The Top-Tier Star Is at It Again, Wooing Himself

[Previews: I Never Meant to Be the Big Shots' White Moonlight / The Pretty Cannon Fodder Goes Viral by Breaking Up the Protagonist Uke's Couples. Blurbs at the very end]

Young director Yan Xu is falsely accused of using his position to coerce a young actor into sex, and his career is ruined.

Three years later, he returns to the country under a cloud of disgrace. He only wants to keep his head down and make films, but the investors bring in top-tier star Huo Wenzheng to lead the new series.

With his uniquely rich, gorgeous voice and striking quarter-European looks, Huo Wenzheng became a top-tier star the moment he debuted. He swept up all kinds of music awards and landed luxury endorsements from every prestigious fashion house.

Onstage, the top-tier star is both flirtatious and proper, but in private, he's completely immune to rumors.

What's more, he hates people who entertain the slightest thought of coercing him into sex.

Everyone: "Well, Yan Xu is finished."

*

When filming begins, Huo Wenzheng is cold toward Yan Xu.

Considering his own reputation, Yan Xu thinks that's only natural, so he keeps his distance too.

But the top-tier star seems to attract trouble wherever he goes. To keep the production running smoothly, Yan Xu has to step in and help him more than once.

When a stalker slips him drugs, Yan Xu pulls him into his own room and douses his head with cold water to help him sober up.

When an investor plies him with alcohol, Yan Xu dutifully takes the drinks for him and firmly refuses on his behalf.

When his archenemy sets him up, Yan Xu clears his name without asking for anything in return.

At last, Huo Wenzheng lowers his long lashes and gazes tenderly at Yan Xu with his dark green eyes. Then, looking nervous, he asks why Yan Xu is so good to him. Afraid of being misunderstood, Yan Xu quickly explains:

"We're friends. We help each other out. Don't read too much into it."

Huo Wenzheng lowers his head, his expression inscrutable. After a long pause, he replies, "Oh..."

*

Yan Xu feels that the top-tier star has been getting a little too fond of hanging around him lately.

Asking if he's ever had an ex, deliberately moving into the room next door, searching half the city for the food he wants to eat...

Unwilling to make the rumors about himself seem true, Yan Xu has no choice but to start keeping his distance.

But after Yan Xu attends an alumni gathering and gets a ride home from a younger schoolmate,

the top-tier star, reeking of alcohol and seething with rage, forcefully blocks his way at the door...

The aloof beauty, his eyes full of jealousy, pins Yan Xu against the door. Watching him like prey about to escape, he asks with intense, possessive resentment and longing:

"Why do you smile so beautifully at other men? If you don't like me, why did you flirt with me in the first place?"

Yan Xu: "??? When did I ever flirt with you?"

Huo Wenzheng rubs his cheek against the delicate skin of Yan Xu's neck and says, "I don't care. I'll only accept one answer: that you love me."

*

The media catches Yan Xu going to Huo Wenzheng's house again and again.

Everyone condemns him: "I knew Yan Xu would make a move on our male god!"

But that very night, Huo Wenzheng appears with that heart-fluttering face of his and publicly sets the record straight during his award acceptance speech:

"Yan Xu wasn't trying to coerce me into sex. I'm the one pursuing him."

In an instant, #HuoWenzhengWinsBestActor and #HuoWenzhengConfessesInPublic take the top two spots on the trending list.

Sitting below the stage, Yan Xu is lost in thought when he is suddenly the recipient of a heartfelt confession. He has no idea that if he dares to say no, Huo Wenzheng will hide him somewhere no one can ever find him.

From then on, he will be Huo Wenzheng's one and only treasured possession.

(A seemingly disgraced but actually upright beauty of a director, uke x a seemingly aloof but actually possessive and unhinged top-tier star, seme)

*

They are each other's first love. The uke has a beautiful face but is easygoing and rather slow to recognize his own feelings.

The uke is falsely accused early on, but the truth will come out later.

In this setting, society broadly accepts relationships between people of any gender.

None of the events or characters are based on real people!

[Content warnings]

(1) The author's logic and writing are both a mess. The story is mainly about romance, so the career plot won't be particularly sophisticated.

(2) All showbiz details are very unprofessional. Please don't nitpick them.

(3) A twisted male side character falls in love with the uke, but the uke never likes him.

-- Preview: I Never Meant to Be the Big Shots' White Moonlight --

Xin Jiao is gorgeous and refined. He was once a child prodigy known to everyone, but after his father brought home his illegitimate younger brother, all his good fortune transferred to the boy.

Xin Jiao is injured by accident and loses out on an important role. His brother, who looks somewhat like him, takes his place and becomes an overnight sensation. From then on, his brother's mediocre acting and shortcuts only make him more popular, while Xin Jiao works hard but is constantly mocked as an inferior copycat, vain and vile.

Gradually eclipsed by his brother's fame, Xin Jiao fades into obscurity. He can only take bit parts and scrape by with odd jobs when he has no acting work.

After bumping his head while working as an extra, Xin Jiao realizes that his brother is the protagonist of a face-slapping wish-fulfillment novel. Three big shots will support him every step of the way, and he will find success and love in showbiz. Xin Jiao, meanwhile, is merely the protagonist's cannon-fodder foil, doomed to a particularly tragic ending.

Before he can even process this absurd truth, Xin Jiao receives another devastating blow: his younger sister, the only family he has, is suddenly diagnosed with a serious illness.

*

Xin Jiao can't afford the exorbitant medical bills, so he uses his superb acting skills to take jobs around the clock and earn as much as he can.

On weekdays, Xin Jiao becomes the assistant to a rich playboy who dates around, helping him manage his harem. When necessary, he even pretends to be his fiance to fend off unwanted pursuers.

On weekends, Xin Jiao plays the crude fake boyfriend of an aloof, top-of-the-class campus heartthrob, acting like a fool just to make the heartthrob's parents despise him and accept the person their son truly loves.

In his spare time, Xin Jiao is a paid fan and hater in a small-time influencer's livestream chat, furiously arguing with the haters for three hundred rounds to fiercely defend his "idol."

One day, while working on a set, Xin Jiao happens upon a pitiful, obscure actor who was nearly tricked into selling himself by a shady company.

Seeing how miserable, sweet, and handsome the poor guy is, Xin Jiao takes pity on him and does his best to protect him from people with ulterior motives.

*

Xin Jiao is a consummate professional. For the sake of money, he can put up with the rich playboy's difficult lovers, smile even when the influencer treats him like a low-class simp, and cheerfully face the heartthrob's coldness.

After a while, the rich playboy falls on hard times. His lovers all avoid him, but Xin Jiao stays by his side.

Playboy: "So Assistant Xin has been secretly in love with me! He must have been heartbroken seeing me with so many lovers. I'll have to treat him well from now on!"

Xin Jiao: The contract pays by the month. If you don't get your fortune back, my salary goes up in smoke too. Why would I give up a huge payday?

The influencer is framed, and a huge number of fans abandon him. But Xin Jiao still shows up in the livestream chat on time every day to battle the haters and ask after him.

Influencer: "So Mingyue Jiaojiao really does like me. I shouldn't have ignored him."

Xin Jiao: The troll-fan job pays by the character. The more I type and the more heartfelt I sound, the more I earn. I make fifteen thousand a month at this. It's a great deal.

The heartthrob gets into a car accident and may be bedridden for the rest of his life. His beloved immediately runs away, but Xin Jiao continues to care for him meticulously.

Heartthrob: "How could I have thought he was crude and vain, and treated him like a stand-in for his younger brother? Meeting him was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me."

Xin Jiao: A caregiver costs twelve thousand, rehabilitation support eight thousand, and counseling ten thousand. Your parents pay generously. Why wouldn't I take the job?

Through all those exhausting days of working for money, the only comfort Xin Jiao has is the obscure actor who stays by his side like an affectionate, prickly puppy.

Before long, the rich playboy makes a comeback and becomes a new business mogul; the influencer is signed by a famous agency and instantly becomes a top-tier star; and the brainy campus heartthrob not only succeeds in rehabilitation but becomes the youngest genius scholar, covered in honors.

Having earned enough for his sister's medical bills, Xin Jiao decisively bows out.

As he takes his sister abroad for treatment, the poor guy clings to him and says he doesn't want to be apart.

Xin Jiao doesn't want to leave either, but all he can do is wave goodbye and promise they'll meet again if fate allows.

*

A year later, Xin Jiao returns to the country. To make ends meet, he has no choice but to accept a spot on a dating show rumored to have excellent contestants. Unfortunately, his protagonist brother is on the show too.

Before the show airs, haters laugh at Xin Jiao under every post on his Weibo, saying he's asking to be humiliated.

Xin Jiao doesn't care. He'll get criticized, sure, but he's used to it, and at least the paycheck won't be short.

He never expected all the contestants to be familiar faces.

Just as everyone assumes the wealthy CEO, the aloof professor, and the popular top-tier star will all fall for the protagonist, they instead eagerly compete against one another for the right to go on a date with Xin Jiao.

When asked, the professor smiles: "Yes, Xin Jiao is my white moonlight. I love him more than life itself. I came here for him."

The top-tier star gazes at him tenderly: "Yes, Xin Jiao is my white moonlight. I made it to a bigger stage so he could see me shine even brighter."

The CEO looks deeply moved: "Yes, Xin Jiao is my white moonlight. He taught me the true meaning of love, and I'm going to pursue him openly."

The audience goes wild: "Did I miss an important scene? Bring out the uncut version for us esteemed VIPs, now!"

Xin Jiao is horrified: "No! I never meant to be the big shots' white moonlight! I just wanted to earn money!"

The big shots: "We don't believe you!"

*

After the show airs, Xin Jiao's name stays on the trending list day after day.

Xin Jiao only wants to be a nobody, but there's nothing he can do about it.

As the rumors spiral out of control, the pitiful little guy, who is actually a newly crowned Best Actor, steps in at just the right moment. "Since we've met before, I'll reluctantly help you out."

Xin Jiao is delighted. "How will you help me?"

The Best Actor leans close and whispers seductively in his ear: "Just say you have someone you love and are working hard to win him over, so you don't have time for anyone else. Simple."

Xin Jiao hesitates. "But who should I say I'm pursuing? If he's more famous than me, people will accuse me of using him for publicity. If he's less famous, he won't be able to stand up to them."

The Best Actor sees that he's finally asking the right question and replies with a smile: "Why not pursue me? We're so close. What's wrong with pursuing me?"

Xin Jiao finally relaxes, but then asks shyly, "But... won't that be too much trouble for you?"

The Best Actor affectionately drapes an arm over his shoulder and tells him it's no trouble at all. As his pursuer, Xin Jiao should start practicing closing his eyes for a kiss.

Xin Jiao: ?

[An optimistic, easygoing, gentle, money-loving beauty, uke x a proud and gorgeous favorite of the heavens, the Best Actor, seme]

-- Preview: The Pretty Cannon Fodder Goes Viral by Breaking Up the Protagonist Uke's Couples --

The pretty An Rong transmigrates into a tragic danmei romance novel, becoming a vain and affected villainous cannon fodder who meets a miserable end.

But he's not worried at all. Before he transmigrated into the book, his childhood friend had dragged him along to make a wish on a shooting star. His friend said that if they ever transmigrated, he wanted to be a universally adored heartthrob from a wealthy family, with the status of a top-tier star. An Rong said he'd be the rich, clueless friend by the heartthrob's side, never wanting for food or clothes.

Now that he's successfully transmigrated into the book, An Rong thinks:

Great! My friend must have become a universally adored heartthrob from a wealthy family! I have to find him right away!

But after looking everywhere, An Rong discovers that none of the people he knows who look rich are heartthrobs, and none of the heartthrobs are top-tier stars.

After narrowing it down, the only person who fits the bill is the aloof protagonist uke of the book, Lu Heyao.

So An Rong cautiously calls out to the cold top-tier star:

"G-Good buddy, did you transmigrate into the book too? Come save me!"

*

Lu Heyao is the nation's male god, with starry eyes and silver hair. Chaste and aloof, he's had a steady stream of admirers for years but has never fallen for anyone. His spotless record of zero rumors remains unbroken.

Until Lu Heyao meets an infamous, obscure little beauty who shouts at him with excitement: "Good buddy, did you transmigrate into the book too? Come save me!"

Lu Heyao frowns. "Is this some new seduction tactic?"

But seeing An Rong's sincere expression as he says such absurd things, Lu Heyao really wants to know how long he can keep up the act. So he answers in a low voice, with a faint smile, "Mm."

An Rong is overjoyed. He immediately clings to his "childhood friend's" golden thigh and happily declares that he's about to reach the peak of life.

*

Soon after reuniting with his top-tier-star "childhood friend," An Rong starts worrying again.

Because according to the book, the protagonist uke is about to meet the scum semes he'll have a tragic, passionate romance with.

Once Lu Heyao gets tangled up with those semes, the Lu family will be schemed against and go bankrupt, and Lu Heyao's dazzling career will crash to rock bottom.

To protect his wonderful life with Lu Heyao, An Rong decides to play the villainous cannon fodder and ruthlessly break up the protagonist uke's couples.

*

Scum Seme Number One is the gentle, scheming Best Actor who was the protagonist uke's childhood friend, then suddenly reappeared. Under the pretext of working together, he pursues the protagonist uke with one tender gesture after another.

An Rong can't let him get away with that! So he gets up at five every morning to make Lu Heyao breakfast, spends a fortune renting out a landmark building to celebrate Lu Heyao's birthday, and even livestreams it all for everyone to see. His excuse is: "A man who isn't more considerate toward you than your buddy is not worth having."

Lu Heyao: An Rong definitely has improper intentions toward me. I'm straight, so I won't give in, but he's pretty cute. I suppose there's no harm in playing house with him for a while.

*

Scum Seme Number Two is the arrogant, rebellious rival idol who goes from enemy to lover. According to the plot, Lu Heyao will go from clashing with him to understanding and admiring him on a survival reality show, and they'll write a love story between two strong leads.

An Rong is ready for this. The protagonist uke is in danger, trapped with a raging fever? An Rong comes from miles away to rescue him at once, leaving no chance for the scum seme.

Scum Seme Number Two takes first place with his team and tries to show off in front of the protagonist uke? An Rong's survival skills are MAXED OUT. He steals the spotlight and mercilessly tramples the scum seme into the dirt.

Weak from his illness, Lu Heyao wraps his arms around An Rong, who smells of jasmine, and contentedly rubs his nose against An Rong's. He closes his eyes and thinks: "He loves me so much. If he confesses and I turn him down, he'll be heartbroken. I can't let him be sad, or he'll cry."

*

Scum Seme Number Three is an innocent-looking, sweet, little puppy who tricks people into giving him their bodies and hearts, a cunning green tea seme. On the dating show, the little green tea acts pitiful and adorable. Before he can even call out, "Brother A Yao," An Rong wipes away a tear and swoons into Lu Heyao's arms, asking him to carry him up the mountain. Before the end, he doesn't forget to smugly glance at the scum seme, who's fuming with rage.

With the beauty nestled in his arms, Lu Heyao takes the opportunity to say that this won't do. To stop anyone else from pursuing him, he and An Rong should get fake-married right away.

An Rong is so thoroughly persuaded that he thinks, This isn't bad. He's my buddy, after all. If I use him as a shield, that awful scum seme won't keep bothering me! Convinced this plan is deliciously wicked, An Rong happily agrees.

Lu Heyao's scheme succeeds, and he can't help smiling to himself. The darling is so silly, but that's perfect.

*

When fans first learn that the top-tier star has been dragged into a publicity pairing with an obscure nobody,

they cry out in outrage: "Obscure nobody, get out of showbiz!"

But when Lu Heyao and An Rong's ship becomes a huge hit,

the fans say: "Hahaha, Rongrong is so cute! Others are silly beauties, but he's a wicked beauty. He's bad, but I really love him. The top-tier star is so possessive! Is this the joy of a ship that grows together?"

*

Later, An Rong runs into his real childhood friend. Seeing how possessive Lu Heyao has become after their marriage, he finally realizes he may have provoked some kind of terrifying yandere.

He packs his bags in the middle of the night and tries to run away, only for Lu Heyao to catch him effortlessly and kiss him until he cries.

The pitiful An Rong can only accuse him tearfully:

"You're not my childhood friend at all! You lied to me!"

Lu Heyao kisses An Rong's tear-streaked face and gently coaxes him: "Darling, that doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that you can't escape."

[A fair-skinned, beautiful, universally adored little beauty who thinks he's a villain, uke x a seemingly aloof but actually very calculating, possessive, and scheming seme]

Theme: Stay true to yourself and dare to break through when faced with doubt!