Ye Pengxi transmigrates into a power fantasy novel with a female lead, where the heroine is a second Li Shimin, a ruthless woman who kills her brothers and forces her father to abdicate. He's one of those brothers.
To escape being killed and get away from his family, he returns to China as soon as he graduates and dives headfirst into the entertainment industry.
He builds a spoiled rich playboy image: bad temper, diva behavior, flaunting his wealth, nothing going for him but his looks, and a rumored relationship with a top-tier star he's never even met.
By riding on the buzz around his rumored relationship with the top-tier star, he manages to scrape by as a B-list celebrity.
Everyone in the industry looks down on him for his tacky stunts, but secretly envies him for proving that even infamy is fame.
Then one day, his rumored boyfriend announces a relationship without warning. His partner is Zhou Xuxi, the biggest rival he had before making his debut.
They have the same rich young master image, went to the same school, have the same classmates, and even the same scumbag father. They are sworn enemies, both obsessed with snatching up resources, brand deals, and everything else.
Ye Pengxi loses this round completely. His publicity stunt about a top-tier star he'd never even met earns him a full package of online hate, and his acting career ends right there.
With all his other options cut off, and his terrifying eldest sister waiting at home, too.
What a miserable life. He's totally screwed.
That's when Fu Ningzhuo appears. He's the biggest backer behind the book's heroine, a seriously powerful man.
The powerful Mr. Fu hands Ye Pengxi a contract and proposes to him. His reason: "Your gender works, and your background is good enough."
All right, then. He should thank his mother and his scumbag father for giving him that background.
Considering the generous payment in the contract, and that the powerful man could absolutely keep him safe,
Ye Pengxi happily signs. He becomes the powerful man's legal partner.
After the wedding, Ye Pengxi quickly realizes he's become a resource-backed celebrity. His rival has just proudly bragged about landing the male second lead in a movie, when the powerful man invests in a major production and casts Ye as the male lead.
His rival lands a luxury brand ambassadorship and posts all over the internet, insinuating that Ye is terrible at brand deals. The powerful man retaliates by landing Ye three global ambassador roles for top luxury brands, completely crushing the competition.
His rival shows off his romance with the top-tier star and mocks Ye for being unable to win his love and freeloading on his fame. This time, the powerful man doesn't even need to step in. Ye Pengxi simply posts his marriage certificate, then shows off his luxury cars and mansion, and the spectacular floor-to-ceiling view from the office of his top-tier star's boss's boss's boss, overlooking the whole city.
His rival appears on a couples' variety show with the top-tier star to flaunt their relationship.
Ye Pengxi is frustrated. What can he do about that? The powerful man won't agree to pretend they're a loving couple on a show.
Mr. Fu: I will.
Premise: Gold will always get a chance to shine
