After Going Bankrupt, I Got Clung To By A Canary Omega - Chapter 1

Late at night, inside a hotel room lit only by mood lamps, a dim yellow glow like candlelight covered everything.

Fu Qingli, the newly crowned Best Actress who had always kept an extremely healthy daily routine, was dressed, unusually, in a high-end luxury gown. Her makeup was flawless. She lightly swirled a glass of red wine and lounged lazily against the sofa, clinking her glass against the Best Actress trophy on the table before her. The smile blooming at the corner of her lips instantly made her usually plain, understated face turn bright and dazzling.

As the rich fragrance of wine grew deeper in the air, Fu Qingli gave a soft laugh, raised a hand to brush over her cheek, then stood up and stepped barefoot over the carpet, carrying the trophy toward the bed. She hugged the trophy, now damp with wine, tightly against her chest and drifted into a drowsy sleep.

An annoying phone ringtone rang out. Fu Qingli fumbled for the phone and brought it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Xiao Li, it’s your Aunt Wang. I know you’re busy filming, so I’ll get straight to the point. Recently, I’ve got a project that needs funding, and I really can’t wait until Ri’an goes public. I already talked to your mother too. Your mother said I should sell my shares to you. Xiao Li, we’re family, so I won’t ask for too much. Back then, with that valuation-adjustment agreement, I put in twenty million in real money. You just have to calculate a little interest for me…”

The high-decibel barrage of words made Fu Qingli’s head throb even harder, waves of tinnitus ringing in her ears.

The arm holding the phone felt as if it had been filled with lead, sliding straight downward. Fu Qingli swallowed against her sticky, tight throat.

Expensive wine really did have a brutal aftereffect. Her temples were pulsing, and her brain had already stopped working.

“Um, Aunt Wa… Aunt Wang, right? I drank too much last night. I’ll call you back later!”

After hanging up, Fu Qingli caught the suffocating smell of something burnt and charred. Her heart tightened. She held her breath, and through her barely focused, blurred vision, she made out that she was inside a car.

Thin wisps of smoke had settled into a dark gray haze, spreading through the entire cabin.

She could not find the door handle no matter how she groped around. She pressed every switch, but the car doors seemed welded shut. Sweat broke out over Fu Qingli’s forehead. She hurriedly twisted open the bottle of mineral water in the cup holder and poured it over the charcoal burning inside an iron bucket on the passenger seat.

The black smoke rising up made the car interior even more murky and stifling.

It was an unfamiliar car model. The storage compartment was full of useless membership cards and jewelry, while the back seat was taken up by bouquets of flowers and restaurant takeout boxes. She searched the whole car but found no sign of an emergency hammer.

Fu Qingli steadied herself. Her gaze swept back below the passenger seat, and when she saw a shoe, she hurriedly picked it up. The slender high heel, gleaming with a metallic sheen, made her throat loosen. A long breath caught in her chest, trembling into a choked sob.

…

Fu Qingli felt the soft, resilient grass beneath her. The fresh, green scent of grass and trees soothed the stabbing pain in her nose and throat. After surviving by the skin of her teeth, her exhausted mind slowly began to recover.

Fu Qingli did not think winning an award by luckily picking up a film role someone else had passed on could offend anyone to this degree. After all, although she was not especially famous because she worked mostly in niche films, an accident happening right after she won an award would still be enough for marketing accounts to use as clickbait.

The washed denim-blue sky above occasionally drifted with soft, fluffy clouds. They lingered and wandered, but failed to catch Fu Qingli’s eye and were reluctantly driven away by the wind.

Her fingertips wound around a long, thin blade of grass over and over. The faint, scattered itch suddenly turned into a sting.

Fu Qingli slowly recalled that phone call just now.

“Twenty million.” “Ri’an going public.” “Valuation-adjustment agreement”…

The grass stem wrapped around her finger was suddenly snapped.

Fu Qingli felt she might still be trapped in a hangover dream.

Was this not the same Breaking the Cocoon she had once read until the pages were nearly falling apart?!

Breaking the Cocoon was a hugely popular IP. In a rare move, word had gone out that casting would not be based on celebrity status. Fu Qingli had thought it was an opportunity, so she spent two months painstakingly reading the original novel and digging through every interview with the author…

She repeatedly studied the character, passed the audition in one try, and after seven or eight years of playing bit parts, finally obtained her first starring role.

Braving doubts and abuse, Fu Qingli hugged the original novel close and studied the character while quietly waiting for the script and the start of filming.

Unexpectedly, she was replaced at the last minute. Breaking the Cocoon had directly become Fu Qingli’s obsession.

After the recasting, the movie’s box office and reputation both crashed so badly even its own mother would not recognize it.

Fu Qingli did not watch the film, much less want to contribute money for a ticket.

She skimmed through public reviews a few times. The female lead in the original, who had an ordinary appearance but superb acting skills, had been performed as a pretty vase reciting poetry. If the actress had not been a resource-backed celebrity, she absolutely would have been cursed out of the entertainment industry.

Someone left a comment saying that aside from the distorted plot, if they had not changed the actress, the box office might not have been so miserable.

That night, Fu Qingli had unusually bought a three-digit bottle of red wine to celebrate.

Thinking of the original novel’s content, Fu Qingli mourned the fact that even in a dream, she was only a cannon-fodder character.

The Fu Qingli who happened to share her name was a third-generation rich girl with an excessively high opinion of herself. She had no acting skills but was addicted to acting. After entering the industry, she kept her idol and white moonlight as a lover. Relying on Fu Mother’s money, she opened a film and entertainment company, invested in movies, and installed herself as the resource-backed female lead.

After several films she starred in lost money until there was nothing left, she successfully dragged down her company’s cash flow. The listing plan was shelved, she lost the valuation bet, implicated Fu Mother, and was so guilty that she killed herself by burning charcoal.

The variety-show opportunity she had fought to obtain for her canary ended up directly benefiting the original novel’s female lead.

Fu Qingli stood up, leaned through the car window, and opened the rear car door. Among the bouquets that had fallen onto the car mat, a card lay crookedly.

Her long, jade-like fingers picked it up, and Fu Qingli lowered her eyes to glance at it.

The flowers were for Shen Chaomu, the white moonlight who could no longer survive in the entertainment industry and had been kept by the original body.

Could there really be such a realistic dream?

Fu Qingli pinched the stinging tip of her finger. With every audible breath, the rich fragrance of roses filled her nose, mixed with the lingering smell of burnt charcoal smoke.

Had she really transmigrated into a book?

Fu Qingli thought of that phone call just now. At this point, the original body’s starring sci-fi blockbuster should have directly burned through the two hundred million Fu Mother had invested. Investors from the valuation bet made several years ago had all started getting restless, completely losing faith that Ri’an Group could go public on schedule by the end of the year.

Thinking of the original plot, this was actually a good opportunity.

Fu Qingli added a name note for the legendary “Aunt Wang.” Looking at the call log, she figured plenty of people had been contacting her recently. No wonder the original body had taken the road of no return.

Fu Qingli set her phone to reject calls from unknown numbers and tossed it aside. She had no intention of calling any “Aunt Wang” back. Haste would not get you hot tofu, and besides, the anxious one right now was not her.

Her gaze brushed past the transparent takeout boxes. Fu Qingli’s attention was caught by the beautifully presented food. Having eaten nothing since last night, she immediately became interested. When she opened them, she found small, exquisite sushi and Western pastries. As expected of a white moonlight, even the food treatment was on another level. Unfortunately, the portions were a little small.

Thinking of the canary, Fu Qingli directly pulled up the navigation. Sure enough, she found the route to “Mumu.”

Some troubles were better solved early.

The location looked like a villa. Fu Qingli started the car with satisfaction.

Aside from filming, she had never lived in a villa before.

The security guard at East Lake Villa saw Eldest Miss Fu’s bright red Lamborghini from afar. He hurriedly ended the call with his girlfriend, raised the barrier, stood up, and saluted, afraid of getting another complaint.

Who would have thought that the young lady, who usually roared past, would actually drive slowly and stop in front of him?

Seeing the shattered glass still hanging from the car window, the security guard’s throat bobbed. His mind instantly ran wild, and he recalled the rumors about Ri’an’s debt collectors that he had seen while scrolling on his phone that morning.

Fu Qingli watched the change in his eyes, then saw him avoid her gaze. She understood at once. It seemed the marketing accounts had already begun doing their work.

“I bought an extra bouquet. If you don’t mind, you can give it to your girlfriend.”

The security guard was overwhelmed by the favor. He accepted the bouquet that looked expensive at a glance and chatted warmly with the young lady for a few moments. Watching the red Lamborghini’s taillights disappear into the distance, he suddenly felt that it was not such a bad thing for Eldest Miss Fu to suffer a little blow. Her temper had improved a lot. She had even become kinder.

Fu Qingli, who had managed to fish out the villa’s location, soon drove to the place.

Built against the mountain, the villa occupied a uniquely blessed position. This highly modern villa was hidden among lush green woods. The vast garden and lawn made one feel as if all the clamor of the city had been left far behind. The quiet, distant serenity was enough to make the heart yearn.

Truly extravagant!

Although a canary had lived here before, Fu Qingli, who was used to living frugally, did not mind.

She was just wondering whether it was unlocked by fingerprint or facial recognition when, unexpectedly, the door opened from the inside.

A pure face appeared, fair with a faint pink glow, its brows and eyes lively and bright.

After nearly ten years in the entertainment industry, Fu Qingli had long been used to seeing all kinds of beauties, yet this bare face still made her breath catch.

Even without acting skills, Shen Chaomu could sweep through the entertainment industry on this face alone. No wonder she had reached her peak as soon as she debuted. Even when she debuted again with the label of “canary” hanging over her, she still managed to thrive.

As for why she could not survive in the industry before?

Becoming someone’s mistress and offending the legal wife? Speaking without restraint and offending some resource-backed celebrity… Fu Qingli maliciously speculated.

As the door opened fully, Fu Qingli’s gaze slid downward. If she had not known that the canary was two years older than the original body, she nearly would have mistaken her for a minor.

She wore a soft white dress with a doll collar. The cut was loose enough that calling it sleepwear would not be too much.

Fu Qingli’s gaze suddenly stopped.

Shen Chaomu followed Fu Qingli’s gaze and looked down at her own—chest?!

“What are you looking at!”

Shen Chaomu’s face flushed red with anger. She just knew it. Being a canary could not possibly be that easy. It had only been half a year, and Fu Qingli could no longer keep up the act, could she?

Fu Qingli snapped out of the abstract cartoon image and said mildly, “The bear your clothing designer drew could rival Picasso’s work.”

A brown bear with crooked brows and slanted eyes, sticking its tongue out in a sinister grin, its body twisted and distorted. It was also very fat. It was probably a bear that had enjoyed its rut too much and was getting ready to hibernate.

Shen Chaomu tugged at the pattern on her chest, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly. “I think it’s pretty good too. But this isn’t a bear. It’s a dog. A golden retriever.”

After saying that, Shen Chaomu pressed a hand over her stomach and swept a glance over Fu Qingli, who was very obviously empty-handed.

“Where’s the food you brought?”

Fu Qingli heard the dissatisfaction in Shen Chaomu’s voice and thought to herself that the original body had really spoiled this person beyond reason.

“I have something to say to you.”

Fu Qingli walked straight past Shen Chaomu and entered the house. Without leaving a trace, she looked around. What came into view was a spacious living room with high ceilings. The few pieces of furniture were not the carved, extravagant luxury she had imagined, but instead more understated and comfortable.

The most eye-catching feature was a huge curved floor-to-ceiling window that took in the artificial lake not far away and the front courtyard in one sweep. The bamboo rocking chair by the window, the small tea table, the floral soft cushions… compared to the overall interior style, they actually seemed a little out of place.

Fu Qingli sat down on the sofa, weighing her words and thinking about how to send the other party away at the lowest possible cost.

She thought of the original novel. After the original body died, Shen Chaomu turned around and entered the rival film company that had always suppressed the original body. No one knew whose powerful thigh she clung to, but she actually managed to fight the novel’s female lead back and forth on equal footing, though her ending was not very good either.

Fu Qingli had a feeling that Shen Chaomu would not obediently leave without conditions, even though her appearance was pure, harmless, and untouched by the smell of money.

Shen Chaomu looked strangely at Fu Qingli. This was the first time this person had ever spoken to her in such a serious tone, without that shameless, clingy, deadbeat air. Also, before Aunt Liu had asked for leave and gone home that morning, she had said Fu Qingli would bring food for her.

She had waited until noon, and this was it?

The heavens were vast, the earth was vast, but eating was the greatest of all!

Shen Chaomu’s steps were unsteady as she collapsed onto the sofa on the other side. Holding her phone, she spoke in a weak, lifeless voice.

“I’m hungry. I don’t have the strength to talk. Order me takeout first, the expedited delivery kind! Aunt Liu went home. I didn’t even eat breakfast.”

Suddenly remembering something, Shen Chaomu lifted her head and added, “It has to be Michelin two stars or above. As for flavor, I feel like eating something spicy.”