Substitute Lover [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 77

Author’s Note: This is a flight of fancy and is not related to the main text. In a certain parallel universe, Ji is the submissive, and Jiang is the dominant. It’s probably a crematorium story about a scummy submissive chasing her dominant partner.

Jiang Cha’s secret crush on Ji Fan began with a misunderstanding.

It started one high school morning.

She was reciting a text in the corridor when a soft, warm touch suddenly came to her waist. Someone was hugging her.

Jiang Cha turned around.

The girl who had gently hugged her from behind had a pair of beautiful eyes, clean, sharp, black and white. Her long, slender eyelashes were like an early rice field, brushing against her heart in the autumn sun.

Jiang Cha didn’t know this girl. She looked at her bewilderedly. After a moment, the girl let go in a panic, mumbled “I’m sorry,” and quickly left.

Had she mistaken her for someone else?

Or something else?

For example, did she just want to hug her—why else would she blush and feel embarrassed?

Jiang Cha leaned toward the latter.

She thought the girl was truly beautiful, with a very unique aura—lonely and cool, like sunlight hitting snow: cold yet dazzling. All her life, few people had made her stop and stare, unable to recover for so long.

Later, she saw her in the school auditorium and learned that the girl was Ji Fan, an upperclassman who had already graduated. Many people knew her, and some had even posted photos of her on the high school forum, professing their love. The underclassmen responded with wolf-like howls, building the thread to great heights.

Jiang Cha felt very happy.

Because such an exceptional person had actually asked her name and complimented how beautiful it was.

Young love is inexplicably simple.

Jiang Cha would occasionally dream of her. The scenes in the dreams were simple and beautiful: sometimes they would share an umbrella, walking in the light rain; sometimes they would ride a roller coaster together.

Sometimes, there would be a little more.

In the intimate dreams, Jiang Cha felt too ashamed to speak of them.

This was supposed to be a very common, ordinary teenage crush, meant to fade slowly over time like many feelings that come to nothing. But then, Jiang Cha encountered her again in college.

She was even more dazzling in college.

Ji Fan excelled at everything—competitions, honors, entrepreneurial projects; she was perfect. Crucially, her appearance was stunning. Many people, both male and female, pursued her, but she seemed determined to stay single, always alone and solitary.

Some said she had someone in her heart.

She was yearning for someone she couldn’t have, so she had no room for other admirers.

Jiang Cha only dared to look up at her, only daring to keep this feeling hidden in her heart.

She was too high, too far away, like a celestial being out of her reach.

Yet, she couldn’t help but seek out Ji Fan’s figure.

Ji Fan was the president of the violin club, so Jiang Cha signed up and joined.

She thought they would meet often, but Ji Fan was busy and only showed up once every two weeks for club classes. The first time Ji Fan saw Jiang Cha, she recognized her and seemed a little surprised, but later she grew distant, not distinguishing Jiang Cha from the other members—it was polite but detached.

Jiang Cha was a little frustrated.

This development was completely different from what she had imagined.

Finally, she got a chance to be alone with her.

The music building opened at seven in the morning, but most people either had class or were still sleeping at that time, so few went to practice the violin.

Jiang Cha went in intending to practice but unexpectedly ran into Ji Fan.

Ji Fan was asleep.

She was lying face down on the table, her dark, thick long hair spread out. Her head was nestled in her fair, slender arm, exposing her icy, jade-like nose tip. Her breathing was steady.

Others called her cold and aloof, but Jiang Cha didn’t see it that way. Jiang Cha only thought she was adorable—cute when she was silent and cute when she was sleeping.

Jiang Cha watched for a while. Seeing that she was still asleep, she couldn’t help but slowly lean in, observing her closely. Her sleeping face was peaceful, her long, dark eyelashes were delicate and soft—she could count every single strand. Her gaze moved down to her rosy lips.

Her lips were gently closed, smooth and soft, the vermilion corners slightly turned up. It must feel wonderful to kiss them.

A sudden thirst came over her.

Her heart was pounding fast, as if it wanted to burst out of her chest.

No one else was around. The music room was quiet.

Her palms were sweaty from nervousness, but she didn’t dare do anything except stand there and watch her. She watched for a very long time, and Ji Fan remained motionless, seemingly deeply asleep. As if enchanted, Jiang Cha slowly leaned in and pressed a feather-light kiss on her snow-white cheek.

It was just a kiss, so light, so gentle, just a touch and then retreat. It shouldn’t wake her up.

But the next second, her long eyelashes fluttered, and Ji Fan woke up.

Jiang Cha froze completely, like a stone statue. She instantly became flustered and helpless. Heat surged up from her heart, forming a thin, light crimson veil over her snow-white cheeks.

Her ears turned red, too.

Ji Fan looked at her for a moment and then suddenly smiled.

With a hint of mockery, a cold smile curved on her lips, and her eyes held a trace of disdain: “You kissed me?”

Jiang Cha said nothing, her lips pressed together, her fair fingertips curled up.

It was incredibly embarrassing.

“You don’t happen to like me, do you?” Ji Fan turned her face to look at her. That face was exquisite and elegant, impeccable, but her words were like an ice pick, stabbing directly into Jiang Cha’s heart.

“Please don’t.”

Ji Fan laughed mockingly, “I don’t deserve it.”

Jiang Cha pressed her lips together, her eyes feeling sore.

Ji Fan stood up, grabbed the violin case from the table and slung it over her shoulder. She was about to leave, but paused.

She looked slightly surprised: “Why are you crying?”

Jiang Cha didn’t say a word, but tears were pattering down.

Jiang Cha couldn’t quite recall how Ji Fan awkwardly comforted her that day, how she gave her contact information, or what she said about just being friends.

But hope reignited in her heart.

Maybe, she had a chance.

After exchanging contact information, however, they didn’t contact each other frequently.

Ji Fan rarely initiated contact, but when Jiang Cha occasionally mentioned other female friends she was close with, or male classmates she seemed to be getting close to and whose relationship looked ambiguous, Ji Fan would become unhappy and ignore her for many days.

Over time, Jiang Cha figured out her temper and habitually reported everything to her in detail. The moment Ji Fan showed any sign of displeasure or suddenly stopped replying to messages, Jiang Cha would start explaining that she was just friends with so-and-so, or that so-and-so was just her best female friend.

Only after the explanation was Ji Fan satisfied.

This possessive dynamic began to form at some unknown point and slowly became an unspoken agreement.

Their relationship became subtle.

Finally, one evening, Ji Fan asked her if she wanted to be her girlfriend.

Her tone was casual.

But Jiang Cha listened earnestly and was instantly overjoyed, as if brilliant fireworks had exploded in the night sky. Her heart pounded fast; she was so happy she thought she was dreaming.

After they became a couple, Ji Fan was still somewhat indifferent—

More accurately, she was hot and cold.

When she was in a good mood, she replied to messages instantly and accepted all date requests. When she was in a bad mood, she ignored people or replied concisely, using only a few words.

Jiang Cha had no way of dealing with her.

She was firmly held by her, unable to struggle at all.

One month into their relationship, Ji Fan took her to rent a hotel room.

The winter night sky was dark and heavy, and later, icy snowflakes mixed with raindrops began to fall. Car headlights cast bright, yellow columns of light onto the road. Unformed snowflakes twirled and drifted down in the light beams.

“Which one do you want to go to?”

Ji Fan asked.

She held an umbrella with one hand and led Jiang Cha with the other. A slight warmth passed through their fingertips.

Jiang Cha was startled and stammered, “The Seven Days Inn nearby—wait, no, what if I run into classmates… maybe a bit further away?”

Jiang Cha was clearly inexperienced and very nervous, a thin layer of hot sweat seeping into her palm.

Ji Fan glanced at her and said calmly, “This is your first time, isn’t it?”

Jiang Cha nodded.

Then she covered her face, which was tucked into her scarf, with her fair fingers. It was so hot, slightly flushed.

After a while, Ji Fan finally said, “Just be careful then.”

The two went to a five-star hotel a little further away from the school. The heating was on in the hotel, and the glass windows were covered with moist white fog, obscuring the view.

Ji Fan rented a room and took her upstairs.

She let down her long hair and walked out of the bathroom barefoot, stepping lightly onto the light-colored oak floor.

A light, white mist rushed toward her.

She was wearing a cross-collared bathrobe made of soft cotton gauze. The light orange pinstripes shifted shape as her straight, long legs moved. Her collarbones were translucent white, and water droplets, not yet wiped dry, streamed down her hair ends to her collarbones, and then rolled down to deeper places.

Jiang Cha had already washed up and was sitting quietly on the single sofa by the window, waiting nervously.

“Did you clip your nails?” Ji Fan glanced at her.

Jiang Cha held up her hands for her to see—slender and fair fingers, with neatly trimmed, healthy nails that had small white moons on their translucent, rounded tips.

Ji Fan did not say whether she was satisfied or not, but instead sat sideways on the bed, her long, snow-white legs crossed. She propped up her chin with one hand, studying Jiang Cha as if appraising merchandise.

After a while, she nodded slightly and said softly, “Come here.”

Her voice was lovely, soft, carrying a hint of post-bath languor, a gentle huskiness, and a lingering, seductive tone at the end.

The soft waterbed dipped slightly.

Jiang Cha sat beside her, her gaze uncertain, feeling nervous no matter where she looked.

Ji Fan, however, hooked her arm, like white jade, around Jiang Cha’s waist, gently embracing her, slowly moving closer inch by inch. The crisp, cool fragrance instantly enveloped her nose.

Ji Fan rested her slender chin on Jiang Cha’s shoulder, tilted her head, and parted her red lips, giving a soft command: “Kiss me.”