The True Heiress And The Fake Heiress Ended Up Together - Chapter 61

Qin Mianmian just offered a polite smile.

She secretly glanced at Jian Ying’an from the corner of her eye, finding that Jian Ying’an was looking at her phone. Although it was only a moment before she put her phone away, Qin Mianmian still wrinkled her nose, unhappy.

Zhou Chuze, who was opposite them, didn’t seem to notice, or didn’t mind.

Jian Ying’an stirred her coffee and asked Qin Mianmian, “Do you want to film it?”

Qin Mianmian lowered her head, hesitant.

She had set her phone to ‘Do Not Disturb,’ so the Qin family couldn’t contact her. Later, they came to the school to find her, but she was at the hot spring resort at the time.

It seemed she had successfully avoided them, but as soon as she returned to school, people started asking questions.

It looked like the Qin family would be looking for her again soon.

Qin Mianmian thought to herself that she had always been very obedient in the Qin family. Now that she had caused such a big scene, the aftermath would surely be difficult to handle. Mr. and Mrs. Qin would be angry, and might even send people to put her under house arrest.

Then they would prevent her from seeing her Elder Sister.

Qin Mianmian thought about many things.

She looked up and saw Jian Ying’an’s beautiful eyes. Jian Ying’an was gazing at her intently, which is why their eyes met the moment Qin Mianmian looked up.

Jian Ying’an was aware of all the things Qin Mianmian was thinking about.

Under the table, Jian Ying’an held Qin Mianmian’s hand.

Zhou Chuze didn’t sense anything unusual and was still waiting for Qin Mianmian’s answer. It wasn’t strange to be cautious when considering such a matter.

He took a sip of coffee, his expression twisting from the bitterness.

Jian Ying’an said softly, “I’m here.”

I’m here. You don’t need to think too much. As long as you want to be with me, I will help you resolve everything.

Jian Ying’an’s eyes held a smile. She told Qin Mianmian with tender affection that she didn’t need to worry.

Qin Mianmian looked at Zhou Chuze. Regardless of the reason, joining the variety show as a guest and starting to film was a good thing.

She could hide from the Qin family, and she could be with her Elder Sister.

Even if she couldn’t hide for too long, the important thing was that her Elder Sister was by her side.

Qin Mianmian replied, “Okay.”

Zhou Chuze put down his coffee, ending the painful torment. If Qin Mianmian had thought about it any longer, he would have called the waiter to add sugar. He wondered how Jian Ying’an could endure the bitter taste and drink it without batting an eye.

There was still a lingering bitter taste in his mouth, but he was very happy: “Don’t worry, the filming won’t be too out of line.”

“You are a non-celebrity right now and don’t have an agency. I suggest you have Jian Ying’an’s company handle the contract together. They are experienced.”

There are many points in a contract that need attention. Even if Zhou Chuze wouldn’t cheat her, she still needed professionals to handle it.

Qin Mianmian nodded. She had originally planned to leave the matter to Jian Ying’an anyway.

She would only be responsible for the filming.

Jian Ying’an’s agency was Jiang Anyan Studio. She had signed with them after careful consideration at the time.

Moreover, with Jian Ying’an involved, the maximum benefits could be secured for Qin Mianmian.

Zhou Chuze left the coffee shop happily.

As he pushed open the glass door, a chime of a wind bell rang. He walked quickly, and Jian Ying’an didn’t bother to see him out politely.

They remained seated, ordering some desserts to continue their stay.

Qin Mianmian asked the waiter to add more sugar to her coffee before she started drinking it.

Jian Ying’an: “The Qin family is still looking for you?”

Qin Mianmian gave a soft “Mm.”

It seemed the Qin family hadn’t yet realized the trouble they were in. She wondered if that was a good thing or not.

Ning Group’s transportation chain was snatched by Su Nan. Worried about not being able to handle it all, Su Nan also involved many small companies to share the spoils.

The real beginning would be when the Qin Group belatedly discovered that their goods couldn’t be shipped out.

By then, the Qin family definitely wouldn’t have the time to continue looking for Qin Mianmian.

She wondered if Shen Jinyu would step in to help.

Filming Begins

The preparation for the variety show didn’t take long.

Jian Ying’an sat in the nanny van, resting with an eye mask, while Qin Mianmian, full of energy, was looking out the window.

Jiang Anyan was also there.

The three of them were squeezed into the car. The only guests Jian Ying’an knew about for this show were the three of them. She wondered who else was joining.

One was a veteran actress, Jiang Anyan, a senior figure in the entertainment industry.

One was a new rising star who balanced both popularity and acting skill.

And one was a cute, non-celebrity guest.

Jiang Anyan ignored Jian Ying’an’s rest, sitting beside her and talking: “If the director wants to film an unlimited variety show, the number of male participants will definitely be higher.”

The three of them took up three female slots.

Jian Ying’an: “Getting to know each other is a good thing.”

Jian Ying’an and Qin Mianmian had only participated in that variety show when they were children, so they were not as experienced as Jiang Anyan.

Jiang Anyan shared a lot of advice, only to realize that neither of them was listening seriously.

Well, that was a waste of sharing.

Jiang Anyan: “Don’t ruin the reputation of my studio.”

After saying that, she felt she was overthinking it.

As long as these two were together, the topic discussion would certainly be enough. Perhaps someone would even dig up clips from their childhood variety show for editing.

The variety show from childhood…

Jiang Anyan recalled that Jian Ying’an had mentioned her identity in the first episode. At the time, the audience reacted intensely, but there was no follow-up, so the discussion eventually died down.

Jian Ying’an was also low-key when she started filming. Now, most people were only concerned with her acting skills and her new movies.

If this variety show were to rekindle the old topics…

Coupled with Jian Ying’an mentioning that Shen Jinyu intended to blacklist her, it was enough to prove that she had now completely broken with the Qin family.

Jiang Anyan’s expression was startled. She thought to herself, No way.

If she had planned this far ahead back then, was she even human? Planting a seed for over ten years.

It must be me overthinking.

She also felt inexplicably excited, beginning to guess what Jian Ying’an’s next move would be.

If Jian Ying’an knew what Jiang Anyan was thinking, she would definitely say, You are overthinking.

This variety show was an accident. She couldn’t have calculated this far.

Jian Ying’an’s contingency plan was elsewhere.

The Library Challenge

They arrived at the location, and the three of them got out of the nanny van separately.

The location chosen was a library, four stories high, covering an area of nearly three hundred square meters. Looking around, there were densely packed bookshelves and countless books.

If there were a puzzle-solving segment where clues were hidden inside the books, that would truly be despair-inducing.

Jian Ying’an’s expression didn’t change much. There was no doubt that this step was involved.

They were separated by the staff. Zhou Chuze had mentioned it was a competitive format, so they might be divided into two groups, or three.

After a while, Qin Mianmian was brought over. She was grouped with Jian Ying’an.

She had said she would only stay by her Elder Sister’s side.

Zhou Chuze wouldn’t be so tactless as to separate the two and make them try hard to reunite.

In that case, Qin Mianmian might even go on strike.

Qin Mianmian bounced over playfully, winking at Jian Ying’an. She ignored the cameras in the room and leaned in close to Jian Ying’an: “Elder Sister, do you think we are the good side or the bad side?”

Jian Ying’an didn’t hesitate: “The good side.”

“Oh? Why?”

Another boy walked into the room. Jiang Anyan was right; there would likely only be three women in total.

After the boy asked, two more men walked in.

Only one was around twenty years old; the rest were over thirty, belonging to those who were once famous but are now largely forgotten.

There were five people in total, two of them girls.

These three men seemed like they were just there to have fun, showing no tension. They were laughing and joking. Jian Ying’an signaled for Qin Mianmian to move closer, and answered with a friendly attitude: “Because we will win.”

“Victory belongs to the side of justice.”

She said it with all seriousness.

Everyone present was amused by Jian Ying’an.

With five people gathered, Jian Ying’an had a general understanding of the filming for this episode.

The total number of people should be ten, divided into two groups. If there were three groups, the number would be far too high. It was also unlikely that the other group wouldn’t have five people, as that would be unfair.

Ten people were quite a few.

Qin Mianmian merely glanced at them. Since she wasn’t entering the entertainment industry, she didn’t need to be overly polite.

It wouldn’t matter even if the audience criticized her for being impolite. She sat quietly beside Jian Ying’an, minimizing her presence.

However, even just sitting there, she was very attractive.

With her long eyelashes and eyes that seemed to speak, her skin was delicate, and the dress she wore fit her just right, making her look soft and frail, inspiring people to want to protect her carefully.

Plus, with Jian Ying’an beside her, whose beauty was stunning.

The two girls sitting together were like a magnificent painting.

The cameras were biased toward them, only occasionally switching to the other three guests.

Jian Ying’an didn’t know the camera was constantly focused on them, but even if she did, she wouldn’t care.

With ten people, even averaged out, the two of them wouldn’t take up much screen time.

Getting paid was the only thing that mattered.

Jian Ying’an and Qin Mianmian stood up to listen to the staff introduce the rules.

Qin Mianmian was a little scared. What was “unlimited flow”? Did it lean more toward a horror theme? Would the scenes be very frightening?

She was timid, so she needed to cling to her Elder Sister even more.

Qin Mianmian: “Elder Sister, I’m scared.”

She looked up, her watery eyes fixed on Jian Ying’an, with a sparkle in her gaze.

Jian Ying’an: “Don’t be afraid. There are limits.”

Qin Mianmian: “…”

That was such a mood killer.

Jian Ying’an was right. There were limits. Zhou Chuze couldn’t create any grand, horrifying scenes. His ambition was greater than his ability.

“You are playing the role of mice and need to try your best to evade the cats’ pursuit.”

“Many cards are hidden in the library. Collecting the cards can eliminate the cats.”

“You each have your own identity. Please use your identity to obtain clues.”

The library was indeed tied to puzzle-solving. Jian Ying’an clearly knew this but still pretended not to, acting as if it were very difficult. However, just as she was trying to formulate an expression, Qin Mianmian spoke directly.

“That sounds difficult.”

Jian Ying’an remained silent: “…”

Qin Mianmian’s hand was on Jian Ying’an’s arm and hadn’t left it. She said, “What if we get separated while trying to evade the pursuit?”

Staff member: “…”

Shouldn’t the difficulty be how to find clues to eliminate the cats in a place as large as this library, with so many books?

Qin Mianmian’s expression was serious: “Does the identity part mean that Elder Sister and I don’t have to be separated?”

Staff member: “…This is not a dating show.”

Qin Mianmian seemed to regret joining this variety show, paying close attention to the term “dating show” the staff member used.

In any case, the game officially began.

The other three spoke up: “Let’s stick together first.”

Jian Ying’an refused: “The library looks big. Five people moving together will be too noticeable. I suggest splitting up.”

The person who so vocally suggested splitting up then turned around and took Qin Mianmian up to the second floor with her.

The staff hadn’t told them about the identity issue, which the guests needed to figure out for themselves. When the staff finished introducing the rules, Jian Ying’an suggested that they first look for special places in the venue, which were the clues left by the production team.

So, she didn’t linger and immediately separated to search.

Jian Ying’an took the initiative. Soon after she left, the other three also started moving, but they went upstairs.

They probably thought that if the cats were released, staying upstairs would allow them to hide for a bit longer.

Qin Mianmian was asking: “What kind of identity will it be? Will we need to exchange information with them later?”

Jian Ying’an: “Uncertain.”

She walked around the second floor once. The center was hollow, and only the areas near the walls had bookshelves. After one lap, she confirmed there were no special places.

Jian Ying’an looked down. The design of this library made it very difficult to hide when the “cats” entered.

The chase would be annoying.

However, each floor had some small hidden rooms. They didn’t have keys, so they couldn’t enter.

Qin Mianmian glanced around. She looked at the cameraman.

In fact, having a place to hide wouldn’t matter anyway. With so many cameramen, their location would be immediately exposed.

She couldn’t help but grumble inwardly, It’s really not scary at all. It doesn’t even make Elder Sister hug me! What’s the point of this kind of variety show!

A dating show would be much better.

Qin Mianmian subtly moved closer to Jian Ying’an. It looked very natural, and no one saw through what her next move was.

Jian Ying’an was thinking about the recording time.

It would probably be 5 to 8 hours, which indicated it wouldn’t be overly difficult. If they hadn’t found clues, something must have stalled them. She began to calculate in her mind.

Although there were many books in the library, given the time constraint, they definitely wouldn’t need to flip through them one by one.

Before using their identities to find clues, they first needed to find out what their identities were.

Qin Mianmian unconsciously moved closer to Jian Ying’an: “Elder Sister, do you want to hug me?”