Volume 1 Chapter 12: Do You See Me as Your Canary?
“Jingmian…” Sister Sun was somewhat surprised, her voice tinged with astonishment. “You… have you come around?”
Song Jingmian smiled. “There’s no coming around or not coming around.”
“I… encountered some things before.”
Sister Sun sighed regretfully. “Ah.”
She still remembered one New Year’s Eve when Jingmian was sitting alone by the roadside. In the dead of winter, the streets were bustling with festive cheer, yet there she sat, solitary and forlorn, holding a freshly bought roasted sweet potato.
She looked destitute and pitiful.
When Sister Sun went over to check on her, she noticed Jingmian’s eyes were red and swollen, as if she had just been crying. But the young woman was stubborn; upon seeing Sister Sun approach, she immediately composed herself, her expression turning calm and detached.
Sister Sun then handed her a business card.
Jingmian didn’t say a word, but out of politeness, she took it casually without looking at it and simply tucked it into her bag.
Somehow, the two of them ended up sitting on the ground and chatting.
When they parted, Sister Sun told her, “If you ever face difficulties, or if you want to enter this industry, I’ll always welcome you.”
The scene now was just like back then.
“Jingmian… I still stand by my words—”
“As long as you still want to act, I will wait for you.”
Song Jingmian smiled.
Back when she was lost and confused, meeting Sister Sun by the roadside felt like finding a way out of life’s maze.
Since she was uncertain about what to do, why not try something new? What if she ended up liking it?
That was how she fell in love with acting.
She had no professional training and wasn’t a graduate of any acting school. At the time, a famous director was preparing to shoot a film. The female lead’s younger sister was an orphan, abandoned since childhood and bullied in the orphanage, but the director couldn’t find the right person for the role.
The director was temperamental and well-known, unwilling to cast popular but untalented young actresses. He auditioned many skilled but less famous actors, yet none satisfied him.
As a longtime friend of the director, Sister Sun knew he had been troubled by this issue. She had also heard about the role’s requirements, so the moment she first saw Jingmian, the words the director had used to describe the character inexplicably came to mind:
Resilient and unyielding, charging forward fearlessly.
In Jingmian’s eyes, she saw disappointment with life, yet also a steadfast determination to persevere.
That was why she recommended Jingmian to Director Jiang.
And the moment Director Jiang saw her, he knew she was exactly the person he had been searching for.
Then, with a bold idea, he took her on to film.
Perhaps because their experiences were similar, Jingmian had a strong ability to empathize. Although she still had many issues with her acting skills, under Director Jiang’s guidance, many of these problems were easily resolved.
In the end, no one expected that an amateur would skyrocket to fame with this film.
“Take it slow. There’s no rush.”
Based on the timeline, she hadn’t forgotten that disgusting, beastly producer who was still suppressing her, making it impossible for her to appear on screen. The forces behind him were formidable.
In her previous life, Bo Jingci had somehow found out about this and helped her resolve everything.
She knew that producer was corrupt, slept with fans, and, even worse, had crossed lines with minors. The exposé about him back then had stirred up a storm online.
At that time, because of Bo Jingci, she felt hopeless about life. Only acting could bring her a little joy.
Even before Bo Jingci took action, she had already been secretly gathering evidence, but her individual strength was truly insignificant, and the evidence she found was merely the tip of the iceberg.
How could a person with no one to rely on take down the powerful capital behind it all?
She just never expected that before she could act, Bo Jingci would step in swiftly and decisively on her behalf.
In her previous life, he had silently supported her from behind the scenes, but in this life, she wanted to do it herself.
Back then, she had no one to rely on, no resources or financial means, but now, she not only had the Bai family behind her but also Bo Jingci.
She had the confidence now.
So, she wanted to end her nightmare with her own hands.
“Mianmian…”
Song Jingmian was originally on the phone, but at some point during the conversation, the man had finished his work and reached out to wrap his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder.
“Who’s there with you? I think I heard a man’s voice,” Sister Sun said on the other end, sounding slightly shocked.
“My husband,” she replied, and as soon as the words left her lips, she clearly heard the man chuckle softly, his voice incredibly seductive.
“You… when did you get married?!”
Song Jingmian smiled gently. “I’ll tell you the next time we meet.”
“Let’s end the conversation here for today. I’ll hang up now, Sister Sun.”
Knowing it wasn’t a convenient time for her, even though she wanted to chat a bit longer, Sister Sun had no choice but to let it go for now.
“Alright, see you next time.”
After hanging up the phone, Song Jingmian turned around and looked up at the man.
She felt this was the perfect moment to tell him she wanted to act.
“When did you come in?” she asked, her eyes curving into a smile.
“When you said you wanted to act.”
Song Jingmian’s eyes widened in shock. “You…”
“Mianmian,” he tightened his embrace around her. “Don’t go, okay? You can do anything, but acting…”
“Why?” Her voice was no longer as sweet as before. “Why can I do anything except acting?”
She asked directly, “Is it because acting involves interacting with many people, so you don’t want me to do it?”
His gaze deepened as he looked at her gradually cooling expression. His throat tightened, and he finally whispered, “Yes.”
He was selfish and possessive. He only wanted her by his side for the rest of her life, doing nothing. If she liked something, he would buy it for her.
He only wanted her to belong to him completely.
“Bo Jingci,” her expression turned cold, as if she had reverted to how she was when they first got married.
“What do you take me for?” she demanded coldly.
Seeing her icy gaze, his heart suddenly panicked. She had become cold and distant toward him again, just like before.
His chest ached sharply, his throat choked with bitterness. “I…”
Before he could finish, she took a few steps back.
Seeing her move, Bo Jingci wanted to step forward but was stopped by her gaze.
“A caged bird?” she stared straight at him.
He shook his head in panic. “I… I don’t think of you that way.”
“Then why don’t you want me to act?”
“I can tell you clearly, I don’t want any of the things you give me. The only thing I want is to go out and act—”
She walked toward him, her gaze softening. “Bo Jingci.”
She called his name.
In truth, she had said these words in her previous life as well. Back then, she had tried to reason with him to let her act, but he still refused to listen.
And it was because of his attitude that they ended up in a heated argument. In the end, he simply leaned in and embraced her, saying, “Mianmian… I can never agree to let you act in films.”
From then on, whenever she even entertained the idea, he would nip it in the bud.
Every time Sister Sun managed to find her an opportunity to appear on screen, he would step in to stop it.
She gazed at him with deep, thoughtful eyes.
“Let me tell you a story.”