Transmigrated as the CEO's Top-Tier Stand-in - Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Meng Rendong’s embrace was very warm, almost instantly dispelling the chill Ji Yu had acquired from standing in the alley. This hug should have been somewhat aggressive and overbearing, yet Ji Yu could only feel a trembling born of sheer terror in her actions.

She moved her lips, and a surging, almost explosive emotion welled up in her heart, but in the end, Ji Yu only raised her hands very lightly and gripped the hem of Meng Rendong’s shirt at her sides.

This was the biggest action she could offer.

She lowered her eyes, her gaze fixed on the shirt Meng Rendong was wearing today, which she had forgotten to change in her rush. She saw a slight crease mark on the collar of the shirt—

In the past, Meng Rendong would never have such an oversight. She was always tidy and clean; whether in person or in attire, she always gave the impression of a noble celestial being descending from the clouds when viewed from afar.

And this kind of hurried carelessness…

It was all because of her.

Moreover, thinking of the connection between the other person and Si Tian, Ji Yu’s grip on the corner of Meng Rendong’s shirt involuntarily spasmed. After a long while, Meng Rendong, who was anxiously waiting for her response, heard a very soft sentence emerge from the hug:

“Why… are you so kind to me?”

Meng Rendong was stunned.

Ji Yu looked up at her, her curved peach blossom eyes no longer bearing the false impression of gentle affection. Instead, they were filled with sorrow, like fine rain falling upon an autumn lake, as if she could burst into tears again at any moment.

Meng Rendong instantly became tense under her gaze, thinking she had said something wrong again. But then she heard Ji Yu ask persistently, as if desperately wanting Meng Rendong to fiercely scold her:

“I clearly didn’t recognize you and said so many excessive things to you. Why aren’t you angry?”

Meng Rendong heard her clearly this time.

A sense of unspeakable bitterness arose in her heart. Instantly, Ji Yu’s self-reproach made her recall the time when she inexplicably disappeared in Si Tian’s world, returned here, yet couldn’t recall those memories. Was the Ji Yu of that time… also carrying pain and regret like this, day after day? Otherwise, how could she explain this practiced self-blame?

Involuntarily raising her hand to press Ji Yu’s head against her shoulder, Meng Rendong’s voice was slightly husky due to suppressed emotion. She didn’t dare to delve deeper, or every detail of their time together in the other world and here over the past seven years, whether sweet or sad, would turn into fine knives, slowly carving her up.

“What was excessive?” She softened her voice, speaking soothingly: “It was I who didn’t recognize you. I wore Si Tian’s body before, and now I’ve changed my name and the world. It’s normal for you not to recognize me, but you haven’t changed… yet I treated you poorly. It’s my fault.”

Ji Yu shook her head. She thought she had shed all her tears while talking with Chu Nanxing’s mother, but now, hearing Meng Rendong mention their four-year relationship, she felt like crying again.

That familiar impulse was stirred up. When she lowered her head, her eyes grew red again, and when she spoke, her voice was already choked with a sob, voiced along with her slight head shake: “It’s okay…”

Ji Yu emphasized heavily: “It’s okay.”

Meng Rendong had mentally listed a long letter of repentance, wishing she could sequentially list the one hundred crimes she committed while interacting with Ji Yu, confess to Ji Yu for them, and make amends one by one. However, sensing that Ji Yu’s emotions were on the verge of collapse and couldn’t withstand any more stimulation, she wanted to divert Ji Yu’s attention from the matter.

So, she pondered for two seconds, feigning nonchalance, and said to Ji Yu: “Then let’s call it even on this matter for now. Promise me you won’t be sad about this anymore, okay?”

Ji Yu’s eyes were filled with tears. She looked up and heard her words, momentarily distracted. Then she truly realized that the person who would tease her, make her happy, and easily pull her out of the emotional swamp when she was sad.

Was really right in front of her.

Her mood soared like drifting catkins, but the tears in the corners of her eyes gently fell as she blinked.

Then she kept nodding, afraid that if she was a moment too slow, Meng Rendong would have to spend more effort comforting her. She was like a sensible and thoughtful older child who had fallen, gotten hurt, held back tears for a while, and finally met someone who offered gentle care, only to quickly raise her sleeve to wipe away her tears and flash the most beautiful smile at the person.

Because this care was too precious, she didn’t dare show any hint of willfulness.

Seeing her like this, Meng Rendong found it hard to believe that she had not only been brainless but also blind for four years, finding Ji Yu’s neediness annoying… If Ji Yu’s emotions weren’t so fragile, she would almost have voiced this profound question to her own soul. Now, she raised her hand to gently wipe away the moisture falling from the corner of Ji Yu’s eye with her slightly warm fingertip, sighing:

“Good girl, don’t cry anymore.”

“If you cry again, I might have to jump into the river nearby to atone for those four years.”

She only meant it as a playful way to stop Ji Yu’s guilt. To her surprise, upon hearing this, Ji Yu, who had only been restraining herself by holding the corner of her shirt, instantly moved her forearms up and tightly hugged Meng Rendong’s waist. Her lips turned white with fear, and she shook her head vigorously, clearly reminded of her bad experiences of falling into the water several times.

Meng Rendong gently bit her tongue, inwardly scolding herself for being so inarticulate.

After being a blockhead for a few years, did I really forget how to properly console someone?

Sensing Ji Yu’s tension, she soothingly stroked the other person’s back and quickly added: “I shouldn’t joke like that. Forget I said that. Let me rephrase—”

“If you cry again…”

Ji Yu looked up at her, the corners of her eyes still stained with moist tear tracks, slightly tilted outward, making Meng Rendong feel her focused seriousness. At the same time, a slight, unseasonable wicked thought was stirred by the hazy look in her eyes as the mist of tears cleared.

The countless times in the past when Ji Yu allowed her to dictate her emotions on another level, becoming joyous or tense at her touch, suddenly resurfaced, then vanished in a blink—a secret and restrained impulse.

Meng Rendong involuntarily moved her lips and continued: “I’ll want to kiss you.”

Ji Yu’s throat moved.

She felt a slight tension for no apparent reason.

Belatedly, she also recalled some inappropriate images. Many times before, she didn’t dare to look at Meng Rendong for too long, afraid her body would recall feelings that shouldn’t be remembered. But now, knowing Meng Rendong’s true identity, thinking about the intimacy of those four years, she felt a slight warmth at her collar.

She had…

Unknowingly.

Already been in a relationship with the person she longed for, even intimately sharing moments and merging souls.

Ji Yu lowered her gaze. A moment later, she blinked hard, squeezing out another trace of tears, then looked up at Meng Rendong.

For some reason, now staring at Meng Rendong, her throat felt a little dry, perhaps from crying for too long or for some other reason.

So, she subconsciously made a swallowing motion again.

She even licked her lower lip.

A shallow sheen of moisture immediately coated her lips.

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