Chapter 009: The Substitute x Overbearing CEO x White Moonlight (9)

Chapter 009: The Substitute x Overbearing CEO x White Moonlight (9)

Cheng Junfeng suddenly couldn't trust anyone.

His ex, his current partner, his subordinates, and his informants.

What was real, what was fake—he didn’t know, he didn’t know!!

The sudden turn of events made Yan Chun, who had already gone to bed, rush over in a taxi in the middle of the night, trying to take away the almost deranged Cheng Junfeng, reeking of alcohol.

"Why did you know I was here? Oh, you all know each other, you've always known these things." Cheng Junfeng took a step back, now refusing to let anyone touch him: "I know, Yan Chun, Shen Xi is someone you found. You set it up for me to meet him, to treat him as a substitute. How ruthless of you!"

Yan Chun: "...It was the driver who brought me here."

If the situation escalated, it would bring disgrace to the Cheng family. The driver had sensed something was wrong early on and called Yan Chun ahead of time.

But no one expected it to get so out of hand.

"Don't touch me, I don't trust anyone right now," Cheng Junfeng roared: "None of you have ever loved me, it's all fake, fake!"

When Yan Chun looked at Shen Xi again, the irritation in his eyes was unmistakably clear.

"Fine, you're drunk now, your judgment is impaired." He gestured for the driver to come over and take him: "Uncle Ge is someone you've known since childhood. Get in the car and go home; we can talk about anything tomorrow."

Uncle Ge swiftly went over and half-forced, half-persuaded Cheng Junfeng to leave.

The latter laughed and cried, repeatedly shouting, "I can't tell the difference."

Seeing the main characters being taken away, the onlookers quickly dispersed.

Yan Chun didn't want to stay any longer. Seeing that Shen Xi was still there, he said from a distance: "You really do have some tricks up your sleeve."

Shen Xi turned and walked away.

"I thought you were the type to quietly retreat," Yan Chun said: "Can't keep up the act anymore? One word to drive a wedge between us, you don't want to let go, do you?"

The latter didn't seem to hear and disappeared into the night.

Returning home, Yan Chun still felt a lingering fear, realizing he had underestimated his opponent.

He had previously dismissed Shen Xi, never giving him a second glance.

A mere substitute, an ordinary and cheap role, nothing more.

Now, upon reflection, he realized how deeply calculating the man was, hiding behind a facade of innocence...

All pretense, all deception.

The next day, after waking up from his drunken stupor, Cheng Junfeng vomited uncontrollably in the bathroom, still vividly remembering everything that happened last night.

His rationality slowly returned, though he still wasn't sure if Shen Xi's words were just empty threats. Deep down, his suspicion had begun to grow.

Yes, how could it be such a coincidence?

Why did Yan Chun happen to encounter him on the night of the engagement party?

The Yan family had moved abroad years ago, with their business primarily overseas. Who invited Yan Chun to the upper floors of that hotel, and whom was he supposed to meet?

That day, the joy of a long-awaited reunion and the relief of regaining what was lost overwhelmed Cheng Junfeng’s mind. Now, he finally had the chance to dissect each detail.

He ended the madness of the drunken night, but the sense of vigilance still gnawed at his heart.

Investigate, thoroughly investigate everyone.

He wouldn't overlook any details or tolerate any deception.

Who had Yan Chun met overseas over the years, and what social connections did he have? He needed to know every detail.

The man, kneeling beside the toilet, covered his throat and gave orders in a hoarse voice.

His subordinate immediately agreed and asked over the phone: "Should we continue reporting Mr. Shen's movements for the past week?"

"Go on."

"November 2nd, Shen Xi went fishing alone in Qingpu for two hours by subway, caught no fish, then visited Jiangyang Seafood Market, asked prices four times, but didn't buy anything."

"November 3rd, Shen Xi went to a mall near Century Park with colleagues after work to play claw machines, spent fifty yuan, but didn't win any prizes."

"November 4th, Shen Xi worked until 8:40 PM, then went with colleagues to eat at Huangji Iron Pot Goose, then took the subway..."

"Stop." Cheng Junfeng's head throbbed: "Keep monitoring."

"Yes." The subordinate quickly hung up.

The man collapsed in the corner of the bathroom, covering his face, speechless.

Shen Xi, who are you really?

Are you deeply scheming, or completely without desires? Why can't I suddenly see through you, figure out what you want?

After the engagement party, he secretly monitored Shen Xi's daily life, coldly observing how this person, whom he had discarded, lived his ordinary days.

Driven by overwhelming guilt, he impulsively wanted to make amends for all his mistakes.

Shen Xi couldn't catch fish, so he wished to take him out to sea and tie the entire aquarium's fish to a fishing rod for this fool to catch.

Shen Xi couldn't win a prize from the claw machine, so he wanted to smash the machine and give him whatever he wanted, even sending them home by the truckload.

Yan Chun had been born into luxury, lacking nothing his whole life.

But Shen Xi, he had nothing.

The marriage that seemed like a gift from fate crumbled overnight.

Cheng Junfeng opened his mouth to call out that person's name, but the pain in his throat made it impossible to speak.

Amidst the clattering of keyboard strokes, the system exclaimed joyfully, "Ding, defense-breaking value increased by five!"

Keding, pulling at his hair, responded with great distress.

His thesis, his thesis—

Just three hundred more words to complete it!

But why couldn't he write another word, not even one more!

Lao Zhang was playing games on the other side of the table and shouted for a team-up, then caught sight of Keding's constipated expression and immediately fell silent.

A roommate nearby was reciting the midterm exam focus points marked by the teacher and said halfway through, "Your thesis isn't finished yet?"

"Just a tiny bit left," Keding wrote and deleted repeatedly, unable to muster a smile: "I've stuffed every line with filler words, but I'm still two hundred eighty words short."

The roommate leaned over to look and said, "That's normal; everyone's thesis is quite resilient."

Cobbled together, edited, and revised, the final product was barely satisfactory.

Less than ten minutes after clicking send, a private chat window from Professor Feng popped up in the lower right corner.

"Come to my office."

Weakly, Keding asked, "System, can I use a rewind token in reality?"

"There's no such function."

"Help me!"

"Well, lucky for me I died early." The system said, "Teachers these days are tough to deal with."

Professor Feng, the head of the clinical project, with his brown-framed glasses and slicked-back black hair, spoke bluntly.

"Xiao Ke, your theoretical exam scores are fine, but does studying clinical medicine mean you don't need research skills?"

"Did you really attend the practical classes? How many times have I stressed the importance of normalizing and standardizing data analysis? Did you not listen or just not care when you submitted this work?"

"If your research skills are lacking, how will you handle graduate school? These days, how many medical students don't pursue a Ph.D.? Do you even want to write papers anymore?!"

Keding's face turned pale as he murmured, "You're right."

"Very good, remember this feeling!" The system, like a drama coach, guided him gently: "Fear, anxiety, pain, frustration—taste it, savor it!"

"Later, we'll dump all these emotions onto Cheng Junfeng, and we'll leave him completely stripped bare!"

After being reprimanded and walking out, the wind outside the teaching building seemed especially fierce.

Keding swayed slightly in the gusts.

"Is there anyone who could take over for me?" He covered his head with his hands: "Can someone take my exams, finish my thesis, and help me through this ordeal?!"

System: "No such luck, handsome. Back to work."

November 8th, Winter Solstice.

Cheng Junfeng, as promised, brought Yan Chun back to his family home, bearing gifts to visit his parents and younger brother.

They appeared as close as ever, but the cracks were spreading silently like melting ice in the night.

Yan Chun knew his affection wasn't pure.

He didn't have much possessiveness over Cheng Junfeng; he simply relished the control, the pursuit, and each victory.

The two, harboring ulterior motives, knocked on the door of the Cheng residence, smiling and wishing the Cheng family and Cheng Chenyu a happy Winter Solstice. The living room was filled with warmth.

Not far away, Shen Xi stood holding two boxes of dumplings, waiting to enter.

He was dressed lightly, his face flushed from the autumn breeze, and he was unconsciously tapping his feet.

"Almost time," the system observed from its omniscient perspective: "Go knock on the door; Yan Chun is closest!"

Shen Xi went forward and, while knocking, glanced up at the camera, his smile strained.

"It's probably one of your father's friends—" Mrs. Cheng said: "Chen Yu, go open the door!"

"I'll do it," Yan Chun interjected smoothly: "Right away."

As the door swung open, he saw Shen Xi's smile and froze, standing rooted to the spot.

For the first time, Yan Chun felt a physiological fear of an outsider.

Why are you here? Don't come any closer!!

This was his first attempt to integrate into the Cheng family, and that person followed like a ghost, arriving with perfect timing!

Why, why?!

"Mr. Yan is here too?" Shen Xi said politely: "I've brought some gifts; I'll be quick."

"How coincidental," Yan Chun managed a smile: "Give me the gifts."

Just then, Mrs. Cheng came to welcome the guest, delighted to see Shen Xi: "Quick, come in! Why are you wearing so little? It's getting colder outside!"

She didn't care what Shen Xi had brought, and she led him inside by his arm. "Still so skinny after all this time apart. Losing weight again?"

Shen Xi felt embarrassed to change his shoes and handed the carefully wrapped gifts to Cheng's mother.

"Auntie, these are two trays of dumplings I made myself. Happy Winter Solstice."

"Don't call me Auntie; we're almost family," Cheng's mother wiped her eyes, disregarding Yan Chun's expression, and ruffled Shen Xi's hair. "Have you eaten dinner yet?"

"The dumplings are fresh," Shen Xi hesitated, a bit shy. "I made them and rushed over right away. I hope you like them."

"Thank you, Uncle and Auntie, for always taking such good care of me."

"Since you're here, join us for dinner. Come on, your slippers are still here!" Cheng's mother quickly said: "Aunt Song! Xi Xi brought dumplings. Let's fry half and boil the other half, and eat them while they're hot!"

Yan Chun looked pleadingly at Cheng Junfeng, who was coming down the stairs, his eyes red with tears welling up.

The man gave Shen Xi a deep look and said, "Mom, I'll take him out."

"Today is a family gathering; there's no need for outsiders to be involved."

Cheng's father suddenly spoke up: "There are plenty of outsiders today."

"It's my fault," Shen Xi whispered. "I'm sorry, I'll leave right away."

Yan Chun's face turned ashen.

His usual tactics of retreating to advance and playing submissive were now being used against him by Shen Xi, making him feel even more uncomfortable than if he had swallowed a fly.

When he came back to his senses, Shen Xi had been seated in the second seat of honor, surrounded by Cheng's parents asking about his well-being.

The aroma of pan-fried dumplings wafted from the kitchen. Cheng Chenyu sat beside them, smiling foolishly, while Cheng Junfeng sipped tea in silence.

"After all, he's someone who passed the parents' test and almost got married," the system said. "The White Moonlight's face is practically falling apart. Tsk."

Urban news from the TV added to the lively atmosphere.

"Official announcement of new regulations! Postgraduate exams will be tougher in 2024!"

"According to the latest guidelines from the education committee, the difficulty of postgraduate exams will be tightened across the board. With the number of applicants surging and competition intensifying, universities must strictly control admissions from the outset—"

The system watched as someone's face turned pale and their body wavered, setting off alarm bells.

"Ke Bao, Ke Bao! Hold on!!"

"We're still in the plot! Keke! Don't break down, ah ah ah ah—"