Deliberate Possession [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 100

Chapter 100: Sleeping in the Car

Dinner was eaten downstairs at the hotel where they were staying. With her colleagues, Jiang Yumian ate quite a bit. They had spent the day together and were familiar with each other, so they were less constrained.

There was just one thing that made her uncomfortable.

There were other guests around them. Jiang Yumian was too famous, and people kept staring at them while they ate, which was quite embarrassing.

Jiang Yumian noticed it, of course. She was used to it, but today, being stared at so much made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable. Why were they staring at her non-stop? It was a bit impolite.

She didn’t eat for long. Afraid her colleagues would feel uncomfortable, she said goodbye and left first.

When Jing Xiaoyan called, Jiang Yumian had been in her room for a while. She was contemplating whether to take a shower.

She answered the call, and as soon as Jiang Yumian saw the person in the camera, she started to feel wronged. “Older Sister, I’m so uncomfortable.”

Jing Xiaoyan was a little surprised. She hadn’t expected her to answer so quickly. She thought she would have hesitated for a while.

“What’s wrong?”

She glanced at the background behind her in the camera. She seemed to be in a room.

Jiang Yumian looked distressed. “I don’t want to live here.”

With that, she turned the camera. It was a hotel room, a hotel that had been there for over ten years. She showed Jing Xiaoyan the room: a wooden table, a bed, and a very old kettle.

“Actually, I’m not that delicate. Living anywhere is the same, but, sigh…”

“It’s just that the blanket is a bit dirty. It’s probably been used many times. I can’t really accept it.”

Jiang Yumian’s voice was weak and helpless. She pulled the blanket closer to the camera and took a picture. The white duvet cover was yellowish, with a few brown stains that looked like they wouldn’t wash out, and they hadn’t even replaced it.

Jing Xiaoyan frowned slightly after seeing the environment, not knowing what to say. After a moment of silence, she asked, “Where are you staying?”

Jiang Yumian walked to the window, opened it. She was on the second floor. She held up her phone and took a picture of the downstairs, but it was pitch black outside, with no streetlights.

All Jing Xiaoyan could see were small shops with lights on the side of the road. Some rolling doors were already closed.

Jiang Yumian glanced at the person in the camera, cleared her throat, and said, “After we got off the high-speed rail, we took a train, and then drove here. This is a very small town. This is the only hotel nearby. It’s been here for over ten years. Don’t worry about whether it meets standards or not. It’s good enough to have a place to stay. But honestly, the dishes at the restaurant downstairs are very appetizing.”

Jiang Yumian self-comforted before turning her gaze away from the window. She was genuinely distressed and really couldn’t accept it. She was too careless. She should have brought new bed sheets and duvet covers when she left home.

“When can you come home?” Jing Xiaoyan felt a pang in her heart. She sighed softly. She couldn’t fly over even if she wanted to now. She couldn’t help her with anything.

Jiang Yumian pouted. “Two more days. Mom let my aunt and me come alone, without even bringing an assistant. We’re just gathering information from colleagues who have been here before.”

After closing the window, she walked back into the room and said pitifully to the camera, “I miss you.”

Jing Xiaoyan’s eyes were smiling. She quickly kissed the camera. “I miss you too.”

Jiang Yumian dodged away from the camera a bit. It was so embarrassing, but the smile on her face was uncontrollable.

Jing Xiaoyan laughed at her. “Why are you dodging?”

She glanced at the time on her phone, thought for a moment, and said, “How about I come over to you tomorrow? Anyway, I’m done here.”

Jiang Yumian shook her head. “Don’t bother. We’re not that desperate, okay? My aunt will laugh at me again.”

Jing Xiaoyan scratched her face. After a moment of silence, she had no choice but to nod.

Actually, she didn’t have much time. It was indeed a hassle. She hadn’t been to the company once yet. Manager An was returning to the company tomorrow, so she should go there too.

Looking at the picture on the camera, she saw Jiang Yumian leaving the room. She quickly sat up. “Why are you going out?”

Jiang Yumian was going downstairs. “I’ve decided. I’ll make do with sleeping in the car tonight.”

Relatively speaking, the car felt better. The car was driven by the family driver. It had blankets, food, and drinks inside, and the space wasn’t small.

Jing Xiaoyan thought of this point and didn’t object.

Mainly, she had heard during her school days that many of these small hotels had cameras and weren’t safe. She had friends who encountered it a few times, so it was good that Jiang Yumian wasn’t staying there.

Jiang Yumian used the key to open the car door, then turned on the air conditioning and the light inside the car. After everything was settled, she started acting pathetic towards the camera. “Older Sister… I’m so miserable. I won’t be able to satisfy you tonight, though. What a pity. I wanted to coax you to sleep too, but reality doesn’t allow it.”

Jing Xiaoyan had already dismissed that thought after clearly seeing her environment. She didn’t want her to do those things by herself in the car either. She’d rather wait until she was there.

However, seeing Jiang Yumian’s expression, she didn’t want her to be too smug.

She snorted softly. “Are you going to make do in the car for two days?”

Jiang Yumian shook her head. “No. Just sleeping in the car tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll drive to the county. We can stay at the hotel we booked when we filmed the show before.”

After saying that, she immediately paused and shut up. Jiang Yumian’s heart tightened. She spoke too fast, really. She couldn’t escape.

Jing Xiaoyan’s eyes were full of laughter. She quickly said the words Jiang Yumian didn’t want to hear. “Alright then. Coax me tomorrow.”

Jiang Yumian laughed miserably. “I’m already so miserable…”

Jing Xiaoyan pretended not to understand. “Mhm, my wife is working hard outside to earn money. I feel so bad for you~”

Jiang Yumian opened her mouth. “I mean…”

“Mean what? You’re not trying to not coax me, are you?” The smile on Jing Xiaoyan’s face instantly disappeared, and she interrupted her directly.

“Coax, coax, coax. I’ll coax you.” Jiang Yumian quickly replied. It seemed there was no escaping it. She should have just gone to sleep honestly yesterday. Jing Xiaoyan, this shameless woman… really…

Ignoring the slight resentment in Jiang Yumian’s eyes, Jing Xiaoyan’s face quickly returned to a smug smile. “Then go rest quickly. I’ll sleep with you. Not hanging up tonight.”

Jiang Yumian: “…”

She really didn’t sleep well in the car. Jiang Yumian woke up many times. She couldn’t sleep past seven in the morning. It was very noisy outside.

Jiang Yumian sighed heavily. She heard the low battery notification from her phone. She tore off the blindfold from her face, rubbed her eyes to adjust. She picked up her phone to charge it, but realized it was very hot in her hand. She looked up. The video call was actually still connected.

She instinctively called out, “Older Sister?”

Her voice, just waking up, was a little hoarse and low, but Jing Xiaoyan had already heard her. She was wearing headphones, and the reception was quite good.

Jing Xiaoyan was looking at her phone replying to messages, her expression somewhat serious. Hearing her voice, she reacted and quickly turned on her microphone. “You’re awake?”

Jiang Yumian rubbed her eyes again, looking at the person in the camera, a little confused. “Why are you in the car now?”

Didn’t she say her flight back was at noon?

Jing Xiaoyan pursed her lips. “I’m coming to find you. It’s not safe there.”

Jiang Yumian sat up straight and quickly asked, “Mhm? What’s going on? What happened?”

Jing Xiaoyan briefly explained what happened last night.

Jiang Yumian blinked, a little bewildered. “Are you saying that my sasaeng fan ran into my room?”

Jing Xiaoyan softly mhm-ed, sighing. “Good thing you ran to the car.”

Last night, just as she was about to sleep, she received several messages from her aunt, who also tried to call her several times, but the line was busy, so the calls were dropped.

“Yesterday, your aunt couldn’t get through to you, so she contacted me. She went to look for you last night and just happened to see someone entering your room. She didn’t elaborate on the specifics. She couldn’t find you, and her calls weren’t going through, so she was a little anxious.”

Jiang Yumian was stunned for several seconds. She patted her face. “Honestly, I’ve been in the industry for so long, and this is the first time I’ve encountered a sasaeng fan who directly ran into my room.”

Jing Xiaoyan frowned, saying irritably, “You’re too careless. Be serious. Bring bodyguards with you when you go out in the future.”

Both the celebrity and the rich girl identities were unsafe to go out with. She had both. What if it wasn’t a sasaeng, but an enemy?

“I know.” Jiang Yumian plugged her phone into charge. Seeing several automatically disconnected calls on the screen, she remembered to ask, “Does my aunt know I’m in the car now?”

Jing Xiaoyan nodded. “Yes. Not only your aunt knows, but Mom knows too. Only you slept so soundly.”

Jiang Yumian smiled, raising her lips. “Yes. So don’t come over. I’m fine. I’m going straight to the set tomorrow. We’ll see each other when we film the show.”

Jing Xiaoyan shook her head. “No.”

She was too careless. She alone almost scared her aunt and mom to death. It was better for her to go and accompany her.

Jiang Yumian replied to a message, saying nonchalantly, “But Sister An messaged me, asking when you’re returning to the company.”

Jing Xiaoyan pursed her lips, not speaking. She was almost at the high-speed rail station.

Jiang Yumian looked up at her and added, “You’ll only be waiting for me at the hotel if you come over. You should finish your work first. I’m fine here. The worst comes to worst, I promise you I’ll bring bodyguards from now on, as many as I can.”

Not wanting Jiang Yumian to think she wasn’t taking her work seriously, Jing Xiaoyan lowered her head, looking unhappy. Her mood was very low, but she still compromised. “I know. I’m canceling my ticket now and buying a ticket home, to the company.”

Hearing her unhappy tone, Jiang Yumian opened her mouth and quietly coaxed her. “Alright. I’ll keep you company tonight.”

Jing Xiaoyan lightly snorted, then quickly nodded. “I have to hang up. My phone is about to die.”

Jiang Yumian waved at the camera. “Mine too. Bye-bye. Mwah mwah.”

She actively gave a kiss, then quickly hung up the phone.

Jiang Yumian tidied her hair, her eyes slightly lowered in thought. After a moment of contemplation, she opened the car door and got out.

She walked into the hotel and looked at the front desk. There was only the proprietress, who looked about forty or fifty years old. There was a bed behind her. The couple probably took turns resting. This hotel was built by their own family, which Jiang Yumian had learned about yesterday.

The proprietress saw Jiang Yumian enter and quickly stood up to apologize to her. “I’m sorry, Miss. I apologize for what happened yesterday. Your accommodation is completely free. We didn’t expect him to take our hotel’s keys to make spare keys. He had been staying here for a few days, and he also brought many people before. He got the keys to every room. Yesterday, they all left, and only he remained.”

Jiang Yumian was silent for a few seconds. She didn’t want to make things too difficult for the couple, but she still made a request. “I accept the apology. You still need to pay attention to hygiene and safety here. After all, you know whether it’s good or bad.”

The proprietress nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, yes. Thank you. We will pay attention. We will pay attention.”

Jiang Yumian pursed her lips, not caring whether she listened or not. She pointed to the computer on the desk. “You can see the surveillance on this computer, right? And the accommodation records. Can I take a look?”

“Yes. The computer is used to view surveillance. The accommodation records are handwritten, in a form. I’ll get it for you.”

The proprietress quickly handed her the records and also opened the surveillance records for her.

Jiang Yumian paused, sighing softly. It was indeed unsafe to obtain accommodation information so easily, but she couldn’t worry about that now.

She returned to the car to call a colleague to bring a USB drive. She copied the surveillance videos from the past few days, took photos of all the accommodation records, and then left.

At the local police station, her aunt was waiting for her inside.

Jiang Yumian called out, “Auntie.”

Her aunt looked up and immediately said, “Why didn’t you let Xiaoyan come over?”

Jiang Yumian smiled, raising her lips. “She complained to you?”

“She was worried about you.” Her aunt smiled, stood up, and stretched. “Everything’s fine now. Leave it to the police. You just need to go in and make a statement, and we can leave.”

Jiang Yumian nodded. She was only there to pick up her aunt and didn’t intend to get too involved. She went in, explained her situation to the police, and left with her aunt.

In the car.

Her aunt narrowed her eyes and waved her hand casually. “It was indeed a sasaeng. Your work schedule is quite clear. After all, so many colleagues know about it. They probably followed the trail.”

She then commented, “The entertainment industry is really restless.”

Jiang Yumian didn’t refute her aunt. She had her computer on her lap, looking at the surveillance video. “It’s definitely a sasaeng, and an organized, premeditated one. But not many people know my schedule days in advance, and someone must have leaked it.”

Her aunt slightly opened her eyes. “There’s only one hotel here. It’s not hard to guess we would be here. This person is, at best, a pawn. No one dares to be so bold to attack you now, right? So, who is it?”

Jiang Yumian shrugged nonchalantly. “It doesn’t matter. No matter who it is, they’re just a clown. It’s not a big deal.”

Seeing her so confident, her aunt quickly closed her eyes. “Oh, I’m going to sleep. You should focus on coaxing your wife.”

Jiang Yumian was startled. “Auntie, what did she tell you?”

Her aunt raised her hand to cover her ear. “She said you wouldn’t let her come find you, and also something about… Yin Xiangyu. Yes, that Manager Yin who we’re collaborating with is coming today.”

“I don’t understand it either. She sent a bunch of stuff. Anyway, she’s unhappy. You deal with it. Don’t disturb my sleep.”

Jiang Yumian’s eyes widened. “What Yin Xiangyu?”

Jiang Yumian was full of questions.

Yin Xiangyu was coming? How did she not know? And how did Jing Xiaoyan know?

And why didn’t she tell her, but complain to her aunt instead?

Her aunt turned over impatiently. “I don’t know! I’m going to sleep!”

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