Transmigrated as the CEO's Top-Tier Stand-in - Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Ji Yu’s ranking this episode was still First Place.

She had secured her throne.

Her group members dragged her to the cafeteria that night to celebrate, congratulating her on defending her title. However, despite calling it a celebration, after searching the entire cafeteria, they couldn’t even find a can of pineapple beer. They had to substitute the sponsor’s fruit juice for alcohol, and the more they drank, the merrier they became.

One girl ran over and hugged a fixed camera position, asking Wang Luoshui seriously and deeply across the distance: “Director Wang, when we look for sponsors next time, please consider a fruit wine brand, okay? Promise me. I’ve drunk four bottles of peach soda now, and even my burps taste like peach. If Director Wang doesn’t believe me, come and smell…”

A nearby trainee immediately pulled her away, then raised a hand to check her forehead, asking in shock: “Are you drunk on juice? How dare you say something like that? Aren’t you afraid Director Wang will edit this part and use it as an exclusive clip?”

The girl who had been loudly demanding wine at the camera immediately covered her mouth cautiously, bowed sincerely to the camera a few times, and then followed her classmates back to the table to continue eating the grilled skewers enthusiastically provided by the cafeteria.

To prevent anyone from unrestrainedly indulging their figure, the program crew, while adhering to the standard of deliciousness, was very stingy with the portion size of the skewers for the late-night snack, making them small yet refined, and limiting everyone to a maximum of ten skewers per day.

It was just something to nibble on.

Even so, the girls were extremely satisfied. They filled their stomachs with the bubbly fruit soda and small skewers, then, exhausted, they helped each other bid farewell to Ji Yu, happily heading back to the dormitory to collapse on their beds and continue celebrating today’s victory in their dreams.

This competition eliminated nineteen more people at the bottom.

In the blink of an eye, of the one hundred people who initially came to compete, only fifty-three remained, roughly half… Although the remaining people were just as lively, for some reason, Ji Yu felt the hotel seemed much emptier.

She thought of the stage that night. When the rankings were announced, the girl who had first been with her in Class F, the one who cried embracing her in the restroom, was just barely clinging to the last spot, 53rd place, because her stage performance this time was not outstanding enough, nor had she delivered any particularly eye-catching performances in the past few episodes, so her votes were immediately overtaken by others.

The moment Qi Feng read out her name, she couldn’t help but cry out loud again in front of the stage fans.

She was even more upset than those who were eliminated.

Later, after the venue emptied and the trainees were arranged onto the bus by the program staff, the girl still hadn’t recovered from the shock. She eagerly followed Ji Yu, causing Ling Lan, who had originally intended to come over and share her Rap performance with Ji Yu, to give up her seat, letting the girl and Ji Yu bond.

“You’ve already been selected; why are you still so sad?”

At that time, Ji Yu sat on the bus, gently handing tissues to the girl next to her. Thinking about the girl’s first theme song performance, Ji Yu felt she was already performing much better, completely transformed. Moreover, even the heavens were on her side this time, allowing her to eliminate the 54th place with a tiny margin of a few thousand votes. She should have been happy.

The girl’s stage name was Jin Huang (Golden Splendor). Clearly, her company had high hopes for her, wishing her to shine brightly in the entertainment industry, surpassing her peers, and walking the path of success.

Unfortunately.

She had neither the golden elements in her nature nor the dominant presence implied by her name. She would often cry under intense pressure.

Hearing Ji Yu’s words, she leaned her head on Ji Yu’s shoulder, dabbed the corners of her eyes with the tissues in Ji Yu’s hand, and then sobbed: “I don’t want to cry… But this feeling is too terrifying… I thought I was already eliminated, and then I was suddenly pulled back from the gates of hell… Wuwuwu!”

“Teacher Ji! I didn’t mean to cry. It’s okay even if I’m eliminated… Because moving forward is really too difficult…”

“The friends I used to practice with have all been eliminated. Now, the only person I know left in this program is you… I’m definitely going to be eliminated next time. Only about twenty people will be left for the next stage… I was thinking I should seize the moment to say some last words to you, or I won’t have the chance later QAQ!”

Ji Yu: “?”

She heard the words “last words” from the girl’s mouth and had a moment of self-doubt.

Unable to help herself, Ji Yu raised her hand and patted Jin Huang’s shoulder, speaking softly: “But you’ve successfully stayed for another round. Now, think about it: if the name Teacher Qi Feng read out last today wasn’t yours, wouldn’t you feel a little regret? Because the 54th place was just a little short of this advancing position.”

Jin Huang heavily blew her nose. Hearing Ji Yu’s words, she thought for a moment, her eyes getting redder. After nodding heavily, she still couldn’t shake off her fear and worry:

“No, this is just a stay of execution… Even if I passed this time, I’m definitely going to die next time, wuwuwu!”

Ji Yu was silent for a moment, then patted her shoulder again:

“Then try harder.”

“When you were in Class F, you didn’t give up and practiced seriously. This allowed you to successfully take a huge step forward. During the second public performance, you were in my group, and your effort contributed the votes that allowed our group to defeat Group A… Although you are stuck at 53rd place this time, the person you are now is no longer the person you were in Class F.”

“You have been reborn. You are working harder now. Who knows, maybe you’ll still be among those who advance next time? Don’t you want to stand on the stage of the debut night?”

Jin Huang expected Ji Yu to be like her friends, comforting or encouraging her to just try hard and have no regrets—to do their best and leave the rest to fate.

However, Ji Yu told her to try even harder.

She even painted a dream of making it to the debut night for her.

Jin Huang didn’t dare to imagine it.

But she gradually forgot to cry and forgot the words she wanted to say to Ji Yu, which were like final messages. She leaned on Ji Yu’s shoulder and rode the car all the way back to the hotel. When she got off, Ji Yu held her back and asked her what she was thinking, asking if she wanted to try harder next time.

Jin Huang, looking like a little fan girl who was almost successfully persuaded by her idol, forgot to throw away the snot-soaked tissue she held. She glanced at Ji Yu with a wronged expression, then said:

“Then, if next time… if I don’t advance, will you come to send me off?”

Ji Yu: “No.”

Jin Huang didn’t expect her to be so heartless and looked on the verge of tears again.

Ji Yu, however, laughed. She raised her hand and stroked her hair, telling her seriously: “I don’t want to send you off, because I want to see you debut with me.”

Fewer and fewer people were left.

Ji Yu was also being selfish. She hoped that as many of the partners she knew, had interacted with, and had good relationships with, could remain as possible.

She wanted to debut with them and walk the path of success.

“Yu Yu.”

The System called her attention back. Ji Yu realized the tables around her were empty, leaving her alone staring blankly at seven or eight overturned empty beverage bottles and dozens of long skewer sticks.

She replied, thinking the System had something to say, but then heard it say: “Starting three days before the public performance, your sleep time has been less than three hours a day. You have to record a new variety show at ten tomorrow morning. It’s already two o’clock in the morning you go to sleep right now!”

Ji Yu: “…”

Because it was the first time she had heard the System speak in such a serious and fierce tone, she was momentarily stunned and didn’t react.

The System felt that if she continued to stay up like this, she might die from sudden death due to high-intensity work before any issues like depression or physical problems were revealed.

So it had to treat this matter seriously.

Ji Yu paused for a while, resting her right elbow on the clean part of the table, supporting her chin with her palm, and involuntarily flashed a smile, “But I’m too happy to fall asleep right now.”

She used a tone close to coaxing and said to the System: “Tomorrow… This travel variety show sounds exhausting. I’ll definitely fall asleep as soon as I hit the bed then. Let me stay up one more day today.”

This was exactly the current situation of contemporary late-night youth.

They know they are wrong but refuse to change.

The System was momentarily exasperated but didn’t know how to persuade her again, as it knew the reason for Ji Yu’s extreme happiness.

Meng Rendong had promised her that if she could participate in this variety show, she would arrange a meeting with Si Tian… So, from the victory until now, Ji Yu had dealt with all her friends and companions, and finally, in the dead of night, she could focus her emotions entirely on her own business, anticipating the reunion with Si Tian.

This time.

They would finally not miss each other again.

The System sensed her excitement for a moment, held back, and couldn’t resist saying: “Meng Rendong promised to arrange it… but didn’t say it would be on the first day. It’s not good for you to stay up like this, is it? Don’t you want to meet Si Tian looking your best and most energetic?”

Ji Yu was suspiciously silent for a moment.

Then, for the first time, she started paying attention to her appearance. She went from the cafeteria to the nearest practice room, seriously examined herself in the mirror, and indeed found faint dark circles under her light makeup, as well as slightly appearing fine lines on her neck skin.

She scrutinized her face with a critical attitude, as if she was seeing how unrefined her life was for the first time. After widening her eyes in surprise, she instinctively sought help from the System:

“What should I do! This! What should I do about this!”

“Will just sleeping more tonight help!”

At this moment, sleep had acquired the effect of an almost magical elixir in her eyes.

The System sighed, thinking, a woman in love is truly…

It answered in a voice like a dean of students: “You go back to the dormitory to sleep right now. I promise! You will be radiant when you meet Si Tian.”

Ji Yu was skeptical: “Really?”

The System heavily confirmed: “Yes!”

Then, it found that the person who was unwilling to give up her habit of staying up late, despite all the previous persuasion, actually obediently went back to her room. Even if she couldn’t sleep, she maintained a docile lying posture on the bed, her expression as pious as if performing some kind of prayer ritual.

It was the System that had to use a Sweet Dream Card to lull Ji Yu into a comfortable sleep.

“This program is also currently popular, but the director likes to design challenging stages, which might make things a little tough for you…”

The next day.

Ji Yu arrived at the variety show production set and met Kong Rufan again, listening to her rambling about the content of the variety show.

But her attention was not on that.

The group of program guests was taken to a small town with beautiful scenery but few inhabitants. However, Ji Yu kept staring at a wooden table outside a small breakfast shop far away—to be precise, at a magazine on the wooden table.

The magazine was standing upright, and the cover featured an artist in a red dress with very alluring makeup.

Even from this distance, unable to discern the details on the cover, Ji Yu knew that this was the magazine she had shot for B Magazine. She listened to the voice next to her, but not a single word registered. She just stared blankly at the magazine standing on the table, unintentionally interrupting:

“My magazine… is it out?”

Kong Rufan paused, a bright smile appearing on her face: “Yes! It started issuing this morning. I’ve already used your Weibo account to cooperate with the promotion. See, I was so focused on talking about the new program that I forgot about this! They tallied the sales in the first hour in real-time! Guess how much!”

Ji Yu’s throat moved.

But she couldn’t utter a single number.

She actually wanted to ask if her magazine was that popular, that it was even available in such a small town immediately?

But before the words left her mouth, she saw the silhouette of a person revealed when the magazine was put down.

Across such a distance.

The morning light was enough to blur many sights.

Therefore, Ji Yu looked intently, not even daring to blink, just to see that figure clearly and familiarly. The person seemed to sense her gaze and also looked over towards them, quickly locking onto Ji Yu among the crowd.

Vaguely, Ji Yu felt the person seemed to smile at her.

Ostensibly, only a few dozen meters separated them, but Ji Yu knew that years of time lay between them.

Four years.

Ji Yu sighed in her heart.

They were finally reunited.

It was the moment the director was waiting for the big-name guests, and the respective artists were with their managers, some eating breakfast, others going over the procedures and getting familiar with the program. Ling Lan even ran off with her manager to inquire about the price of a boat tour in the town, looking genuinely like she was out traveling.

Ji Yu and Si Tian locked eyes for a few seconds.

Then, she ran quickly towards the other person without saying a word.

The wind blew past her cheeks and hair, as if it had also heard her heart full of yearning and wistfulness. After greeting her, it moved behind her, pushing her forward.

In the dark alley.

Meng Rendong stood on the moss-covered stone slab path. The fatigue from staying up all night was hard to conceal. She watched Ji Yu rush toward Si Tian but couldn’t bear to see her look hopeful and then disappointed. She quickly turned her face away and said to Uncle Zhang, who was holding an umbrella to shield her from the sun behind her:

“Let’s go.”

Uncle Zhang saw the weariness and despair in her eyes. He had watched her drive hundreds of kilometers the night before, confront someone about the events of the past in the middle of the night, and then drive hundreds of kilometers back this morning. All the while, she communicated with Si Tian in the car and continued to examine archives from seven years ago, without resting for a moment until this instant.

Having finally arrived and caught a glimpse of Ji Yu, now she was leaving without a word.

Although he didn’t know the complex relationship between her, Si Tian, and Ji Yu, Uncle Zhang could tell that Meng Rendong loved Ji Yu. So he couldn’t help but ask:

“CEO Meng… aren’t you going to say hello to Miss Ji?”

Don’t you want her to know what you’ve done for her?

Meng Rendong seemed to catch his underlying meaning and shook her head slightly, weariness in her voice. She paused, as if she wanted to turn back and take one last look at the figure running in the sunlight.

But she resisted.

She only whispered: “No.”

Uncle Zhang heard her say: “The person she least wants to see right now is definitely me.”

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