At the End of the Starbound Journey, He Came to Guard the Light

Top-tier stars Shen Zhiwei and Ji Yunkuo team up for the first time in the S+ historical romance epic A Thousand Tribulations of the Mortal World. The show sets the internet ablaze before it even airs, with fans going wild over its dream pairing and predicting it will be the year’s biggest hit.

But things change as soon as filming begins: the investors parachute in newcomer Su Jiali, who lands the most popular male supporting role. With no credits and no name recognition, he is accused of getting ahead through money and connections. From the moment he joins the cast, the internet calls him a nepotism hire who got in through the back door, while the crew looks down on him and makes things difficult at every turn.

No one knows that this quiet, reserved man, so unassuming he seems almost invisible, came for the woman he has secretly loved for three years.

On set, Ji Yunkuo pretends to be gentle, using Shen Zhiwei to generate buzz while targeting Su Jiali in private. Away from the cameras, Su Jiali hides all his feelings and quietly stays by her side, never competing or crossing the line.

When she is injured while filming on a wire, he secretly prepares medicine. When the crew gives her a hard time, he steps in discreetly. When she is caught up in the fan frenzy over her on-screen pairing and swept up in public opinion, he stays behind the scenes, smoothing over trouble and shielding her from unseen attacks.

The show airs and becomes a sensation. The top-tier star pairing dominates the trending charts, basking in the limelight.

But no one expects that at the height of its success, Ji Yunkuo will betray Shen Zhiwei to monopolize the attention and take complete control of her. He fabricates scandals and smears her with every accusation, determined to drag her from her pedestal and ruin her reputation.

Overnight, she goes from being adored by everyone to being mocked across the internet, with no one to turn to.

Everyone waits to watch her fall. Only the male supporting actor, once ridiculed as a nepotism hire, casts aside all restraint, marshaling every resource and every ounce of strength to stand against the tide in front of her.

He never says he loves her, but gives everything he has to protect her as she journeys along this thorny path to stardom, guarding the light that belongs to her when she is at her lowest.