Substitute Lover [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 85

The bed was a white circle, unbelievably soft. Soft, fine gauze draped down from above, light and airy, as if loosely covering it with a layer of ethereal white mist. In the white mist, their overlapping shadows swayed slightly, accompanied only by faint water sounds, like an illusion.

“Stop—”

The sound of resistance came from one of them.

There was no one downstairs. The parrot, fond of company, flew up and poked its head around the door, suddenly let out a shriek, and flew away instantly.

…

In the evening.

The door was slightly ajar. The tea-green curtains were loosely closed, billowing slightly with the wind, allowing two streaks of pale sunlight to filter through the window glass and fall onto the side of the bed. The incense burner in the room still emitted white mist, which drifted far, moist and slightly cool.

A spot of light flickered on Jiang Cha’s eyelashes.

She lay sprawled on the bed, exhausted, every bone aching, unable to move. Miss Ji, however, was already up. The sound of running water echoed from the bathroom. Behind the semi-transparent door, a thin, gray shadow swayed gently.

She turned over toward the bathroom.

She quietly watched her shadow, which was slender and unexpectedly soft.

Although it was Ji Fan’s first time, Jiang Cha was more exhausted, unable to even lift her fingertips.

It seemed she was the one who suffered the greater loss.

After watching her shadow for a while, the sound of water stopped.

Splash—

The glass door was pushed open, and Ji Fan came out wrapped in a towel.

To prevent her long hair from getting wet, her long, curly strands were tied up in a dark bun at the back of her head, exposing her slender, pale neck. Fine, glistening water droplets rolled down, sliding into her thin, white back. A small area of soft, white skin on her chest looked like red plum blossoms in the snow, with faint, scattered marks that trailed inward, further inward.

They were from small bites.

Jiang Cha’s face felt warm, and she involuntarily lowered her head, curling her fingertips.

Ji Fan had amnesia, seemingly as clean as a blank sheet of paper, so why…

Why did she know so many different positions?

Jiang Cha was subjected to her relentless torment, yet Ji Fan acted as if it wasn’t enough, her fingers impossibly firm, just like her former self.

“Wait.”

“Did you remember?”

Ji Fan, wanting to tease her, sat sideways on the edge of the bed. While drying the ends of her long, loose hair, she asked softly, “Remember what?”

Under Ji Fan’s gaze, Jiang Cha, as if fearing danger, pulled the quilt over herself, though her soft long legs were carelessly exposed. Her waist was slender, and her perky buttocks were covered, only showing a rounded curve.

Ji Fan chuckled, stroking her waist, feeling a patch of fine, damp sweat.

Exhausted?

She looked at Jiang Cha quietly.

“Remembering that, before, you were…” Jiang Cha paused, gauging Ji Fan’s expression. Her expression was so harmless, her eyes so clean, that Jiang Cha suddenly became unsure.

“What was I?”

Her eyes were spotlessly clean, and her gaze was overly direct.

Jiang Cha cleared her throat, almost biting her tongue.

Her expression was somewhat pitiful, and Ji Fan, unable to continue hiding the truth, was about to tell her.

“Actually, I—”

Just as Ji Fan was about to say something, the phone suddenly rang. Jiang Cha grabbed her phone from the bedside table, glanced at the screen, gave Ji Fan a gesture, stood up, put on her bathrobe, and walked toward the balcony outside.

The moment she stepped down, her knees buckled, and she fell into a warm, soft embrace.

“…”

“Be careful.”

The pleasant voice softly sounded in her ear.

It carried a hint of teasing.

Jiang Cha’s face felt warm, and she quickly stood up, walking toward the window sill.

Who was she talking to?

Why was she hiding from her?

Ji Fan’s fingertips curled slightly. Several names came to her mind, making her feel quite uneasy. She stood up and quietly followed her.

“…Divorce?” Jiang Cha leaned against the white stone railing, facing the calm lake outside. She smoothed her long hair against the wind, lowered her head, and said to the person on the phone, “I don’t plan to for now.”

Ji Fan hid behind the tea-green curtain, her long eyelashes trembled, and then suddenly drooped.

Her red lips were tightly pursed.

“There have been some changes, and discussing this now wouldn’t be appropriate.” Jiang Cha focused slightly, replying earnestly to whatever the person on the other end had said, “She’s still… well, this is my private matter, and I’ll handle it myself.”

The receiver buzzed with an inaudible sound again.

“…Let’s talk later.”

Jiang Cha hung up the phone.

When she returned to the room, Ji Fan was leaning on the bed, adding essential oil to a faintly glowing, light orange sphere while adjusting the humidifier’s humidity.

Her expression was very calm.

“Whose call was that?” Ji Fan asked.

“Just a common friend.”

In the light, minty scent, Ji Fan’s skin was exceptionally warm and damp. Jiang Cha gently kissed her cheek and said, “As for the past, you have amnesia now, and it’s hard to explain. Let’s talk about it when you remember.”

“The past?” Ji Fan asked.

Jiang Cha always wanted to hide the truth from her, partly because she couldn’t bear to see her upset, and partly because she didn’t want to break the current, belated, amicable situation.

But then she remembered the doctor’s instructions—

Don’t keep hiding things from her.

Jiang Cha thought for a moment and said, “There were some misunderstandings before.”

Ji Fan was startled.

“Misunderstandings?” She hadn’t expected Jiang Cha to use such a mild term to describe the mistakes her former self had made. For a moment, her heart felt tender and sore, and she didn’t know how to repay or make amends for the wholehearted devotion Jiang Cha had given her.

Jiang Cha didn’t know what she was thinking and continued to explain slowly: “I used to think that the person who switched the role in Blind Youth and let Luo Yan replace me was you.”

Ji Fan froze, as if she had just grasped a clue, her expression momentarily blank.

The information in that sentence was a bit overwhelming. What Blind Youth? What role? She vaguely guessed some of it, but her former self hadn’t paid much attention to film and television work. She knew the movie’s name and knew Luo Yan was the lead actress, but she had dozed off several times after only watching the beginning and hadn’t seen it completely.

Jiang Cha didn’t notice her expression. Clothes were scattered everywhere on the bed in piles. She frowned slightly and began to bend down to tidy the bedding. She lifted the pure white blanket, pursed her lips slightly, and then paused.

Bloodstains had seeped out, turning a small area of the sheet red.

It wasn’t a large amount, but it was exceptionally conspicuous on the snow-white sheet.

Jiang Cha’s cheeks felt warm, and she suddenly felt too embarrassed to look at Ji Fan. She just lowered her gaze and whispered:

“You’re bleeding. Does it hurt?”

Author’s Note:

Lights out, obedient.jpg