The Movie Queen’s Secret Stand-In Lover [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 2

The spring rain continued to drizzle without end.

By the time Zhou Ning finally returned to the station to hand in her work uniform and helmet, she was already half-soaked.

“Ningning.”

Hearing the voice, Zhou Ning turned to see Cai Sitian sitting in the station’s break room, waving at her while holding several large bags. Moved, she waved back and quickly walked into the break room. “Sitian, you came to see me. Let’s go, I’m off work now.”

“Eat first before we leave.” Cai Sitian handed Zhou Ning a bag. “Sushi. It’s just something to fill your stomach. I didn’t know exactly when you’d get off, so I didn’t buy hot meals—afraid they’d go cold and taste bad. You know how my mom is; she won’t let us cook anything after 9 PM.”

“Mmm…” Zhou Ning gratefully took the bag and sat down beside Cai Sitian. Since leaving the rental apartment that morning, she had only eaten a simple bowl of plain noodles at noon to save money, and now she was practically starving. For the original owner of this body, Cai Sitian might have been the only warmth in her life.

While Zhou Ning ate, Cai Sitian began introducing the contents of the other bags. “This one has a toothbrush and towel—I figured you might have been kicked out without bringing anything. Here are two sets of spare clothes. I’m shorter than you, so my clothes would probably be uncomfortable for you. But I didn’t buy pajamas—you can wear mine. They’re loose, so they should fit you fine. This one has…”

After finally finishing her explanations, she remembered the unanswered question from their phone call earlier. “But Ningning, what exactly happened at home?”

Zhou Ning swallowed her food and smiled at Cai Sitian, her eyes crinkling with happiness. “It’s nothing much. I just realized some things and decided to cut ties with my family. I don’t have any savings, and I won’t get paid from the supermarket until the day after tomorrow, so I can’t afford rent right now. I was hoping to stay at your place for a couple of days.”

“Wha—?!” Cai Sitian’s jaw dropped in shock. Had the Bodhisattva finally answered her countless prayers over the years? Recovering, she excitedly threw herself into Zhou Ning’s arms, hugging her tightly. “Oh, my goodness, you’ve finally come to your senses!”

“Yeah. Sun Lixiang never treated me like a daughter, so I don’t want to acknowledge her as my mother anymore. When she’s old enough, I’ll send her the minimum legally required support payments and nothing more.” Recalling the original owner’s miserable life growing up, Zhou Ning scoffed. “She dotes on Zhou Feipeng so much—let her rely on him from now on.”

If anything, she was understating it. Sun Lixiang hadn’t just treated the original owner poorly as a daughter—she hadn’t treated her as a human being at all. To her, the original owner was nothing more than a money-making tool, a free maid, and an ever-silent punching bag.

Ding-dong—

Her phone suddenly chimed. Zhou Ning pulled out the original owner cracked-screen phone and opened the unread message on WeChat. After reading it, her eyes welled up as she looked at Cai Sitian, who had somehow already taken out her own phone.

“Don’t you dare transfer it back! It’s just for emergencies—you can pay me back slowly when you have the money.” Cai Sitian counted on her fingers. “You’ll need to rent a place, buy clothes, get daily necessities… There are so many expenses. One month’s salary won’t be enough. This 18,000 is from my part-time job savings—my mom doesn’t know about it, so use it without worry.”

Zhou Ning didn’t pretend to be polite either. She nodded gratefully and said, “I’ll pay you back as soon as my job stabilizes. Thank you, Sitian~”

“Don’t mention it,” Cai Sitian replied as she stood up to help Zhou Ning pack the empty lunch boxes, her eyes full of longing. “After I graduate, I want to find a way to move out too.”

At first, Zhou Ning didn’t understand, but after recalling the original owner’s memories, she realized what Cai Sitian meant.

Cai Sitian’s mother wasn’t like Sun Lixiang, who treated her daughter like trash. On the contrary, Cai’s mother doted on her. However, her control was extreme—she even dictated Cai Sitian’s daily outfits and only allowed her to attend the university near their home so she wouldn’t have to live on campus…

Living long-term with someone like that must feel suffocating, right?

Zhou Ning’s gaze softened with sympathy as she looked at Cai Sitian.

Life wasn’t easy for anyone—everyone carried their own burdens alone. A new hope suddenly bloomed in Zhou Ning’s heart: that when Cai Sitian eventually decided to leave home and become independent, she could be her support, whether materially or emotionally. Maybe Cai Sitian wouldn’t need it, but Zhou Ning wanted to be prepared, just in case.

Another reason to work hard and earn money!

“Today, I heard from a classmate that Yuan Zhi is in C City. I really want to skip class and go see her!” Cai Sitian suddenly exclaimed excitedly, bouncing a little as they walked home.

Zhou Ning searched the original owner’s memories but found no recollection of the name Cai Sitian mentioned—probably some celebrity. The original owner had been too exhausted daily to spare energy for fangirling like most girls.

Cai Sitian gushed with starry eyes, “Ningning, now that you don’t have to work two jobs to support your family, you’ll have more free time. You should watch my Zhizhi’s movies! Especially the one last year—she looked super cool in it.”

Zhou Ning chuckled. “Got it. I’ll remember your recommendation.” Once her work and life stabilized, she’d check them out.

On the balcony of the hotel’s top-tier suite, Yuan Zhi, freshly showered, held a glass of wine as she gazed down at C City’s nightscape.

She looked focused, but in truth, she wasn’t really seeing anything. Her mind kept circling back to the face of that female delivery rider at the hotel entrance earlier.

How could she look so much like… that person from her high school memories?

She wanted… no, needed to see that girl again—clearly, carefully. Just one glance wouldn’t be enough to ease the sudden, overwhelming nostalgia that had surged within her. She wanted… to bring that girl to her side.

The night breeze carried a light drizzle, and Yuan Zhi’s slightly tipsy head began to spin. Almost unconsciously, she pulled out her phone and called her assistant, who was also staying at the hotel. “Xiao Yuan, are you asleep? I need you to do something for me.”

Yuan Xiaoyuan sat frozen on her bed, phone in hand. Zhizhi wanted her to… go to a nearby delivery station and find a girl? And arrange a meeting somehow?

“Sister Zhi…” Yuan Xiaoyuan said with a mix of grievance and feigned strength in her voice, “Working by your side these past two years has been a joy, and I’ve learned so much. It’s just that I’ve been quite immature in my work and caused you a lot of trouble. I will help you find that girl, and I hope she can truly ease your burdens in my position…”

Yuan Zhi leaned against the railing, rubbing her aching head. “I’m not replacing my assistant,” she said before hanging up.

Yuan Xiaoyuan was puzzled. Not replacing the assistant? Then was she bringing a newcomer into the circle?

Zhou Ning called the supermarket’s HR department early in the morning to resign. It wasn’t that she found the job too hard; she just wanted to cut ties with Sun Lixiang and Zhou Feipeng more cleanly.

“Do I really have to submit a written resignation report?” Zhou Ning was a bit worried.

She couldn’t go back to the supermarket now. She hadn’t gone home all night, and Sun Lixiang must have already called and discovered she’d been blocked. By now, she was probably searching everywhere for her. Not just the supermarket—she couldn’t go back to the delivery station either.

After some thought, Zhou Ning said, “Can I send it to you by courier? I’m currently in Y City and can’t come back. Really? That’s fine? Okay, thank you.”

But couriers have sender addresses, so she might have to go to Y City. It could serve as a decoy and a chance to relax, letting the Zhou mother and son search for her in the border-adjacent Y City. She didn’t plan to stay in C City either—it wasn’t too big, but not too small, and with so many relatives from the Zhou and Sun families, running into any one of them would be troublesome. She’d also have to change her phone number soon, and aside from Cai Sitian, she wouldn’t share the new number with anyone from C City.

Thinking about it, the 18,000-yuan Cai Sitian gave her was truly a lifesaver.

Cai Sitian had classes in the morning and had to go to school. With Cai Sitian away, Zhou Ning didn’t feel comfortable staying at the Cai residence, so she sat in the pavilion in the residential complex downstairs. After calling the supermarket HR, she picked up her phone again to calculate her expenses: renting a place, considering a deposit plus three months’ rent—older neighborhoods were fine, but safety was a priority… Then there were daily necessities, pots, pans, dishes…

Buzz buzz buzz—

Her phone suddenly vibrated.

Zhou Ning saw it was an unknown number and hung up without hesitation, immediately blocking it. Sun Lixiang must have realized her calls weren’t going through and borrowed someone else’s phone to call. She couldn’t be bothered to answer!

“Uh…” Yuan Xiaoyuan tried calling again after being hung up on, only to find she’d been blocked. She double-checked the phone number the station manager had given her—no mistake. “Manager, are you sure this is Ms. Zhou’s number?” Her childlike appearance, especially when she smiled, made her seem even more adorable, and her exceptionally polite tone usually made people eager to help her.

“That’s Xiao Zhou’s number. Probably just not answering unknown calls,” said the station manager, a slightly plump middle-aged man. He picked up his own phone, found Zhou Ning’s number, and dialed.

Sorry, the number you dialed is busy. Sorry…

Under Yuan Xiaoyuan’s pleading gaze, he tried again. Fortunately, the weather was clear today, and it was still early before noon, so the delivery orders hadn’t piled up. If it had been like last night when it rained, he wouldn’t have had the time to handle such matters carefully.

“The line’s still busy. Little miss, how about you scan the payment to me, and I’ll transfer it to her via WeChat?” The station manager said with a smile, “It’s common for delivery riders to help customers buy things along the way, and sometimes they forget to collect the money. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure both the payment and your gratitude reach Xiao Zhou.”

“No, that’s not…” Yuan Xiaoyuan was so anxious she could stomp her feet. Sister Zhi came to City C for tonight’s business event and had to return to City A first thing tomorrow. She had to settle this matter by today at the latest.

Ding-ling-da-la-di—

The station manager’s phone rang. It was Zhou Ning calling back.

“Manager, did you need something?” Zhou Ning had just finished a call with the telecom company’s customer service, inquiring about canceling her phone number.

The manager chuckled, “There’s a young lady looking for you. Said she once asked you to buy some medicine when you delivered her food but forgot to pay you. She came to the station to return the money and thank you in person. I told her you’re only here for evening shifts and aren’t around now, so she asked for your number. Haha—and then you blocked her as a spam caller.”

Buying medicine? Zhou Ning tried to recall. The original owner had indeed helped customers buy various random things, including medicine… Did they not pay? “It’s fine, you can accept it for me and transfer it via WeChat. Oh, and manager, starting tonight I won’t be coming for the part-time job anymore. Thank you for all your care. I’ll visit you and everyone when I have time~”

The manager was somewhat surprised. Zhou Ning used to be extremely introverted and barely spoke, but since yesterday she seemed much more lively. That’s good. “If you have time, why not come over? The young lady went to great lengths—she even brought handmade gifts.”

Yuan Xiaoyuan took the phone from the manager and said earnestly, “Hello, Miss Zhou. I’m the one who wants to thank you~ That night, thanks to the medicine you bought for me, or else the consequences would have been unthinkable. This might have just been a small favor to you, but it truly saved my life. I baked some cookies myself. If it’s inconvenient for you to come, you can give me your address, and I’ll deliver them to you.”

As long as they met, she could find a way to invite Miss Zhou for a meal. Sister Zhi only asked her to arrange a meeting with Miss Zhou—she didn’t know what Sister Zhi wanted to say afterward, so it was better not to go into too much detail.

Was this girl sick? Having died from illness in her past life, Zhou Ning felt a pang of empathy for the sweet-voiced girl on the phone. “I’m free now. How about we meet somewhere?” It was better not to risk going near the delivery station.

Yuan Xiaoyuan said delightedly, “Great! How about 11 o’clock at the FUN restaurant near XX Hotel? I’ll reserve a table now. I was hoping to treat you to a meal too.”

“No need—” Before Zhou Ning could finish, the call ended.

FUN restaurant… right across from the luxury hotel where she delivered food yesterday. Rumor had it, it was especially expensive.