Shh! That Top-Tier Star Is My Body Pillow

[My Next Book, Infinite Hanging Staircase, a mildly terrifying infinite-loop mystery, coming soon to my column!]

Lin Qiu had been in the fandom for two years. He was such a nobody that if you asked around the plaza, not a soul would know his name. But he was having the time of his life, because being in the fandom let him hear all kinds of exclusive news about his idol. He was even further ahead of the curve than the fan-site photographers.

Then one day, on a whim, he entered a giveaway and won a life-size body pillow of his idol. Lin Qiu happily lugged it home. That night, after bathing and lighting incense, he had barely wrapped his arms around it when it was warm when the pillow suddenly turned into a real person.

In the darkness, their eyes met.

Lin Qiu: Um... sorry, could you turn back? My heart's beating a little too fast.

*

Lin Qiu: I only wanted a body pillow.

Ye Zhiyu: Of course I'm a body pillow. What, did you think I was the real deal?

*

Not long afterward, Lin Qiu ran into Ye Zhiyu on a variety show. Seeing that his idol's personality was completely different from the one his body pillow had, Lin Qiu breathed a sigh of relief.

But as time went on, it seemed his secret lover was getting harder and harder to keep under wraps...

[Content Warnings]

1. This is an entertainment-industry story. None of the characters are based on real people. Please don't associate them with anyone!

2. One-on-one, happy ending. The male lead is reborn, but this is not a typical rebirth story.

3. Lots of variety-show segments, with entertainment, sports, and mystery-solving.

--------Advance Preview--------

Synopsis for Infinite Hanging Staircase:

Shen Ke delivered a bunch of flowers for a shop assistant and accidentally wandered into an old apartment block.

Then he discovered that the address on the bill didn't exist, and he couldn't get out.

At the end of the hanging staircase, on the ground floor of the apartment block, he spotted a strange black cat.

Shen Ke took out a small packet of cookies to feed it, but the cat only sniffed them, then leaped into his arms with dewy eyes.

"Don't be afraid. I'll get you out of here with me."

Countless pairs of eyes lurked along the hanging staircase, greedily watching the outsider. They knew that soon, he would become one of them: neither human nor ghost, doomed to wander forever.

Yet Shen Ke survived against all odds. Every floor he passed through sent a shockwave through the ghosts, and before long his infamous reputation spread far and wide: a demon even more merciless than the ghosts, leaving nothing alive in his wake.

But Shen Ke knew nothing of the rumors in the apartment block. He was too busy worrying about one thing: the black cat he'd taken in was clingy enough, but it also loved licking his chest.

It was the same bad habit as the boyfriend who'd left without a word several years ago.

Theme: Let's all do our part to be responsible fans.