PRISM, a boy band whose popularity was on the rise, had recently been hit by one scandal after another.
First, the leader, Lu Jinran, was accused of bullying a member. Then their youngest, Jiang Can, was accused of phoning it in onstage and treating the fans carelessly. The two men's solo fanbases blamed each other, their CP fans huddled together in tears, and the group fans were frustrated with them. Everything was a complete mess.
But during the promotion period for their new song, fans noticed that the youngest had stopped phoning it in, and Lu Jinran kept sticking close to Jiang Can. He'd abandoned his usual arrogant attitude, his eyes so tender it seemed he had eyes only for Jiang Can.
CP fans: After all these years, our underrated ship is finally getting its spring!
But their happiness didn't last long before disaster struck.
Lu Jinran and Jiang Can started avoiding each other even more than before. Jiang Can seemed fine, but Lu Jinran always looked heartbroken.
CP fans: It's over. They had a falling-out. QAQ
*
It had been over half a year since Jiang Lie, an obscure actor, had taken his younger brother's place as a boy band idol after the latter injured his leg. Now his brother had recovered and was bouncing back into the group, so Jiang Lie turned to prepare for filming a new drama.
At the script-reading session, Jiang Lie finally met the other lead the production team had found.
Lu Jinran sat in the main seat with his arms crossed, the corners of his lips curling into a pleased smile. "Jiang Can, long time no see."
Jiang Lie corrected him without showing what he was thinking. "It's our first time meeting. My name is Jiang Lie."
*
Something even less acceptable to the CP fans happened: unable to win Jiang Can's love, Lu Jinran had actually gone to some lousy production to find a stand-in!
Other than looking the same, how could Jiang Lie compare to Jiang Can in skill or popularity?
But... why did their interactions feel so familiar?!
#What do you mean our ship changed members halfway through#
#I don't want to ship them either, but there's just so much sweet content!#
P.S.
1. Younger gong. An unruly, wolfdog gong x a cool beauty shou who can make any role feel real (he acts more lively when playing his younger brother, but the two are distinct).
2. Absolutely committed to a one-on-one pairing. The gong and the younger brother have no romantic storyline. The gong never fell for the younger brother, and the younger brother only sees him as a friend and colleague.
3. Happy ending, both are virgins. A light, sweet romance in my style.
Theme: Luck may offer a temporary boost, but skill is the source of lasting success.
