The Movie Queen’s Secret Stand-In Lover [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 1

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The dilapidated door shook violently, as if it might shatter at any moment.

Zhou Ning rubbed her aching head and glanced at the hulking shadow outside the bathroom door. She was starting to think that in her past lives, she must have been some corrupt official who committed countless atrocities. Otherwise, how else could she explain being so broke even after transmigrating?

When others transmigrated, they either became noble ladies or wealthy heiresses. Even those with tragic backgrounds at least had beauty or talent to fall back on.

But look at her—

Standing in the cramped bathroom of her rented apartment, Zhou Ning stared at her reflection in the chipped, aged mirror—a face that could only be described as plain—and let out a heavy sigh. There was no hope of making money as an internet celebrity by selling her looks. Her appearance had blessed her with the virtue of keeping her feet firmly on the ground.

Honestly, the original owner’s life was even worse than hers before transmigrating. She had been poor in her past life too—congenital heart disease wasn’t incurable, but with enough money for systematic treatment, there was a 90% chance of recovery. She remembered a line from some movie: “There’s only one disease in this world—poverty.”

When she had died in despair, powerless against her illness in her past life, she had gained a much more visceral and profound understanding of that line.

Poverty could literally kill. Wasn’t she proof of that?

Still, even though she hadn’t had money for treatment in her past life, at least her living space had been decent. It was an old apartment in the suburbs left to her by her parents. It hadn’t been worth much when she needed to sell it for medical expenses, and daily life there hadn’t been convenient, but at least it had been spacious, bright, and rent-free.

The original owner had it even worse. Not only was this place rented, but the tiny one-bedroom apartment was shared with another person.

That other person was the original owner’s mother—Sun Lixiang. The only bedroom belonged to Sun Lixiang, while the living room wasn’t even the original owner’s domain. The only space that truly belonged to her was a small 1.2 x 2-meter bed by the balcony and a simple little cabinet beside it.

The Zhou family had originally owned an old three-bedroom apartment, where the original owner had at least had her own room—albeit one crammed with junk. But later, Sun Lixiang sold that apartment and used the money to pay the down payment on a small new unit in the city center for her precious son, Zhou Feipeng.

Zhou Feipeng, who spent his days idling around town waiting to die, naturally couldn’t pay the mortgage. Sun Lixiang had retired early from the factory to dote on her long-awaited, pride-of-the-Zhou-family son, so her pension was meager.

So, who was paying the mortgage? That’s right! Of course, it was the brainwashed original owner!

Not just the mortgage on the new apartment, but also the rent for this place, Sun Lixiang’s daily expenses, the rent for Zhou Feipeng’s separate apartment before he moved into the new place, and the occasional “emergency” pocket money—all of it was shouldered by the original owner, Zhou Ning (her namesake), the so-called “Unparalleled Good Sister.”

When Zhou Ning first absorbed the original owner’s memories, she nearly died a second time from sheer rage. The way the original owner had lived—might as well have suffocated from the sheer indignity of it all!

Sun Lixiang was too stingy to let the original host, who had decent grades, attend college, limiting her job options and earning potential. To support her biased mother and useless brother, the original host not only worked at a supermarket during the day but also delivered takeout on her electric scooter at night. And that wasn’t all—after finishing deliveries, she still had a pile of chores waiting for her at home.

Even indentured servants for landlords weren’t worked to death like this. Yet Sun Lixiang had no qualms about it. Though both were her own flesh and bl00d, she didn’t bat an eye while her daughter was exhausted to the bone yet panicked over her son getting a minor fever from overeating.

Zhou Ning used to hear people say some women were even more patriarchal than men, but she never believed it—until now. Before Zhou’s father passed away, he had treated the original host decently. Though he still favored the younger son, he wasn’t as extreme as Sun Lixiang. The name “Zhou Ning” was also given by him, showing some thoughtfulness. If it had been up to Sun Lixiang, the original host would probably be named Zhou Pandi, Zhou Laidi, or Zhou Shengnan by now.

“Are you dead in there?” Sun Lixiang banged harder on the door when Zhou Ning didn’t respond, roaring furiously, “Trying to skip work over some little ailment? What about your perfect attendance? Hurry up and get ready—you can still make it if you leave now.”

The door swung open with a clatter.

Zhou Ning leaned against the doorframe, expressionless. “Then would you mind moving aside?”

“Who do you think you’re talking to with that tone?” Sun Lixiang immediately flared up, but it was already 7:40. Any further delay would mean a pay deduction for being late, and if she pushed Zhou Ning too hard, the brat might refuse to go to work altogether—another pay cut. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing money! So, she just shoved Zhou Ning roughly and snapped, “Hurry up and get going!”

Zhou Ning staggered, nearly crashing into the sofa, but she didn’t bother arguing. Instead, she strode to the balcony side, stuffing all the loose change and documents from the small cabinet into her bag. Once she stepped out of this door, she was never coming back.

She didn’t take any clothes. For one, the original host barely owned anything presentable. For another, she didn’t want to raise Sun Lixiang’s suspicions and risk being stopped.

In her past life, health issues had often kept her from working, which was the root of her poverty. But the original host’s body was healthy—health truly was the foundation of survival. With a sound body and willingness to endure hardship, making a living wouldn’t be a problem.

The original host had been brainwashed into submission, but Zhou Ning wasn’t a fool. Only a madwoman would stay here and keep being bled dry.

She had only transmigrated into this world last night but had already pieced together the original host’s relationships and financial situation from her memories.

Relationships: Bl00d-related—a mother, a brother, and a handful of useless relatives who brought nothing but trouble. Non-bl00d-related—a high school roommate in the same city who often helped her out, the original host’s only friend.

Finances: The bank card was in Sun Lixiang’s hands. All the original host had was a combined balance of 84 yuan across various payment apps. Last month’s salary and bonuses—4,800 yuan—would be deposited on the 10th. Today was already the 8th. She had to rush to report the card lost and get it reissued before that critical startup fund fell into Sun Lixiang’s clutches.

As for how Sun Lixiang and her son would survive without her financial support after she left… What the hell did she care?

On a sunny early spring day, the warm sunlight wasn’t the least bit harsh.

Zhou Ning stood on the curb, gazing up at the drifting clouds chasing each other across the sky, feeling that the future was full of promise.

The original owner of this body had barely experienced any truly good days in her twenty-something years of life, and in her previous life, Zhou Ning herself had been too constrained by illness and poverty to properly enjoy living. She silently vowed to herself that in the days to come, she would strive to live a brilliant and dazzling life, making up for the regrets of both the original owner and herself.

Now, the two most pressing matters were sorting out the bank card issue and finding stable accommodation. Payday wasn’t until the day after tomorrow, so a long-term rental was out of the question until then.

But with only 84 yuan to her name… even a short-term stay at a cheap motel would be a stretch.

Zhou Ning shook her head, deciding to tackle one thing at a time—first, the bank. If she really couldn’t find a place to stay tonight, she could always rough it at an internet café. There was no way she was going back to that rented apartment shared by the original owner and Sun Lixiang, no matter what.

On the bus to the bank, Zhou Ning quickly took care of two things. First, she changed the passwords for all her payment apps—the original owner’s passwords had been known to Sun Lixiang, which was why she hadn’t even been able to keep a bit of private savings. Second, she blocked Sun Lixiang, Zhou Feipeng, and a whole bunch of meddlesome relatives from both the Zhou and Sun families who contributed nothing but trouble.

While ruthlessly blocking people in her contacts, Zhou Ning spotted a name that felt like a lifeline—Cai Sitian.

Right! How could she have forgotten that the original owner had a close friend in the same city? If things got desperate, she could always crash at Cai Sitian’s place for a couple of nights.

With that thought, Zhou Ning’s mind was completely at ease. Just then, the bus arrived at the stop near the bank. Energized, she cheerfully navigated through the crowd with calls of “Excuse me,” “Coming through, please,” and “Driver, wait—someone’s still getting off!” before successfully disembarking.

She even hopped down with a little “ta-da” for her final step off the bus. The short few hundred meters from the bus stop to the bank, she skipped and bounced like a little rabbit.

What could she do? In her past life, due to her heart condition, she hadn’t been able to run or jump—even climbing stairs required frequent breaks. Now that she finally had a healthy body, of course she wanted to experience the thrill of moving freely! Plenty of passersby gave her odd looks, but she didn’t care at all. Instead, she beamed at them happily, like a full-blown extrovert with zero social anxiety.

After all, she’d already died once—her mental resilience was bound to be stronger than before. Zhou Ning had realized: if you care too much about what others think, the only one who suffers is yourself.

“Sitian, can I stay at your place tonight?” Zhou Ning called Cai Sitian while waiting in line at the delivery station to collect her work uniform and helmet.

Cai Sitian was a university student in the city and lived at home instead of staying in the dorms. Standing in the hotel lobby, she hesitated as she answered her friend’s call, glancing at the gentle-smiling boy beside her. “Tonight…?” She had just lied to her parents, telling them she’d be staying in the dorm to discuss coursework with classmates.

Zhou Ning immediately picked up on her hesitation and replied breezily, “If it’s not convenient, that’s totally fine.” Looks like the internet café it is.

“Ningning, did your mom bully you again?” Cai Sitian couldn’t help but worry. Having known Zhou Ning for so long, no matter how unreasonable Zhou’s mother was, Zhou Ning always endured it silently—never asking for help, barely even complaining. Was the situation really that serious this time? “I’m free, but I’m still out with classmates right now. I’ll be home a bit late, so I’m afraid you might have to wait too long.”

Zhou Ning replied cheerfully, “No worries. I still have deliveries to make, so I’ll be done late too. Shall we connect later then?”

Gurgle—

“Okay.” Cai Sitian hung up the phone, her heart aching with helplessness. She had heard Zhou Ning’s stomach growl—had she not eaten yet at this hour? Starving herself while delivering food to others, running in and out of restaurants.

Sigh. She had advised Zhou Ning countless times before, especially during their senior year of high school, urging her to finish college even if it meant taking out loans. Back then, Zhou Ning had just smiled gently without saying a word, frustrating her to no end.

“Ah Jie~” Cai Sitian blushed slightly as she looked up at the tall boy beside her, offering an apologetic smile. “Something urgent came up—I need to go home right away. I’m really sorry.”

A flicker of displeasure crossed Feng Yanjie’s face, but it was quickly replaced by a broad smile. He held Cai Sitian’s hand suggestively, leaning in to whisper by her ear, “So urgent you have to leave now? We could make it quick.”

“Really, I’m sorry.” Flustered, Cai Sitian pulled her hand back and dashed out of the hotel lobby. Once outside in the night breeze, she cupped her burning cheeks and giggled shyly.

Left alone in the lobby, Feng Yanjie took out his phone and called his dorm buddy, grumbling irritably, “Didn’t work out. Damn it, she suddenly said she had to go home—who knows if it’s true or not. If she gets dragged into some alley and raped on the way back, I’d be the one losing out after all the effort I put in just to take her virginity…”

Rain began to fall unexpectedly that evening.

After delivering her last order, Zhou Ning stood outside the city’s finest hotel, removing her helmet and shaking out the water inside.

Talk about bad luck—even the helmet she got was a broken one.

Just as she finished shaking off the rainwater and was about to head to her electric scooter, an unmistakably expensive car pulled up outside. The doorman eagerly approached as a young woman in a sleek black suit stepped out from the passenger seat. With a graceful motion, she opened a black umbrella and stood poised by the rear door, holding it aloft.

Wow—Zhou Ning marveled inwardly. The joys of the wealthy were truly beyond her imagination—even their bodyguards were stunning women.

From the rear door emerged a foot that looked expensive at first glance, beautiful at the second, perfectly matched to the luxury car. Then followed a slender figure dressed simply, her face mostly hidden behind a mask, making her features indiscernible. Yet Zhou Ning just knew—this was a beauty, a super beauty at that.

Beauties had an aura.

Zhou Ning glanced down at her own plain, rain-drenched, disheveled appearance. Instead of shrinking away in shame, she proudly lifted her still-damp face and gazed boldly in the beauty’s direction.

The existence of a beauty is meant to be admired, not to make people feel inferior by comparison. If one insists on endless comparisons, there are far more extraordinary beings in this world than the human species.

Yuan Zhi noticed someone looking at her. She was long accustomed to all kinds of gazes—curious, covetous, appreciative, adoring… She swept a casual glance at the person, but her indifferent gaze suddenly froze.

Was it that person?

She stopped to take a closer look, and her flustered emotions gradually settled.

No, it wasn’t that person. Come to think of it, given that person’s family background, no matter how down-and-out they were, they wouldn’t stoop to being a delivery rider.

But this person in front of her… Yuan Zhi couldn’t help stealing another glance at Zhou Ning. In terms of appearance alone, she bore a striking resemblance—about sixty or seventy percent—to that person. As she passed by Zhou Ning, Yuan Zhi unconsciously slowed her pace, her gaze lingering once more on that face, which couldn’t help but stir her memories.

Seeing the beauty slow down and look at her, Zhou Ning flashed a polite yet enthusiastic grin in return. So beautiful! she marveled inwardly. Even just her eyes are stunning!

But she didn’t hold the beauty’s gaze for too long before dashing through the heavy rain toward her beloved e-bike. For one thing, staring too long would be rude. For another, she still had to return to the station to hand in her uniform and helmet—she really didn’t have time to spare.

As for the beauty and the luxury car, a fleeting glance was enough. That wasn’t the life meant for her. She’d rather keep her feet on the ground and focus on living well in the present.