100,000 Hour Professional Stand-in or Professional Stand-in, With an Chapter 8: 71 to 75, a manhua/chinese comics/漫画 fanfic

It only took a split moment for the takeaway packets in Ji Fanyin's hands to be taken away by Chen Yunsheng. He casually led Ji Fanyin toward the back of the car and left the remaining takeaway packets for his companions to carry.

Ji Fanyin was planning to carry two bags herself, but with the guys splitting the load amongst themselves, the takeaway packets were gone before she knew it. So, she slipped her empty hands into her pockets to keep them toasty instead.

She spotted He Shen and greeted him. The latter responded with a placid nod before leaving with his food. It was only then that she turned to Chen Yunsheng and asked, "You're interning here?"

It was actually quite obvious.

To be put on a blind date with Song Shiyu, Chen Yunshan must have had quite the affluent background. That suggested that Chen Yunsheng was from a well-to-do family too. Most likely, he was the intern who was stuffed in by Zhang Ning's aunt.

"Yeah. I remembered that you're fond of movies." Chen Yunsheng quietly positioned himself to shelter Ji Fanyin from the wind. "I happen to have some experience in composing, so I wanted to try music production for films."

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Another intern approached them with the intention of joining in the conversation, but Chen Yunsheng discreetly kicked him away. Ji Fanyin saw it in her peripheral vision.

She was aware that the innocent persona Chen Yunsheng played in front of her was half- authentic and half-feigned, but she still found herself amused by his actions.

"How is it? Does the work interest you?" Ji Fanyin casually asked.

Films were art pieces created by the harmony of its elements, one of them being music composition. Music is vital in building up the atmosphere of a scene, as well as the overall theme of the film. Good music composition could easily elevate the overall presentation of a film.

Ji Fanyin wasn't against Chen Yunsheng becoming interested in the film industry due to her influence. What she was opposed to was him blindly leaping into the industry for no good reason.

"It's interesting," Chen Yunsheng replied instantaneously. "I'm not doing this just because you like films. I find work here meaningful as well."

"That's good." Ji Fanyin flipped through one of the bags in Chen Yunsheng's hands and pulled another bag containing three cups of beverages.

Meanwhile, Chen Yunsheng began sharing his experiences of interning in the film studio over the last few days. Ji Fanyin managed to fish out a fourth cup of beverage and asked, "Do you drink Oolong?"

"I'm fine with anything." Chen Yunsheng eyed the four cups of beverages in her hands and asked softly, "Big sis, are you acquainted with He Shen?"

Ji Fanyin raised her head to look at him and chuckled. "As an intern, don't you know who your own bosses are?"

"I do! There's He Shen, Zhang Ning, and a producer who's said to be involved in the filming process. I heard that our third boss rarely appears, but she gives out huge red packets whenever she does…" Chen Yunsheng's words slowly trailed to a halt as his eyes widened.

Ji Fanyin stuffed the cup of Oolong milk tea together with a straw into his coat's wide pocket before blinking at him. "In the flesh."

Seeing that Zhang Ning and Ji Fanyin had arrived, the director called for a break and quickly dashed into the crowd to grab a couple of skewers.

He Shen positioned himself two meters away from the crowd, where he watched quietly as the filming crew fought over the skewers. He was dressed in a military uniform and a pair of polished boots, which gave him the image of a stern military man. He gave off an imposing disposition on top of that, making it difficult for anyone to approach him.

Still, Ji Fanyin approached him without any issues and passed him a cup of cheese foam cherry tea.

He Shen thanked her as he took the drink. He popped a straw in and began drinking right away. It was interesting how even though he was holding a cup of commercial milk tea, he was able to make it appear as if he was in a solemn tea ceremony.

Ji Fanyin passed the other cup to Zhang Ning, who was busy chatting with the director about the filming progress. As she took out the last cup of milk tea for herself, she asked He Shen, "Is this your first time on this set?"

He Shen shook his head. "It's my second time."

"You had your reservations when I first showed you the script." Ji Fanyin turned her gaze toward the bustling crowd as she spoke. "Now that you have been to the set twice, what do you think?"

He Shen fell silent. He subtly tilted his head toward Ji Fanyin, hoping to look at her expression through his peripheral vision.

"There's no need to look at me. That's right, I'm bragging right now," said Ji Fanyin gleefully as she tried to poke her straw into her cup. "You said that it'll be hard to find a suitable female lead and realize my script. You can take back your words now."

"… That newcomer is pretty skilled," He Shen replied objectively. "The movie will be better than I expected."

It took several tries, but Ji Fanyin finally managed to get that annoying paper straw in. She honestly couldn't understand how others were able to poke those flimsy paper straws through the plastic cover in a single try.

She raised her eyebrows and remarked, "That newcomer has already signed to our work studio."

He Shen sipped on his milk tea as he replied with a "Mm".

A young actor holding onto a skewer happened to walk by the two of them. He was visibly startled for a moment, before greeting the two of them with a smile, "Teacher He. Miss Ji, you're here again."

Watching the young actor's departing silhouette, He Shen suddenly remarked, "He wasn't that awkward when he met me earlier on."

Ji Fanyin calmly replied, "It might be due to me rejecting his self-recommendation."

He Shen: "… Such things are actually not that common in our industry."

"Who are you trying to hoodwink here?" Ji Fanyin scoffed.

Using sexual favors to make deals was nothing new. It was even more common in the world of glamor and glitz that they were in.

Zhang Ning happened to wrap up her conversation with the director then. She walked over and interjected, "He's speaking from his own experience. I mean, just look at him. He's obviously the inflexible, conservative type. It'll take a fox demoness to devour a monk like him!"

He Shen wasn't happy with her choice of metaphor, and he voiced his displeasure aloud with two concise words, "Zhang Ning."

Zhang Ning sipped on her milk tea, ignoring his protest. "Babe, you're acquainted with Chen Yunsheng?"

Ji Fanyin nodded. "It's a small world."

Zhang Ning bit on her straw and smiled. "Yeah, the world is pretty small. I've helped you ask about Cen Xiangyang. His filming hasn't been going smoothly recently. He seems to be in an irritable mood recently. Everyone is speculating whether he's in a slump."

"Is that so?" Ji Fanyin thought about what could get Cen Xiangyang down.

I wonder if Ji Xinxin has contacted him yet.

"He also recently established a work studio with his own money," said Zhang Ning. "He's just starting out, so he probably wants to build up his name first. That shouldn't pose too much of a problem for him given his family background."

"He established his own studio?" Ji Fanyin's interest was piqued.

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It was not to discount the possibility of Cen Xiangyang establishing a work studio for the sole purpose of advancing his career, but the timing it occurred was something worth looking into.

Furthermore, someone had just leaked fairly valuable intelligence just a moment ago.

Ji Fanyin looked around the set and was just about to ask a staff member for directions when Chen Yunsheng suddenly popped out of nowhere. He was still holding onto the same cup of Oolong milk tea. "Big sis, are you looking for someone? I can help you. I've become familiar with the set over the last few days."

"The fourth male lead. I think his surname is Liang," said Ji Fanyin. "He just passed by this area a moment ago. Did you see him?"

Chen Yunsheng nodded in acknowledgment before leading Ji Fanyin somewhere. "The actors' resting room is over there. Big sis, do you need something from him?"

"I just plan to ask him a few questions." Ji Fanyin glanced at Chen Yunsheng and asked, "Why aren't you drinking your tea?"

Chen Yunsheng lowered his head to look at his Oolong milk tea and honestly answered, "I can't bear to."

Ji Fanyin snatched the straw from his pocket and stabbed it into the Oolong milk tea. Heaven seemed to be on her side, as she succeeded in breaching the plastic cover in a single try.

Chen Yunsheng winced.

"Are you thinking of bringing it home as a memento?" asked Ji Fanyin amusedly. "Milk tea isn't the same as a medal. It'll spoil."

"Orh," Chen Yunsheng answered dispiritedly.

There was quite some distance to the actors' resting room, so the two of them started chatting.

"I heard from Zhang Ning that our studio did a recruitment drive at Lakeside University, but I didn't think that you would be one of the hires." Ji Fanyin talked about the conversation she had with Zhang Ning earlier on. "You never told me that you're in the Music Faculty."

"It's nothing much…" Chen Yunsheng pursed his lips. "Do you still remember the game you played when we first met?"

"I'm still playing it," replied Ji Fanyin.

That was the impetus that allowed Chen Yunsheng to first strike up a conversation with her.

"That game is actually made by a studio co-founded by me and my friend." Chen Yunsheng looked a little embarrassed talking about it. "There aren't a lot of downloads for it, but the music and sound effects were my own creation. That's why I was able to recognize it right away. It wasn't a lie when I told you that I've played the game too!"

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The game was actually pretty well made. It was clearly a small-scale production, but the concept and music accompaniment had its own unique style.

Ji Fanyin earnestly considered investing in their studio. "Making music for games is not a bad career path either."

"I can do both at once." There was a gleam in Chen Yunsheng's eyes when he talked about his field of specialty. "I can establish my own studio, just like big sis. Once I manage to build up my reputation, I'll become the exclusive music composer of your films!"

Ji Fanyin smiled in response to those words. She chose to neither dampen his motivation nor flatter him. "You'll have to be very good for that."

"Of course!" Chen Yunsheng looked at her intently. It was hard to tell whether the red tinge on his cheeks came from the cold weather or embarrassment, but beneath the embarrassment lay the courage of a hot-blooded youth to charge over any obstacles that stood in the way.

"… I need to work hard to catch up with you."

"You'll tire yourself out if you set a person to be your goal," advised Ji Fanyin.

Chen Yunsheng glanced in the direction where the two of them had come from and murmured under his breath, "I can't lose."

Ji Fanyin also did the same. She raised her eyebrows and asked, "He Shen?"

Chen Yunsheng's attention wandered only for that split instant. He quickly returned to his bubbly self and asked, "Big sis, are you free to have dinner with me later on? I mean, after I get off work."

Ji Fanyin took a look at the time and said, "We'll probably have a company gathering later on."

"Ah…" Chen Yunsheng responded glumly. "I doubt an intern like me will be able to sit beside the boss."

"It might be possible if the intern is willing to take drinks for the boss," Ji Fanyin joked with him.

Chen Yunsheng earnestly took out his phone and said, "I'll check if there are any nearby pharmaceuticals. I'll buy a box of KingDrink later on."

Ji Fanyin nearly choked on her milk tea. "Where did you learn that? I wouldn't let a youth take drinks on my behalf. You should obediently sit with the other interns."

Ji Fanyin was just about to push Chen Yunsheng's phone down when she noticed a WeChat notification popping up. It was from a group named 【Training for Newlyweds~ Cooking Classroom~】.

Ji Fanyin: "…"

Oh my, I seem to have stumbled upon something interesting.

Chen Yunsheng hadn't noticed the information leak yet. He put his phone away in disappointment as he meekly grumbled, "I'm not a kid anymore. I also drink when I hang out with my friends."

"Does your cooking class teach you how to drink alcohol too?" asked Ji Fanyin.

Chen Yunsheng: "?"

Chen Yunsheng: "…"

Chen Yunsheng "! It's not what you think! Most of the people in the cooking class are housewives in their thirties! I really only learn cooking there!"

Ji Fanyin shot him a 'I totally get it' look. "I see…"

Her gaze left Chen Yunsheng feeling utterly embarrassed. He slowly lifted his Oolong milk tea to cover his reddened face.

One trait shared by mature adults like Ji Fanyin and Zhang Ning was knowing when to end a joke.

Seeing that the young man was already blushing to the tip of his ears, Ji Fanyin decided to stop teasing him. She could already spot the actors' resting room, so she made her way there herself, wanting to give the young man some room to calm down.

However, Chen Yunsheng quickly grabbed the sleeves of her cashmere windbreaker to stop her. He took in a deep breath before lifting his head to look at her. "Will you give my skills a try after I graduate from the cooking class?"

Humans would always progress from adolescence to adulthood but never the other way around. That was why adults, from time to time, would find themselves overwhelmed by the assault of past memories, that would leave them in a wistful mood.

That was how Ji Fanyin was feeling right now.

She lowered her head and seriously gave the matter some thought.

Time slowly ticked by.

The first one to break the silence ended up being the one who had extended the invitation, "You don't need to think that hard about it. I'll be fine even if you reject me. As long as you're willing to try my cooking, you can call me over whenever it's convenient for you. I'll rush there right away."

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"When do your cooking classes end?" Ji Fanyin raised her head and asked him.

Chen Yunsheng was momentarily stunned. "My classes end in April. Three months from now."

"April…" Ji Fanyin thought about it for another few more seconds before answering, "Got it. Work hard in your cooking class. Tell me when your class ends."

I should be done with Li Xiaoxing and Ji Xinxin by then. Thinking on the optimistic side, Bai Zhou might have also graduated by then.

I guess I could start thinking about it when April comes.

"Really?" Chen Yunsheng breathed a long sigh of relief. "It's a promise!"

Ji Fanyin glanced at his hand and said, "Tea."

Chen Yunsheng lowered her head and noticed that the Oolong tea he had been tightly clutching out of nervousness was spilling out of his straw, but he had been too caught up in his emotions to notice it.

Ji Fanyin patted his shoulder and said, "Go and wash up. I'll head in first to settle my business."

Chen Yunsheng obediently walked away as he was told to, though he kept turning his head around to look at her every few steps. Meanwhile, Ji Fanyin walked up to the actors' resting room and knocked on the door.

The men who were busy feasting on the skewers subconsciously turned their eyes to the doorway.

Ji Fanyin had personally supervised the interviews, so many of the actors recognized her. They quickly shot to their feet in a fluster and greeted her.

Ji Fanyin answered their greeting before turning her attention toward the actor who went by the surname of Liang. "There's something I'd like to check with you."

The actor awkwardly stood up and left the resting room together with Ji Fanyin.

There was an empty clearing several steps away from the resting room. Ji Fanyin didn't want to head to some remote place and risk having unnecessary rumors spread about them, so she got straight to the point, "You mentioned earlier that I was here again?"

The nervous actor was surprised by the unexpected question. "I did. Is there something wrong?"

"This is my first time visiting the film set since the opening ceremony." Ji Fanyin casually slipped her hands into her pockets and looked at him. "What do you mean by 'again'?"

The actor was visibly shocked. "That can't be! You… No, I mean, Miss Ji, don't you remember? You dropped by the set before Christmas, and I happened to bump into you. You said that you had something to do in the neighboring set and would visit us next time. You technically didn't enter our film set, but we did talk for a while!"

"Before Christmas?" Ji Fanyin did some quick mental calculations and a possibility surfaced in her head. "Got it. You can head in now."

"M-Miss Ji." The actor's face had already turned pale by then. "Is it possible that I b-b-b-bumped into a…"

Before he could utter the word 'ghost', Ji Fanyin interjected, "It's my twin sister. She can be malicious at times. She was probably just joking around with you."

The actor breathed a sigh of relief before revealing yet another piece of information. "I saw her heading in that direction that day."

Ji Fanyin looked at the direction he was pointing at. "Whose film sets are over there?"

The actor quickly named out a couple and, lo and behold, Cen Xiangyang's name was amongst them. That affirmed Ji Fanyin's earlier deduction.

It was likely that Cen Xiangyang had wanted to reveal the stand-in business to Ji Xinxin when the latter returned to the country during her break, but for whatever reason, he ended up stalling until Ji Xinxin returned to France.

Hm…

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

Ji Xinxin probably intended to visit Cen Xiangyang when this fellow thought she was me. Ji Xinxin likely realized it, but she chose to go along with him to gather some dirt on me. She probably figured out my identity then… and I guess she suffered a mental breakdown afterward?

Ji Fanyin casually waved her hand at the nervous actor to gesture that it was fine, and the latter was visibly relieved at her pardon. He took his leave and headed back into the resting room.

Ji Fanyin rested her back against a nearby pillar and began analyzing Cen Xiangyang and Ji Xinxin's relationship.

Cen Xiangyang is a man filled with possessiveness. He wouldn't hesitate to take action if he were to sense that he might lose Ji Xinxin for good. It's not beneath him to resort to criminal acts like kidnapping.

Since I rejected his previous proposal, I reckon that he's probably making other preparations in the shadows.

Ji Xinxin is unlikely to break ties with Cen Xiangyang at this point, considering how she has already lost Bai Zhou and Song Shiyu… Ah, did Cen Xiangyang establish his studio in hopes of suppressing my career for her sake?

If that's what he's thinking, he's really overestimating his own capabilities.

Ji Fanyin took a sip of her milk tea.

Putting her aside, just He Shen and Zhang Ning were already beyond Cen Xiangyang's means to deal with. Not to mention, her studio was now backed by a vicious female mogul who had no qualms about throwing away millions at her whim.

There was no way Cen Xiangyang could compete with Ji Fanyin's studio in a direct confrontation.

As for underhanded tricks… I doubt that he'll be able to pull off anything meaningful.

Does he have some other goal then? Or is he just that confident in himself?

Ji Fanyin bit on her straw as she thought about her previous meetings with Cen Xiangyang.

The second time they met, he tried to brainwash her. The last time he messaged her, he tried to make use of her…

… Ah, I guess he's just that confident in himself.

With the three big bosses of the filming studio all present, the film crew decided to end their work early and have a feast. Ji Fanyin was planning to foot the bill, but the restaurant manager informed her that He Shen had beat her to it.

So, she put away her phone and headed back to the compartment room.

They had a toasting session afterward. Naturally, Ji Fanyin wouldn't let Chen Yunsheng take any drinks for her… though it appeared that there was no need for that at all.

She happened to be sandwiched between Zhang Ning and He Shen, so that hardly anyone had the guts to approach her and make a toast to her.

Even if someone did come over, Zhang Ning already had a cup of tea prepared for her.

When the company dinner finally concluded, Ji Fanyin became the other two's chauffeur, responsible for sending them safely back home. Driving Zhang Ning's striking pink Maserati, she first drove He Shen to Song Shiyu's neighborhood before making her way to Zhang Ning's place.

"When are you moving?" the tipsy Zhang Ning asked. "You're able to move into the apartment you bought right away, right? Do you need any help? We can get some free labor from the studio and frame it as a 'corporate team-building exercise'."

"It's more convenient to hire a moving company," Ji Fanyin replied as she drove into a high-class residential area. "I'm free for the next two days, so I'm planning to get it done by then."

"That's nice~ You don't have anything for New Year…" Zhang Ning let out an envious long sigh. "I ALSO WANT TO GO ON A BREAKKKK…"

After driving the drunk and rampaging Zhang Ning back home, Ji Fanyin hailed a cab.

She might have cleared her schedule, but she didn't think that she would really be that free. Similar to what happened over her year-end break, it was completely possible that urgent business might just pop up and ruin her break.

Li Xiaoxing, who would be proposing on the third day of the Chinese New Year, was one such example. Even though the odds were on their side, their chances of winning weren't 100%.

Thinking back, she had done quite a lot to push Ji Xinxin toward Li Xiaoxing so as to fulfill his wishes, or, at least, what he thought his greatest wish was.

…

The 11th of February was Chinese New Year Eve. The Ji Family excluding Ji Fanyin gathered for a warm reunion dinner. They tacitly chose to neglect the existence of their other daughter.

That same night, Ji Xinxin began packing her suitcase in preparation for her Japan trip.

Mother Ji secretly snuck her a set of lace nightwear, telling her to grasp her opportunity. Ji Xinxin hesitated for a moment before placing it into her suitcase.

While she wasn't certain of whether Li Xiaoxing was capable of engaging in nightly activities, it didn't hurt to be prepared.

Mother Ji looked at her with a heartened smile and said, "You were always sickly as a child, but you've matured into a beautiful woman before I knew it. It won't be long before you marry and have your own family."

Ji Xinxin lowered her head shyly. "It's too early to say that. I'm just going abroad with him for a few days."

"Just the two of you, right?" teased Mother Ji. "It's good that your partner is someone as affluent as Mr. Li. He'll be able to lend your father a helping hand. Your father has been stressed out managing the company recently."

Ji Xinxin's movement stalled to a halt. She turned to her mother and asked concernedly, "Is dad's company facing problems again?"

"Yeah." Mother Ji sighed. "Little Song used to take care of your father, but it seems like he's a little strapped for cash recently. Do you know what happened to him?"

What could possibly happen to him? He just willingly spent all of his money on Ji Fanyin!

Ji Xinxin had to purse her lips to stop a sneer from forming on her lips. She shook her head and replied, "I'm not too sure. I was abroad."

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"We were planning to have your big sis marry someone in hopes that her partner could offer some help to the family…" Mother Ji began nagging again. "At least she has a good face. It's a different story for you, but if she could just…"

"Mom," Ji Xinxin interrupted her ramble with a gentle voice. "You shouldn't rely on big sis. She'll only disappoint dad and you just as she did many times before. Have you forgotten? The daughter whom you dote on and rely on is me."

Mother Ji stared at Ji Xinxin in a daze for a long while before finally nodding. "Of course."

"I'll make sure dad's company tides through this crisis. I have always been able to do it, isn't that so?" asked Ji Xinxin.

"Yes, you're right." Mother Ji rubbed her temples as if she was having a headache. "I really don't understand why your big sis blames you for everything. It's that victim mentality of hers at work. She was the one who mistreated you in the past!"

Ji Xinxin folded her clothes as she replied, "I'm fine. I don't blame big sis for it."

"The other day, your father and I went to her place to look for her. We talked about the past, like how she kept running out by herself while you were unconscious in the hospital, how she made you do all of her difficult assignments… but she didn't show the slightest sense of shame at all!"

Ji Xinxin was listening half-heartedly to her mother's rambling when she suddenly heard something that prompted her to raise her head and exclaim, "You told big sis about my time in the hospital?"

"Yeah," replied Mother Ji. "You probably weren't aware of it because you were delirious, but we often visited you in the hospital during that time. Your father and I would sit by your bed to take care of you, but your big sister kept sneaking out to play."

Ji Xinxin took in a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She tightly grabbed the dress in her hand and quickly ran through the current situation.

I don't know whether the current 'Ji Fanyin' has inherited big sis' memory, but there shouldn't be anything to worry about even if she did. Ji Fanyin shouldn't be able to recognize Li Xiaoxing, so she wouldn't know that I've taken her spot.

It'll all be fine as long as Ji Fanyin doesn't recognize Li Xiaoxing.

Ji Xinxin tried her best to allay her fears, but her unease persisted even when she was making her way to Japan the following day.

In contrast, Li Xiaoxing behaved perfectly normally. He was his usual self. Cold, possessive, arrogant, and self-conscious. It put her heart at ease.

The night of Valentine's Day, she donned a gown and made her way to the Tokyo Tower, ready to hear Li Xiaoxing's proposal. The latter, dressed in a dashing suit, looked at her with warm eyes and asked for her hand in engagement.

She stood shyly before the blessings of an envious crowd as she awaited Li Xiaoxing's confession with her mouth covered.

He said that she was his salvation, the one who had picked him up when he was at his lowest point in life.

He said that the only reason why he hadn't proposed to her all this while was because he was afraid of being rejected, but he didn't want to lose her because of his hesitance.

He said that Ji Fanyin had tried to approach him, but he turned her down because he felt nothing for her at all. The only person that he loved in this world was Ji Xinxin, his savior.

Ji Xinxin was moved by the confession till the final proclamation, where her expression visibly froze up for a moment. She asked with a strained smile, "You've met my big sis?"

"I did." Li Xiaoxing paused for a brief moment before adding, "I told her that you're the love of my life, and she'll never be able to replace you. The memories we share are not something a third party like her can ever understand."

He reached out to grab Ji Xinxin's hand, only to tilt his head in surprise. "Xinxin, is it cold here? Why are you shivering?"

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Ji Xinxin couldn't hear what Li Xiaoxing said afterward. Her mind was completely dominated by two words, leaving her no room to think about anything else.

She knows. She knows. She knows, she knows, she knows!

If she knows the truth, what reason does she not reveal it to Li Xiaoxing? If she did reveal the truth to Li Xiaoxing, why is he still proposing to me? If Li Xiaoxing chose to propose to me despite having learned the truth, is it because he wants vengeance on me for deceiving him?

No. No no no no no.

Ji Xinxin knew Li Xiaoxing well enough to know that he harbored no hostility toward her, at least not yet.

That brought her back to the very first question.

Why didn't Ji Fanyin tell Li Xiaoxing the truth?

What was even more frightening than being instantly decapitated was to have one's head held under a guillotine, not knowing when the blade would fall. It was the faint glimmer of hope that the blade might not fall in the end that stoked one's deepest fears.

The more she thought about it, the more afraid she became. She didn't even notice the cold sweat drenching her back. She anxiously stood up and withdrew her trembling hand from Li Xiaoxing's grasp.

The resulting confused look on Li Xiaoxing's face shook her out of her daze, and she quickly added, "Sorry, I need to use the washroom for a moment."

Ignoring the commotion around her and Li Xiaoxing's worried shouting, Ji Xinxin lifted her skirt and rushed out of the dining room. She headed to an open place and took a deep breath to soothe her anxiety.

Calm down, calm down…

How could I possibly calm down?!

Ji Xinxin slammed the metal board beside her to vent her emotions. Her movement was so forceful that her palm reddened in pain, but it did little to assuage her anxiety.

Fear and fury coalesced into a raging tsunami that threatened to drown her.

It took her many years of work to make her way up the social ladder with grace and composure, but Ji Fanyin was threatening to undo her work and push her back into the abyss she had climbed out of.

She subconsciously reached for her phone, wanting to call Ji Fanyin and confront her about why she didn't reveal the truth to Li Xiaoxing. She wanted to holler at the latter for making a fool out of her.

But as she reached for her waist, she realized that the gown she wore allowed no space for her phone. Her courage instantaneously deflated. She lost all strength and huddled up into a squatting position. She could feel her own eyes tearing up.

I can't win. I can't win against that person.

I was only able to win over big sis with my tricks because she's soft-hearted.

But the other 'Ji Fanyin' has a heart as cold as stone. She has no intention of leaving any breathing space for me.

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I thought that I had played every move well, but she could see through everything.

How could there be such a terrifying person in the world?

I'm scared…

The sound of a wheelchair gradually approached. Then, she heard Li Xiaoxing's voice.

"… Xinxin," he called out. "Are you crying because you aren't willing to be with me?"

Ji Xinxin buried her head into her knees and immersed herself in her tears. She was too emotionally crushed to gather any strength to deal with Li Xiaoxing.

Li Xiaoxing asked on, "Xinxin, are you going to reject me?"

Ji Xinxin continued to ignore him.

An eternity seemed to have passed before she heard a long sigh from him.

"I understand now." His voice was still as placid as ever, as if nothing in the world could hope to faze him, "Let's return to the hotel. We'll talk tomorrow."

In the last few days of the lunar new year, Ji Fanyin called up a moving company and generously opted for the most expensive Japanese quality service. From packing up the items in the old home to putting them in place in the new home, she wouldn't have to lift a single finger throughout the entire process. All she had to do was to watch by the side and give orders.

It was perfect for the rich and lazy.

All in all, it only took her a day to move into her new home. She didn't even have to unpack the luggage herself, so it was quite relaxing. She even had time to call someone to change the door's facial recognition access system.

With that, she began preparing for her own Chinese New Year celebration.

She first did some spring cleaning before heading out to fill up her fridge. Her goal for the Chinese New Year celebration was to wall herself up at home as much as possible.

She made up her mind not to touch anything business-related unless her 30 million dollars student appeared or the other 20 million dollars student called her.

Ji Fanyin and He Shen had exchanged their movie watching schedule and secured a huge pile of unwatched old movies in preparation for this break.

Valentine's Day? What's that?

On the third day of Chinese New Year, Ji Fanyin turned up the heater in her living room before cozying herself up on her sofa. It was so comfortable that she started nodding off while watching 'Greatness of Love'.

Her phone suddenly started vibrating. She clawed at her phone like a big fat cat, and it took a great deal of effort for her to drag it over to her side.

Reflected on the phone screen was her 20 million dollar student…that was, Li Xiaoxing.

Why am I not surprised at all?

Ji Fanyin first grabbed her remote control and paused the movie before picking up the call, "Hello?"

Li Xiaoxing was either calling to report his success or make a customer complaint. There was no other possibility.

Ji Fanyin had taken extra effort to ensure that he wouldn't find out that Ji Xinxin was an impersonator, and Ji Xinxin wasn't so dumb as to give herself away.

"She rejected me," Li Xiaoxing said placidly.

Ji Fanyin could hear extreme tension in his words, both in his tone and the way he verbalized his words. There was a high-strung edge to it. It was like how a good actor playing a serial killer in a movie could strike fear in the hearts of the audience with just a simple gaze.

The current Li Xiaoxing gave off a faint scent of danger.

Ji Fanyin put down her remote control and dragged a fruit platter over to her side. She could tell that Li Xiaoxing was on the verge of snapping, so she tactfully decided not to raise the topic of prices first. "Are you alone now? Calm down and tell me everything that happened tonight."

"No, Ji Fanyin. You are the problem here." Li Xiaoxing chose not to go along with Ji Fanyin's instructions. "It was right after I said the words you taught me, that Xinxin suddenly stood up and ran away. I was certain that she was going to accept my proposal up till that point."

Faced with Li Xiaoxing's accusation, Ji Fanyin calmly asked, "Which words are you referring to? The one saying you've met me?"

Li Xiaoxing expressed his acknowledgment through his silence.

Ji Fanyin gobbled down a strawberry and spent those five seconds in thought.

It's actually quite simple. There are two possibilities here.

One, Ji Xinxin has found an even more formidable backer than Li Xiaoxing. Two, she noticed that something was amiss and decided to avoid the trap.

The possibility of the former occuring is too low, so it should be the latter.

On top of that, Li Xiaoxing clearly stated that Ji Xinxin only changed her attitude after hearing about me. Putting all of the clues in place, there's only one answer: Ji Xinxin must have sensed that the truth about her impersonation has gotten out.

… Well, I did bury this landmine to give Ji Xinxin a good scare before wrapping things up. Yeap, it looks like it's very effective. I didn't bury it in vain.

These thoughts flashed across Ji Fanyin's mind in a matter of moments. She soon offered her response to Li Xiaoxing, "Did she reject you directly?"

"… She didn't accept the proposal," Li Xiaoxing slowly replied. "What should I do?"

Faced with Li Xiaoxing's seemingly calm but desperate question, Ji Fanyin chuckled softly, "You don't need to do anything at all."

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"You're saying that I should give up?"

"It isn't giving up. You have sowed the seeds and applied the fertilizer. All you have to do now is wait for the harvest."

"… Ji Fanyin, if an irreparable crack were to appear in my relationship with Xinxin over this matter, you'll regret every cent you took from me."

Li Xiaoxing's threat hardly registered with Ji Fanyin at all. "It's getting late. You should be heading to sleep. Everything will be fine when you wake up tomorrow morning. The hurdle you're facing is commonly known as gamophobia. Ji Xinxin has a strong mind. She'll come around by tomorrow."

At this point, she paused for a moment before gently adding, "Trust me, Mr. Li."

It could be due to the authority and credibility Ji Fanyin had built up with Li Xiaoxing over the course of their lessons, but Li Xiaoxing actually chose not to say anything at all. He silently hung up the phone, choosing not to resort to a second threat.

But again, the threat would have felt cheap if he had to do it twice.

Ji Fanyin stuffed another strawberry into her mouth as she searched for Ji Xinxin's number and called it.

The phone rang for a very long time, but Ji Xinxin wasn't picking up.

Ji Fanyin gobbled down another plump strawberry as she waited for the call to automatically hang up. She then calmly placed her phone down on the table, not bothering to drop a second call.

There was no need to. Ji Xinxin would surely call her back.

Just think about it. How could Ji Xinxin possibly sleep when she just found out that her mortal nemesis had uncovered her greatest trump card two hours ago? She must be worried out of her mind right now!

There was no doubt she was awake at this very moment. She was likely racking her brains in search of a way out of this disaster.

Ji Xinxin couldn't possibly turn a blind eye to it when her mortal nemesis called at a time like this.

Ji Fanyin leisurely picked up her remote control and continued playing 'Greatness of Love'.

Just as she had expected, her phone started ringing around seven minutes later.

She didn't play the 'I'm not going to pick up your call since you didn't pick up mine' game with Ji Xinxin this time around. With her body firmly glued to the sofa, she grabbed her phone from the table and accepted the call. "Are the lights at Tokyo Tower beautiful?"

"… Why didn't you tell him?" asked Ji Xinxin with a heavy tone. "All of the things I'm enjoying could have been yours if you revealed the truth to him."

"Why would I do that?" Ji Fanyin returned the question to her. "To be frank, I'm more curious about why you shied away from grabbing the trophy when it's already sitting right in front of you."

"… Are you mocking me?"

"No, I just think that the two of you are compatible," Ji Fanyin replied earnestly.

Had Ji Xinxin chosen to get together with any of her other fishes, there was a good chance that she might reveal to Li Xiaoxing that she was an impersonator. If so, Li Xiaoxing might just turn his attention to harassing her.

That would have been a huge bother to Ji Fanyin.

That was why she strongly felt that the two of them should get together. Li Xiaoxing was an extremely possessive man whereas Ji Xinxin felt a strong compulsion to garner the affection of those around her. The two of them would grate on each other and slowly wear themselves thin.

As for when to reveal the truth… the initiative was all in Ji Fanyin's grasp. She could choose to do it whenever she wanted to.

Wasn't this the best-case scenario?

Of course, there was the chance that Ji Xinxin might refuse to cooperate with her. Ji Fanyin had already anticipated such a possibility, and she had even prepared a hand just for that.

"I visited the World Studio two days ago. I heard that Cen Xiangyang is currently filming there." Ji Fanyin spoke as if she was just prattling about random, everyday affairs. "You do know that I have a film set there, right?"

"…"

"Cen Xiangyang approached me. You're aware of that too," Ji Fanyin spoke with a trace of mirth in her voice. "But do you know why?"

Ji Xinxin finally broke her silence. She sneered in disdain, "Weren't you the one who approached him, offering to play my stand-in so you could earn some quick cash from him? He even rejected you."

"So that's what he said." Ji Fanyin wasn't too surprised to hear that Cen Xiangyang had only told half the story. "I'm not talking about that incident but what happened afterward. Let's see… He told you everything shortly after you returned to France, right?"

"…"

Ji Fanyin chuckled softly. "That's right. He took the initiative to approach me afterward."

"…"

"Aren't you going to ask why?" Ji Fanyin provoked Ji Xinxin out of malicious pleasure.

"Why did he approach you?" asked Ji Xinxin with a hoarse voice.

"For you, of course." Ji Fanyin made a dramatic pause. "How should I put it using his words? He wants my help in crippling your wings so that he can enclose you in a cage."

"He approached you for that?" Ji Xinxin scoffed. "I don't believe you. He told me about how he nearly struck a deal with you."

Ji Fanyin went into her phone gallery and took some time searching through it. Without bothering to explain anything, she tapped onto the screenshot she had taken from her conversation with Cen Xiangyang, and sent it to Ji Xinxin.

"I can't stop you if you insist that the screenshot was photoshopped. It's your judgment," added Ji Fanyin calmly.

Ji Xinxin would have to feel utterly cornered for her to accept Li Xiaoxing's outstretched hand, albeit with gritted teeth.

"… How can I be certain that you won't divulge the truth to Li Xiaoxing?"

"You can't. You won't believe me even if I made a vow to the heavens," replied Ji Fanyin with a smile. "You can only take a step at a time and hope everything goes well, no?"

With those words, Ji Fanyin unhesitatingly hung up the phone. She wasn't worried that Li Xiaoxing would come after her.

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There was only one path Ji Xinxin could take.

To be more exact, she could choose to take a step back too, but that would mean that all of her hard work would disintegrate to dust. She wasn't going to be able to lose everything and still rise up once more.

…

The following morning, Ji Fanyin woke up to a message from the bank, informing her that she had received a sum of money from Secretary Fan. She also received a notification from WeChat, where Ji Xinxin posted a picture of two interlocked hands and announced the joyous news of her engagement.

Ji Fanyin rubbed her eyes and counted the number of digits on the message from the bank.

Ah, I got a bonus.

Or is this Li Xiaoxing's way of apologizing for his disrespectful words from the previous night?

Ji Fanyin tapped into the 'Temptation of Home' app and saw that the progress bar had suddenly advanced to 1.8 billion within a short period of time. Not only so, the number was growing at an incredible rate every second.

Out of curiosity, she tapped into the logs and saw that everyone—from Ji Xinxin to Song Shiyu to Li Xiaoxing to Cen Xiangyang, as well as Mrs. Bai, Chen Yunsheng, and a few others—was working very hard for her. It was as if they were trying to up their KPI for a year end bonus.

Ji Fanyin felt deeply moved.

Without your contributions, I would have never been able to conquer this seemingly insurmountable goal of 10 billion!

Ji Fanyin had no idea how many people had their hearts broken because of the news of Ji Xinxin's engagement. She was also quite curious as to how Ji Xinxin chose who could read the engagement message she sent…

In any case, it must have taken a lot of courage for her to take that step.

There were only two scenarios where a 'King of the Seas' would rein in her net.

One, the 'King of the Seas' was exhausted and wanted to retire from the seas.

Two, the 'King of the Seas' screwed up and had no choice but to seek refuge with an honest man.

It was that simple.

What happened afterward was equally important as well.

An outstanding 'King of the Seas' should be able to minimize the negative consequences that would naturally arise from her reining in her net. Fishes who were attached to her could offer their blessings and silently fade away into the background, but they could raise a shitstorm too.

If Ji Xinxin had a tool that quantified emotions too, she would be receiving a huge amount of Emotion Points at this moment. She accepted Li Xiaoxing's proposal in a rush, but there's still a great deal of trouble for her to deal with afterward.

Especially Cen Xiangyang. He might just go insane.

Ji Fanyin felt that Ji Xinxin wouldn't have any strength to come after her for a very long time.

She was also quite curious as to whether Li Xiaoxing would continue asking for her help. She personally thought that the likelihood of it was quite high.

Li Xiaoxing had tasted the sweet joys of successfully manipulating Ji Xinxin, and that could have very well further stoked his possessive personality. He would constantly be tempted to further reinforce his control over her.

She made use of the last few days of her break to organize her schedule. She wasn't exactly busy, but her work was hard to organize because it was coming from all kinds of places.

I'll need a personal assistant to help me take care of miscellaneous stuff.

Zhang Ning had previously offered to hire a personal assistant for her, and she accepted it on the spot. She thought that Zhang Ning would find someone who studied filmography, perhaps a fresh female graduate or something.

Yet, when she dropped by the studio after her break, she found that her new personal assistant was actually a tall and strong man.

… He also looks oddly familiar. I feel like I've met him somewhere else before.

Zhang Ning coolly put on her lipsticks in front of her mirror before turning around to introduce them to each other. "Here, let me introduce your new personal assistant to you, Shen Qi. Give him a try. If it doesn't work, I'll transfer him to another department. Alright babe, I need to attend a business meeting now. Bye bye. Mua~"

Ji Fanyin nodded in response to Zhang Ning's words, before assessing the man before her.

"Shen Qi…" murmured Ji Fanyin contemplatively. "Have I met you somewhere before?"

The reticent man nodded. He propped up his sunglasses and explained, "The classmate gathering."

"Ah." Ji Fanyin finally remembered. "Passion fruit cheesecake."

It was the kind-hearted man who had shared his after meal dessert with her during the classmate gathering last year.

What a small world.

"You're here as my personal assistant, right?" Ji Fanyin looked at her watch. "Have you met the others yet?"

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"Yes." Shen Qi opened up the tablet in his hand and offered it to Ji Fanyin. "I've grasped your current schedule."

He sounds like an agent or even a stalker.

One of the female employees passing by the office happened to overhear those words and burst into laughter. She quickly covered her own mouth and rushed away.

"Is that how you usually speak?" Ji Fanyin asked as she received the tablet and took a look at it. A frown soon formed on her forehead.

I'm busier than I thought.

And this was just her work schedule for the studio. There was still Bai Zhou and Li Xiaoxing on top of that.

It feels like my workload hasn't decreased at all. I'll still be doing fifteen hours workdays as I did when I first transmigrated over, and I might still have to work OT now.

Haa. At least I'm earning more.

"Yes," Shen Qi answered concisely with a single word.

"I don't dislike that. You resemble a friend I know. I'm quite used to it by now," said Ji Fanyin as she returned the tablet to Shen Qi. While she was raising her head, she noticed a faint smile appearing on his lips for the briefest of moments.

… Did he just smile?

Before Ji Fanyin could ask about it, Shen Qi had already noticed her doubt and had decided to address it, "I just thought of something funny."

(Reference to a famous scene in The Mermaid involving two policemen.)

The same female employee happened to pass by once again, this time with a stack of documents in hand. She heard those words and crumbled against the wall in laughter. "Pu… what a prehistoric cold joke…"

"Shoo. Go and do your work." Ji Fanyin lightly tugged the female employee's twintails and ushered her off. "Or else you won't be getting any afternoon tea today."

The employees in the studio were given a high degree of autonomy, giving rise to a light-hearted atmosphere in the workplace. The employees were hardly afraid of their bosses at all.

"Alright alright~" The female employee playfully stuck her tongue out at Ji Fanyin before quickly running off with her documents.

Ji Fanyin tapped into her reservation app and informed Shen Qi about Bai Zhou's recent reservation. "I have private matters to attend to during this time."

"I understand." Shen Qi's eyes lingered on her reservation app for a few seconds.

"This is my private schedule. I'll inform you if there are any changes," explained Ji Fanyin calmly. "I'll be heading off first. Send me an email if you need to get to me."

Shen Qi looked as if he was going to say something.

"Is there something you would like to say?" asked Ji Fanyin.

Shen Qi fell silent for a few seconds. For some reason, Ji Fanyin thought that she could see a tsunami crashing down in his mind during these few seconds.

He eventually explained his peculiar behavior with charismatic conciseness, "I was the one who made your app."

Ji Fanyin: "?"

Shen Qi took out his phone and quickly tapped on a few buttons.

Several seconds later, Ji Fanyin's phone vibrated. It was a simple 'full stop' coming from Programmer 996. It was clear now, that Programmer 996 was the man standing in front of her.

Wow. Programmer 996 isn't bald like I thought he would be, and he somehow ended up becoming my personal assistant.

Ji Fanyin was only stunned for a moment before quickly snapping out of it. While keeping her phone in her pocket, she teased him, "Did you switch industries to protect your hairline from receding any further?"

"I've achieved my previous goal," replied Shen Qi.

"Did you manage to save up enough for your retirement?" Ji Fanyin looked at him curiously. "Being my personal assistant might not be the most relaxing retirement job out there."

"I can always switch jobs later on," replied Shen Qi honestly.

Ji Fanyin laughed. "What's your goal working here then?"

Shen Qi looked at the tablet in his hand and answered, "To help you rake in big bucks."

Slightly surprised, Ji Fanyin looked at him and said, "Not bad. This joke wasn't as cold as I thought it would be."

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Shen Qi replied with a serious nod, "Thank you."

Bai Zhou's reservation often spanned a full day. This was going to be the first time Ji Fanyin was meeting him in the new lunar year.

To be more exact, Bai Zhou had called her twice, but she didn't pick up.

On Chinese New Year Eve, Bai Zhou had discreetly sent her a 'Happy Chinese New Year', but Ji Fanyin was no longer the social recluse she was when she had first transmigrated. The sheer number of Chinese New Year greetings she received was so great that it was impossible for her to look through all of them.

She could only selectively pick out a few to respond to.

Unfortunately for Bai Zhou, he wasn't on the list.

The meeting location they agreed on was a shopping mall. Bai Zhou arrived ahead of time with a warm cup of coffee. Upon seeing Ji Fanyin, he stuffed the cup into her hands and grumbled, "Why didn't you allow me to pick you up?"

Ji Fanyin glanced at his motorcycle and gave him a seemingly unimportant but extremely authentic answer, "It's cold."

I don't deny that it's cool and dashing, but it's really, really cold.

Bai Zhou: "…"

He let out a harrumph before marching into the shopping mall. A few steps later, he turned around and saw Ji Fanyin walking slowly while sipping on the coffee he had bought for her. Impatient, he said, "Hurry up."

Ji Fanyin walked over with the same leisurely pace and replied, "It'd be a waste if I were to spill the coffee you bought."

Bai Zhou glanced at the cup she was holding with both of her hands and then fell silent.

He was behaving perfectly normally, but that was also the reason why something felt off. It was just a few days ago that Ji Xinxin got engaged to Li Xiaoxing, but he didn't appear to be affected by it at all.

It wasn't working hours yet, so Ji Fanyin didn't bother watching her tone when she spoke to Bai Zhou. She got straight to the point and asked, "Didn't you see your Moments page?"

"Says the one who hasn't been reading her messages," grumbled Bai Zhou in annoyance.

"Did Ji Xinxin block you?" asked Ji Fanyin.

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"Oh. The engagement. I saw it," replied Bai Zhou with a frown.

"What do you think?"

"Nothing at…" Bai Zhou bit his tongue at the last moment and quickly changed his tune. "I'm going to kill Li Xiaoxing that cripple!"

Ji Fanyin: "…"

Wow. He has really imprinted the reason why I expelled Song Shiyu from my list of clients deeply into his mind.

While they were in the lift, Ji Fanyin glanced at her watch and noticed that the clock ticked to a new hour. It was time for her to start work.

Bai Zhou was particularly sensitive to her movements. He also quickly lowered his head to look at the time before clicking his tongue in annoyance, "So fast…"

Ji Fanyin feigned ignorance.

Bai Zhou led her toward a newly opened arcade that contained a massive array of games, ranging from classic arcade game machines to the latest VR games.

Standing by the doorway, Ji Fanyin couldn't help but think: Bai Zhou really loves his games.

Bai Zhou spent several seconds looking at her with expectant eyes.

Perplexed, Ji Fanyin asked with a warm and gentle voice, "Zhouzhou, why are you looking at me like that?"

Bai Zhou was even more bewildered than her. "Don't you remember this place?"

"Have we been here before?" Ji Fanyin tilted her head as she quickly sieved through her memories.

Nope, I've never been here with him before.

Most of our meetings have been at his place. Other than that, we've only gone to his drawing studio, Disneyland, Universal Studios, and a few other places, but not this one.

Could this be a place he has been to with Ji Xinxin?

Unable to take it any longer, Bai Zhou shouted angrily, "Isn't this the first place we met each other?!"

"Zhouzhou, you must be confused," replied Ji Fanyin in bewilderment. "Have you forgotten? The first time we met was at Yandu's experiential summer camp. Your school organized a visit to a nearby gallery showcasing the work of graduating art students."

Bai Zhou was so frustrated that he closed his eyes for several seconds in order to calm himself down. Then, he spoke in a suppressed voice, "This is the place I first met Ji Fanyin. That should be clear enough, right?!"

Ji Fanyin looked through her memories.

That does appear to be the case.

Back then, after the experiential summer camp, Bai Zhou chased Ji Xinxin all the way to Lakeside City, hoping to get closer to her. There was one incident where Ji Xinxin called a few friends out to play, and she insisted on dragging 'Ji Fanyin' along, saying that it was a good chance for her to make some friends.

But how could the incredibly diffident 'Ji Fanyin' be able to make any friends? She didn't even get a chance to speak at all.

It was that day Ji Xinxin introduced 'Ji Fanyin' to Bai Zhou. With a smile, she said, "This is my twin sister. She's an amazing person."

Out of courtesy to Ji Xinxin, Bai Zhou greeted 'Ji Fanyin'.

It was just that 'Ji Fanyin's' response was so timid that it sounded like a mosquito's buzz, and that grated on Bai Zhou's nerves. That was probably where his initial disdain for 'Ji Fanyin' came from.

"I recall it now!" Ji Fanyin gave an 'Ah hah!' expression, indicating that she had recalled something. She stroked her chin with her fingers and said, "But I remember that you disliked my big sis back then. You said something along the lines of 'Your big sis can't even compare with one of your fingernails. How is she amazing?'. Did I remember it wrong?"

The unexpected verbal stab had Bai Zhou cursing under his breath, "Fuck."

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He grabbed his pained heart and wondered where he could buy a time machine.

If I could turn back time, I would give the me from two years ago a tight slap.

Not many people in the world aren't fond of games.

There was a wide variety of games that one could choose from, ranging from mobile games to first-player shooting and role playing games. Even Mahjong and Blackjack were considered games too. These were entertainment choices devised by the brilliance of humanity, catering to people of all walks of life.

Just like how white-collar workers occasionally peeked into their social media accounts during working hours, Ji Fanyin was overtly fond of gaming during working hours.

When Bai Zhou remarked, "Can't you play any better than that?", Ji Fanyin fulfilled his wish and thoroughly kicked his ass.

"Tsk! Fine, I admit defeat. Happy now?" Bai Zhou grumbled in displeasure after having lost in every single game he had challenged Ji Fanyin to. He eyed the time and said, "It's 1 o'clock now. Let's go have lunch."

Ji Fanyin already had a good idea as to what Bai Zhou was up to today.

He was planning to review whatever pieces of the pathetically few memories they shared together, likely with the aim of repainting them with new colors. If Ji Fanyin was still 'Ji Fanyin', she might have been moved by his sincerity.

Unfortunately, 'Ji Fanyin' was no longer around. Also, if Ji Fanyin didn't transmigrate over to this world, Bai Zhou wouldn't have had a change of heart either.

That was a huge gap in logic that was simply impossible to overlook.

The restaurant Bai Zhou picked for lunch was another extension of his memories with 'Ji Fanyin'. It was the place their group had gone after having their fun at the arcade that day.

According to 'Ji Fanyin's' memories, she hardly ate anything that day. The restaurant had a glass turntable where the dishes were served, so as to make it easier for customers to get the dish they wanted. Unfortunately, 'Ji Fanyin' was unable to grasp the timing for her to turn the turntable, so she was stuck with eating the dishes that happened to stop in front of her.

Bai Zhou had specially booked a huge table just for the two of them.

Ji Fanyin: "…"

When it was finally time to foot the bill, Bai Zhou walked up to the cashier and took out his wallet.

Do youngsters nowadays still bring wallets with them? I thought they roamed the world with just a phone in hand. At most, I thought they would just bring a portable charger with them.

Ji Fanyin couldn't recall Bai Zhou ever using a wallet, so his unusual behavior piqued her attention. She swiftly noticed a small picture pasted inside the wallet.

… A neoprint? Are you a grade schooler?

Despite Bai Zhou's desperate attempt to paint over old memories, the fact still remained that his interactions with 'Ji Fanyin' were severely lacking. It was to the extent where a day was more than enough to run through all of the memories, even amidst dilly-dallying.

They had dinner at the hotel where they'd had a farewell banquet to send Ji Xinxin off.

That was actually the place Ji Fanyin and Bai Zhou first met. She had used the excuse that Ji Xinxin detested the smell of cigarettes to play the arrogant young man like a fool, and it looked like her lie hadn't been exposed to date.

Their schedule for the day ended at a coffee shop.

As Bai Zhou handed the freshly brewed latte to Ji Fanyin, the clock in the nearby square started to chime a total of nine times.

Bai Zhou asked with a pleading voice, "… Can we head to one more location?"

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"I'm off work now," Ji Fanyin rejected him heartlessly. "Do you intend to pay me extra?"

Bai Zhou fell silent for a brief moment before shaking his head. Ji Fanyin was surprised to see that.

There were people in the world who were money-minded and showed contempt toward the rich. Bai Zhou was different from them—he seemed to hate money.

Whenever he spent money, he would squander it as if it was nothing more than a tool to vent his emotions.

This was the first time she was seeing Bai Zhou hesitate when it came to money. This meant what he was up to wasn't just as simple as 'heading to another location'.

"… My birthday is coming up soon," said Bai Zhou all of a sudden.

"I know." There was no way Ji Fanyin wouldn't know the birthday of her number one client.

"21st birthday," he emphasized.

"I know," Ji Fanyin also responded with an emphatic voice.

Back in Greece, that was the day she had promised Bai Zhou to give him a response.

"You'd better not have forgotten about it." Bai Zhou let out a cold harrumph. He eyed her clothes and impatiently urged, "Hurry up and hail your cab."

"I'm not heading home yet." Ji Fanyin glanced at her watch. "I still have matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."

Bai Zhou subconsciously stopped her." Where are you heading to? Who are you meeting with?"

Ji Fanyin tapped on her watch and reminded Bai Zhou, "It's my private time."

She walked out of the coffee shop, leaving Bai Zhou behind. She really did have matters to attend to—she was rushing to the cinema to catch the latest movie that hit the silver screen.

There was a real risk that she might get spoiled on her Weibo if she were to be late.

There were still twenty minutes before the screening, so she decided to make a call to report on the progress of her work first.

I guess there's time to make two.

The first call was to Mr. Bai's mistress. She roughly reported her recent meetings with Bai Zhou to her, making sure to properly relay the charges.

The mistress was satisfied with the progress. "Bai Zhou didn't return home over the holidays, choosing to stay in Lakeside City all alone. His father was infuriated. He grumbled quite a bit about it to me."

Ji Fanyin could hear the smirk in her voice, as if the latter was boasting that she was the one Mr. Bai truly cared for. She raised her eyebrows and asked, "Does that mean that you're satisfied with my performance?"

"I've already said that you're a smart child. A smart person can only succeed after choosing the right path…" The mistress paused for a moment before asking, "It looks like you sold the apartment I've given you?"

Her surveillance work is quite thorough. It looks like the Bai Family is very fond of engaging the services of private investigators.

"It's too big. It would be uncomfortable to live there," replied Ji Fanyin.

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"You're still young, that's why you don't understand why bigger houses are better," the mistress said with a chuckle. "I've already given the apartment to you, so you're free to do whatever you want with it. Bai Zhou will be in his third year of university soon. His father will soon call him home to intern in the company so as to prepare him for succession. All you have to do now is make him stay in Lakeside City and not return home. It should be easy for you. You just have to meet up with him more."

Ji Fanyin agreed to the request.

After receiving the mistress' bank transfer, she dialed another number on her phone—Mrs. Bai.

"I didn't return during the Chinese New Year period either," Mrs. Bai replied placidly. "Did he spend the New Year with you?"

"He wished me Happy Chinese New Year."

There was a moment of silence before Mrs. Bai replied, "Is that so? It has been many years since I received such messages from him."

"Have you ever sent one to him?" asked Ji Fanyin.

"There's no need for that." Mrs. Bai thought nothing about it. "I understand the current situation. I'll send you the money by tomorrow. I heard that your younger sister is back in the country. Do take note of it."

Ji Fanyin seriously doubted whether Ji Xinxin would have the energy to bother with Bai Zhou during this period of time, but there was no need for her to explain that to Mrs. Bai.

Mrs. Bai hung up the call.

After making those two calls, it was already about time for the movie to start soon, so she quickly made her way to the cinema. Along the way, she noticed two neoprint machines, the source of the little photos in Bai Zhou's wallet.

She subconsciously glanced at the lower floors and noticed that she could still see the sign of the cafe they were in earlier.

Could this be the place where Bai Zhou wanted to bring me to?

Ji Fanyin had seen plenty of people who courted their own death, but this was the first time she was seeing someone who insisted on torturing themself on top of that.

As long as you don't do things that prick at your conscience, you won't regret it in the future. It's such simple logic, but why is it that so few people in the world understood it?

Ji Fanyin nonchalantly walked up to the concession stand and made her order, "Single Combo Set B. Thanks."

Ji Fanyin's new assistant was more competent than she had thought. He had planned out her schedule flawlessly, leaving nothing for her to complain about. Even when there was a seemingly irreconcilable clash in schedule, he was somehow able to settle things effectively with just a few calls.

Ji Fanyin found herself wondering if Shen Qi was actually a personal secretary of some famous CEO prior to becoming a 996 Programmer.

I heard that Li Xiaoxing has several teams of personal assistants, around forty people in total. I reckon that the salary of those people exceeds that of most small enterprises.

"You also have a wedding invitation," said Shen Qi. "It's from Mr. Li Xiaoxing and Miss Ji Xinxin. They are getting engaged on the 12th of March."

"Arbor Day," Ji Fanyin remarked subconsciously.

"It's the day commemorating Mr. Li Xiaoxing and Miss Ji Xinxin's reunion," Shen Qi corrected her.

Ji Fanyin: "…"

She took a moment to dissect what she had just heard from Shen Qi before asking the important question," How did you know?"

That should be information that only Ji Xinxin and Li Xiaoxing know about.

Shen Qi propped up his glasses and replied, "Miss Ji Xinxin said so herself."

"Oh…" Ji Fanyin's interest deflated.

She's probably being high profile about the event because she's terrified about having no one else to fall back on. She's trying to be more affectionate so as to bind Li Xiaoxing tighter to her.

It's just that the tighter she holds and the more she gains out of him, the harder she could fall, and the more afraid she would be of the eventual revelation.

Ji Fanyin had no intention of letting Ji Xinxin off that easily. She was biding her time for Ji Xinxin's sea to dry up so that all of her shrimp and fishes would escape from her fishery. Her fall from grace would be spectacular.

Or at least that was the conclusion she had prepared for Ji Xinxin.

"Do you intend to attend the engagement ceremony?" asked Shen Qi.

"Nah, I'll pass," replied Ji Fanyin without any hesitation. "I have other appointments…"

She paused at this point.

12th of March; it was also the day of Bai Zhou's birthday.

On top of that, there was bound to be a crowd at the engagement ceremony. Aside from Father Ji and Mother Ji, many of Ji Xinxin's old fishes would likely attend the ceremony as well so as to bid farewell to their old flame.

It almost sounds like a banquet for me to rake in Emotional Points.

"I'll go," Ji Fanyin quickly changed her words. "Prioritize the engagement ceremony in my schedule. Cancel everything that clashes with it."

Shen Qi propped up his glasses and replied, "Understood. I'll change your schedule."

…

The first thing Bai Zhou did after returning home was to browse through the reservation app. He was waiting for midnight to arrive so that he could reserve her service for his birthday right away lest someone beat him to it.

He had already planned it out. He was planning to reserve several days of her time in a single breath.

We went to Greece last time, didn't we? I'll take her somewhere else this time. Since we don't have much of a past together, I'll just have to create some new memories with her.

Ji Fanyin had promised to answer his confession on his 21st birthday. While she did often spout lies, he didn't think that she would renege on a promise she had made.

She didn't seem to be averse to Santorini's weather back then. Where should we go this time?

London sounds good, but it's prone to rain in this season.

Or should we head for somewhere sunnier since the weather is cold here? Maybe Bali or Boracay? Would it be too hot though?

Bai Zhou had nearly scrolled through the entire traveling app, Fliggy, by now. His plan was to take Ji Fanyin out for three days, leaving on Friday and returning on Monday.

Saturday was the 12th of March, his birthday.

Thus, the moment the reservation app opened up 11th of March for reservation, Bai Zhou swooped right in and claimed it for himself.

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

24 hours later, the reservation app finally opened up the 12th of March for reservations. Same as before, Bai Zhou swooped in the moment the clock struck midnight, only to discover that the schedule was locked from 3 PM onward.

Bai Zhou gritted his teeth in anger, but he still claimed all of the time slots between 11 AM to 3 PM for himself anyway.