The Sickly Beauty Persona Is Unreliable [Entertainment Industry]

[The story is complete! Thank you for reading and for keeping me company.]

[Coming soon: Dating Criteria. Blurb at the very bottom!]

Chu Xiyao is beautiful, with slightly tousled bangs, alluring phoenix eyes, and vivid red lips. His voice even has a youthful quality to it.

His company built him a persona as a gentle, delicate beauty. During recordings, he would press his lips together and cough a couple of times now and then. His lips were a vivid red, and when he glanced up, a faint sheen of moisture seemed to linger at the corners of his eyes.

Fans: Our brother is so beautiful. His aura is amazing! Did he step right out of a painting?

Later, Watermelon TV launched a certain competition variety show, and Chu Xiyao became a regular cast member.

Before the second episode's livestream began, a greasy man in their group started harassing a new actor.

Chu Xiyao couldn't stand watching. He pushed the gold-rimmed prop glasses his manager had given him up onto his forehead, swept his bangs back in one smooth motion, and leisurely rolled up his shirt sleeves. Then he spun around and pinned the greasy man into a corner.

The "sickly beauty" curled his thin lips in mockery. "What's your problem, man? Got nothing better to do than act like a creep?"

A fan happened to pass by and witness the whole thing: (O!!O)

After that, Chu Xiyao repeatedly trended for standing up in private for actors who were being bullied.

Unaware of the news, he still coughed now and then during livestreams, the corners of his eyes red.

The guests in his group watched him perform with fond, motherly smiles.

Livestream chat: Well, would you look at that.

Livestream chat: Our brother really is a sickly beauty. Let him keep up the act!

Livestream chat: Nobody say a word. Let Yao Yao perform!

Livestream chat: Our brother is a sickly beauty!

Livestream chat: He's really getting into character. Let him act!

After filming wrapped, Chu Xiyao finally saw the comments section: ?

Everyone in the world except him and his childhood friend, his older brother, knew that his sickly beauty persona had collapsed. They had all been quietly watching him perform for ages, and were playing along perfectly.

Chu Xiyao: ...

Qin Lianzhou had been in the industry for years. To outsiders, he was always the refined, chaste heartthrob, and the person Chu Xiyao had looked up to since childhood.

Chu Xiyao was wild and mischievous, but whenever he saw Qin Lianzhou, he behaved himself. He also loved the way Qin Lianzhou treated him with gentle indulgence.

The two joined the same variety show. Around Qin Lianzhou, Chu Xiyao became even more obedient. Even when dealing with the greasy man who bullied the new actor, he quietly punched a wall in frustration instead of confronting him openly.

Qin Lianzhou treated him just as gently and affectionately as he always had.

Later, after the livestream ended, Chu Xiyao discovered that his sickly beauty persona had collapsed, and videos of him were flying all over the internet. That evening, he hurried to find Qin Lianzhou and explain.

Qin Lianzhou naturally believed him. He half-embraced Chu Xiyao and murmured soothingly, "Our Yao Yao is the most well-behaved."

Later, after getting together with Qin Lianzhou, Chu Xiyao came across his Weibo alt account one day and saw that it followed Chu Xiyao's own alt account.

The earliest likes went back to the embarrassing old story of Chu Xiyao falling out of a tree at eight years old and getting mud all over his face.

Chu Xiyao: (O!!O)

Well, would you look at that! Qin Lianzhou had known all along, and had played along with him for years!

He really was the only person in the whole world who didn't know his persona had fallen apart!

Bonus scene:

At a red-carpet event, Chu Xiyao exchanged a few more words than usual with a popular young actor.

Afterward, Qin Lianzhou was still smiling gently, but once they got home, he gripped Chu Xiyao by the waist, pinned him against the wall, and kissed him until he could barely breathe.

A moment later, Qin Lianzhou tugged off his tie, his low voice brushing against Chu Xiyao's ear. "Yao Yao, your eyes are red."

Chu Xiyao looked up in confusion, the corners of his eyes glistening with moisture, just like during the livestream.

A wild, mischievous, ridiculously good actor who turns into a meek little darling in front of the male lead, the receiving partner; and a refined, scholarly, icy heartthrob who watches his wife perform, but is actually possessive as hell, the doting, gentle pursuing partner.

Reading notes:

Each other's first love; childhood friends, with the pursuing partner older.

Sweet romance! The receiving partner has a mild everyone-loves-him quality.

No real-life inspiration. Please don't make assumptions!

[Coming soon]

Spoiled beauty and an actor who pretends to be obedient but is hard to tame

Song Zhaoye was handsome, with fair skin, red lips, and slightly alluring phoenix eyes. His gaze carried an innate flirtatiousness. He was also a highly talented young director, and was famous in the industry for his spoiled, willful personality.

At an awards ceremony, the famous director met an actor whose looks perfectly matched his tastes.

He was also a newly crowned Best Actor.

A few days later, the newly crowned Best Actor visited a friend's film set.

Song Zhaoye lazily took off his sunglasses and beckoned the tall man over.

He tilted his face up, chin slightly raised, his fair skin flushed from the sun.

He completely missed the heat in the man's eyes beneath his polite exterior.

Song Zhaoye's ideal partner was obedient and well-behaved.

Who could have guessed that before long, the newly crowned Best Actor would pin him against a desk, leaving him red-faced as he tried with all his might to push the man away?

The man not only refused to leave, but grabbed his hand, bent close to his ear, and called him "baby."

Half a month later, the famous director decided to break up with his disobedient boyfriend. He had barely begun to bring it up when he was kissed until tears ran down his face.

His boyfriend kissed him and coaxed him at the same time, but still wouldn't do as he was told.

Qin Chuyi couldn't be bothered to inherit the family business, so he went straight into the entertainment industry.

The day he won Best Actor, he fell in love at first sight with a young man. The boy was beautiful and spoiled, and made him want to tease him.

He found an excuse to visit the set, waiting for the person he liked to call him over with an imperious air.

The Best Actor reined in his sharpness, put on a meek expression, and added him on WeChat.

A spoiled, beautiful director as the receiving partner, and a brash, hard-to-mess-with Best Actor as the pursuing partner.

The pursuing partner is very good at acting.

Theme: Kindness and love.