The True Heiress And The Fake Heiress Ended Up Together - Chapter 76

Wen Wan’s company demanded she piggyback off Jian Ying’an’s popularity.

Jian Ying’an’s rise was sudden, as if she were naturally destined for fame. Not only the variety show from her childhood, but even her debut drama demonstrated this.

Despite only being the fourth female lead with limited screentime, audiences only remembered Jian Ying’an after the show concluded.

Following that drama—and transitioning to roles as the second female lead and then the main female lead—Jian Ying’an’s resources had been non-stop for three years.

Of course, one could attribute this to her being signed by Jiang Anyan, who spared no effort in promoting her.

But is it that simple to make someone famous?

Fame requires promotion, exposure, talent, and luck—none of which can be missing. It’s not something achieved solely through resources.

Qin Mianmian, an ordinary person, gained a significant following just by calling Jian Ying’an “Jiejie” (older sister) a few times on the variety show.

Since she didn’t have a Weibo account, she didn’t know the exact increase, but based on the discussion volume, she probably gained at least two million followers.

“What does two million represent? Wen Wan, how many years have you been in the industry, and how many followers do you have?” Her manager was frustrated by her lack of ambition.

What ban?

At most, it’s just suppression!

Didn’t a director still invite Jian Ying’an to participate in a variety show?

“Look, they visited the orphanage, and the orphanage received millions in donations.”

The manager insisted she must piggyback off Jian Ying’an’s popularity.

Inside the villa, Wen Wan looked covertly at Jian Ying’an, unable to make a decision.

After being relatively obscure for so many years, she longed to taste the sweetness of being a success.

That girl who used to call Jian Ying’an “Jiejie” had, at some point, changed her address to repeated calls of “An’an.” Their relationship looked incredibly closely.

If she tried to join them now, it would be too tactless.

Was it necessary to risk her public image collapsing?

Jian Ying’an had also looked toward Wen Wan several times. She had already given her warning; if Wen Wan tried to get close again, she wouldn’t intervene.

She had said that if the show couldn’t air later, she would not refund the participation fee.

If Wen Wan got involved and was consequently implicated, Jian Ying’an wouldn’t be responsible.

Turning her head, Qin Mianmian tugged at her sleeve, her expression clearly disapproving: “An’an, you can’t look at other people.”

Qin Mianmian’s hands were covered in clay.

She wore an apron, and two crooked, ugly little clay figures sat on the table in front of her. Midway through sculpting, she noticed Jian Ying’an looking at Wen Wan.

Regardless of how dirty her hands were, she needed to redirect Jian Ying’an’s attention immediately.

Jian Ying’an focused on the clay on Qin Mianmian’s hands: “Dirty kid, wash your hands!”

Qin Mianmian stuck out her tongue, a delicate pink, and ignored the command, continuing to sculpt the figures.

Many viewers were tuned in to the livestream.

Everyone was mocking the two clay figures Qin Mianmian had sculpted.

Truly ugly.

Perhaps they were the only pair genuinely dating on this dating show.

They even enjoyed themselves immensely inside the villa.

Qin Mianmian sculpted for a long time, becoming distracted. She held her hands mid-air, looking at her finished work, deeply unwilling to believe she had sculpted this herself.

She had been sculpting for a while, initially reassuring herself that a crude initial shape was normal.

But why did it get uglier the more she sculpted?

She was too embarrassed to point at the clay figure on the left and say, “An’an, this is you!”

Because the figure on the right was equally ugly, save for the one on the left being slightly taller.

Qin Mianmian frowned and examined the figures, then raised the figure on the right higher. She nodded contentedly. Hm, now my figure is taller than Jian Ying’an’s.

But this made the figure on the right even uglier.

Qin Mianmian started repairing it again.

That feeling of bewilderment surged over her again, her head buzzing, losing the ability to think. Looking at these two clay figures made her increasingly irritated.

What a chore.

Qin Mianmian pouted: “An’an, our souvenir doesn’t look very good.”

Jian Ying’an had thought Qin Mianmian was just playing around and only realized upon hearing her comment that she intended to sculpt their clay figures as a souvenir.

Because they were truly too ugly, Jian Ying’an pointed at the figure on the right: “Is this me? You sculpted it so well.”

Qin Mianmian: “…No, this is me.”

Jian Ying’an: “…”

She snatched a chunk of clay from Qin Mianmian, rolled out two small strips, and attached them to the head of the right figure. She pointed at the newly added, aggressively cute little buns on the right figure’s head.

“See, now it looks like you.”

Qin Mianmian was unconvinced. She bared her teeth and used clay to poke out a stick.

She placed it in the left figure’s hand.

Jian Ying’an couldn’t tell what it was: “A rolling pin?” Does Mianmian want to eat dumplings tonight?

Qin Mianmian: “No, the Golden-Hooped Staff!”

Playing with clay took a lot of time, and cleaning up required quite a bit of effort. In the end, Qin Mianmian carefully collected the two little clay figures.

These were souvenirs!

Jiang Anyan patted Jian Ying’an’s shoulder: “Not easy, is it?”

She had never seen this side of Jian Ying’an either in the film crew or at the company.

Only when she was with Qin Mianmian was she like this.

It sounded very doting.

To an outsider, the scene appeared slightly comical.

Jian Ying’an said faintly: “I enjoy it completely.”

Jiang Anyan sneered: “Enough.”

This person couldn’t stand not showing off for a day.

Today was the third day at the villa. According to the shooting schedule, there were four more days.

Just then, Zhou Chuze called Jian Ying’an and Jiang Anyan out.

It was only then that Wen Wan realized how righteous Jian Ying’an’s warning had been.

Zhou Chuze was frustrated. He knew someone wanted to sabotage Jian Ying’an and prevent her from appearing on TV. He had certainly taken a risk, but he still held a sliver of hope.

It was just an online variety show; surely it wouldn’t be a big deal.

He figured he’d cross that bridge when he came to it—there would always be a solution eventually.

But that was all nonsense.

It was all up to a single word from those higher up.

Zhou Chuze’s composure shattered. He hesitated, looking at Jian Ying’an, then his brows furrowed even tighter as he thought back.

Jian Ying’an thought they would at least finish recording.

Although the livestream made her experience nationwide social death, she had to admit Zhou Chuze’s decision to stream was smart; even if the show couldn’t air, the livestream would bring in profit.

The sudden halt mid-production didn’t feel right.

Was this also the work of Shen Jinyu? How did he manage this?

Zhou Chuze recovered from his frustration: “You now have two options.”

“The first is for you and Qin Mianmian to withdraw from the recording.”

“The second is for us to arrange a new guest for you, and we restart the recording.”

Zhou Chuze: “I suggest you choose the first one.”

Jiang Anyan clicked her tongue: “Although we won’t get the money back, you have to tell us what’s going on, right?”

Zhou Chuze: “The CP of you and Qin Mianmian… has spread too widely.”

He found it somewhat difficult to say, not knowing how to start, and he felt annoyed himself.

“The image is very negative.”

Jiang Anyan was so angry she laughed: “I thought it was for some major reason! What is so negative about this? Do they have any dirt on them? Have they done something unforgivable?”

Zhou Chuze’s mind was also in a haze: “Telling me won’t help. I was the one who most hoped to finish smoothly, alright?”

He continued.

“The situation is that all the other guest groups are fine, only the Jian Ying’an and Qin Mianmian group is having trouble. You know that it is not yet legal in our country.”

Jian Ying’an nodded: “I understand.”

Jiang Anyan froze. Understand what? How did she understand?

Jian Ying’an: “We can exist, but we are not suitable to be presented to the public. The director means that unless I choose a new male guest to record with, the show cannot air. It’s highly likely the livestream will also be called off.”

She lowered her gaze, understanding the director’s suggestion.

She would not choose anyone else.

She chose to withdraw with Qin Mianmian.

However, according to the contract, the payment is non-refundable only if filming is completed, or if it’s halted due to external factors. Currently, there were no external factors causing her to stop; it was merely a prohibition against her continuing to promote subculture.

Ostensibly, it was caused by too many CP fans.

Jian Ying’an felt like laughing.

She would never believe Shen Jinyu wasn’t involved.

If she withdrew now, it would be considered a voluntary withdrawal, and she would have to return the payment.

Jian Ying’an still felt like laughing.

She was actually quite pleased.

So many people liked her and Mianmian together.

And it had annoyed Shen Jinyu—two birds with one stone.

Jiang Anyan finally reacted. She shot a sharp glare at Zhou Chuze: “She has to return the money?”

Zhou Chuze was a bit embarrassed. He had benefited from the livestream’s popularity, yet he was suggesting Jian Ying’an withdraw. Wasn’t that essentially exploiting her fame for free?

He considered suggesting they choose a new guest.

But no, he’d be cursed by the audience if he did that.

He dared not break up this pair, even though he dared to break up the Actress X Current Star pair.

Zhou Chuze sighed, looking stressed: “How about I give you double the fee in the end, is that acceptable?”

Jian Ying’an smiled: “Acceptable.”

Jiang Anyan: “You’re not angry?”

Jian Ying’an paused: “It’s impossible not to feel that emotion, but… let’s look at the bright side.”

Nowadays, even TV drama adaptations have to delete certain scenes. She and Qin Mianmian were openly dating—it was a livestream, an online variety show.

Shen Jinyu’s scheme really hit the mark.

Having to return the money and withdraw now, Jian Ying’an was a bit reluctant. Yet, she smiled: “Isn’t there double the fee?”

They returned to the villa to pack their luggage.

The reason for Jian Ying’an and Qin Mianmian’s withdrawal couldn’t be kept secret, and she simply decided not to hide it.

Because her attitude was so composed, the other guests felt confused.

What happened? They’re just withdrawing like that?

The clay figures Qin Mianmian had sculpted hadn’t dried yet. She carefully packed them, afraid they might be damaged. Finally, when she got anxious, she just held one in each hand, walking carefully to avoid bumping into anyone.

No one wanted to risk touching her two clay figures either.

Qin Mianmian wanted to wave, but her hands were full, so she only gave a slight raise of her arm: “Goodbye~ everyone~”

Jian Ying’an: “Goodbye.”

The others hadn’t fully processed the situation, and they hesitantly said, “Goodbye?”

Wen Wan was the only one who knew the inside story.

She found it hard to believe that someone could actually manage to get Jian Ying’an to withdraw midway, preventing her from even finishing the show.

Who did this awful thing?!

If she had tried to join in and exploit Jian Ying’an’s popularity, following Qin Mianmian’s path, would she also have been forced to withdraw?

Wen Wan broke out in a cold sweat. If Jian Ying’an hadn’t warned her, setting aside past differences, and had just watched her join in, she would be withdrawing from the recording right now too!

Her company still wanted her to continue leveraging Jian Ying’an’s popularity. Thinking about it now, that idea was completely unreliable!

Before considering changing companies, Wen Wan looked at Jian Ying’an’s packed luggage and the two ugly clay figures in Qin Mianmian’s hands.

In just three short days, a deep relationship hadn’t been established, but it was enough for people to internally side with them.

Wen Wan was reluctant to see them go: “Are you leaving so soon?”

The villa’s cameras captured this scene.

The livestream chat was flooded with question marks.

It felt like following a serialized novel, swooning over a sweet chapter, only to hit a shocking ‘Bad Ending’ the next!

If Jian Ying’an and Qin Mianmian didn’t look so far from a ‘Bad Ending,’ the audience’s hearts would have been shattered!

“What happened? Why are they suddenly packing?”

“Did something happen at home?”

“Isn’t An’an’s family just her? Oh, she seems to have a younger brother.”

“Did the brother get into a car accident?”

“Doesn’t look like it; they don’t look worried.”

Right, they look like they are visiting a friend and are just going home when the time is up.

“Were they… only signed for a short term?”

“I’ve been watching them for three days. With them suddenly leaving, I feel empty inside.”

“If they leave, I don’t want to watch anymore.”

The livestream audience didn’t know the reason. Jian Ying’an couldn’t see the comments and didn’t explain.

She politely bid farewell to the guests.

Jiang Anyan stood at the villa’s entrance, watching the two of them leave.

Before all matters were resolved, this should be the last time Jian Ying’an appeared on camera.

Jian Ying’an turned her head and smiled at the camera.

“By the way, we’ll see each other again soon.”

Jiang Anyan felt a strange pang of sadness.