100,000 Hour Professional Stand-in or Professional Stand-in, With an Chapter 5: 41 to 50, a manhua/chinese comics/漫画 fanfic

As formidable as Li Xiaoxing was, Ji Fanyin was also skilled at dealing with tough situations herself.

After a symbolistic handshake of cooperation, Li Xiaoxing said, "I've already dealt with Cen Xiangyang. He won't contact you again."

His tone sounded almost like an official notice coming down from a higher-up in a company.

Ji Fanyin thought about it for a moment before asking, "How do you intend to make up for my losses?"

"I know your fee structure," said Li Xiaoxing, "I'll double the prices, from the lowest to the highest."

"That'll do," Ji Fanyin agreed.

I lost one client but gained another one that can make up for two. Great.

"This deal depends on you delivering what you have promised," added Li Xiaoxing.

"No problem." Ji Fanyin glanced at her watch and said, "It just so happens that I haven't had dinner yet. Mr Li?"

Li Xiaoxing looked at her.

It was honestly hard to read his expression, but Ji Fanyin had played far too many roles in her previous life—during which, she had to understand how the brain wirings of those characters worked—and that allowed her to figure out after two seconds that it was an expression of doubt.

"We can begin the lessons tonight," she explained.

Li Xiaoxing fell silent. He straightened up his body and lowered the divider.

"Mr Li?" the secretary asked.

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"Reserve two seats for dinner," ordered Li Xiaoxing.

"Understood."

"Transfer 400,000 dollars into her account," he added.

The secretary was visibly astonished for a moment before he propped up his glasses and replied, "Understood."

Ji Fanyin was happy that she got to freeload a meal once again.

The first thing she did after receiving her double wages was to refund Cen Xiangyang's 200,000 dollars. At the same time, she asked half-jokingly, "Will Director Cen come after me for this?"

"That's your problem," replied Li Xiaoxing coldly.

Ji Fanyin's eyebrows shot up. "If I'm not mistaken, isn't it due to Mr Li's intervention that I've offended Director Cen?"

"Then you shouldn't have chosen to dabble in such high-risk 'work'."

Ji Fanyin thought that there was some sense to what he was saying.

If Cen Xiangyang contacts me once more… I guess it wouldn't be too bad to continue our transaction. He's already on the hook anyway, so it'll be easier to deal with him.

Cen Xiangyang was a dangerous person, but there were ways to deal with him. Ji Xinxin simply got complacent on her successes and underestimated the enemy, resulting in her flopping in that kidnapping incident.

Fish No.4, on the other hand, was very different from the other fishes in the fishery.

There was no need for Ji Fanyin to put on an act in front of him, or to be more exact, she couldn't be bothered to even put on an act. After confirming their partnership, she passed her questionnaire to him and said, "Mr Li should also be familiar with what this is, right? I'll need you to fill it up."

Li Xiaoxing didn't even bother looking at it.

Instead, it was the secretary in the passenger seat who passed Ji Fanyin a name card and said, "Miss Ji, please send the details to my email instead."

Ji Fanyin took the secretary's name card. She quickly sent out the email and added the secretary's WeChat account. "I'll contact Secretary Fan if I have anything then."

It looked like Li Xiaoxing wasn't the type to be bothered with day-to-day trivialities. He was probably the kind who had to ask his secretary in order to find his own socks.

Secretary Fan first checked on the email before whipping out a notebook computer out of nowhere and laboriously turning around to place it into Li Xiaoxing's hands.

Li Xiaoxing passed the folder filled with documents he had browsed through earlier into Secretary Fan's hands before placing the notebook computer on his lap. He did a quick look through the questionnaire as he asked, "So this is your questionnaire?"

"It's simple but effective." Ji Fanyin leisurely rested on the leather seat and began browsing through Weibo to pass time.

It was then that it suddenly occurred to her that she ought to send a message to Zhang Ning to clarify that it was just an empty scare.

Surprisingly, a ringtone sounded in the car at that exact moment.

It wasn't hers, so it could only be from Li Xiaoxing's side.

Ji Fanyin thought that it was a business call, but the Secretary Fan suddenly covered the speaker, turned around, and told Li Xiaoxing softly, "It's the first miss of the Zhang Family."

"Ah." Ji Fanyin raised her hand like an obedient student requesting for the right to speak in a classroom. "She's probably looking for me."

"… Mr Li?" asked Secretary Fan.

Li Xiaoxing's eyes remained on the notebook computer as he replied, "Give it to her."

Secretary Fan passed the phone to Ji Fanyin.

Ji Fanyin quickly placed the phone to her ear and said, "It's me, Ji Fanyin."

"Are you okay?" Zhang Ning visibly heaved a sigh of relief. "How did you get involved with him? It took me some time before I managed to get his contact number."

"It's a little complicated, but it's alright now. Sorry for troubling you. Shall I treat you to a meal the next time we meet?" asked Ji Fanyin with a smile.

"Of course. Just a heads up, I'm quite particular with food." Zhang Ning didn't hold back at all. "It just so happens that there's something I'd like to discuss with you… Is Li Xiaoxing still there? I want to talk to him."

Ji Fanyin's eyebrows shot up. She turned around and passed the phone to Li Xiaoxing.

However, Li Xiaoxing didn't take the phone right away. He spent another ten seconds typing away on the laptop notebook and then hitting the 'Send' button before receiving the phone.

"Zhang Ning."

A while later, he answered, "I see."

He listened for a while longer, but he no longer gave any more responses. The call ended just like that.

He passed the phone back to Secretary Fan as he commented, "I didn't think that you would prepare such a hand."

"It doesn't hurt to be prepared. My work is quite high-risk, after all." Ji Fanyin threw his words back at him as she tapped into her email to look through Li Xiaoxing's questionnaire.

She came up with the questionnaire herself. Most of them were rating scale questions, though there were a couple of fill-in-the-blanks and open-ended ones too. Of them, the open-ended ones were the most important as they concerned how the clients perceived Ji Xinxin.

For a special client like Li Xiaoxing, Ji Fanyin skipped through everything else and headed straight for the open-ended questions.

It was clear to her that Li Xiaoxing was a highly percipient individual. He was able to look at things from Ji Xinxin's perspective, perhaps from a level above hers even.

Yet, his answers were simple. Exceedingly so.

Question: What's your mental perception of Ji Xinxin? Choose two to three points and briefly elaborate on them.

Li Xiaoxing's answer contained a single word: Greedy.

Ji Fanyin: "…" Duh? Do you think that I don't know that?

She quietly rolled her eyes before scrolling back to the top to carefully look through the questionnaire.

Soon, they arrived at the restaurant. Ji Fanyin continued staring intently at her phone while subconsciously following Li Xiaoxing's wheelchair. Due to her inattentiveness, she nearly tripped over the wheelchair at one point in time.

Li Xiaoxing began making his order right after they arrived at their table.

By then, Ji Fanyin had already finished browsing through the questionnaire. She took a moment to internalize what she had gathered thus far before asking, "Allow me to do a quick summary. You know that she's not a good person, and you're also aware that she doesn't have feelings for you. However, you still love her. Is that an accurate description?"

"I'm paying you money to resolve this problem," replied Li Xiaoxing.

"I'll take that as a yes." Ji Fanyin smiled. "Do you mind telling me how the two of you started?"

Li Xiaoxing lowered his head to look at his crippled legs. "She saved me."

Ji Fanyin habitually rested her head on her arm as she inquired further, "My apologies, but I haven't done any background checks on you. What happened?"

"It was a car accident." Li Xiaoxing began recounting his story with the usual emotionless look on his face. "The doctor said that I'd be fully paralyzed for life. It's thanks to her encouragement and company that I am what I am."

His words were simple and vague, but Ji Fanyin was somewhat able to grasp his thoughts.

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To put it simply, she helped him during the toughest period in his life. I do recall Ji Xinxin spending a lengthy period of time in the hospital during her younger years… Were they staying in neighboring wards?

Ji Fanyin wondered about it for a moment before tossing the question to the back of her mind.

Before Li Xiaoxing's eyes, she took out her phone, set a two hours timer, and got into work mode. "I'll get straight to the point. What you're doing now won't work."

Li Xiaoxing: "…"

Ji Fanyin pointed to the questionnaire in her phone and began to sharply criticize him, "The frequency of your meetings are around eight to twelve times a year, and there are times you don't even meet once a month? With such a frequency of meeting and that taciturn personality of yours, do you honestly expect her to fall for you?"

Li Xiaoxing: "… Ji Fanyin, watch your words."

"Strictly speaking, you're my student during these two hours." Ji Fanyin shut him down without any mercy. "This question: If she doesn't contact you, how long will you wait before taking the initiative to contact her? You answered six to twelve months. Mr Li, pardon my frankness, but that's enough time for a woman to give birth to a child."

Li Xiaoxing continued his silent "…" expression. It was only when the waiter arrived to serve their food that the stiflingly awkward atmosphere finally alleviated a little.

Ji Fanyin continued scrolling through the questionnaire while shaking her head in disappointment. It was almost as if she was a tutor dealing with a student who was scoring in the thirties for all of his subjects but was still dreaming of getting into Tsinghua.

After the waiter left, Ji Fanyin picked up her chopsticks and started digging in, not showing any reservation at all. "However, I do have a piece of good news for you. There's no doubt that you have a high standing in Ji Xinxin's heart―all I have to do here is to push you up to the highest spot."

"Who do you think is the most important person in her heart right now?" asked Li Xiaoxing.

Ji Fanyin was surprised but also amused to hear this question coming from his lips. "Does that even need to be said?"

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"Bai Zhou isn't qualified." Li Xiaoxing scraped Bai Zhou off the list.

Ji Fanyin sighed softly and answered his question, "It's herself. The most important person to Ji Xinxin is herself. Be it Bai Zhou or you, you are just… how should I put this… stepping stones? Medals? Stamps in a collection?"

Li Xiaoxing put down his chopsticks, seemingly having lost his appetite.

Ji Fanyin took this chance to gracefully swipe away the small plate of tuna sashimi in front of him. "At the very least, you're a valuable limited edition stamp. It's a good starting point. You just have to work hard from now onward."

"You know her surprisingly well. Have you been studying her?"

"I've no interest in her," replied Ji Fanyin. "I'm just familiar with her means."

Perhaps it was because the 'Kings of the Seas' in the world all relied on the same few tricks? Somehow, looking at Ji Xinxin made Ji Fanyin feel like she was looking at a junior descending from the same lineage.

Ah, but I'm different from Ji Xinxin. At least I still uphold my principles despite being a 'King of the Seas'.

It wasn't exactly a harmonious meal, but it was at least a satisfying one for Ji Fanyin, so she shared quite a bit of her knowledge.

It was just that teaching someone as inflexible as Li Xiaoxing wasn't easy. She needed to start from reshaping his fundamental viewpoint, so she had to assign him some homework to spur changes.

"Drop her a call when you return home later on. Do it the way I taught you," instructed Ji Fanyin. "It's nothing complicated; just those three lines. I trust that Mr Li should be able to remember them."

Li Xiaoxing neither expressed his agreement or rejection toward the homework. Instead, he tidied up his clothes on his wheelchair before raising his head to look at her. "Why do you take such a different attitude during working hours with me as compared to the others? I heard that you're good at acting out Xinxin."

Ji Fanyin remarked in surprise, "But you only paid me for the lessons, Mr Li. You'll have to pay an additional sum in advance if you wish to have the stand-in service too."

Tsinghua and Peking University are the most prestigious universities in China, similar to how Japanese studnets might aim for Tokyo University and American students the Ivy League.

For the next two months, Ji Fanyin made steady progress on the 'Temptation of Home' app. She managed to expand on her movie review career, establishing a screenwriting studio with Zhang Ning.

It would be unwise to look down on screenwriting just because it was a behind-the-scenes work. A good screenplay was hard to come by.

This was especially so now that most films and series were reliant on IP adaptation or remakes of classics. It was getting hard to find outstanding original screenplays, and this didn't bode well for the industry.

Ji Fanyin had been an actor for many years now, so she was familiar with screenwriting, directing, and the various different types of work required to put a film together. She wasn't just a silent partner in the screenwriting studio; she took part in the studio's activities as well.

With Zhang Ning's connections and her filmmaking expertise, they were able to get things done efficiently and effectively. Within a short span of two months, their studio had already embarked on the filming of their first movie.

For this, Ji Fanyin even halted her stand-in job for three whole days so as to supervise the filming.

Her personal opinion: This movie is going to be a hit.

Speaking of her stand-in job, it was going smoothly as always. There were several problems from time to time, but she was able to resolve them without a hitch thanks to her sharp wits and glib tongue.

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She only had three clients thus far, but they were already enough to keep her busy. As the demand from all three clients stabilized, Ji Fanyin thought that it would be best for her to have a program developed to automate the reservation process.

So, she headed to a programming forum and found herself a freelance programmer who appeared to be quite the whiz on the website. She explained the basic functions of the program, which was basically an anonymous reservation system.

Each of her clients would be allocated an anonymous account upon accessing the program. They would be able to view Ji Fanyin's schedule with the unavailable slots marked gray and the available ones marked white—it was similar to purchasing movie tickets. Naturally, they could only make a reservation on the white available slots. Each account could view its own reservation but the identity of those who reserved the other slots would be kept anonymous.

Upon selecting their reservation slots, there would be a pop-up informing them of the price and a textbox where the clients could state special requests.

After the client made their reservation, Ji Fanyin would receive a reservation request on the admin portal of the website. She would first wait for the client to send in the money before accepting the reservation request, which would then turn those slots gray.

After the app was developed, Ji Fanyin gave it a few tries and thought that it worked pretty well.

The programmer also seemed to be out for the money, so he hardly said a word during the development process. After enquiring about the necessary details for the app development, he buried himself in his work and fell silent.

Ji Fanyin had to say that she was fond of such contractors… though she thought that she was quite a wonderful client too, generous and not excessively meddling.

After footing the bill for the app, Ji Fanyin spent some time trying to promote the app to her three clients.

Well… she could only say that the level of acceptance varied amongst them.

Li Xiaoxing's secretary, a young man who gave off the vibes of a soon-to-be-bald elite, was the most receptive to the introduction of the reservation app. He switched over right away and made reservations through the app every single time. It was only for special situations that he would call Ji Fanyin.

Considering that he was just an intermediary, his swift acceptance wasn't that surprising.

It was a completely different story for Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou, especially for the latter.

From the data on the admin portal, Ji Fanyin could see that Bai Zhou frequently accessed the app, checking it every now and then throughout the day. But for some reason, this little dolt insisted on calling her and making reservations that clashed with the others.

As for Song Shiyu, it was 50:50. He alternated between making reservations through the phone and the app.

December was approaching soon, and Ji Fanyin's wardrobe had already switched over to fluffy winter wear.

It was mainly for work though.

She was the kind of fearless warrior who had no problem wearing skirts during wintertime. The cold never bothered her… anyway.

Today was an unexpectedly busy day.

In the morning, she had a one-hour appointment with Li Xiaoxing to check on his homework through video call. Later in the afternoon, she would meet Zhang Ning for lunch to discuss the preparations for their next film before accompanying Song Shiyu for a three-hour date at an art exhibition. At night, she would head over to Bai Zhou's place to prepare dinner for him, another three-hour appointment.

It was quite troublesome having to deal with so many appointments in a single day, but at least she was making good money out of it.

After looking through her work for the day, she grabbed a phone and tapped into the 'Temptation of Home' app.

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Totaling her income, she had accrued 700,000,000 on the app thus far. Once their film started screening in movie theaters, she should be able to reach her first billion.

She didn't leave her spare cash lying around in the bank either. She chose to entrust it into the hands of a financial management company. The interest rate she was offered wasn't spectacular, but it was still money.

It was quite remarkable how she was able to advance this far despite having only transmigrated over for a few months. Once the screenwriting studio took off, she would be able to quit her stand-in job and finally take it easy.

Ahh, I'm looking forward to it.

…

Two minutes before 10 A.M., Ji Fanyin had already switched on her laptop and was prepared to accept Li Xiaoxing's video call.

As soon as the clock struck ten, she received a video call request from Secretary Fan. She accepted the request, and Li Xiaoxing's face appeared on her laptop screen.

"Mr Li." Ji Fanyin took out a notebook and twirled a pen on her finger. "What's your current progress?"

"… Following your instructions, I expressed my dissatisfaction toward her for the first time," said Li Xiaoxing. "I hung up the call on her afterward too."

"Well done." Ji Fanyin put a tick on the assignment she had assigned him last week. "Do you remember the details of the conversation? Even the general flow of it would do."

"There's nothing to be said here. You were spot-on about her replies." Li Xiaoxing stared at her through the camera. "Your predictions have always been on the dot. It's almost as if she's reading off your script."

Ji Fanyin's eyebrows shot up. "That could only mean that she's the same 'King of the Seas' as me."

"If I hadn't known Ji Xinxin for years now, I'd have thought that you were the one who taught her."

Ji Fanyin chuckled at those words. "Doesn't that mean that I'm curbing my own tactics? … Alright, let's get back to the main topic at hand. After you expressed your dissatisfaction toward her for rejecting your invitation and hung up on her, how did she respond?"

Li Xiaoxing fell silent.

It had been two months since the start of their lessons. They'd had dozens of lessons thus far, and there were several occasions where he paid Ji Fanyin extra for stand-in practice sessions, but he was still uncomfortable with reporting his private relationship to her.

That wasn't the kind of person Li Xiaoxing was.

"Mr Li?" Ji Fanyin urged him to answer her question.

Li Xiaoxing had no idea how Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou ended up being played like a fiddle by Ji Fanyin. If the two of them had just put some thought into it, they would swiftly realize that she was far more callous and heartless than Ji Xinxin.

Or maybe the two of them are already aware of it, but they simply can't bring themselves to break this beautiful dream.

"… She said that she'll be returning to the country soon and asked if I'll have time to meet up with her. She mentioned that she has a surprise prepared for me," replied Li Xiaoxing.

"We have gone through this before. How should you reply to that?"

The Ji Fanyin on the screen had a notebook and a pencil in hand, making her look like a real private tutor.

Li Xiaoxing nodded stoically. "We'll talk about it then."

"Not bad. You've made good progress." Ji Fanyin was heartened. "Our first step of making her realize that you're no longer under her absolute control anymore is pretty much done. Let's proceed to the next step…"

The one-hour tuition ended rather quickly. Ji Fanyin switched off her alarm and took off her blue light glasses. "I'm in a rush, so I'll have to head off right now. See you next time."

With a polite nod, she closed her laptop without waiting for Li Xiaoxing's response. She didn't think that he would have anything to say anyway.

She had already set her laptop to automatically shut down after the lid was put down, so she couldn't be bothered to go through the additional step of manually shutting it down. Lazy people like her were good at finding little ways to reduce daily hassles.

While she was grabbing her keys and leaving her apartment, Zhang Ning called.

"… You're already there? I just left my house. Give me twenty minutes. You're the best, sweety. Wait for me, alright?"

From the laptop that hadn't completely shut down yet, Li Xiaoxing: "… Sweety? Is that Song Shiyu or Bai Zhou?"

Women were mysterious creatures. They could hate each other without any real reason, but they could also form friendships over inexplicable reasons.

It was only a month ago that the flowers of friendship between Zhang Ning and Ji Fanyin started budding, and now, they were already soulmates.

Over lunch, the two of them decisively settled all of their work-related matters before moving on to idle chatter. Zhang Ning sipped on her Pu'er tea like an old man and said, "It was actually He Shen who first noticed you, but after meeting you, I realized that you're quite a remarkable person. To be frank, I would have never considered partnering with a friend, but I don't feel worried at all establishing this studio with you."

Since the topic had gotten to He Shen, Ji Fanyin casually replied, "I've watched all of He Shen's films ever since his debut, whether he's playing the main character or supporting roles."

Zhang Ning chuckled softly and said, "He'd be overjoyed to hear that. Have you posted a movie review on them yet?"

"I'm preparing an essay for it. Rather than a movie review, it's more of an analysis on the actor. It's a new project I'm working on," replied Ji Fanyin. "Just a heads up, there might be some things in the review that he might not be too fond of."

"Don't worry." Zhang Ning waved her hand casually, thinking nothing of it at all. "He thinks that everything you say is right. The two of you have identical views when it comes to movie preferences and evaluations. I'm telling you, he has read every single one of your movie reviews ever since he discovered your Weibo account!"

Ji Fanyin was perplexed to hear that. "I guess I really should meet him one of these days."

"Hm?" Zhang Ning was surprised. "Didn't you have a chat with him during the movie premiere? I recall him heading to your seat after the movie ended."

Ji Fanyin thought back on what happened that day and nodded in realization. "Ah, I get it now."

"What did you get? Tell me!" exclaimed Zhang Ning.

Ji Fanyin burst into laughter. "Why don't you ask him if you're that curious?"

"He Shen doesn't tell me anything at all!"

…

Ji Fanyin did her homework for the date with Song Shiyu at the art exhibition later in the afternoon. With a bit of investigation, she found out that the art exhibition was displaying works from one of Ji Xinxin's favorite painters.

To ensure that she could say a thing or two about the artworks, she memorized the artist's personal details and looked up analysis on his paintings.

Though she didn't get a chance to put her newfound knowledge to use.

"I'll buy one for you," said Song Shiyu. "You were staring at one of the paintings for quite a long time earlier. Do you like it?"

Ji Fanyin took some time to jog her memory.

The only painting she had stared at for a long time was the one she had trouble comprehending. If she had to describe it in words, it would be: Can this be considered art too?

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Anyway, it would be wrong for her to candidly accept the gift from him. That would be un-Ji Xinxin-like.

"There's no need for you to do that. I don't have space at home to hang it anyway," Ji Fanyin rejected his offer with a smile. "Rather than a painting, I'd be happier if we could spend more time together like this."

Song Shiyu replied with a laugh, "I'd be more than happy to spend more time with you, but that has nothing to do with me giving you a gift."

So, he bought that painting and gave it to Ji Fanyin.

The painting cost only 400,000 dollars as it was from an up-and-coming painter, but it was still worth something. As soon as the painting fell into Ji Fanyin's hand, its value was added to the 'Temptation of Home' app.

Ji Fanyin rejected the offer to have the painting delivered to her home. She had absolutely no intention of revealing her address to Song Shiyu. It was rather small anyway, so she could lug it back home herself.

Holding onto the painting that was wrapped with high-quality kraft paper, Ji Fanyin eyed Song Shiyu coyly and said, "I think it's only right for me to return your gift. Shiyu, what do you want?"

With his hands tucked inside his cashmere coat, Song Shiyu lowered his head and looked at Ji Fanyin with a hesitant look on his face. " I want you to continue liking me."

"What kind of request is that?" Ji Fanyin burst into laughter. "Why would I stop liking you?"

"… I want you to like me till the end of time," insisted Song Shiyu.

Ji Fanyin blinked her eyes before graciously accepting his request, "Alright, till the end of time."

As long as it's during working hours.

Due to the extraneous painting, Ji Fanyin had to make a trip back to her apartment to drop off the painting before heading to Bai Zhou's house. While in the cab, she quickly selected ingredients on a grocery delivery app and had it delivered to Bai Zhou's condominium.

Interestingly, she found that she had more deliveries made to Bai Zhou's house than her own one on the grocery delivery app.

When Ji Fanyin arrived, she saw the caretaker receiving bags of vegetables, meat, and seafood from the delivery man. She took some of the bags from him—there were quite a lot of them—and the two of them made their way into the lift.

"It looks like Miss Ji really cares a lot about Mr. Bai," the caretaker said with a polite smile. "I have a younger brother too, but I don't treat him as well as you do. Mr. Bai has been living here for quite some time now, but you're the only one who frequently visits him. He did bring a few friends over in the past, but that's once in a blue moon."

Ji Fanyin replied with a smile, "Yeah, he's not good at socializing with others. His personality is really worrying."

Though the ones who should be worried are Bai Zhou's family members, not a contractor like me.

Soon, the lift reached the top floor. The doors opened to reveal an angry-looking Bai Zhou standing right outside.

"You're late," he grumbled impatiently.

Ji Fanyin immediately switched to her work mode. She glanced at her watch and replied, "I'm not. Your watch is off."

Bai Zhou harrumphed irritably. He snatched the heavier bags from her hands and walked off, leaving just two of the lighter bags for her to carry.

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Ji Fanyin casually followed him as she began making plans for tonight's menu. "Zhouzhou, it's going to be winter soon. Why don't I broil some turtle chicken soup?"

"Up to you," replied Bai Zhou perfunctorily, not bothering to look at her. "You said that you had something up in the afternoon and couldn't come over. What is it?"

"I was busy with schoolwork," replied Ji Fanyin without any hesitation. She entered the house and switched to a pair of slippers. "It's going to be the Christmas Holidays soon. I've got to clear up my work beforehand so that I can relax over the break."

"Of course, you're busy. 24 hours a day, and you're only free at night." Bai Zhou wasn't intending to let this go easily. "Was it Song Shiyu or someone else this time?"

"Who are you talking about?" Ji Fanyin walked past him as she teased, "Oh? Is our Zhouzhou jealous?"

Before Bai Zhou could blow his top, Ji Fanyin placed her bags on the counter and turned around to face him.

"Even if I really met up with others for work or some other reason, you should know that they can't possibly shake the place you have in my heart. I'll never neglect you over others. You should know how much I care for you, right?" she said earnestly.

Bai Zhou's anger visibly dissipated at her words. As if to hide his embarrassment, he tossed the bags on the counter and shot her a glare, saying, "I'm hungry!"

…

It was already nearing 9 P.M. by the time she left Bai Zhou's house.

On the way home, she tapped into her reservation app and greyed out her schedule for the next two weeks.

Ji Xinxin would be returning to the country tomorrow, and her Christmas Holidays lasted for two weeks. Ji Fanyin intended to take a break during this period of time.

Her clients would likely be too focused on Ji Xinxin during this period of time to bother trying to look for her.

… Maybe except for Li Xiaoxing. I reckon that he'll need some urgent supplementary classes, but that isn't much of a problem since we're doing it online.

For that reason, she decided to allow calls from her Client group.

She made up her mind to set her phone to 'Do Not Disturb' mode for the next two weeks and spend her days binging on films. She thought that she deserved a good break after working so hard for the past few months.

Ji Xinxin got off the plane and headed to the baggage carousel to collect her luggage. While waiting, she powered her phone on but switched it to silent mode right away.

The moment her phone regained its signal, countless messages poured in like a terrifying tsunami. Most wished her bon voyage, some asked if she had arrived yet, and one said that he was already in the car park and urged her to call him once her plane landed.

There was a huge list of people she could choose from to fetch her from the airport, many of whom had already offered their services. However, that didn't mean that she could simply choose whoever she wanted.

Ji Xinxin knew that she was treading a delicate path here; the slightest bit of carelessness could cause her to plummet back to earth. It was just that she had done this for so many years that she had already gotten used to the feeling of playing with fire.

It was indescribably thrilling.

"What does your suitcase look like?" a young man whom she had just met on the plane asked.

Ji Xinxin raised her head and smiled in embarrassment. "It's pink with a baggage tag that has 'Fairy' on it."

"I'll help you. It'd be inconvenient for a lady like you to carry something that bulky." The young man offered his service.

Ji Xinxin was used to having others fawn on her like that. She smiled sweetly at him and said, "Thank you. To be honest, I nearly bumped my leg into my suitcase while I was checking into the flight earlier on."

The man's face reddened. He waved his hand and replied, "It's fine, it's fine. It's always a pleasure to help a lady as beautiful as you."

"It's rare to see someone as kind and warm-hearted as you." Ji Xinxin tucked her hair behind her ears. "A man who knows how to take care of the ladies like you must be very popular."

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from /37k7u89t.

The man blushed even more furiously. He awkwardly coughed twice and turned his eyes away.

To Ji Xinxin, pulling on a man's heartstrings was the easiest thing in the world, not to mention that she was blessed with an innocent and jovial face. Leaving a good impression on others was a walk in the park for her.

It was just that she had managed to grasp the man's background while chatting on the plane, and the latter was a perfectly average person. Even his appearance was just passable. She didn't think that there was a need to spare her time on him.

After all, she wasn't the same woman she used to be. She had choices.

Ji Xinxin chuckled softly before turning her attention to her phone. She began replying to the messages from some of the higher priority individuals on her phone, though she specially left Bai Zhou for last.

She knew that Bai Zhou would drop her a call as soon as he received her message.

The problem was that she had chosen Song Shiyu to fetch her from the airport.

Her first choice was actually Li Xiaoxing as he had been acting weird recently. She had dropped him a hint about her arrival time in her messages, but the other party hadn't responded to it at all. Left with no choice, she could only go for Song Shiyu instead.

"Shiyu? My plane has finally landed, and I'm collecting my luggage now," Ji Xinxin called Song Shiyu's number and said. She added teasingly, "Are you still at the car park? Aren't you coming over to fetch me?"

Song Shiyu's voice sounded a little suppressed. "Xinxin, I have a meeting now so I sent my assistant over to fetch you. I'll be waiting for you in my car."

"Oh…" replied Ji Xinxin in disappointment. "You should focus on your meeting then. See you soon!"

"It's cold outside. Button your coat well and make sure to keep your hands warm," advised Song Shiyu.

"I know, I know." Ji Xinxin hung up the phone. The unease she had felt over the past few months welled up in her heart once more.

Song Shiyu is supposed to… No, he would have come to the arrival hall to fetch me! There's no meeting that could have been more important than me.

"Is that your luggage?" the man asked while pointing to a pink suitcase on the baggage carousel.

Ji Xinxin snapped out of her thoughts and looked over. "Mmhm, that's my suitcase."

The man stepped forward and carried it down from the conveyor belt for her.

"Thank you. My friend is already outside waiting for me, so I'll be making a move first." Ji Xinxin waved him goodbye with a smile and left without waiting for his response. She wasn't about to give the other party a chance to ask for her contact details.

Song Shiyu's assistant wasn't there yet when she stepped into the arrival hall. She stood by the railings and pondered for a moment. Then, she tapped into her WeChat conversation window with Bai Zhou.

Her initial plan was to call Bai Zhou upon returning home so that they could have a good chat, but she had changed her mind.

Song Shiyu's assistant soon arrived at the arrival hall. He walked up to Ji Xinxin and greeted her, "Miss Ji, Mr Song sent me here to fetch you. Please follow me―Ah, allow me to carry your suitcase for you."

Ji Xinxin thanked him. "How long would it take for us to reach the car park?"

"Around ten minutes," the assistant replied respectfully.

So, Ji Xinxin whipped out her phone and continued replying to her contacts, informing them that her plane had safely landed. It was only when they were about to arrive at the car park that she tapped into Bai Zhou's conversation window to tell him the same.

As expected, shortly after Ji Xinxin spotted Song Shiyu's car, Bai Zhou's call came in.

With a smile on her lips, she picked up the call while opening the rear door of Song Shiyu's car. "Didn't I tell you that I've safely arrived? You didn't have to take the trouble to call me."

Bai Zhou's voice sounded like he hadn't slept a wink last night. "You're at the airport now? How are you going to return home?"

"Hehe, it goes without saying that I have someone to fetch me. You don't have to worry about that." As Ji Xinxin got into the car, she mouthed out a greeting to Song Shiyu before turning her attention back to the phone. "Your voice sounds a little gruffy. Did you stay up all night playing games again?"

"It doesn't matter. You didn't want me to fetch you anyway," grumbled Bai Zhou with a pout. "I've been gaming from dinner till now."

"Should I praise you for remembering to have dinner last night?" replied Ji Xinxin mirthfully.

"That's because you―" It was at this point that Bai Zhou's voice was suddenly cut short. Several seconds ticked by before he anxiously covered it up. "―you always nag at me to remember my meals!"

"If only you would be as obedient for the other stuff I told you to do too," berated Ji Xinxin.

She knew that Bai Zhou wouldn't get angry at her for nagging him. This was a special treatment that not even Bai Zhou's parents were entitled to.

Find the original at /3Tfs4P4.

Such special treatment gave Ji Xinxin a sense of superiority that she relished in. This was the feeling she was constantly seeking from others.

Be it Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, Li Xiaoxing, or the others… they all meant the same to her.

While she chatted with Bai Zhou over the phone, she kept an eye out for Song Shiyu's reaction via his reflection on the car's tinted window. She couldn't make out his expression from the blurry reflection, but she did notice that Song Shiyu had turned to look at her twice.

It was hard to tell from this whether he was really bothered by the call or not.

After coaxing Bai Zhou to sleep, Ji Xinxin hung up the phone and turned to Song Shiyu with a sheepish look on her face. "Sorry, Zhouzhou happened to call. Are you done with your meeting?"

Song Shiyu tilted his head to show her that he had a pair of wireless earpieces on. He replied with a smile, "Not yet, but my mic is off. No worries."

"Are you that busy?" Ji Xinxin sighed concernedly. "I can see your eyebags."

"It's not that bad; there's just a bit more work recently. I'll be freer after the New Year," Song Shiyu replied gently. "At least I still have time to fetch you from the airport."

"You shouldn't force yourself if you're that busy. I could have just taken a cab back home," replied Ji Xinxin. "I was still thinking of asking you out for a meal, but I'd feel bad if I got in the way of your work."

"I'll always have time for you." Song Shiyu chuckled good-naturedly. "It'd be fine even if you wanted us to stay together every day."

"It'd really be great if we could be together every day. It's just that I also have a lot of things to handle. I have quite a few assignments I need to complete over the Christmas Holidays," lamented Ji Xinxin with a sigh. "We should have time to meet up a couple of times though. Shiyu, is there anywhere you want to go to?"

"I know of a private art exhibition that will pique your interest. Shall we check it out?" Song Shiyu asked.

"Sure!" Ji Xinxin heaved a sigh of relief.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from /37k7u89t.

The painter I like isn't that famous. If Song Shiyu intends to bring me to his private art exhibition, he must have been specially paying attention to the painter. It looks like his heart is still with me.

… Are his recent changes just because he has been busy with work?

"Is there anything I can do to help you with your work?" asked Ji Xinxin. "I can ask my dad and mum for help."

Song Shiyu revealed a gentle smile at her remark. He ruffled her hair and said, "Don't worry, I can cope. Just seeing you chases my fatigue away."

Ji Xinxin intimately leaned toward him and rested her head on his shoulder. "It's so tiring to ride on planes. My neck always feels sore afterward."

"Didn't I tell you that I'd get you a first class seat?" said Song Shiyu with a sigh.

"You'd usually message me, but you forgot about it this time around. It's too embarrassing for me to demand a plane ticket from you," grumbled Ji Xinxin coyly. "But since you have been busy with work, I'll forgive you this once!"

"Alright alright, it's my fault."

Ji Xinxin subconsciously glanced at her phone and murmured, "Why hasn't big sis replied to the message I sent yet…"

"… Ji Fanyin?" asked Song Shiyu.

Ji Xinxin didn't notice the unusual edge to Song Shiyu's voice. She nodded in response and said, "I told her about my flight yesterday, and I just texted her to tell her that my plane has landed. It's weird how she hasn't replied yet… Is she busy with other stuff?"

It might have been Ji Xinxin's imagination, but she thought that she had heard a sneer coming from the man sitting beside her.

Bewildered, she turned to Song Shiyu questioningly. "Shiyu?"

Song Shiyu met her eyes in confusion. "What's wrong?"

… Did I hear it wrong?

Ji Xinxin shook her head before leaning back onto Song Shiyu's shoulder. "Actually, I've received quite a few calls from my parents about my big sis. A cousin of mine saw my big sis entering a famous bar around two to three months ago, so my parents are worried that she might have gotten involved with bad company."

"A famous bar?" asked Song Shiyu.

"Yeah. I don't really know what kind of bar it is since I've never been there before. My parents might just be making a big fuss out of nothing," Ji Xinxin sighed. "It's just that my big sis doesn't have many friends, so it's worrying to know that she has been going to a bar alone at night. I'm planning to talk to her about this, but I'm worried that she wouldn't confide in me."

Song Shiyu replied with a distracted "Mm".

"Shiyu, do you know anything about the bar and big sis' recent changes?" Ji Xinxin turned her head over and asked him. "I mean… my big sis likes you. She might have shared something with you."

Song Shiyu's eyes were fixated on his laptop screen. It took a few seconds before he finally turned to answer Ji Xinxin's question with a hint of resignation in his voice. "Sorry, I haven't met Ji Fanyin ever since you went abroad. So… I don't know anything about how she's doing."

"You haven't met my big sis? Not even once?" asked Ji Xinxin in surprise.

Song Shiyu averted his gaze. He began tapping on his keyboard as if he was replying to someone. "Mm, not even once."

Ji Fanyin had a strong feeling that she wouldn't be able to spend her long-awaited break in peace, but she still obstinately holed herself up at home to binge on her movies.

Just like that, the first day passed peacefully.

To her delight, not a single one of her clients dropped her a call or a message.

In a spurt of inspiration, she posted three consecutive movie reviews within the span of a day and earned quite a bunch of Emotion Points from the kind-hearted netizens.

It was only after all this that she finally began checking her messages.

Ji Xinxin said that she had gotten on the plane. Ji Xinxin said that she had landed safely. Ji Xinxin said that she had reached home. Ji Xinxin said that there was no need for her to worry.

The sheer amount of admirers Ji Xinxin had was more than enough to form a motorcade to fetch her from the airport. There was no way Ji Fanyin would needlessly worry over her safety, so she chose to turn a blind eye to Ji Xinxin's messages.

She couldn't be bothered to deal with Ji Xinxin unless the latter were to come knocking on her door… though she reckoned that there was a good chance that it might happen.

Ji Xinxin had already gone to the trouble of returning to the country. Whether it was just to 'visit' or 'keep an eye on' her, she would likely try to find some time to visit her, regardless of whether she had found out that she was the cause of the changes behind Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, and the others or not.

After looking through her WeChat messages, Ji Fanyin noticed that she had received a friend request. It was from one of the supporting actors from the film their studio was working on.

She had some impression of that actor because she was the one who personally selected him for that role. He was a fairly good-looking young man in his early twenties, and he had always been quite a respectful one on the set.

Thinking that he had some questions regarding the script, Ji Fanyin accepted his friend request.

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He started off with a polite greeting before posing a few questions regarding the script.

Ji Fanyin answered his questions one by one, but she soon noticed that something was amiss.

Those questions were too trivial. If he really lacked the ability to interpret the actions of his character, she would have never chosen him for the role. That meant that his intention lay somewhere else.

With a lackadaisical yawn, Ji Fanyin sent out the answer to his final question before waiting disinterestedly for his follow-up line.

Just as she had expected, the actor replied with a troubled tone: 【I think I get it, but I'm still not quite sure. I know that it's a little late, but is there any chance we could meet up and discuss this in person?】

It was not uncommon for those who wielded resources and power in the entertainment industry to take advantage of others, but similarly, there were also those who sought to make use of unspoken rules to rise faster than their peers.

Ji Fanyin had seen plenty of those from both sides in the years she had spent in the entertainment industry, especially after she solidified her reputation and became an unshakable powerhouse in the entertainment industry. There were many who tried to approach her to 'self-recommend'.

Those in the entertainment industry were usually fairly busy and didn't have much spare time to frolic around. There were only so many ways to efficiently relay one's intention to the other party, and Ji Fanyin was familiar with most of them.

The actor's method of asking a few adorably dumb questions before dropping a hint that they could get a room was a common tactic. It was just that Ji Fanyin didn't think that someone would try to 'self-recommend' themself to her with her current standing.

Ji Fanyin clenched her toothbrush between her teeth and typed out a reply to the actor: 【Focus on your acting. Don't think too much about such stuff】

The young actor quickly dropped an ambiguous apology before vanishing.

Ji Fanyin grumbled about this matter to Zhang Ning before heading off to bed, and Zhang Ning sent a voice message shortly after: "Hahahahahahahahaha! Of course he'd try to 'self-recommend' himself to you. You're rich and beautiful, and you hold resources in your hands. You're the ideal choice for aspiring actors who are anxious to make it big!"

Ji Fanyin: 【Shouldn't they look for you instead?】

Zhang Ning replied coolly, "You think that they haven't tried? They could easily form a long queue from one end of the street to the other! I wouldn't have enough time to allocate to each of them if I were to accept all of them! Seriously though, you didn't accept him, right?"

Ji Fanyin: 【I don't have time for such stuff. I just wanted to see what you think and check if we should switch him out for someone else】

Zhang Ning leisurely replied, "He probably isn't too dumb since he didn't bug you about it. Weren't you quite satisfied with him during the casting audition? It doesn't really matter whether we switch him out or not; it's just a small role anyway. You can decide."

Ji Fanyin gave the matter some thought and decided not to switch him out.

At least the young actor had the common sense to back down after being rejected. As long as he didn't try to pull anything else, this wasn't really a huge issue.

"Such things will continue to happen in the future. Gorgeous, you should get used to it as soon as possible," teased Zhang Ning. "It won't make a difference even if you were to get married. People will still try to approach you."

Ji Fanyin thought that her words made sense, so she tossed this matter to the back of her mind.

"Speaking of which, should I recommend some men for you to choose from?" asked Zhang Ning with a hearty laugh.

Ji Fanyin rejected her offer without any hesitation: 【No thanks. No time】

Ji Fanyin thought that this 'self-recommendation' incident would be the only hiccup she would face on the first day of her break. Who would have thought that she would receive a call from Li Xiaoxing at 1 A.M. in the morning, shortly after she had fallen asleep?

Li Xiaoxing's voice sounded a little strained. "I received a call from Ji Xinxin."

Ji Fanyin rolled on her bed with her eyes still closed and wrapped the blanket tightly around her. "Then?"

"… I haven't picked up yet," added Li Xiaoxing.

A question mark popped up in Ji Fanyin's mind. "Your phone is still ringing right now?"

"That's right."

Ji Fanyin rubbed her eyes before lifting her phone to check the time. "Mr Li, do you know my charges at this hour?"

"I'll transfer you the money after the call," said Li Xiaoxing. "What do I do?"

Ji Fanyin thought that the domineering CEO's 'What do I do?' sounded a little adorable yet pitiful. She switched on her bedside lights and slowly sat up. As her mind cleared up, she said, "For now… ignore her."

"Ignore her?" Li Xiaoxing repeated her instructions in dissatisfaction. "She must have something important to say if she called at this hour."

Ji Fanyin reached for the laptop she had placed on her bedside table. "Exactly. That's why she won't give up easily. If you're on the phone with me now, what phone is Ji Xinxin calling you on?"

"Landline."

Ji Fanyin could hear the rolling of Li Xiaoxing's wheelchair, and soon, she could hear another phone ringing on his side.

"Why did you call me?" asked Ji Fanyin curiously. "It's just a phone call."

"You can tell me what to do."

"I've already gone through what you have to do at this stage. You should be able to deal with a phone call." Ji Fanyin let out a yawn.

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"Ji Fanyin. I'm not paying you to hear your complaints," said Li Xiaoxing placidly.

Ji Fanyin yawned yet again. She couldn't muster the energy to argue with him, so she waited for the ringing to end before replying, "Calm yourself down first. Put the call on speakerphone when you pick up later so that I can listen in. Check your WeChat for my messages; I'll tell you what to do."

"… I don't have your WeChat."

"Ah. Shall we add each other now?" replied Ji Fanyin.

It took less than a minute for them to add each other. By then, Ji Xinxin's second call had already come in. The second the call came in, Ji Fanyin decisively issued her order, "Pick it up."

She hurriedly typed on the laptop right after: 【But don't speak first】

…

The instant Ji Fanyin told him to 'pick it up', Li Xiaoxing grabbed his landline phone and put it on speakerphone. In accordance with what he was instructed, he kept his mouth tightly shut.

A few seconds of silence ensued, but it felt unbearable to Li Xiaoxing.

He stared at his telephone with searing eyes that threatened to bore a hole through it.

"I had a nightmare. I dreamt that you were ignoring me, just like when we first met," Ji Xinxin sobbed.

It melted Li Xiaoxing's heart. He instinctively wanted to console her, but Ji Fanyin's message popped up on his WeChat right after. She was typing at such an incredible speed that it almost felt like she was talking to him in real-time.

【Tell her that it's only a dream】

【But don't console her】

【Tell her to go back to sleep】

The three consecutive messages plunged Li Xiaoxing into silence. He thought such a response was too heartless, and it would hurt the sensitive Ji Xinxin.

But then again, Ji Fanyin had already proven her capability over the past two months. She was able to accurately predict Ji Xinxin's reaction over 70% of the time. It was not spot-on every single time, but it was still a frighteningly high level of accuracy.

So, after a brief moment of hesitation, he went along with Ji Fanyin's script.

"It's just a dream. Go back to sleep," he said.

"I dreamt that you were unable to move at all, just like back then." Ji Xinxin ignored his words and continued sobbing sorrowfully. "I'm scared. I'm scared that your condition will suddenly deteriorate back to how it was those days. I know that I shouldn't be calling you at this hour, but I can't help myself from worrying about you. I needed to check if you're fine. My heart simply won't calm down until I hear your reassurance…"

Ji Fanyin replied equally fast too: 【Tell her that you're the same as always, and tell her once more to return to bed】

Li Xiaoxing read her message and did as he was told.

【She'll continue talking about the past, but you need to hold yourself back. Don't console her. Don't reminisce with her. Don't make any promises】

【If you give her what she wants, she'll have no qualms putting you at a lower priority】

Li Xiaoxing first saw Ji Fanyin's two messages pop up before hearing Ji Xinxin continue reminiscing about the past.

It's almost as if Ji Fanyin is reading Ji Xinxin's mind.

It was this ability that continuously deepened Li Xiaoxing's trust in Ji Fanyin. That was also why the first thing he did upon receiving a call from Ji Xinxin was to contact Ji Fanyin.

His expectations weren't let down. Ji Fanyin handled it perfectly.

Every single word she told him to speak accurately struck at Ji Xinxin's vital spots, dragging her closer and closer into his net. Regardless of the intentions Ji Fanyin had in mind for helping him, the money was definitely well-spent here.

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Back to the call with three listeners.

Ji Xinxin: "Do you still remember the time we spent in the hospital? I always snuck out to look for you, but you always ignored me. It made me wonder why someone as good-looking as you had such a nasty temper."

Ji Fanyin: 【Yawn】

It was tough, Li Xiaoxing managed to snap out of his trance and let out a yawn.

Ji Xinxin: "… Are you exhausted? Sorry, I shouldn't have called you at such a time and disturbed your rest. I know that I shouldn't have allowed my worry to get the best of my rationality, but I simply couldn't control myself…"

Ji Fanyin: 【With a cold tone, tell her that you don't mind and urge her to go back to sleep.】

There was no need for Li Xiaoxing to feign a cold tone at all—that was his default tone. "It's going to be three o'clock soon. Hurry up and go to bed."

After such a long tug-o-war over the phone, Ji Xinxin finally unleashed her trump card. She asked, "Will you accompany me till I fall asleep, just like how we did when we were younger?"

Ji Fanyin sent Li Xiaoxing a 'cat giving a thumbs up' emoji.

【Heave a sigh and don't say a word】

【You'll see results soon】

Li Xiaoxing let out a heavy sigh and swallowed the words that were already at the tip of his tongue.

Ji Xinxin burst into tears. "Li Xiaoxing, I'm begging you, please tell me what I've done wrong! We have known each other for so many years. You're my most treasured friend… I don't want to lose you!"

Li Xiaoxing's attention was hooked by the words 'most treasured', and it made his blood race in exhilaration.

Just as Li Xiaoxing was about to succumb and console Ji Xinxin, Ji Fanyin's message popped out: 【Ask her if she means it】

Li Xiaoxing paused for a moment there. To his surprise, he actually felt a hint of glee from Ji Fanyin's verbal manipulation skill. He deepened his tone and asked, "Do you mean it?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Ji Xinxin. Following that, her tone lowered a little, as if she felt aggrieved by his doubt. "Do you really need me, a woman, to voice aloud how much you mean to me?"

Ji Fanyin: 【Tell her to meet you tomorrow】

Li Xiaoxing did as he was told.

Ji Xinxin agreed to his request amidst sniffles, saying that she would visit him tomorrow morning.

Ji Fanyin: 【Tell her 'See you tomorrow' and hang up the phone】

Li XIaoxing did as he was told yet again.

When he said 'See you tomorrow', he felt like he could almost see Ji Xinxin's flabbergasted expression over the phone. He exhaled deeply and praised Ji Fanyin for the first time, "You're indeed worth the price."

Unfazed by his compliment, Ji Fanyin replied emotionlessly, "Prices are rounded up to the nearest hour. The charges are fivefold at this ungodly hour, so please transfer 1,000,000 dollars to my account. Thanks."

The call from Li Xiaoxing in the middle of the night had completely awoken Ji Fanyin. She exhaled deeply before heading to the living room to grab herself a cup of water.

It didn't take long for Li Xiaoxing to transfer the money over.

I'll forgive his late night call in view of his efficiency.

She lay on her bed and fiddled with her phone while trying to channel her inner drowsiness. She chanced upon an official message from Lakeside University shared by Chen Yunsheng in his Moments page.

She browsed through it while yawning. The rough idea was that the university was going to hold some kind of exhibition, and they would be inviting a few renowned alumni back to attend the activity.

While she was scrolling down, to her not-very-surprise, Ji Xinxin's name was there.

Of course, Ji Xinxin is one of the more renowned alumni in recent years. It just so happens that she's back in the country, so she'll be able to make it. I just wonder who'll be accompanying her.

Will Bai Zhou and Song Shiyu start fighting over that?

The drowsy Ji Fanyin liked Chen Yunsheng's post before putting her phone aside. Within moments, she was already asleep.

…

The following morning, she received an invitation from Chen Yunsheng for the exhibition.

Determined to steer clear of anything work related and spend her break in peace, she rejected his offer and happily idled her time away for the second day.

In contrast, Ji Xinxin's schedule for her two week break was jam-packed.

Delighted that her late night call to Li Xiaoxing had softened his attitude, she woke up early the following day and made sure to doll herself up before heading over to meet Li Xiaoxing. She personally prepared breakfast for him and accompanied him to his company afterward. They had lunch at a nearby restaurant before paying a visit to the hospital they used to stay at.

"Now that we're here, I can't help but remember a lot of our past memories," remarked Ji Xinxin as she pushed Li Xiaoxing's wheelchair forward. "I was just an elementary schooler then, so my memories are a little hazy."

"I remember it all," said Li Xiaoxing. "There used to be a swing there. You would help me up there and push me."

"I remember that," Ji Xinxin chirped in. "I pushed you pretty hard back then, didn't I?"

"… You said that I was too light and told me not to be picky with food." Li Xiaoxing gazed at the garden. "But even eating was difficult for me back then."

Ji Xinxin halted her footsteps. She placed her hands on Li Xiaoxing's shoulders and massaged them lightly, as if encouraging him. "You have already made good progress with your recovery. There's still a chance that you'll be able to walk on your own two feet. Don't give up hope, alright?"

"I won't ever give up on things I desire," said Li Xiaoxing placidly, "be it this body or anything else."

Ji Xinxin's heart skipped a beat.

She knew that Li Xiaoxing wasn't someone to be trifled with, but which of those priority targets she had approached, seduced, and maintained relationships with wasn't dangerous? It was high-risk, high-reward.

That was why the first thing an outstanding 'King of the Seas' had to learn was the art of control. Only by training her fishes to be satisfied with her limited attention could she ensure the longevity of her fishery.

Ji Xinxin saw herself as a master at guiding the flow of a relationship, and this was evidenced by the size of her fishery. Nevertheless, she still felt unnerved when it came to Li Xiaoxing.

And she knew the reason behind that too.

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It was all luck that she was able to catch Li Xiaoxing's eye and gain his favor.

It was true that the two of them were in the same hospital, but she was so delirious from her illness that it was impossible for her to accompany the then paralyzed Li Xiaoxing through the hardest phase of his life. The one who had helped him rehabilitate and partially regain his physical functions was actually Ji Fanyin, who frequently accompanied their parents to visit her in the hospital.

Ji Xinxin had already tried her best to take over Ji Fanyin's position and channel his feelings onto her, but ultimately, she wasn't the girl he met back then. She knew that Li Xiaoxing was an extremely shrewd person, and that left her constantly in fear of having her lies exposed.

She knew that she wouldn't be able to shackle Li Xiaoxing anymore once these childhood rose-tinted glasses were gone.

That was why she could still suppress her anxiety when Bai Zhou, Song Shiyu, and Ji Fanyin behaved abnormally, but the moment problems cropped up with Li Xiaoxing, she immediately lost her patience.

Li Xiaoxing's background and credentials were top-notch. If not for the fact that his legs were still showing no signs of recovery, Ji Xinxin might have abandoned everyone else for him.

She viewed Li Xiaoxing as a treasured possession whom she couldn't afford to lose.

"Speaking of which, I have a twin sister," Ji Xinxin raised the subject with feigned casualness. "Have I told you about her before?"

"… Are you close with her?" asked Li Xiaoxing.

"We used to be, but now…" Ji Xinxin sighed softly. "My big sis seems to harbor some misunderstandings about me."

"Maybe."

"I'll introduce my big sis to you if an opportunity arises in the future. We're identical twins, so we're like two peas in a pod." Ji Xinxin paid close attention to Li Xiaoxing's expression in order to determine if he had met Ji Fanyin before.

Despite her words, it went without saying that there was no way she would do something as dangerous as introducing Ji Fanyin to Li Xiaoxing. Those were just empty words.

"Two peas in a pod?" Li Xiaoxing shook his head. "There's no one like you."

It doesn't seem like they have met each other…?

Uncertain about her judgment, Ji Xinxin continued assessing Li Xiaoxing's expression.

Even though she had known this man for over a decade now, she was still unable to decipher his emotions from his permanently placid face.

But based on what Li Xiaoxing had said, it didn't seem like he was interested in Ji Fanyin even if he had met her before.

That put Ji Xinxin's heart at ease. A smile emerged on her lips and she continued pushing the wheelchair forward. "Can you tell me what I've done to make you unhappy? We can't resolve the problem unless you tell me what it is."

"You told me over the phone that you don't wish to lose me," said Li Xiaoxing. "You said that I'm your most cherished friend."

"Yeap. is there something wrong?" Ji Xinxin felt her heart beating faster.

The next thing he's going to say is probably…

"I don't need a friend, Xinxin. If all you want is to remain friends, I don't think that there's any need for us to remain in contact."

Ji Xinxin's footsteps screeched to a halt. She lowered her gaze to look at Li Xiaoxing.

"Make your choice, Xinxin." Li Xiaoxing kept his eyes straight forward. "Lovers or strangers?"

"I…" Ji Xinxin bit her lips as her mind furiously whirred into action to find the optimal solution to this problem.

She could tell that this was an ultimatum from Li Xiaoxing. If she rejected him here, there was a chance that she would lose him for good.

But if she accepted him, it would trigger an explosive chain reaction…

"… I need some time to think about it." Ji Xinxin bit her tongue and forced herself to remain calm. She looked at Li Xiaoxing with a troubled expression and continued, "It's a huge leap for us to suddenly become lovers… I need time to consider and accustom myself to it. Are you willing to wait for me?"

Li Xiaoxing turned his wheelchair around till he was face to face with Ji Xinxin.

"I'm willing to wait, but how long do you need?" Li Xiaoxing stared deeply into her eyes as he asked.

Ji Xinxin had never felt so anxious and pressured before. She began sobbing helplessly.

Search /3Tfs4P4 for the original.

"I… I don't know… Didn't you tell me to pursue my dreams when I was hesitating whether to go abroad or not? Why are you changing all of a sudden?"

Tears were a powerful weapon if used correctly.

Ji Xinxin wiped off her tears with the back of her hand. In her peripheral vision, she could see Li Xiaoxing's fingers rising slightly, only to be placed back down as if he was restraining himself.

At least he's still unable to let go of me.

This brought Ji Xinxin a tinge of confidence.

"I never changed. I'm willing to let you continue doing whatever you want," said Li Xiaoxing deeply. "But how long do I have to wait? Xinxin, I need a deadline."

Ji Xinxin sniffled.

Li Xiaoxing hasn't fallen for anyone else, and he hasn't noticed my deception either. If so, until I find the perfect excuse and solution to resolve this crisis, I just have to stall him.

Ji Xinxin squatted down in front of Li Xiaoxing till they were on eye level with each other. She grabbed his large hands and said, "I'll think it through. I promise that I won't keep you waiting for long… but before then, can we go back to the old days? My heart hurts whenever you give me the cold shoulder…"

…

"… So, you're saying that she hasn't promised anything, but you have already fallen for her act and agreed not to be cold to her anymore." Ji Fanyin snuggled lazily on her sofa as she summarized what she had just heard from Li Xiaoxing. "Is that right?"

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Li Xiaoxing didn't reply.

Ji Fanyin felt tempted to send Li Xiaoxing the 'I can't carry you anymore, goodbye' emoji, but ultimately, she still had to preserve her client's dignity.

Letting out a sigh, she grabbed a strawberry from a fruit platter placed on the table and said, "Forget it, this works too. Let her think that the conflict has been resolved for the time being. In a way, she has left a handle that you can use against her in the future. From now on, you'll just have to find another way to stoke her unease and let her know that you're no longer within her sphere of control."

"How do I do that?" Li Xiaoxing dived right down to the real question.

"You're from a distinguished background. Your family must have been pushing quite a few marriage candidates on you, right?" Ji Fanyin casually rested her head on her arm. "Why don't you try meeting some of them?"

"… To provoke her?"

"Yes, but there's a way to go about it," replied Ji Fanyin. "There's no need to rush things now. For the time being, we can let her think that her tricks are working."

"So, act normally?"

"That's right. You can interact with her in the way you usually do," said Ji Fanyin with a smile. "She'll be reminded of her promise to consider you whenever she thinks of you. I reckon that it'll bug her for quite a while."

Balance was important when it came to pursuing a woman. It would rarely end well to go full aggressive.

"I'll try my best," replied Li Xiaoxing.

Hanging up the call, Ji Fanyin spent a short moment contemplating the deeper meaning behind the words, 'I'll try my best'.

I guess that Li Xiaoxing is getting a little drunk now that the tables are turned and Ji Xinxin is the one who's anxious to fawn on him.

Ji Fanyin felt like she was playing a game of chess here, using Li Xiaoxing as her piece against Ji Xinxin.

Should Ji Xinxin choose to become lovers with Li Xiaoxing, it would spell the end of her fishery. If so, Ji Fanyin should be able to reap one last huge harvest from her fishery behind her back.

To be frank, Ji Fanyin was quite curious to know how Ji Xinxin would deal with this crisis.

…

On the third day of Ji Fanyin's break, she received a call from Ji Xinxin.

Ji Xinxin spoke with her usual cheery voice, "Big sis, a huge coincidence happened earlier on. I met a junior who mistook me for you. He seems to be very close with you, and he shared a lot of your affairs with me. Is he a friend you made recently?"

Ji Fanyin lazily flopped over on her sofa and put her remote control down on the table. Then, she sighed in exasperation.

Haaa, it's this kind of petty trick again.

(Rewinding time a day back for Ji Xinxin's point of view~)

Ji Xinxin had decided to place Li Xiaoxing on her observation list for the time being.

She was confident that her little skit had tightened her leash on Li Xiaoxing. She had even gone to the extent of bringing Li Xiaoxing to places of their past memories, so there was no way the latter wouldn't have been moved.

After Li Xiaoxing returned to the company, Ji Xinxin used the pretext of not wanting to disturb him to take her leave.

That very afternoon, she accompanied Song Shiyu to an art exhibition.

"I didn't expect you to remember that I'm fond of this painter," said Ji Xinxin delightfully. "I heard that he was holding an exhibition, and I was going to find time for it. Your invitation really came at the right moment."

Song Shiyu opened the door for her as he said, "It's already been up for nearly a week now. It'd have already ended if you had come any later. Shouldn't you thank me for that?"

"Heh! If I couldn't make it in time for this exhibition, I'd chase him all the way to his next exhibition," replied Ji Xinxin with a chuckle as she walked into the gallery.

The comfortable atmosphere made her exhale happily.

She was quite familiar with this artist, and she had seen many of his works on the internet. She had looked up information on this exhibition before coming on this date with Song Shiyu.

The two of them slowly walked around the gallery while appraising the artworks one by one. At the end of which, Ji Xinxin remarked doubtfully, "I remember that his famed work, 'Average', is on display for this exhibition, but I can't find it anywhere. Did something happen?"

"Do you like that painting?" asked Song Shiyu.

"Yeah, I have my eyes set on it. I heard the original is much smaller though, so I'll have to see it in person to decide."

Ji Xinxin crossed her arms and thought about it for a moment. She still felt bothered by its absence, so she decided to ask one of the staff members about it.

"Excuse me."

The formally dressed staff member bowed deeply and greeted the two of them, "Mr Song, Miss Ji."

"Is 'Average' not on display today? I remember seeing it on the promotion brochure," asked Ji Xinxin politely.

Right after she asked that question, she noticed the staff member revealing a surprised look before turning to look at Song Shiyu.

He's surprised? Is there something wrong with my question?

"It might have already been bought by someone else," remarked Song Shiyu with a smile. "It's common for artworks to be sold during such public exhibitions."

The staff member nodded in agreement. "Yes, I'm sorry to inform you that someone else has already purchased the painting."

When you're just trying to make great content at /37k7u89t.

Ji Xinxin sighed regretfully. "What a pity. I was hoping to have a close look at it. I heard that its colors are much more vibrant up close."

"… Why don't I buy another painting for you?" consoled Song Shiyu. "Is there anything else here that has caught your eye?"

"The one I want the most isn't here anymore," Ji Xinxin bemoaned.

"It looks like I'll just have to find the painting for you then," said Song Shiyu half-jokingly.

Ji Xinxin turned to look at the gentlemanly Song Shiyu and chuckled in response to his remark. "You said it yourself. It's a promise. I'll be looking forward to it then."

Song Shiyu smacked his forehead and burst into laughter. "I'll try my best."

There's nothing wrong with his response.

Ji Xinxin eyed the staff member with her peripheral vision. The staff member had already turned his head away, but she couldn't help but feel bothered by his response.

She didn't think that she had asked a weird question, but the way he had reacted was extremely off.

"Now that we're done looking around the exhibition, shall we grab dinner together?" Song Shiyu took a look at his watch and asked. "Are you hungry yet?"

Ji Xinxin snapped out of her daze. "Yeah, I'm getting hungry. You said last time that you would treat me to that authentic Western restaurant. Why don't we head there today?"

"Alright, let's go with that."

Ji Xinxin was still feeling troubled over the incident in the gallery that she subconsciously ordered seafood soup.

It was only when the seafood soup was served with clams inside that she realized that she had made a mistake here. She hurriedly scooped the clams into her own bowl and apologized, "Sorry, Shiyu. My thoughts wandered for a moment there. I forgot that you don't eat shellfish."

I made a mistake here, but Song Shiyu wouldn't mind since I realized it the moment it was served.

Such were Ji Xinxin's thoughts, but she noticed that Song Shiyu's response was a little odd.

He had been paying focus to her movements all this while, but his expression suddenly stiffened at her apology. It looked as if… he had woken from a dream.

Shortly after, Song Shiyu apologized smilingly too, "It's fine. I got distracted for a moment there too. Too much work recently."

"Ah, it looks like we're equal then!" Ji Xinxin pushed the seafood soup to the middle of the table with a chuckle. "You should be fine with it once I get all of the clams out, right?"

Song Shiyu looked at her with a gentle smile. "… Mm. Thanks."

Ji Xinxin was going to participate in Lakeside University's event the following day after meeting Song Shiyu, so she decided to take the opportunity to ask Bai Zhou out.

Bai Zhou refused to admit it, but he was incapable of concealing the anticipation in his voice.

His behavior had been a little weird recently, but Ji Xinxin wasn't too worried about him. She figured that he was just in a low mood due to his previous confrontation with his father's mistress and illegitimate son, and that he should bounce back soon enough.

That being said, there was still a need for her to maintain her relationship with Bai Zhou. He was the sole successor of the ultrawealthy Bai Family, after all.

I wonder if his parents' illegitimate children would affect his inheritance rights. If so, I'd have to drop his priority level.

Ji Xinxin began revising the ranking list of her suitors on the way to Lakeside University.

It didn't take her long to reach her destination. She got off the cab and made her way into her alma mater. Before she could meet Bai Zhou, she encountered a tall man.

This man was walking down the pathway alone with a stack of books in his arm. There was a cold, emotionless look on his face as he stared at the phone in his hand intently. With a swift glance at his dress-up, Ji Xinxin could tell that he was from an affluent family.

There aren't any couple-related accessories on him. Is he single?

Had it been a year ago, there was no way Ji Xinxin would let go of such quality goods. It was just that she was going to meet the 'vinegar vat' Bai Zhou today, so it wouldn't be apt for her to chat up other guys.

Ji Xinxin regrettably gave up on the notion and was just about to pass that man by when the latter suddenly stowed away his phone and raised his head. Their eyes happened to meet that instant.

It was hard to describe the instantaneous change in that man's expression.

In a mere moment, his cold hard facial features melted into a radiant smile, reminiscent of a warm sun shining right into one's heart in the middle of winter. The sheer feeling of joy he emanated was so pure that it was contagious.

"Big sis?" That man called out. "Didn't you say that you're on a break and aren't going to leave your house? What brings you here?"

… He got the wrong person. He probably mistook me for Ji Fanyin.

As such a thought flashed past Ji Xinxin's mind, she adeptly put on a sweet smile and said, "Excuse…"

Before she could even put out a second word, that man's smile had already faded into a frown. "… My bad, I seem to have gotten the wrong person. You're Ji Xinxin?"

Even for someone as mentally resilient as Ji Xinxin, it felt utterly terrible to be shoved with a cold face right after such a radiant smile. It took her a while to soothe the stifled sensation in her chest before replying, "Yes, I am. You're acquainted with my big sis?"

… He was able to tell us apart? This works too. I can at least sound him out.

After all, Ji Fanyin has yet to answer my question about her new friend.

"… Yes, nice to meet you." By this point, that man had already completely reined in his smile, reverting back to the cold hunk she had seen at the very start. "I'm sorry for mistaking you for someone else."

He took a step to the side as he said those words, seemingly intending to end the conversation there and take his leave.

Of course, Ji Xinxin had no intention of letting him go that easily. She casually tilted her body slightly to block him. "You must be a friend of my big sis. I've talked to my big sis over the phone so many times, but she has never mentioned you before."

"…" That man looked at her impassively.

He had a stature so tall that he had to slightly crane his neck in order to look at Ji Xinxin. His towering height paired with his icy face gave him an imposing appearance, making it hard for anyone to approach him.

Theft is never good, try looking at /37k7u89t.

But Ji Xinxin was the master who took down the haughty Bai Zhou. There was no way she could be intimidated that easily. She ignored the man's unwelcoming demeanor and proceeded to ask him a question, "I'm Ji Xinxin. Ah! You already know that. What's your name?"

"… Chen Yunsheng."

"How do you know my big sis?" Ji Xinxin placed her hands behind her back and subtly inclined her body toward him.

Chen Yunsheng immediately took a huge step backward, and his expression became even colder than before. "Stay back."

Ji Xinxin: "…"

It's not my first time seeing this type. He just acts prim and proper at the start.

Men are visual creatures. Those who are attracted to Ji Fanyin are bound to be attracted to me too.

The two of them were identical twins. Even if Ji Fanyin started dolling herself up, Ji Xinxin was still confident that she would be able to outdo her older sister with her bubbly personality.

"Don't you like my big sis?" Ji Xinxin placed her hand over her mouth and chuckled mischievously. "Shouldn't you be trying to get in my good books then? You should know that I am very close to my big sis. Who knows? I might just lend you a helping hand."

Ji Xinxin thought that she had found a good pretext for Chen Yunsheng to engage her in a conversation. It was the perfect excuse. As long as she worked on it a little, it shouldn't be too hard for her to get some information on Ji Fanyin from him.

That's how young men are like. They easily lose themselves when they come into close contact with a beautiful woman for a prolonged period of time…

Chen Yunsheng impassively rejected her, "There's no need for that."

"…" It took Ji Xinxin a second before Chen Yunsheng's rejection finally sank in.

In that single second, Chen Yunsheng had already stridden past her without a second thought.

"What a coincidence, your big sis has never told me anything about you either. It looks like the two of you aren't that close after all." He left those words behind.

Left behind, Ji Xinxin quietly took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it out.

She made sure to imprint the name 'Chen Yunsheng' in her mind.

It's one thing for him to be Ji Fanyin's suitor, but how dare he speak so arrogantly in front of me…!

"Big sis?" Bai Zhou's voice sounded.

Ji Xinxin snapped out of her thoughts and raised her head. Bai Zhou came into her line of sight. She smiled apologetically and said, "I was talking to someone else earlier… His name is Chen Yunsheng, and he seems to be acquainted with my big sis. Do you know him?"

"Chen Yunsheng?" Bai Zhou repeated that name before shaking his head nonchalantly. "Don't know him."

"He mistook me for my big sis." Ji Xinxin gestured in the direction where Chen Yunsheng departed. "He called me 'big sis' too when he approached me earlier. It really surprised me. What a coincidence, right?"

Bai Zhou suddenly fell silent.

"Zhouzhou?" Ji Xinxin called him doubtfully. "What's wrong? Did you remember something?"

"… What did you say his name is again?"

Ji Xinxin frowned. "He said that he's Chen Yunsheng."

Bai Zhou clenched his jaws. "Got it. I'll help you find out who that Chen fellow is."

Quick Recap:

On the third day of Ji Fanyin's break, she received a call from Ji Xinxin.

Ji Fanyin lazily flopped over on her sofa and put her remote control down on the table. Then, she sighed in exasperation.

Haaa, it's this kind of petty trick again.)

"Big sis?" Ji Xinxin asked. "What's with that sigh? Did I say something wrong?"

"Nah. Haven't you already heard everything you want to know from him?" Ji Fanyin leisurely went along with Ji Xinxin.

"But there's no guarantee what he said is true," replied Ji Xinxin coyly. "I've always told you to make some friends, but you'd never listen to me. Yet, in the months I was away in Paris, you made yourself a new friend. How could I possibly not be curious about it?"

Ji Fanyin replied nonchalantly, "Then you should have asked him more. Get him to tell you more about me."

"Big sis, you're saying such words again!" Ji Xinxin pouted in dissatisfaction. "You haven't even met me once ever since I came back to the country. Dad and mum said that you haven't come back home for a long time now. Are you avoiding me too?"

"Do you need something from me?"

"Can't I meet you just to catch up?" retorted Ji Xinxin. "Where are you living now? I'll bring some food over to your place. You won't even need to walk out of your apartment. That should do, right?"

"Don't. I'm on my break." Ji Fanyin heartlessly turned down Ji Xinxin's offer. "Besides, don't you have lots of things to do over these two weeks?"

While it was a last-minute choice for Ji Xinxin to return to the country, there were mountains of things for her to do here. Two weeks might not even be enough for her.

Besides, Ji Fanyin had no intention of exposing her address. She had a strong feeling that Ji Xinxin would 'accidentally' expose the address to others, like Father Ji and Mother Ji.

Ji Xinxin sighed softly over the phone and said, "Big sis… It's good that you're breaking out of your shell, but you should be careful with whom you befriend. Chen Yunsheng is too young, and he doesn't look like the type of person who opens up to others easily. If you get too close to him and get hurt once more…"

She suddenly paused at this point, seemingly unable to speak any further.

Ji Fanyin fumbled around the sofa in search of her phone charging wire. "That won't happen. I'll sever my ties with him the moment he tries to pull anything."

Bad women will never get hurt!

"Big sis…"

Ji Xinxin still wanted to say something about the matter, but Ji Fanyin couldn't be bothered to continue talking to her anymore. Having finally found her phone charging wire, she quickly bade Ji Xinxin goodbye, saying, "My phone is running out of charge. See ya."

Her phone was still at 90% when she hung up the phone.

Ji Fanyin had been thinking about Ji Xinxin's motive from the moment the latter chose to keep Song Shiyu on her reel despite learning that her older sister was fond of him. She was able to come up with several deductions from the things Ji Xinxin said and did, but the concluding evidence was still Li Xiaoxing's testimony.

Find the original at /3Tfs4P4.

It looks like Ji Xinxin tried to make a move upon learning about Chen Yunsheng.

I really wonder why a pair of twins would end up in such a state. Did they have a huge argument with each other or something in the past?

Ji Fanyin did receive 'Ji Fanyin's' memories upon transmigrating over, but the latter's life was so frustrating and unrelatable to her that she didn't want to look through them. Only in times of absolute need or a familiar scene had triggered a memory would she sieve through them.

It was similar to how a reader who was into strong protagonists wouldn't even bother with a tragic melodrama when browsing for books.

Besides, Ji Xinxin was no longer of importance to her anymore.

Ji Fanyin had already managed to accrue sufficient starting capital. Even if she ended her stand-in business right now, she would still have plenty of other avenues to earn money from.

She also had the screenwriting studio she founded with He Shen and Zhang Ning. With those two powerhouses holding the fort, she didn't need to worry about finding partnerships or getting blacklisted by others in the entertainment industry.

There was no denying that her stand-in job was able to rake in money fast, but over the past few months, its position had already dropped from the 'best option' to a 'better option'.

It would be good if she could sustain it, but otherwise, there were also many other opportunities that she could devote her time to. There was nothing to fear even if she were to fall out with Ji Xinxin right now, so she couldn't be bothered wasting time with her.

While thinking about this complicated sisterly relationship, Ji Fanyin checked on the other messages on her phone.

Chen Yunsheng had sent her a message last night, nervously asking her: 【Big sis, I met your younger sister at school earlier… Are you close with her?】

Ji Fanyin replied: 【We aren't close. I heard that the two of you chatted for quite a bit?】

Chen Yunsheng immediately sent over a 'struck by a bolt of lightning' emoji, followed by an explanation: 【That's a false accusation, big sis! I only said seven sentences to her!】

Ji Fanyin was amused by his response: 【You even kept count?】

Chen Yunsheng's reply arrived quickly: 【I kept thinking about it after I got home. I was worried that I might have said something wrong. I heard that she was the previous campus belle, but when I saw her in person… She's really quite different from you, big sis】

Ji Fanyin:【We look alike, don't we? You wouldn't have gotten us wrong otherwise】

Chen Yunsheng anxiously defended himself.

【At first glance, yeah. But big sis, the way you smile is completely different from hers!】

【Big sis, don't misunderstand. I admit that I got it wrong at the start, but I knew that she wasn't you the moment she smiled!】

Ji Fanyin thought about her usual Ji Xinxin act.

Search /3Tfs4P4 for the original.

Our personalities are completely different, so there's bound to be a difference in our demeanor.

She thought that it was exhausting to maintain Ji Xinxin's smile during working hours, but it seemed like Ji Xinxin had already gotten used to it.

Chen Yunsheng hesitated for a while before sending the following few messages.

【Besides, she…】

【She seems to be quite interested in your affairs, big sis. She kept trying to ask me, but at the same time…】

Sensing the hesitation from Chen Yunsheng's words, Ji Fanyin decided to send a voice message over, "So, what kind of crucial information did you tell her in those seven sentences?"

Chen Yunsheng nervously responded:【My cousin would always tell me about the fights between women… You know, green tea and white lotus, those sorts of things. She's fond of reading novels, so I grew up listening to those】

Ji Fanyin understood what he was driving at.

Chen Yunsheng was an unexpected master at bitch detection. Ji Xinxin's tier was so low that she couldn't even last seven sentences with him.

How lamentable.

【She even got a senior to get my contact details afterward. That senior told me all about it】

【I didn't add her!】

But Ji Fanyin wasn't bothered by this at all:【It doesn't matter even if you added her. It's up to you】

Chen Yunsheng exclaimed adamantly:【I won't add her!】

He followed that up with a gif: that_is_a_trick_

Ji Fanyin sent him a 'good luck' emoji in response. She had a feeling that Ji Xinxin wouldn't give up that easily.

Ji Xinxin was irritated by Chen Yunsheng's cold attitude.

Even after she got one of his seniors in the basketball club to mediate on her behalf, Chen Yunsheng still refused to contact her. He even rejected the friend request she sent to him through WeChat.

It was not like Ji Xinxin had never encountered such a situation before, but those were usually men who were already attached.

It's just a matter of time. There's no man whom I can't bring down.

However, her greatest concern at the moment wasn't Chen Yunsheng but whom she should spend Christmas with. She had far too many invitations on hand.

She had already rejected the not-so-important ones, leaving behind a few prime candidates.

It was impossible for her to divide herself into clones. Even if she split her day into segments, she would only be able to meet two to three of them at best.

After a moment of hesitation, Ji Xinxin came up with the most reasonable schedule she could think of: I'll reserve the night for Li Xiaoxing, morning for Bai Zhou, and the eve for Song Shiyu.

She had her own considerations for setting up the schedule in such a manner.

There was just one more person whom she had to deal with—Cen Xiangyang.

Ever since she returned to the country, the two of them had only talked to each other on the phone once. Cen Xiangyang mysteriously told her that he had important news for her, and that she would regret it if she didn't hear it.

On the morning of Christmas Eve, Ji Xinxin paid a visit to Cen Xiangyang's film set.

The World Studio was filled with many crews rushing their filming even in the midst of winter. Following the directions Cen Xiangyang had provided to her, Ji Xinxin found herself passing by yet another active filming crew.

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Upon seeing her, one of the male actors hesitantly stepped forward and greeted her, "Miss Ji, good morning."

Ji Xinxin had never met this young man before, but she could easily guess that he was an actor from his decent looks and dress-up. She put on a smile and returned the greeting, "Good morning."

"Are you here to visit?" The actor glanced at her empty hands doubtfully. "Aren't you currently on break?"

"I have some business at the neighboring set," replied Ji Xinxin with a smile. She had no intention of clarifying the misunderstanding. "How has it been going over here?"

The actor replied without any reservations, "The screenplay you wrote is incredible. The filming has been proceeding smoothly. Our director said that we're 25% ahead of our intended schedule."

"Is that so? That's great." Ji Xinxin paused for a moment before continuing with a smile, "I have an appointment today, so I'll be heading off first. I'll drop by when I'm free next time. I hope that I'm not disturbing you here."

"Of course not! Your studio invested in our film, so you're more than welcome to visit our crew anytime you want to!" the actor replied courteously. He then added with a hushed voice, "About that WeChat incident back then… I'd like to apologize to you in person. Please don't take it to heart."

However, Ji Xinxin was too caught up with his previous words to hear his apology.

He said that 'your studio has invested in our film'… Ji Fanyin has a studio?

And she's writing the screenplay but not acting in it?

"Mm, it's fine. I've already forgotten about it," replied Ji Xinxin distractedly. She glanced at her watch and hurriedly found an excuse to take her leave. "It looks like I'm running short on time. I'll be heading off first. Good luck with the filming."

She quickly bade the actor goodbye and rushed off. That actor's attitude was so respectful that it made her feel incredibly uncomfortable.

She held her discomfort in until a bend by the corner. Only after ensuring that the actor could no longer see her did she lean against the wall and let out a deep breath.

Her mind was filled with the words of that actor. The implied meaning behind what he had said was so huge that it drove her into a fluster.

Ji Fanyin has stepped into the entertainment industry. She's taking on a behind-the-scenes role, but for her script to start filming within a short span of several months… That's definitely not what an outsider of the industry could pull off.

Furthermore, where did she find the money to establish her own studio, let alone to invest in a movie?

This doesn't make sense at all!

Unless… she isn't that big sister of mine from whom I've slowly squeezed the confidence out of. Unless she's someone else.

Ji Xinxin wrapped her arms tightly around her body, and she couldn't stop herself from trembling.

It's another Ji Fanyin… That other Ji Fanyin must have come over!, Ji Xinxin thought.

That woman I occasionally met in my dreams when I was younger, that woman who shared an identical name with my older twin sister… Could it really be…?

Starve's Chinese Terminology Remedial Class

World Studios refer to Hengdian World Studios, which is commonly referred to in Chinese as 'film city' or 'movie city'. It's the place where over 1200 dramas and movies have been filmed, including live-action Mulan. It's basically the go-to place especially for ancient historical dramas, making it the hub of film sets in China. It's rated an AAAAA scenic spot.

The younger sister is smart too, but she seems a little lacking compared to the older sister…

Such was the evaluation Ji Xinxin often heard from others in her childhood.

Ji Xinxin wasn't a slow learner. On the contrary, she was actually smarter and more mature than her peers. She would have easily been the pride of any family, if not for the fact that her older sister was a true prodigy.

Her child mind couldn't comprehend why she was unable to keep up with her older sister's footsteps, no matter how hard she worked. Weren't they supposed to be twins?

While Ji Xinxin was trying her best to get first place in school, Ji Fanyin had already clinched a tier-1 prize from Hua Luogeng's Golden Cup.

While Ji Xinxin was desperately revising Olympiad questions, Ji Fanyin had already claimed its golden trophy.

While Ji Xinxin was revising educational material three years ahead of her peers, Ji Fanyin had already finished a bunch of university textbooks that were now piled up by the corner of her room. She was even able to help their undergraduate neighbors with their assignments!

While Ji Xinxin had just started learning about Picasso and Beethoven, Ji Fanyin was already making robots that could play any music sheet in the world.

Everyone always had their eyes focused on Ji Fanyin. Their compliments were always reserved for her. It was almost as if everything good in the world belonged to her.

Even their names were so different.

Fanyin (Vivace), Xinxin (Joyful).

No matter how hard their parents tried to explain that they had taken their names from the ancient poem—'the five notes resonate in a harmonious vivace, joyfully wishing the emperor good health'—she was still unable to curb her feelings of jealousy.

As Ji Xinxin slowly grew older and her attempts to chase after her older sister's footsteps always ended in failure, she began to realize one thing.

No matter how accomplished she was compared to her peers, as long as Ji Fanyin existed, she could never become the center of attention. There was no way she could ever catch up with her older sister.

Never.

This despair drove Ji Xinxin into illness.

It was just an ordinary cold at the start, but she made a huge fuss and screamed that she was in excruciating pain. Their parents anxiously sent her to the hospital to conduct a full body check-up, but of course, they were unable to find anything wrong with her.

That very moment, their hearts were with her and her only. They were so worried about her that they even stayed overnight at the hospital.

It was a night of just Ji Xinxin and no Ji Fanyin.

That was her moment of realization.

I don't need to be more outstanding than my older sister to make everyone see me.

It could have been karma arising from her pretense, but she really fell severely ill shortly after, to the point where she became delirious.

In her dreams, she saw herself becoming no more than an accompanying shadow living under her older sister's towering success.

At the same time, she also saw a woman whose name was also 'Ji Fanyin' but was living a life completely different from theirs. That 'Ji Fanyin' had an incredibly beautiful appearance. She had no lack of money, and she was revered by everyone around her.

Countless people would willingly become slaves under her skirt at her command. That was how loved she was.

Even when Ji Xinxin finally awoke from her dreams, she still couldn't forget about the other 'Ji Fanyin'.

So, she started copying her actions and behaviors. One step at a time, she slowly found her own path and finally became someone who was more eye-catching than her twin sister.

But even so, there were still two things which Ji Xinxin dared not to let her guard down on.

One was her older twin sister, Ji Fanyin. She knew that Ji Fanyin would soar like a phoenix as soon as she regained her confidence, so she was constantly keeping an eye on her.

The other was the 'Ji Fanyin' she saw in her dream.

It was out of deep admiration for the other 'Ji Fanyin' that convinced her to copy the latter's actions and behaviors, and she eventually became the current her. But at the same time, she also feared 'Ji Fanyin', who had unwittingly imparted to her all of her current skills.

Ji Xinxin had looked it up on the internet several times over the years, and there was no film empress going by the name of 'Ji Fanyin'. There was no such person during her childhood days, and that remained the case even after she graduated from university.

Maybe it's just a dream. Maybe it's a revelation from heaven upon hearing my wish.

… Ji Xinxin was ready to accept it as such, but the two Ji Fanyins suddenly converged into the same person.

TL Note: Fanyin (Vivace) has a more sophisticated tone to it whereas Xinxin (Joyful) sounds a little perfunctory for a name. The Chinese value the significance of their name quite a bit

(Transitioning back to the World Studio, where Ji Xinxin has just left the set after being informed that Ji Fanyin is a co-founder of a studio and her script is in the midst of being filmed)

Ji Xinxin's body slowly slid down the wall and slumped onto the ground, curling into a ball. Her mind was in utter chaos, as if someone had mashed it all up. It took her a while before she gradually regained her rationality.

It's too late for regrets. It wouldn't make a difference at this point. I should think of a way to deal with the situation instead while 'Ji Fanyin' is still unaware that her cover is already blown.

Ji Xinxin massaged her temples before slowly rising back to her feet. She took out her phone and checked it.

There was a notification informing her of an unanswered call from Cen Xiangyang. Swiping off the notification, she tapped into her WeChat and sent Cen Xiangyang a message telling him that she suddenly had urgent business to attend to and couldn't meet him anymore.

Despite her pale complexion, the message she crafted looked adorable and innocent. It would have been hard for anyone to hold a grudge against her.

After sending out the message, Ji Xinxin put away her phone and began making her way out of the World Studio.

Before I go on my three dates on Christmas, I need to confirm the situation with Ji Fanyin first.

Ji Xinxin hailed a cab and returned home. When she walked into the Ji Residence, her face looked so dispirited that it alarmed Father Ji and Mother Ji. They anxiously asked, "Xinxin, what's wrong? Who bullied you?"

"I'm fine," Ji Xinxin tried to pull herself together and smiled. "… Do you know where big sis is living?"

"How are we supposed to know where she lives? She doesn't even pick up calls from us anymore!" grumbled Mother Ji angrily. " Aren't you in contact with your big sis? You can ask her yourself."

"Mm…" Ji Xinxin's eyes drooped a little. "I'll ask big sis then."

She headed back to her room, picked up her phone, and tapped into Ji Fanyin's contact. Her finger was already floating above the 'Call' button, but she wasn't able to find the courage to press it.

If… If she's really the other Ji Fanyin, wouldn't everything I'm doing look no more than child's play in front of her?

Such thoughts grew stronger and stronger in Ji Xinxin's mind, crescendoing in her ears.

Taking in a deep breath, she picked up her phone with a maddened look on her face and smashed it on the wall, producing a loud 'bam' sound.

But that wasn't enough to placate Ji XInxin's anger. She angrily hammered down on her pillow for a long time before a sliver of rationality finally pulled her back.

Calm down. I have to calm down.

Even if she's the 'Ji Fanyin' from my dreams, she wouldn't know that I've seen her in my dreams. This is… the leverage I have over her.

…

On the day of Christmas Eve, Ji Fanyin decided to prepare a feast for herself.

Find the original at /3Tfs4P4.

She put on a thick layer of clothing, cotton socks, and a pair of snow boots in preparation for the journey to the closest supermarket to buy some ingredients, fruits, and wine.

Ah, I need to restock on the holy elixir of shut-ins too, cola. I should also catch that new movie that's hitting the theaters today, Ji Fanyin thought joyfully to herself.

But the moment she opened her door, she was welcomed by a cold draft.

"…"

She headed back in and grabbed a cashmere scarf, which she used to cover an entire half of her face.

"Winter sure is terrifying," murmured Ji Fanyin under her breath as she left her house with yesterday's trash.

There was a shopping mall located within walking distance from Ji Fanyin's home. The movie theater was located on the highest level, and there was a Hema Supermarket in the basement. That was all she asked for in a shopping mall.

After catching her movie, she made her way toward the lift lobby, so as to travel down to the basement floor. Yet, when the lift finally arrived and the doors opened, she found herself coming face to face with Ji Xinxin and Song Shiyu.

The moment the three of them made eye contact, the atmosphere became incredibly bizarre.

Song Shiyu instinctively averted his face.

Ji Fanyin thought that Ji Xinxin would be paying close heed to his reaction since there was a lot of information to be gleaned from it, but to her surprise, Ji Xinxin's reaction was even bigger. She took a step back with a frightened look on her face.

Ji Fanyin patiently waited several seconds with a cup of hot cocoa in her hand, but the two of them showed no inclination to move at all. So, she asked, "Are the two of you not coming out? I'm taking the elevator down."

Those words snapped Song Shiyu out of his daze. He coughed lightly and began making his way out of the elevator. It was also only then that he belatedly noticed Ji Xinxin's peculiar state. "Xinxin?"

"B-big sis," Ji Xinxin greeted Ji Fanyin in a meek voice. She shuffled her way out of the lift while trying to stay as far away from Ji Fanyin as possible.

Ji Fanyin replied with a casual "Mm". She entered the lift, pressed the B1 button, and waved them goodbye. "I wish you two an enjoyable date."

Till the lift doors finally closed shut, the two of them had their eyes firmly drawn to her like opposite poles of a magnet.

Ji Fanyin took a sip of her sweet hot cocoa as her thoughts began to wander.

Did Ji Xinxin screw up that quickly? No, that shouldn't be possible. I mean, she came back to conduct a routine maintenance check on her local fishery.

But why does it feel like things are only getting worse with her fixing?

It was intriguing, but she wasn't too concerned since it was none of her business. When the lift doors opened once more, she exiled Song Shiyu and Ji Xinxin out of her mind and began on her delightful shopping spree in Hema Supermarket.

Given her current financial status, she could afford to buy entire shelves of goods without batting an eyelid.

Many thanks to my rich and gullible clients, as well as Ji Xinxin's ceaseless diligence on the fishery.

"With their generous contribution toward my financial freedom, the least I can do is to wish them a pleasant date," mumbled Ji Fanyin to herself, as she happily threw a box of chocolate balls into her shopping cart.

Her phone suddenly vibrated.

She took it out and saw that she had just received two messages from Song Shiyu.

First message:【It isn't a date】

Second message:【Let's meet tomorrow night. Two hours】

Ji Fanyin couldn't resist the urge to gaze at the ceiling above her.

Isn't Song Shiyu in the midst of a movie date with his goddess several floors above?

She lazily replied:【I'm on my break】

Song Shiyu's reply came swiftly:【Tenfold】

Ji Fanyin gave it some thought.

I can only think of one reason why Song Shiyu is in such a rush to meet me… Is it the painting he gave me? Is he intending on buying it back for Ji Xinxin?

Well, that doesn't sound like a bad idea. I can even hike up the price and squeeze more out of him. Not to mention, I'll be receiving a salary of 2,000,000 dollars too.

Ji Fanyin rested her arms on her shopping cart as she merrily typed out a response:【Sure. Time and location?】

Song Shiyu replied:【Six in the evening. My house】

A second later, she received a notification informing her that 2,000,000 dollars had made its way into her bank account.

Ji Fanyin stared at her phone in deep thought.

… Does he intend to have dinner with me at his house? Does he even know how to cook?

Whatever. I'll just bring a pepper spray just in case.

Ah, the painting too. It'll be better if we could settle the transaction on the spot.

Ji Fanyin hummed a joyous melody as she tossed a box of pork collar bone into her shopping cart.

Her client was going to buy back the painting he gave her at an even higher price. What could be happier in life than free money generating more free money?

…

While Song Shiyu was putting away his phone, he noticed that Ji Xinxin's eyes were on him.

It wasn't too surprising since his phone screen remained jarringly bright in the dark movie theater even after he set the brightness level to the lowest.

"Urgent news from work," whispered Song Shiyu. "Don't worry, I've settled it."

As those words came out of his mouth, he realized that his excuse wasn't appropriate. He had brought up work far too many times during their meetings. Ji Xinxin was bound to get suspicious.

This novel is available on /3Tfs4P4.

However, Ji Xinxin merely flashed him a gentle smile and replied distractedly, "Mm, let's continue watching the movie."

"Alright." Song Shiyu heaved a sigh of relief.

Ji Xinxin remembered telling Bai Zhou that she had learned to cook some French cuisine. As she was only able to spend the morning with him on Christmas, she proposed cooking for him at his house to make it up to him.

She bought her groceries and made her way to Bai Zhou's house with huge bags in hand. A caretaker at the lift lobby spotted her and quickly walked over.

"Here, I'll help you." The caretaker took half of her bags with a smile.

Ji Xinxin directed a nod at the caretaker and courteously thanked him.

The caretaker appeared to know her quite well. "You've brought so many things over again. Shopping for all these ingredients must have been quite troublesome."

Ji Xinxin froze up.

Again?

She decided to sound the caretaker out. "It can't be helped. I'm always worried that he's not eating properly. It'd be terrible if he suffered a nutritional imbalance."

"It's thanks to your concern that Mr. Bai was able to grow this tall," said the caretaker jokingly. He walked over to the lift lobby with Ji Xinxin and pressed the 'Up' button to hail the lift.

This was not the first time Ji Xinxin had visited Bai Zhou's ten million dollars condominium penthouse, but she wasn't such a frequent visitor as to have gotten this close to the caretaker.

If she wasn't the one who visited Bai Zhou's penthouse, there was only one other possibility—Ji Fanyin.

With a 'ding', the elevator doors opened, revealing a Bai Zhou standing inside. He stuck his foot out to keep the elevator door open. "Big sis, I'll carry those bags for you. Come in."

He smoothly received the bags from Ji Xinxin's hands before directing a nod at the caretaker.

The doors closed and the lift started moving upward.

Ji Xinxin stood in the lift with her gaze lowered. Her mind was occupied with how she ought to question Bai Zhou in order to find out what happened during the months she was away.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from /37k7u89t.

In the end, she decided to approach the conversation from an indirect angle. "The caretaker at the lift lobby is really warm-hearted. She started chatting me up as soon as I arrived, and she even knows my name. Did you tell her about me beforehand?"

Bai Zhou's body stiffened up at those words. He subconsciously asked, "What?"

That was a suspicious reaction. How could Bai Zhou have possibly missed what she said in this quiet lift?

He's trying to buy time to find a reasonable excuse.

Ji Xinxin exhaled softly and said, "Zhouzhou, I know that you are hiding something from me."

"Hiding something from you?" Bai Zhou refuted it reflexively. "Big sis, what are you talking about?"

Ji Xinxin looked at him in disappointment. "Don't you know better than anyone else what I'm talking about?"

Bai Zhou fell silent.

The lift reached the highest level. Ji Xinxin picked up the bags and started walking out. "I know that you have your own difficulties. I'll wait until you're ready to be honest with me."

Bai Zhou anxiously chased after her and explained, "Things are different from what you're thinking!"

"What is it then? Tell me." Ji Xinxin turned around and looked at him. "I was never opposed to you making more friends… but is there a reason for you to keep things from me, especially when it involves my older sister?"

Bai Zhou frowned. He bit his lips in frustration before replying, "I'm not friends with Ji Fanyin. I just… think that she's pitiful."

He's finally confessing.

"Do you bring everyone who you think is pitiful into your house and have a meal with them?" asked Ji Xinxin.

"I've never brought her into my house to eat!" Bai Zhou responded explosively. "I was just… pitying her! A-and when you're not around, being with her makes me feel like I'm being with you! It makes me feel less lonely…"

Ji Xinxin eyed Bai Zhou sharply. "Is that all?"

"It is!" exclaimed Bai Zhou with a pout. "How can Ji Fanyin compare to you?"

Ji Xinxin stared at Bai Zhou intently for a while and took in all of his subtle expressions. Then, she softened her tone and murmured, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have made you feel lonely."

"… I already told you. Don't go abroad. Stay here with me," grumbled Bai Zhou unhappily. "But you had to go to France. My parents didn't allow me to visit you. I was… Ji Fanyin is an imitation, but at least she shares the same face as you."

Ji Xinxin gently berated Bai Zhou, "You mustn't treat big sis like that. She'll be upset."

Upset? How's that possible? That other 'Ji Fanyin' would never feel upset. She's probably spending time on Bai Zhou just to entertain herself.

But even if it's nothing more than a casual whim to her, if she's really that other 'Ji Fanyin', Bai Zhou might just fall in love with her.

"Zhouzhou, promise me. You mustn't use me as an excuse to meet big sis anymore, alright?" asked Ji Xinxin.

"…" Bai Zhou frowned. He didn't give her a response right away.

"Your actions are disrespectful to both her and me." Ji Xinxin raised her hand and gently touched Bai Zhou's cheek. "You can call or message me whenever you miss me. Don't use other people as my substitute, alright?"

Bai Zhou looked at her with eyes flickering with hesitation.

"… Or have your feelings for me moved on to her?" asked Ji Xinxin.

"Impossible! The one I like is big sis!" exclaimed Bai Zhou. "How could Ji Fanyin compare to you?"

"Then listen to me on this matter, alright?"

"… Alright."

Ji Xinxin finally revealed a smile. She pinched Bai Zhou's cheeks affectionately. "Good boy. Let's go in. It's freezing out here."

She had managed to settle the wavering Bai Zhou with this, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy about her date with Li Xiaoxing at night.

She felt like things had spiraled out of control over the last few months. It was certain that Bai Zhou had come into contact with Ji Fanyin, but he kept beating around the bush, refusing to tell her the details.

Could it be the same for Li Xiaoxing too?

What about Song Shiyu? What about the others? Are they all getting snatched away by Ji Fanyin?

It was inevitable that she was worried. Everything she had came from Ji Fanyin.

TL Note: I made a mistake T_T Bai Zhou's house doesn't have a butler, but the apartment has a caretaker (think of a person with a counter at the ground level lift lobby who attends to the residents' needs). That's the person whom Ji Fanyin has been talking to all this while.

I've already corrected the relevant portions.

It was only due to the extra pay that Ji Fanyin was willing to work on Christmas Day.

Ah, I'm also heading there to dispose of a painting too.

Ji Fanyin grabbed a huge bag from her wardrobe, which happened to be large enough to stuff the painting in. She was saved from the hassle of wrapping the painting since she didn't unwrap it in the first place.

It's not as if I can appreciate that painting anyway.

She made sure to pack her pepper spray and security alarm in her bag, and she had the closest police station on her quick dial too. Other than that, she also prepared a miniature Christmas tree for Song Shiyu as a present.

With all preparations complete, she left her house and hailed a cab to head to Song Shiyu's house.

When Song Shiyu opened the door to let her in, Ji Fanyin thrust the Christmas tree toward him and exclaimed, "Happy Christmas!"

"… You too." Song Shiyu was stunned for a moment before he gave a response. With a gentlemanly smile, he took the miniature Christmas tree from her hands and invited her in. "Come in and take a seat. The slippers are by the door."

"Are we having dinner at your place today?" Ji Fanyin put on a pair of slippers and entered his house. She placed her bag on the shoe rack and took off her coat before following Song Shiyu in. "Do you need my help?"

She could already see the ingredients on display in his huge kitchen.

It's just that… How should I put this?

It's clear at a glance that the master of the house doesn't know how to cook.

"Let's do it together. I bought quite a bit. It'll be tough for you to prepare everything on your own." Song Shiyu walked over to the sink. "Which ones should I help you with?"

Ji Fanyin walked over to take a look, only to reveal a helpless smile right after. "You bought so many mussels! Don't you find eating shellfish a hassle?"

She started rolling up her sleeves. "I guess there's no need for everything to be pretty since we're eating at home anyway. I'll first broil the soup with the mussels, then remove the shells before serving. That should make things easier for you. What do you think?"

On the other end of the kitchen, Song Shiyu replied without turning his head around, "Sounds good."

The adept chef Ji Fanyin swiftly cleaned the mussels before boiling them in water. Then, she tore out their rich flesh one by one.

Song Shiyu wasn't the only one who found deshelling the mussels a chore. Even an avid amateur chef like Ji Fanyin thought that it was troublesome to remove the flesh without directly using her hands.

After extracting all of the mussel meat and placing them into a bowl, she began preparing the sauce for them. At the same time, she started chatting with Song Shiyu, "Don't you think that your house looks a little plain? It's Christmas! You should have at least put some ornaments up for festivity's sake."

Search /3Tfs4P4 for the original.

"Don't I have you here?" replied Song Shiyu casually.

A second later, he suddenly registered what he had just said and hurriedly supplemented it with, "Didn't you already bring me a Christmas tree?"

Ji Fanyin burst into laughter. "You expect that small tree to bring the Christmas atmosphere to your house?"

Song Shiyu smiled wordlessly at her remark.

His abnormal silence lasted until the end of dinner.

Ji Fanyin had really put her heart into preparing the meal. She could tell that Song Shiyu didn't cook frequently, but she didn't expect the latter to be so clumsy as to be unable to even dice meat. He even had to take a taste test in order to tell the difference between sugar and salt.

They would probably still be starving right now if she had pinned her hopes on him.

In order not to waste any ingredients, Ji Fanyin had no choice but to take charge.

Having to maintain a warm atmosphere while taking charge in the kitchen was quite tiring even for Ji Fanyin.

The two hours were almost up by the time they had their fill of food. Ji Fanyin looked at Song Shiyu and gently asked, "Is there something bothering you?"

Song Shiyu glanced at his watch before replying, "I'll tell you later."

Ji Fanyin caught his drift right away.

He was probably the kind of person who spent a bomb on his idol's newest album in order to get a random handshaking event ticket.

Oh well. The recording company has no reason to complain as long as it receives its money, right?

So, Ji Fanyin cleared the table and washed the dishes. When her timer finally rang, she casually made her way to the doorway to grab her bag.

"Were you intending to talk about this?" Ji Fanyin pulled out the painting from her bag and placed it on the table.

"That's one." Song Shiyu glanced at the painting on the table and quickly noticed the anomaly. "You didn't unwrap it?"

"Isn't that better for you?" Ji Fanyin casually pushed the painting toward him. "You'll be gifting it to Ji Xinxin anyway, so you should be glad that it's in pristine condition. Let's get straight to the point. What's your offer?"

"I'll pay double."

"Fivefold," Ji Fanyin nonchalantly upped the price.

She didn't spend a cent on it, but that was no reason for her not to squeeze out every bit of value in it.

"Fine," Song Shiyu paused for a moment before adding, "but you have to listen to what I'm going to say next."

"Go ahead." Ji Fanyin graciously allowed him to speak his mind.

"I think that…" Song Shiyu interlocked his fingers tightly on the table as he struggled to find the appropriate word choices to relay his thoughts. "… I'm willing to give it a try with you. You said that you don't like me, but you have a deeper understanding of my habits and preferences, more than anyone else… Xinxin can't compete with you on that."

Ji Fanyin's eyebrows shot up. She was amused by what she had just heard.

"I know that Xinxin won't accept me, so you should give this some thought too. I'll become a good boyfriend to you. I'll try my best to like you." Song Shiyu fiddled with his thumb. "But the transactions between you and Bai Zhou… and your other 'clients' as well, they'll have to stop. If you need money, I can give it to you."

He took in a deep breath before staring intently into Ji Fanyin's eyes.

"… So, are you willing to become my girlfriend?"

Ji Fanyin waited two seconds to see if he had anything else to say. Then, she smiled and displayed a graceful middle finger to Song Shiyu. "What do you think?"

"… Ji Fanyin, I'm serious about this." Song Shiyu frowned.

"I was also serious when I told you that the 'Ji Fanyin' who liked you is dead," Ji Fanyin looked at the man in front of her in bemusement. "… When you explained to me that it wasn't a date yesterday, I thought to myself: It can't be that Song Shiyu actually thinks that he can go back? But you were actually harboring such thoughts?"

That message Song Shiyu sent to her yesterday felt incredibly awkward, almost as if he was trying to explain himself to her. She found herself thinking 'It can't be, right? Surely it can't be?', but as fact would have it, he was really thinking of it.

It was hilarious yet pathetic at the same time.

"Did your dates with Ji Xinxin disappoint you? Is your fantasy of her shattered? Is that why you started thinking to yourself: Ji Fanyin's act is better than the real thing?"

Song Shiyu's complexion turned awful.

"You don't believe that I don't harbor any feelings for you anymore?" Resting her chin on her arm, Ji Fanyin looked at Song Shiyu with sympathetic eyes. "Song Shiyu, think about it. Was I not direct enough, or are you too delusional to admit that your charms no longer work on me? Is it that hard for you to believe that the dog who has been at your beck and call all this while has finally awoken from its foolishness?"

It was not that Song Shiyu couldn't understand her words. He was just terribly unwilling to acknowledge it.

"Dating you? All the men must have died out for me to even consider it." With a chuckle, Ji Fanyin pushed the painting toward Song Shiyu. "I've already heard you out. I'll leave the painting here. Remember to transfer me the money."

She stood up and gazed down on Song Shiyu.

"Goodbye, Song Shiyu."

Song Shiyu never thought that Ji Fanyin would reject him.

No, to be more exact, he did consider the possibility of being rejected, but he hadn't expected Ji Fanyin to be this heartless.

"Wait a moment!" Song Shiyu subconsciously stood up and attempted to grab Ji Fanyin's arm, only for the latter to swiftly dodge his hand.

"Haven't you already said what you wanted to?" asked Ji Fanyin with raised eyebrows. There was a haughty look on her face, giving her a completely different air from before.

This was not the Ji Fanyin he knew.

Song Shiyu couldn't tell if the one he was unable to let go of was the Ji Fanyin who liked him or the heartless Ji Fanyin in front of him. All he knew was that he couldn't let Ji Fanyin leave right now.

There were so many words bubbling in his chest, but some kind of mysterious force stifled everything in his throat, making him incapable of words. In the end, he could only mutter, "Are we… still friends?"

"Of course not," replied Ji Fanyin in bewilderment. "We weren't friends in the past, we aren't friends now, and we'll never be friends."

"So, I'm just… someone whom you used to like?"

"You're a fi… client. A client."

Song Shiyu didn't pay much attention to Ji Fanyin's abrupt change in terms. He racked his brain for the correct words to remedy the situation. "I know that I've done a lot of overboard things to you in the past, but from now on…"

"You'll change?—Is that what you're going to say? That has nothing to do with me." Ji Fanyin picked up her bag and flung it behind her. "Song Shiyu, I'll repeat those words one last time. The person who liked you is already dead. You'll never see her again. Do you get it now?"

Her words were so calm and soft that they sounded disparaging.

"Don't say that you're in love with me. That's the most hilarious and revolting thing that could come out of your mouth right now."

The shocked Song Shiyu staggered backward and bumped into his chair.

This was too much for him to bear. Even though he knew that it was just a metaphorical expression, for some reason, it felt like the shy and demure Ji Fanyin he knew was really dead. It was another person standing in front of him, criticizing him on her behalf.

"You said…" Song Shiyu felt like a fishbone was stuck in his throat. "You said that you would always forgive me no matter what I said or did."

"That must have been wonderful." Ji Fanyin laughed. "It must have felt amazing to have someone who stayed by your side even when you hurt her again and again."

Song Shiyu was rendered speechless. He could only watch helplessly as Ji Fanyin left his residence with light footsteps.

There was nothing from her at all. No nostalgia. No anger. No sorrow.

She just… left.

"… One last thing. No matter how upset you are, don't forget to transfer me my money."

Song Shiyu raised his head, only to see the door slamming shut.

…

It was already snowing outside when Ji Fanyin reached the ground level of Song Shiyu's apartment. She felt exhilarated to have put Song Shiyu in his place, but she felt that she should seriously consider hiring a bodyguard.

It was a little funny how she had prepared so many tools, only to forget her umbrella. Left with no choice, she could only raise her coat above her like a hat. She looked into the sky dazedly for a while and muttered, "What a Christmas it is."

The old 'Ji Fanyin' might have just accepted Song Shiyu's 'compromise'.

This novel is available on /3Tfs4P4.

Years of whatever experiences she had been through had already made her accustomed to being in a subservient position. It was an instinct for her to defer to others and go along with their will.

Ji Fanyin shook her head and hailed a taxi using her phone. After confirming a driver, she began making her way through the snow.

While waiting for her taxi by the roadside, she idled her time away by playing a mobile game.

It was just that snow kept falling on her phone screen, forcing her to wipe it off from time to time. It was grating on her nerves so much that she eventually gave up.

Search /3Tfs4P4 for the original.

She tabbed over to check her ride-hailing app and saw that the driver was still three minutes away. She went on to check her 'Temptation of Home' app.

Other than the bits accruing from the netizens reading her movie reviews, she was also logging huge streams of Emotion Points from Song Shiyu at this very moment. There were already several million even with a swift glance.

There was no detailed description on the app about how Emotion Points were tabulated, but Ji Fanyin had a rough idea based on her observations over the past few months.

Basically, it was the amount of money a person was willing to pay for the current emotions they had.

Take the movie reviews Ji Fanyin had been posting as an example, she had managed to gather quite a following of movie buffs thus far. The Emotion Points they generated after reading her movie reviews were usually around the price of a movie ticket.

It was a little similar to how an otaku's feelings for their in-game waifu correlated to how much they were willing to spend on them.

"Swimsuit S*ber?! I have to get it even if I have to top up 100,000 dollars!"

Those emotions would generate 100,000 Emotion Points.

The clients Ji Fanyin had specially picked out had a vastly different perception regarding the valuation of nonmaterial pursuits as compared to the masses, so the Emotion Points she received from them were disproportionately great.

It could also be due to the cliché melodrama that was oddly common in Ji Fanyin's life. She had a brief inkling of it all this while, and the event that transpired today affirmed it.

"I know that I can't be with her, so I'm willing to make do with you."

Someone with a working brain couldn't have possibly spouted those words.

The only question now was whether she should abandon Song Shiyu now or later. Ji Fanyin couldn't make up her mind on that.

There were already signs of his feelings moving from Ji Xinxin onto her. This made a good opportunity for her to harvest huge amounts of money and Emotion Points from him.

Besides, shouldn't a scum like him get a taste of his own medicine?

Ji Fanyin slipped her phone back into her pockets and decided to keep her hands in there. It was too cold.

Standing at the entrance of the residential district, there were quite a few pedestrians walking to and fro. Ji Fanyin spotted two women wearing a pair of adorable reindeer horns. They were sharing an umbrella while discussing their dinner plans.

At least the general populace in this world seems fairly normal, Ji Fanyin thought.

She waited and waited, but the taxi still didn't arrive.

There are quite a few cars on the street. Is there a traffic jam ahead?

The bored Ji Fanyin began kicking on the snow pile by the roadside, but a white patch suddenly covered her vision. A snowflake had fallen on her eyelashes.

She was reluctant to extract her hands from her toasty pockets, so she tried to blow it off.

… The snowflake wasn't cooperating.

She contemplated jumping up and down to shake that mischievous snowflake off her. Suddenly, an umbrella covered her head, sheltering her from the falling snow.

"… Ji Fanyin?" The person holding the umbrella was able to call her name.

Ji Fanyin turned her head over to take a look, only to discover that the other party was really tall. She had to raise her gaze quite a bit before she finally saw a man wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses and a mask.

It was a familiar getup. In fact, she was able to recognize the man just by looking at the pair of eyes behind the glasses. "He Shen. What a rare sight."

The studio Ji Fanyin and Zhang Ning established was already getting on track, but He Shen, despite being one of the co-founders, hadn't made an appearance even once. He simply entrusted everything to Zhang Ning.

Whenever there was an important decision to be made, Zhang Ning would say that he had no opinions at all and that they could just decide between themselves. It was almost as if he was an emotionless investing machine.

"… Didn't you say it yourself? I got too immersed in the role. I'm still trying to recover."

He Shen's voice was extremely soft, to the point that only Ji Fanyin, who was standing right beside him, could hear it.

Ji Fanyin could understand where he was coming from since she had lived a similar life in another world. If anyone on the street discovered his identity, it would lead to a series of complications.

"You're a professional actor. No matter how immersed you're in a role, it shouldn't take months for you to recover," teased Ji Fanyin. "You seem to be a regular on Weibo."

The two of them had quite a few interactions on Weibo despite hardly meeting in real life. It was the perfect example of the current era's virtual friends.

Perhaps it was because they were both actors who had achieved a high level of competency in their craft, they had many common views regarding films. It was their first time chatting face to face with each other, but Ji Fanyin felt comfortable, as if she was talking to an old friend.

"Rather than socializing, I prefer to be on the net…" He Shen's words sounded a little muffled due to his mask. "Are you waiting for someone?"

"I'm waiting for my taxi," explained Ji Fanyin. She glanced at the bags from a convenience store in He Shen's hands and asked, "You live in the vicinity?"

It was a fairly upscale residential district, so it wasn't too surprising for He Shen to live here.

It's just that…

Ji Fanyin took another look at the convenience store bags and noticed that they were filled with canned drinks. She found it a little amusing. "A film emperor like you is spending Christmas alone?"

Theft is never good, try looking at /37k7u89t.

He Shen uncomfortably adjusted his mask as he replied, "… Mm. I'll accompany you till your taxi arrives."

It just so happened that the taxi that had been caught up in the traffic arrived at this moment. Ji Fanyin checked the license plate number and confirmed it was hers before gesturing to He Shen. "My ride's here. Byebye."

He Shen nodded. He silently escorted her into her taxi while sheltering her with his umbrella.

After closing the car door, Ji Fanyin raised her head and unexpectedly noticed a pile of snow accumulated on one of He Shen's shoulders. It stood out quite a bit under the illumination of the streetlights.

In the first place, his umbrella wasn't big enough for two, and they had been keeping a polite distance between them. One of them was bound to get snowed on.

Ji Fanyin spent a second thinking about it before telling the driver to wait for a moment. She lowered the car window and told He Shen to stop. She couldn't possibly call He Shen's name in the middle of the street, so she shouted "Mr He" instead.

He Shen stopped and turned around.

Ji Fanyin took out an apple from her pocket—she had swiped it from Song Shiyu's house earlier—and stuffed it into He Shen's hands through the lowered car window. "Merry Christmas."

He Shen took the apple with a dazed expression. He was having difficulty trying to understand where Ji Fanyin had conjured the apple from.

Ji Fanyin waved him goodbye with a smile before raising the car window back up. She took out her phone and started Baidu-ing 'He Shen social anxiety disorder'.

There were a few joking posts, but all in all, there was not a single person who earnestly shared her thoughts.

On the contrary, most thought that He Shen was a serious and uptight person outside of the silver screen. Even when he was promoting his movie, he often avoided social interaction wherever possible. He was like the aloof flower of male actors.

Ji Fanyin changed her search query to 'He Shen aloof flower', and it immediately generated a flood of results. She stared at the two words 'aloof flower' and thought about He Shen's shocked expression when he was suddenly stuffed with a big red apple.

Hm… No matter how I look at it, it feels like He Shen is using a cold persona to conceal his social anxiety disorder.

Ding! Ji Fanyin received two consecutive messages on her phone.

The first one was from the bank, informing her that she had received a sum of money from Song Shiyu.

Mm, the money for the painting is in. Hopefully, he'll be able to get what he wants when he gifts Ji Xinxin the painting. Amen.

The second was a message from Ji Xinxin. She said that she wanted to meet Ji Fanyin tomorrow and she would be free all day.

【Let's meet at the handicraft shop that big sis likes. I'll keep waiting until you come】