After Flirting with the Wrong Stand-in, I Overturned (GL) - Chapter 53

“A-Xuan, I have to go shoot a commercial the day after tomorrow.” Lin Shuyan opened her suitcase, looked at it, and decided to switch to a smaller one. It was just in the neighboring city, and she’d likely be back in two days.

“I heard there are many tourist attractions there,” Ren Xuan said. “You could stay a couple of extra days to have fun.”

“Mhm?”

“I have to go on a business trip, too.”

“Huh?” Shuyan put down the things she was tidying and sat next to Ren Xuan, naturally wrapping her arms around Ren Xuan’s neck. “A-Xuan didn’t tell me in advance.”

“It’s for the day after the day after tomorrow,” Ren Xuan chuckled. “And I’m going to visit some relatives while I’m at it.”

“Real relatives this time?” Shuyan asked curiously, biting her lip.

“Yes,” Ren Xuan replied with a drawn-out tone, gently patting Shuyan’s hair. She knew exactly what Shuyan was teasing her about. “My girlfriend isn’t there this time, so who would I be making up excuses for?”

True. “Then how many days will A-Xuan be gone?”

“About a week.” Ren Xuan made a preliminary estimate. Shuyan’s trip to the neighboring city was only about an hour’s drive, whereas Ren Xuan’s destination was further; even by plane, it would take several hours.

“I’ll wait for A-Xuan at home,” Shuyan decided for herself. “I’ve been to the neighboring city several times; it’s not that interesting.”

“Alright.” The choice of which city to stay in had belonged to Shuyan from the start. “I’ll leave the house in Shuyan’s care, then.”

Lin Shuyan nodded vigorously.

The next day, Lin Shuyan went to the designated location as usual to wait for her assistant, Chen Yan, and the driver. This time, she was shooting a short promotional video for a sportswear brand. This brand was known for its mass-market appeal and solid reputation in the entertainment industry. Sister Zheng had mentioned that the brand’s image was excellent, and Shuyan’s endorsement would be beneficial for her public profile. It was a win-win partnership.

Arriving at the shoot alongside Shuyan was a male star she recognized. He had become famous through variety shows and definitely had great athletic genes. The two of them, wearing different sets of sportswear, followed the director’s instructions. It took Shuyan a day and a half to finish the commercial.

Just as she was preparing to head back, Shuyan received a call from Song Tang.

The two belonged to the same company, but due to their different filming schedules, they hadn’t been in touch for a while aside from New Year greetings. Shuyan answered immediately. “Song Tang.”

“Shuyan—” Song Tang’s end sounded noisy; Shuyan could clearly hear the sound of cars.

“Song Tang, I can’t hear you clearly.” Shuyan sent a text: “Let’s chat on WeChat.”

Soon, Song Tang switched to the chat interface. “Lin Shuyan, where are you? Finished the commercial?”

“About to head back,” Shuyan replied while waiting for the car. “Just finished.”

“Don’t go back yet!”

“What do you mean?” Shuyan paused her finger over the message, asking in confusion.

She saw the “typing…” status appear and disappear. After waiting patiently, Shuyan received a voice message: “Lin Shuyan, wait. I’ll find a quiet place to message you. Don’t go back yet!”

The car hasn’t arrived yet. Shuyan sent this reply and scratched her head, clutching her phone as she waited for Song Tang’s news.

Three minutes later, she heard Song Tang say breathlessly in a voice note, “I want to come play at your place. Don’t go back yet, wait for me.”

“Aren’t you filming in Linzhou?” Shuyan knew Song Tang’s schedule. “Why come here all of a sudden?”

“I…” Song Tang seemed to have just remembered she was supposed to be filming. “I heard online that the snacks in your location are especially delicious. Since I’m stuck filming and can’t go, can you bring some back for me?”

Bringing food. Shuyan patted her chest. “Sure, what do you want to eat?”

“Everything,” Song Tang said impatiently.

Everything? Shuyan held down the voice recording button and asked gently, “Are the snacks here really that good?”

“Of course.” The other person began describing things happily, but when Shuyan asked for specifics, Song Tang could only come up with “tofu.”

“How would I remember? I just saw online that it’s good.”

Shuyan didn’t suspect a thing. “I’ll go take a look. If it’s really good, I’ll bring some back for myself too.”

“Who are you bringing it for?”

“For…” Shuyan was too embarrassed to let everyone know she was thinking about A-Xuan every second. “For my sister.”

“Bring it for whoever you want. Just walk around more, look at the scenery outside, look out…”

Wait. Shuyan suddenly realized something was off. Squinting her eyes, she asked suspiciously, “Song Tang, are you hiding something from me?” Shuyan placed a video call directly. Caught off guard, Song Tang answered before she could react.

“Me?” The other party coughed awkwardly and looked away. “How could I have anything to hide from you?”

“You’re hiding something!” Shuyan was almost certain. “Look at me.”

“I’m not.” Song Tang denied it flatly, but the way she hurriedly hung up the video call said everything. Shuyan held her phone, didn’t ask further, and stared ahead with a solemn expression until a car drove up.

“Teacher Lin,” her assistant Chen Yan waved at her.

“A-Yan,” Shuyan processed everything Song Tang had said and suddenly asked, “Has something happened in Yecheng?” Shuyan didn’t know why she asked; it was just a gut feeling.

“No.” Chen Yan blinked in confusion, having no idea what Shuyan was talking about.

Song Tang wants me to stay away—something is definitely up. Chen Yan probably didn’t know either. Shuyan tapped her phone unconsciously. What could it be?

“Teacher Lin, are we going back?” Chen Yan asked uncertainly.

“Yes.” She had to go back to Yecheng. As for the food Song Tang wanted… “A-Yan, can you do me a favor?”

The familiar Ren mansion came into view, brightly lit, and Shuyan’s heart settled significantly.

“The Eldest Miss left this morning.” After hearing Butler Wang’s words of concern and Ren Ke’s constant chattering, Shuyan gave a faint smile. After watching a movie downstairs with Ren Ke, Shuyan went to the second floor alone. The room she had originally stayed in was no longer in use; she went straight to the room she shared with Ren Xuan.

Lying on the large, soft bed, Shuyan stretched her limbs. Suddenly, her phone went ding.

It wasn’t A-Xuan, it wasn’t Xiao Ke, it wasn’t even anyone Shuyan knew. It was a completely unknown number.

Normally, Shuyan would have deleted it like any other spam ad, but the first sentence made her hand freeze:

“Don’t you want to know why your girlfriend is with you?”

“Who are you?” Shuyan quickly typed back.

“Who I am isn’t important,” the other party clearly had no intention of revealing their identity. “Don’t you want to know why your bedfellow is with you?”

“In terms of family background, appearance, or ability—which part of you do you think could actually catch the eye of the one from the Ren family?”

Every word stung Shuyan’s eyes. If this had been the old Shuyan, she would have already spiraled into self-doubt without a word of rebuttal. But now, she struggled to stay calm.

“Her name is An Ruo. About two years ago, I helped her with a favor, and she said she wanted to marry me. I felt nothing for her, and the An family’s strict rules wouldn’t allow it anyway…”

Shuyan sent back four words: “You are An Ruo.” Immediately, a reply came: “How did you know?”

A second later, another followed: “I’m not.”

Shuyan almost laughed. “If you say you’re not, then you’re not.” She knew the other party’s tricks; she had seen this kind of trope in many scripts. Even if An Ruo didn’t even qualify as a rival, she couldn’t help being so persistent. Since that was the case, Shuyan could afford to be “magnanimous” and not let such simple provocation bother her.

“You’re completely ignoring me, aren’t you?” Seeing those words, An Ruo’s anger flared. She dropped the gradual approach and went straight to the point.

“Why is Ren Xuan with you? Because you look like her ‘White Moonlight’ (first love).”

After this message was sent, Shuyan remained silent for a long time. While An Ruo was secretly feeling smug, another message popped up:

“I am the one with A-Xuan.”

It’s me, it’s me. An Ruo stared fixedly at the words. Was she mocking her? No, that wasn’t right—the pathetic one should be Lin Shuyan.

“Sorry, A-Xuan is calling me. You can afford to be idle, Miss An, but I have things to do.”

Another inflammatory sentence. An Ruo was so angry she hurled her throw pillow across the room. Wait. An Ruo stood up abruptly. This woman was definitely after the money; she must be after Ren Xuan’s wealth, which is why she didn’t react to anything said.

She was going to tell Ren Xuan that this person had no sincerity. She was the one who had loved Ren Xuan for two years; she should be the one by Ren Xuan’s side. She stopped at the door. Since the banquet at the Zhang residence, An Ruo had been grounded at home for half a month.

In a few days, she would be sent abroad again. The An family had emphasized not to provoke Ren Xuan or the Ren family anymore. If not for that, An Ruo would never have waited for Ren Xuan to be on a business trip to send the messages.

Impossible. It’s impossible. The phone slid onto the bed. Shuyan closed her eyes tight, pressing her fists against the sides of her head. It’s not true. She’s just trying to sow discord.

Shuyan told herself over and over again.

“A-Xuan said,” Shuyan shook her head repeatedly, “A-Xuan said I am her first love. I am her first girlfriend.”

“A-Xuan’s first kiss was me. A-Xuan’s first time living with someone was me.”

Yes, yes. Shuyan crawled off the bed, stumbling blindly. Leaving the bedroom, she found herself in the walk-in closet. She opened a wardrobe at random; Ren Xuan’s clothes were on the left, hers on the right.

Shuyan recalled the day she had arranged them this way. She had done it on purpose. What had she said to A-Xuan then?

“A-Xuan will think of me every time she opens the closet. I don’t want my clothes to be separate from A-Xuan’s; we can wear matching couple outfits.”

Yes, couple outfits. Shuyan quickly pulled two identical pieces from the closet. Her own fell to the floor, but she clutched Ren Xuan’s piece tightly, breathing deeply as if inhaling A-Xuan’s scent.

Gradually, Shuyan slumped to the floor, memories of Ren Xuan flashing through her mind. She patted her ears and suddenly gave a light laugh. Recalling her reaction to the messages, she found it utterly ridiculous.

What’s wrong with me?

She was willing to believe a malicious stranger over the lover she lived with every day.

If A-Xuan knew she doubted her like this, she would definitely be unhappy. Shuyan tried to look at it from A-Xuan’s perspective. What if A-Xuan received such a message?

A-Xuan might tell her as a joke, or perhaps she wouldn’t even look at it. A-Xuan never cared about insignificant things. Aside from work, the person she contacted most on her phone was Shuyan.

Shuyan used the wardrobe to slowly stand up from the floor, feeling as if she had just been possessed. How could she doubt A-Xuan like that? A-Xuan would be so heartbroken if she knew.

“Miss Lin! Miss Lin!” Urgent knocking sounded from the door.

“Uncle Wang.” Shuyan dragged her numb legs to open the door.

“Miss Lin, what happened?”

“My legs just fell asleep from sitting,” Shuyan shook her head dismissively. “It’s no matter.”

“Oh,” the butler said, remembering the main task. “The Eldest Miss called you but couldn’t get through, so she called me instead.”

A-Xuan’s call?