Forced to Pretend to Be a Couple with My Ex on a Variety Show

Coming next: "The Beautiful Dodder Vine" and "I Had the Hero's Script in Hand, but Became the Villain Boss." Blurbs are at the bottom.

The entire novel is already written. Updates begin on May 1.

Blurb written on April 24, 2021, and posted on July 27, 2021. Screenshot saved.

To outsiders, Gu Ming'an seems to have plunged into the entertainment industry with reckless courage, giving up his dream for Xu Che.

But then his family falls into ruin. His father goes bankrupt, and Gu Ming'an is left with astronomical debts.

After reading countless insults in the comments and watching his boyfriend smile as he accepts the Best Actor trophy onstage,

Gu Ming'an thinks, Let's leave it at that. I shouldn't drag him down anymore.

"Let's break up, Xu Che."

Before Xu Che can say a word, Gu Ming'an hangs up on his own.

Three years apart, and Gu Ming'an is no longer a normal person.

Later, they meet again at a banquet.

Exhausted from head to toe, Gu Ming'an steps into the crowd and spots Xu Che at once.

His ex walks through the crowd toward him.

Gu Ming'an's heart suddenly stirs. He holds his breath and sees Xu Che's eyes curve into a smile.

"Gu Ming'an, the way you're living, you'd be better off dead."

His heartbeat abruptly stops. Gu Ming'an lowers his head. "Oh."

The last time Xu Che sees Gu Ming'an is through a screen, in a live news broadcast.

The wind gently billows his white shirt. The slender figure doesn't look back, disappearing from the bridge in an instant.

The screen suddenly goes black.

Red-eyed and frantic, Xu Che runs there, but a long line of police tape and several officers stop him at the bridge.

"Sir, sir, you can't go any farther."

The man's voice is hoarse as he growls, barely holding himself back. "Let me through. I'm... his friend!"

Afterward, the Best Actor and Gu Ming'an appear together on the big screen.

It turns out this was one scene in a drama meant to tear down the curtain of darkness.

[Studious, aloof shou x arrogant, sharp-tongued, scheming gong]

VIP chapter notice: The novel goes VIP after July 24. The retroactive VIP chapters start with chapter 33.

Reader's Guide

*1. None of the characters in this story are based on real people. None.

*2. Gu Ming'an has a mental illness. He will recover later, but treatment will take a very long time. This is a story about healing.

*3. This is the author's first attempt at writing something other than a sweet romance, so the plot has plenty of melodrama.

*4. The blurb has been revised, but this won't affect your reading.

*5. Come on, read it with me: this is a romance-driven story.

*6. The author loves revising. Changes won't be too major and won't affect your reading experience.

Upcoming novel: "The Beautiful Dodder Vine"

Here's the thing: I'm a dodder vine. This isn't a metaphor. I really am a dodder vine, and the prettiest one there is.

I was growing just fine in the soil when a human came to see me. He insisted he was my partner. I explained it to him for ages, but he kept saying that no one but him could be my partner.

Though he's looked after me for a long time and waters me every day, I would never reproduce with a lowly creature like a human.

After all, he once raised me until I died. I'm not going to forgive him.

"By the way, who are you?"

"...Your partner."

Ignoring the blood running down his forehead, Xie Jue cradled the precious one he wanted to protect and shut his eyes in anguish.

"I'm sorry."

Theme: A tree that takes two arms to embrace grows from a tiny sprout; a nine-story tower rises from a heap of earth; a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.