Substitute Lover [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 56

A flock of pigeons took flight against the backdrop of the sky, and the sound of a violin, soothing and elegant like moonlight bathing the night, drifted through the bustling city.

Song Yuan had just checked on her aunt’s progress and was now walking towards Jiang Cha, pausing slightly as she listened intently.

There was music in the wind.

“It’s a violin.”

She took off her black baseball cap and looked into the distance, seeing a crowd gathered around someone. Someone was holding up a reflector to provide lighting, and there was a photographer. Jiang Cha had also stopped painting and seemed to be listening.

She ran over to Jiang Cha’s position, squatted down, and leaned in, “Sister Jiang, someone is playing the violin over there, and there’s a photographer. Let’s go take a look.”

Jiang Cha looked up, shook her head gently, “I won’t go, I haven’t finished painting yet.”

“Come on,” Song Yuan pleaded, “Come with me, let’s go take a look.”

“No.”

Jiang Cha stubbornly shook her head:

“The paint will dry in a while and it won’t be good… Hey!”

Before Jiang Cha could finish her sentence, Song Yuan pulled her up and they ran, pushing past a few passersby who were blocking their way, and went to a shady spot near the convention center.

Under the apple tree with its dense foliage, pure white and soft flowers bloomed. The flowers were denser than the leaves, and from a distance, they looked like a soft, slightly pink mist, enveloping the branches, more delicate than pear blossoms and sparser than cherry blossoms.

There was a faint sweet fragrance.

A person was standing under the tree.

Surrounded by people, only a beautiful hand could be seen moving flexibly on the violin strings, the fingertips slightly transparent and a healthy pale pink.

“This song seems like it’s for a confession.”

Jiang Cha suddenly remembered this sentence and paused.

“What’s wrong?” Song Yuan turned to look at her and smiled slightly, “Let’s squeeze in and see who it is.”

“No need.”

Jiang Cha shook her head and said softly:

“I’ll just listen for a while outside…”

But Song Yuan ignored her and, without a word, pulled Jiang Cha tightly and walked through the crowd.

Inside, a woman, dressed all in black, with silver-white earrings that accentuated her slightly cold demeanor. She was tall and slender, leaning against the tree with its white flowers, her eyes downcast as she focused on the violin strings.

“It’s Ms. Ji.” Song Yuan was surprised for a moment, then sat down unceremoniously, her eyes smiling, “This song is so beautiful.”

Ji Fan lowered her long eyelashes, and the soft sunlight cast a dense, slender shadow on her high nose bridge. At the tip of her white earlobe, a cool light flashed, sharp and dazzling.

Ji Fan’s right hand paused slightly.

She knew Jiang Cha had come.

Her palms were slightly sweaty, but her expression remained calm and focused.

This piece wasn’t difficult.

But the person in front of her was Jiang Cha.

She slowly relaxed, immersing herself in the emotion. The complex turns and changes of the music came to life, like a beautiful and deep poem, constantly pouring out, slowly and steadily venting her emotions.

Jiang Cha looked at her, slightly lost in thought.

She remembered a long time ago, when Ji Fan was leaning against the window, playing the same song, in the same posture. Silent, focused, giving the illusion of deep affection.

Ji Fan raised her eyes, and her dark, bright eyes met hers for a moment.

Just for a moment.

Jiang Cha’s heart trembled.

She couldn’t say what it felt like, but at that moment, without words, without much explanation, it was as if she had broken through some barrier, striking straight at her heart, like a calm lake being showered by warm spring rain, vibrating for a long time, unable to calm down.

Unable to bear it, Jiang Cha turned around.

Her back was to Ji Fan.

She pretended to talk to Song Yuan, but she didn’t hear what Song Yuan was saying.

“Ms. Ji plays the violin very well.”

Song Yuan looked up at Jiang Cha and said with admiration.

Jiang Cha nodded.

The music suddenly rose.

The music shifted from a minor key to a major key, the emotional tone gradually becoming clearer and brighter.

Surrounded by hushed whispers.

A circle of people’s eyes were shining.

“It’s really beautiful.”

“More than beautiful, it must have taken at least a decade of practice.”

“She must have been learning for a long time.”

“This sister is also very beautiful, like a star, too beautiful.”

“That’s right.”

Those who followed the entertainment industry a little closer had already recognized them:

“The one playing the violin and the one sitting down are a couple.”

“Didn’t you see the cameraman following them? They’re filming a show! Have you seen their honeymoon trip show? They released a preview a long time ago.”

And some people, with exaggerated expressions, flushed faces, and hands over their hearts, looked up to the sky and exclaimed, “A star! A real one! I’m so lucky, woohoo…”

“I need an autograph later!”

“A photo together too!”

Before the music had even ended, people were already taking photos with their phones, and some were quietly sneaking up to Jiang Cha to ask for autographs.

Jiang Cha didn’t refuse anyone.

After a while, she finally found an excuse to escape.

“There are too many people here.”

Jiang Cha leaned close to Song Yuan’s ear, “I’ll go back first, what about you?”

“Okay. Go ahead.”

Song Yuan was so engrossed in the music that she just waved.

With the cool breeze hitting her face, Jiang Cha calmed down a little.

Her chaotic thoughts became clear again.

She could ignore all the hints, as long as they were just hints.

She was afraid of thinking too much.

It would be ridiculous to be so self-delusional. She wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

••••

As night fell, a long table covered with a red cloth was set up in the square, with eight nameplates placed on the table, each bearing a person’s name. A lighting technician held up a reflector, and cameramen from different angles started shooting towards the host in the center.

“Alright!” the host clapped, wearing a headset, and smiled, “Now everyone put the money you earned on the small table in front.”

The eight people stepped forward, holding a handful of coins they had earned, and placed them on the nameplates on the table.

Because everyone had chosen different ways to make money, and the guests, who were meticulous and cared about winning, were worried that their progress would be seen by others, they deliberately avoided each other and acted alone.

Jiang Cha saw a towering pile of coins in front of Song Baiwei and exclaimed in surprise, “Director Song, how did you make so much?”

“Guess,” Song Baiwei replied.

“I can’t guess,” Jiang Cha smiled, shaking her head. “Tell me.”

Song Baiwei smiled, “I can’t tell you.”

“My aunt told people’s fortunes!” Song Yuan replied without hesitation, pointing quietly towards Ji Fan and adding meaningfully, “She even told Ms. Ji’s fortune, and some of it was even given by Ms. Ji.”

Jiang Cha only then looked up at Ji Fan.

In the night, half of Ji Fan’s face was hidden in the shadows, while the other half was illuminated by the cool moonlight, making her features appear stereoscopic and deep. In her eye sockets, a pair of eyes were calm and quiet, looking at her quietly. A gust of wind blew, and her curly hair was gently lifted by the night breeze, her lips slightly pursed, and her face was pale, as if coated with a layer of glaze.

No one was chatting with her, she was alone, her figure lonely, and she seemed inexplicably desolate.

Song Yuan clicked her tongue, “Ms. Ji has a rather bumpy life, it’s not easy, my aunt said that a year later…”

Then she paused, feeling her toes being stepped on by a high heel.

Song Yuan turned her head and saw Song Baiwei’s enigmatic gaze.

She had slipped up.

“What about a year later?”

Jiang Cha asked.

Song Baiwei glanced at her, not annoyed, but simply smiled lightly, “It’s all just nonsense, nothing is accurate.”

Jiang Cha lowered her eyes and smiled softly.

It was true, in this day and age, how could fortune-telling be accurate, it was just for fun.

“Uncle Fu, why do you still have white powder on your face?”

Song Yuan changed the subject in a second.

“Uncle Fu” was the old-fashioned CCTV host and a neighbor of the Song family. When Song Yuan was a child, she often went to his house to visit and ask for candy.

Song Baiwei looked at the CCTV host with amusement and smiled, “How did you get that on you?”

The man was tall and thin, with a kind of professional disease from hosting children’s programs for so many years. His face was serious, but his expression was very kind, with wrinkles at the corners of his eyes that always seemed to be smiling. Up close, you could see that he still had some white paint on his face, as if he had rubbed against something.

He laughed heartily, “I call this performance art.”

The young man next to him joked with a smile:

“He did body painting, covered himself in white paint from head to toe, pretending to be a stone statue.”

“Didn’t that scare the passersby?”

“Hahaha, of course, as soon as he moved, he scared several people.”

“So how did you get the money?”

“He held a flower in one hand and a bowl in the other, and begged for it.”

“Hahahaha…”

Everyone gradually started chatting, and the atmosphere was no longer as awkward as it had been at the beginning. They became more relaxed and started joking without fear of offending anyone.

At a glance, the smallest stack of coins on the table was Song Yuan’s.

“What about you?”

Jiang Cha looked at Song Yuan’s small pile of coins and couldn’t help but laugh, “How come you only have this little?”

“……”

Song Yuan was a little embarrassed, lowered her head, and her face turned slightly red, “Well, I was an assistant to my aunt, and she gave me a little labor fee.”

Everyone laughed, “You’re cheating!”

Song Yuan waved her hand, not embarrassed at all, “What cheating? Don’t be so strict, I’m definitely last anyway.”

The host looked at the coins everyone had submitted and reminded them helplessly:

“Note, I said earlier, it’s coins! Paper money doesn’t count.”

“Coins?”

“No way.”

“Can I exchange them now?”

The host glanced at their watch:

“No.”

The smarter ones had already exchanged their paper money for coins early on; those who were careless or didn’t care as much about winning had submitted their paper money as well.

The host counted one by one. Judging from the volume of coins piled on the table, Ji Fan and Song Baiwei seemed to have the most.

The show was being recorded directly in a bustling square, with only a cordoned-off area. Many passersby were still lingering and craning their necks, curiously watching.

In the night, two staff members carried a vertical round disc, covered with a deep red velvet cloth, and it was unclear what it was for.

“What’s that for?”

Someone asked.

The host patiently replied, “You’ll find out soon.”

Ji Fan had a guess.

She had seen this round disc at the hotel and naturally guessed it belonged to the production team, probably similar to a lucky draw spinning wheel at a shopping mall promotion. In the show, the winning guest would likely have one chance to spin the wheel to determine their reward.

She still remembered the word “kiss”.

After all, the show was called “Honeymoon Trip,” and if she really drew “kiss,” it would probably be related to Jiang Cha.

What would it be?

“…305, 306, 307.” The host looked up and announced, “Director Song has a total of 307 coins.”

Then she lowered her head and quietly counted Ji Fan’s coins.

Her voice was very low and not very clear.

The surrounding people looked excited and counted along.

“304, 305… 413.”

The host smiled slightly, “Ms. Ji has more, she wins!”

Ji Fan’s eyes lit up slightly.

The velvet cloth on the spinning wheel should be pulled down now.

Last time she only saw one “kiss,” but there should be more than that, maybe there were other intimate activities too.

Then she heard the host announce, “The winning guest will be rewarded with 300 yuan as startup capital! This is crucial for the subsequent entrepreneurial competition!”

Ji Fan: “?”

It wasn’t quite what she expected.

“The losing guest, please stand up.” The host smiled playfully, “The mysterious spinning wheel, wherever it lands, that’s what you get.”

Loser?

Song Yuan blinked and stood up curiously.

The cloth was pulled down, and the host grabbed the edge of the spinning wheel and spun it a few times. Finally, to everyone’s expectation, the pointer slowly slid past several different sections and stopped on the word “kiss”.

Ji Fan: “…”