I’ll Cultivate in Secret, Then Shock Everyone

Chu Xinglan dreams that he's a character in a cultivation novel about men falling in love with men. The entire novel revolves around the sickly beauty of a master, Qi Guan Wumo. Its plot can be summed up in one sentence: four peerless, handsome disciples betray their master and do all sorts of things to their gentle, frail shizun. The plot is a mess, utterly illogical. The four men seem to have made a schedule: one day it's this disciple, the next it's that one. They're either making a move on their master or on their way to do so. Chu Xinglan is honest and unassuming, with no aggressive streak and no fanbase. Only because the author takes pity on him for his selfless devotion is he assigned the last spot as the fourth male lead. Forced to dream through the entire story, Chu Xinglan wears a look of utter agony, feeling as though his worldview has taken an unprecedented blow. Afterward, his thoughts veer off in a strange direction: Why the hell does the eldest disciple have to rank fourth? And why is the pretty boy Qi Guan Wumo picked up from a pile of corpses the first male lead? No way. He's going to be number one. In this world of men loving men, he's going to be the one who rises above the muck! So Chu Xinglan begins living a double life: honest and unassuming, as calm as a chrysanthemum in public, but dark and twisted, fiercely competitive and fighting tooth and nail behind closed doors, locked in a bitter rivalry with the first male lead. - Wen Ci has recently noticed that his senior brother Chu Xinglan has changed. He always gives Wen Ci and their master a strange look, with a hint of hostility in his eyes. When Wen Ci signs up for alchemy lessons, Chu Xinglan does too. When Wen Ci goes on a secret-realm trial, Chu Xinglan claims it's dangerous and insists on accompanying him. Even when Wen Ci goes out to buy two portions of his favorite sugar-roasted chestnuts, he runs into Chu Xinglan at the same stall. After much thought, Wen Ci finally reaches a reasonable conclusion: Chu Xinglan likes him. On a dark and stormy night, he decides to accept Chu Xinglan's feelings. Faced with his number-one rival, whose expression says, "Go on, confess. I'll say yes," competitive Chu Xinglan falls silent. Chu Xinglan: "Honestly, I'm just too competitive. I admit I was copying you." Wen Ci: ... He doesn't copy anyone else, just keeps his eyes on me and copies me. He really loves me. Theme: Compete your way through life and become a whole new you!