Deliberate Possession [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 68

Chapter 68: Downstairs

It wasn’t until the car disappeared from her sight that Jing Xiaoyan lowered her head. Her legs felt heavy, as if filled with lead. She froze on the spot, the initial panic of not seeing Jiang Yumian now turning into fear.

Her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket. She numbly unlocked it, with a premonition that it was from Jiang Yumian.

Indeed.

Mianmian: “Don’t waste time looking for me, and don’t follow me. Miss Yin and I have business to discuss.”

Miss Yin, business.

Jing Xiaoyan blinked. Although it sounded like a warning, it was actually more like an explanation.

She never thought Jiang Yumian would explain to her. Her constantly sinking heart finally lifted a little. Hmm… it was business.

But her mood was still very low. She was truly the one being left out in the cold now.

What kind of business needs to be discussed after work…

Jiang Yumian’s heart was still uneasy when she sent that message, but after sending it, she felt a bit of regret. It was too late to recall it.

Never mind, let it be.

Never mind, I’ll add one more sentence, so she doesn’t misunderstand.

Mianmian: “I don’t want to see you.”

Jiang Yumian recalled it very quickly this time.

Never mind, she decided against it.

Jing Xiaoyan kept looking at her phone on the way back. She hadn’t seen what Jiang Yumian had recalled.

She was a little irritated and couldn’t figure it out. She was also afraid of what Jiang Yumian might say about her and Yin Xiangyu. She worried all the way, and was still thinking about it after getting out of the car.

Chu Qianyun’s eyebrows were still furrowed when she opened the door for her.

Jing Xiaoyan had come to find Su Mumu. She and Jiang Yumian were good friends, and Jiang Yumian might have complained about her. She just wanted to ask for a reason and see if there was a solution.

Su Mumu handed her a cup of hot water and knowingly asked, “Are you saying Mianmian blacklisted you?”

Jing Xiaoyan’s eyes darkened, and she nodded. “She won’t let me look for her, and she doesn’t want to see me.”

Chu Qianyun held the fruit platter Su Mumu had cut for her and fed herself a piece of cantaloupe. “What happened? Did you piss her off today?”

Jing Xiaoyan lowered her eyes, lightly scratching the cup with her finger, and whispered, “Not today. She blacklisted me the day of the live broadcast.”

“That’s not right. Yesterday she was aggressively challenging that Zhang Yan, saying her family didn’t have a relative like him and wouldn’t let him call you Sister Xiaoyan. I was so satisfied watching that.” Chu Qianyun said, giving a thumbs-up. She had been so miserable watching him before, so seeing that yesterday was incredibly satisfying.

After speaking, she glanced at Jing Xiaoyan. “You two are family in her mouth. Why would she blacklist you? Could it be jealousy?”

Su Mumu nodded. “Mhm, possibly. Mianmian hasn’t been happy since Zhang Yan appeared.”

Jing Xiaoyan twitched the corner of her mouth. Family. Cousins were indeed considered family. She sighed softly and smiled bitterly. “It’s not because of him. Mianmian knows everything. Her online girlfriend is me.”

Su Mumu nodded, subconsciously saying, “Then you deserve to be blacklisted.”

After speaking, she was stunned for a moment, frowning in thought. “That’s not right either.”

Jing Xiaoyan was also a bit confused. She looked up at Su Mumu. “What’s not right?”

Su Mumu was about to speak, but meeting Jing Xiaoyan’s hurry up and tell me eyes, she paused again. It wasn’t easy to say…

Just as Jing Xiaoyan was about to urge her, she cleared her throat. “Mianmian probably isn’t angry at you because of this. Think carefully, what else could have upset her?”

Jing Xiaoyan frowned slightly. “But shouldn’t she be angry when she found this out?”

Su Mumu chuckled dryly. She found Jing Xiaoyan quite amusing. Was it too late to find out now?

Seeing Su Mumu not speak, but just laugh, Jing Xiaoyan’s frown deepened. She felt there was genuinely something she didn’t know.

Chu Qianyun couldn’t stand it and said directly, “The point is, your Mianmian knew a long time ago. If she was going to blacklist you, she would have done it earlier, not waited until now. You think about it yourself, what else made her unhappy?”

Jing Xiaoyan’s head buzzed. Knew a long time ago?

Seeing her stunned and disbelieving look, Su Mumu sighed. “Mianmian found out, I think it was three weeks ago. She just deliberately didn’t tell you, she was playing with you.”

“I don’t know the rest. You go back and think about it carefully.”

Jing Xiaoyan opened her phone, scrolling up through the chat history. She couldn’t see anything wrong, but if Jiang Yumian had known, then…

Chu Qianyun exclaimed, “Aiya! I think Mianmian is just jealous.”

“It’s one thing that you didn’t come to the show, but your admirer came to the show and kept showing off like a peacock. I got irritated watching him, let alone Mianmian.”

Su Mumu also nodded. “Did you fail to explain this guy to her, or was your relationship with him unclear, which made Mianmian angry and blacklist you?”

After speaking, she clicked her tongue lightly. Jing Xiaoyan isn’t that kind of person.

Jing Xiaoyan shook her head, then remained silent, staring at her phone, as if digesting this unbelievable fact.

A few minutes later, she suddenly said, “I’m actually her cousin.”

Chu Qianyun’s hand holding the fruit platter trembled, and she stared at Jing Xiaoyan with her mouth open.

Su Mumu also looked at her in disbelief. Judging by Jing Xiaoyan’s state, it didn’t seem like she was joking. She took a deep breath. “Don’t tell me you two are blood-related?”

Seeing her lower her head, Su Mumu scratched her head in irritation. Before Jing Xiaoyan could answer, she stood up angrily, her face flushed with displeasure, pointing at her and scolding, “Are you crazy? Why are you still pursuing Mianmian knowing that? Her blacklisting you is getting off lightly. I feel like I could stab you with a knife.”

Chu Qianyun quickly threw the fruit platter onto the coffee table and hugged Su Mumu. “Calm down, calm down. Mumu, let her finish.”

Su Mumu turned and glared at her. She didn’t say she was going to hit Jing Xiaoyan. Looking at Chu Qianyun, she became even angrier. “Let go of me, you’re not a good person either.”

Jing Xiaoyan was a little dazed from the scolding. Now that she had recovered, she remembered to answer, “We’re not blood-related. Her mother’s sister is not my biological mother. It’s a blended family, and I don’t live with them.”

Chu Qianyun breathed a huge sigh of relief. She glared at Jing Xiaoyan. Would it kill her to say so earlier!

Su Mumu swatted Chu Qianyun’s hand away, sat back down, and folded her arms. “Does Mianmian know?”

Jing Xiaoyan nodded. “I told her that day, but she was still angry. She got even angrier when I mentioned the elders at home, but this has nothing to do with them.”

Su Mumu snorted coldly. “You think it doesn’t matter, but what about Mianmian?”

“You definitely hit a nerve with her, plus the fact that you lied to her.”

Jing Xiaoyan looked at the water in her cup and nodded. Before, all she could think about was that Jiang Yumian had found out and was so angry, and how she should coax her.

Now, after hearing the analysis, she felt a little fortunate. It was a good thing she came, and a good thing she didn’t see Jiang Yumian today. Otherwise, she would have kept focusing on the wrong thing, and going would have been pointless, probably making Jiang Yumian even angrier.

After being scolded by Su Mumu, she somewhat understood why Jiang Yumian was so angry. She was probably extremely mad those few days. Even if they weren’t blood-related, as the person involved, Jiang Yumian must be even angrier than Su Mumu…

She didn’t eat for long with Yin Xiangyu. When Jiang Yumian returned home that night, her family members were still awake. As soon as she walked in, Jiang Xiaoyan (the dog) greeted her.

Jiang Yumian reached out to pet it, asking with a smile, “Jiang Xiaoyan, have you eaten?”

“Woof! Woof!”

Jiang Xiaoyan’s tail wagged happily. It was especially excited to see Jiang Yumian return.

Her mother was sitting on the living room sofa, with her aunt next to her. She waved at Jiang Yumian. “Mianmian, come here.”

Jiang Yumian saw them all looking at her. It seemed like they were deliberately waiting for her.

The corner of her mouth pulled into a strained smile. “What’s wrong, Mom? Aren’t you sleeping yet?”

Her aunt twitched her mouth and quietly complained, “Your mom won’t let me sleep…”

She was quickly kicked.

She chuckled dryly. “Mianmian, sit down. Your aunt has something to tell you. We didn’t explain clearly that day.”

Jiang Yumian hesitated for a few seconds, then under their gaze, she turned directly and walked upstairs, full of resistance to whatever they were about to say.

Her mother called out to stop her. “Mianmian!”

Jiang Yumian didn’t look back and just dropped a line: “I don’t want to hear it. I won’t be with Jing Xiaoyan. Don’t tell me about the matters between you elders.”

She was afraid that knowing anything more would make it even harder to accept.

Her mother frowned. “Jiang Yumian! You come back here!”

Jiang Yumian’s body stiffened, then she quickened her pace upstairs. Jiang Xiaoyan ran up behind her, and they entered the room together.

Her mother glanced sideways at her aunt and quickly followed.

Jiang Yumian was playing with Jiang Xiaoyan in the room, but the door was quickly knocked on. Jiang Yumian was startled and looked at the door with Jiang Xiaoyan.

She opened the door, and her mother was standing outside.

Jiang Yumian pursed her lips, her tone laced with exhaustion. “Mom, what else do you want to say? I’m not with Jing Xiaoyan, shouldn’t you be happy? Didn’t you say before that it was impossible for us to be together? I believe it now.”

Her mother glared at her. “I only said that because I thought you were pursuing Xiaoyan and she would never agree. Now that I’ve found out Xiaoyan is the one pursuing you, and you two like each other, why would I stop you?”

She immediately sighed again. “And Xiaoyan hasn’t done anything wrong. If she heard you repeatedly say you won’t be with her, wouldn’t she be heartbroken?”

Jiang Yumian frowned. “So you’re here to speak up for Jing Xiaoyan?”

“How am I speaking up for her? Am I not stating the truth?” Her mother also frowned, feeling that Jiang Yumian wasn’t listening to anything she said and just thought she was being biased.

Jiang Yumian snorted softly, her voice carrying a hint of grievance. “I knew it. I didn’t understand before why you cared about Jing Xiaoyan so much. Now I know.”

Seeing her about to close the door after speaking, her mother reached out and blocked the closing door, looking serious. “What do you know? You won’t let your aunt finish speaking, you just keep promising not to be with Jing Xiaoyan. Do we need you to say that? Are you fighting with yourself or fighting with us?”

Already feeling wronged, and now suddenly being yelled at, Jiang Yumian tightly pressed her lips together, holding back tears.

The little dog next to her rubbed its head against her leg. Jiang Yumian’s eyes watered. Holding back her tears, she said, “If you don’t need me to say that, why did you have to tell me? Why didn’t you just keep lying to me and hiding it from me, just like Jing Xiaoyan?”

Hearing her unstable emotions, her mother softened her tone and spoke warmly, “We told you because we thought you should know.”

Jiang Yumian raised her hand to wipe her eyes and took a step back into the room. “I already know. Stop talking. The rest has nothing to do with me. I don’t want to hear it.”

“What good is hiding like this?” Her mother still blocked the door, glancing at the little dog constantly sticking to Jiang Yumian. She continued to ask, “When does running away ever solve a problem?”

Jiang Yumian bent down, patted Jiang Xiaoyan, and walked further into the room with it. She remained silent and didn’t speak.

Seeing her attitude, her mother had no choice but to help her close the door, deciding to let her figure things out for herself first.

The next day, Jiang Yumian went to the company and was busy all day again. Yin Xiangyu came again today, but an hour earlier than yesterday, so she probably wouldn’t have to go out for dinner with her this time.

Jiang Yumian’s brow relaxed. She was truly afraid of being caught by Jing Xiaoyan again. That feeling was unpleasant.

They didn’t talk for long. Yin Xiangyu gave her a new contract, asking her to consider a potential collaboration.

Jiang Yumian nodded, ready to see her out.

“Um, did you and Jing Xiaoyan have a fight?” Yin Xiangyu suddenly stopped at the door and looked back at her.

Jiang Yumian was startled and didn’t say anything.

Yin Xiangyu pointed downwards with her hand. “When I came up, I saw her at the entrance. It’s quite cold outside. I don’t know if she’s still downstairs.”

Jiang Yumian frowned. “She’s downstairs?”

Yin Xiangyu nodded and shrugged. “A love rival, I wouldn’t mistake her. Her eyes were full of hostility when she looked at me. When I asked her if she was cold and if she wanted to come up, I think she took it as a provocation.”

Jiang Yumian: “…”

Seeing Jiang Yumian remain silent, Yin Xiangyu sized her up, smiled, and waved casually. “I’ll be leaving now.”

On her way down, she ran into Jing Xiaoyan again. This time, she didn’t greet her but ignored her and walked towards her car. She also took out her phone to message Jiang Yumian, reminding her that Jing Xiaoyan was still there.

As a love rival, she thought she was quite generous.

Jiang Yumian looked at her phone in silence, opened the weather app, and saw the single-digit temperature outside. It must be very cold…

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