Chapter 1: Waking Up in a Different World”

“Please, be careful and don’t push!”

“Baby, look at me!!! Honey!! Big brother!!—”

“Seriously, stop pushing me! Chi Yizhen hardly ever travels without VIP treatment. Can you guys please show some order?!”

It was five o’clock in the afternoon at the Capital Airport, and Chi Yizhen was getting ready to board a flight.

For most of the year, he either worked on film sets or stayed at home, and his schedule was kept private. Even if fans managed to find his flight details, he usually went through the VIP channels.

This time, Chi Yizhen had just received the Best Actor award at the “Golden Shadow Awards” and was planning to return home. He had originally intended to follow his usual routine.

However, his agent thought that since it was the end of the year, it would be nice to satisfy the fans’ curiosity for once. Little did they know the extent of the chaos it would cause.

As a top-tier actor, Chi Yizhen had always kept a low profile.

His early years as a child model were brought back into the spotlight when he debuted in films at the age of fifteen. Over the years, there had been hardly any scandals associated with him. The only drawback was his reluctance to expose his private life.

Almost no one believed that he had a fatal flaw as an actor, which was his fear of the rapid clicking sound of cameras. Initially, he resisted being photographed during film shoots, but over the years, he had become desensitized to it and could even attend award ceremonies. However, apart from serious film projects, he stayed away from variety shows and magazines.

Despite winning numerous awards and nominations for his acting skills, Chi Yizhen lacked fashion endorsements and luxury brand deals. Fans from other fandoms mocked him for being the kind of person who refused to attend events due to fear of cameras.

He was truly camera-phobic.

Next year would be an exception as it marked Chi Yizhen’s tenth year in the industry.

The company had finally negotiated with Chi Yizhen to organize a fan support event for his tenth anniversary.

They had planned to let Chi Yizhen experience the enthusiastic love of his fans starting from the end of the year at the airport.

Unfortunately, even when Chi Yizhen chose not to go through the VIP channel, he concealed himself thoroughly. He wore a hat, a mask, and a long trench coat, revealing only his eyes.

But even just those eyes were enough to excite his fans.

After all, Chi Yizhen naturally possessed a pair of soulful eyes, the type that could kill with just one glance, as they put it.

He was somewhat helpless.

An assistant handed him a bunch of coriander, its aroma rich, with a card on top filled with heartfelt wishes from his fans.

Chi Yizhen sighed, nodding as he moved forward. Despite reminders from his team for fans not to use their cameras when picking him up at the airport, the sound of shutters still reached his ears. It was enough to make his hair stand on end, and he took a deep breath, trying to lower his discomfort.

The human wall formed by security guards had distorted expressions, clearly unable to withstand the overwhelming presence of both male and female fans in equal numbers.

This was definitely not the small-scale event that had been agreed upon!

From one side came shouts, “Zhen Zhen! Take good care of yourself!”

Chi Yizhen replied, “I will.”

From another side, someone said, “Zhen Zhen, you’ve worked hard in filming. Go home and enjoy the New Year properly!”

Chi Yizhen nodded vigorously, saying, “Thank you.”

Suddenly, in the distance, the sound of a bullhorn echoed, playing on a loop:

“Chi Yizhen, you’re locked in! You have ten seconds to tell us your ideal type!”

That bullhorn had a bit of a street vendor’s flavor, and Chi Yizhen instinctively raised his eyes. Among the crowd of female fans, there was one with fiery red hair, and her voice was as passionate as her hair.

Laughter erupted, with other fans telling her to turn it off quickly.

Assistant: “First time seeing this…”

The manager covered his face, saying, “Why does this feel a bit embarrassing?”

Chi Yizhen, now twenty-five years old, had transitioned from being the best-looking child model to a top youth sensation in movies, and now he had the appearance of a young adult. Despite reaching the legal marriage age, he had never been linked to any romantic partner.

The fans he attracted ranged from younger to older, from calling him “big brother” to “little brother,” and strangely enough, the people he drew never seemed to be married. They were the classic “I grew up watching your movies” type of fans.

Unlike idols who were restricted from dating, he, on the other hand, was just too mysterious, and there was hardly any insight into his private life. This only fueled people’s curiosity.

He did have someone he liked.

Is there someone?

Could this heartthrob who never attends premieres or variety shows really be interested in someone?

The manager had collected the most frequently asked questions about Chi Yizhen from all over the internet, and coincidentally, this bullhorn question was one of them.

Right now, the manager glanced at his artist and asked, “Do you want to answer?”

The crowd was getting more and more crowded, and there were onlookers behind who had no idea what was happening.

The manager, who had been bumped into and was now holding his phone, occasionally glanced at Chi Yizhen.

Chi Yizhen swayed, and his phone dropped to the ground.

Countless pairs of eyes were fixed on the screen of his phone, which was currently displaying:

“《After Transforming from a Top Scum, I Became the Top Star in the Entertainment Industry》Chapter 3.”

The security guard who was puzzled couldn’t help but chuckle.

Once Chi Yizhen boarded the plane, the fans behind began to chat and discuss:

“What does that have to do with his ideal type? Can I still learn to make braised duck now?”

“You’re silly! It’s said that this is a fanfic created by antis, where they’ve put our Zhen Zhen’s name in as a miserable white moonlight character.”

“Oh, I remember that fic. It’s super melodramatic, but I followed the updates. I wonder if Zhen Zhen has seen the recent chapters…”

“It seems like he only saw up to Chapter 3, I just checked.”

“This fic is obviously a Mary Sue story. The protagonist is too overpowered with that system. The ‘top’ character seems brainwashed, I wonder if he’ll wake up in the end…”

“Come on, that ‘top’ character is no good. It’s a trash character. I really feel sorry for the white moonlight character!”

“They even cut off the story! I heard it was originally a story about a real or fake young master, but the spotlight ended up on this ‘top’ scum, and they never revealed the truth. I was really looking forward to the real young master!”

Chi Yizhen remained blissfully unaware as he continued reading web novels after boarding the plane.

The manager asked, “Doesn’t it bother you to read a novel where the supporting character’s name is just one letter different from your own?”

When the superstar wasn’t working, he was immersed in playing otome games and didn’t really care about these things.

It was the first time he had read a feel-good story set in the entertainment industry, and he found it quite interesting.

“I saw someone in the comments mention there’s a bit part character who sells braised duck, and coincidentally, I like to eat that. Is it okay if I take a look?”

Chi Yizhen removed his mask and hat, revealing an exceptionally beautiful face.

Describing a man as “beautiful” might seem a bit excessive, but his appearance fell somewhere between youthful and mature. Even at twenty-five, he still exuded a youthful charm. Especially that small mole on the tip of his nose added a touch of innocence to his demeanor, making people naturally drawn to him when they spoke to him and subsequently captivated by his presence.

Manager: “This web novel is quite long, and there is indeed a character with a name similar to yours. Just enjoy it as a spectator and don’t get too wrapped up in it.”

Chi Yizhen brushed away some stray hair from his forehead and nodded in agreement.

The author of this book was probably quite young, and their writing style was rather naive. Chi Yizhen had read about a dozen chapters, all of which delved into the psychological complexities of the protagonist, You Yuxing, and his love-hate relationship with the ‘top’ scum character who initially treated him as a substitute.

This type of inevitable character development seemed to be quite popular nowadays, and Chi Yizhen found it rather engaging. However, as he continued to skim through the later parts, it was hard for his attention not to focus on the character in the story who resembled him quite closely.

The supporting character with a name just a letter different, “Chi Yishen,” was really in a pitiable state.

It was just too tragic.

Being pursued by the ‘top’ scum character had led to their family’s ruin and left them burdened with an astronomical debt?

Chi Yizhen felt frustrated for quite a while and finally decided to play a mobile otome game to lift his spirits.

This web novel couldn’t compete with the charm of the paper-thin, ideal-type corporate worker characters that were completely to his liking in the game.

After all, these characters had looks that were off the charts, were thrifty and diligent, exuded a touch of sweetness, and their side-story voice lines, with their cheesy and corny confessions, oddly struck a chord with Chi Yizhen’s preferences. He had fallen into the game at lightning speed and had already climbed to the top of the server’s pay-to-win rankings.

It was easy to fall asleep on a plane, and Chi Yizhen dreamt of his ideal husband, with his gaze hazy, unexpectedly pure during kisses, and when Chi Yizhen pushed him away, he would cling back.

At this age, there was nothing wrong with having such dreams.

But why did it feel so unsettling when he woke up?!!

Chi Yizhen looked in terror at the face right in front of him. The owner of this face, despite having their eyes closed, still possessed an exaggerated level of handsomeness.

Absolutely! This was the face of a paper-thin character come to life.

Chi Yizhen’s face and body felt scorching hot, not to mention the overwhelming sensation of the person next to him moving. He instinctively moved back, but to his surprise, he stumbled and fell to the ground.

The only thing unclear was now gone.

A small advertisement placard on the bedside table fell, bearing the words “Spring Tide Hotel.”

Chi Yizhen stared at the placard for several moments and realized that this was indeed a high-end hotel.

The dynamic screen on the side displayed a price list, with the lowest rate being a five-figure number.

Perhaps it was the commotion caused by his fall from the bed that woke up the person lying there. A pair of hands fumbled around on the bed, searching for something.

The other person turned over as well, and one hand hung in the air, falling and hitting the edge of the bed. The pain caused the man to grunt, and he opened his eyes.

And that’s how Chi Yizhen found himself face-to-face with someone who was clearly not in their right state of mind.

Chi Yizhen was dumbfounded, and so was He Tiao.

“Ahhhh—!”

Chi Yizhen watched as the handsome man’s face contorted in anguish as he loudly wailed while wrapping himself in the blanket. Unfortunately, even in distress, the man’s voice remained deep and couldn’t evoke any sympathetic feelings.

Instead, it made Chi Yizhen want to laugh.

What on earth is going on here?!

The man leaned against the headboard, clutching a pillow and wrapping himself in a blanket, warily eyeing Chi Yizhen, who was sitting on the floor in a nonchalant T-shirt.

This person had a handsome face but gentle features, and Chi Yizhen hadn’t expected him to have such a deep voice.

“Where is this?”

“Who are you?”

Perhaps seeing someone even more flustered than himself, Chi Yizhen’s initial panic at waking up in an unfamiliar place started to ease slightly.

“Hello, it seems like this is a high-end hotel?”

Now, the question was: What is my relationship with this person?

Chi Yizhen stood up to find his pants. He had just put on a shirt that had fallen off the bed, but it didn’t fit him at all.

It was way too big and made his currently slender figure even more pronounced. From his neck to the unbuttoned shirt revealing his collarbone and the bruises on his thighs, it was hard not to let one’s imagination run wild.

The person on the bed was completely bewildered. He glanced at Chi Yizhen, then at the hotel sign.

He Tiao felt his headache intensify. Even though he hadn’t been in S City for long, he wasn’t very familiar with this area.

He had just chatted with Mr. Zhang, and now he woke up next to a man?

He Tiao’s gaze remained vacant as he silently stared at the other person in the room, who was wearing only a shirt and searching for his phone.

This person was really thin, was he even an adult?

He Tiao fell silent. He calmly covered his face with a pillow, but in the next moment, the pillow was swiftly taken away.

A beautiful face entered his field of vision, accompanied by the other person’s melodious voice.

“Sir, may I ask how much for one night?”