Chapter 001: Substitute x Overbearing CEO x White Moonlight (1)

Chapter 001: Substitute x Overbearing CEO x White Moonlight (1)

The cafeteria was bustling with people, and the short guy was on his tiptoes, checking out today's menu.

"Ke Bao! There you are!" Roommate Lao Zhang rushed over, pushing aside a big fatty who tried to cut in line: "Get back in line, everyone’s waiting!"

Keding smiled shyly and nodded, saying, "Today’s special is fried chicken legs, just three yuan each."

"Don’t eat it," Lao Zhang said loudly, "They didn’t sell out yesterday, so they refried them today. Not fresh anymore!"

"But..."

The phone rang.

Keding, keeping an eye on the long queue, answered: "Hello?"

"Is this Keding?" A pleasant female voice asked, "According to our system, you are an outstanding student working part-time. We have a high-paying position open for capable individuals—"

"And then a team-building trip to Cambodia?" Keding hung up without expression.

Lao Zhang was still rummaging for his meal card and exclaimed.

"Who was it?"

"Telecom scam."

Finally, it was their turn, and the serving uncle gruffly said, "No more braised pork ribs left. Hurry up and order something else."

Lao Zhang quickly ordered three meat dishes and two vegetables, swiped his card for forty-three yuan, and carried the tray away with a smile: "I’ll save you a seat at that table."

It was Keding’s turn, and the young man looked worried.

"Which one is cheaper?"

The uncle pointed to a large pot of pickled cabbage stir-fried with Chinese cabbage, brimming with food.

"This one, two yuan fills you up."

Someone in the back muttered, "Is this even considered a dish?"

"It’s already pretty good; a few days ago, they had stir-fried mooncakes!"

Lao Zhang, with a greasy face, saw Keding approaching with a large plate of green stuff.

"What did you get?"

"Erm, pickled cabbage stir-fried with Chinese cabbage, chives stir-fried with... scrambled eggs, and a bit of rice."

In total, seven yuan.

Lao Zhang said casually, "I got too much sweet and sour pork, can’t finish it. Help me out."

Without waiting for Keding’s response, Lao Zhang grabbed another clean pair of chopsticks and transferred the untouched pieces of meat into his bowl.

Keding helped serve two bowls of soup and quietly said thanks.

"Thanks for what?" Lao Zhang wiped his mouth, "I thought you’d buy those chicken legs."

"They were off." Keding sighed softly, "If there wasn’t an acidic smell, I would have bought them."

Before he could take a few bites, the second call came in, from the same number.

The caller ID showed it was local, and Keding frowned as he answered.

"We’re not scammers!" The female voice on the other end shouted, "Don’t hang up!"

"Keding, we’re a legitimate company. Remote work, piece-rate pay, no team-building trips to Southeast Asia!"

The person seemed very agitated, and even Lao Zhang looked up, mouthing ‘don’t believe it.’

Keding said blankly, "This kind of fortune would fall on me?"

"Well, actually, our evaluation is very strict. If you don’t pass the trial period, we have to replace you," the female voice sounded a bit troubled, "That’s why I’m always recruiting, it’s quite troublesome."

"I understand. First, there’s a franchise fee, then I have to follow orders and boost sales, old trick." Keding sighed, "I’m hanging up."

"Our company doesn’t charge a cent! We even offer five insurances and one fund!" The female voice exclaimed, "As long as you pass the evaluation and complete the tasks, internship certificates are no problem!"

"How much per task?"

"Depending on the difficulty, the minimum is eight hundred yuan, with no upper limit."

Keding was silent.

Lao Zhang spat out a fish bone, half-jokingly, "You’re not seriously considering it, are you?"

Keding shook his head but continued asking.

"What kind of work?"

"Solving emotional problems." The female voice quickly explained, "Similar to psychological counseling, helping people resolve issues."

"Oh... How do I contact you?"

"We will mail you a bracelet," the female voice said, "Please wear it, and someone will contact you afterward."

As soon as the call ended, a text message arrived on the phone.

"Green River Post Office: You have an unclaimed package 52-13-14. Please collect it soon."

Lao Zhang leaned over to look at the text message and exclaimed.

"What's this new trick? Is there a listening device inside?"

The two of them had just returned to their dormitory for a nap at noon and picked up the package on the way.

Upon opening it, they found an intricately designed green stone bracelet inside.

"Feels like a scam," Keding said. "There’s no such good job."

"Try it on," Lao Zhang touched it. "This jade is obviously fake."

"This is jade?"

The young man didn’t think much about it, put it on, felt its coolness against his skin, changed into pajamas, and fell asleep.

"Shen Xi, stand up and give him your seat."

A strange voice rang in his ear.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself sitting in a luxurious private room, with elders on both sides wearing complex expressions.

A tall man with a cold demeanor openly embraced another tall beauty and spoke arrogantly: "Now that Yan Chun has returned, we should change the engagement party candidate."

Keding was suddenly startled.

This name, this plot—it wasn't the one he had just finished reading—

"You are now the supporting character Shen Xi. Welcome to the trial mission," a familiar female voice chirped happily. "The reunion of the domineering CEO and his white moonlight, the heart-wrenching moment of being abandoned at the engagement party! This is the official novel you read yesterday!"

"The emotional advice you mentioned... is this?" Keding raised an eyebrow. "Should I wish them happiness now?"

"No, no," the system said. "In all worlds, the goal is to accumulate a defense-breaking value of one hundred!"

"When the scumbag's defense breaks over a hundred, the beads on your bracelet will turn green, meaning you can end the mission smoothly."

He instinctively lifted his hand and saw a familiar red beaded bracelet on his arm.

"Shen Xi?" Seeing no response from him, the man said displeasedly, "Have you forgotten basic manners?"

"Be gentler," Yan Chun smiled and pinched him. "Why are you so harsh with your fiancé?"

The man immediately wanted to explain something but looked at Shen Xi with impatience.

"We are only in a sham marriage."

Keding coughed, stood up, and graciously gave up his seat.

"You sit here; I’ll sit beside."

Yan Chun was taken aback, wanting to refuse, but was pressed down into the main seat by the man.

"Since both sets of parents are here, let me be frank," the man said calmly. "He, Yan Chun, is the only person I want to marry in my life."

Yan Chun’s eyes gradually reddened, choking back tears.

"Don’t do this, Junfeng."

As the elders stirred in commotion, Keding quietly sipped his cola, urgently reviewing the system’s files.

Supporting character Shen Xi, 182 cm tall, 98 kg, part-time model, ordinary family background, died of anorexia.

In the original plot, he was a pitiful character who loved Cheng Junfeng to the point of losing himself, also obstructing the happy ending of the two main characters.

Cheng Junfeng and Yan Chun met in their youth, recognized each other as soulmates in junior high, but were separated in high school when Yan Chun moved abroad with his family, never to be heard from again.

And Shen Xi bore a slight resemblance to him.

In the university auditorium, there was always a grand piano available for students to practice on.

Shen Xi would go there during lunch breaks, clumsily pressing out notes of "Für Elise" one by one.

Until Cheng Junfeng sat next to him on the right, teaching him finger techniques, rhythm, and everything he yearned for.

When they were in love, Shen Xi did not know he was merely a shadow until the engagement party, when Yan Chun happened to pass by that floor of the hotel.

The love story of the two main characters finally resumed its rightful place, leaving the supporting character with only one choice—to sink along with the plot.

He became depressed, pleaded, refused to accept, tried to hold on, and eventually became an obstruction in someone else’s story, dying in the agony of hunger.

The more Keding read, the tighter his heart clenched.

Unbeknownst to him, while dating someone from a prestigious family like Cheng Junfeng, Shen Xi never spent a single penny of his partner’s money.

The perfumes, coats, and backpacks casually given by Cheng Junfeng, Shen Xi always reciprocated with gifts of equal value.

He worked hard, taking on part-time modeling jobs, changing dozens of outfits every day in front of the camera, smiling despite the stench and constant hunger, all to save money to buy Cheng Junfeng a Cartier ring.

He wanted to be his equal, to stand alongside him in the future, never realizing that all the warmth from his lover could not withstand scrutiny.

The scumbag’s defense breaking didn’t matter; what mattered was how much it hurt him now.

Cheng Junfeng sneezed suddenly, his handsome face wrinkling.

"...Therefore, I am very sorry about the cancellation of the engagement, but there can be no change."

Shen Xi’s parents’ faces turned extremely ugly. Shen Xi’s mother gripped her son’s wrist tightly, almost ready to leave immediately.

The Cheng family, who had already investigated Shen Xi’s background and character and favored this diligent and ambitious child, now found themselves in an awkward position.

"Junfeng, this is too reckless!"

Cheng Junfeng lifted his eyes and looked at Shen Xi coldly.

"What do you say?"

Yan Chun sat beside, at a loss, gently tugging at the man's sleeve.

Shen Xi raised his head and said lightly, "I agree, it’s good."

He smiled and patted his mother's hand, signaling her to relax.

"Since everyone's here, let's order and eat."

Yan Chun wore a stunned expression, thinking he had heard wrong: "You... you don't mind?"

"I don’t mind at all, welcome." Shen Xi signaled for the waiter to bring the menu, flipping through a few pages: "Does Brother Chun have any dietary restrictions? Should I add another main dish and a dessert?"

Shen's mother was even more stunned.

Is this still her son?

Her son, who wouldn’t eat an extra bite of rice and measured his waist and thighs every day, suddenly willing to eat dessert?!

The food in this five-star luxury hotel was indeed excellent.

Shen Xi said he would only order two dishes, but he actually went through all the items on the tablet.

Hmm, he hadn’t tried anything on each page; many names were new to him this lifetime.

"One serving of squid roe flower shrimp for each person, and one Russian peach ice cream," he casually picked two items, smiling: "Please make it quick."

His body, long accustomed to dieting, and Keding himself, were now starving!

Get some delicious food!! You’d better be very delicious!!

Cheng Junfeng's face was grave, and he remained silent during the additional ordering.

He had prepared himself to face resistance with Yan Chun, expecting that this substitute would cry and rage, questioning why he did this.

Shen Xi, this better not be your delaying tactic.

The system cheerfully announced: "Breakthrough value, plus ten."