Chapter 1

In the cold winter month of December, where every breath turned into ice, not to mention the continuous rain since last night, making the damp cold more unbearable than the severe chill itself.

Even with the warmth from the heater on the television studio, the cold water flowing from the tap was enough to make people shiver.

Yan Zhao splashed a handful of water on his face, and in an instant, from skin to bone, everything felt thoroughly cold.

He opened his eyes, and the person in the mirror looked excessively handsome. Just the affectionate peach blossom eyes were enough to make countless people scream.

Despite being good-looking, he still wanted his own face back. His original appearance wasn’t any worse.

“Yan Ge, that’s enough. Your face is turning red from the cold…” Assistant Zhong Ling handed him a clean towel, her tone uneasy. “I know you’re not happy, but you also need to take care of yourself.”

Yan Zhao took the towel and dried the water on his face. “I just have a bit of a headache. I came here to clear my head.”

Zhong Ling raised her eyebrows, looking worried, clearly not believing his words.

Yan Zhao smiled, “You don’t believe me? But what I said is true.”

Just a moment ago, he had received the small golden award representing the best actor, achieving a ‘triple crown’ in the awards, but the next moment, he found himself in an unfamiliar place, becoming another person. In his pocket, there was even a crumpled signed paper, and when he unfolded it, it turned out to be the last page of a divorce agreement. It was necessary to clear his head.

After uttering a few words to the assistant at his side, he had already guessed his identity — a supporting male character in a BL novel.

“Tycoon’s Abusive Love: The Runaway Star of the President” is a work published on Lujiang Literature City, combining elements of melodrama, advancement, counterattack, abusive love, and face-slapping. It clinched the crown for the Annual Best Nonsense Award and added a vivid stroke to the history of BL novels.

Yan Zhao is quite familiar with this book, not because it offers plenty of excitement or spares any cruelty in its portrayal of abuse but because there’s a supporting character in the story with the same name as him. Coincidentally, this character happens to be the one he transmigrated into.

Unfortunately, the Yan Zhao in the book is not a positive character; he’s a cannon fodder supporting male character.

The original body and the protagonist are designed as contrasting figures: the original body has a face that exudes a seductive and cheap aura, while the protagonist has a refined appearance, with only a pair of clear eyes leaving a lasting impression. The original hails from an intellectual family, showered with love from parents and an elder brother. In contrast, the protagonist comes from a poor background, with a mother disapproving of poverty and a father addicted to alcohol, enduring constant scolding. The original is arrogant and proud, speaking without thinking, while the protagonist is humble and calm, adhering to the motto “think thrice before acting.”

Despite being completely different individuals, they happen to be cousins and inevitably cross paths.

Initially, the original scorns the protagonist, but as the protagonist’s situation improves, jealousy festers within the original. He starts ridiculing and oppressing the protagonist unilaterally, resorting to devious means, going to extremes, as if he’s possessed.

He even snatches away the protagonist’s White Moonlight, marrying into a wealthy family and flaunting it in front of the protagonist.

Little did he know that the white moonlight was not the protagonist’s true love but just a passing figure in his life. On the day of the original body’s marriage to the white moonlight, the drunken protagonist, in a mess, encountered his true love at a bar. What followed was the protagonist’s journey of love, hate, intertwining emotions, and being tortured as a tragic actor.

Yan Zhao returned to the set to touch up his makeup. He closed his eyes while the makeup artist applied various cosmetics to his face. His hand was inserted into his pocket, fingertips pressing against that crumpled piece of paper.

After knowing the subsequent plot, the incomplete divorce agreement in his pocket felt like a small fireball, scorching hot. Fortunately, the signature page was still empty, which meant that Shen Yuanting, the protagonist’s white moonlight, had not received this agreement, or he disagreed with divorcing the original body.

Since they hadn’t reached the point of divorce yet, there was still time for everything.

“Okay, done.” The makeup artist sprayed setting spray on him and said, “No need to apply lipstick. The previous color was too old-fashioned. I looked at it, and your natural lip color was beautiful and suitable for the camera.”

“Thank you, Sister Wang.” Yan Zhao opened his eyes, smiled, and said, “You did a really good job.”

“Well, I’m known as the makeup master.” Sister Wang and he exchanged compliments. “But if it weren’t for your good looks, no matter how skilled I was, there wouldn’t be much room for improvement.”

Inside the studio, the lightings were bright.

There were four seats in the guest section, and Yan Zhao sat in the second one, accompanied by three teammates: the protagonist Ning Yunfan, the protagonist’s friend Qiu Chengtian, and the background character Fang Xingyu.

Yes, the original owner and the protagonist were in the same boy band, making it convenient for him to execute malicious plans.

And this section was when the original body accidentally saw Ning Yunfan’s medical case and forced him to sing a song on the show after knowing his voice had a problem. Naturally, Ning Yunfan provided material for various marketing accounts, constantly going off-key and out of tune, causing numerous fans to abandon him. He even fell seriously ill, although this illness also made the main Gong feel pity for him and later provided him with a lot of resources.

The show was divided into two segments, and they were currently shooting the second one. Ning Yunfan should have already messed up, and Yan Zhao couldn’t do anything to remedy the situation.

Most of the marketing accounts attacking Ning Yunfan were probably bribed by the original body. With the change in his position, the rest could be left to the manager and public relations team.

Yan Zhao pondered while the host held the microphone and said, “It seems like everyone is still savoring Yunfan’s singing just now.”

Ning Yunfan smiled, “I’m glad you all enjoyed it. There are more beautiful songs in ‘Here,’ hoping they can bring you happiness too.”

Yan Zhao raised his eyes and glanced at Ning Yunfan beside him.

Ning Yunfan, the protagonist, had a rosy complexion, a smiling mouth, and showed no signs of having messed up.

Ning Yunfan looked back, his eyes calm, suddenly smiled, and said, “Thank you all for your praise. I feel unworthy because my singing skills in the group are the weakest. Yan Ge, Qiutian, and Xingyu sing better than me, especially Yan Ge, who the teacher often praises.”

His speech was calm, with a steady tone, but Yan Zhao felt an inexplicable premonition.

Sure enough, Ning Yunfan’s next words were, “How about letting Yan Ge sing a song too?”

Wait a minute, this part wasn’t in the original plot. Did his transmigration cause a butterfly effect?!

Yan Zhao raised his eyebrow, and Ning Yunfan’s tone was firm, clearly confident that Yan Zhao couldn’t sing better.

With the precious opportunity at hand, is he waiting to receive a big package of negative news?

But facing a group of fans with expectant expressions below the stage, he couldn’t refuse directly either.

“I won’t sing,” Yan Zhao said.

“Huh? Why?” Ning Yunfan exclaimed, “Yan Ge, don’t be shy. You’re the powerhouse of our team.”

“Yeah, I feel the same way,” Yan Zhao responded with a thick skin, “But lately, I’ve been discovering my potential as a face value representative, and it’s not suitable to attract too much attention.”

“You’re already handsome enough, Zhao Zhao!” a scream came from the fans.

Yan Zhao smiled towards that direction and continued, “But I don’t want to let everyone down, so as a compromise, how about I play a song on the guitar for you instead of singing?”

The host joked, “Haha, maybe we should rename our show to ‘Talent Show.’ What do you think, director?”

The innocent director, prompted unexpectedly, replied, “As long as you’re happy.”

The show didn’t have a guitar, so someone was sent to borrow one.

While tuning the guitar, Yan Zhao sorted through the memories left by the original body.

Those fragments were mostly useless, but the experiences in music theory and dance were still there. As he touched the guitar, the musical notes appeared in his mind.

Yan Zhao already knew which song would be the safest to play.

After Yan Zhao tuned the guitar, the host announced, “Alright, next up, Yan Zhao from the Mu group started his performance with the guitar he snatched from someone next door, who preferred to remain nameless. Let’s welcome him with applause!”

Fans clapped in coordination, with mysterious signals like “Hong Yan/Zhao Hong is Rio” interspersed within.

As the applause gradually subsided, Yan Zhao, holding the guitar, plucked the strings, and a full, clear sound emerged.

Initially positioned as a singer in the entertainment industry, Yan Zhao learned singing, composing, and songwriting, achieving good results in the music industry. Even after transitioning to acting, he would casually hum and play the guitar in his free time, finding it relaxing.

For the performance, he cleverly chose a song that most fans were familiar with and had emotional connections to – Mu group’s debut song, “This Moment.”

As he played a short segment, longtime fans in the audience revealed surprised smiles, following the guitar rhythm and quietly singing along. Soon, more fans caught on, joining in with the accompaniment, and the collective singing filled the studio, echoing within.

When the last note landed, the hand on the strings paused, and the entire venue fell silent, as if immersed in the afterglow.

After a few seconds, applause surged like the tide.

…

On an inconspicuous platform inside the studio, a tall man lazily leaned against the wall, eyes closed. Shadows engulfed half of his face, accentuating his handsome features.

“Lao Shen, I never learned music. Give me an analysis of how well he played that guitar?” Sheng Xin leaned on the railing, applauding with the fans. Then, as if remembering something, he smiled, “But he surely can’t compare to my friend Xiao Ying.”

Shen Yuanting opened his eyes, the color of his irises extremely light, carrying a hint of distant coldness.

Below the stage, the young man placed his right hand on his left chest, giving the audience a gentleman’s bow. The gesture was not stiff but rather debonair, and the applause and screams threatened to overturn the entire studio.

Yan Zhao lifted his head, a smile playing on his lips, and the corners of his eyes naturally formed a gentle arc with his smile.

Shen Yuanting never understood why fans were infatuated with Yan Zhao, the scoundrel. Now, he found the reason. Under the spotlight, he was indeed somewhat dazzling.

With a sarcastic twist of his mouth, Shen Yuanting averted his gaze and walked away: “Let’s go.”

“Why are you in such a hurry?” Sheng Xin shouted, “We haven’t brought Xiao Ying’s guitar back yet!”

“Then you go get it.” Shen Yuanting stopped in his tracks, glanced at his watch, “I wasted enough time with you. I had more important matters to attend to.”

“Hey hey hey, I think our friendship has come to an end. My heart has been pierced by you a thousand times!” Sheng Xin, mimicking a distressed damsel, made a gesture of holding his heart. After Shen Yuanting impatiently uttered, “Hurry up,” he descended the stairs in three steps, heading straight for the guitar held by the backstage staff. He called out with a muffled voice, “I’ll be back soon, wait for me!”

Shen Yuanting impatiently exhaled and waited in place, while checking his phone messages.

The work group was silent, occasionally filled with subordinates discussing work matters.

Grandma sent him a message, asking how Xiao Yan had been lately, whether he was still as busy as before, and if there were any conflicts in their marital life.

Shen Yuanting told her that everything was fine, Yan Zhao was in a period of career advancement, very busy, and would come to see her after this busy period.

But the truth was, Yan Zhao was not inclined to waste time visiting his grandmother, and Shen Yuanting was not willing to let him disturb the elderly.

Initially, he was pressured by Shen Zhuo and Tang Jingyan, so he casually married a childhood neighbor with whom he had only a few acquaintances.

He no longer remembered Yan Zhao’s personality in elementary school. Anyway, it couldn’t be worse than now, perhaps good at putting on a facade, or else Grandma wouldn’t have been so persistent in remembering him all these years.

A new message suddenly popped up.

After reading the words on it, Shen Yuanting’s faint expression disappeared in an instant, turning into an icy cold demeanor.