Deliberate Possession [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 64.1

Chapter 64.1: What to Do

Jiang Yumian turned off her phone, deciding not to look at it anymore. She should just focus on eating.

Before picking up her chopsticks, she sent the photo Zou Xian had taken of the three bouquets of flowers to her Sister.

Tsk, she didn’t have any ulterior motive. She just wanted to share.

Halfway through her lunch, her phone suddenly rang. She raised an eyebrow and glanced at it. Unfamiliar number.

Jiang Yumian cleared her throat. “Hello?”

“Mianmian.”

Whose voice could that be but Jing Xiaoyan’s?

Jiang Yumian narrowed her eyes and deliberately asked, “Sister?”

Jing Xiaoyan was stunned for a moment. “It’s me, Jing Xiaoyan.”

Jiang Yumian deliberately paused for two seconds, her tone very disappointed. “Oh… it’s you. Alright.”

Jing Xiaoyan: “…”

She felt inexplicably sour.

Jiang Yumian cleared her throat and continued, “What do you need? Also, where did you get my phone number?”

Jing Xiaoyan was left to stew in her own jealousy for a while, then quickly replied, “Nothing much. I just miss you, and you wouldn’t answer my messages on WeChat, so I called you. Su Mumu gave me your number.”

“Oh, if there’s nothing, I’m hanging up. I’m eating.” Jiang Yumian tapped her bowl with her chopsticks, deliberately making noise for Jing Xiaoyan to hear.

Jing Xiaoyan quickly stopped her. “Don’t hang up. You eat, I’ll listen.”

She added, “I’m going back for filming tomorrow, and I’ll come find you right after I finish.”

Jiang Yumian glanced at her phone and chuckled softly. “Find me for what? I have work. I don’t have time.”

“I’ll find you for dinner after you get off work. I won’t disrupt your work.”

“Anyway, I’m coming over. You need to make time to eat with me.”

Knowing she would be pushy, Jiang Yumian smiled, and after a good moment of laughter, she finally spoke.

“We’ll see tomorrow. I don’t even know if someone else will ask me out.”

Even though she said that, Jiang Yumian was already checking the time and considering where to go for dinner with Jing Xiaoyan.

Jing Xiaoyan’s voice deepened, her tone demanding. “I asked first, so you have to choose me.”

“Oh, well, let’s talk about it tomorrow. I’m eating.” Jiang Yumian said, reaching out and hanging up the phone.

Tch, she ignored her when she posted to Moments.

She wondered what Jing Xiaoyan sent her on WeChat.

Jing Puppy: “Mianmian, I saw it.”

Jing Puppy: “You liked my post and then canceled it. Are you playing hard to get?”

Jing Puppy: “What are you doing? Talk to me.jpg”

Jiang Yumian pouted. Tch, playing hard to get? She was quite imaginative, and rather self-absorbed.

Mianmian: “Oh, talking to you.”

As soon as she sent the message, a video call came in from the other side.

Jiang Yumian’s forehead was covered in black lines. She had just hung up on her.

She reached out and declined the call.

One second later, the call came in again. Jiang Yumian scratched her face. “Fine, I’ll reluctantly answer it.”

Jing Xiaoyan’s face quickly appeared on the phone screen, looking all wronged again.

Jiang Yumian blinked innocently and turned the camera to the dining table. “I really am eating.”

Jing Xiaoyan whined softly, “Ah… Let me see you. I don’t want to look at the food.”

Jiang Yumian switched the camera back, not giving her a chance to be happy, and asked directly, “Are you not acting in that movie anymore?”

Hearing her question, Jing Xiaoyan immediately nodded. “Mhm, there’s a more suitable person.”

She then suddenly smiled. “I discussed it with the company again. After finishing the drama I’m currently working on, I won’t take on any new ones. I’ll take a good rest.”

Jiang Yumian raised an eyebrow. “Is your company that accommodating?”

She’s a big cash cow. They let her rest just like that?

As a capitalist, they’d be merciful if they didn’t squeeze every last drop of value out of her.

Jing Xiaoyan suddenly raised her chin proudly. “Yes, look, don’t I have a good relationship with them?”

Jiang Yumian played along, giving her a thumbs-up. “Yes, yes, yes, you’re amazing.”

She carefully observed Jing Xiaoyan’s surroundings. She didn’t know where she was sitting, and there was no one around her.

Jing Xiaoyan was holding her phone, with a tablet on her lap. She lowered her head and suddenly said, “Mianmian, check the group chat.”

Jiang Yumian paused for a second, then exited the chat, and noticed someone had indeed sent a message in the group.

It was from Lu Zhi, whom Chu Qianyun had just added.

Lu Zhi: “Urgent notification. Due to scheduling conflicts among the artists, the live broadcast format of the show will be canceled after the next recording session.”

Jiang Yumian raised an eyebrow. “So, after the next live broadcast, there won’t be any more?”

Jing Xiaoyan nodded. “Yes, it will all be pre-recorded from now on. Once the schedule is sorted out, we might fly around for a few days of recording, and then this season will be over.”

Jiang Yumian nodded, half-understanding. “Ah… I see. Tsk, whose schedule is so tight? It’s really hard to have one complete live broadcast with everyone.”

Luo Cheng only missed this episode, so Chu Baiyue filled in for her. She should be back for the next one.

Hearing her muttered words, Jing Xiaoyan coughed awkwardly. “I won’t be in the next live broadcast. The location for the filming here wasn’t rented for very long, so I need to finish quickly.”

Jiang Yumian paused, reached out, and tapped the small window. Jing Xiaoyan’s face was enlarged, and she wore a teasing expression. “Oh… so it’s you, busy Bee Jing.”

“You’re so busy. Don’t bother coming to find me after filming tomorrow. You should rest when you have time.”

Jing Xiaoyan grunted. “I’m still coming. I’ll make sure you see me as soon as you get off work.”

Jiang Yumian rolled her eyes. “Alright, you hurry up and rest. I’m hanging up, or my food will get cold if I keep talking to you.”

The video call was hung up, and Jing Xiaoyan sent her another message.

Jing Puppy: “Then I’ll call you again when I’m done working tonight.”

Jiang Yumian turned off her phone screen. She’d deal with the evening when it came. She didn’t know when her aunt was coming over tonight.

Jiang Yumian played with Jing Xiaoyan (the dog) after she came back from class. Auntie said she was very smart and learned quickly. Although she still couldn’t completely understand a few simple commands, she did show some reaction.

Jing Xiaoyan’s intelligence prompted her to record several videos. After sharing them privately, she couldn’t help but share them on Moments and Weibo.

Hehe, now everyone knew how smart her Jing Xiaoyan was.

She was recording a video of Jing Xiaoyan when her mother and aunt returned.

Jiang Yumian greeted them politely and sat down with them in the living room. She briefly assessed her aunt and noticed that her facial features were quite similar to her mother’s. They definitely looked like biological sisters.

Based on her appearance, her aunt seemed easy to get along with. Jiang Yumian was a little confused. Why did her mother tell her to be psychologically prepared? Her aunt didn’t seem that hard to get along with.

She had been strangely nervous all afternoon, thinking some big battle was awaiting her.

Her aunt had a cheerful personality. Her name was only one character different from her mother’s: Jiang Jifeng.

She held Jiang Yumian’s hand and complained, “I haven’t seen Mianmian in a long time. Your mother told me to arrive on Friday evening, but as soon as I arrived, you left. Honestly.”

Jiang Yumian glanced at her mother. Her mother scratched her face and looked away, pretending she didn’t know anything.

Jiang Yumian rolled her eyes, quickly withdrew her gaze, and smiled. “I had work that day. I thought I’d see you at home when I returned yesterday, but I found out you weren’t staying at home.”

Jiang Jifeng suddenly chuckled. “How dare I? You need to control your mother. I stayed here with her for two days and was dragged into playing games for two days.”

If this weren’t her own sister, she wouldn’t have tolerated even two days.

Jiang Yumian: “…”

Her mother really was something. She didn’t spare her, and she didn’t spare her aunt either.

“Mom… play fewer games. How can you sit there all day? Don’t you care about your eyes?”

Her mother nodded and smiled perfunctorily. “Oh, let’s eat. Auntie should have finished cooking.”

Jiang Jifeng nodded, exasperated. “Yes, eat! I finally managed to move out the day before yesterday. If you hadn’t come back and I didn’t want to have a meal with you, I wouldn’t have come.”

It’s not like she didn’t have anywhere else to go.

Jiang Yumian: “…”

At the dinner table.

Jiang Yumian thought for a while and finally spoke. “Aunt, why don’t you stay at home? Don’t go out.”

“Mom still has to go to work at the company. She won’t keep dragging you to play games. Just directly refuse her next time.”

Mainly, it was strange for her aunt to be staying in a hotel every day. Her house was so big. It would be livelier with one more person.

Her aunt seemed hesitant. Actually, she wasn’t really forced out by playing games. She needed to go see Jing Xiaoyan. Jing Xiaoyan had invited her to stay with her.

“Hmm… I’ll consider it.”

After saying that, she looked at Jiang Yumian and couldn’t help but ask, “Mianmian, do you and Xiao Yan like each other?”

Jiang Yumian was stunned for a moment, surprised. “Aunt, why are you suddenly asking me this?”

Despite the question, her eyes were already directed towards her mother. Seeing her mother only focusing on eating and completely ignoring her, the answer was obvious: her mother was the one who told her.

Her aunt smiled. “Haha, just gossiping.”

When her sister first told her about Jiang Yumian and Jing Xiaoyan, she was shocked. Her nominal daughter was pursuing her niece. How exciting.

But when she came back, she didn’t catch Jiang Yumian or Jing Xiaoyan. She was pressed into playing games by her sister for two days. After listening to her sister’s earnest analysis for two days, she realized her sister was afraid she wouldn’t agree, so she wanted to brainwash her first.

But even after all that brainwashing, she still hadn’t agreed to anything, mainly because she had her own agenda.

Jiang Yumian glanced at her mother, then at her aunt, lowered her eyes, and hesitated for a few seconds. “Jing Xiaoyan and I, well… we’re not together yet, but it should be soon.”

She felt a little uncomfortable saying this, talking about such things in front of two elders.

She quickly changed the subject. “Let’s eat, let’s eat. Aunt, just stay at home tonight. Don’t go out so late.”

Her mother looked nervously at her sister. Seeing her deep in thought, she felt relieved.

Her sister was the type to directly refute anything that displeased or bothered her, without any room for discussion.

She glared at Jiang Yumian irritably. Her daughter was dating, but she, the mother, was the one who was stressed.

Jiang Yumian tilted her head, looking confused. Why was her mother glaring at her?

She hadn’t even asked her why she spread the news about her liking a girl in their circle, causing her to have so many admirers now.

Her admirers had indeed increased a lot.

For instance, she had to turn down several bouquets of flowers again today, and many people specifically came to ask her out for a meal.

Jiang Yumian was truly impressed. Were there so few domineering CEOs now? Why were they all coming to her? What did she, an innocent little girl, do wrong? Wuwu, where were their principles!

After seeing another person out, Jiang Yumian returned to her office, rubbing her temple.

She had a headache. A real headache. Couldn’t these people learn from Jing Xiaoyan and stop bothering her when she was working?

Her Jing Puppy was much cuter and more well-behaved.

She opened her phone and checked the time. Half an hour until she got off work. She wondered if Jing Xiaoyan had arrived.

She hesitated for a while, then sent Jing Xiaoyan an emoji made from a picture of Jing Xiaoyan (the dog).

Mianmian: “Dog.”

Jing Puppy: “I’m here. I’ve already arrived. Remember to come find me when you get off work. Don’t leave with anyone else.”

Jing Xiaoyan replied quickly. Knowing she had arrived, Jiang Yumian’s eyes brightened. She straightened up, and the corners of her mouth subconsciously curved into a smile.

Knowing Jing Xiaoyan was downstairs in her company made her fingers tapping the screen feel excited.

Mianmian: “How long have you been here?”

Mianmian: “Just come up. It’s cold outside.”

Jing Xiaoyan wanted to say she wasn’t outside, but in the lounge on the first floor of the company. But since Jiang Yumian said that, she took the opportunity to pretend.

She ran outside, let the cold wind chill her face, and then took the elevator up.

Since Jiang Yumian had given notice, no one stopped her.

She pushed open the door and walked towards the office, seeing Jiang Yumian sitting on the sofa looking at a tablet.

Jing Xiaoyan’s eyes lit up. “Mianmian!”

Jiang Yumian looked up at her, suppressing the smile that was about to appear on her lips. She raised her eyebrows proudly and gestured to the spot next to her with her eyes.

“Sit here first. We’ll go eat later.”

Jing Xiaoyan sat down right next to her, deliberately sniffing. “Mianmian, it’s so cold outside.”

She pitifully leaned her face closer. Her cold nose rubbed against Jiang Yumian’s face, and then she rubbed her face against Jiang Yumian’s cheek, her movements incredibly intimate.

Jiang Yumian was about to scold her to sit properly, but the coldness on her face immediately distracted her.

She pursed her lips, put down the tablet, didn’t push Jing Xiaoyan away, and her tone softened considerably. “How long have you been here?”

Jing Xiaoyan directly reached out and hugged Jiang Yumian, pressing her face against her neck, and whispered, “About half an hour.”

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