The Makeup Guru's Beloved Days Between the Worlds of Yin and Yang

Xiao De was a highly skilled makeup artist. He had worked on several horror films, yet he still couldn't learn how to do ghost makeup.

As a result, actors looked down on him, the costume designer chewed him out, and his coworkers spread rumors about him. He could only work as a useless little assistant on low-budget productions.

Then one night, he accidentally stumbled into a formation, where three red-robed vengeful ghosts drooled at the sight of him.

Xiao De: "...Wait, isn't this exactly where inspiration comes from?"

The next day, his ghost makeup made half the room burst into tears.

*

Everyone knew that Xiao De, who'd been rumored to be all looks and no talent, had suddenly hit his stride. He went from a lowly makeup assistant to the special effects team leader for an internationally acclaimed director.

A petty coworker couldn't stand it and angrily posted online: This is corruption! I'm in the industry, and there's no way he did those makeup looks himself!

But that one sentence brought countless big names out of the woodwork:

A top stylist: We're having a few problems with the makeup for our supernatural drama. Could Teacher Xiao come give us some guidance?

A famous director: When are you free, Teacher Xiao? I'll save the position of makeup designer for my new film for you.

An old celestial master from a Daoist sect: We have a salvation ritual tomorrow, and a few little ghosts specifically asked for Teacher Xiao. Come help them fix up their remains and appearance.

Even the award-winning actor Duan Xun replied: As expected of my wife.

Onlookers: "...?!"

This was one huge scoop.

[Sunny and cheerful but always unlucky makeup artist bottom x serious, aloof, three-time Golden Award-winning actor top who doesn't have long to live]

*

That day, Xiao De found a boarding pass in a cave.

The passenger was himself, and the date was eight years ago.

But he hadn't even been on a plane that year.

He had never been to that cave, either.

To uncover the truth behind his memories, he traveled across the country, exploring strange, weathered mountain sanctuaries:

Hebei, the Ghost Altar and Skeleton Forest in the Taihang Mountains [Complete]

Yunnan, the Stalactite Corpse Tree in the caves of Xishuangbanna [Complete]

Hunan, the Bronze City deep in the Wuling Mountains [Complete]

Shandong, the Peach Blossom Realm of Daiyu in the Penglai Immortal Lands [Complete]

He saw the green mountains as they had always been, and they welcomed him as they always had.

Amid layers of lies, what was true and what was false? Among the shifting figures, who was drunk and who was clear-minded?

The human world was a mix of illusion and reality, but Xiao De wasn't afraid.

Because he knew that there was always someone behind him who would lead him home when he got lost.

[Reader's Note]

One-on-one, happy ending, plot-focused, modern alternate universe, and the main cast are all good people. The romance is a little slow-burn. It's a genre mash-up, with adventure at its heart, plus power progression, showbiz, and supernatural elements. All characters and locations in the story are fictional, with no real-life inspirations. There are plenty of liberties taken, so please bear with the lack of scientific accuracy.

[Completed and ready to binge, ending soon] Director of Admissions at the Underworld's Third-Tier College

Su Zhen had barely graduated from college when three troubles came his way:

1. His dad ran off, leaving him drowning in gambling debts;

2. The internet industry was in a slump, and none of his job applications got a response;

3. He could see ghosts, and one of them talked him into becoming the director of admissions at some third-tier underworld college.

He looked at the computer lab with only two computers, professors who didn't know how to use Word, PowerPoint, or Excel, a receptionist who used an abacus to keep the books, and what they called a wall of honor, or rather, an honor roll of principals...

Su Zhen: Is this a real university?

Jiang Qi: I'll advance you 300,000 to pay off your debts.

Su Zhen: I'll take the job today!

As it turned out, Dr. Jiang had a good eye for talent.

No students? Director Su takes on jobs left and right, turning suspected ghosts into model university students!

No campus? Director Su visits a haunted house three times and gets a luxurious penthouse without paying a cent!

No funding? Director Su livestreams late into the night. His "Down-and-Out Programmer Catches Ghosts Live" channel gains a hundred thousand followers overnight...

Later, one university made headlines around the world in the Underworld University Rankings.

In just one year, it went from an unknown third-tier college to one of the world's top 100!

At the insistence of elites from all walks of life, the Underworld Envoy went through quite a bit of trouble before managing to interview a postdoctoral researcher from the school.

Underworld Envoy: How did your university achieve such incredible success?

Jiang Qi: It had nothing to do with our school. It was all thanks to my boyfriend.

The next day, Underworld University of Science and Technology shot to the top of the living world's trending topics:

#Good news for Chinese people who didn't get into college! You can still attend this university after you die

#The Must-Visit Universities of the Afterlife ranking is out, Underworld Science and Technology takes first place worldwide

#That postdoc spoils the director of admissions so much. Give me a dozen boyfriends like him, please

Su Zhen: Uh, did I go a little too hard on my first job?

Jiang Qi: Hmm? Does it hurt?

Su Zhen: I didn't mean you went too hard!

Aloof genius postdoc with a mysterious past top (Jiang Qi) x sunny, optimistic, always unlucky director of admissions bottom (Su Zhen)

One-on-one, happy ending, modern alternate universe, ghost-catching, running a business, power progression, face-slapping, feel-good wish fulfillment

[Come check out my new book, I Voluntarily Take on Disciples [Body Swap]]

Aloof and low-key, fugitive prince of the demon clan, master geomancer (bottom) x needs a beating every three days or he'll walk all over you, arrogant and hot-tempered young heir (top)

Two thousand years ago, a Daoist predicted that a calamity shaking all of China would soon arrive, and only the demon prince could save all living beings.

Two thousand years later, Qi Shen, branded a villain by humans and wanted by the Bureau of Demon Affairs, entered the human world under the alias of a geomancer to set up a formation.

Then he swapped bodies with a mad young master who was terrified of demons and had killed countless demons on the battlefield.

Qi Shen: "..."

Qi Shen: "So, can you take these handcuffs off me?"

Yan Xiao: "No. Not until you explain why the great demon who killed over a hundred of my comrades three years ago looks exactly like you."

One-on-one, happy ending, modern alternate universe, mystery, urban monster-hunting, body swap, feng shui and the occult, younger top.

Theme: The brave are the first to enjoy the world.