Deliberate Possession [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Cloud-Raising

“Looking for a sugar mama. I’m low-maintenance and easy to take care of—the ‘cloud-raising’ kind is fine, no need to meet in person. I can chat, my demands are simple: just remember to send me money every month. If you’re not an airhead, don’t even bother.”

After posting this on her Moments, Jiang Yumian coolly tossed her phone onto the bed, pulled back the covers, and fell headfirst into sleep.

She had only slept for three hours yesterday and was now exhausted.

Her scenes for the show had all wrapped up last night, and after a long journey from the set, she had finally arrived at her current hotel.

She could have just spent the night at the lodging provided by the crew and gone home later, but she hadn’t been home in a while and thought she’d surprise her mom. She figured her mom’s anger must have cooled down by now. But halfway there, she realized she had been blocked.

Not only blocked, but her mom had also demanded she pay up. The luxury villa she had been living in was arranged by her family’s company. She hadn’t stayed there for months while filming, yet they were charging her over 300,000 yuan in rent.

All of Jiang Yumian’s earnings had previously been managed by her mother, all under the guise of “helping her invest.”

Now, the money she had left was all gone to pay the rent. Only then did she learn that you had to pay rent to live in your own family’s villa.

It’s nothing but a trick to leave me penniless!

Even without money, a person can have dignity. Blocked is blocked! Broke is broke! It’s not like I can’t earn a living. I’m really not going back!

…

Half an hour ago, Jiang Yumian truly believed this.

But she was quickly defeated by reality.

Her dignity crumbled fast. With no home to return to, Jiang Yumian tried to check into a hotel, only to find she didn’t even have enough money to get a room. In the end, she had to use the cash from the wrap-up bonus the director gave her just to get a room.

Jiang Yumian had to admit to herself that it wasn’t that she didn’t want to go home; she dared not.

Her mom still hadn’t gotten over her anger. Jiang Yumian wasn’t sure if it was because she hadn’t come home for the Mid-Autumn Festival or because she had bravely come out to her a few days ago.

It was probably a mix of both. The “stacked buffs” meant she had been kicked out.

The night grew deeper.

Jiang Yumian’s sleep was restless.

She had a dream where she was sweetly holding hands with Jing Xiaoyan and bringing her home.

A nightmare, that’s definitely a nightmare!

She kicked her leg sharply and opened her eyes blankly, her throat dry. As her mind slowly cleared, she realized she was in a hotel.

She let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness it was just a dream. How could she even fantasize about being with Jing Xiaoyan? Jing Xiaoyan probably only knew her name.

But her mom was a huge Jing Xiaoyan “mom fan.” In the dream, her mom was about to break her own daughter’s leg for the sake of her “daughter-in-law.”

That’s definitely a nightmare…

Jiang Yumian took a moment to calm down, then patted her face. It was all her mom’s fault, making her dream about someone she didn’t even know. How strange.

She couldn’t go back to sleep, so Jiang Yumian slowly turned over and grabbed her phone from the nightstand to check the time. While she was at it, she wanted to see if her mom had unblocked her yet.

It was only 5:00 AM, which meant she had slept for about six hours.

She opened WeChat. Her post had over a dozen likes, but she didn’t rush to check.

She had quite a few private messages.

There were many messages from friends and her assistant in the industry, but her attention was drawn to a relatively unfamiliar profile picture.

Jiang Yumian tilted her head. Who is this person?

Spurred by a strange impulse, she reached out and tapped on it.

Jing: “Can I?”

Jing: “How much do you want per month, or what’s the minimum?”

Jiang Yumian: “?”

Still groggy, she was a little confused and didn’t understand what she meant. It took her a moment to remember the post she had made.

No way, there really is an airhead!

There was no note, so she didn’t know who this person was. She tapped on the profile and saw the gender was female, and her Moments were only visible for the last three days. She had no memory of this person from before.

She slid back to the chat page, raised an eyebrow, and after a moment’s hesitation, organized her thoughts and typed a reply.

Sponge Has No Baby: “Sure. 100,000 yuan a month, WeChat transfers only.”

She figured the other person was just messing with her and wouldn’t actually send the money. After all, who would be that stupid?

She might as well play along.

But she was quickly dumbfounded. The other person replied with quick and simple actions. One transfer notification popped up, and then another.

Jing: “You can only transfer 50,000 at a time, so I had to send it in two parts.”

Jiang Yumian slapped her face, then pinched it. She was sure she was still dreaming, but the sharp pain told her it was real. There really was a fool!

Ahem! How rude of her. The person was clearly a rich lady!

Before she could reply, another message came in.

Jing: “I also set up a family card for you, but the limit is only 5,000, sorry.”

Jiang Yumian sat straight up. Sorry?! Her rich lady sister was apologizing to her? If she said that again, it would be a sign of her own incompetence!

Sponge Has No Baby: “Okay, Sister! You can talk about whatever you want. I’m on call 24/7. But I’m going to be on a reality show soon, so I might not be able to reply instantly.”

Anyone with her WeChat would know who she was. She was active on her Moments, and she was a pretty big deal in the entertainment industry.

Seeing that she had agreed, Jing Xiaoyan’s brow relaxed, and a weight was lifted from her heart. She had worried Jiang Yumian would ignore her or that someone else would get to her first.

But it made sense. Only an airhead would reply to a joke post like that from Jiang Yumian.

Jiang Yumian rolled around on the bed with her phone. She was a little conflicted.

She had agreed quickly, but she wasn’t in a hurry to accept the money. She was too scared to just take it. The other person was so generous, she was a little freaked out.

Mostly, she didn’t know this person. She didn’t know when this account was added to her list. But she could be sure it wasn’t a fan.

This was her private WeChat account from middle school.

It only had family and friends, but she had added many not-so-close classmates over the years. She didn’t remember most of the people with notes, let alone the ones without. She had zero impression of this person.

Jing: “Of course I know. We won’t even need to chat on the phone. Just accept it first.”

She then thoughtfully added another message.

Jing: “The above are all voluntary donations from me.”

Jiang Yumian looked at the two new messages and fell into thought.

She had posted on a whim as a joke. She genuinely didn’t expect anyone to give her money.

She had planned to borrow some money from friends after waking up, but now that the other person was being so serious, it felt like it would be rude to refuse.

Sponge Has No Baby: “Did we know each other before?”

Sponge Has No Baby: “I’m sorry, Sister, I don’t have a note for you…”

Sponge Has No Baby: “Are you an older sister or a younger sister? You’re not a guy, are you? It might sound rude, but I don’t want a guy. And it’s even worse if you have a girlfriend!”

The unexpected messages made Jing Xiaoyan sit up slightly, her brow furrowed. Jiang Yumian didn’t know who she was?

She had thought she was playing with her cards on the table. So, all this time, Jiang Yumian had no idea whose WeChat account this was. No wonder she was too scared to accept the money.

But even if she knew, she might not have accepted it.

Jing Xiaoyan let out a soft sigh, thinking for a few seconds before replying.

Jing: “I’m an older sister, two years older than you. We don’t really know each other. And… I don’t have a girlfriend.”

Jing: “I’m prettier than you.”

Jiang Yumian pinched her face again, a little confused. Who introduces themselves like that? An older sister who’s prettier than me?

A pretty and rich woman wants to cloud-raise her. What’s the catch?

Sponge Has No Baby: “Oh~ I like pretty girls too, but why are you cloud-raising me? Is it because you like me, or are you just looking for someone to chat with to pass the time?”

Jiang Yumian grinned foolishly. It looks like a pretty girl has a crush on me~

And an older sister who can reply instantly at 5:00 AM!

Jing Xiaoyan stared at her phone, lost in thought. Finally, she sent back an ambiguous answer. “You can think that.”

Jiang Yumian frowned. What did that mean? Was she saying she liked her or just wanted to chat?

Just as she was about to ask for clarification, another message came in.

Jing: “Think about whether you want to accept the money. I won’t trick you. Just treat it like you found a part-time job.”

Jing (voice message): “I’m not going to eat you. Besides, you said we wouldn’t meet.”

Jiang Yumian pursed her red lips, blinking in a daze. She tapped the voice message that suddenly appeared and listened to it two or three times. The voice was really nice. It was definitely a girl.

She suddenly felt that what she said made perfect sense.

While she could refuse and just borrow some money from a friend, having a beautiful girl with an amazing voice to chat with and get paid by seemed like a much better deal.

Sponge Has a Baby: (voice message) “Okay, Sister. I just don’t have money right now. I’ll pay you back when I make some. Just consider it a temporary loan.”

Even though it sounded like she didn’t expect to be paid back, Jiang Yumian sent a voice message in return, her tone very sincere.

Jing Xiaoyan listened and let out a light sigh. She had hoped Jiang Yumian would recognize who she was. But it was just her being anxious for no reason.

“Am I really that much of a nobody?”

She mumbled to her phone, not noticing the makeup artist who had just pushed the door open.

“Hey, what on earth are you mumbling about?”

Fu Leyi walked over and patted Jing Xiaoyan’s shoulder. She was Jing Xiaoyan’s makeup artist and a good friend.

Fu Leyi met her gaze in the mirror. “Our film empress, who’s already won awards, is still so insecure?”

Jing Xiaoyan was definitely not a nobody, but she also wasn’t a top-tier star.

She had never acted in a TV drama and rarely attended events. In the beginning, because of her good looks, people’s first impression of her was that she was just relying on her face. So she had worked hard on her acting in the film industry.

Although she didn’t have the same level of buzz as a “traffic star,” she had been in many films, was highly recognizable, and had an excellent reputation. She was a true character actress.

Jing Xiaoyan sighed softly. “Maybe my voice just isn’t very recognizable.”

Fu Leyi’s lips twitched in exasperation. Was she having some kind of identity crisis?

Jing Xiaoyan looked down at the transfer notifications she had just received on her phone, a slight curve on her lips. It’s okay if she doesn’t know me. We’ll get to know each other very soon.

“Hey, are you really going on a reality show?” Fu Leyi’s hands paused as she applied makeup. She didn’t really approve.

Jing Xiaoyan responded with her usual expression, without a hint of hesitation.

Fu Leyi sighed softly. “Too many reality shows can have a huge impact on an actor, especially a live broadcast.”

Jing Xiaoyan: “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. Don’t the fans also want me to be more active in the public eye?”

Fu Leyi smiled helplessly. “Fine, I’ll believe you’re doing it for the fans.”

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Jiang Yumian opened her Weibo, drafted a bold message, and posted it.

Jiang Yumian V: I’ve been kicked out of my family and left with nothing, but heaven took pity on me, and I met a kind person… I can’t keep this up. Basically, a rich lady found me a side hustle, so I’m off to make some money. I won’t be updating Weibo for the next few days.

“Huh? Huh?! Huh?! Our daily Weibo-posting queen is going offline?”

“What are you talking about at 5:00 AM?! Does it take you that long to post a Weibo during your side job?”

“Hey! Why are you treating us like outsiders all of a sudden?!”

“LOL, does anyone care about why she was kicked out? Hahahaha!”

“No, I only care who the rich lady is, where she is, and what the side hustle is! I want in, too!”

Mianmian: “You? What kind of rank are you to have the same rich lady as me?”

Jiang Yumian tutted, her fingers itching to like that last comment. That’s right, the rich lady is all hers.

She wasn’t just not posting on Weibo for a few days; she was worried her rich lady sister would actually trick her. So, she posted a warning to her fans. If she got into trouble over 100,000 yuan, it would be a huge injustice. She was doing a legitimate side job!

Jing Xiaoyan saw the Weibo notification that suddenly popped up and couldn’t help but chuckle. This young lady, who treats Weibo like her personal Moments, is pretty cautious.

Jing: “Does this mean you’re giving all your time to me?”

Jing: [image]

Sponge Has a Baby: “Absolutely. You do one thing, you love that thing.”

Jiang Yumian had professionally changed her username. Even as a cloud-raised partner, she had to have professional ethics!

She was going to be a good digital canary!

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