The Comeback of a Top-Tier Star Gone from Beloved to Hated: First, I Pick a Fight with Bai Lu

The entertainment industry’s spotlight is like a sun that never sets. Some wither beneath its glare, while others use its light to grow armor.

Shen Ci never imagined he’d stand in that light. One moment, he was an entertainment reporter chasing celebrities, running a red light to get an exclusive. The next, he had become top-tier star Shen Ci, the pretty face with no talent whom the whole internet wanted to “quit the industry,” the “young master” of Yuehua Entertainment.

The day he bound himself to the “Top-Tier Star Comeback System,” he stared at the words “Apologize to Bai Lu” on the mission screen and could only think how ridiculous it was. Bai Lu, Huanrui Century’s “wild card,” could cling to a hamburger and fight people for props on variety shows, and would shoot tearful scenes in a torrential downpour. She was famous in the industry for being “someone you don’t want to mess with.” The feud between the original Shen Ci and her had gone from an argument backstage at Ace to a mud pit on Running Man.

But the System said he’d be “eliminated” if he failed the mission.

Phone in hand, Shen Ci stood outside the recording studio for Keep Running, and for the first time...

In that moment, he suddenly felt that becoming top-tier star Shen Ci might not be just about “making a comeback.”

What came next was more exciting than any entertainment headline. He helped her get limited-edition milk tea, shielded her from shots taken by obsessive fans, and secretly watched her play Li Changge on set, hidden behind a general’s armor. She helped him deal with the System’s bizarre missions, and when he was being attacked online, she showed up with Piao Ge, her dog, to “threaten” the haters. At the Golden Image Awards, she smiled onstage and said, “I’d like to thank the person who’s always trying to steal my ribs...”