The Salted Fish And Protagonist A Ended Up Together - Chapter 46

She had finally exacted her revenge, but the smile never returned to her face.

Before the dream ended, Wen Mian saw her curled up in front of a tombstone. Her emaciated frame looked like an eroded withered leaf that might scatter with a single breath.

She murmured softly, “…I’ve come to accompany you.”

“Whew!” Moonlight pierced through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the room. Wen Mian sat bolt upright in bed, her body tense. Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, glowing cold and crystalline in the moonlight.

“Why… does my heart ache so much?” The veins on Wen Mian’s hand bulged as she tightly gripped the chest of her pajamas, deepening the wrinkles in the fabric.

She frowned, trying to recall the details of the dream. Even though her heart ached terribly, she couldn’t remember the face or the name of the person in the dream no matter how hard she tried.

It took a long time for Wen Mian to regain her composure. She stood up, the back of her pajamas was soaked with sweat, sticking to her skin in a clammy mess.

The cold light of her phone reflected on her face. Her curled eyelashes cast faint shadows on her eyelids, and her nose looked small and straight.

Wen Mian blinked and finally saw the time on her phone: 1:00 AM.

Unable to go back to sleep, she simply followed the glow of her phone downstairs and took a bottle of chilled mineral water from the fridge.

As she swallowed, the icy water slid down into her stomach, gradually calming the palpitations brought on by the nightmare.

Setting the water bottle on the dining table, Wen Mian stepped quietly out the door. The sky was very dark.

She looked up at the sky, only a lone moon hung there, without a single speck of starlight.

Is it going to rain? Wen Mian wondered. After a moment’s thought, she decided to walk along the villa’s garden.

The garden was planted with many brilliant flowers, their stalks swaying silently.

Wen Mian leaned down to sniff them, a smile touching her lips. She took a photo with her phone and immediately wanted to send it to Gu Man, but she stopped the moment she hit send and retracted it.

Never mind. If I send it now, she’ll definitely worry. I’ll send it tomorrow.

Wen Mian put her phone away, admired the flowers for a while longer, and then returned to her room.

With a “click,” the lights in her room flickered on. The brightness was jarring, Wen Mian instinctively shielded her eyes with her hand before walking into the bathroom.

Warm water flowed down her ivory shoulders and disappeared into the floor drain.

She didn’t go back to sleep. By 6:00 AM, she was downstairs for breakfast, sporting heavy dark circles under her eyes.

Xu Qing was startled when she arrived and asked in confusion, “What happened to you? Those dark circles are heavy enough to rival a panda’s.”

Wen Mian shook her head listlessly. “It’s nothing, just a dream.”

Xu Qing shot her another worried look, finished breakfast with her, and then drove her to the company.

After a grueling day of acting classes, Wen Mian sat on the floor watching Teacher Yan leave.

Xu Qing walked in, sat down beside her out of habit, and began arranging the schedule. “Make sure you get some good rest when you get back today. You have an audition tomorrow.”

Wen Mian nodded up and down. “Okay, I understand.”

She pushed herself off the floor. As if remembering something, she turned to Xu Qing and asked, “Sister Xu, can you drop me off at that apartment complex today?”

Xu Qing looked at her curiously. Though she didn’t quite understand, she nodded. “No problem. But I think you could cancel the lease on that place; it would save you some money.”

“I’ll consider it,” Wen Mian replied, deep in thought.

After dropping Wen Mian at the complex, Xu Qing left quickly due to other work commitments.

As she pushed the door open, the “enviable” smell hit her nose. Wen Mian held her breath and walked into the living room.

She had tidied the living room last time, so it wasn’t as messy as it had been the first time she saw it.

Still, Wen Mian frowned in discomfort. She looked around the room and then walked into the bedroom.

The photo frame hung on the wall, staring straight at her as if monitoring whoever entered the room.

Wen Mian crossed her arms and rubbed her sleeves, feeling a slight chill creep up her spine.

She stepped forward, took the frame in her hands, and took one last look around the room. The door slowly closed, cutting off the feeling of being watched.

Hailing a taxi, Wen Mian returned home with the photo frame.

The moment she stepped through the front door, Auntie Li greeted her with a smile, holding a steaming bowl of papaya stewed with milk.

She set it on the table and called out warmly, “Little Miss, come and eat.”

Wen Mian hummed with a smile, acting a bit spoiled. “Thanks, Auntie Li! I love you the most!”

Auntie Li chuckled, unable to hide her delight.

Pei Ting walked down the stairs. Hearing Wen Mian’s words, her brow furrowed slightly with a hint of jealousy. She walked straight over and sat beside Wen Mian.

Though her expression was cold, her eyes kept drifting toward Wen Mian.

Confused and unable to stand the staring any longer, Wen Mian took the initiative. “Sister, is something wrong?”

Pei Ting shook her head. Her eyes suddenly landed on the photo frame nearby. Seemingly finding a topic of conversation, she asked, “Is that a photo in your hand?”

Wen Mian hummed in affirmation. An idea struck her. She proactively handed the frame to Pei Ting and said nonchalantly, “Yeah, it’s a photo of me when I was nineteen. Don’t I look good?”

Pei Ting took it. As she looked down, her gaze suddenly froze. Her fingertips unconsciously gripped the edges of the frame.

Wen Mian watched her carefully from the side and saw a flash of disgust cross her features.

Disgust? For a moment, Wen Mian thought she had misseen it. She couldn’t help but feel bewildered. Why would she feel disgust? Didn’t she love her sister?

Could there be another reason? Suddenly, Wen Mian remembered the phone call she made to Pei Ting when she first transmigrated. At that time, Pei Ting’s tone had been icy and detached.

At the time, Wen Mian thought they had a bad relationship. But… remembering their first actual meeting later, Pei Ting’s intimate gestures and reddened eyes…

That wasn’t a bad relationship. Back then, Wen Mian thought it was because “she” had suddenly become sensible, so her family felt relieved. Now it seemed, there was a hidden story.

“My sister looks even better now,” Pei Ting said, feigning a relaxed tone as she placed the frame on her lap, looking at Wen Mian with doting eyes.

“You just know how to make me happy,” Wen Mian accepted the compliment pridefully. she bobbed her head and took another spoonful of the papaya milk.

Charmed by her cuteness, Pei Ting reached out to ruffle her soft hair and said casually, “Can you give this photo to me?”

Wen Mian nodded without hesitation. “Sure, it’s yours.”

Pei Ting pursed her lips and hid the frame behind her back.

Soon, Wen Rong and Pei Shuran returned from their shopping trip. After the family finished dinner, Wen Mian returned to her room while the other three walked to the study together.

“Our sister is getting a bit suspicious,” Pei Ting spoke in a low voice.

Pei Shu-ran wasn’t surprised. She nodded, her tone as calm as ever. “She has always been smart; it’s normal for her to be suspicious. If she eventually asks, tell her the truth.”

Pei Ting hummed. “I know, Mother.”

Hiding outside the door trying to eavesdrop, Wen Mian felt incredibly frustrated. She retreated to her room, gritting her teeth. There’s nothing to overhear because I can’t hear anything! Why is the soundproofing so good?!

She pushed down her thoughts and comforted herself: It’s fine. There will be other chances. Other chances!

Flopping onto her bed, Wen Mian picked up her phone. After browsing for a bit, she couldn’t resist messaging Gu Man.

[MianMian Loves to Sleep: Movie Queen Gu, Little Movie Queen Gu, are you there?]

Gu Man, who was resting between scenes, felt the corners of her lips curve up. She replied: [I’m here. In a bad mood?]

Wen Mian was stunned. She sent a voice message, her voice full of shock: “How did you find out?”

Gu Man looked around at the nearby staff and decisively stood up to walk to her private dressing room.

As soon as she left, the staff behind her exploded with excitement, sharing knowing smiles.

“Was that MianMian? It had to be!”

“Of course! Who else besides MianMian could make Sister Gu look so tender?”

“That’s true. I never expected ‘GuMian for the rest of our lives’ to have such a great relationship!”

“I’m literally dying from the sweetness. GuMian is the best!”

Inside the dressing room, Gu Man closed the door and clicked on the voice message.

Wen Mian’s slightly puzzled voice traveled through the air into Gu Man’s ears, lingering around her.

Gu Man frowned. She thought for a moment and typed: [Probably telepathy. There’s some good news, do you want to hear it?]

Wen Mian lay on the bed, swinging her legs. [Good news? What is it? I can’t guess, tell me~]

Her tone was full of playfulness.

Seeing that Wen Mian’s attention had been diverted, Gu Man felt a slight sense of relief. She replied: [I’ve finished the handbag. I’ll give it to you soon.]

Wen Mian was momentarily dazed, then remembered the handbag. Her mood instantly brightened, her eyes curving into shallow crescents, and the smile on her face was uncontrollable.

Her voice was joyful and impatient: “Great! I’ve been looking forward to it for so long!”

Following this topic, Wen Mian chatted with Gu Man for a few more minutes until it was time for Gu Man to film. Only then did Wen Mian put down her phone to go wash up.

Considering the audition tomorrow, Wen Mian went to bed early. What she didn’t know was that while she was sleeping soundly, Gu Man sought out her director after finishing work.

She lowered her eyes, her expression cool. “Director, I’d like to request tomorrow morning off. Is that alright?”

As a director, she had heard plenty of rumors within the crew. Seeing Gu Man approach her now, a gossipy look appeared on her face, and she chuckled inwardly.

Seeing that the director hadn’t spoken for a while, Gu Man looked up slightly and let out a questioning “Mm?”

The director immediately snapped out of it and cleared her throat. “Of course, but is half a day enough?”

Gu Man nodded slightly. “It’s enough. Thank you, Director.”

The director waved her off generously. “No trouble at all!”

With that, Gu Man turned around, her pant legs cutting a sharp line with her movement.

With only half a day, Gu Man was in a rush. Wang Fei drove her to the airport to catch the earliest flight back.

Arriving at the film base with Xu Qing, the corridors were packed with people all there for Director Cheng.

When they saw Wen Mian enter, they looked shocked and whispered to their acquaintances nearby.

“Isn’t that Wen Mian? What is she doing here?”

“Exactly. Isn’t she on a dating show? Does she want to act now?”

“It’s normal, I guess. She was originally an actress, but trying to get into a Director Cheng film for her first role back? Isn’t that a bit delusional?”

Wen Mian found their skepticism normal. She would have been more shocked if no one questioned her.

Wen Mian arrived relatively late, so she was far back in the queue.

As she waited, she watched others enter the room one by one, only to emerge moments later with long, dejected faces.

The hallway gradually thinned out. Those remaining clutched their chests, visibly trembling with nerves. Wen Mian, however, remained unaffected, she had experienced countless high-pressure moments in her previous life, and this felt like just another day at the office.

Inside the selection room, Director Cheng and several producers looked equally grim.

A producer in her thirties, unable to contain her frustration, leaned toward Director Cheng. “Xiao Cheng, have you still not found anyone you’re satisfied with?”

Director Cheng shook her head wearily. “Not yet.”

“Alright then.” The woman stopped asking and returned her focus to the stage.

Meanwhile, Director Cheng glanced toward the door, praying silently: Wen Mian, please don’t let me down.

A few minutes later, Wen Mian’s number was finally called.

Xu Qing, whose hands had been tightly interlaced, finally let go. She turned to Wen Mian, her voice trembling despite her best efforts to be encouraging. “Relax, just show them your normal skill level. You’ll definitely pass.”

Wen Mian smiled helplessly. “I’m not nervous, but you..” She gestured toward Xu Qing’s shaking hands. “I’m going in. See you in a bit.”