The Movie Queen’s Secret Stand-In Lover [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 6

As night fell, City A glittered with dazzling lights, appearing infinitely more opulent and vibrant than during the day.

However, this opulence and vibrancy had little to do with Zhou Ning. She lived in the distant suburbs, far beyond the eighth ring road, in a sparsely populated neighborhood. Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window that faced the mountains, all she saw outside was pitch-black darkness.

Dressed in the cartoon pajamas Cai Sitian had gifted her, Zhou Ning stood by the window, sipping warm water from a mug as she gazed at the dimly lit building to her right.

“Hardly anyone lives here, huh,” she muttered to herself.

In her past life, staying alone in such a desolate place would have terrified her to the point of sleepless nights. But now, she wasn’t afraid at all. Many things lost their power to scare once you saw through them—fear, after all, was just an emotion. And emotions could be controlled. While birth, aging, sickness, and death might be beyond human control, joy, anger, sorrow, and fear could still be managed to some extent.

Take her old phobias of darkness and ghosts, for example. She could simply rationalize it like this:

There were only two possibilities—either ghosts existed, or they didn’t (and even after dying once, she still couldn’t be sure, since her death hadn’t been the conventional kind).

If ghosts didn’t exist, then there was nothing to fear.

If they did, there were two further scenarios—either they couldn’t harm her, or they could.

The first scenario was nothing to worry about. As for the second—if a ghost had the power to kill her, then once she died, she’d be a ghost too. What was there to fear then? Not only would she not be afraid, but she’d also chase that ghost down and beat it senseless. Damn it, if it had the nerve to kill her for no reason, she wouldn’t rest until she sent its soul scattering to the winds!

Curious, Zhou Ning turned her head, scanning the empty room behind her as she continued her soliloquy. “So, do ghosts really exist or not?”

“Hello~ If any of you are here, give me a sign. Or just make some noise, okay~?” She smiled slightly, waving politely around the room.

“Ni hao~”

“Bonjour~”

“Moshi moshi~” Wait—if it was a Japanese ghost, it might be one of those wartime invaders. Her tone turned indignant. “Baka! Bakayarou! Get the hell out of my house! This land doesn’t welcome you!”

The room remained utterly silent. Disappointed, Zhou Ning pursed her lips, downed the rest of her hot water, and flopped onto the sofa, pulling out the new phone her Sugar Daddy had given her. She kept her old phone for the old SIM card, only checking it occasionally for calls that might be from the police station or to marvel at the absurd comments from Sun Lixiang, Zhou Feipeng, and their relatives.

But what should she do now? In her past life, when she stayed home, she never had the habit of gaming or binge-watching videos. Her ways of killing time were either watching movies or reading.

Right now, though, she was too restless—both excited and anxious—to focus on movies or books. The excitement was obvious, but the anxiety stemmed from the fact that the money hadn’t arrived yet. Anything could still happen. Life was just that unpredictable. Two days ago, if someone had told her she’d soon be “kept” by the famous actress Yuan Zhi for five million, she would’ve thought they were out of their mind.

She wouldn’t think that person was a scammer. Scammers might be wicked, but they’re not stupid—they wouldn’t lie about something so easily verifiable. Take me, for example: “I’m Qin Shi Huang, send me money.” That classic scam sounds utterly ridiculous precisely because there’s no way to verify it.

What should she do to pass the time? Zhou Ning absentmindedly tapped around on her phone when suddenly, an idea struck her—hey, why not take this opportunity to learn more about Sugar Daddy? She opened Weibo, registered an account under “Yuan Zhi,” entered the super topic, and began scrolling through the posts chronologically.

Hmm… why are there so many photos? Not much useful information here.

But Sugar Daddy is genuinely good-looking. Zhou Ning found herself admiring the visuals, scrolling for much longer than she intended. In the edited photos, Sugar Daddy exuded an entirely different aura compared to the person who had been sitting on this very couch this afternoon.

One post read: “Day 1109 of waiting for Zhizhi to take care of me.”

Zhou Ning clicked into the blogger’s profile and saw similar posts: “Day 1108,” “Day 1107,” “Day 1106″…

Such dedication! Zhou Ning gave it a like, full of admiration. She couldn’t help but think about her own relationship with Yuan Zhi—to put it precisely, she was a chat companion, but broadly speaking, it was still a form of being taken care of. Something others longed for day and night, and she had stumbled into it just like that?

Heh, she couldn’t deny feeling a little smug inside.

Zhou Ning returned to the super topic’s main page and continued scrolling. Some of the edited photos were so heavily filtered the facial features were barely recognizable. In her opinion, given Yuan Zhi’s exceptional looks, a lightly touched-up natural style was the most beautiful. Like unadorned purity, a lotus rising from clear water.

Finding little useful information on Weibo, Zhou Ning’s thoughts turned to Cai Sitian.

She had already messaged Cai Sitian earlier to let her know she was safe, but Cai Sitian had been in class at the time, so they hadn’t talked much. She should be home by now, right?

Sitian, are you home yet?

Not yet, still out with friends. Ningning, have you settled into your new place?

All settled in. Let me know when you’re free to talk—I have some questions for you.

I can talk now~

Cai Sitian, holding her phone at the restaurant, gave Feng Yanjie an apologetic look. “Ah Jie, I need to use the restroom.”

“Go ahead,” Feng Yanjie replied with a smile. He had his ID on him and wouldn’t mind if Cai Sitian took her time—maybe even long enough to miss her curfew.

Instead of heading to the restroom, Cai Sitian ducked into the emergency stairwell and called Zhou Ning. “Ningning, go ahead and ask.”

“Are you sure it’s a good time? I just got curious about your Zhizhi after your recommendation and wanted to ask more about her. This is my first time stanning a celebrity, and I don’t want to end up disappointed. It’s really not urgent, so don’t ditch your friends just to answer me.”

Was there anything more wonderful in the world than your best friend finally taking your recommendation?

At this moment, Cai Sitian certainly didn’t think so. The moment she heard Zhou Ning wanted to learn more about her beloved Zhizhi, Feng Yanjie was instantly forgotten as she excitedly sat on the stairs and began recounting in detail: “Speaking of my Zhizhi, she’s practically a breath of fresh air in the entertainment industry. Beautiful, talented at acting, with a great personality and zero scandals—investing in her is a sure win, Ningning! Come join me in being a Little Glossy Ganoderma!”

“Do you know about her preferences and such, Sitian?” Zhou Ning had her phone on speaker as she opened her notes app, ready to jot things down.

Cai Sitian laughed. “To put it bluntly, when it comes to what Zhizhi likes to eat, use, watch, or listen to, I probably know more than even our mother-in-law.”

Zhou Ning was puzzled. “Our mother-in-law?”

“Zhizhi’s mom, of course!” Cai Sitian half-covered her face, giggling like a lovestruck fool. “Zhizhi is my husband, so her mom is naturally my mother-in-law.”

Yuan Zhi as a husband… Zhou Ning’s face suddenly felt warm. She patted her cheeks, warning herself internally: No inappropriate thoughts or lustful intentions—no wicked ideas about Sugar Daddy. As a proper working professional, she must never let the pure, transactional relationship between her and Sugar Daddy be tainted by emotions.

“So, what does she like or dislike?”

“Hmm… she loves hot pot, enjoys horror movies… Zhizhi is actually quite timid, but the more scared she gets, the more she loves watching them. It’s like how I am with games—the worse I am, the more I play. She also loves staying in; when she’s not working, I hear she just stays home. She adores cats—Zhizhi has a tabby named Kiki that she apparently picked up from a filming set. You’ll notice lots of Kiki-related usernames in her fan communities—those are all people who wish they could be the cat she cuddles. There are so many things Zhizhi likes, and I can’t really think of anything she dislikes—or maybe she just doesn’t show it. But nuts are definitely one; she’s severely allergic to them.”

“Got it.” Zhou Ning quickly typed the keywords likes hot pot, horror movies, timid, homebody, loves cats. Allergic to nuts. She exited the notes app and checked the call duration, then worriedly reminded Cai Sitian, “Sitian, weren’t you with a friend? Is it okay to chat with me for so long?”

“Oh right.” Remembering Feng Yanjie waiting at the restaurant, Cai Sitian startled. She sighed and confided in Zhou Ning, “Ningning, do you think guys are always in a hurry about that kind of thing? Remember that boyfriend I had last winter? It hasn’t even been half a year, and he keeps hinting at it. I’m not ready yet…”

Zhou Ning frowned. She could practically smell a red flag. “First, tell me—has it happened yet?”

“Not yet. But I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. If I refuse, he keeps doubting my feelings. He says I’m just playing around, that I’m not serious about being with him long-term. That if it’s going to happen eventually, what’s the difference if it’s sooner? He even accuses me of saving myself for someone else, that he’s just a backup.” Cai Sitian hugged her knees gloomily. “But I really just think it’s too soon. I know he’s good to me, and I’m serious about him too.”

“Good thing it didn’t happen.” Otherwise, it would have been a lifelong trauma. Zhou Ning relaxed her tense expression and earnestly advised Cai Sitian: “Any man who’s desperate to get you into bed should be labeled as scum—no exceptions. Using emotional blackmail? ‘If you don’t sleep with me, you don’t love me’? What garbage logic. Sitian, remember this: while making love can be a way to express affection, there are countless other ways to show love. If someone’s constantly fixated on just that one thing—trust me, darling—they were only after s3x from the very beginning, the lowest of the low.”

Cai Sitian was stunned, hesitating as she said, “But he… treated me so well.” He was the only one who unconditionally understood her thoughts, which her mother never approved of.

“Let me give you an example. It might sound harsh, but it’s the truth.” Zhou Ning’s expression turned grave. “Suppose you’re a pig farmer. You feed the pigs every day, treat their illnesses, keep mosquitoes away in summer, and provide warmth in winter. You treat those pigs extremely well, right? But do you love them? No! You’re just craving their meat!”

“So, I’m… the pig?” Cai Sitian murmured despondently, falling silent before gradually breaking into quiet sobs. “So, he never loved me at all?”

Seeing that Cai Sitian had taken her words to heart, Zhou Ning softened her tone and comforted her gently, “Don’t be sad~ Why care about a scumbag’s so-called love? Let’s dump him and move on—the next one will be better. I’ll always be here for you, sis~”

Cai Sitian nodded through her tears. “Yeah. What’s the point of dating? Might as well admire Zhizhi’s husband a little more.”

Wasn’t the important thing having a friend like her by her side? Zhou Ning’s face darkened at the thought.

Speaking of Yuan Zhi, Zhou Ning felt that as a resident of the gilded cage, she ought to be professional. Since her Sugar Daddy had spent a fortune to bring her close precisely because her face resembled his white moonlight, she should let him look his fill.

“Sitian, go straight home, okay? Never see that scumbag again. If he dares to harass or threaten you, you must tell me.” Zhou Ning gritted her teeth. “I have plenty of ways to deal with him!”

Cai Sitian was stunned again. Ningning had changed so much—she’d become so much braver. “Okay. I will.”

Yuan Zhi was staying up late reading scripts when her private phone suddenly buzzed and lit up. She picked it up and saw over twenty messages from someone named “ZL168.”

Casually scrolling from the bottom up—photos, photos, and more photos… Various angles, various expressions. Some showed her smiling softly with lowered eyes, others puckering her lips cutely, some feigning aloofness, and some laughing heartily.

Just as she was flipping through them, another message came in—still from Zhou Ning under the WeChat name “ZL168,” but this time it was text.

Zhi-jie, which photo’s expression resembles the one you remember the most? I’ll try to maintain that look.

Yuan Zhi frowned and swiped through the photos again. None of them looked alike…

With an indifferent expression, she typed back: The most similar is when you have no expression.

The phone suddenly fell silent.

Just as Yuan Zhi was about to return to her script, the darkened screen lit up again with another buzz.

Still “ZL168.”

Still a photo.

Yuan Zhi absentmindedly opened the chat interface and suddenly burst into laughter.

In the photo, Zhou Ning’s eyes were bright and serious, brimming with righteous dignity.

Does it look like me? Zhou Ning’s message came again.

Yuan Zhi curled her lips slightly: [It does. You should act like this every time you see me from now on.] She didn’t believe for a second that Zhou Ning, with her lively personality, could maintain that expressionless state for long.