Stop Pretending to Be Sincere in Showbiz

[The hot-blooded racing novel Success or Failure is complete. If you're interested, check it out in my column! Red packets will drop in the comments from time to time. Come say hi!]

The year-end gala was packed with stars. Xu Jiyang, the hugely popular singer currently at the height of his fame, and Chen Siheng, the youngest actor in the country to win all three major film awards, were rarely seen together.

While waiting backstage, they didn't exchange a single word, acting so distant they could have been strangers.

But during the red-carpet event, when Xu Jiyang nearly tripped, Chen Siheng was the first to react. In full view of everyone, he reached out to steady him.

And Xu Jiyang instinctively tightened his grip on Chen Siheng's hand.

*

In just a few days, their combined popularity broke the ten-billion mark.

Later, they posed for magazines and appeared on variety shows. Though they rarely interacted, they always seemed to let an ambiguous atmosphere slip out at the most unexpected moments.

Their CP fans were going wild, and some netizens even dared to guess: Could they actually be together?!

*

Xu Jiyang knew it was all just a ploy to generate buzz.

Chen Siheng played along in front of the cameras, but always kept his distance in private.

After all, eight years ago, when Xu Jiyang was at his most helpless, Chen Siheng had walked away without hesitation, not even leaving a goodbye.

Yet when his manager asked if he wanted to set the record straight, Xu Jiyang answered with silence.

He couldn't make sense of his own heart.

Until, on his birthday, secretly taken photos suddenly exposed their relationship to the public.

Xu Jiyang was the first to issue a clarification, thinking that if nothing else, they could end things there.

But he had miscalculated one thing.

That night, rain poured down, and someone showed up uninvited.

A familiar breath brushed the side of his neck. Xu Jiyang's voice was cool. "What exactly do you want?"

"I regret it." Chen Siheng closed his eyes, struggling to control his emotions. His voice was hoarse. "Xu Jiyang, don't leave me."

A sharp-minded, finicky actor gong with something wrong with him in every way x a sometimes clever, easygoing workaholic singer shou who can switch to a fight-at-the-drop-of-a-hat attitude

[== Reader's Guide ==]

*[Both are each other's first and only][Slow burn]

*The story uses flashbacks and has a present-day timeline and a memory timeline. Chapters will be marked with N and P.

*The point of view shifts with the story. The present-day timeline mostly follows the shou, while the flashbacks mostly follow the gong.

*Not suitable for extreme character fans. If you don't like it, please leave without insulting the characters.

*All characters are fictional and have no real-life counterparts. Please don't associate them with real people.

Theme: There will always be someone who loves you.