The Virtual Idol and Her Manager Fell in Love

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(Actually, this was a spur-of-the-moment story written because a friend requested it.)

After Xia Ye refuses to accept an unspoken casting demand, the whole internet is flooded with smear campaigns against him. He is not only forced to terminate his contract and leave the industry, but is also saddled with enormous compensation fees.

By chance, he sees an audition notice from a virtual idol company. And the agent in the promotional video is none other than Li Zhiyan, his childhood friend who once pulled him out of the mud?!

And, well, Xia Ye used to have a crush on him...

On the day of the audition, Li Zhiyan is utterly cold and seems not to recognize him at all. His merciless verdict is simply, "Not bad."

Just when Xia Ye is about to give in to reality, he unexpectedly gets a call from Li Zhiyan. "Congratulations, Xia Ye. You passed the audition."

It seems the two of them are about to reunite after all these years...

Xia Ye sulks. "So you gave every artist the same assignments."

Li Zhiyan: "That's my job..."

Xia Ye: "And you don't even remember me."

Li Zhiyan: "No, I always remembered you!"

With his outstanding singing voice, tsundere chatterbox personality, and unique takes on games, Xia Ye gradually becomes the most popular member of the group...

*

They say the best hunters often appear as prey.

Xia Ye pretends to be drunk and collapses into Li Zhiyan's arms. "Actually... I like guys..."

One schemes with ulterior motives, the other plays hard to get. Neither wants to be the first to confess...

Until Lu Fei, a newly debuted junior, publicly "confesses" to Xia Ye at the company.

Li Zhiyan: ? I can't let him steal you away. I'm confessing.

Lu Fei: ?? I didn't mean it that way.

*

Xia Ye has always thought that Li Zhiyan, his childhood friend and secret crush who once saved him, had only helped him out of kindness.

Little does he know that Li Zhiyan fell in love at first listen with the voice of a junior named Xia Ye long ago.

Xia Ye: "I've been meaning to ask, you don't seem like the type to meddle in other people's business."

Li Zhiyan: "I only meddle in yours."

Xia Ye: "So you admit you knew me before?"

Li Zhiyan: "I heard about you in the homeroom teacher's office. There was a handsome but wayward middle schooler named Xia Ye."

He didn't tell the whole story. For example, their chance meetings were deliberately arranged, saving the damsel in distress came straight from the heart, he chose to be Xia Ye's tutor because he wanted to, and pulling him out of the mud was something he was determined to do.

And so, step by step, Li Zhiyan made a place for Xia Ye in his life...

Reading guide:

1. A workaholic x a ray of sunshine, reunited after a breakup

2. 1v1, two capable leads, sweet romance | mutual pining

3. Includes an ensemble cast of virtual idols and flashbacks to their school days

4. Possible content notes: After graduation, the shou's virtual idol identity will be revealed; the secondary couple, Lu Fei x Feng Gu, may have a switch dynamic. More notes may be added later.

Premise: The light of righteousness will eventually shine across the land