Jiang Ye

Biodata

Background / History

Jiang Ye was an internet celebrity and a close friend of Lu Shilan before entering the entertainment industry. Without professional acting training, she won the lead role in the low-budget web drama The Legend of Lily of the Valley. Her stronger understanding of the character secured the role over Lu Shilan, despite the latter’s extensive preparation and willingness to lower her fee. The drama became a surprise hit and established Jiang Ye as a second-tier actress 74 75.

Unknown to Jiang Ye, Lu Shilan had been reborn with knowledge of a previous life in which Jiang Ye became a top actress. Lu Shilan used that knowledge to take her opportunities, but failed to beat her at the audition for The Legend of Lily of the Valley. She then changed tactics: rather than compete directly, she arranged for Ji Dong to become Jiang Ye’s ideal romantic partner and paid for coaching in psychological manipulation to help him draw her away from acting 75.

Jiang Ye married Ji Dong, had a daughter, and went almost two years without acting. Her social-media presence became dominated by family life, while disappointed fans withdrew their support. Her parents opposed her retreat into domestic life and disliked Ji Dong; their criticism, together with her affection for the original novel, eventually prompted her to apply for The Phoenix First Rises 74 76.

Alternate Storylines

The career described in Lu Shilan’s previous life and the fate predicted by the embedded novel are distinct from Jiang Ye’s actual comeback.

Appearance

• Exceptional beauty: Former fans praise her top-tier looks, and Ye Jin considers both her appearance and acting the best fit for the female lead of The Phoenix First Rises 74 81.
• Harried audition appearance: Arrives breathless in a creased, past-season suit after accompanying her sick daughter to the hospital 74 76.
• Renewed composure: At her subsequent meeting with Ye Jin, she appears energetic, gentle, and at ease, sharply contrasting with her flustered audition arrival 81.

Personality

Initially, Jiang Ye places deep trust in her husband and friend, making her vulnerable to their manipulation. Her concern for her frequently ill infant repeatedly takes precedence over acting, and she doubts whether she can compete after her long absence. Nevertheless, she can acknowledge a rival’s merits: before discovering the conspiracy, she sincerely recognizes Lu Shilan’s improvement as an actress 76.

Once suspicious, Jiang Ye becomes observant and deliberate. She conceals her anger while gathering evidence, challenges the assumption that childcare and housework are solely her responsibility, and makes practical arrangements to resume work. Her renewed independence does not diminish her devotion to her daughter; she plans to bring both the child and her parents to Hengcheng so she can remain involved without disrupting filming 79 80 81.

She is also uncompromising toward those who deceived her. She seeks severe legal consequences for Ji Dong and considers merely ending Lu Shilan’s career insufficient punishment. Even so, she explicitly places rebuilding her own life above revenge 84.

Abilities & Skills

Acting

Jiang Ye’s strongest asset is her natural ability to embody a character rather than visibly perform one 78.

• Wins The Legend of Lily of the Valley through superior character interpretation despite lacking formal training 75.
• Retains her ability after nearly two years away, earning applause from the audition panel and fellow candidate Xin Yue 78.
• Impresses both director Sang Yang and original author Song Miao with her audition for The Phoenix First Rises 78.
• Improves further during filming; in costume and makeup, her movements make her appear to be the heroine herself 86.
• Memorizes her lines thoroughly before joining the production and commits almost wholeheartedly to filming 86.

Hearing Ye Jin’s Inner Voice

Jiang Ye can hear Ye Jin’s unspoken thoughts, which expose the manipulation surrounding her marriage 76 77.

• Initially dismisses claims about Lu Shilan’s rebirth and involvement in her marriage as implausible 76.
• Begins taking the voice seriously when Ji Dong calls to interrupt her audition exactly as it predicts 77.
• Recognizes the resemblance between the mysterious voice and Ye Jin’s speaking voice, and later understands that Ye Jin’s thoughts are leaking out 78 81.
• Does not reveal this knowledge to Ye Jin, who instead speculates that Jiang Ye may have been reborn or possessed by a transmigrator 81.

Evidence Gathering and Negotiation

• Discovers that Auntie Zhang is reporting her movements to Ji Dong 79.
• Checks Ji Dong’s phone, recognizes Lu Shilan’s number, photographs their call history, and installs monitoring software 80 81.
• Obtains a recording of their collusion before confronting Ji Dong, anticipating that he might try to slander her publicly 83.
• Addresses the production’s scheduling concerns by arranging trusted childcare and offering compensation for delays she causes 81.

Relationships

• Ye Jin — Producer and professional benefactor. Her leaked thoughts alert Jiang Ye to the conspiracy, while her negotiations with the investors preserve Jiang Ye’s chance to win the lead role 76 79 81.
• Lu Shilan — Former close friend and concealed rival. Uses foreknowledge to take Jiang Ye’s opportunities and orchestrates her marriage to remove her from professional competition 75.
• Ji Dong — Former husband and Yueyue’s father. Psychologically manipulates Jiang Ye, obstructs her comeback, and eventually attacks her when she insists on divorce 80 82 83.
• Yueyue — Infant daughter, whose poor health contributes to Jiang Ye’s reluctance to return to acting. Jiang Ye refuses to let Ji Dong use the child to force her to remain married 76 82.
• Jiang Ye’s parents — Disapprove of her abandonment of acting but immediately agree to return from overseas when she asks for childcare support. They later rescue her from Ji Dong and call the police 81 83.
• Sang Yang — Director of The Phoenix First Rises. Initially rebukes Jiang Ye’s lateness, then recognizes her talent and argues against denying her work because she is a mother 74 78.
• Auntie Zhang — Nanny hired by Ji Dong. Combines childcare work with reports on Jiang Ye’s whereabouts and repeated messages that a woman should prioritize motherhood above everything else 79.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Audition for *The Phoenix First Rises*

Jiang Ye reaches the final audition alongside Lu Shilan and Xin Yue, but arrives five minutes late after helping take her sick daughter to the hospital. Lu Shilan ostensibly defends her, while emphasizing the family obligations that could make her a risky casting choice 73 74 75 76.

After hearing Ye Jin’s thoughts predict Ji Dong’s interference, Jiang Ye refuses his demand that she abandon the audition. Lu Shilan’s astonishment and hostility deepen her suspicions. Jiang Ye then delivers the strongest performance of the three candidates, recovering confidence in her own talent 77 78.

Several investors nevertheless oppose casting her, citing her diminished commercial appeal and potential scheduling problems; some threaten to withdraw funding. Sang Yang argues for a fair opportunity, and Ye Jin secures permission to negotiate conditions. Jiang Ye’s childcare arrangements and compensation offer resolve the production’s concerns, earning her the role 78 79 81 82.

Exposing Ji Dong and Leaving the Marriage

Jiang Ye’s investigation confirms the secret connection between Ji Dong and Lu Shilan. When Ji Dong suggests a second child, she recognizes that another pregnancy would further prevent her return to work and maintains a gentle façade while collecting evidence 79 80 81.

After accepting the role, she begins packing for a three- or four-month stay in Hengcheng and announces her intention to divorce. Ji Dong threatens to take their daughter and damage her career online. Jiang Ye counters with his poor caregiving record, their financial disparity, and a recording of his conspiracy with Lu Shilan 82 83.

Ji Dong then grabs her by the neck and tries to lock her in the bedroom until filming ends. Her arriving parents intervene, and she tells the police what happened rather than accepting his claim that they were merely fooling around 83.

Following an injury assessment, Jiang Ye hires a prominent lawyer and publicly announces that she has divorced Ji Dong and initiated criminal proceedings. Although her injuries are minor, she asks a doctor she knows to describe them as more serious. She reassures Ye Jin that recovery will not delay production and continues studying her script 84.

Career Comeback

Online skepticism initially focuses on Jiang Ye’s absence from acting, motherhood, and public domestic-violence case. On set, however, her preparation and performance quickly silence the cast and crew’s doubts 85 86.

The drama’s release wins back former fans, who praise her beauty, vitality, and firmer gaze. The Phoenix First Rises surpasses ten thousand on the popularity index and breaks the platform’s finale record. Its success returns Jiang Ye to the ranks of first-tier starlets and brings invitations from major directors 93 94.

Lu Shilan’s Downfall

The system later declares Jiang Ye’s mission complete. Ye Jin learns that Lu Shilan has been deceived by Yue Bin, whose promises of wealth and resources lead her into marriage, debt, and eventually imprisonment following a violent confrontation. Ye Jin suspects Jiang Ye may have arranged Yue Bin’s involvement, but this is not confirmed 95 96.

Notable Quotes

“Although I hate to be apart from my daughter, before being a mother, I need to be myself first.” 81

“Does only your work count as work, while mine doesn't?” 82

“Ji Dong, why didn't you show me a little mercy when you joined forces with Lu Shilan? The two of you nearly ruined my whole life.” 83