A Survival Guide to Becoming the Center of a Survival Show

[Complete] Coming soon: A Boy Group Competition Story and Fake It Till You Make It [Entertainment Industry]. Please add them to your reading list! Blurbs at the bottom~ The hit talent show Star Project announced a special trainee. Gu Xingyi, a celebrity kid who shot to fame as a child thanks to a movie role, suddenly vanished after the role became a huge hit. After years away from the spotlight, he reappeared on the stage of a talent show, leaving everyone stunned. Some said he was wasting his talent and connections; some said he was just seeking attention and using the show to engineer a comeback; others said he had long since fallen out with his family and was an ungrateful, thankless brat. They claimed he had only joined the show because his family had thrown him out and he had no choice but to try to earn a living in entertainment. Rumors were flying everywhere. When the show aired, the camera settled on a face that was cool, focused, and so beautiful it was impossible to look away. Born into a family that drew everyone's attention, his father was a renowned director and his mother a multi-award-winning actress. Everyone assumed Gu Xingyi was destined for a dazzling future. Only Gu Xingyi knew how stifling his childhood had been. His father was obsessive and quick-tempered, while his mother was gloomy and taciturn. Acting, once his passion, had become a nightmare under the pressure of his family's near-perfectionism. Then one day, his consciousness awakened. He was this world's chosen one, blessed by fate. Every hardship he had endured had been paving the way for his success. As long as he made it through, his future would be bright. But he chose to leave. It took him six whole years to escape the grip of fate, going from the chosen one who had basked in everyone's attention to an ordinary man no one had ever heard of. Now he has chosen to step back into the spotlight. And to reach the very top. Reader's Guide: 1. A feel-good story about climbing the ranks. The setup draws on traditional idol survival shows, with some original elements. There is an ensemble cast, but the male lead is unquestionably at the center. 2. The male lead isn't perfect. He's stubborn to a fault and looks cool, but he's actually very cuddly. He will debut in the center position, but he isn't an all-rounder or an overpowered ace. His specialty is dance. Also, he's incredibly good-looking and the undisputed visual center. 3. The male lead has just turned eighteen when he joins the show. He's young and well-behaved, and everyone comes to love him later on, so he's also the group's darling. 4. The world and background are the same as in the author's series, From Talent Show Trainee to Top Star. [Important: As the story spans a long period of time, the male lead's story is split across two novels. This one has no romance and ends after the group debuts. The second, The Imperfect Actor, starts when the male lead transitions into acting and includes a romance between men. The male lead's future partner appears once in this novel through their professional overlap, with no romantic development. Please keep this in mind if that bothers you.] Coming Soon Coming soon ①: A Boy Group Competition Story, a boy group competition variety show with no romance. Blurb: The story of a D-list boy group trying to make a comeback. Coming soon ②: Fake It Till You Make It [Entertainment Industry], a romance between men and a sequel to this novel. Blurb: The fans of Gu Xingyi, a top-tier star and idol in the Chinese entertainment industry, thought the sky had fallen. Reason one: Their wildly popular, impossibly handsome idol, hailed as everyone's dream man, had agreed to take on a more mature role, and his co-star wasn't any of his popular ship partners. Reason two: His co-star was a stuffy, pretentious, boring-looking older man who wasn't even famous. Most importantly: They had a grudge against each other. The fans of Fu Cheng, a respected actor and top-tier star in the Chinese entertainment industry, also thought the sky had fallen. Reason one: Their idol, who became famous as a teenager and excelled as both a director and actor, had made his debut in a highbrow arthouse film and never fallen from grace. Now he'd agreed to take on a more mature role, and his co-star wasn't any of the actresses his fans had most wanted to see him paired with. Oh... he was a man, too. Reason two: His male co-star was a pretty-boy idol with a flood of publicity, endless hot topics, and rumors of diva behavior. Most importantly: They had a grudge against each other. Gu Xingyi, a top-tier idol in the Chinese entertainment industry, had a face of peerless beauty but a cold personality. His most famous moment came at an awards ceremony one year, when he completely ignored Fu Cheng, the senior who presented him with the Best Newcomer award. When Fu Cheng tried to hug him and offer congratulations, Gu Xingyi even turned away. The incident hit its peak in the interviews after the ceremony. In a random interview afterward, Fu Cheng smiled and said, “Everything went well tonight. I just missed out on a hug, which was a little disappointing.” From then on, the two fandoms, who had previously had nothing to do with each other, became bitter rivals. When news broke that the two had agreed to take on more mature roles, both fandoms erupted. But after days of furious fighting, when the movie finally came out, the fans fell silent as they watched the scenes on screen. Gu Xingyi fan: ...Oh no, my idol looks even more gorgeous than ever. Fu Cheng fan: ...Oh no, this character of my idol's is kind of swoon-worthy. - The arthouse film Spring Tide was shelved for two years after production, then became an instant hit upon release. Made by a renowned director, it had top-notch atmosphere and storytelling, and countless critics hailed it as a masterpiece. The two leads' performances were especially seamless, a work of art. The fans of the pairing were going wild. Even the solo fans who had initially refused to accept it reluctantly admitted the film was outstanding. Once all the conflicts had faded, only one question remained: what exactly was going on between the two leads? According to the timeline, Spring Tide had already wrapped filming by the time that awards ceremony took place. Countless theories emerged. Then one day, a secretly recorded behind-the-scenes clip from the set leaked. The clip was dimly lit. The beautiful, quiet young man had just woken up. His eyes were lowered, and he looked dazed and slow to react. The man rumored to be on bad terms with him had sharp features but a tender gaze. He watched him for a while, then asked, “The first snow is falling. Do you want to go see it?” He held out a hand, apparently offering to take his hand. But it was held too far behind him, making it look more like he was inviting the young man into his arms. The young man stared blankly for a long moment, apparently not having heard him clearly. Then, as naturally as could be, he followed the man's posture and buried his face against the man's waist. Fu Cheng x Gu Xingyi A genuinely gentle, sharp-tongued actor who wholeheartedly indulges his husband x a truly obedient top-tier star with a peerless face who only pretends to be cold and aloof An old flame catches fire. Older man/younger man, with an eight-year age gap. They fall in love while making a film, with a play-within-a-play in the early stages. Theme: Brave people aren't afraid to start over.