When the Stand-in O Differentiated into an A - Chapter 5

Because the bed in the villa was incredibly comfortable and Qiao Xi no longer had to punch a clock for a regular job, she intentionally turned off the alarm that had been ringing a few times.

With no alarm or anyone to wake her, she slept until almost noon. Someone had to lift her blanket to wake her up with a jolt of cold air.

Qiao Xi wasn’t a morning person, but having her blanket ripped off while she was in a deep sleep still annoyed her. She mumbled something and sat up, her voice groggy. “Who is it? Can’t a person get some sleep?”

As she spoke, she opened her eyes and met a pair of stunningly beautiful peach blossom eyes. Qiao Xi had seen others with peach blossom eyes before, but she had never seen a pair as gorgeous as the ones on the woman in front of her. Her features were also perfect, seemingly flawless.

Wait, where had she seen this person before? A groggy Qiao Xi was a bit dazed. While she was staring, the woman in front of her sat on the bed, and Qiao Xi slid to the side.

“Sleep? Do you know what time it is? Did I hire you for all that money just so you could come here and sleep?” Although the woman was beautiful, her slight annoyance was a little intimidating.

Qiao Xi finally realized what was happening. Her eyes widened. “You… you’re Yu Xiaoxiao?”

Yu Xiaoxiao’s brow furrowed when Qiao Xi said her full name. “Didn’t the butler give you the manual yesterday?”

The manual? Qiao Xi nodded, remembering the book. “Of course!”

“Then did you read what’s in there about how a partner should address me?”

Qiao Xi had only skimmed it last night. She only knew that Yu Xiaoxiao liked and disliked a lot of things. She tried her best to remember, and a name slipped out of her mouth: “Xiaoxiao?”

Yu Xiaoxiao’s brow relaxed, a sign that this was acceptable. She continued to look at Qiao Xi. “As my partner, how can you make me wait until late in the morning? There’s a limit to being lazy!”

“Partner?” The rich miss probably didn’t see her as a real partner; she probably just wanted to play a stand-in game for fun.

Whatever. Since she was the one paying, Qiao Xi would just do her part.

Suddenly, Qiao Xi moved closer to Yu Xiaoxiao, taking her arm with both hands and gently shaking it in a spoiled manner. “Xiaoxiao, I’m sorry… I was tired from looking for a job all day yesterday, so I slept in. I promise I’ll never wake up later than you again.”

She had no idea what time Yu Xiaoxiao woke up, but since Yu Xiaoxiao was angry, the best thing to do was to sweet-talk her.

Yu Xiaoxiao felt Qiao Xi touch her arm and quickly pulled it away. “Cough, I’m giving you a three-day observation period. After that, you can sleep with me.”

Qiao Xi’s eyes went wide with alarm as she hugged herself. “What?! The contract didn’t say I had to sell my body!”

Yu Xiaoxiao’s expression changed instantly when she heard the word “contract.” She glared at Qiao Xi. “When you’re acting as my partner, use immersive acting. I don’t want to hear anything about contracts or work. Otherwise, I can fire you and get someone else. Second, when I say ‘sleep with me,’ I mean we’ll share a room, and we won’t do anything. Do you understand?”

As she glared at Qiao Xi, Qiao Xi thought her eyes looked even bigger and brighter. Of course, even a beautiful person’s anger was beautiful.

And since this was her job, she couldn’t refuse any of Yu Xiaoxiao’s demands. After all, she would never find another job with room and board like this.

Qiao Xi obediently nodded. “Yes, yes, I understand.”

“Good, get up now.” Yu Xiaoxiao said before leaving the room.

Qiao Xi sighed in relief when Yu Xiaoxiao closed the door. She never expected to meet her “sugar mommy” this way.

…

After getting dressed and ready, Qiao Xi went outside and saw the large clock in the living room with the hour hand pointing exactly at the number 12.

She had indeed woken up a bit late, even though sleeping here was part of her job. Qiao Xi pinched her cheek. “Qiao Xi, Qiao Xi, you can’t wake up at noon anymore, or you’ll lose your job!”

Just as she spoke, her stomach rumbled. She was already hungry right after waking up. If she were still in her old apartment, she would have just ordered takeout or made some instant noodles.

But… there was no way there were instant noodles in this huge mansion.

Wait, it was lunchtime anyway. Why not ask the heiress what she wanted to eat? If she wanted something, she would probably take her “partner” along.

Qiao Xi thought about this as she went downstairs. She was surprised to see Yu Xiaoxiao dressed in a beautiful, light, embroidered dress, standing downstairs. Her lips were a shade redder than before, like berries, making her look incredibly tempting.

Qiao Xi froze on the stairs, not knowing where to put her feet. To be more precise, she was stunned and couldn’t move after seeing Yu Xiaoxiao looking like a princess. She had only ever seen people this beautiful on TV and online. Now that one was so close, she felt like she was dreaming and couldn’t bring herself to go down.

Yu Xiaoxiao saw Qiao Xi frozen on the stairs and went up to take her hand. “What’s wrong, darling?”

“Darling?”

Qiao Xi snapped back to reality, remembering that Yu Xiaoxiao had instructed her to be an “immersive” actress. She let Yu Xiaoxiao take her hand and walked down the stairs with her. “Xiaoxiao, where are we going?”

Qiao Xi’s sixth sense told her that Yu Xiaoxiao, dressed so formally, was either going to a party or a date.

As expected, Yu Xiaoxiao smiled. “To our date, of course, darling. Did you forget?”

Qiao Xi was a bit shocked. Yu Xiaoxiao was getting into character so quickly. Qiao Xi quickly followed her lead. “How could I? You look so beautiful today, I was just completely mesmerized.”

This was true. Yu Xiaoxiao was truly beautiful. For a moment, Qiao Xi felt she wasn’t worthy of holding Yu Xiaoxiao’s hand. But since this was a job, she had to cooperate fully.

Yu Xiaoxiao said to Qiao Xi, “I remember you love steak. How about we go to that restaurant we went to before?”

Oh, so this was a sequel! The previous stand-in probably messed up this scene and got fired.

From this morning when Yu Xiaoxiao woke her up, Qiao Xi could tell that Yu Xiaoxiao fell for flattery. So, Qiao Xi smiled at her. “Okay, but this time, I’m going to eat until I’m full.”

When Yu Xiaoxiao heard this, the smile on her face disappeared. Qiao Xi had been watching her every expression, and when she saw Yu Xiaoxiao get upset, she wondered to herself, What did I say to upset her now? This rich girl has a strange temper. She’s so hard to please.

They arrived at the Western restaurant without Yu Xiaoxiao saying another word to Qiao Xi. The restaurant was on the fifteenth floor of a commercial building, and you could see the winding roads below through the window. It would have been more romantic at night.

Of course, the price at a place chosen by the Yu family’s heiress wasn’t cheap. Other people came here for a romantic date, but for Yu Xiaoxiao, it was just a regular lunch.

Yu Xiaoxiao’s hot and cold attitude was hard for Qiao Xi to handle. Thankfully, Uncle Dong was with them.

Uncle Dong had said that if she didn’t understand something, she should ask him. After they arrived at the restaurant’s parking lot, Yu Xiaoxiao walked ahead while Qiao Xi followed closely behind. She whispered to Uncle Dong, “Butler, I have a question. Did I… do something wrong today? Why isn’t the heiress talking to me?”

Uncle Dong pushed up his glasses. “It’s normal that you don’t know. Miss Xiaoxiao never eats her fill when she has Western food.”

Qiao Xi’s eyes widened. “What? She comes here to eat but doesn’t eat her fill?”

Uncle Dong coughed.

Qiao Xi realized her voice was a bit too loud and quickly shut up. What Yu Xiaoxiao ate or didn’t eat was none of her business. But to be silent the whole way just because of that, her temper was truly strange.

Perhaps she had a talent for acting. Yu Xiaoxiao’s expression just now seemed like she had a big, old grudge against her lover. If she liked “immersive” acting so much, why didn’t she just become an actress? With her looks and family background, it shouldn’t be a problem.

With these thoughts, Qiao Xi arrived at the restaurant upstairs. She had planned to bring the manual with her next time, but she had followed Yu Xiaoxiao out in such a hurry that she hadn’t even brought her wallet.

She felt like a country bumpkin next to Yu Xiaoxiao. She wished she had at least combed her hair this morning. But since she was just a stand-in, she shouldn’t care what others thought of her.

For Qiao Xi, having food and drinks was a huge improvement. It was much better than sleeping under a bridge.

Qiao Xi herself wasn’t a picky eater, but Yu Xiaoxiao’s demands for her “stand-in” were very high. She was particular about food: how well-done the steak should be, how much sugar should be in the orange juice, and how cold the dessert should be.

Qiao Xi tried her best to remember the food items she had skimmed in the manual last night. “Two eight-tenths well-done steaks with the special sauce, please. I’ll have a lime-orange-grapefruit soda with a little cocktail mixed in, and for the lady across from me, a glass of orange juice with exactly five parts sweetness.”

When Yu Xiaoxiao heard this, her expression softened, and she rested her cheek on her hand, smiling at Qiao Xi.