Substitute Lover [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 41

In the messy office, Ji Fan was silent for a while, but Jiang Cha didn’t even look at her. She stood up straight and pulled open the mahogany door of the office.

In the quiet, Ji Fan’s slender, bony fingers tapped on her knees one by one.

Her snow-white collar was slightly open, revealing a hint of blue light on her collarbone. Her brown leather boots with thick heels were placed one in front of the other, her profile silent and cold.

She spoke as Jiang Cha was about to leave.

“What did she just say to you?”

Jiang Cha paused, turning her head slightly.

“What do you mean?”

“Literal meaning.”

Ji Fan lifted her thin eyelids, her dark and bright eyes staring at her, with a hidden inquiry.

Jiang Cha smiled.

“We were rehearsing.”

Ji Fan smiled lightly, rather disdainfully, “Don’t deny it first, I heard it. Exchange sincerity for sincerity? Hmm?”

Jiang Cha turned back to look at her, her eyes cold and filled with sharp sarcasm.

“She said, ‘Exchange sincerity for sincerity. Actors should act well and work hard on their works, and the audience will give good feedback.’”

Ji Fan’s expression froze for a moment, her long eyelashes still, not blinking.

Jiang Cha lifted a strand of her long hair with her little finger and tucked it behind her small, translucent ear.

“Is there a problem with an actor’s sincerity in exchange for the audience’s sincerity?”

Ji Fan was speechless.

Jiang Cha smiled lightly, “Director Song is different from you. Do you understand respect?”

“…”

Ji Fan froze for a while before slowly coming to her senses.

“Where are you going?”

“Makeup.”

Ji Fan stood up.

But Jiang Cha immediately turned around.

Her fair face was hidden in her dark long hair, her long eyelashes drooped softly, and she didn’t look at her. The words she said were cold, “Don’t follow me, don’t come to visit the set, I don’t want to see you, do you understand?”

Ji Fan froze in place, her eyes widened, and she looked at Jiang Cha silently.

Suddenly, she couldn’t see anything in front of her, as if someone had grabbed her heart, causing her to suffocate in pain. Her thin lips trembled, but she couldn’t refute anything.

After standing stiffly for a long time, she slowly bent her knees and sat down.

The door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

Ji Fan was startled and thought Jiang Cha had come back, but saw Luo Yan instead.

She lowered her eyes, feeling inexplicably disappointed.

“You’re here?” Luo Yan was a little surprised and said softly, “Are you so free recently? Isn’t the company busy?”

Ji Fan just stood up, her expression a little tired.

“Busy.”

She didn’t even look at Luo Yan and pushed the door open and left.

Luo Yan looked at her thin back, her eyes deep, and she pursed her lips slightly.

••••

On the other side.

The makeup artist had just finished and left.

Jiang Cha was still flipping through the script. There was a scene coming up between her and Luo Yan, and she was afraid of messing up, so she didn’t dare to take it lightly.

The script was almost worn out from her flipping through it. She meticulously annotated every line—what emotion should be conveyed, the character’s psychological state, what had happened before and after, and how to express the emotional shifts. The pages were filled with small, dense black writing, and she didn’t even dare let others see it.

With this much effort, if she still couldn’t act well, it would be a bit foolish.

Yang Yan had high hopes for her.

What made Jiang Cha stand out was her toughness hidden beneath a gentle exterior. Whether it was relationships or her career, once she set her mind to something, she would throw everything into it, aiming for the desired outcome without hesitation or indecision.

Her looks and temperament were her natural advantages, a blessing from the heavens. As long as she put in the effort, there was no difficulty she couldn’t overcome.

Yang Yan sat beside her, trying to ease her tension by casually asking about other things.

“… You’re living together now?” Yang Yan widened her eyes in surprise. “Why? Did you make up?”

Jiang Cha lowered her eyes and explained:

“No, my parents came over. They don’t know the situation.”

“Oh…” Yang Yan responded, then lowered her head to think for a while before saying, “If that’s the case, I have an idea.”

“Hmm?”

Yang Yan pondered for a moment before continuing cautiously:

“You could participate in some reality shows lately. Since your schedule isn’t full, it would be good to plan something. On the other hand, it could also help change some of the stereotypes people have online.”

“Sure.” Jiang Cha propped her chin on her hand and looked at her calmly. “I’m fine with reality shows, as long as it’s not that ‘Honeymoon Trip’ one.”

Yang Yan hesitated for a moment, remaining silent, then turned to grab her tablet. With a swipe of her fingers, she showed Jiang Cha a webpage.

#The list of invited guests for ‘Honeymoon Trip’ has been announced! Which couple are you most looking forward to? Please vote#

A long red image with the latest guest list for the show “Honeymoon Trip”.

A long list of names, men and women, from actors to directors to hosts, musicians, and singers.

Anyone famous could be invited.

They all have one thing in common: good looks and temperament, and they have all been “shipped” before.

One of the couples is Jiang Cha and Ji Fan.

“Want to guess which couple has the most votes?”

Jiang Cha’s long eyelashes fluttered, her expression hesitant and confused: “I don’t know.”

Maybe it’s a pair of male stars, there seem to be a lot of popular ones recently.

You have to click on that little poll to see what most people choose.

Yang Yan clicked on a group randomly.

The voting results were shown: the hottest one was actually Jiang Cha and Ji Fan, the light blue bar chart was much higher than the second one.

Jiang Cha looked at the screen in disbelief.

How could there be so many?

Yang Yan sighed softly, picked up a white porcelain cup and took a sip of hot tea, her eyes didn’t even lift: “I didn’t expect the program team to use this trick.”

Jiang Cha didn’t understand: “What do you mean.”

“As you know, your popularity with Ji Fan has been very high recently. On the one hand, many people expect you to be on, and on the other hand, the program team likes this kind of self-contained traffic and heat. They are telling the audience openly that they have invited you. If you don’t go, what will the audience think? They will definitely be unhappy.”

“……”

If she didn’t go, it would be a clear rejection to participate.

In this way, it would affect her popularity with the audience.

Jiang Cha was silent.

“Think about it again, are you really not going to participate in that variety show?”

Jiang Cha was quiet for a moment.

“Actually, it’s okay to go.” Yang Yan said: “I was worried before and rejected it because the program team would arrange for each couple to stay in a hotel suite, and I was afraid you would mind. But now that you’re already living together, it’s okay.”

She stopped there and then explained: “Actually, it’s really nothing. The theme is different for each episode, and the theme of this episode is ‘challenge’. The program team has communicated with me, and I’ve read the script, it’s really nothing intimate.”

Jiang Cha then swiped the list and looked down.

Then her expression froze for a moment.

“How could there be…”

Jiang Cha couldn’t believe it, she pointed to Yang Yan: “Me and Director Song?”

Yang Yan coughed awkwardly.

It seems that Jiang Cha doesn’t know her posts have been dug up by everyone.

The online forum was originally a place for Jiang Cha to record her personal feelings. She only shared her thoughts to feel better and not be so bottled up. Later, she wanted to break up with Ji Fan and after posting that “we’ve broken up,” she uninstalled the app.

Then, she was busy preparing for a new movie and was almost in seclusion. Worried about being affected by online rumors, she didn’t pay much attention to recent entertainment news.

Therefore, no one told her, and she didn’t know at all that her posts had been dug up, nor did she see the subsequent reversal.

“It’s like this,” Yang Yan explained, “They found the old Weibo post where Director Song praised your beauty, and they also said that she must have asked you to be in the movie because of your special relationship…”

Actually, she didn’t say the most crucial point.

The most crucial point was that the netizens wanted to make Ji Fan jealous!

If Jiang Cha and Song Baiwei were on the show together, and Ji Fan watched, drinking sour vinegar, how interesting it would be.

“Why would everyone think that way?” Jiang Cha lowered her eyes and smiled lightly, “Now I’m too embarrassed to see Director Song, how awkward.”

Yang Yan smiled and asked, “Shall I agree for you first?”

“No.”

The rejection was decisive.

Jiang Cha’s soft eyelashes drooped slightly, as if no one else was around, she was staring intently at a few sparrows outside the window, but her tone was very stubborn, “If Ji Fan goes, I won’t go. I really don’t want to see her, I don’t want to have even a little contact with her.”

Outside the window, there was a row of rusty bicycles, a few sparrows, and an old lady walking her granddaughter in the sunshine.

Early spring, the wind was warm, carrying a hint of oldness.

Yang Yan hummed.

After a moment, she had a sudden idea and asked slowly, “What if she doesn’t go?”