He Broke Character on the Survival Show

[Completed] Tsundere, scheming, fake aloof heartthrob seme × shy, slow-witted, genuinely beautiful-but-tragic uke Lu Mingyuan, a trainee on the boy group survival show Hummingbird, went viral after the first episode aired, thanks to the icy way he called out a mentor during his first performance. Just as his young fans were swooning over his cool, cocky, handsome style, they noticed that his heartthrob persona started to crack as the show went on. He was still pretty cool, except when another trainee, Jiang Xing, was around. During the first performance, Lu Mingyuan smiled with a crinkle at the corner of his eyes and called to Jiang Xing, “Little guy, it’s your turn to perform.” Fans: ? During practice for the theme song, Lu Mingyuan squeezed the back of Jiang Xing’s neck and coaxed him, “You did great, sweetheart.” Fans: ?? Before the third performance, Lu Mingyuan blocked the camera so it couldn’t film Jiang Xing. His low voice was still picked up perfectly: “Don’t cry. If you keep crying, I’ll kiss you.” Fans: ?????? . Jiang Xing had been a trainee overseas for more than four years. He was on the verge of debuting when an accident forced him to terminate his contract and return home. Half a year later, on his first day on a survival show, he ran into an icy heartthrob. Jiang Xing thought he’d gotten himself into trouble. He never expected to fall so deeply that he couldn’t pull himself out. Later, Lu Mingyuan kissed him until the corners of his eyes were red and still wouldn’t stop, murmuring as he coaxed him, “Just one more kiss.” Jiang Xing watched Lu Mingyuan dance to a girl group song onstage. Afterward, Lu Mingyuan pulled him onto his lap, squeezed his waist, and murmured, “Not bad, little guy. You’ve learned how to flirt.” When they first met, Jiang Xing never expected this heartthrob’s persona to crumble so spectacularly. An entertainment-industry survival show novel with a 101-trainee format. The main story follows the group’s formation and debut, while also resolving the leads’ personal and relationship issues along the way. A devoted, mutual 1v1 romance, with arrows pointing both ways in bold. A few tips: 1. Both leads are virgins. They’ve each had some unhappy experiences growing up. 2. The seme has a secret identity, which is expected to come out in the middle or later part of the story. There’s a tiny bit of a “chasing your wife to the crematorium” trope. 3. Some parts are pure imagination, with plenty of author-created details. 4. These aren’t traditional idols: the seme is a spectacularly unprofessional idol. 5. This isn’t an entertainment-industry story where the protagonist has every golden finger under the sun. 6. There are no real-life inspirations, no real-life inspirations, no real-life inspirations! One lead is genuinely cocky, the other genuinely tragic. In the real entertainment industry, people like them would be banned in no time. They’re not based on anyone! Theme: Keep working hard, and no matter how far away your dream may seem, you’ll reach it in the end.