Substitute Lover [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 36

She never imagined that acting would be so different from what she thought.

Throwing a girl who had never set foot in the entertainment industry into the entertainment circle, Ji Fan never considered what she would face and endure. She had only mentioned it casually, just joking around on the bed, saying, “You’re so beautiful, it’s a pity if you don’t go into acting.”

Jiang Cha thought she hoped she would act, so she foolishly really started.

A casual joke, taken seriously because the other party was too serious.
Every word she said was chewed over countless times by someone. How much Jiang Cha cherished her.
Her previous casual attitude had ultimately hurt someone.

It was ultimately inappropriate.

Ji Fan looked at Jiang Cha, wanting to do something for her.

But Jiang Cha probably didn’t need it anymore.

••••

Paper couldn’t contain fire.

Jiang Cha was in a panic.

Somehow, the news of her and Ji Fan’s divorce had reached her parents.

Most likely they saw the news online.

Jiang Cha was surnamed after her mother.

Her mother’s name was Jiang Yuanwen, a university English teacher who worked at a normal university in mainland China. Her maternal grandmother’s family could still be considered a Red Third Generation. Tracing back to her ancestors, there had been several famous people, but it was different when it came to her mother.

After her mother, Jiang Yuanwen, married her poor father, she had almost completely cut off ties with her maternal grandmother’s side.

Fortunately, although their family was not rich or noble, they were well-off and had never let Jiang Cha suffer much. When Jiang Cha was young, her mother had been promoted to associate professor, and after so many years, she had long since been promoted to full professor. The university was quiet, and Jiang Cha was already married, so she and her father spent their days playing with cats and dogs and traveling.

The couple were enjoying their retirement.

Jiang Yuanwen and Jiang Cha’s father had very similar ideas: if they could live a good life, they would live a good life, and they wouldn’t make any trouble all day long.

Getting a divorce from Ji Fan was a big deal.

No good, I have to go see what’s going on.

“What’s going on between you and Ji Fan?” The phone buzzed loudly, and Jiang Yuanwen asked softly on the other end, “Don’t you want to live a good life anymore? You want a divorce?”

“…”

Jiang Cha curled up in the quilt, leaning against the wall and sitting, with a script spread across her knees, and a black ballpoint pen paused at a certain point, leaving a dark black dot.

The dot she was making grew larger and larger.

What should she say?

When she had wanted to marry Ji Fan, her parents had been hesitant because the other party was a woman, thinking it wasn’t reliable. At that time, Jiang Cha had only Ji Fan in her head, and getting married to her was such a luxurious and dreamlike thing. She had pleaded with her parents, not knowing how many good things she had said about Ji Fan to their ears, hoping they would agree.

Her eyes sparkling, she had said that Ji Fan was gentle, considerate, and very caring. She said that they had been together for six years and their relationship was very, very good.

She had also promised that even if there were small disagreements in the future, they would not divorce and would always be good.

She couldn’t bring herself to speak of her current predicament and suffering.

“We’re not divorced,” Jiang Cha said with a light laugh. “Our relationship is pretty good. Those news articles are fake, made up for a new movie to attract attention and traffic.”

Jiang Yuanwen laughed on the other end of the phone, and the phone buzzed.

“Okay. It’s good that you’re not divorced.”

She replied casually.

But after all, she was a mother, and she knew her daughter’s character very well.

“Don’t overthink it,” Jiang Cha comforted her. “I’m really doing well now. I just recently got a great movie role…”

Jiang Yuanwen didn’t expose her, but simply interrupted:

“Right, we plan to come over there to see you.” Jiang Yuanwen said softly, “Where are you living now? Send me the address.”

Her parents had always lived in the university town of their hometown, and it was several provinces away from the capital. To get here, it would take a two-hour flight or a day and night train ride. Their idea was that both their child and themselves had independent lives and it would be inconvenient to live together, so they had always stayed in their hometown and had no intention of living with Jiang Cha and Ji Fan.

They would only come over occasionally when they missed their daughter.

Jiang Cha was starting to get a headache.

“You’re coming over?” Jiang Cha held her phone and whispered, “Mom, no, I can’t. I’m really busy filming right now.”

“Filming is just right,” Jiang Yuanwen said happily, “We can just come and watch, and see how those movies are made.”

“No,” Jiang Cha said, “Really, I’m too busy lately, I don’t have time—”

Before she could finish her sentence, she heard her father’s impatient voice coming through the phone from the other end:

“Don’t beat around the bush with her. We’re about to board the plane, so don’t say anything unnecessary.”

Jiang Cha widened her eyes and exclaimed, “You’re about to board the plane?”

Jiang Yuanwen immediately covered the mouthpiece and lowered her voice, saying, “Your dad has a bad temper, as you know. I told him not to come, but he insisted on coming, saying he wanted to see how that person surnamed Ji bullied our daughter.”

Jiang Cha was stunned and her eyes instantly felt a little sore.

Her father, Lin Yuhui, had heart disease and couldn’t be stimulated.

As a child, once, after school, Jiang Cha went to play at a classmate’s house and forgot to call home to report her itinerary. As the only daughter in the family, her father was so worried that he searched everywhere for her. When he couldn’t find her, he thought she had been abducted by human traffickers, suffered a heart attack, and collapsed directly onto the sofa.

If he hadn’t taken his medicine in time, he would have died on the spot.

That experience cast a big shadow over her, and she was afraid that she would do something to worry her father and cause unpredictable consequences. Now that he was older and his health was not as good as before, he couldn’t stand any stimulation at all.

“We’re not divorced. Don’t worry, Ji Fan and I are doing great now.” Jiang Cha’s long eyelashes trembled slightly as she said softly, “The online news is all fake. You and Dad actually believed it?”

“Okay, okay, you’re not divorced.” Jiang Yuanwen said, “Send me your location, we won’t have signal once we board the plane.”

Jiang Cha was silent for a moment, knowing that she couldn’t stop them, so she had to send her current address.

“What time is the flight? I’ll pick you up at the right time.”

“3:30 in the afternoon.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Cha sighed softly, picked up her phone, hesitated for a long time, and finally sent Ji Fan a message helplessly.

——”Are you free?”

••••

Meanwhile, on the other side.

In Ji Fan’s office.

Ji Fan lowered her head, staring at the row of words on the WeChat interface, her heart pounding.

Jiang Cha replied to her?

Why?

Did she send it to the wrong person?

Or maybe…

Could it be that the confession she had sent her at one o’clock in the morning yesterday morning hadn’t been retracted in time, and she had seen it?

Ji Fan’s white fingers curled up, and her long eyelashes trembled.

What should she do.

Before she could panic, Jiang Cha’s second message came.

“Accompany me to pick up my parents.”

Ji Fan’s tense back relaxed.

She sat in the armchair and sighed softly.

She couldn’t say whether it was disappointment or something else.

But then she became excited again.

Ji Fan looked at the sapphire blue dial of her watch, the silver, slender hands trembled slightly, pointing to 1:30.

“Move the meeting later to tomorrow.

Without raising her head, the light outlined her nose bridge very sharply, and her eye sockets were deep.

“Okay, is it still at the same time tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

Ji Fan stood up, relaxed her shoulders, took a small bag from the coat rack, slung it over her shoulder, and answered casually, then went out the door.

There was still enough time now, it was only 1:30.

The silver-gray high heels paused briefly when she went out the door.

“Wait.”

Ji Fan said to the assistant who hadn’t had time to retract her surprised expression, “Ask Xiao Lin to come to my house.”

Xiao Lin was her personal makeup artist.

She was usually in charge of her makeup and clothing for important occasions. Usually, she didn’t need it for ordinary occasions when she went to work, and she would dress according to her own preferences, but this time was different.

She was going to meet Jiang Cha’s parents.

Although she didn’t know why the two elders came, it was always good to be well-prepared.

She glanced at her watch and said, “Tell her to be at my house at exactly 1:45. No being late.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The assistant nodded politely, her eyes curiously glancing at her from the corner of her eye.

Ji Fan, who usually had a poker face, showed a trace of nervousness mixed with a bit of excitement, as if something big was about to happen.

What was CEO Ji going to do?

A date with Ms. Jiang?

But when did they get back together? Didn’t Ms. Jiang throw away her flowers so mercilessly that day? How come they reconciled so quickly after only a few days?

Women’s hearts are like the ocean floor.

She sighed silently and called the makeup artist.

••••

Ding-dong.

The makeup artist arrived at her house on time.

Ji Fan’s house was designed by the renowned interior design studio Elicyon, with a unique blend of European and retro styles to highlight the distinctive characteristics of this residence.

The designer skillfully used warm gray, beige, and other warm and soft color scales, and embellished them with eye-catching black or metallic colors to create a distinct contrast in the space. Pop art paintings hung on the walls, bringing a strong visual impact and breaking away from the traditional luxurious style, making people smile knowingly.

The maid led her to Ji Fan’s dressing room.

Ji Fan’s dressing room was very large, and the walls were all closets, reaching directly to the ceiling. The light-colored wooden closets had a row of small lights installed at the top. As soon as a person entered, the sensor lights in the closet area turned on, and the slightly warm yellow lights illuminated the densely packed rows of various clothes: suits, skirts, dresses, and gowns, which seemed a bit crowded.

Ji Fan was sitting in front of the dressing table, her back slender and quiet.

She was lowering her head, searching on Baidu for a serious question: What kind of makeup should I wear to meet my parents-in-law? What are the requirements for clothing?

“Ms. Ji.”

Ji Fan heard the voice behind her, so she put down her phone and said without turning her head, “Help me with a look for meeting the parents. Make me look… um, gentle and obedient.”

The makeup artist was startled.

She almost laughed out loud.

After saying the last few words, Ji Fan herself felt a little numb and uncomfortable.

“If you’re meeting the parents, it doesn’t necessarily mean that being obedient is the only way to be likable.”

The makeup artist pulled over a small stool and sat beside her, “Being generous, mature, and reliable is also good.”

Ji Fan thought what she said made sense and nodded.

The makeup artist skillfully opened a row of makeup brushes and began to work.

Ji Fan closed her eyes and chatted with her casually.

“Is Ms. Ji going to meet Ms. Jiang’s parents?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, then what I said is even more correct.” She smiled, “Who doesn’t like the other half of their daughter to be someone who is caring, mature, and responsible? Even if it’s a woman, it’s pretty much the same requirements.”

“Yes.”

Ji Fan mumbled.

“If you want to leave a good impression on your parents-in-law, you have to be diligent and take good care of their daughter. After all, they raised her with their heart and soul, and they just hope she can marry someone who can love her.”

“Yes.” Her voice gradually weakened.

Ji Fan was almost asleep and didn’t quite catch what she was saying.

After fiddling with her face for a while, it was finally finished.

Ji Fan looked at herself in the mirror and couldn’t see any difference from usual.

“Is this any different from usual?”

She turned around in front of the mirror.

“Ms. Ji has such a good temperament, you look good no matter how you put on makeup.”

The makeup artist complimented her with a smile.

Ji Fan gave a lukewarm “hmm” and dismissed her, then drove to pick up Jiang Cha herself.

After all, she was going to pick up her parents in-laws, so it would be insincere to have her driver drive.

She arrived early on purpose.

Jiang Cha was already waiting downstairs.

She was wearing a thin wool plaid dress, the hem of which fell just above her thighs, and she had a loose knit cardigan over it, a light green color that matched the light green buds floating on the branches of the trees outside in the spring light.

Jiang Cha wasn’t wearing stockings, just a dress, her skin was white and tender, and her collarbone was illuminated by the early spring sunlight, with a translucent, jade-like transparency.

She stood quietly downstairs, her pupils were dark, and her gaze was cold and self-possessed, not at all frivolous.

Ji Fan, in order to appear not so solemn, deliberately drove her deep blue Porsche. She opened the driver’s side window, revealing half of her side face, “Let’s go.”

Jiang Cha glanced at her, said nothing, but walked around the passenger seat, opened the door, and sat in the back seat.

After closing the car door, the soundproofing was so good that there was a suffocating silence.

It was too quiet.

“Want to listen to some music?” Ji Fan said, “Something classical, okay?”

Jiang Cha didn’t respond.

Ji Fan casually played a violin piece she often listened to.

As soon as the elegant and long sound came out, both of them were slightly stunned.

This piece, Jiang Cha thought, how come it sounds so familiar.

That’s right, she had heard it.

The scenery outside the window flowed by quickly.

In the moment when the light and shadow overlapped, time seemed to fly backwards, returning to many years ago. At that time, they were still in college, and they had just “gotten together,” and every day, besides classes, they were glued together. If you didn’t care or think too deeply, you could still taste a lot of sweetness.

One day, Jiang Cheng pestered Ji Fan and asked her for an answer. She sweetly acted coquettish and asked Ji Fan how she really felt about her.

I don’t know if it was because she was annoyed by the nagging or something else.

Ji Fan, such a silent and inexpressive girl, actually gave a reply.

At that time, Ji Fan didn’t speak, but just played a Schubert serenade for her.

The music was soft and beautiful, and in its gentleness, it seemed to carry a sincere sincerity. With the moon hanging on the branches, Ji Fan was leaning against the window, her side profile elegant and deep, the bow of the violin trembling slightly, playing this piece.

Jiang Cha didn’t understand the violin, and she seriously asked Ji Fan what this piece was and what it meant.

Ji Fan didn’t say anything.

So much time had passed, years.

Jiang Cha hadn’t expected that she still remembered the tune of that piece.

Her lips moved silently a few times.

In the end, she didn’t ask anything.

What was the name of the piece? Did it matter?

The past had become blurred, and to recall it would inevitably be colored by personal emotions, losing its authenticity.

Perhaps Ji Fan had simply played a random piece.

Perhaps she just happened to be practicing that piece recently, or she particularly liked that tune.

She lowered her eyes, and her clear eyes reflected the spring scenery outside the window, brilliant yet somewhat cold.

They arrived at the airport.

Ji Fan parked the car and led Jiang Cha on a long, winding path, finding her parents near the subway entrance.

“They don’t know about our recent situation,”** Jiang Cha leaned in and finally spoke to her.

Ji Fan’s long eyelashes fluttered down as she glanced at her sideways.

“I know. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come to me.”

The elegant corners of Ji Fan’s lips curved up slightly, then she took Jiang Cha’s hand and walked forward, a smile on her face.

Her parents were smaller than she had imagined. Looking at their figures in the bustling crowd, Jiang Cha felt a sense of inexplicable heartache.

They were old.

Really old.

She walked forward, her red lips curved into a smile, and she waved, “Mom.”

Ji Fan’s heart skipped a beat.

She was so grown up and still calling her “Mom”.

But somehow, she felt a pang of heartache, and it was cute.

Mother Jiang was already quite old, her figure was a bit stooped, but she was well-maintained, her slightly gray hair was pulled back, and her eyes were very gentle.

One had a soft expression, the other had a stiff face, standing there coldly.

One was her mom, and the other was her dad.

Ji Fan leaned slightly closer to Jiang Cha’s ear and whispered:

“Do you think you’ll be like this when you’re old?”

Jiang Cha looked up at her, but didn’t say anything.

Jiang Cha’s parents looked over together.

That woman was Ji Fan?

Although they had met a few times when Jiang Cha got married, they were not really familiar. All their understanding of Ji Fan came from what Jiang Cha had said, which was inevitably biased.

Ji Fan was wearing a khaki lapel windbreaker, very thin, with a wide belt tied around her waist, which softened her usually cold and hard temperament.

Her thick curly hair draped over her shoulders, and white pearls dangled from her white ears, no longer so sharp and aggressive, but still looking mature and elegant.

She looked okay.

“Mom and Dad are here?”

Ji Fan took their bags and called them that right away.

Jiang Cha frowned slightly on the side.

But Jiang Yuanwen noticed the emotions hidden in Jiang Cha’s eyes.

The moment she called out “Mom and Dad”.

It was like longing, like bitterness.

They were a little surprised by the other party’s eagerness.

They chose a seafood restaurant for dinner.

The four of them shared a small table.

Mother  Jiang was very good at talking, guiding the conversation and being gentle and friendly. Father Jiang, on the other hand, had a stern face, as if someone owed him money.

The waiter brought out a plate of shrimp.

Ji Fan quietly lowered her long eyelashes, put on gloves, peeled the shrimp shells with her fingers, and placed the shrimp in Jiang Cha’s bowl.

Her fingers were beautiful, with distinct knuckles and flexible fingertips, and she peeled the shrimp shells very quickly.

One, two.

They were placed in Jiang Cha’s small white porcelain bowl.

Jiang Cha lowered her eyes and ate quietly, like a small cat curled up in front of its food box, obediently.

They were very close, and in her parents’ eyes, it was a very warm and beautiful scene.

Jiang’s parents scored again.

It seemed okay.

There didn’t seem to be any problems.

After dinner, Ji Fan went to pay the bill, and Jiang Yuanwen and Lin Yuhui whispered together.

“I think Xiao Ji is no problem,” Jiang Yuanwen smiled, “When someone wants to cherish someone, that look can’t be hidden. Didn’t you notice the look in her eyes when she looked at Chacha just now? It was so gentle. They’re just too young, impulsive, and little squabbles don’t count.

“……”

Lin Yuhui said nothing.

On the surface, at least on the surface, there was nothing wrong with Ji Fan.

“We need to observe for a while longer,” Lin Yuhui said solemnly, “Maybe that person surnamed Ji is just putting on a show. We’ve only met once, who knows what she has in mind.”

“I think Xiao Ji is good. Most of the online news is fake, celebrities, a little sesame-sized matter, the media magnifies it many times. At most, it’s just a small conflict.”

Jiang Yuanwen had heard from Jiang Cha before that Ji Fan lost her mother when she was young and had a miserable childhood.

She thought of the look in Ji Fan’s eyes when she looked at her and Lin Yuhui just now.

That look was unique, like envy, and faintly longing.

Jiang Yuanwen sighed and said to Lin Yuhui, “Couples don’t hold grudges overnight. Even if there was something before, they’ve probably made up now. Young people are like that.”

Jiang Cha heard what they were talking about.

What should she say.

She didn’t even have the strength to refute.

“Chacha, I think your dad and I will probably stay here for about a month,”

Jiang Yuanwen looked up and said softly.

Jiang Cha’s face turned pale.

For the next month.

She would have to live with Ji Fan.