From Nobody to Top-Tier Star: It Starts with My Image

My new story, Live-Streamed Subconscious Idol Contest: The Pinnacle of Truth, Kindness, and Beauty, is set to launch on 2026.5.29~ Live stream + comments + full immersion + beautiful, tragic, and powerful~ Stay tuned~ Main story completed on 2024.10.31 The remaining bonus chapters will be released as reader treats~ -- From an author who only figured out how bonus chapters work today Long and slow-paced. Readers who prefer a fast pace may want to steer clear. The career and mystery plotlines run side by side. Neither will be abandoned. [Revision enthusiast] I am not responsible for errors in pirated copies. Lin Yu transmigrates into an idol survival-show novel as a contestant: He can't sing or dance, and is notorious for vote manipulation, being a pretty but useless face, and getting special treatment despite being a terrible performer. In one week, he will fail the college entrance exam. In one month, he will be attacked by an antisocial fan in person. In three months, he will face a massive online hate campaign. In six months, he will develop depression and slit his wrists. Before he dies, the only one by his side will be a cat. * Facing a hellish start, Lin Yu knows the script and can't help suspecting his teammates: Teammate A visited him before his suicide. Teammate B left a crucial clue at his house. The last phone call he received before his death came from Teammate C... Lin Yu: No big deal. I just have to sell a romantic pairing with people who might have killed me. From then on, he acts, plays up his tragic circumstances, acts pitiful, manages his image, builds a persona, and caters to fans, all while doing the work of a whole PR team. He also takes the identities and personalities of his six teammates, along with popular shipping tropes, and writes six different ship-baiting personas for himself: * Sexual tension and irresistible chemistry * A destined love marked by missed chances * Kindred souls who understand each other without a word * Rivals who clash as they fall in love * A painful romance rekindled after a breakup * A business arrangement with occasional public feuding Lin Yu uses ship bait to get close to his teammates and advance his career, all while searching for clues to piece together the truth behind his suicide. But then he realizes: I wanted to prove you were innocent, not make you fall in love with me! [In the first half, rumors link him to his teammates] [In the second half, rumors link him to the seme] * [Outwardly] Lively, sunny, healing, a dashing young man [Inside] Cunning, dark, twisted, full of underhanded schemes, calculating, and ambitious vs [Before being reborn] A top-tier singer-songwriter, the original novel's male lead, and the world's last true believer in pure love [After being reborn] Darkened but with principles, still devoted, quietly making big moves, and the world's last hopeless romantic * Younger seme. The seme is not one of the teammates. * One-on-one romance, no real-life inspirations * Lots of variety shows and fan-circle discourse. Readers who are mainly here for the performances may want to steer clear. * Career and mystery plots run in parallel * The uke is good at acting, but his values are a little skewed. He's not a traditionally good and kind person, so readers who dislike this personality may want to steer clear. * No dating while working as an idol * Includes some comments and forum posts, as well as fan-circle terminology and conventions "[ ]" indicates dialogue in the character's head. * Transmigration + rebirth, two worlds Also known as The Ambitious Schemer Becomes a Pretty, Useless Idol * Readers decide whether an author or story is for them. Novels are just a way to pass the time, so there's no need to announce when you drop one. Theme: There are top performers in every walk of life