Confessing to My Childhood Friend on a Variety Show Adventure

[A seemingly aloof, actually lovesick golden retriever top × a flamboyant, oblivious-to-his-own-love, top-tier star of the music scene bottom]

Mutual pining | Childhood friends | Angsty push and pull | Friends with benefits to official couple

Shen Jingtang is a top-tier male singer in the Chinese-language music scene, famous for his angel-kissed voice and god-tier looks. Dubbed the seductress of the music world, he's been a walking storm of controversy since his debut, with fans and haters fighting every day.

Then one day, he loses a dare on a variety show and has to confess to the person pinned to the top of his WeChat. The person who answers is Qu Rangchen, president of Jinting Vision and heir to the Lansheng Group.

“The person I like isn't by my side. Do you know where he is?”

Fans clip this moment and call it the ultimate flirt.

No one knows they haven't been in touch for eight years.

After an accident blurs the line between them, their relationship crosses the point of no return. They know it can't last, yet they stay clear-eyed even as they recklessly sink deeper.

Then news breaks that the other man is about to enter a business marriage. Shen Jingtang turns away with carefree resolve, refusing to fight for him. Yet one news story sends him boarding a flight abroad for more than ten hours just to make sure the other man is safe.

Just one look, and that's all.

But that night, Qu Rangchen gets drunk and grabs his hand, refusing to let go. Red-eyed, he demands, “Baby, you already abandoned me once. Are you going to abandon me a second time?”

Getting close to you brings me closer to pain. Staying away from you takes me farther from happiness.

Andre Gide, Strait Is the Gate

[Reader's Guide]

1. No real-life inspirations!!!

2. Don't connect this to real people!!! Just expect a fluffy, satisfying, brainless romance

3. There are plenty of misunderstandings. Both think the other has someone they like

4. There are flashbacks to their school days, which will be marked separately. N is the present, P is the past

5. Guaranteed happy ending. It gets sweet and comforting later on

The top's name comes from the saying: “The mountains don't refuse dust, and the rivers don't turn away water.”

A plug for my own upcoming book, coming next

[Hong Kong style + same-sex marriage setting + light suspense]

Cautious, ambitious schemer × gentle, resilient ingenue art curator / cosplayer

Chen Huaixia's younger sister is about to enter a marriage alliance with the Liang family.

The other party asks to meet before the wedding. His sister has no intention of getting married, and has heard that the other party is terrifying, so after much pleading, she gets Chen Huaixia to dress as a woman and meet her prospective spouse in her place.

As a result, Chen Huaixia has to stand in for her on the next several dates, too.

Then one day, he unexpectedly discovers that the other party is into men.

“Did I not make myself clear?” Liang Zhichuan frowns. “I like men. You're the one I'm marrying.”

He knew perfectly well that Chen Huaixia was a man!!!

That night, Chen Huaixia tries to pack up and run away. But the other guy is just too rich, and his family's company happens to need an injection of capital. He won't turn down money, so he shuts his eyes and treats it like a job.

He's already drawn up the divorce papers. The day he gets tired of this rotten job, he'll resign with his head held high and make a sheepish escape!

But this job is just too hard... Why does my husband keep wanting me to wear skirts?

Finally, one day, Chen Huaixia learns that Liang Zhichuan's unrequited love has returned from abroad. He decides to step aside for the other man, packs all his things, leaves the divorce papers behind, and runs.

He thinks he can start a new life in Berlin, but just after renting a place, his husband turns up at his door.

“Baby, did I agree to the divorce?”

That night, Chen Huaixia stammers out “husband” again and again, but Liang Zhichuan still doesn't let him go.

[Reader's Guide]

1. One-on-one, both pure in body and heart, devoted only to each other

2. The Cantonese isn't accurate. The setting is just for reference, so don't scrutinize it

3. Same-sex marriage setting. Don't read if that's not your thing

Theme: Live earnestly and love well