"I said, I want to pursue you. I don't know if you'll give me a chance."
Jiang Mian finally heard clearly, "No."
She packed her things and, pushing aside Ye Yi, took Li Laidi back to the hotel.
In the middle of the night, Zhao Xinxin knocked on Jiang Mian's door.
"Quick, quick, quick, Master, come and try the tea eggs and jianbing guozi I bought. This old lady makes amazing tea eggs, I finally caught her setting up her stall."
Jiang Mian had just finished showering and walked over in her pajamas. She looked at Zhao Xinxin holding two bags and smiled, "So late, aren't you afraid of gaining weight if you eat this?"
Zhao Xinxin, feeling right at home, sat on the sofa and beckoned to her, "What's there to be afraid of? I'll lose it if I gain weight. Hey, is your little assistant coming too? I bought plenty."
She picked out two tea eggs and handed them to Li Laidi, "Eat up, don't be shy."
"Thank you, Sister Xin."
Jiang Mian sat down and peeled an egg, "Let me guess, did Ling He buy this for you?"
"Cough... cough cough..." Zhao Xinxin choked on a bit of egg yolk, and Jiang Mian quickly handed her a glass of water.
After drinking it, she felt a bit better and looked at Jiang Mian with shock, "How did you know?"
"Just a guess."
Zhao Xinxin was somewhat smug about being guessed correctly, "He's only obedient in these matters. But then again, if he didn't help me buy them, I would have complained to Uncle Ling and Aunt Ling."
"When I came out to film, Aunt Ling specifically told him to take good care of me."
She said this while munching on a jianbing guozi, her cheeks puffed up like a cute little hamster's.
Jiang Mian raised her lips, "You're telling me such a good opportunity, and you came to me? Don't you have a scene together tomorrow? Aren't you going to find him to practice in advance?"
Zhao Xinxin froze, "Oh right," then added, "Forget it, I won't go." She waved her hand, "You don't know how many quirks he has. He doesn't allow anyone to disturb him at night; he needs his beauty sleep."
"I don't know what kind of beauty sleep a man needs..."
"I remember when I was thirteen, I climbed through his second-floor window to find him, and I happened to catch him in the shower. He was so angry then, telling me not to look for him again and to not disturb his rest."
Jiang Mian found it both funny and exasperating. Zhao Xinxin was indeed the most emotionally obtuse one between the two of them.
She poured a glass of coconut milk and placed it on the coffee table, "Alright, eat slowly, no rush."
"You eat too, you eat too. I bought a lot." She lifted her bright, round eyes.
Half an hour later, Zhao Xinxin was full and satisfied, "Hic," she laughed sheepishly, "Heh heh."
Unsure what mischievous idea she'd had again, her eyes suddenly lit up, "Sisters, my two good sisters, want to play cards?"
Jiang Mian hesitated, "Are you really not planning to sleep tonight?"
"Oh, it doesn't matter, we're all shooting night scenes tomorrow. Besides, I'm so full, how can I sleep?" She tugged at Jiang Mian's sleeve pitifully, blinking her big eyes flirtatiously.
"Good sisters, just for a little while."
Seeing Jiang Mian's expression soften, she immediately raised her hands and cheered, "Yay, Master, I knew you were the best to your disciple. Wait, I'll go call people now."
Li Laidi watched her bustling back disappear, "She's really lively and cute..."
Five minutes later, Zhao Xinxin led Ye Yi over, "Look, I brought a new deck of cards."
Ye Yi smiled, "I heard a few sisters wanted to play cards, so I came immediately to join."
Jiang Mian pulled Zhao Xinxin over and whispered in her ear, "Why didn't you call Ling He?"
"Huh? Him?" Zhao Xinxin laughed without any pretense, "Master, forget him. He wouldn't know how to play cards at all! He was a good student his whole life, how could he know how to play cards!"
She shook her head, "Quick, sit, sit. Four of us is just right."
Li Laidi asked, "Ah? I'm playing too?"
Zhao Xinxin patted her shoulder, entrusting her with a mission, "Yes, you're playing too. I trust you."
The four of them cleared the table and sat down cross-legged.
Zhao Xinxin stroked her chin, "We're not playing for money, that's boring. How about loser's truth or dare?"
Ye Yi slowly raised his hand, "This proposal suits me perfectly."
Zhao Xinxin immediately felt like she'd found a kindred spirit and high-fived him, "Yay, what about you two?"
Jiang Mian nodded, "Sure."
Li Laidi had no objections.
The four of them shuffled the cards and started.
The first round, by chance, Jiang Mian lost. Zhao Xinxin rubbed her hands in anticipation, "Master, what do you choose?"
Jiang Mian said without hesitation, "Truth."
Zhao Xinxin tilted her head and thought for a moment, "Name someone you like in the entertainment industry!"
"Song Xingjia."
"Ahhh! Grand Movie Star Song! I like him too."
"He's so handsome!"
Ye Yi chuckled. What was this feeling of being out of place amongst these young girls?
Jiang Mian finally waited for Ye Yi to lose, and without regard for Zhao Xinxin's thoughts, she directly asked, "Family background."
A teasing smile flashed in Ye Yi's eyes, "I haven't chosen truth yet. Sister asking this will really cause misunderstandings."
"But since you want to know, there's nothing I can't say. My parents are both deceased. I'm just an ordinary rich person. As you all know, I joined the production midway, so naturally, I'm bringing investment."
Zhao Xinxin gave him a thumbs-up, "I respect your honesty. Act well, and if you drag us down, we'll scold you."
Ye Yi's face didn't even turn red, "Don't worry, I'm confident."
Jiang Mian was skeptical but didn't say anything more.
By the time Zhao Xinxin had her fill of playing, it was already one in the morning.
She tidied up the table and stood up, "No more playing, no more playing. Master, I'm leaving. I'm so sleepy. You can keep the cards here for now, I'll come back to play next time."
Then, without waiting for Ye Yi's reply, she pulled him up, "Let's go, let's go. I think Master is tired too."
Ye Yi glanced at Jiang Mian one last time and nodded, "Okay."
As soon as the two opened the door, they saw Ling He standing at the entrance. Seeing the two of them coming out together, his expression turned ashen.
Zhao Xinxin's sleepiness vanished without a trace, and her back straightened up. She felt an inexplicable fear, and her heart sighed, "It's over..."
Jiang Mian saw them standing at the door unmoving and walked over, "What's wrong?"
Upon seeing Ling He, Jiang Mian understood. She coughed awkwardly and said, "We played cards for a while. Xinxin wanted to call you, but she was afraid of disturbing you, so she didn't."
Ling He nodded, "This girl has troubled you. I was just about to take her back."
He then looked at the young girl whose top of her head was just visible and snorted, "Aren't you coming with me?"
Zhao Xinxin followed behind him, and the two walked away.
Jiang Mian looked at the man still standing at the door, a sly glint in her eyes, "It's late, you should rest too."
With that, she slammed the door shut, making Ye Yi stumble back two steps.
Ling He escorted Zhao Xinxin back to her room.
As they entered, Zhao Xinxin nervously glanced up, "Okay, I'm here. You should go back and rest too. By the way, it's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?"
"If your assistant hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known you had so much free time tonight. Did you have fun? Did you memorize your lines?"
"Had fun... didn't memorize..." Zhao Xinxin said weakly.
She didn't understand why Ling He was suddenly so fierce. Could it be that he was upset she didn't invite him to play?
This wouldn't do. Zhao Xinxin poked Ling He with her finger, "Hey, I didn't mean to not invite you to play. I thought you were asleep. Don't you always sleep early?"
Ling He gritted his teeth, "Zhao, Xin, Xin."
Zhao Xinxin was startled, "Wh-what's wrong? You can't be angry with me... hic..."
She didn't expect to burp in front of him. Zhao Xinxin felt life was meaningless. She pouted, "It's all your fault... hic... you scared me..."
Ling He's expression almost broke for a second. He suppressed his smile, "How much did you eat tonight? I told you to eat smaller, more frequent meals, why don't you listen?"
Zhao Xinxin's heart shattered, "I knew it... hic, you also dislike that I eat a lot, boohoo, just like my heartless agent."
Ling He was helpless. He took out a cup of honey water from behind, "Drink this."
Zhao Xinxin's face instantly broke into a joyous smile, "What is this? You brought me honey water? Hic... boohoo, Ling He, you're so good, I love you!"
Ling He's expression changed, and he grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, "You're not allowed to say that word casually."
"Quick... let go, let me drink my water."
Zhao Xinxin hugged the cup tightly, puffing out her cheeks, "Why? Why aren't you allowed to say it? Ling He, do you dislike my feelings that much? Hic... I just love you, I love my dad, I love my mom, I love Uncle Ling and Aunt Ling. I love everyone who is good to me!"
"You love me only because I'm good to you?"
"Of course, if you weren't good to me, why would I like you?"
Ling He's expression was complicated, "Finish drinking and go to sleep early. I'm leaving."
Zhao Xinxin kicked off her shoes, which hit the door. She sat on the bed, "What are you being so arrogant about, you stinky Ling He! I should remove you from my list of potential husbands!"
She muttered a few more words, picked up the cup, and drank the honey water in one gulp, then lay down on the bed.
"It seems... the hiccups are gone..."
...
She played too late with Zhao Xinxin last night, so Jiang Mian slept until the sun was high in the sky the next day before waking up.
She opened her eyes hazily and habitually reached to her side, only to find it empty. This jolted her awake, "I almost thought I was still in the villa..."
Li Laidi opened the door and walked in, "Are you awake, Sister Mian? I brought you lunch."
Jiang Mian yawned, "I'm awake. Laidi, you woke up so early."
"It's a habit." Li Laidi smiled, "I just saw Sister Xin up too when I got back. Ling He dragged her off to eat."
"Those two lovebirds."
She got out of bed and put on her shoes, "By the way, have you and Xiang Long made any progress lately?"
Li Laidi lowered her head in self-consciousness, "Sister, I'll be honest with you. I really don't think I'm good enough for Xiang Long."
Jiang Mian lifted her head with her small hand, gazing at her, "What's there to be good enough or not good enough for?"
"Xiang Long's parents are alive and well, and his family is harmonious. My dad is a gambler, and my mom is not in good health. Although I earn a decent amount each month, overall, I'm still not as good as Xiang Long."
"He's already taken you to meet his parents?"
"No, no, no," Li Laidi shook her head, "He said he wanted to take me, but I didn't agree."
Jiang Mian patted her, "He's already thinking about meeting parents, which shows he's very serious about your relationship."