After the Top-Tier Star Asked Me to Do His Nails

[Main story complete. Full text undergoing revisions. Pirated copies are not for reading.]

[Be sure to check the author’s notes. Free bonus scenes may appear there.]

★ Instinctive attraction | Adversaries in love | Mutual obsession | Healing

★ A languid, aloof, bratty bad boy x a sweet on the outside, wild at heart good girl

-

The band “Cover Line” hit its peak right out of the gate. The most popular member was its leader, Mu Yao. He had both looks and talent, and his sense of style was impeccable.

Fans could count on him to be a quality idol with great stage skills, but they couldn’t help feeling a little frustrated. He never did anything to please his fans and was so cold and mysterious!

He never appeared on any shows other than performances, and always covered himself from head to toe when he went out! Apart from his ever-changing hair color, which might as well have been a walking watermark, spotting him in public was all a guessing game!

But lately, the fans were celebrating because he appeared on a variety show. Only… after watching it, they decided maybe there wasn’t much to celebrate after all…

The host asked, “I’m going to dare to ask what everyone’s been wondering! Does the leader have an ideal type?”

Mu Yao replied without expression, “Yes.”

The host expected him to name some broad category, but then

Mu Yao said with a faint smile, “Lin Zhaoyue.”

–

Lin Zhaoyue had no formal training. Recently, thanks to connections in several places, she got a chance to play a supporting role.

Her debut flopped, and she went down with it.

Online commenters said, [Who is this? What is that acting?]

She wasn’t the only thing that flopped. The movie was a melodramatic, pretentious mess, and looked set to win this year’s award for worst film.

Just when she thought they were going to sink together and stay sunk, she suddenly became famous.

Famous for getting roasted!

What the hell was Mu Yao thinking? Why would he say something like that on a show?

That’s what she was thinking in her nail salon.

Not long afterward, the shop door opened and a man walked in. He was a new customer who’d come in for a manicure a few days ago.

“Here for a manicure?” Lin Zhaoyue smiled at him. “We’re closed for the day, so please come back tomorrow.”

The man sat down across from her, then took off his hat and mask. His red hair was dazzling, and beneath it was an extraordinarily handsome face. “Lin Zhaoyue.”

“…”

Lin Zhaoyue was completely stunned.

It wasn’t because he was Mu Yao.

It was because she wanted to know:

Why did seeing him make her want to kiss him so badly?

-

The day Lin Zhaoyue and Mu Yao’s relationship was confirmed beyond doubt, the whole internet exploded.

[Lin Zhaoyue should dump Mu Yao. Musicians can’t have an easy romance.]

[I knew something was up when he revealed his ideal type!]

[They’ll probably date for a few days. There’s no way a top-tier star would date a nobody.]

[Poor Lin Zhaoyue. Mu Yao looks like the type to give her the silent treatment.]

Just as everyone was waiting for Mu Yao to give her the silent treatment so Lin Zhaoyue could break up with him, a video surfaced online.

A woman sat on a man’s lap. A few inches of newly dyed silver hair peeked out from under his baseball cap.

The woman was shown only in profile, so her expression was hard to make out, but the man facing the camera was talking incessantly about something.

What he was saying was certainly intriguing, but that didn’t matter right then.

What mattered was that Mu Yao was freaking crying!

Online commenters: What happened to the silent treatment?

Meanwhile,

Lin Zhaoyue watched the video at home. “Everyone’s asking what you said back then, so what was it?”

Mu Yao gave a faint smile, then buried his face in her neck, which was covered in red marks. “I said, ‘Can I be on top tonight?’”

[[Bonus scene: Parrot edition]]

Mu Yao has a parrot named “Last Week.”

Last Week is a quiet, introverted bird who doesn’t like to squawk or talk.

One day, a lot of people came over to Mu Yao’s place.

Amid the lively chatter, a burst of electronic sound suddenly came from the bird stand in the living room

“Jerk, jerk, get out!”

“No, no, I just got here~~”

Lin Zhaoyue, Mu Yao: “…”

[Reader’s guide]

1. The male lead changes his hair color a few times and even gets manicures when he plays guitar. He’s pretty stylish.

2. Both leads are each other’s first and only, happy ending, and there isn’t much about the entertainment industry. After the female lead finishes filming the movie, she goes back to being a designer. The male lead isn’t an idol and isn’t based on a real person. This is a fictional world, so don’t associate it with real life. Expect both laughs and tears.

3. The female lead’s career involves nail art and wire filigree enamel, which will be described briefly in the story. The male lead’s heart condition is called ALCAPA, short for anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery. The author researched the medical details, but please don’t scrutinize them too closely. If you spot a mistake, kindly point it out.

▶▶P.S. The top and bottom references above are just flirtatious teasing. BGBG, and the male lead is a real dog.

▶▶P.P.S. You can insult the author, but don’t insult the female lead!!!

Next, a companion story: “A Billion Lumens,” also known as “After I Ticketed a Top-Tier Star’s Porsche Cayenne”

★ Marriage first, love later | Secret crush | Top-tier star x traffic policewoman

★ A saintly heart trapped in an emotionally unresponsive shell x a scheming, two-faced, troublemaking peacock

-

1. On an ordinary workday, Xiao Yuen saw a Porsche Cayenne illegally parked by the roadside and slapped a ticket on the windshield.

Just as she was about to leave, a tall man wearing a mask walked up beside her.

Xiao Yuen looked him over for a few seconds. “Are you the owner? You can’t park on this road. Be more careful next time.”

The man didn’t move. His pale eyes gazed at her as he stood there.

As Xiao Yuen wondered if they knew each other, several young women came running from behind her, charging toward the man like zombies who’d spotted a brain

They shouted, “Ahhhhh, Xie Ying!!!”

-

2. Not long afterward, for various reasons, Xiao Yuen and Xie Ying got married in a whirlwind.

Xie Ying was her ex-boyfriend’s classmate from high school, and a star admired by millions. He had a stunning, androgynous face and well-developed biceps. His fans called him “Muscle Kitty.”

According to his fans, Kitty had very high standards for himself and was extremely disciplined, eating only light meals year-round to maintain his appearance.

He was also picky and solitary, and rarely gave his fans any perks. Despite being so fit, he never let them see even an inch of skin.

But after marrying Xie Ying and living under the same roof, Xiao Yuen found that what his fans said was… not quite right.

He wasn’t disciplined at all. Every day when she came home late from work, he’d sit across from her at dinner and eat with gusto.

He wasn’t solitary either. At home, he was always dressed in… deep V-necks, tank tops, and shirts with the buttons undone, the neckline practically down to his navel.

“Xie Ying, winter’s coming. Aren’t you cold, dressed like that every day?”

Xie Ying looked at her, then drawled a few seconds later, “Nope. I’m Fire-element.”

Xiao Yuen: “…”

-

3. The two kept to themselves after getting married, until Xiao Yuen was the first to suggest they share a bed.

Xie Ying asked, “Are you sure, darling?”

Xiao Yuen answered sincerely, “Yes. We’re married, so there’s no need to keep sleeping in separate rooms, right?” She studied his expression. “Or do you not want to?”

Xie Ying propped his chin on his hand, unhurried. “No, I’m very willing.”

…

They each slept on their own side of the bed that night, amicably enough. But the next morning

For some reason, Xiao Yuen leaped out of bed. “Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?!!!”

Xie Ying rested his palm behind his head and said, looking almost embarrassed, “Oh, I forgot to tell you, darling. I have a habit when I sleep, ”

He curled his lips and enunciated each word. “I… sleep… naked.”

-

4. Later, after a long absence, Xie Ying released a new album.

At the livestreamed launch of the album,

Xie Ying was asked what the title of the lead single, “A Billion Lumens,” meant.

He replied, “A lumen is a unit used to measure the brightness of a light source. ‘A billion lumens’ describes how brightly my wife shines in my eyes.”

The room erupted.

The words “Xie Ying secretly married” shot to the top of the trending topics.

The livestream continued.

The host asked, “Is there anything you’d like to say to your wife right now?”

Xie Ying stared into the camera. “Yes. I want to tell her I regret it.”

Host: ?

Xie Ying: “The moment I fell for her eight years ago, I should’ve convinced myself to become the other man.”

Host: ???

[[Bonus scene: Each with their own agenda]]

Xie Ying: (secretly thrilled) I actually married Xiao Yuen.

Xiao Yuen: (thinking) Xie Ying is so rich. I’ll just take a class.

[Reader’s guide]

A secret crush that comes true from the male lead’s perspective; marriage first, love later from the female lead’s perspective.

They don’t get married at the very beginning. The early story lays the groundwork through a series of events.

Both leads are each other’s first and only. The female lead had a brief boyfriend during her student years. The male lead is faithful in both body and heart. The characters aren’t based on real people. Positive and uplifting.

Theme: Carry every ounce of passion in your heart and rise above your scars.