Deliberate Possession [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Poker

The three compared the beds in their respective rooms and finally decided to stay in Jing Xiaoyan’s room, as her bed was the largest more than enough for three people, so it wouldn’t feel crowded.

Regarding who would sleep in the middle, Jing Xiaoyan and Lin Xi played rock-paper-scissors. Jing Xiaoyan won in the end. Jiang Yumian didn’t participate because she had already been designated by the two of them. She would sleep on the side closer to the door, as neither of the other two dared to.

Jiang Yumian pursed her lips. After their childish antics, she said she was leaving.

Jing Xiaoyan licked her lips and suddenly spoke, “How about Lin Xi sleeps in the middle instead? I…”

Jiang Yumian knew what she meant. She shook her head and interrupted, “You sleep in the middle. The middle is safer. It’s okay.”

She wouldn’t be so bothered by it. Jing Xiaoyan was genuinely scared and wasn’t deliberately trying to cling to her.

Lin Xi’s mouth, which had just opened, promptly closed. What, she didn’t even have a say? Stupid couple.

If Jing Xiaoyan didn’t like Jiang Yumian, she would have definitely fought for that middle spot!

“Okay.”

Jing Xiaoyan’s face brightened slightly. At least it proved that her worries today were unnecessary. Jiang Yumian didn’t dislike her because of today’s events.

Jiang Yumian turned and pointed outside the door. “I’m leaving now. I’m going to take a shower.”

Jing Xiaoyan nodded, her tone gentle, and said “Okay” again.

Only after Jiang Yumian left and the door closed again did Lin Xi speak. “Okay, okay, okay. See how good I am.”

Jing Xiaoyan didn’t refute her but nodded. “Thanks.”

Seeing Jing Xiaoyan suddenly being so polite, Lin Xi narrowed her eyes and pointed at her. “Words are meaningless. It’ll only show sincerity if you give me a separate table at your wedding.”

“Me marrying her?” Jing Xiaoyan was stunned, then laughed.

Lin Xi was truly confident in her. She didn’t even dare to think about that. Things weren’t even remotely serious between her and Jiang Yumian yet.

Lin Xi patted her shoulder, speaking earnestly. “I believe you can do it.”

Jing Xiaoyan smiled. “Then I’ll take your blessing.”

Lin Xi nodded vigorously, solemnly. “Mhm. Just split the wedding gift money with me in half when the time comes.”

She actually thought Lin Xi was going to say something nice.

Jing Xiaoyan: “Heh…”

She pointed at the door with a forced smile. “Straight, out, remember to close the door, thank you.”

Lin Xi didn’t take offense. Tch, fine, I’m leaving. She would be back eventually anyway.

After dinner.

Jiang Yumian returned to her room, rolled around in bed a few times, and briefly enjoyed her big bed. She only reluctantly left when Lin Xi came to call her.

Jing Xiaoyan’s door was kept open, saving them the trouble of knocking, as if she was eagerly waiting for them to come over.

Just entering, Jiang Yumian still felt a little awkward. She had no phone to play with, and since it was quite early, she couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t just lie down blankly. Then, Lin Xi, somehow, found a deck of poker cards, tore open the package, tossed them onto the bed, and pulled the two of them to play.

This deck of poker cards was truly a lifesaver. Lin Xi and Jing Xiaoyan were already familiar with each other, and Jiang Yumian had only just met them. Playing cards and chatting could naturally help them get to know each other. After all, the recording hadn’t started yet, and no one was watching them.

“Where did you get the cards?” Jing Xiaoyan asked in confusion.

Lin Xi was shuffling the cards, her tone casual. “From the table in my room. I figure the director left them intentionally, afraid we’d be bored.”

They sat cross-legged on the bed, playing simple Fight the Landlord. After shuffling, they realized the deck was missing the Big Joker and Little Joker, but they could still play. They would just make do.

Jiang Yumian held the cards in her hand. After playing for over an hour, she had barely won any rounds. Jing Xiaoyan was like she was cheating, hardly ever losing.

However, the three of them had definitely loosened up and started chatting.

Jiang Yumian looked at the cards in her hand, hesitated for a few seconds, and threw out a two of hearts—her highest card. She sighed heavily, saying weakly, “I’m going to lose again…”

Lin Xi was instantly defensive. “What are you talking about? I have good cards. I don’t believe the two of us can’t beat her alone.”

Jiang Yumian scoffed, raising her chin towards Jing Xiaoyan, her tone lazy and resigned. “See her smile? When she smiles, it means she’s got it, definitely winning.”

Now, whenever she saw Jing Xiaoyan curl her lips into a smile, she couldn’t help but sigh.

As soon as she said this, the smile on Jing Xiaoyan’s face deepened. As if to cooperate with Jiang Yumian’s words, she immediately threw down four Aces, followed by a straight, and won.

Lin Xi was speechless. Her gaze moved from the poker cards to Jing Xiaoyan’s smiling face. She twitched her mouth, throwing down her cards in defeat.

Seeing her still smiling, full of smugness, Lin Xi clicked her tongue and muttered to Jiang Yumian, “You know her quite well.”

Jiang Yumian’s heart skipped a beat. She lowered her gaze slightly, not showing any signs of unease. She smiled. “We’ve been playing for so long, it’s easy to figure out.”

Lin Xi said “Oh,” and casually agreed, “Then you’re really observant. I didn’t notice.”

She just felt that Jing Xiaoyan was scheming, but only had good luck. Her smiles were all just gloating.

Jing Xiaoyan raised an eyebrow slightly, leaned down, and gathered the poker cards on the bed. She shuffled the deck with her head down, her peripheral vision subtly glancing at Jiang Yumian’s face.

The room was strangely quiet. Jiang Yumian just smiled, pursing her lips, not intending to reply to Lin Xi.

She was afraid that if she said too much, Jing Xiaoyan might misunderstand that she had feelings for her.

She only realized now that ever since Jing Xiaoyan confessed to her, her attention would unconsciously fall on her, and she just couldn’t control it!

The room didn’t stay quiet for long. Jing Xiaoyan, who hadn’t spoken, continued to shuffle the cards in her hand but suddenly chuckled, following up on Lin Xi’s comment. “Mianmian is a method actor. Isn’t it normal for her to be more sensitive to facial expressions and emotions? You didn’t notice because you weren’t paying close enough attention.”

Although the words were directed at Lin Xi, they were specifically meant to give Jiang Yumian an easy way out in front of her, helping her explain that her attention had no other meaning.

Sure enough, hearing this, Jiang Yumian quietly sighed. It was good that Jing Xiaoyan hadn’t overthought it.

Lin Xi didn’t understand their subtle thoughts, all these little games while playing cards. She waved her hand and urged, “Okay, okay, okay, you actors are the best. Hurry up and shuffle! I want to redeem myself!”

Since the matter was over, Jiang Yumian let it go. However, she felt a little smug after hearing their compliments. She lifted her chin towards Lin Xi in a proud manner. “I’m a singer too.”

Jing Xiaoyan’s eyes held a smile. She slowly dealt the cards. She was in a very good mood now. It was definitely right that she boldly confessed. Although Mianmian would maintain some distance from her, she would also definitely give her half of her attention.

Lin Xi organized her cards one by one and teased, “Right, right, right. The little singer who dominates the hot searches.”

“Hmph~ Low profile, low profile. It’s just that my family has a little influence, that’s all.” Jiang Yumian pretended to look embarrassed, but her words were anything but humble and full of smugness.

Feeling that it wasn’t enough, she added in an especially arrogant tone, “As long as my CEO mom makes a move, those dirty things that aren’t presentable aren’t worth seeing.”

“That’s right!” Lin Xi joked shamelessly, “Excuse me, does our mom need another daughter?”

Jiang Yumian looked up at her, then lowered her gaze and complained softly, “You might not qualify, but Jing Xiaoyan might. My mom only likes Jing Xiaoyan…”

Jing Xiaoyan touched her nose, suddenly being singled out, and in this context, she didn’t even dare to speak.

Lin Xi’s eyes widened, looking at Jing Xiaoyan. Good grief! This person is really something!

She hasn’t even won the wife over yet, but she’s already won over the mother-in-law?

“Call the Landlord!” Jiang Yumian saw her excellent hand and shouted confidently, as if the meek person from just now wasn’t her.

Jing Xiaoyan realized that she was deliberately trying to change the subject, not wanting to continue the complaining, probably afraid of embarrassing herself.

She lightly cleared her throat. “Rob the Landlord.”

Lin Xi looked at the cards in her hand. Although they were bad, she couldn’t lose momentum. She cleared her throat. “If you’re both robbing, I’ll rob too!”

Seeing how confident the two of them were, they would probably continue to rob. She wasn’t worried at all.

Seeing Jing Xiaoyan rob, Jiang Yumian felt a bit intimidated and said directly, “I’m not robbing anymore.”

Jing Xiaoyan also shook her head. “Me neither.”

Lin Xi: “…”

Before she could decide which card to play first, the room lights suddenly flickered continuously. She screamed, threw her cards, and immediately hugged both Jiang Yumian’s and Jing Xiaoyan’s arms, clinging to them tightly.

However, the lights only flickered off a few times and soon returned to normal.

Jiang Yumian quietly exhaled. She was startled too, but mostly by Lin Xi’s sudden scream.

She looked at Jing Xiaoyan. Although she didn’t scream, Jiang Yumian was right next to her and clearly felt Jing Xiaoyan tremble. The fear in her eyes hadn’t completely faded yet.

When Lin Xi saw the lights return to normal, the presence of mind that had fled returned. She let go of their hands, decisively gathered the cards, and tossed them onto the table.

“I’m not playing anymore, not playing anymore. Let’s sleep. There’s safety under the covers.”

Jiang Yumian gently patted Jing Xiaoyan’s back, trying to comfort her.

Jing Xiaoyan shook her head. “I’m fine. Let’s sleep.”

The three lay down under the blankets. Jing Xiaoyan consciously turned onto her side, her back facing Jiang Yumian.

They tacitly agreed not to turn off the lights, but with the room so bright and the three of them not speaking, the atmosphere was a little strange.

Lin Xi tried to sleep, but the light was too bright. She wasn’t used to it. When she opened her eyes again, she was suddenly facing a face right next to hers. Her heart instantly leaped to her throat.

She had been startled by Jing Xiaoyan again.

She exclaimed, “Oh my god! You scared me to death!”

Jing Xiaoyan twitched her mouth, speechless. “But I didn’t do anything.”

Lin Xi pushed her. “Turn away! Lie flat!”

Jiang Yumian tugged at Jing Xiaoyan’s pajamas, feeling a little helpless, and said softly, “Turn over and lie properly.”

Jing Xiaoyan obediently lay flat, silently giving Lin Xi a thumbs-up in her heart. She suddenly felt that Lin Xi’s acting was solid when she put her mind to it, managing to make Jiang Yumian actively pull her to lie down properly.

It was so nice to be close to her.

If Lin Xi knew what Jing Xiaoyan was thinking, she would definitely roll her eyes again. Jing Xiaoyan was truly capable of wishful thinking.

“Do you know something?”

Jiang Yumian had been holding it in all evening and still wanted to ask Jing Xiaoyan. She felt that for a normal program recording, even if things were a little off, it shouldn’t be this scary.

Lin Xi poked Jing Xiaoyan’s arm. “You definitely know something. You’re a ghost yourself.”

Jing Xiaoyan reached out and pulled the blanket, covering her exposed shoulder. After hesitating for a long time, she finally brought herself to reveal a little bit of information.

“It said on my mission card that Jiang Xiaomian stays awake all night. She feels like someone is constantly knocking on her door, and someone is secretly watching her. Besides the knocking, her mind is filled with crying and cursing.”

Lin Xi shrank her neck, silently reached out, and hooked Jing Xiaoyan’s arm. She regretted asking. Now her heart was fluttering.

Jiang Yumian turned her head to look at the door. She felt safer only after confirming that she had locked it when she came in. It was truly creepy. She suddenly felt that she was quite timid too.

She lightly cleared her throat. “It’s okay. It’s a show recording. It’s all fake.”

Jing Xiaoyan blinked. “But my mission card also said that this mountainside villa is my home, and I died here. Jiang Xiaomian often comes here to spend the night.”

It was better not to say this. Once she said it, no one dared to speak. The three of them simultaneously held their breath. It was too creepy. How were they supposed to stay here!

No wonder Jing Xiaoyan wanted to sleep with Lin Xi as soon as she arrived.

Even knowing it was all fake, they were still scared!

The place felt eerie. She suddenly felt a chill down her spine. Lin Xi lay flat, her back pressed against the bed, pulled the blanket right over her head. “Stop talking! I’m not asking anymore! I don’t want to know!”

Jiang Yumian also pulled up her blanket and tucked in her feet. She was scared too.

The room was silent for a few seconds. Sensing that Jing Xiaoyan’s body was still tense, Jiang Yumian hesitated for a long time, then finally reached out and hugged her arm.

Jing Xiaoyan was stunned. She subconsciously turned her head to look at her.

Their eyes met.

Facing each other so closely, looking at this face, Jiang Yumian couldn’t help but feel a little dazed.

Sister An was right. She really should stay away from Jing Xiaoyan. If it weren’t for the wealthy older sister “keeping her in check,” this person could truly steal her heart.

Jiang Yumian, slightly weak-willed, swallowed. She said softly, “Don’t be scared. Go to sleep.”

Jing Xiaoyan slowly blinked her eyelids and softly mumbled, “Mhm.” With two people lying next to her, she wasn’t that scared now. She was just a little nervous and afraid to sleep. What if she accidentally hugged Jiang Yumian after falling asleep?

However, that had already happened, but it was Jiang Yumian who hugged her…

The room was too bright. Jing Xiaoyan’s brain was so excited that she couldn’t sleep. She only felt sleepy after the two people next to her had fallen asleep, but now she was startled awake by Jiang Yumian’s action.

She was originally lying flat, not daring to have any thoughts of crossing the line, but now half her body was pressed down by Jiang Yumian, her body was being hugged, and her leg was also dominantly pressed over hers.

Jing Xiaoyan stared blankly at the ceiling, her heart pounding. She turned her head to look at Lin Xi and, after a long moment, made a decision.

She blinked. Sorry, good sister.

Jing Xiaoyan quietly pulled out the arm Lin Xi was holding, then cautiously wrapped it around Jiang Yumian’s back, gently hugging her.

Her body was warmed by Jiang Yumian’s body temperature. Jing Xiaoyan slightly tilted her head, wanting to get closer to Jiang Yumian’s head, somewhat greedily inhaling her scent.

Jing Xiaoyan silently comforted herself. Mianmian hugged me first, so I can’t be blamed. I’m just resting my arm on her back. I’m not doing anything excessive.

Thinking this way, the guilt in her heart slowly dissipated. The sweet scent of Jiang Yumian filled her nostrils. Her consciousness gradually became hazy, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.

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