A Deep, Sweet Sleep [Entertainment Industry]

A sweet-loving, bitter-averse, sleepless top-tier star vs. a gentle traditional Chinese medicine doctor who likes making people drink herbal medicine

1.

As the most unusual figure in the entertainment industry, Shi Shangbai spent half of his first year as an unknown after his debut in cold storage. After becoming an overnight sensation, he took another six-month break. When he returned to the entertainment scene, he took it by storm and quickly announced he was in a relationship.

The woman in the relationship was neither a dazzling actress nor the daughter of a wealthy family, but a scholarly traditional Chinese medicine doctor who looked like a white magnolia.

It all went back to a recent visit Shi Shangbai made to a well-known traditional Chinese medicine clinic in town.

Everyone knew Shi Shangbai had a sweet tooth and hated bitter things, but few knew he suffered from a severe sleep disorder.

In the middle of the night, Shi Shangbai, who had never been much of a sleeper to begin with, climbed out of bed. “Seriously, what is wrong with this woman?”

It was bad enough that she seemed a little slow. She also went out of her way to chase after him and force him to drink herbal medicine. Heaven knew that the more he hated herbal medicine, the more he resisted that female doctor.

But, to his utter surprise, one day the herbal medicine seemed to have been switched for a love potion, and he drank it willingly...

2.

During an evening shift, Xinyi met Shi Shangbai. One moment, the superstar was appearing in TV commercials; the next, he was at her clinic, arriving with the rain. His words were full of barbs wrapped in silk, and he seemed just like a troublemaker who had come to wreck the place.

By chance, they agreed to work together for mutual benefit. She would treat his sleep disorder, and he would use his celebrity status to help establish her reputation.

But Shi Shangbai grew more peculiar by the day...

Not only did he always come back early after work, he also unfailingly turned into her personal bodyguards, watching her prepare the medicine. In short, he was afraid she would drug him???

Little by little, his shameless act turned into a burly man pouting for attention.

Xinyi was certain: He must be using his charms to get out of drinking the medicine!

Then news broke that they were living together, and Shi Shangbai talked Xinyi into joining a dating reality show...

The man completely changed his tune. In front of the cameras, he poured out his true feelings and declared his love like nobody else mattered. Netizens even joked that he had a crick in his neck, since whenever they were in the same shot, you never saw his face straight on.

His fans called out to him: [Bro, doesn’t your neck get tired?]

Xinyi sighed: He’s such a good actor!

3.

Recently, Shi Shangbai was nominated for Best Actor at the Chinese-language Film Festival for his leading role in a movie about traditional Chinese medicine. He and the film crew quickly began trending, and “passersby” looked at them through biased eyes and refused to give them a chance.

[You could get nominated just by signing up!]

[Shi Shangbai is so washed up, and nobody on the film crew has ever heard of them!]

Just as netizens were laughing that the nomination was nothing more than a formality, Shi Shangbai took home the Best Actor award. At the ceremony, when the host asked why he had taken the role, he smiled knowingly and lifted his eyes to the camera. “Because someone once told me that Shi Shangbai is also the name of a Chinese herb that treats illness and saves lives!”

Xinyi: The name of the magnolia flower bud used as medicine. It dispels wind and cold, and warms and opens the meridians.

Shi Shangbai: It grows along rocky cliffs. It clears the lungs and relieves coughs, detoxifies, relieves pain, reduces swelling, and fights cancer.

[The story next door, You Have a New Crying Order, is now available. Here’s the blurb. Please add it to your reading list.]

1.

As a student council representative, Duan Yifu spent all three years of high school either preventing students from dating or catching them at it.

The first time he caught Mo Deling breaking up with someone was on the sports field during gym class. “You don’t drink Mixue Bingcheng. We’re not right for each other.”

The second time was in the hallway after evening study. “Your Adam’s apple is too small. I’m not into that.”

The third time was at the hundred-day countdown ceremony. “Your surname is Wang. Our horoscopes don’t match.”

Duan Yifu was appalled. Could the reasons get any more ridiculous?

The most recent breakup, however, was serious, and it happened to him.

“Baby, we’ve graduated. Let’s break up.”

2.

They met again at a nightclub so loud it could shatter your eardrums. Mo Deling attended a gathering hosted by a friend, bringing along the fiancé she was preparing to marry.

On the DJ platform, surrounded by beautiful women, stood a man with a cold expression, curly hair, and tattooed arms. He was nothing like the model boyfriend she had dumped years ago. Back then, Duan Yifu was the perfect student, excelling in every subject and activity, but in private, he would cry right alongside her.

The sight of him in the shadows, eyes brimming with tears, looking utterly pitiful, stirred a nameless desire that had lain dormant deep inside her.

Just after midnight, she cornered him in the hallway.

“Your tattoos?”

“Temporary.”

“Your hair?”

“Also temporary.”

“I don’t know those women, either,” Duan Yifu clarified before she could ask another question.

But Mo Deling just smiled. “I was only asking out of curiosity. You thought I was jealous?”

The air around them seemed to freeze. Duan Yifu knew she had played him again. He was about to turn and leave when her next question muddled all his thoughts.

“Duan Yifu, do you still cry in bed?”

After that, the hotel became the only place they met.

[You have a new crying order. Please handle it promptly.]

Half a minute later.

[Room 3601]

Theme: Bitter medicine is good for you, and beauty is a feast for the eyes.