Transmigrated as the CEO's Top-Tier Stand-in - Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Si Tian had no choice but to repeat her words:

“Actually, I am not the Si Tian you are looking for.”

As the words fell, Ji Yu fell into a complete silence. The warmth on her face could no longer be maintained. A fissure seemed to be ripped open in her heart, and with the sound of the wind rushing in, the crack grew wider and wider, leaving only the rushing sound of the wind in her ears, blocking out all other content.

It took a while for Ji Yu to move her lips. She stared at the person in front of her, looking at the familiar appearance and contours. The features hadn’t changed much, so why could this person say something so cruel?

“I… I don’t understand what you mean.”

Ji Yu smiled, raised her hand to brush her hair behind her ear. Although no stray strands were falling, she repeated the action several times, murmuring: “What do you mean you’re not the Si Tian I’m looking for… Even if I found the wrong person, someone with the same name, they wouldn’t look like this…”

Si Tian nervously reached for the magazine again, as if to alleviate the anxiety of her explanation. Hearing Ji Yu’s words, she interrupted:

“Appearance is not the point—”

“How should I explain it? Let me tell you from the beginning. This is a very long story, Ji Yu. Are you willing to listen to me finish?”

But in this situation, it was hardly up to Ji Yu to decide.

She could only nod.

At the same time, looking at the person in front of her, an inexplicable guess arose in her mind: Could the variety show I came to record today not be a travel program, but a prank show? Otherwise, how could I explain that the person I finally found would say something so absurd and hurtful to me?

Si Tian knew Ji Yu was disappointed. She didn’t dare to meet the other’s gaze, lowering her eyes, and her speech accelerated: “Our… first meeting, in your memory, was at the hospital you were sent to after being rescued from falling into the water and losing your memory, right?”

Ji Yu nodded, feeling slightly settled in her heart. Using this story known to both of them, she confirmed once more that she hadn’t found the wrong person, but she didn’t know what Si Tian was trying to say.

However, the next sentence clarified everything:

“But the person who became acquainted with you in the hospital wasn’t me. I was in the hospital then, listening to my mother’s nagging, feeling entirely disheartened, and uninterested in anything. I certainly wouldn’t suddenly pay attention to the person in the next room—”

Ji Yu: “?”

Si Tian lowered her eyes and said: “During that time, another soul appeared inside my body. I was precisely world-weary and didn’t care who took over my terrible life, so I handed over control of the body to the other person. It was she who met you, she who chatted with you, and after being discharged, she who followed you to learn to dance, told you about the dream of joining the entertainment industry, and brought you into the industry…”

Ji Yu stared blankly at her, hearing the unfamiliar words drilling into her ears one by one, yet she couldn’t react. She could only hear the System’s sound in her mind, whether it was a sigh or a realization:

“Ah…”

And now, Si Tian continued speaking slowly: “It’s just that one day later on, she disappeared without warning. I had to come out and face this world that had become very unfamiliar, relying on some of the physical instincts she left behind to desperately cope with commercial performances, advertisements, and those activities. But even the work matters exhausted all my energy. I couldn’t even spare the mind to handle the interpersonal relationships within the group… nor could I deal with the relatives and rumors that clung to me like sticky plasters.”

Her words stopped there.

Seeing Ji Yu sitting there with her head bowed and completely motionless, for a moment, Si Tian felt her fingertips tremble, as if she had committed a heinous crime, personally shattering someone else’s beautiful dream.

But she still had to speak.

This was something she had to face sooner or later. In that world, she had evaded it once and brought great harm to Ji Yu. If she still evaded it now… what would happen to Ji Yu later? Would she forever search the world full of hope? Should she keep hiding like this? Or should she wait until Ji Yu was exhausted from the pursuit before telling her it was all a false lie?

At that point, she would become the person she hated the most—the one who delivered the fatal blow after someone had been hurt by life time and again.

Si Tian was unwilling to do that.

She paused, then added in a very soft voice: “You see, I… don’t like sweet things at all, and I’m not the kind of person who can actively handle everything well. Even explaining something like this took me this long… I’m not lying to you.”

Ji Yu certainly understood this point.

While taste could be faked for a time, personality was difficult to fake, especially making an introverted person with almost social anxiety act like a graceful and well-rounded type. It wasn’t easy. Even if they had a script pre-written in their mind, they couldn’t know what questions Ji Yu might spontaneously ask, making it easy to slip up.

Ji Yu’s heart was already halfway convinced, but she still couldn’t help but ask:

“When did she… leave? And why?”

There must be a reason, right? Ji Yu couldn’t help but introspect, even thinking harshly, Was I not good enough and disappointed her, or did that person not like this world either, so she…?

Ji Yu knew she shouldn’t think that way, but she couldn’t control the self-blame, because she had been immersed in these thoughts countless times over the past few years.

Si Tian seemed to see a familiar feeling in her current expression and quickly said: “It was the summer after the group was formed… As for the reason, she said she wasn’t entirely sure herself; she was just suddenly pulled away, it wasn’t her intention.”

When Ji Yu heard the first half of the sentence, she was still trying to track the timeline, remembering that her connection with Si Tian had slowly faded over the following half-year. She somehow breathed a sigh of relief.

So it wasn’t the person she cared about actively wanting to leave her, but it was unavoidable.

But soon, she noticed the content of the second half, asking with some hesitation: “…She said? You, do you mean you’ve been in contact?”

Si Tian nodded.

Although the answer was close at hand, Ji Yu suddenly hesitated to ask the other person’s identity.

Si Tian, however, misunderstood her meaning, thinking Ji Yu was silently blaming her for not revealing the truth earlier. She could only nervously pinch the spine of the magazine, whispering: “I, I thought the person communicating with me was an alter ego, so when she disappeared, I thought it was my problem and didn’t dare to look for you… I was afraid you’d think I forced her away… I’m sorry.”

Ji Yu nodded, then shook her head. She said: “No, it’s not your fault. You’re also very good, Si Tian… This, this is your name, right?”

Si Tian nodded: “Yes.”

Then she added: “I’m sorry, Ji Yu. If I had come to you then and told you all this, then I… after I did that stupid thing, you wouldn’t have suffered so much… I heard your interviews on the program, where you said you regretted not being by her side then, and you thought you failed to save her. Actually… Actually, the person who did that stupid thing was me, so please don’t feel guilty anymore, okay?”

Ji Yu was somewhat speechless.

She recalled her feelings at the time. The remorse and pain clung to her like a parasite, still rooted in her soul, making her lose control of her emotions every time she thought back.

For a moment, she felt a trace of relief for having survived a catastrophe, yet she felt utterly despicable.

So the person who was truly forced to a dead end by life was not the “Si Tian” she had always cared about.

However, such a tragedy did indeed happen in the world. The person standing before her had truly died once from cyberbullying and familial betrayal. Ji Yu should not feel relieved at all, not even a bit.

She gripped the teacup in front of her, looked at Si Tian earnestly, shook her head, and said: “Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to… meet her. Regardless, you and I are indirectly connected. If I could have been by your side then, or noticed your bad state, later… that kind of thing wouldn’t have happened, would it?”

Ji Yu smiled lightly and said to Si Tian: “The fact that you are still here is a very good thing, something worth celebrating. Don’t burden yourself with things you couldn’t control. Let the past go. Now, those annoying people and things are far away from you. You can start a new life.”

Si Tian was affected by her emotions and also smiled, nodding and seriously replying: “Okay.”

She said: “You too, Ji Yu.”

In some ways, they were similar. The appearance of the other “Si Tian” simultaneously saved both their lives, but after her sudden departure, they inevitably became flustered. In this situation, once a tragedy occurred to them, the remaining events were like a derailed train, heading toward unknown danger.

Ji Yu could use words to comfort Si Tian, but she couldn’t be soothed by similar content herself.

But she tried hard to appear positive too. After taking a few deep breaths secretly, she asked: “Then… that person, can I… can I find her?”

Ji Yu thought, Maybe it’s not too late for everything.

She reignited hope for this.

Si Tian’s gaze began to dart around. Recently, through Meng Rendong’s somewhat self-deprecating and confused accounts of atonement, she sensed that the four years Ji Yu spent with her were not happy.

Meng Rendong said she felt Ji Yu’s departure from her side must have been a liberation.

After all, her performance during those four years was too poor.

And now…

Si Tian couldn’t help but guess, If I tell Ji Yu the truth about Meng Rendong, will Ji Yu break down a little?

That feeling of suddenly looking back, only to find that the person you’re looking for is the person you least want to see… must be quite despairing.

Undecided, Si Tian instinctively chose to change the subject: “How about we have some breakfast first?”

Ji Yu watched her abruptly jump topics and suddenly realized this was the second time Si Tian had avoided the topic of the person’s true identity. She watched the waiter bring the previously ordered breakfast items in small baskets and watched Si Tian slowly take out a preserved vegetable bun, tear open the wrapping paper, and slowly put it into her mouth, concentrating on eating like a little hamster with her head down.

Ji Yu waited patiently.

Not until Si Tian finished the bun did she find an opportunity during the break in her eating to try and ask: “Is it… someone I once knew, or someone I missed?”

As she said this, many faces flashed through Ji Yu’s mind. She even outrageously, preposterously, included the girls from the show: Ling Lan? Jiang Lianque? It couldn’t possibly be Chu Nanxing, right???

Her imagination ran wild, almost flying off the rails.

Si Tian was drinking tea. Hearing Ji Yu unconsciously voice the names of those she was guessing, even expanding the target to Chu Nanxing, her eyes widened in shock for a moment. She had to gently cough and pull the topic back slightly:

“It’s… not that exaggerated.”

“But you definitely know her.”

Si Tian added in a small voice, “Not only do you know her, but you might have even had a relationship…”

The rest of the sentence gradually dissolved into the air.

Ji Yu didn’t quite catch it and repeated: “What?”

Si Tian closed her eyes with a look of facing certain death. Without a breath or a pause, she revealed the truth: “I said you not only know her but you might have dated for four years only to break up now and yes she is Meng Rendong I also find it hard to believe that someone with such poor relationship performance is her however that is the fact.”

Ji Yu: “…”

She took about half a minute to digest all the key points in Si Tian’s rapid-fire statement.

Then, she couldn’t smile anymore.

In some ways, Ji Yu found this truth even more terrifying than Chu Nanxing.

Why…

Why would it be her?

Ji Yu tried to process the fact and wanted to calmly listen to more of the story, but she couldn’t stop herself from standing up, even pacing back and forth twice. Then she looked at Si Tian very seriously and solemnly:

“You’re not kidding me, and today isn’t April Fool’s Day, right?”

Si Tian: “…Yes.”

Seeing Ji Yu’s incredulous expression, she tried to lower the difficulty of Meng Rendong’s pursuit of reconciliation by adding an explanation: “I’m actually not very clear about what happened when you two were dating, but I’m very sure that when she first appeared in our world, she came for you.”

Ji Yu waved her hand, raising it to rub her head. For the first time, she felt lucky that she was in good condition. If she hadn’t taken the System’s advice to rest last night, she might have fainted upon hearing this news.

She spoke as if to herself: “There must be a mistake somewhere.”

How could it be Meng Rendong?

Ji Yu tried to find where Meng Rendong might have deceived Si Tian. After all, Si Tian seemed like someone who was easily trusting. Maybe Meng Rendong had used other means to learn some of the truth about these matters. Maybe…

She couldn’t guess anymore.

Scenes began to surface in her mind: the gradual change in Meng Rendong’s personality after their breakup, especially that one time she was filming at the swimming pool, and Meng Rendong actually came over, stood on the shore, and told her “don’t be afraid.” Later, when she fell into the water, Meng Rendong risked herself to save her.

Then there were the repeated times she asked her, If I had been better to you during these four years, would Ji Yu forgive me and be with me?

At the time, Ji Yu only thought Meng Rendong felt guilty about how poorly she had treated her for four years and had realized her mistake, wanting to save their relationship—but how could someone as proud as Meng Rendong act more and more affectionately after learning that she was a substitute for someone else?

And that expression contained not only guilt but also an emotion Ji Yu couldn’t understand.

Now she understood. Meng Rendong knew the truth one step before her.

But.

Why didn’t Meng Rendong recognize her the first time they met…? Over such a long period, Ji Yu couldn’t help but want to shake her head when she recalled the events of those four years.

What caused both of them to be so incredibly mistaken?

She appeared before Meng Rendong with the appearance and experiences from her original world, and Meng Rendong didn’t recognize her. And Meng Rendong clearly showed her preferences from the start, but Ji Yu only thought it was a coincidence.

Now, these fragmented truths interlocked like small gears, gradually operating and piecing together an unbelievable truth, and the truth was so unrecognizable.

Vaguely, Ji Yu heard Si Tian trying to comfort her, but she truly couldn’t face the other person with her previous gentleness and composure. She couldn’t control her emotions, so she could only apologize and leave the area.

Where could she go?

She didn’t know. After leaving the teahouse, she put on her sunglasses and mask, and dove into the secluded alleys, only hoping that no one here knew her. Along the way, people constantly glanced at her, whether they recognized her or were simply curious.

Ji Yu finally didn’t know which corner she had stumbled into. Seeing an open garden landscape park in front of her, where no one seemed to be passing through for the moment, she lowered her head and walked in. She twisted and turned until she reached a persimmon tree, tore off the mask that was making it hard to breathe, took off her sunglasses, and crouched there, staring blankly at the moss-covered ancient bricks beneath her feet.

Yu Su knew that Chu Nanxing was coming to Lincheng to film soon, specifically in an old historical district. Coincidentally, the Chu family had a small summer garden there. Chu Huaide came with her, but he was inside on a video call discussing business, leaving her downstairs with a few temporarily hired maids to tidy up the flowers and plants in the garden.

When Chu Nanxing and Chu Jianyu were little, she and Chu Huaide often took the children out to play. However, Chu Huaide was always too lazy to manage the children. He would usually bring them to this small garden under the guise of travel—it was just moving their ‘stay-at-home’ environment—and then he would grandly go off to work.

Leaving Yu Su to take them sightseeing around the area.

Seeing these old scenes again now, Yu Su naturally felt a pang of emotion. Although they had only visited here two or three times, it was never in the most picturesque spring. Now that it was late autumn, it lacked the vitality of spring, and the variety of flowers and plants was much reduced. But she remembered a persimmon tree in the backyard.

Jianyu once climbed up it when she was little, only to get stuck halfway. Nanxing would then angrily come to her to complain that her older sister had climbed the backyard tree again.

They hadn’t been to this place for so long. She wondered if the tree was still alive and if it had borne any fruit this year.

Yu Su walked quickly towards the backyard. However, from a distance, she saw a person crouching there, looking quite emotional, quietly brooding in the corner.

For a moment, Yu Su couldn’t distinguish if this was her hallucination.

But she slowed her steps, as if doing so could make the person stay a little longer. Yet, as she got closer and saw the profile of the person under the tree, she couldn’t help but cover her mouth with her hand, her eyes starting to well up.

Ji Yu initially didn’t hear anything until a very soft voice, as if afraid of disturbing her, came from above:

“What’s wrong?”

The voice had a gentle, coaxing tone, as if no matter what grievances or complaints she voiced, the person would patiently listen and even gently comfort her.

Ji Yu turned to look and found the person standing before her was Chu Nanxing’s mother, whom she had coincidentally met on the program before. Today, she was wearing a slightly old-fashioned, long-sleeved qipao. Although the color was plain, it couldn’t hide her delicate features, especially her gentle eyes, which seemed capable of encompassing everything.

Ji Yu initially just felt overwhelmed. Now, seeing the person appear here, she guessed that she might be the owner of the house and that she was an intruder. Logically, no matter what had happened, she should first compose herself, apologize earnestly, and leave.

Because she was no longer just a random passerby; she was half a public figure. Trespassing would lead to bad public consequences if discovered, and it was also very embarrassing. She should cut her losses immediately.

But…

For some reason, upon seeing the person and hearing her gently ask, “What’s wrong,” the pent-up frustration and congestion in her heart suddenly found an outlet for release.

Ji Yu herself hadn’t expected to cry so tragically the next moment, like a child who had been lost for a very, very long time and suddenly saw her mother appear before her, finding an outlet for all the long-suffered grievances and pain.

Only her precarious sanity reminded her that this was not her mother, and she shouldn’t trouble this person.

So Ji Yu wiped her tears, quickly stood up, then swayed due to her numb legs. She could only steady herself by holding the nearby persimmon tree, and in the embarrassing predicament of sobbing uncontrollably, she mumbled:

“I’m fine… I’m fine…”

Yu Su, however, felt she wasn’t saying that.

The person in front of her was too much like the child she had lost. Whenever she was sad and Yu Su asked, Jianyu would always say she was fine, perhaps wanting to reassure her, unwilling to let her worry.

Thinking this, Yu Su felt she had been a terrible mother. All those times, her child was so thoughtful, unwilling to let her feel sadness and grief, but where was she?

Where was she when her child was struggling in that cold water?

Just thinking about it made Yu Su feel breathless. She wasn’t sure why, but she stepped forward, suddenly raised her hand, and gently patted Ji Yu’s back, softly embracing the young girl, then gently asked:

“Why are you crying like this?”

“Who bullied you?”

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