The Movie Queen’s Secret Stand-In Lover [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 23

Sun Lixiang first brought the stew to the table, then served two bowls of rice. Rubbing her sore back, she sat down and spoke softly to her precious son, “Pengpeng, eat up. Mom made your favorite pork ribs.”

“What is this garbage?” Zhou Feipeng picked up his chopsticks and disdainfully poked at the contents of the dish before tossing them down with a scoff. “This tastes awful. I like the ribs my sister makes. Forget it, I’m ordering takeout. Transfer me 200 yuan.”

“That ungrateful wretch of a sister of yours—who knows when she’ll be back? The little money we’ve managed to save must be spent carefully!” Sun Lixiang placatingly placed a rib in Zhou Feipeng’s bowl. “Besides, you haven’t even tasted it yet and you’re already saying it’s bad. Mom put real effort into this—it’s better than last time. Just try it, okay?”

“Come back? Have you seen the messages in the family group? Hah, she’s dining at that rooftop restaurant in Shiyuan Plaza—minimum 2000 a meal. Like she’d ever come back.” Zhou Feipeng sneered. “Mom, you know what the relatives are saying behind our backs? They say if she’s suddenly living so lavishly, she must be earning that kind of money. Only that kind of money gets spent without a second thought.”

Sun Lixiang lost her appetite at her son’s words. She set down her chopsticks, her face twisted in disgust. “Don’t mention her! From now on, just pretend she’s dead! Tomorrow, you go out and find a proper job. I refuse to believe that without that little slut, the two of us can’t make it on our own.”

“…” The previously aggressive Zhou Feipeng suddenly fell silent.

“Pengpeng, don’t worry. We’ll ask Uncle Wang to find you something easy.” Sun Lixiang picked up her bowl and took a bite of a potato—undercooked. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to swallow the half-raw, overly salty potato and said dismissively, “Once you find a good partner, the two of you can earn money together, and life at home will get even better. So that girl you’re seeing now won’t do—she just loafs around all day, spending without earning. We need someone with a college degree and a stable job, and she has to be good-looking too, or it’ll affect my future grandson’s looks.”

“Mom.” Zhou Feipeng shot her a sidelong glance. “Are you saying you’re not going to work? You’re barely over forty. Aren’t there women older than you still working at the supermarket where my sister used to work?”

Sun Lixiang shook her head. “That job involves lifting and standing all day—my back can’t take it.” A blissful smile spread across her face. “But I won’t be idle. I’ll stay home and take care of your kids.”

“Or…” Zhou Feipeng stared dejectedly at the disastrous meal in front of him. “Maybe we should try to get my sister back? If she’s doing that kind of work outside, it’s our Zhou family’s reputation that’s getting dragged through the mud.” He had given up his rented place and was now forced to eat these awful meals at home, his pockets emptier than his face. He couldn’t even show his face around his buddies anymore. Life was miserable.

Sun Lixiang shoveled food into her mouth without responding. Of course, she wanted Zhou Ning back too. For the past few weeks, she had been doing all the housework herself—tasks that Zhou Ning used to finish in half an hour after work now took her three or four hours. Zhou Ning was truly born for hard labor, naturally gifted at such things. Unlike her, who was meant for a more delicate life—no matter how much she tried, she just couldn’t get the hang of housework.

But she had tried coaxing and scolding—Zhou Ning was impervious to both! The only ways she could reach Zhou Ning now were through phone calls and the family group chat. No matter how many times she called, Zhou Ning wouldn’t pick up. And while she could curse at Zhou Ning in the group chat with so many people watching, groveling and begging her to come back in front of everyone? She couldn’t bear that humiliation!

“Mom? Are you listening?” Zhou Feipeng urged. “Try contacting her in a few days. Just tell her to come back without worry—I was only trying to scare her before. She’s my own sister—you think I’d lay a hand on her?” Truth was, he didn’t dare hit Zhou Ning. What if something happened to her? Who’d take care of the house? Who’d earn money for the family?

Sun Lixiang remained silent. Suddenly, her phone on the dining table rang. Picking it up, she saw it was a call from the wife of Zhou’s third younger brother. The Zhou brothers had barely kept in touch since her husband died… Puzzled, she answered.

“Second sister-in-law. Your Ningning is on TV—XX Channel. Our whole family’s watching right now.” The third sister-in-law’s voice dripped with schadenfreude.

Sun Lixiang had put the call on speaker. Hearing the news, Zhou Feipeng hurried to turn on the TV. Maybe the show would give them clues about Zhou Ning’s new address? If sweet talk didn’t work, they’d just drag her back by force.

“I refuse to be an unpaid maid and cash cow anymore. I want to live my own life. As for my mother and brother, I hope they’ll stop bothering me. If my mother ever falls ill one day…” The voice coming from the TV was unmistakably Zhou Ning’s. And the face on screen was undeniably hers—though her complexion had improved drastically, making her look much prettier.

Texts, calls, and endless @ mentions in the family group chat. Sun Lixiang’s phone wouldn’t stop ringing, and Zhou Feipeng’s buzzed intermittently too.

Relatives from both the Zhou and Sun families knew full well how notoriously Sun Lixiang favored her son and mistreated her daughter. Yet they all called or messaged to ask if it was true, as though feigning ignorance would absolve them of complicity.

“That ungrateful wretch! That whore! Why didn’t she just fall and die!” Sun Lixiang’s eyes burned crimson as she glared at the TV. Regret gnawed at her insides—if only she’d drowned that little slut in a bucket right after birth, she wouldn’t be the target of public scorn today.

Especially from those old hags in the community dance group. She was the youngest in the group, a widow, and not bad-looking—the old men loved partnering with her and often gave her food and gifts. Out of sheer jealousy, those old crones had it out for her.

Zhou Ning’s segment aired during prime time on the provincial channel, which the dance group’s elderly women loved watching in the evenings. A quick glance at the community chat showed the news had spread like wildfire, with many hurling insults at her. Some were even trying to contact the landlord to have her evicted from the neighborhood.

“Ah—!” After a dramatic eyeroll, Sun Lixiang fainted.

Zhou Feipeng frowned and rushed over, shaking her roughly. “Mom?”

Dazed, Sun Lixiang opened her eyes. “Stop shaking. I’m dizzy.”

“Oh. Then lie down and rest for a while.” Zhou Feipeng gently placed Sun Lixiang back on the cold floor, then stood up and picked up the phone she had left on the dining table. He opened a food delivery app and ordered a barbecue set. It had been so long since he’d had barbecue! He was practically drooling with craving!

Zhou Ning had just checked in on her Sugar Daddy’s super topic when she accidentally discovered she was trending.

The trending topic read: #Yuan Zhi Prepares Heartwarming Surprise for Heroic Fan, Doubling the Positive Energy#

This trending topic… was it bought by her Sugar Daddy or did it climb naturally?

Zhou Ning clicked in to take a look. The top post was a video compilation of her Sugar Daddy giving her gifts, followed by various glamour shots of him and recommendations for his works.

She tried sorting by timeline and finally found posts mentioning her.

That big sister’s biased mom is truly something else. Making a little kid handle all the household chores? Forget being a parent—is that even human behavior?

The younger brother isn’t any good either, probably gloating all these years about being the favorite.

But the big sister is so gentle and sunny, and when she rescued someone, her strength and speed were both S-tier—so dreamy.

The way big sister lunged at Zhizhi’s husband is exactly how I’d be.

Hey, is anyone shipping little sister Zhou with Zhizhi? Hahahaha… somehow, they seem kind of perfect together.

Right here!!! I’m team Zhizhi as the top!

What nonsense was this? Imagining being… intimate with her Sugar Daddy, Zhou Ning touched her burning-hot cheeks and exited Weibo with a brilliant smile, deciding to check the family group chat instead.

Wow! How confusing. Why were all those aunts, uncles, and distant relatives of the original host suddenly acting like they’d been completely unaware, bombarding Sun Lixiang with questions and reprimands in the group? Hadn’t Sun Lixiang bullied the original host right in front of them countless times before?

Utterly ridiculous! Zhou Ning scrolled through the chat records with disdain when she suddenly spotted a message from Zhou Feipeng.

Sis, Mom fainted from anger because of you. At least come back and see her!

Oh? Zhou Feipeng wasn’t spewing filth this time? Was life getting too hard, and he was desperate for his money-making tool to return to her old role? It hadn’t even been a month! Had Sun Lixiang not saved any of the money the original host earned before? Oh right—she probably thought she could leech off the original host forever, so why bother saving?

Zhou Ning temporarily took Zhou Feipeng’s number off the blocklist and called him.

“Sis!” Zhou Feipeng’s voice sounded eager and ingratiating. “You finally called back. Mom watched your show and fainted on the spot. The doctor said it’s serious.”

“Really?” Zhou Ning’s tone was full of concern. It is true! Otherwise, her excitement would be for nothing.

Zhou Feipeng swore up and down that it was true.

“I see.” Zhou Ning nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry, little brother. Mom is both of ours. With her in this state, if I stood by and did nothing, would I even be human?”

Zhou Feipeng fake-sobbed and nodded vigorously. “Mhmm, mhmm.”

“I’ll go look at burial plots right away! You handle the hospital matters, little brother.” Zhou Ning fake-cried too. “Don’t let Mom suffer too much! You take care of her affairs while she’s alive, and I’ll handle everything after!”

Zhou Feipeng started cursing in rage again.

Zhou Ning sipped her water with a smile, her tone light and cheerful as she said, “Little bro, the other day when I was shopping for clothes, I realized I look surprisingly good in a black dress.”

After hanging up, she promptly added Zhou Feipeng to her blacklist again.

Zhou Ning felt she’d slacked off enough. She’d checked the trending topics, pissed off the Zhou mother-son duo—it was time to get serious. She’d worked hard to convince Sugar Daddy not to terminate the contract just yet and to give her another chance. Of course, she needed to cherish this opportunity.

She vowed to become an outstanding Substitute!

Back in City Y, Sugar Daddy had once told her—Xiao Bai was extremely aloof, and she should learn from Xiao Bai’s demeanor.

Aloof—internet slang, pronounced “gāo lěng,” meaning haughty and indifferent.

“Haughty? Indifferent? Haughty and indifferent?” Zhou Ning repeated the words, carefully savoring them. After mulling it over without much insight, she suddenly looked thoughtfully toward the door.

Wait a minute! If she worked hard inside the room, the person tailing her wouldn’t know. If the stalker didn’t know, they couldn’t report back to Sugar Daddy. Then she wouldn’t earn any performance points! Regardless of the final outcome, she at least needed to show Sugar Daddy her diligent, responsible, and hardworking attitude. As long as she demonstrated enough effort, even if Sugar Daddy had any complaints and wanted her to refund the money, he probably wouldn’t have the heart to.

“Hmm? Which movie characters are aloof?” Zhou Ning dragged a sofa chair to the door and deliberately raised her voice. “Today’s task is practicing an aloof posture. Back straight, neck slightly turning…”

After two or three hours of practice, Zhou Ning’s body was fine, but her voice was hoarse. Well, she had to broadcast her practice session to the stalker outside to convey her work ethic.

Her throat ached unbearably, and drinking water didn’t help. Zhou Ning decided to go downstairs to the pharmacy for some throat lozenges. Along the way, she could keep an eye out for her tail. Probably a pretty girl, right? Like Sister Feifei. Hehehe, if she could buddy up with the stalker, that’d be perfect.

Zhou Ning pretended to play with her phone while secretly using the front camera to snap photos behind her. But after snapping all the way to the pharmacy, she didn’t spot anyone suspicious.

A pro! Sister Zhi must’ve spent a fortune!

Resigned, Zhou Ning closed the camera app and decided to test her newly practiced aloof demeanor on the pharmacy clerk. She walked to the counter, stood ramrod straight, and very, very slowly turned her neck, sweeping a disdainful gaze over the medicines.

“Can I help you with anything?” The clerk followed Zhou Ning’s gaze, slightly startled. Performance enhancers? This young lady looked so youthful—had her boyfriend already…? Her eyes filled with pity as she looked at Zhou Ning again. “Miss, would you prefer traditional or Western medicine?”

Were throat lozenges traditional or Western medicine? Zhou Ning wasn’t sure. Expressionless, she pointed at her neck and said, “This. Have?” The original sentence was, “Do you have anything for this?” But the guide on cultivating an aloof vibe mentioned one of the cardinal rules—never use two words when one will do.

So she cut out every unnecessary word.

The shop assistant frowned—why did this young lady speak with such a strong foreign accent? She glanced at Zhou Ning’s stiffly rotating neck and finally understood, “You have a stiff neck, don’t you? Medicine won’t help much. It’s best to go to the hospital for some physiotherapy.”

Zhou Ning was stunned. Was communication really this difficult? The lives of aloof people sure weren’t easy! She relaxed her tense posture, revealing her true cheerful self with a smile. “I wanted to buy some throat lozenges, but I couldn’t find them on the shelves after searching for ages.”

“Here… they’re here.” The assistant warily bent down and pulled out a box of throat lozenges from under the counter. It felt like she had just encountered someone with a split personality…

To leave a diligent and reformed impression on her Sugar Daddy, Zhou Ning practiced being aloof late into the night after buying the throat lozenges—of course, while still live-streaming outside her door. The next day, well past noon, she was jolted awake by the sound of her phone ringing.

“Hello.” Still half-asleep and groggy, Zhou Ning answered the phone with an impatient tone.

“Open the door.” It was Sugar Daddy’s voice.

0115! It’s your birthday, for heaven’s sake! Don’t you know the passcode? Why not just let yourself in? Reluctantly, Zhou Ning struggled out of bed, shuffled over in her slippers, and sleepily opened the door.

“Good morning, Sister Zhi.” Zhou Ning gave a slight bow, yawning nonstop.

Yuan Zhi shot her a look and stepped inside, changing her shoes. “It’s already noon.”

Zhou Ning smiled sheepishly and quietly followed Sugar Daddy into the house. No! She suddenly straightened up. No smiling! Hadn’t she just practiced this yesterday? No chattering, no grinning, no exaggerated expressions, no fidgeting!

Silently, she washed her hands and brought Yuan Zhi a glass of water, then went to freshen up before sitting properly on the sofa—not saying a word the entire time.

Yuan Zhi took a sip of water and glanced at Zhou Ning indifferently. “You’re unusually quiet today.”

Zhou Ning racked her brain for the lessons she’d learned yesterday. Aloof = proud and indifferent. Proud!

With the same haughty, “you’re all beneath me” look she had practiced, she glanced back at Yuan Zhi. “Hmph.”

Yuan Zhi was taken aback. What was that for? Annoyed, she set down her glass and asked coldly, “If you have something to say, just say it. No need to give me attitude.” She had come straight here after her business trip, not even stopping to see Kiki, to have a meal—not to be treated like this.

“I’m not giving you attitude,” Zhou Ning said, fully immersed in her aloof persona, tilting her chin up slightly. “You said it yourself. When I don’t talk or make expressions, I resemble that person the most. I’m just trying to play my role well. Everything I say and do from now on is for the sake of the character. I hope you won’t take it personally or hold a grudge.”

“Oh.” Yuan Zhi burst out laughing and looked at Zhou Ning’s bald head. “Before you start your performance, could you at least put on your wig?”

Zhou Ning touched her head and suddenly leaped up from the sofa. “Ahhh! Sorry, Sister Zhi, I forgot in my hurry to open the door!”

She dashed back to the bedroom to find her wig. After putting it on, she returned and sat back on the sofa silently, her face once again adopting that cocky, unimpressed expression.

Yuan Zhi lazily leaned back on the sofa, propping her chin on her hand as she smiled at Zhou Ning. “Go on with your performance.”

The second law of aloofness—sharp tongue. Appropriately roasting others can enhance that unapproachable, icy aura.

“I’m already in character.” Zhou Ning gazed coolly at Yuan Zhi, slowly adjusting the wig by her ear. “If you can’t even recognize that, I sincerely suggest you consider a career change. For example… learning to cook from me.” With that, she crossed her legs in an arrogant pose.

Yuan Zhi was seriously tempted to hit someone. Zhou Ning was really asking for it!