Chapter 6 – Give Me

Ming Yao had seen videos on Weibo of cats and dogs puffing up in fear. If there had been a mirror in front of her now, she was sure she’d see her own “fluffing up” moment in real time.

She turned around and found Qi Xu standing right in front of her. In that moment, two words echoed in her mind—Help me.

No way. No way, no way. Ming Yao mentally replayed her shock, still unable to believe that she had actually spent the night at this man’s house.

She struggled to get the words out. “Uh, um… I—I… how did I end up at your place?”

Qi Xu replied nonchalantly, “I called you. The staff at the Japanese restaurant told me you fell asleep there.”

Ming Yao: “……”

Drinking had gotten her into trouble again…

She was, without a doubt, a total lightweight.

Two years ago, on New Year’s Eve, Jian Ning had taken her and a few classmates to a rooftop party at a revolving restaurant. It was her first time drinking. Jian Ning had told her that fruity beer wouldn’t make her drunk—so she believed it and happily drank her fill.

Then, as the alcohol kicked in, things went south. During the final ten-second countdown to the fireworks, everyone rushed to the railing to watch. She lost her balance and tumbled into someone’s booth seat—and ended up sitting on someone’s lap.

A man’s lap.

That wasn’t even the worst part. According to her classmates’ recollections the next day, she had completely lost her mind—not only did she fail to get up right away, but she also took the guy’s glasses off, tossed them into the air, and happily yelled,

“Surprise! Happy New Year!”

Her classmates had all said, “If I were that guy, I would’ve jumped up and slapped you. Lucky for you, he didn’t hold it against you.”

Ever since that incident, Ming Yao hadn’t dared to touch a drop of beer. But yesterday, feeling frustrated after a failed audition and with Director Song subtly warning her that her role might be recast, she let her emotions take over and decided to drink some supposedly non-intoxicating sake.

She hadn’t expected to get knocked out again. She hadn’t expected Jian Ning to bail on her at the last minute. And she definitely hadn’t expected Qi Xu to call her at that moment.

Somehow, every unlucky coincidence had perfectly aligned to take down Ming Yao—the ultimate lightweight when it came to drinking.

She smoothed her hair and forced an awkward yet polite smile. “Sorry for bothering you all night. Um… I didn’t do anything inappropriate, did I?”

Qi Xu sat down on the sofa and replied lazily, “No.”

Ming Yao had just begun to breathe a sigh of relief when his next words jolted her back into panic. “What if you said something inappropriate?”

“…?”

Ming Yao instantly froze.

What could she have possibly said? At most, her subconscious might have blurted out a few insults about Chen Rong or complained about being useless and unable to secure a role.

There was no way she had said anything bad about him.

Ming Yao apologized cautiously, “I’m really sorry. I drank too much and don’t remember anything. If I said anything offensive to President Qi, please don’t hold it against me.”

Qi Xu spoke calmly, “It wasn’t exactly offensive… You just revealed your true feelings.”

“?”

Ming Yao’s guilt flared up immediately, and her eyes began to dart around in panic. “What… true feelings?”

Damn. She didn’t—

She didn’t drunkenly blurt out her suspicion that Qi Xu was just a scumbag looking for a stand-in… did she?

Qi Xu’s lips curled into a slight smile. “Forgot?”

Ming Yao, now even more nervous, fiddled with her fingers and pretended to be clueless. “Mm… I don’t remember.”

Qi Xu leaned back, observing her intently for several seconds before pulling out his phone. He tapped something on the screen—

And then, from the speaker, a recording began to play.

Heart-wrenching.

“I’ve known all along—how could a rich young master like you ever truly like someone like me? Giving me jewelry the first time we met… that must have been intentional, right? You never really liked me. You were just playing with me. Why? Why?!”

Ming Yao was completely stunned.

Had she lost her mind? Even while drunk, she was here reciting Lin Yunyun’s breakup speech to Gu Yuan.

Wait.

Did Qi Xu misunderstand everything?

Ming Yao awkwardly opened her mouth. “Uh… it’s not what you think.”

But Qi Xu completely caught her off guard.

“You might not believe me, but honestly, I do have feelings for you.”

“…?”

“So there’s no need to question my intentions. Even if I do have an agenda, it’s simple—I want to pursue you. To satisfy my own selfish desires.”

“…??”

Ming Yao stared at Qi Xu, unblinking, then discreetly pinched her own leg.

Was this man crazy, or was she dreaming?

The sharp sting of pain quickly provided the answer.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Ming Yao swallowed nervously. “President Qi… don’t you think your feelings came on a bit suddenly?”

“I don’t.”

“Let’s go. Breakfast first.”

With that, Qi Xu turned and walked toward the door. As he stood up, something slipped from his pocket and fell to the floor.

A men’s wallet.

The wallet was black with a textured leather finish, obviously high-quality. Ming Yao hadn’t thought much of it at first, just glancing at it casually—until she froze.

Even though Qi Xu picked it up quickly, Ming Yao’s sharp eyes caught sight of something.

It was a profile photo of a woman.

Ming Yao’s heart nearly leapt into her throat.

The side profile in the photo looked almost identical to hers. If she didn’t already know about Jin Tang, she might’ve sworn it was a photo of herself.

Case closed.

With this undeniable evidence in front of her, Ming Yao’s suspicions were finally confirmed.

There was no doubt about it—Qi Xu was treating her as Jin Tang’s stand-in.

He may have appeared calm and collected, but in reality, he was numbing himself, using her to try to reclaim the white moonlight he had lost.

Qi Xu had no idea about the wild thoughts racing through Ming Yao’s mind. After putting his wallet away, he glanced at her, frowning slightly. “What are you thinking about?”

Ming Yao snapped back to reality. “Nothing. You go ahead—I… need to use the bathroom.”

She quickly darted into the bathroom, shut the door, and splashed cold water onto her face, hoping to clear her mind.

Staring into the mirror, she still couldn’t believe it.

This felt like something straight out of a drama.

At such a critical time—when she was struggling to secure the role of Lin Yunyun, unable to fully immerse herself in the character—Qi Xu had appeared.

Was this fate?

Was she really meant to experience firsthand what it felt like to be a stand-in?

Her thoughts were a chaotic mess, spinning in every direction.

She took a deep breath, dried her face, and stepped out of the bathroom. Just as she reached for the door to head downstairs, a soft voice echoed through the hallway.

Someone was speaking quietly.

“Has she come out yet?”

“No, the young master asked me to check whether she prefers Chinese food or Western food.”

“I heard she looks especially like…”

“Shh!” The voice quickly interrupted the other. “The young master doesn’t like anyone mentioning Miss Jin. If you’re smart, keep quiet. You don’t want to get caught in the crossfire.”

Ming Yao pressed her ear against the door, listening to the servants’ conversation until their voices slowly faded, replaced by two knocks—

“Miss, what would you like for breakfast?”

If the photo in the wallet earlier was physical evidence, then the servants’ conversation was the testimony.

Generally speaking, the more someone tries to avoid mentioning something, the more it means they haven’t let it go…

Ming Yao stood behind the door, feeling a sudden wave of defeat.

She recalled what Jian Ning had said that day—”Who would let the ‘belle’ of our film school be a stand-in? Has he lost his mind?”

Mhm, it seems the man named Qi really had lost his mind.

She took a deep breath, opened the door, and smiled, pretending she knew nothing. “It’s fine, I have things to do. I’m leaving now.”

Although Qi Xu didn’t insist on her staying for breakfast, there was no room for negotiation when it came to giving her a ride back to school.

In the car, Ming Yao was still processing the fact that she had been chosen to be the CEO’s “white moonlight” stand-in and didn’t speak much.

Qi Xu also stayed quiet. He wasn’t the type to chatter, and when he did speak, it was usually something like telling Ming Yao not to drink alone.

When they reached the school gates and Ming Yao was about to get out of the car, Qi Xu suddenly called out to her. “Ming Yao.”

His voice was deep, with a slight huskiness, and it sounded incredibly pleasant. Ming Yao felt an unexpected stir in her heart and turned to look at him.

“So, do I have a chance to pursue you?”

Ming Yao hesitated for a moment. “I… I need to think about it.”

She really did need some time to think about whether to give herself a chance to truly experience the life of being Lin Yunyun’s stand-in.

Qi Xu nodded, not pressing further. After Ming Yao closed the car door, he drove off.

From the very beginning, he had a clear purpose in mind, completely different from others who would shower their crushes with endless sweet talk, never wanting the time to end.

Ming Yao understood—it was because he didn’t truly like her at all.

Back at the dorm, Jian Ning had hired a moving company to help pack up her things.

When she saw Ming Yao return, Jian Ning quickly grabbed her and asked, “Where have you been? I couldn’t get through to you on the phone yesterday!”

Ming Yao looked at Jian Ning, suddenly unsure if her best friend was just another person sent by fate to stir things up, repeatedly pushing her toward Qi Xu.

Sighing, Ming Yao sat down. “I didn’t go anywhere. I drank too much and ended up falling asleep at a friend’s place.”

“Friend?” Jian Ning seemed to catch a hint of gossip, pulling out a chair and sitting across from her. “Which friend? I know all your friends, is it a guy or a girl?”

Ming Yao didn’t indulge her curiosity. Instead, she straightened up, her expression turning serious. “Baobei, I need to ask you something.”

Jian Ning replied, “Go ahead.”

“Do you think it’s normal for an actor to want to experience a life similar to the character they’re playing, in order to better understand and fully immerse themselves in the role?”

Jian Ning responded quickly, “There’s nothing more normal than that! For example, Li Yinghou, the best actress, went to a rural village for six months to experience life as a farmer to prepare for her role as a rural woman. And Liu Yinghou, another best actress, trained as a flight attendant with an airline for several months, even working alongside the crew for real-life experience. It’s actually really admirable when an actor immerses themselves in the character’s life. Why would you even ask if that’s normal?”

She made a really valid point.

Ming Yao blinked, unable to come up with a rebuttal.

Almost at the same time, many thoughts flooded Ming Yao’s mind.

For example, Chen Rong’s show of force toward her.

For example, Director Song’s regretful sighs.

And also, the confident promise she made to her mother, Jiang Minyue, when she applied to the Film Academy.

Now, this was her first film after graduation—how could she back down, how could she give up?

She had to do her best at all costs.

Anyway, since Qi Xu’s intentions weren’t pure, she could use him as practice. It would be fair enough—a little tit for tat.

“What exactly are you thinking?” Jian Ning waved her hand in front of Ming Yao’s face. “Is that Lin Yunyun role wearing you out? I’ve noticed you’ve been zoning out a lot lately.”

Ming Yao had already made up her mind and smiled. “No, I’ll help you move.”

The two of them went downstairs to move the luggage. On the way, Jian Ning reluctantly said, 

“Once I move out, this dorm will only have you left. Why don’t you come stay with me?”

“No, I’m planning to find a place near the film studio; it’ll be more convenient for shooting later.”

“Alright then.”

———

After sending Jian Ning off, Director Song called Ming Yao. He told her that they had just had a meeting and confirmed that the film would officially start shooting in three months.

As for the role of Lin Yunyun, he was still considering her for it.

“Tian Anni contacted me and mentioned your situation. It seems that the frequent auditions lately have been putting some pressure on you. Since there are still three months to go, take your time to study the script. I’ll schedule another time to watch your performance.”

It was like a tightly pulled rubber band suddenly getting a chance to relax, and Ming Yao immediately felt a lot lighter.

So now, was this the perfect timing and opportunity?

Director Song had given her three months.

Qi Xu had given her a chance to practice.

It seemed that fate was unfairly paving the way for Ming Yao—how could she let it slip away? Only by truly experiencing it would she perhaps understand the pain, despair, and the complex mix of love and hate that Lin Yunyun felt.

Back in her dorm, Ming Yao opened the script and started reading from the first meeting between Gu Yuan and Lin Yunyun, searching for corresponding content based on her current situation with Qi Xu.

Ah, according to the script, she should be falling for Qi Xu’s composed and handsome demeanor now.

Ming Yao took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried to recall Qi Xu’s face in her mind. Then, she repeatedly told herself—

Feel it. Feel it. Make it happen!

Unconsciously, the image of the man appearing behind her this morning flashed into her mind. 

The voice that lingered in her ears certainly had a certain impact.

Ming Yao’s heart suddenly fluttered, her pulse quickening. She was starting to get into the right mindset!

Ming Yao opened her eyes and quickly continued reading the script. After feeling that flutter, the shy girl couldn’t resist making the first move and calling the man.

Ming Yao hurriedly took out her phone, found Qi Xu’s number, then paused before dialing, suddenly remembering something. It seemed as if she had just thought of it—she quickly entered his name and saved the number in her contacts.

She then dialed the number and waited for his response. After a few beeps, Qi Xu picked up.

“Hello.”

Ming Yao focused on the script, took a deep breath, and shyly recited the lines:

“Well… Are you free tonight? I’d like to invite you to dinner.”