My Merman Skills Are Maxed Out

Xia Linshuang died at the age of twenty-two. When he opened his eyes again, he had been reborn as a minor celebrity with the same name in a novel. In the book, Xia Linshuang was a vicious cannon-fodder character who framed the adored protagonist. In the end, the protagonist's admirers made his life hell. He was kicked off the reality show's cast and disgraced. Long-term depression and an irregular diet gave him a terminal illness, and he died in a tiny rented apartment. Xia Linshuang felt a chill of recognition. He didn't want his life to end like that. - Lin Zhuocheng had thought he absolutely loathed the guy who'd gotten into the show through connections. Lately, that guy had inexplicably started sucking up to him, so of course Lin Zhuocheng was cold and kept him at a distance. But one day, he happened to open the guy's diary and found page after page of feelings that contradicted his words. So all those clumsy schemes had been meant to help him avoid danger without making it obvious. His heart began to beat faster before he knew it. The next day, when it was time to form groups for an activity, he turned down everyone's invitations and waited for the young man to come find him. The mentor eventually came over, looking confused, and said everyone had already found a partner. Was Lin Zhuocheng planning to go alone? Lin Zhuocheng froze. Turning around, he saw the young man who'd been bringing him milk just a few days earlier sweetly calling someone else in Group A "big brother." Lin Zhuocheng gritted his teeth and held back. That evening, he found an empty spot and cornered the young man. "Didn't you say you liked me?" The young man looked troubled. "But I want to make lots and lots of friends." He quickly added, "Of course, I want to be friends with you, too." "Just friends???" ~ Gu Jige had originally joined the reality show to investigate the truth behind the Lin family, but somehow found himself growing more and more attached to a minor celebrity. A month later, his face frosty, he watched the young man sitting close to Gongsun Xie. He grabbed him and pulled him away, then spoke coldly, out of sight of the cameras. "Keep your distance from other people." The young man hissed. "Do you think you can only have one big brother?" Gu Jige was so annoyed he laughed. "How many big brothers do you want?" - The viewers at first: "Get Xia Linshuang off the reality show!" "Learn some manners before you learn your craft! Artists with no class only drag down the show!" The viewers a month later: "My baby just acts tough, but he's softhearted. Wuwu, he's been misunderstood again. Mom's going to worry herself to death!" "What do you mean, 'stealing the chicken'? It should be 'Auntie, wash the railway'! Shuangzhuo is so real, the peak of celebrity shipping!" "President Gu: Just how many good big brothers do you have? The truth is that the icy big brother and the scheming-tea younger brother are in love!" - Xia Linshuang: I was just trying to survive... This story contains a small amount of ABO worldbuilding. The tags can't be changed, so I'm noting it here in the blurb. Theme: After hard work and perseverance, a beautiful future begins.