After Flirting with the Wrong Stand-in, I Overturned (GL) - Chapter 42

Ning Yinman walked back restlessly, casting frequent glances at Ren Xuan as if she wanted to speak but stopped herself. Even if Ren Xuan hadn’t been paying close attention to her, she noticed something was wrong.

“What is it you want to say?”

“You…” Ning Yinman’s eyes flickered several times. She opened her mouth halfway, then shut it again.

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Ren Xuan frowned. Ning Yinman was not usually one to stammer, and given their years of friendship, she wouldn’t normally hide things from Ren Xuan.

“Let’s talk over here.” Ning Yinman didn’t dare discuss this within the boundaries of The Princess of Qin’s set, yet her curiosity wasn’t strong enough to sustain her until they returned to the hotel. Luckily, a nearby film crew had just finished their task, and staff were trickling out. Ning Yinman dragged Ren Xuan into the clearing.

“Have you… still not forgotten that person?” Ning Yinman asked cryptically. For so many years, her best friend hadn’t even mentioned that person’s name; she had simply remained single. This wasn’t necessarily unusual—some people want a partner, while others prefer to be alone.

Being single or not wasn’t the issue, but how could she find a substitute? That was going too far. If the person found out, how heartbroken would they be?

“Who?” Ren Xuan didn’t recall for a moment.

“Don’t play dumb in front of me.” Ning Yinman grew anxious. Spilt water couldn’t be gathered back; since she’d started, she might as well spill everything. How had she not noticed her friend’s intentions when they visited the set last time? No wonder Ren Xuan helped a random stranger; Ning Yinman had been puzzled back then, but now the reason was clear.

Ren Xuan’s heart sank. She suddenly realized Ning Yinman had recognized it. It was to be expected, but why did she instinctively want to deny it?

There were very few people who knew and had seen the “White Moonlight,” and Ning Yinman happened to be one of them. As the years passed, the White Moonlight’s face had not only faded from Ren Xuan’s sight but had also gradually blurred in Ning Yinman’s memory.

But what should be remembered eventually resurfaces. Ning Yinman had recognized the resemblance.

“You…” Ning Yinman saw Ren Xuan’s expression and knew there was no need for more words.

“Fine.” Ning Yinman pressed a hand to her forehead. Despite the heat, her heart was full of a chill. Giving up the disguise, she took off her sunglasses, put her hands on her hips, and asked with frustrated disappointment, “Are you crazy?”

Ning Yinman considered herself a veteran of the entertainment industry, where everything followed the principle of mutual consent. She never expected her best friend to pull a move like this.

“What was so good about that person? It’s fine that you’ve been obsessed for years. But to find a stand-in?”

Ren Xuan was speechless, letting Ning Yinman scold her. The sun was fierce, and Ren Xuan didn’t actually hear much of what Ning Yinman said afterward clearly. She was only thinking: if even a friend like Ning Yinman reacted this way to the word “stand-in,” what would happen if Lin Shuyan found out?

“Ning Yinman.” Ren Xuan made the hypothesis and suddenly lifted her bowed head. “If Rong Yu treated you as…”

“Don’t curse me!” Ning Yinman cut her off before she could finish. “Hypothesize about Lin Shuyan treating you as a stand-in instead.”

Ren Xuan’s heart constricted. Subconsciously, she didn’t want to accept that.

“See?” Ning Yinman rolled her eyes. “Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you.”

“Is it… unforgivable?” Ren Xuan stood in place for a long time. The fine beads of sweat on her forehead merged into tiny droplets and fell like tears.

“Forgivable?” Ning Yinman said crossly. “I don’t know about your partner, but if someone used me as a stand-in, the first thing I’d do is smash their head in.”

Ren Xuan fell silent again.

“Look at you,” Ning Yinman rolled her eyes again. Given Ren Xuan’s expression, anyone would think she was the one who had been cheated on. “Since you don’t care anyway, why do you care if she forgives you?”

Since she’d already found a stand-in, wasn’t it enough to find a bit of solace for her heart? This one only looked like her in profile and demeanor; maybe next time she could find one where the whole face was a match.

“You’re right.” Ren Xuan lowered her eyes, her dark pupils no longer showing a single ripple. What she wanted was never forgiveness; what she wanted was for Lin Shuyan to feel hatred for her after hearing the word “stand-in.” The path the female lead had to take was the career arc following the severance of all romantic ties. That was also what Ren Xuan had to achieve.

After speaking, Ren Xuan put her sun hat back on and walked away with large strides.

“Wait, you…” Ning Yinman rubbed her head, completely dazed by Ren Xuan’s attitude. For a moment there, Ren Xuan’s behavior made Ning Yinman think she realized she was wrong—so how did it turn into this the next second?

Forget it, Ning Yinman comforted herself. Friends since childhood; I can’t cut her off. Let her do what she wants. I’ll just wait for the day she cries.

“You seem very happy today?” After the morning shoot, Rong Yu and Lin Shuyan were having lunch together. Rong Yu asked curiously; ever since they arrived on set that morning, she felt Lin Shuyan seemed different.

“Do I?” Shuyan asked softly. Perhaps because of the script, her relationship with Rong Yu was getting better, and they were talking more and more.

“Yes,” Rong Yu said with certainty.

“Then I’ll dial it back.” Shuyan gave a faint smile and shyly stuck out her tongue.

Rong Yu shook her head helplessly. Joy that truly comes from the heart cannot be hidden. “You’ve changed a lot.”

“Mhm?” Shuyan was puzzled.

“Maybe you don’t notice it yourself,” Rong Yu smiled. She had noticed Shuyan on the last set when “someone” came to visit. At that time, she felt the newcomer was too polite, too formal, and did everything with a sense of timidness and lack of confidence.

Only a few months had passed, and Shuyan had changed. Rong Yu guessed that perhaps the negative news about her online had dissipated, lifting a stone from Shuyan’s heart. Of course, there was another possibility: Shuyan was in love.

Rong Yu had no intention of prying into her privacy; she simply felt that the way Shuyan cautiously opened her phone and hid while sending messages was somewhat similar to her own behavior.

The difference was, her “person” wasn’t worth it.

“I…” Shuyan touched her own face dazedlly, her eyes downcast, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.

“I feel,” Shuyan said with genuine contentment, “that these past few months have been happier than the twenty-plus years of my life.”

Because she had met A-Xuan.

When God closes a window, He really does leave a door open. Since childhood, she only had Xiao Ke to depend on. Now it was different; after meeting A-Xuan, she had many more important people.

“Rong Yu,” Shuyan finished her meal and hurriedly bid farewell. Watching her departing figure, Rong Yu smiled and sighed, “It’s good to be young.”

“Teacher Rong,” the actress playing the Empress joked, “You’re only two years older than Teacher Lin.”

“Two years?” the other staff members exclaimed in shock.

“Hard to believe, right?” the Empress actress laughed. “I couldn’t believe it either when I first heard it. It’s mainly because Teacher Rong has so many great works.” Rong Yu had debuted and become famous early. Having done so many works, it was easy to get the wrong impression that she was much older.

“Just luck,” Rong Yu said. She didn’t think much of it; she never felt those things were worth much. Her manager didn’t understand why someone of her fame would act in this drama, but Rong Yu simply liked it.

She liked this young general, and she liked the ending of the story.

On the other side, Shuyan happily found a quiet place to message Ren Xuan.

Her phone pinged twice. Ren Xuan scrolled through her phone and couldn’t help but give a bitter smile; she was so close to Shuyan that it was impossible to find an excuse not to reply.

Ren Xuan tried her best to reply as usual, until in a daze, she looked at a message she had sent:

“Shuyan, I might have to go back. Something came up at the company.”

“Is it urgent?” Shuyan sent a voice message immediately. “Then hurry back. Be careful on the way, and don’t rush even if it’s an emergency.”

“Aren’t you going to ask what it is?”

“If A-Xuan has urgent business, go quickly.” Shuyan was naturally a bit despondent; A-Xuan had come all this way, yet she’d only spent a few hours with her.

“Of course I want A-Xuan to stay with me longer,” Shuyan said. “But A-Xuan has things to do and can’t stay, and I can’t accompany A-Xuan either.”

“So,” Shuyan’s eyes sparkled, “as soon as I finish filming this drama, I’ll ask Sister Zheng for some time off.” At the very least, she could have two months of peace at home.

Ren Xuan propped her phone up, listening to the girl on the other side talk about her plans without the slightest hint of boredom.

“A-Xuan,” Shuyan said for a long time before scratching her head, “Am I talking too much?” She had even planned out where the two of them should go. Rong Yu said she had changed; Shuyan suddenly found she seemed to have become annoying—why did she have so much to say?

“It’s very cute,” Ren Xuan praised without hesitation. “When you’re done filming, we’ll go together.”

“Mhm.” Shuyan nodded hard. She had it all planned. By the time The Princess of Qin finished filming, Leaving Home would be about to air. If they were fast, The Dragon Emperor would be airing too. Whether they would be hits, Sister Zheng said depended on fate, and Shuyan deeply agreed.

Whether she became a hit or not, Shuyan wanted to stay with Ren Xuan for a long, long time. Perhaps Song Tang was right about one thing: would someone like her really care if you were famous or if you could make money?

Shuyan knew Ren Xuan didn’t care. But she wanted to act well and have her own career, and then slowly and openly date Ren Xuan.

To be someone worthy of Ren Xuan, Shuyan didn’t want people to say that Ren Xuan had found an unworthy person as a girlfriend. She truly hadn’t been prepared before, but she would take it one step at a time.

After hanging up, Ren Xuan began to pack her luggage. As she lingered in the empty room, she suddenly realized she hadn’t brought anything with her when she came.

“Are you going back?” Ren Xuan called Ning Yinman.

“Now?” Ning Yinman checked the time. “Xuan, you really do things on a whim. We haven’t even been here for twenty-four hours.”

“Something came up at home.” Ren Xuan produced the excuse she’d prepared, then added after a thought, “If you want to stay and supervise, I’ll go first.”

“Are you kidding?” Ning Yinman bounced off the bed. “Who am I supervising?”

Wait, Ning Yinman suddenly remembered the hypothesis Ren Xuan made at the film city today. This Ren Xuan person was quite accurate at guessing others’ business.

“How did you figure it out?” Ning Yinman asked, unwilling to give in. She had clearly hidden it well; admittedly, she used to tell Ren Xuan about every person she dated, but this time she hadn’t said a word, nor had she shown any signs.

“The first time,” Ren Xuan said calmly, then added, “Being single for too long doesn’t suit you.”

“Ren Xuan!” Ning Yinman gnashed her teeth and hung up. This was clearly a dig at how frequently she changed girlfriends, yet she couldn’t find a single word to refute it.

It doesn’t matter, Ning Yinman thought. She has a girlfriend now. I’ll just wait for the day Ren Xuan cries!