Falling for My Rival After Joining a Parenting Reality Show Together

My upcoming novel, What to Do When Your Rival's Rich Family Has the Wrong Baby, is expected to launch on December 16. The blurb is at the end.

Blurb:

A fiercely competitive attention-seeking shou vs. a cool, domineering, loyal puppy of a gong

Luo Xinghe is an idol who can sing and dance, full of youthful energy and sunshine, the typical cheerful boy-next-door. Chi Yizhou is a singer-songwriter with a quarter European heritage, deep-set eyes, a high nose, and mid-length curls. He's irresistibly swoon-worthy.

Both families are making the transition to film and television, and both men are rising young actors waiting for their breakout roles. They're destined rivals, each keeping a wary eye on the other, afraid the other will snatch an opportunity and use it to climb the ladder of fame.

The rivalry between their agencies affects the stars themselves, and they can't stand each other, either.

Luo Xinghe has no idea that Chi Yizhou is naturally introverted. He just thinks Chi is putting on a cold, aloof act and acting like a jerk. That stony face is irritating. Chi Yizhou doesn't know Luo Xinghe only pretends to be extroverted because he's afraid of awkward silences. He thinks Luo is like an electric heater with no sincerity, an over-the-top clown who just wants attention.

Whenever they meet, something they say is sure to trend, their fans will start a war, and blood will be spilled.

But because Luo Xinghe has a knack for attracting hate, he's always the one who gets hurt the most.

He really, really, really doesn't want to see Chi Yizhou. He wishes the man would disappear on the spot.

Then one day, his manager tells him he's been booked for a charity variety show featuring kids. Chi Yizhou has already signed on, and for the sake of his reputation and exposure, Luo Xinghe has no choice but to grit his teeth and join.

The show's director deliberately stirs up trouble, arranging for Luo Xinghe and Chi Yizhou to agree on a livestream to take care of the same child. Now that's what viewers want to see!

Chi Yizhou's manager acts all high and mighty, and that very day makes Luo Xinghe sign a non-aggression pact promising they absolutely won't fake a couple image.

Luo Xinghe: Fake a couple image? What the hell? I'm homophobic!

Chi Yizhou: What a coincidence. So am I.

The adorable Long Aido is a five-year-old boy, naturally extroverted and an unstoppable social menace. Sensing that the two men aren't getting along, he goes to great lengths to hold their little "family" together.

During a game, the little guy takes their hands and puts them together. "Big brothers, we're on the same team, so we have to work together! Hold hands and do your best!"

Luo Xinghe and Chi Yizhou suppress their indescribably awkward expressions as their trembling hands meet. Their palms feel like they've been struck by electricity.

While cooking together, Duoduo steams a sweet, fragrant white sugar cake. He lets Chi Yizhou take a bite first, then offers it to Luo Xinghe. "Brother Xinghe, you should try some, too."

Luo Xinghe looks at the bite marks left on the cake and swallows his humiliation as he takes a bite.

Seeing him really eat something he'd already bitten, Chi Yizhou feels his calm heart suddenly stir.

When they put on a show together, Duoduo says, "The three of us are the best in the world! Let's use Brother Yizhou's song and dance to Brother Xinghe's choreography. Perfect!"

Luo Xinghe teaches everyone the dance moves. He puts a hand on Chi Yizhou's waist and says disdainfully, "Tsk, you're stiff as a board."

Chi Yizhou refuses to take that lying down and reaches around his waist. "You think you're soft?!"

As it turns out, he really is soft.

The show becomes a huge hit, and Chi Yizhou and Luo Xinghe's popularity skyrockets. But their relationship becomes more and more suspicious. Their expressions and glances leave a lot unsaid, and clearly aren't entirely innocent.

While filming a cover featuring the three of them, they take part in a livestream interview. The reporter asks, "How would you describe your relationship now?"

Duoduo answers first. "The three of us are great partners!"

Luo Xinghe glances at the man sitting beside him. His shirt is buttoned up to his Adam's apple, and his proud, handsome face is expressionless, as cold and distant as ever.

But just moments ago, in the nanny van on the way here, the other man had pinned him to the back seat and kissed him passionately.

Chi Yizhou's wild, heated presence had invaded every inch of his space, practically melting him.

Luo Xinghe's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. He smiled and said, "We're just coworkers."

His fingers secretly scratched Chi Yizhou's palm. Chi grabbed his hand in one go, and Luo Xinghe couldn't pull it away again.

#Can a stone-cold man fall for an attention-seeker?

#When did the thorn in his side become the apple of his eye?

1v1, happy ending, both are virgins.

Reader's Guide:

1. [Important] Neither male lead is based on a real person. Under no circumstances should you associate them with anyone.

2. [Also important] This is an enemies-to-lovers story, and neither character is perfect. At first, they openly antagonize each other. Once they get to know each other, it's all sweetness, I promise! If it's not sweet, you get your money back! So please don't get too mad while they're still at each other's throats. Just laugh it off~

3. The inspiration for the male leads' names comes from the line "Drunk, I forget the sky is over the water; the whole boat is laden with dreams of stars," from Tang Gong's poem "On Qingcao Lake in Longyang County," from the Yuan dynasty.

4. Archived on December 18, 2022, and revised on September 18. The title and blurb may still change, since I'm terrible at writing blurbs TT.

1. What to Do When Your Rival's Rich Family Has the Wrong Baby

A mix-up between two real and fake young masters, haha~

Cunning, adorable, dramatic shou vs. clever, scheming, arrogant gong

Blurb:

Recently, paparazzi dug up a massive scandal involving two wealthy families:

The famous rivals of Jianghai City, the two business tycoons from the Zhuang and Yan families, had accidentally switched babies twenty-three years ago.

Zhuang Chengyue, a playboy notorious for his wild ways, should have been the third young master of the Yan family.

Yan Zhigui, a proud, calculating man who looks down on everyone, should have been the Zhuang family's precious grandson.

The two families had been enemies for years, and their children had always treated one another as rivals, clashing in business and getting into plenty of personal feuds as well.

Zhuang Chengyue had stolen the eldest Yan son's date, taken the second Yan son's beloved horse, and snatched a limited-edition car Yan Zhigui had his eye on. After smashing it to pieces, he'd sent it to him as a taunt.

Yan Zhigui had forcibly acquired the startup founded by the Zhuang family's eldest son-in-law, sabotaged the merger of the second Zhuang daughter's company, and beaten Zhuang Chengyue on the racetrack, forcing him to kneel on one knee in public and sing "I Surrender."

Whenever the Yan family mentioned Zhuang Chengyue, they sneered and called him "that wastrel from the Zhuang family."

Whenever the Zhuang family mentioned Yan Zhigui, they ground their teeth and called him "that little bastard from the Yan family."

Even though blood was thicker than water, neither could emotionally accept being returned to their birth family just yet.

The two business tycoons who couldn't bear to be in the same room held meetings for three days and nights before reaching a decision:

To keep the families' stock prices stable, they would keep the baby-switching incident secret for the time being. And so that both families could smoothly adjust to the change, the two young men would marry by agreement for a one-year term, with a huge luxury villa included as their temporary love nest.

Zhuang Chengyue and Yan Zhigui: ??? We're both straight!

The two families' elders: Sweethearts, come visit us often, with your significant others.

In Zhuang Chengyue's eyes, Yan Zhigui was the spiteful "Yan Turtle." In Yan Zhigui's eyes, Zhuang Chengyue was the smiling, knife-hiding "Pretend Good Boy." They weren't just enemies who couldn't share a room. They hated each other so much they wanted to tear each other apart just hearing the other's name.

But to keep their business empire from taking a hit and protect their inheritance from shrinking, they gritted their teeth and agreed to marry. Then they happily laid down three rules:

Zhuang Chengyue ordered imperiously: Stay away from me!

Yan Zhigui replied curtly: Get lost!

Some time later...

The elders of both families arrived at the huge luxury villa at the same time to visit the two children who never came home.

In the walk-in closet of the master bedroom, clothes that had been neatly hung up were scattered everywhere, and the clothes on the two men were in no better shape.

Their breathing was ragged, the atmosphere heated, and the temperature had reached its peak.

Skin pressed against skin, their tongues tangled together.

Zhuang Chengyue gasped, "F-faster, someone's coming..."

Yan Zhigui bit the back of his neck. "Got it."

2. My Aloof Senior Brother Always Drops By for a Meal

Pu Yu vs. Song Guyao (Gu is pronounced like "goo")

Sweet and obedient shou on the surface vs. aloof, ill-tempered amnesiac gong

Before they reunited, Pu Yu had only met his senior brother, whom he'd barely known, twice:

The first time, Pu Yu was ten and Song Guyao was fourteen. They cooked together in the kitchen, and Pu Yu accidentally poured cold water into a wok of hot oil. Oil splattered everywhere, and Song Guyao got a huge burn on the back of his hand protecting him.

The second time, Pu Yu was fourteen and Song Guyao was eighteen. Their master lost a public cooking competition over a dish of stir-fried pork kidney and tripe, suffered a heart attack, and died. Song Guyao, who had long since been expelled from the sect, rushed into the deserted courtyard dressed in mourning clothes. The stubborn young man slammed his head against the ground three times before his master's wife, his eyes red with anger, then spat up a mouthful of blood from his heart and fainted on the spot.

People said his senior brother was a rich second-generation heir who had mysteriously shown up as a child to learn cooking from their master. Their master had only reluctantly taken him on because of his extraordinary talent. Who would have thought the senior brother's family would drive their master into bankruptcy? It was the real-life version of Mr. Dongguo and the Wolf.

Before returning to her hometown, their master's wife gave Pu Yu two instructions:

"You're the only one who can carry on your master's reputation. Even if you can't make it big, you're his direct disciple, so you have to help restore his honor."

"You're kindhearted and innocent. If you ever run into your senior brother, stay far away from him. Don't let his tricks cloud your judgment, or he'll leave you with nothing."

Song Guyao lost his memories due to an illness and had a bad relationship with his family. He became aloof and ill-tempered, and was assigned to work at the family business. A perfectly good CEO, he wore earrings and a crew cut, embracing rebellion for its own sake.

In his eyes, everyone around him was rotten. His family was cold-hearted, and the staff were all spies. He was a lone wolf, and strangers should stay away.

Then one day, as he was walking down the street, someone suddenly dragged him into a restaurant to serve as a public judge in a cooking competition.

The food was truly delicious, but... the chef was even more tempting.

Song Guyao's eyes lit up. "I've seen this kid before."

When he found out how they were connected, his eyes lit up even more. "So he's my junior brother. Perfect. He's mine."

At first, Pu Yu firmly refused his senior brother's clinginess and habit of mooching meals.

But this rebellious CEO had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, and he was very good at using his looks to charm people. Whenever he showed up at the restaurant, he attracted plenty of customers.

Pu Yu was conflicted, tempted by his body, and eventually had to admit that his senior brother was objectively handsome, and the economic boost he brought to the restaurant was objectively impressive.

Not to mention the devilish whispers in his ear:

"Do you want to avenge our master?"

"Do you want to restore our master's reputation?"

"Do you want to enjoy my body even more?"

Pu Yu fulfilled the first of his master's wife's instructions, but failed at the second.

It wasn't because he was softhearted. His damn senior brother was just too clingy.

Even a virtuous woman can be worn down by a persistent man, and he wasn't even a virtuous woman.

All he could do when his senior brother pushed him too far was abandon his usual meek, obedient front and bite the other man's shoulder, his eyes red.

But Song Guyao only looked like he was enjoying himself. Clearly, it wasn't punishment to him. It was a reward.

Theme: Don't judge people by stereotypes. Make an effort to discover their strengths.