My First Love Comforted Me on a Variety Show

The award-winning actor Cen Lianzhi was born with a bewitching face. His peach-blossom eyes could leave anyone dazed at first glance. But he never thought before he spoke, and his public image had been branded with one huge label: "Liar." The most famous example, and the one people loved to make memes about, was the line he was always saying: "I have a sweetheart overseas!" But given his reputation, nobody took him seriously. Then one day, a variety show centered on friends traveling together announced Cen Lianzhi as a cast member. When it came to the friend he was bringing along, he tagged Zhuang Shiyan, a man he'd never had any connection with. Zhuang Shiyan had just returned to China to take over as company president. With looks that rivaled any celebrity and a decisive, ruthless approach to business, he was the talk of the town. According to people in the know, he hated being approached and pestered. At one gala, he'd made no effort to hide his cold expression. When the news broke, netizens gaped. "President Zhuang, how did you end up on a show with him? If you've been kidnapped, blink twice!!!" When the show finally began, netizens flocked to the livestream, expecting a spectacle. They thought they'd see Cen Lianzhi groveling and sucking up to Zhuang Shiyan. Instead, he barely gave him the time of day, occasionally throwing out a few sarcastic remarks with a faint smile. And Zhuang Shiyan, who was usually so aloof, didn't scowl at all. Instead, he was uncharacteristically patient, granting Cen Lianzhi's every request and taking meticulous care of him. When Cen Lianzhi coughed, Zhuang Shiyan hurried to make him pear and white fungus soup. When Cen Lianzhi finished showering and didn't feel like moving, Zhuang Shiyan silently started drying his hair. When Cen Lianzhi casually mentioned what he wanted to eat, Zhuang Shiyan went out early the next morning to buy the freshest ingredients at the market... The netizens were surprised to realize that Zhuang Shiyan's image seemed to match the sweetheart Cen Lianzhi was always talking about more and more. The antis were certain: "I don't buy it. This is obviously a fake relationship for publicity!!!" The show ended, and everyone assumed the two would never see each other again. But by chance, Zhuang Shiyan appeared in Cen Lianzhi's livestream. They watched as Cen Lianzhi abandoned his usual persona and openly flirted with him, acting boldly, smiling suggestively, and looking at him with unmistakable seduction. Zhuang Shiyan, meanwhile, had lost all his usual composure. To everyone's surprise, he turned shy and flustered, and after a long struggle, could only manage: "...Stop messing around." The antis completely broke down. The CP supertopic was celebrating like it was New Year's that very day. Someone posted anonymously on Zhihu: "I'm in the industry, and I have a stake in this. All I can say is that Cen Lianzhi really does have a sweetheart, and between the two of them, the sweetheart was the one who pursued him!" Netizens: "Did we need you to tell us that?! Everyone already knows!!!" Coming soon: My Only Goal Was to Retire, But I Became Famous Online. Please add it to your collection! After completing countless missions in various worlds, Shen Yixun was finally allowed to retire. But a mistake by the Main God caused him to transmigrate into a book, becoming a washed-up, universally hated side character. The little nobody had no talent, and was also hopelessly lovesick. He was devoted to a good-for-nothing scumbag who did nothing but manipulate him, and eventually lost his life because of it. Shen Yixun was disgusted. What kind of man was worth crawling after? He'd worked himself to the bone for years. Now all he wanted was to lie down. But one look at his bank balance was enough to make Shen Yixun lose it. His retirement plan had gone bust. He had no choice but to keep working... People said his acting was terrible and he was nothing but a pretty face? He turned an insignificant supporting role into the sweetheart of countless viewers. People said he sang off-key and not even autotune could save him? The theme song he wrote, composed, and performed himself went viral after its release, inspiring covers all over the internet. People said he was useless and couldn't do anything? A survival show in the wilderness, where he'd been cast as little more than greenery, found him so capable that the other contestants begged him to team up with them... The antis tried another angle, claiming he was incredibly boring off camera and had no marketable persona. Who would remember him after a while? But then Shen Yixun casually reposted a Weibo post and won a giveaway with thousands of entries. After praying over and over, he drew the worst possible result in a lottery. After seeing this happen again and again, netizens were stunned by his extreme luck, good and bad. Guessing the results of his draws in his livestream became a regular feature. He himself became the poster child for "Schrodinger's luck," and reposting his pictures became a way to open a lucky-draw box. Netizens said: "How could we forget him now? We'll think of him every time we enter a giveaway!" As he grew more and more famous, offers for collaborations came pouring in. Yet Shen Yixun, whose reputation had long since turned around, appeared in public less and less often. At last, an interviewer who'd managed to book him asked, "You haven't taken on any work for a while. Are you working on yourself so you can get better opportunities?" Shen Yixun shook his head vigorously. "No, no, no. The only reason I work is so I can retire." Netizens at first: "Why hasn't this useless guy retired from showbiz yet?" Netizens later: "I admit I was too harsh before. Please come back and do something soon!!!" Shen Yixun and Fu Yanzhou acted together in a movie. After its release, netizens couldn't stop shipping them, but the antis mocked them mercilessly: "Who does he think he is? Stop reaching for the stars!" Then, during a red-carpet livestream, a camera in the corner caught Fu Yanzhou pinning Shen Yixun against a wall backstage. Ignoring Shen Yixun's struggles, he gripped his chin and kissed him. When they were done, Fu Yanzhou caught the fist Shen Yixun swung at him and coaxed him fondly. "I was wrong. Once we're home, you can do whatever you want to me." The comments exploded, and netizens went wild over the couple. "No! What is it that us fans aren't allowed to see?!" "Oh my god, is this the sexual tension of a real couple?!" After transmigrating into a book, Shen Yixun unexpectedly discovered that his former little apprentice had come along too. Shen Yixun at first: "Great! I can spend my retirement with my sweet little apprentice!" But later, his eyes were red as Fu Yanzhou pinned him to the bed, their fingers intertwined, and had his way with him. Shen Yixun couldn't understand how his sweet, well-behaved little apprentice had turned out like this. All he could do was scold him without the slightest authority: "Don't you know your place... You damn dog, get off me..." Theme: Don't let outside influences change you. Stay true to yourself.