Mistakenly Married a Substitute Wife, Falling in Love with the Movie Queen - Chapter 25

“Your… Little Whale…”

Shen Shuangjing finished speaking and immediately focused on Sang Baili’s ears. As expected, a seductive blush had spread across them.

Though her sister’s words often contradicted her true feelings, her ears were remarkably sensitive. Those delicate earlobes would tremble slightly, providing the most honest feedback both in and out of bed.

She licked the milk residue from her lips, her dark, watery eyes fixed intently on Sang Baili. Her voice was soft and sweet as she asked, “Sister, what design do you want on the purple sweet potato mochi for lunch?”

Sang Baili’s eyes widened with a mix of shock and disbelief. “You can still make lunch? How do you have so much energy?”

Shen Shuangjing smiled. Her stamina had been honed long ago; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to carry trays for two days straight on Work Within Work. Most people underestimated the physical demands of being a server—memorizing menus and prices, delivering meals promptly, and constantly clearing tables—without proper stamina, it was easy to burn out both mentally and physically.

“Didn’t you experience it firsthand yesterday, Sister?” she teased. “My abs aren’t just for show. And you seem to have forgotten—I made breakfast too.”

Comparing oneself to others is enough to drive you mad.

Sang Baili’s hand trembled as she picked up the spoon, only able to experience a slow-paced life. Shen Shuangjing, on the other hand, had worked all night but could still effortlessly flip the wok.

Sang Baili numbly said, “I want to eat Little Whale.”

Shen Shuangjing: “……?”

Little Whale is so cute! How could my sister even think about eating a whale?

She narrowed her almond-shaped eyes, revealing a hint of childlike cunning, but her tone remained utterly innocent as she said with a sweet smile, “Sister, you have to change your review to five stars first.”

She didn’t need her sister’s empty praise, but she refused to let Sang Baili off the hook. She needed to hear a genuine five-star review from her sister’s heart.

Sang Baili wasn’t one to indulge in fleeting cravings.

She parted her crimson lips slightly and said, “Then five stars it is.”

A seasoned businesswoman never makes a losing deal. Let the little girl puff up her tail feathers—eating Little Whale was still the more valuable outcome.

At lunchtime, Sang Baili stared at the round, purple sweet potato glutinous rice cake, suspecting she’d fallen victim to a commercial scam. “This is Little Whale?”

Shen Shuangjing scratched her cheek guiltily. “It failed. I’ll definitely buy a mold next time.”

Sang Baili: “I’m taking back my five-star review.”

She changed it to three stars.

The little girl deceived my feelings. Minus one star.

Shen Shuangjing promoted her small round cookies: “Lychee patterns—aren’t they adorable?”

Just as sweet as my sister’s name!

“Lychee patterns?”

Eating herself? Does Shen Shuangjing have a grudge against me?

Sang Baili shook her head, her tone uncompromising. “I only want to eat ‘Little Whale’ cookies. Every single word must be there—not a single one can be missing.”

Shen Shuangjing snapped her fingers. “Fine, I’ll just eat them myself then.”

“?”

“Wait, I’ll eat them.”

Sang Baili snatched the plate back, snatching the food from the whale’s mouth and averting another tragedy: preventing Little Whale from devouring yet another lychee.

Shen Shuangjing sat across from her, her voice soft but earnest. “Sister, if anything like yesterday happens again, call me immediately. I’ll be there in an instant.”

She couldn’t bear to imagine the horrific consequences if Sang Baili hadn’t returned in time after drinking that spiked wine. How could anyone be so cruel, so reckless, as to commit an act that could ruin someone’s entire life?

“It won’t happen again,” Sang Baili said, biting into a glutinous rice cake and offering her a reassuring smile.

She wouldn’t let Shen Shuangjing know that she wouldn’t let those who had plotted against her get away with it so easily. She would repay them in kind, tenfold.

Such cruel methods are not for a child’s ears.

The sunlight streamed through the window as Shen Shuangjing hummed “A Beautiful Jasmine Flower” while watering the Pen Tip Jasmine on the windowsill. Meng Manli’s phone call interrupted her.

They chatted briefly about the upcoming broadcast of the edited version of Work Within Work and their collaborative promotional efforts.

Meng Manli then shifted the conversation. “Your pillow talk really worked!”

Shen Shuangjing’s fingers gently brushed the leaves of the Pen Tip Jasmine. “What pillow talk?” she asked, confused.

“The director of Night of the Murder Chase called me,” Meng Manli explained. “After careful consideration, they still want you for the third female lead.”

Shen Shuangjing’s thoughts struggled to catch up. She pursed her lips and asked, “Did you accept?”

“No,” Meng Manli replied. “I told her I needed time to consider.”

Shen Shuangjing turned sideways. “Consider what?”

“We’re not pushovers,” Meng Manli said. “When I say I need time to consider, I mean I’m going to make her sweat for a couple of days. It’ll let me vent my anger.”

But Meng Manli also had her reservations.

“On the other hand,” she said, “I worried you might feel resentful about someone stealing the role and refuse to play it. But let’s be honest, the entertainment industry works this way. There are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. When capital forces its way in, directors and actors often have no choice but to become victims themselves. The person who stole the role is despicable, but the role itself is innocent. If you let petty grievances make you abandon such a valuable opportunity, I’d find it a real shame. The future benefits this role could bring you far outweigh the temporary satisfaction of rejecting it for revenge.”

The afternoon sunlight, like flowing water, streamed through the Pen Tip Jasmine leaves, gilding their edges with a soft, golden glow.

Shen Shuangjing gently played with the shifting patterns of light and shadow on the leaves, her voice light and clear. “I want to play the role, Sister Manli. If I get it, I’m lucky; if I don’t, it wasn’t meant to be. If I sign the contract but don’t perform, the role never truly belonged to me. While I’m disappointed it was taken away, I won’t hold any grudges. The director and producers must have considered my potential refusal when they invited me a second time. Yet they still extended the offer, which I see as a gesture of goodwill.”

After a moment’s thought, Shen Shuangjing’s eyes curved into a smile as she added, “Just like you said, there are no eternal enemies. They chose me, and I want to prove to them that their judgment was correct. Besides, it’s just work. We’ll sign a contract, and if they breach it again, we’ll simply collect another exorbitant penalty fee.”

But if they breach the contract again, Shen Shuangjing would likely never consider working with them again.

The script was important, but integrity was equally crucial.

Meng Manli said, “I detect a hint of excitement in your last sentence.”

“That’s just how money-obsessed fans are,” Shen Shuangjing replied.

“You’re a mudslide in the entertainment industry,” Meng Manli quipped.

While other artists kept their desire for wealth hidden, Shen Shuangjing had no such reservations—she simply wanted to make money.

As her manager, Meng Manli admired Shen Shuangjing’s ambition.

Shen Shuangjing took it as a compliment. “A mudslide has a good connotation—unstoppable momentum.”

Changing the subject, she asked, “But wasn’t the third female lead already cast? Did the actress drop out?”

“Don’t you know?” Meng Manli asked, surprised. She had assumed Shen Shuangjing had reported the issue behind the scenes.

She explained, “The director said the investors were dissatisfied. And who else could those investors be but your ‘special someone’?”

Shen Shuangjing nearly tore off a leaf, then hastily withdrew her hand, her heart pounding. “But I never told her about the role being taken away.”

She wasn’t some bullied elementary schooler running to her parents for backup. It had never occurred to her to ask Sang Baili to avenge her.

Meng Manli: “You never mentioned it?”

Shen Shuangjing: “No.”

Meng Manli’s emotions were complex. No one had ever told her that being an agent meant doubling as a relationship counselor. She wasn’t one to strictly forbid her artists from dating, but now she wondered if Shen Shuangjing would still be able to secure the lead role.

Wait, these two were already married.

Meng Manli cleared her throat and said without thinking, “Do you think she wouldn’t know just because you didn’t tell her? If she cares about you, she’ll move mountains for you without you even asking.”

Move mountains?

The words were so direct they made Shen Shuangjing cringe.

A wave of goosebumps prickled across her skin.

But was Meng Manli right?

To be honest, Shen Shuangjing wasn’t sure.

She lacked confidence in matters of the heart. Whenever someone showed her kindness, she always felt it was too good to be true. Even with repeated reassurances, doubt lingered in her mind.

She instinctively assumed Sang Baili had other motives—perhaps a shrewd business calculation to deny the actress who had stolen her role. She refused to flatter herself by thinking it was done to avenge her.

Given Sang Baili’s flamboyant and unrestrained personality, why would she keep quiet and not take credit if she had done something for Shen Shuangjing?

Shen Shuangjing could easily imagine the woman’s teasing, dark blue eyes sparkling with amusement as she demanded a reward for her efforts.

It had to be said that Shen Shuangjing and Sang Baili were, in a way, kindred spirits.

“Hmm, they’re that efficient? I hadn’t even told you yet, and you already know.”

Sang Baili, wearing glasses with thin, transparent frames, closed her laptop. Her jade-like legs crossed slightly, her slippered feet dangling in the air, exuding a fatal, ascetic allure.

She was only mildly nearsighted, about 100 degrees, and rarely wore glasses in daily life. She only put them on occasionally for work.

At the moment, she had just finished a video conference.

Upon hearing Sang Baili’s words, Shen Shuangjing’s vision swam with stars, and she lost all ability to speak.

Her previous speculations were like thin snow clinging to a branch. Sang Baili’s words were the final snowflake that broke the branch.

The branch snapped, sending snowflakes scattering into her heart, where they quickly melted into water. Only one flake remained suspended in mid-air, its crystalline beauty piercing her heart like a nail.

Shen Shuangjing’s breath tightened, her heart surged with emotion. Having never experienced such favoritism before, a strange, overwhelming feeling welled up within her, threatening to overwhelm her.

Her lifelong independence had straightened her spine, making her strong and resilient. She dared not pause, dared not breathe, carrying all of life’s burdens alone. But in this moment, before the person standing before her, she felt she could finally relax a little, not have to work so hard.

Because Sang Baili had stepped forward, taking her place and standing before her.

Her confidence no longer rested solely on herself; it had become Sang Baili. This feeling of being cared for, of having someone to rely on, made her heart race and filled her with a dizzying sense of intoxication.

So this is what it’s like to have someone backing you up. From an outsider’s perspective, it might seem childish or lacking in independence. But as the one experiencing it, her heart was simply overflowing with a soft, warm contentment.

Shen Shuangjing’s gaze held a hint of bewilderment, but her eyes remained fixed on Sang Baili. “I’ll work hard on set and won’t let your investment go to waste,” she promised.

Sang Baili smiled languidly, her beautiful eyes sparkling with amusement. “I thought you’d be angry at me for taking matters into my own hands.”

“How could I be?” Shen Shuangjing replied immediately. “You went to the director to get my role back. I feel like the luckiest person in the world.”

Sang Baili propped her cheek with one hand, her expression unreadable. “Then why didn’t you tell me? Did you assume I wouldn’t help? Or were you afraid I’d ignore you and you’d humiliate yourself?”

The air felt thin and slightly cold.

Shen Shuangjing remained silent for a moment. “No,” she finally said. “I just never considered resolving this matter.”

On the path of life, she had always walked alone.

If she couldn’t solve a problem herself, it simply remained unsolved. Relying on others was a concept and possibility she had never entertained.

Seeing the slight droop of Shen Shuangjing’s almond-shaped eyes, the disappointment darkening their depths, and the fading light in her gaze, Sang Baili’s heart twisted as if a blade were churning within it. A sharp pang of pain struck her, followed by regret for her careless words.

She quickly changed the subject. “But I didn’t specifically recommend you to the director.”

Shen Shuangjing’s attention snapped to her words, her eyes widening with a bright, cat-like curiosity. “Hm?”

Sang Baili explained, “I didn’t interfere with the casting process. I simply insisted they choose the actress they believed was most suitable for the third female lead, rather than someone brought in through connections. So, Shen Xiaojing, you earned this role entirely on your own merits.”

Sang Baili had recognized the girl’s talent during their scene rehearsal. The director’s final decision came as no surprise.

A pearl, once dusted off, would inevitably shine. Shen Shuangjing was destined for her moment in the spotlight. Sang Baili had merely accelerated the process, doing nothing more than nudging fate along.

Sang Baili snorted. “You deserve it. Looks like those people still have good eyes.”

Shen Shuangjing moved her lips, her eyes growing slightly moist, her voice a little hoarse. “How can you be so good?” So good that she wished Sang Baili could be her real sister!

Sang Baili frowned slightly.

What kind of logic is that?

She said, “You eat my food, use my things, wear my clothes, and live in my house. That makes you my Little Whale. If someone bullies my Little Whale, am I supposed to just stand by and watch?”

An eye for an eye was her life’s motto.

Her words suddenly felt hollow.

Shen Shuangjing: “…Your?”

She blurted out, “But I clean, cook, and do the housework.”

Isn’t this just a polite arrangement where Little Whale is borrowing a human’s home?

Sang Baili’s lips curled into a smile, her narrow eyes gleaming with a captivating, shimmering light. “Exactly. No problem at all. My pet snail-whale, Little Whale, a celestial whale descended to earth, hardworking and diligent.”

She extended her leg, her toe brushing against Shen Shuangjing’s trouser leg under the table, lifting the hem slightly before retracting it, just before the atmosphere could turn too intimate.

Sang Baili said, “So tonight, I want to eat Little Whale’s glutinous rice cakes. Got it, snail-whale Little Whale?”