A Midlife Star's Guide to Making a Comeback

[My new xianxia novel, "Immortal Maiden, Please Restrain Yourself," is now available. Welcome!] [Full-series subscribers, please enjoy the bonus chapters!] [See the reader's guide for warnings] After twelve years of ups and downs in show business, Jiang Xuehe finally decided to swallow her pride and take a risk, begging Bai Jiqing, the actress who co-starred in a film with her (and didn't like her), to fake a romance with her. Her manager said variety shows were the first step in faking a romance. If things went well, the two of them could enjoy a peaceful life together on the show, farming and weaving side by side... The only problem was that Bai Jiqing said, "I don't plan to go." * The film had a great script and a major director. It was Jiang Xuehe's last hope of reviving her stagnant career. Unfortunately, her fellow leading lady was the popular, award-winning actress Bai Jiqing, who would make her look like a mere background extra. Although they had both studied at the Central Academy of Drama, this was the first time Jiang Xuehe had met Bai Jiqing. The day after her request was rejected and her dignity lay in tatters, Bai Jiqing said, "Actually, I first met Sister Jiang in college. Her group held a book club, and I listened for two months before she finished reading Death in Venice aloud." * Manager: I'll ask the production team for you. Manager: She keeps saying she's going. Manager: You've been played! * #There's one thing I can't quite figure out: who's whose first love? * Bai Jiqing: "I've liked you for so long. Isn't that unfair?" Bai Jiqing: "We need to lay down a few ground rules." Having gotten the answer she wanted, Jiang Xuehe, who had been single her whole life, resolved to break free from convention and love her. She promised to communicate, cherish her, and never ask to break up lightly. The spoiled heiress Bai Jiqing was full of life in love, paying no heed to any real-world difficulties. Until, after Jiang Xuehe's career had revived and she had overcome countless hardships to become one of the fanbase's favorite "good brother-in-laws," she told Bai Jiqing: "This is as far as our fate goes. Let's move on." * Jiang Xuehe: "It's not a question of whether I want you. There are a lot of reasons, but you just don't care about them." #One thing's for sure: the most favored ones are bound to end up in the crematorium [Reader's guide] * Jiang Xuehe x Bai Jiqing: gentle, refined, and (pretending to be) aloof x arrogant, gorgeous, and (truly) sweet * Not mutually exclusive, not a typical crematorium romance, and not about an unforgivable mistake. It's more about the two learning to accommodate each other's personalities and turning reality into a fairy tale. [Warnings] The warnings above may not be prominent enough, so here's another warning: not mutually exclusive (highlighted). Bai Jiqing's characterization is controversial, and the crematorium is low-intensity. * Happy ending! Happy ending! Updated daily at 18:00, with chapters in reserve. * Weibo: @Jian Yinshan [Completed: "Naive," "I'm Not Into Older Women!" "Playing Hard to Get [Showbiz]," and "Confessing to My Childhood Sweetheart (Eighties). Come check them out~] Theme: Love and career are both things you have to take into your own hands