Substitute Lover [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 76

—We should go through the divorce procedures.

 

Ji Fan stared at the sentence, her heart aching.

 

The pain was incredibly real, as if she had been severely pierced by an arrow, and it took her a long time to recover.

 

She closed her eyes, feeling dizzy. Many chaotic fragments of memory, carrying an indistinct sense of familiarity, flooded her mind, but as soon as she started to think closely, they vanished without a trace, like a hallucination.

 

Divorce?

 

Why divorce?

 

Ji Fan’s lips parted, wanting to ask Jiang Cha, but the question wouldn’t come out.

 

If Jiang Cha was truly eager to divorce her, now that she had amnesia was clearly the best opportunity for a divorce. Yet, she hadn’t mentioned it, even deliberately concealing their past.

 

What happened in the past?

 

She must have liked Jiang Cha very much.

 

Otherwise, she couldn’t explain the phone password and the familiar heart-pounding sensation, like a long-awaited reunion, when she first saw her.

 

So, who was the one who suggested the divorce first?

 

Why did they divorce?

 

Did… she do something wrong?

 

Soon after, it was time to board the plane.

 

Jiang Cha stood up and naturally took her hand, intertwining their fingers. Her skin was soft and warm with body heat, spreading slowly. Pressed so close, their palms were faintly sweating.

 

Fingers intertwined, connected to the heart.

 

Her heartbeat was steady.

 

Ji Fan’s slender, long eyelashes lowered, concealing the momentary surge of emotion.

 

On the plane, Jiang Han sat several rows ahead, making conversation difficult, so she exchanged messages with Ji Fan on her phone.

 

Jiang Han: You’re going back. What are you going to do?

 

Jiang Cha: What do you mean, what am I going to do?

 

Jiang Han: Are you still going through with the divorce?

 

Jiang Cha paused, glanced sideways, and saw Ji Fan’s side profile, asleep in the pale light. She zoned out for a moment before looking down and replying: Not in a hurry. We’ll wait until her memory recovers.

 

Once they arrived home, Jiang Cha told Ji Fan everything she needed to know: her job, her assets, and her current family, but she deliberately avoided mentioning her mother or the divorce.

 

Jiang Cha couldn’t bear to.

 

Especially when facing those clean, innocent eyes, like those of a newborn, any cruel truth became unspeakable on her lips.

 

Some things, it seemed, didn’t need to be known until her memory recovered.

 

After arriving home and before she could even catch her breath, Ji Fan’s father called, suggesting they meet for dinner so he could see Jiang Cha and talk.

 

After being married to Ji Fan for so long, Ji Fan’s father had been largely uninvolved. His sudden request to see her made Jiang Cha feel confused and uncertain about his intentions. What kind of person was Ji Fan’s father? She knew nothing, as Ji Fan had never mentioned him.

 

What would they talk about?

 

Jiang Cha felt a little nervous, but couldn’t find a reason to refuse.

 

Just go.

 

The meeting place was a highly-reputed, famous teahouse.

 

The teahouse was reportedly opened by a southerner. The exterior walls mimicked antique carved beams and painted pillars, and the eaves were dark gray glazed tiles. Inside, however, the decor was entirely modern. It was just past ten in the morning, perfect timing. The carved mahogany chairs around the white-clothed round tables were full; people were everywhere.

 

The two were led by a waiter up to the second floor.

 

In the private room, the door opened. Four people were sitting around the round table, and the dishes had already been served.

 

“I apologize, there was traffic.”

 

Jiang Cha, arm linked with Ji Fan’s, stood at the doorway. After calming her breath, she immediately felt a sense of oppressive scrutiny pressing down on them.

 

The four people inside looked over simultaneously. One of them was Luo Yan, who was sitting next to Ji Fan’s older brother, Ji Linyu, wearing a kind expression and a smile.

 

Her gaze lingered for a moment between Ji Fan and Jiang Cha, settled on their intimately linked arms, and then suddenly shifted away, her eyes lowered slightly, seeming somewhat hurt.

 

Seeing that Luo Yan was also there, Jiang Cha felt a little awkward, remembering their identities and relationship. She subtly turned her gaze to observe Ji Fan’s expression.

 

Would she…

 

But Ji Fan didn’t seem to notice Luo Yan at all.

 

The light highlighted her long eyelashes, making every single one distinct. Her features were exquisitely picturesque. The smile she had outside the door gradually faded, leaving only an impassive distance and coolness.

 

She didn’t recognize any of the people inside.

 

Moreover, everyone’s eyes seemed to be veiled in mist; their smiles were superficial, concealing unknown intentions beneath.

 

It made her feel very uncomfortable.

 

“Fanfan.” A slightly aged voice spoke.

 

Jiang Cha whispered close to her ear, “Your father is calling you.”

 

Ji Fan looked toward the voice.

 

Her father, Ji An, looked a little old, his back slightly hunched. A thin-framed gold wire glasses sat on his nose. His eyes were shrewd, but he was old, and his temples were completely gray, which lessened the deterrent power of his shrewd, capable demeanor.

 

He had been waiting there for an unknown time. The dishes on the table were no longer steaming, and with four people at the table, no one dared to touch their chopsticks first.

 

Ji An smiled, “You’re here? Sit.”

 

He looked at Ji Fan and patted the seat next to him, “Fanfan, I saved these seats for you.”

 

Ji An’s face was smiling, trying to appear like a “loving father,” but as soon as he met Ji Fan’s distant, indifferent gaze, the smile on his face immediately froze, and his expression became a little stiff.

 

So Ji An’s gaze shifted to Jiang Cha.

 

Soft black hair, fair skin, a soft, long dress, her temperament was gentle and elegant. Crucially, her eyes were soft and smiling, forming a sharp contrast with Ji Fan’s indifferent expression. She clearly looked good-tempered.

 

Ji An didn’t have much objection to Ji Fan marrying a girl.

 

The key was the right person.

 

Since they were both actors, he didn’t care about their so-called status. After all, for him, it was easy to elevate someone in the industry. Whether they were an A-list actress or a trending celebrity, he didn’t see much difference; they were all just performers.

 

As for family background—he had no intention of expanding his influence through marriage. In his view, his marriage to Ji Fan’s mother was an unfortunate result of a family alliance.

 

This misfortune didn’t need to be extended to the next generation.

 

He was quite satisfied with Jiang Cha.

 

In his opinion, the woman Ji Fan chose was better than the one surnamed Luo whom Ji Linyu had chosen—her eyes were clean, without the constant flash of calculation. She made people feel reassured and comfortable.

 

There were two empty seats next to Ji An.

 

Ji Linyu, Ji Fan’s stepmother, and Luo Yan sat sequentially on the left side of the round table, separated by the empty seats.

 

Ji An gestured warmly, indicating that Jiang Cha and Ji Fan should sit next to him, one on his left and one on his right.

 

This seating arrangement was enough to show his regard for Ji Fan.

 

Ji An considered himself a rational businessman. After years of struggling, he knew well who would succeed and who wouldn’t.

 

He had been good to her brother before, partly because her brother was sweet-talked, knew how to flatter, and was good at coaxing people. Who doesn’t like to be praised? Ji’s father enjoyed listening to it, so naturally, he favored Ji Fan’s brother. On the other hand, when the children were young, the differences weren’t very obvious.

 

At that time, he only thought Ji Fan was too stubborn, like a prickly cactus. She was too sharp, and her interpersonal skills weren’t as good as her brother’s. No matter how good her grades were, she would just be a bookworm and wouldn’t amount to much later.

 

But then, things changed.

 

His son, having been spoiled, was nothing but a figurehead and was no match for Ji Fan, who had been cold-shouldered after her mother’s death and was fiercely determined to climb up. Over time, his view of his son became increasingly negative.

 

Loving his son was natural, but he was a businessman, and his mindset was driven by seeking profit and avoiding harm. Now that Ji Fan was successful, how could he not look up to her?

 

The conversation began with some aimless chitchat, about family matters, going back and forth. But as they talked, it gradually shifted to the main topic.

 

Ji An held a small wine cup, his expression vague, and casually brought up, “Your brother called you many times a few days ago, and you didn’t answer any of them.”

 

“What did he want from me?”

 

Ji Fan lowered her head. A crab meat and lobster soup dumpling sat in her white porcelain bowl, its skin pale and thin. She pierced it with her chopsticks.

 

The soup spilled out, its aroma filling the air.

 

Her dark eyelashes dropped quietly, and Ji Fan’s expression was faint.

 

Ji An took a sip of wine and said blandly, “He just wanted you to allocate funds for his investment. It’s a small matter, you didn’t have to avoid him and not answer the phone.”

 

Ji Fan kept her head down, her pale, delicate eyelids drooping, her eyes long and narrow at the corners, tinged with coldness.

 

“I wasn’t avoiding him.”

 

Ji An’s voice became stern, his eyes carrying a cold light, and he pressed further, “Fine, you can choose not to answer his calls, but you dare not answer mine? You’ve grown wings and can fly, but don’t forget, the biggest shareholder besides you is still me, you—”

 

Ji Fan set her cup down gently, making a soft sound.

 

The air suddenly became very quiet.

 

“As a father, did you ask me why I didn’t answer the phone? Why did you assume I deliberately ignored you, instead of thinking I was in trouble and couldn’t answer at all?”

 

“Stop with your sophistry!”

 

Ji An’s fatherly benevolence shattered instantly like a thin layer of paper, revealing the emotionless coldness beneath: “What kind of person you are, I don’t know? You’re just holding a grudge, you’ve always felt that I treated you poorly and played favorites.”

 

“I forgot everything,” Ji Fan looked up, “How did you treat me poorly? How did you play favorites?”

 

Ji An didn’t know she really had amnesia, thinking she wanted to settle scores. He sneered internally: Now she’s putting on airs. He slammed his wine cup down with a slap and said indifferently:

 

“You started from the grassroots after graduation, while your brother became vice president right away. You’ve always resented that, haven’t you?”

 

“Anything else?”

 

A strand of long hair slid down her ear, but Ji Fan still kept her head down, her eyes slightly narrowed.

 

“Later, I arranged for you to be your brother’s assistant, as a clerk. You were unhappy about that, right?”

 

“Anything else?”

 

“The time I threw you out of the house on your birthday and smashed your forehead, but I called you later, and you didn’t answer.”

 

“Anything else?”

 

“The time I slapped you and almost deafened your ear, I was drunk that day, and your attitude was too aggressive…”

 

…

 

Ji An obviously didn’t treat the people in the private room as outsiders. He dropped the pretense he had at the beginning, drinking wine while lecturing Ji Fan, digging up and explaining old grudges one by one. The gist was that her being slapped and scolded was justified; she was wrong first.

 

He even claimed that isolating her and giving her the silent treatment were for her own good, to help her grow.

 

Jiang Cha, however, was increasingly alarmed as she listened.

 

Judging by her own experiences, she had thought that even though Ji Fan had lost her birth mother, she still had her father. She thought all fathers in the world were the same: they might not say it, but they secretly spoiled their children.

 

But Ji An—

 

He was simply heartless.

 

Jiang Cha had heard some rumors before that Ji Fan was not favored and was marginalized at home, with a lower status than her brother. Those reports were written by disreputable media, and Jiang Cha had always dismissed them as fabrication.

 

They were bound by blood; how could he dislike his child?

 

Moreover, Ji Fan herself had never mentioned these things to her.

 

It wasn’t until this moment that she felt the strangeness of the Ji family atmosphere.

 

The father’s actions were not love for his child but an assessment of value, like merchandise: if the value was high, he favored her; if it was low, he disregarded her.

 

It was pure opportunism.

 

Jiang Cha kept her head down, her ink-black eyes slightly moist and cold with the rising water vapor.

 

“You may not know, she…”

 

Jiang Cha was very indignant and wanted to challenge him: Ji Fan was undergoing surgery at the time, why was no one with her? Why, when she was sick, did she have no close relative to rely on? Why, when she was almost dead, were all you thinking about was making her allocate funds?

 

But the hand under the table was gently squeezed by Ji Fan.

 

“Don’t.”

 

The air conditioning was on in the private room, and no one spoke. The atmosphere was grim and stifling, nothing like a family dinner.

 

The meal ended quickly, and the people dispersed unhappily.

 

Night fell, and the house was very quiet.

 

Only one wall lamp was on in the long corridor, slowly stretching Ji Fan’s shadow onto the white wall.

 

Ji Fan paused for a moment, turned, and went into the study. She curled up on the soft cushion of the bay window, looking at the moonlight outside, becoming very silent. Her dark eyes reflected a crescent moon, concealing an expression of confusion or loneliness, flickering in the contrast of light and shadow.

 

What had she experienced?

 

The past was like a vast net, locking people firmly in place, unable to move.

 

Ji Fan frowned, trying to catch the fleeting fragments of memory, but in the end, only afterimages remained.

 

An old mansion, bluestone paths, fine rain.

 

Black and white photos, an urn, winding smoke, and burning red candles.

 

She tried to find the cause and effect but was only met with confusion.

 

Ji Fan took a shower and was about to separate her room from Jiang Cha’s, as she had done the past few days. The moment she stepped out, her fingertip felt warm, gently held.

 

She turned around.

 

Jiang Cha was wearing a snow-white nightgown, her gaze fixed on her quietly.

 

“What is it?” Ji Fan asked.

 

Jiang Cha’s cheeks were slightly flushed. Her light, slender eyelashes lowered for a moment and then fluttered up like startled butterflies. She said softly, “Didn’t you want to sleep here?”

 

Ji Fan looked at her, slightly astonished.

 

A faint, clean fragrance slowly drifted over. It seemed like floral, but also fainter and longer-lasting. Ji Fan lowered her head, her nose touching her hair, and closed her eyes, sniffing gently.

 

She liked this scent.

 

It was intoxicating, making her want to get closer.

 

The warm light spilled down, and the atmosphere in the room was intimate and tranquil, like being woven into a soft cocoon.

 

Ji Fan tentatively put her arms around Jiang Cha’s waist.

 

Jiang Cha didn’t struggle. Instead, she obediently led her to the bed.

 

Jiang Cha leaned against her shoulder, letting her rest on the bed, then parted her legs and straddled her.

 

The ends of Ji Fan’s hair were wet, curling into individual strands on her shoulder, leaving a faint, damp mark on her collarbone. Her skin was cool and white as jade. She wore a black silk pajama set with gold embroidery and black silk trousers. Her lips, having been steamed in the hot mist, were even redder, adding a subtle touch of allure to her cold demeanor.

 

Jiang Cha looked at her quietly, her gaze very careful, from her brow to her nose tip, and from her nose tip to her red lips.

 

The atmosphere was intimate.

 

Ji Fan’s pale fingertips curled slightly, and a hint of nervousness flashed in her eyes.

 

But Jiang Cha was in no hurry at all.

 

“What do you think of her?”

 

Jiang Cha leaned close to her ear and exhaled softly.

 

“Who?”

 

“Luo Yan.”

 

“She looks a lot like you.”

 

“And?”

 

“That’s all.”

 

Jiang Cha pressed on relentlessly, like interrogating a suspect, “And? There must be more.”

 

Ji Fan suddenly lowered her eyes, a faint blush appearing on her smooth, white earlobes: “There is indeed more.”

 

Her ear felt slightly warm, Ji Fan quietly leaned closer and whispered, “You are prettier than her.”

 

Jiang Cha was startled and couldn’t help but laugh.

 

What was that?

 

Seeing her laugh, Ji Fan said, “I have a question too.”

 

“Where is my mother? Did she divorce my father?”

 

Her mother died a long time ago.

 

Jiang Cha didn’t know how to quell the sudden wave of sadness in her heart. She just gently stroked Ji Fan’s red lips with her cool index finger, rubbing them twice, and said softly, “Don’t ask.”

 

Ji Fan’s long eyelashes fluttered twice.

 

The sensation on her lips was extremely provocative, but Ji Fan barely suppressed the impulse and asked softly, seemingly calmly, “What are you doing?”

 

A faint rouge color floated on Jiang Cha’s snow-white profile. Her skin was thin and translucent, making her slight blush impossible to hide under the light. Her long, curly eyelashes fluttered for a moment, and then she suddenly leaned in, her nose almost touching Ji Fan’s profile, but not quite.

 

Jiang Cha kissed her red lips and whispered, “Loving you.”

 

---

 

Author’s Note:

 

Cha is the bottom; the counter-attack is doomed to fail ~