usual self-deprecating style as “CEO Meng” to continue:

“Like how you always resist contact with me after we broke up. Now I can see that you genuinely dislike me. It’s all because I look like your beloved, so you were willing to stay with me for four years. Now that you’ve found her, you naturally look down on me, right?”

Ji Yu silently squeezed the blanket covering her.

Meng Rendong originally wanted to say more, but seeing Ji Yu’s unwell expression, and remembering that she was the one who had just survived a dangerous situation, she swallowed her words. She repeatedly reminded herself that it was because of her poor behavior in the first four years that she ended up in this situation today.

It couldn’t be helped.

Ji Yu didn’t remember their childhood together and didn’t know that Si Tian was her. Moreover, her behavior in these past few years was so different from before. All of Ji Yu’s impressions of her were based on the past four years of arrogance, self-righteousness, and the delusion of taking the good intentions of those around her for granted. It was normal for her not to like her.

Meng Rendong thought that if she looked back at those days now, she would also wonder if she had lost her mind.

So she softened her tone, said, “Get some rest,” and then added: “I’ll go get you some water and let your colleagues come in to see you, lest they make the outside atmosphere as heavy as a funeral.”

Ji Yu watched her back. The moment her figure was about to disappear behind the curtain, she suddenly called out to her:

“…Wait.”

Meng Rendong stopped.

Ji Yu looked up at her and spoke again: “…How did you know I found her?”

Meng Rendong’s action of turning back froze for a moment.

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