I Started Clearing My Name After Joining a Rural Variety Show

[Starting a major revision of the entire novel on June 12, 2021. Finished revising on August 19, 2021. I may revise it again in the future, or I may not. Who knows.]

Yue Han is a washed-up pretty face in the entertainment industry, saddled with the infuriating "Ten Sins."

Terrible acting, falsified education, no talent or skills, diva behavior, a messy private life...

The tenth and most heinous sin: publicly slipping a hotel key card to a big shot in the industry!

His company says, "We're done trying to save this hopeless case."

1. A performer on a down-to-earth variety show about country life goes viral for his superb vegetable-growing skills.

Netizens dig into the handsome, wholesome young man's background, then laugh when they see his name.

"Since when does growing vegetables count as a talent? Give me a break."

2. A clip of an audition for a villain role appears online. The character is twisted and extreme, and the performance gives off the air of an aristocratic vampire.

On camera, the young man looks languid and delighted. His bright, pitch-black eyes are steeped in suppressed, near-breakdown madness.

Viewers declare that their values follow their eyes, then nearly choke when they see the actor's name.

"That's Yue Han, the pretty face?"

3. Netizens refuse to accept reality, insisting that his fake degree is the one thing he can't possibly clear up!

The host presses him repeatedly about his education.

He says, "I really did go to Gongda."

The host says, "But alumni from Beigong University searched the entire student list and couldn't find your name."

After a long silence, he says, "...I meant Nangong University."

"A real top student?!! Is it too late to become your fan?"

4. His acting and education have both been vindicated...

No! The tenth of the Ten Sins is a heinous crime. Even if pigs can climb trees, you still can't clear this one!

Until the person involved in the hotel key card incident posts a picture captioned [Pig Climbing a Tree].jpg

His fans weep bitterly.

#TheBrotherLeadingTheFanConversionWhatCanWeDo#

#WhatCanWeDoWeCanOnlyBecomeFans#

[The author has no brain, logic, or common sense. Feel free to blame the author, but don't blame the readers.]

[I'm very sorry for giving everyone a bad reading experience. I hope you're all happy every day.]

P.S. The guzheng and piano sections are based on references. The variety show's competition format is made up. The setting is fictional, the characters have no real-life models, and there's no need to map any details onto real people. I don't follow celebrities, so everything about the entertainment industry comes from my imagination.

*Coming soon 1: The Black Moonlight Awakens

[Beauty trains a dog]

[Pretty, aloof social butterfly bottom x a bunch of mad dogs]

After his mother marries into a wealthy family, Yu Wei finally escapes poverty and enters high society.

In the car, the bottom gazes at the city's dazzling nighttime streets outside the window.

But a voice in his head tells him that he is the protagonist of an old-school, angsty Mary Sue novel.

Next, he will be sent to an elite academy full of powerful families. After saving an ordinary student from bullying, he will catch the protagonists' attention.

Every protagonist is a rich heir, born to a powerful family, adored by everyone, and at the top of the academy's food chain.

A series of misunderstandings and melodramatic twists will make Yu Wei the target of the whole school. The heirs will take turns tormenting him in body and soul, until he becomes their tragic, unforgettable first love.

The car pulls into an exclusive neighborhood where every inch of land is worth a fortune. The story officially begins.

What awaits Yu Wei is...

A cutthroat upper society and malice lurking everywhere. A hot-tempered, sharp-tongued stepbrother, a cold and abstinent stepbrother...

An elite academy with a strict hierarchy and bullying wherever you look. A nasty, swaggering school bully, a student council president who's two-faced, a sweet-faced but sinister senior...

Yu Wei wants to avoid the plot and keep a low profile.

But reality refuses to cooperate. There are dramatic confrontations everywhere, and those people's looks toward him grow increasingly strange.

Because all of this has been arranged for him in advance.

*

Everyone at school thinks Yu Wei will buckle under the pressure and drop out sooner or later.

Then, suddenly, they realize he's changed.

Yu Wei no longer hides his brilliance. He navigates the world of fame and fortune with ease, moving smoothly between different people.

His polite smile beneath the crystal chandeliers, his striking looks, and his relaxed manner have made him a perennial Top 1 hot topic on the school forum.

Yu Wei hasn't overlooked the surreptitious photographs, the stalking, or the ever-present prying eyes in the shadows.

Ignoring a faint, suspicious red light blinking nearby, he takes off his school uniform and turns his back, revealing a flawless back.

A strange scene unfolds at the academy.

The few people at the top of the food chain suddenly grow close to Yu Wei. Though they usually stay out of one another's way, a subtle hostility always passes between them.

Until one day, a violent pounding comes from outside a private lounge.

The door opens from within, and Yu Wei walks out calmly. His cheeks are flushed and he's slightly out of breath, but his clothes are intact and there's nothing else amiss.

Someone takes off a coat and tries to put it around Yu Wei's shoulders. The next second, he meets a pair of icy, warning eyes. "Don't touch him."

Inside the lounge, the swaggering school bully, a mad dog of a man, leans back on the sofa with a satisfied expression.

Noticing the stares and prying eyes outside, he turns his head provocatively, revealing a bright red bite mark on his neck.

The academy's false balance is finally broken.

*

Fortunately, Yu Wei has a beautiful face.

He saw every kind of cruelty in the world while growing up in the slums. His beauty is simply a tool he uses to get what he wants.

If he can't escape his fate, then he'll go along with it.

He'll make this bunch of scum kneel at his feet, then climb higher one step at a time by stepping on them.

*Pretty, aloof social butterfly bottom x top

Coming soon 2: Chronic Dependence

1. Yu Wei has an angelic face and loves flirting around, but he gets bored easily. His interest comes quickly and goes just as fast.

On freshman orientation day, a handsome, cool junior student captures countless hearts.

Including Yu Wei's.

Yu Wei puts on a sweet, innocent act and checks in on the junior every day.

But all he gets in return is, "I'm straight."

What a coincidence.

Every one of his ex-boyfriends used to be "straight."

2. This is the hardest straight guy Yu Wei has ever tried to win over.

The more setbacks he faces, the harder he tries. He pursues the junior relentlessly, pretending to be pure and sincere as he confesses every day, but the progress bar stays at zero.

For the first time in his life, he's this frustrated. He goes to a bar and drinks himself into a stupor.

When he's barely conscious, someone puts a hand on his shoulder.

The next second, he's pulled into someone else's arms.

A cold warning comes from above him: "Don't touch him."

3. Once they're together, Yu Wei completely reveals his spoiled and troublesome nature.

He's nothing like the little angel he pretends to be. He's unreasonable, loves making a fuss, and gets angry all the time.

The aloof beauty doesn't get mad. Instead, he gently coaxes him.

After a while, Yu Wei's interest fades, and he breaks up with him over the phone.

That night at the bar, just as he's enjoying his drinks, someone suddenly takes his glass away.

He turns and meets a pair of dark, brooding eyes. "It's late. We should go home."

4. Yu Wei's game is up.

He's been locked away.

All he wants is to get free, so he makes one promise after another while planning his escape.

"I only said that because I lost a game of truth or dare."

"I love you most of all. Why would I break up with you?"

"Honey, we'll be together forever..."

The next day.

Yu Wei waits until his boyfriend lets his guard down, steals the key to the villa, and hurries off.

Before he can even reach the doorknob, he's caught and dragged back.

His wrists are bound with a tie. His boyfriend gazes down at his panicked, helpless face, perfectly calm. "Still being disobedient."

Then I'll lock you up. :)

That night.

With tears streaking his face, he lies motionless in his boyfriend's arms like a broken doll. He even needs his boyfriend's help to use the bathroom.

Yu Wei deeply regrets ever provoking him.

He thought he was a pure little puppy. He never imagined that when pushed too far, he'd turn into a vicious wolf that bites down and never lets go.

*Flirtatious, manipulative beauty and scumbag bottom x a cold, seemingly straight top who falls hard early on and turns dark later

Theme: Stay confident, strong, and brave as you pursue your dreams. Believe that you deserve to be loved.