Deliberate Possession [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Appeasing

Su Mumu chuckled, looking at the camera with a resigned and slightly resentful expression, telling the happily entertained audience: “I understand. It’s the same at the Mahjong table.”

Jiang Yumian blinked, still not quite understanding after thinking for a moment.

There was actually a meme she didn’t get. She nudged Su Mumu, “How so?”

Su Mumu fanned herself with the mission card and explained, “Newbie protection period.”

The two they had ditched had never participated in a variety show before and didn’t know any of the tricks, whereas she and Jiang Yumian were seasoned veterans.

“Oh~ I get it now.” Jiang Yumian clicked her tongue twice. “Then let’s consider it a free lesson for them. We didn’t even charge them any money, and we gave them all the prizes. They’re the ones who profited.”

Su Mumu shamelessly nodded, “Exactly.”

The production staff was secretly chuckling on the side. These two had tricked people and didn’t feel guilty at all. If anything, they were the ones who had been played, yet they were so good at comforting themselves.

Jiang Yumian watched the laughing staff, grinding her teeth in annoyance.

To eliminate all the other members—that condition was too harsh. The main problem was that they hadn’t even reached the destination yet, and even if they did, the others might not have arrived.

“What if the other four don’t reach the destination within the stipulated time?”

As soon as Jiang Yumian voiced this doubt, Su Mumu chimed in to support her: “Exactly! Besides, even if we fail the mission, arriving earlier than the other four isn’t out of the question. We can just forgo the doubled reward.”

As if anticipating their protest, a staff member handed out another mission card and explained: “The other four guests will be forcibly eliminated if they do not reach the destination within the stipulated time.”

“If you had simply teamed up without eliminating the other two guests, the subsequent mission would not have been triggered.”

Jiang Yumian’s eyelid twitched. She remembered.

Initially, the mission card only forced her and Su Mumu to team up. The subsequent elimination mission wasn’t mandatory, but for those doubled rewards, the two of them secretly eliminated Jing Xiaoyan and Chu Qianyuan.

This director is truly malicious, playing psychological games with them.

Jiang Yumian looked up at the sky, speechless: “We are too greedy. Sooner or later, we’ll die from our own greed.”

Su Mumu tremblingly reached out and took the mission card. She didn’t want to open it anymore. Were there going to be this many mission cards…?

“Didn’t expect it, did you? To lower the difficulty for the two of you, your considerate Director Lu, which is me, has decided to change the elimination requirement. As long as you make the other guests say, ‘I think I look better than you,’ without arousing suspicion, the mission will be complete. – “Didn’t Expect It””

Jiang Yumian gave a forced laugh. It was the first time she had seen such a narcissistic director, praising herself on the mission card.

However, the difficulty was indeed lowered. Asking her to hold someone’s hand for a minute was truly too hard. Her heart almost jumped out when she held Jing Xiaoyan’s hand. She still couldn’t figure out why Jing Xiaoyan wasn’t suspicious at all at the time.

Su Mumu pondered for two seconds and suddenly spoke: “This mission is too embarrassing. I think we two look the best.”

Jiang Yumian was just thinking about how to complete the mission. Hearing Su Mumu’s words, she quickly understood.

The key focus of a variety show doesn’t necessarily have to be on the missions set by the production team.

Jiang Yumian cooperated perfectly with Su Mumu, nodding arrogantly: “Exactly.”

Su Mumu looked at the arrival sign for the upcoming station and the people in the subway holding up their phones to film them, then said to the camera: “So, let’s just give up. Anyway, there will be two people to be at the bottom with us.”

Jiang Yumian stroked her chin and nodded, “That’s right.”

The staff looked at them, puzzled. If they gave up like this, there would be no content for the subsequent live broadcast.

It wasn’t until the group exited the subway station and the two of them led the staff on a slow stroll, refusing to walk toward the destination, that the staff suddenly realized they were being walked…

Jiang Yumian looked at the staff with a mischievous smile: “Are you tired? How about you give me your phones? Mumu and I will go find a place to have dinner, and you can all rest.”

Having walked all the way pushing their suitcases, they were also tired, but they were much better off than the cameramen who had to carry the cameras all the time.

The staff grumbled and shook their heads: “Director said no. It’s almost five o’clock now. The others have gradually arrived. You two are the only ones left.”

Jiang Yumian sat down on her suitcase: “No way. I must eat this meal before leaving.”

What if the last four don’t get to eat?

Su Mumu also plopped down on her suitcase: “We eat first!”

They spoke sincerely to the director, but the director played tricks on them. Hmph, didn’t expect it, did you? The director would be furious.

Lu Zhi sat behind the monitor, chuckled, and motioned to her assistant next to her: “Tell their cameramen not to give them the phones. Just stall them like this.”

Then, she looked at Jing Xiaoyan and Chu Qianyuan, whom she had separately locked in a room. These two had encountered heavy traffic on the way over and had just arrived, so they were temporarily prevented from meeting up with the other four.

Chu Qianyuan twisted the doorknob, confused: “This is the treatment for getting a reward?”

She and Jing Xiaoyan already knew what had happened.

She was waiting to condemn those two heartless people after arriving, and to show off a little, too.

Jing Xiaoyan was much calmer than her, sitting directly on the sofa watching TV, which showed the two “betrayers.”

Chu Qianyuan joined her after her struggle, spotting the mission card on the table. Just as she was about to pick it up, she heard the two heartless people on TV saying they had to eat first.

Jing Xiaoyan laughed in exasperation: “How did they come up with such a method that hurts the enemy a thousand and harms themselves eight hundred?”

Chu Qianyuan also scoffed: “Two little traitors, still so smug.”

The staff were all panting from exhaustion, but the two girls were still stubbornly holding out.

“LOL, the girls are totally speaking my mind.”

“Look how tired they are, hahahaha.”

“I thought they were going to do something, but it turned out they were just walking the staff.”

“Hahahaha, didn’t expect it, truly didn’t expect it.”

“Nailed the theme, hahahaha.”

“Mianmian & Mumu: We can do the mission, but you can’t say we’re not good-looking!”

“Oh my! Look, look! Where did Mianmian pull out that money?!”

“Awesome! Mumu next to her is shocked.”

Su Mumu took two red hundred-yuan bills from her hand: “Where did you get cash?”

Jiang Yumian looked smug. She took off the sunglasses she got from who knows where on her neckline and put them on. She raised her chin proudly: “Follow your Sis, and Sis will take you to eat well and drink well.”

After saying that, she pulled her suitcase and walked toward a hot pot restaurant nearby.

This was the red packet the director gave her on the last day of filming. She still had a few bills left after paying for the room. She guessed that their phones would be confiscated, so she secretly tucked the money into her pocket. After all, it wasn’t the official recording yet, so it wasn’t strictly checked.

The cameraman was also dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected Jiang Yumian to have cash on her.

Lu Zhi looked at the monitor with a half-smile and told her assistant: “Don’t worry about it. Let them eat. The cameraman can rest too.”

This was much better program effect than what she wanted.

Chu Qianyuan twitched her mouth. These two still had the mood to eat hot pot. They seemed quite heartless.

She opened the mission card, silently handed it to Jing Xiaoyan after reading it, and then stared speechlessly at the two people on camera.

Jing Xiaoyan looked at it, then also fell silent, staring at the TV.

“Due to your lack of preparedness, you were eliminated and locked in a small, dark room specially left for you by the production team. Only if the two guests who eliminated you find you within the stipulated time and apologize to you will they receive the final reward. Otherwise, the reward will be transferred to the last two guests who arrive and have not been eliminated. – “Didn’t Expect It””

Chu Qianyuan looked numb: “I knew it wouldn’t be that simple.”

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Jing Xiaoyan read the mission card aloud for the live audience and then let out a long sigh: “The stipulated time is six o’clock, but they went to eat hot pot.”

Only one hour left…

On the other side, Luo Cheng and Xie Yunhuan, who received the mission card, couldn’t help but laugh. They were the last two to arrive.

Luo Cheng stood up and stretched: “Oh dear, I’m going to guard the door.”

One hour. She wondered if she could block those two outside.

Xie Yunhuan also stood up and walked in the opposite direction of Luo Cheng: “Oh dear, I’m going to guard the door too.”

He decided to find the two locked up first and then block them from coming out.

Lin Xi and Ling Yisong sat on the sofa, looking at each other, both confused. What was going on? Were they the only ones without a mission card? They were the first to arrive, after all!

Jiang Yumian and Su Mumu were happily eating hot pot. She thoughtfully poured herself a glass of coconut juice and looked out the window: “I see they’re selling baked sweet potatoes and sugar-coated hawthorns at the entrance. Let’s buy some before we go over.”

Su Mumu blinked: “You’re eating baked sweet potatoes after hot pot?”

Won’t she be too full?

Jiang Yumian hummed softly: “You don’t understand.”

“We still have to appease those two sisters we eliminated.”

Su Mumu suddenly realized: “Oh. Chu Qianyuan doesn’t like sweets. I’ll buy her something else.”

Chu Qianyuan scoffed: “At least they have a conscience.”

Jing Xiaoyan smiled, raising her lips: “They plan to split half the reward with us.”

Appease them first, then trick them.

Chu Qianyuan sat up straight: “Huh? These two little scammers want to split the loot with us?”

Don’t say it. Jiang Yumian was indeed thinking exactly that.

Jiang Yumian’s next words quickly confirmed their suspicions.

“Good. After we finish eating, we’ll go shopping. After we’ve appeased them, we can discuss whether they can split some of the money.”

Su Mumu gave her a thumbs-up.

“Hahahaha, splitting the loot, I’m dying of laughter. It’s really like that.”

“Mianmian, you need to be more careful. The sisters are watching.”

“Eat, you two just eat. Who can out-eat you two, hahahaha.”

“It’s 5:30. Only half an hour left, oh.”

“LOL, don’t say 5:30. 6:30 won’t even matter. They still plan to go shopping, hahahaha.”

“I just went to check the newly opened live stream. The director prepared a table full of delicacies. I’m really going to die laughing. Will they even be able to eat when they get there, hahahaha.”

Jing Xiaoyan scoffed.

Tricked her into holding hands and now wants to split her money. She really thought she was easy to appease.

Hmph.

Next time, she wouldn’t let her hold her hand.

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