"If you're not dead, get up and keep drinking!"
"Now that we've got Shen Lian in our hands tonight, he's in for a world of hurt."
Raucous jeering exploded in his ears. The young man slumped in the corner slowly opened his eyes.
Lights flashed inside the private room, illuminating a scene of wild revelry.
Without exception, everyone was watching him with malicious glee.
Shen Lian frowned and shifted position.
Hold on a second.
Shen Lian spent several minutes absorbing the unfamiliar memories in his head before finally confirming that he had transmigrated into a novel.
The original Shen Lian shared his name and also worked in entertainment, but he was a notorious, universally despised nobody at the very bottom of the industry.
In his previous world, Shen Lian had long since become a superstar.
He had gotten into a car accident on his way to an awards ceremony. When he opened his eyes, he was here.
The original Shen Lian had debuted through a talent show with plenty of fans and opportunities. With some care put into his career, he might not have reached the top tier, but the top three tiers were certainly within reach. And what had he done instead?
Somewhere along the way, he had turned into a lovesick fool and fallen for Zhou Tangsi, the novel's protagonist gong.
But Zhou Tangsi already had a canonical partner: Zheng Ge, who had recently been making waves in the entertainment industry.
Zheng Ge was irresistible to everyone. Not only had he bewitched Zhou Tangsi, he had also won the affection of another important character in this world, Chu Yilan.
But the canonical couple was set in stone. Chu Yilan was destined to pine in vain and serve as a whetstone for the two protagonists' relationship.
After everything he went through, he ultimately turned to darkness and ended up burning himself to death by the sea.
As for the original Shen Lian, he did not even qualify as a whetstone. He was just a pathetic little simp hanging around Zhou Tangsi.
Zhou Tangsi liked seeing Zheng Ge get jealous, so the original Shen Lian came running whenever he called.
What followed was the melodramatic routine of Zhou Tangsi grabbing Zheng Ge by the shoulders and shouting, "Let me explain!" while Zheng Ge wept torrents of tears and cried, "I won't listen! I won't listen!"
Then the two would struggle into each other's arms and kiss through their tears, whether by the roadside, beneath a pedestrian overpass, or outside their company's entrance.
Meanwhile, the original Shen Lian was repeatedly dragged onto the trending lists and torn apart for constantly "coming between" Zhou Tangsi and Zheng Ge. Any goodwill the public had toward him was long gone.
The standard ending for a simp.
At this point in his recollection, Shen Lian picked up the drink on the table and downed it.
Everyone around him gaped.
And tonight was the pivotal moment in the original Shen Lian's descent into hell.
According to the novel, Shen Lian had come tonight to discuss a potential collaboration and drink with his prospective partners, hoping for a chance at a comeback. He had never expected to fall into the villain Chu Yilan's hands.
Chu Yilan would not let him off.
Because he had just been discharged from the hospital after being disfigured.
Three months earlier, everyone had gone to a mountain resort. That night, Zheng Ge had been locked inside his room, and someone had set a fire.
While trying to save Zheng Ge, Chu Yilan had been struck by a plank falling from the roof beams. His face had been covered in blood when he was taken to the hospital, and word was that he had been disfigured.
This was also a major turning point in Chu Yilan's life. His damaged appearance made many people afraid at the sight of him.
The arsonist was supposedly the original Shen Lian, but the surveillance cameras had malfunctioned that night, leaving no immediately available evidence.
That part was questionable. Of all the memories Shen Lian had received, that night alone was a blank.
But it did not matter. The original Shen Lian had taken the blame anyway.
Add that to all the times he had offended Zheng Ge before, and how could Chu Yilan possibly leave those old and new grudges unavenged?
The original Shen Lian knew he had reached a dead end. Perhaps he had bottled things up for too long, because he lost his mind that night.
He pointed at Chu Yilan and unleashed a barrage of insults, calling him an "ugly freak" and declaring, "You'll never measure up to Zhou Tangsi."
Every word hit a land mine.
And so, after that night, the original Shen Lian vanished from the entertainment industry entirely, saddled with an enormous debt.
He also had a heart condition. Later, in his rundown rented room, he received news that Zhou Tangsi and Zheng Ge were apparently engaged. He failed to catch his breath and died.
Yep. Classic cannon fodder.
But no need to panic, Shen Lian thought. Watch me work.
Shen Lian grabbed the man sitting closest to him and asked, "Did I just insult anyone?"
If he had already insulted Chu Yilan, there was no point putting on a performance. He might as well lie down peacefully and wait for the end.
The man froze, then looked at him in disbelief. "Did you drink yourself stupid? Just try insulting someone!"
Good. He had not insulted anyone. Shen Lian relaxed. The most suicidal scene had yet to happen.
The next second, every light in the room switched on. It was so bright that Shen Lian had to raise a hand to shield his eyes.
Through the blur, a figure slowly approached.
Even without the other man speaking, Shen Lian felt every hair on his body stand on end. That oppressive presence seeped into his bones.
Once his eyes adjusted and he got a clear look at the man before him, Shen Lian froze.
The man looked about six foot three and wore an expensive, bespoke suit. Despite the chaos around him, there was not a single crease out of place on his clothes.
His features were sharply defined and striking. A slightly prominent brow ridge cast heavy shadows over his eyelids, and his hair was cropped close. There was nothing soft or rounded to temper the lines of his face, leaving him looking dark and fierce.
A jarring scar ran from beneath his left brow down to his cheek, making him look even colder, like a frigid, fathomless pool.
Anyone else would have been trembling in their boots at the sight of Chu Yilan.
But Shen Lian... snapped his legs together!
What was I supposed to be doing again? Shen Lian's mind raced, only to come up with absolutely nothing.
Truth be told, he was gay.
He might look wild and untamable, but his sexual orientation was firmly toward men.
Still, liking men and having a man he actually liked were two different things.
Even harder to admit was that Shen Lian preferred being the one on the bottom.
Unfortunately, his fierce reputation preceded him. Once he became a superstar, everyone around him was either deferential or fawning. Not one of them could keep him in line.
Sometimes, Shen Lian felt sorry for himself. Surely he could not go to his grave without ever getting a taste of a man?
At the same time, he was exceptionally picky. He would rather grow old alone than settle.
Then, at this very moment, he met Chu Yilan.
He suddenly understood the purpose of his transmigration.
Seriously, Chu Yilan looked like he'd been custom-made for every one of my kinks!
What did that mean?
A tiger returning to the mountains. A starving wolf sinking its teeth into meat.
Chu Yilan noticed the shifting emotions in Shen Lian's eyes, but he did not care. He picked up a glass of liquor from the table and poured it over Shen Lian's head.
The room fell silent, save for the faint trickle of liquid.
Everyone expected Shen Lian to cry.
Indeed, in the original plot, this was precisely what made the original Shen Lian lose control of his emotions and court death.
But Shen Lian remained on the sofa without so much as lifting his ass.
He and Chu Yilan quietly studied each other.
He's different now. Chu Yilan frowned slightly.
That tiny shift in his expression was enough to make Shen Lian lick his lips before he could stop himself.
Then he swept his disheveled hair back, exposing his smooth forehead.
Only now, under the bright lights, did everyone realize what Shen Lian actually looked like without that timid, ingratiating smile.
His affectionate eyes held a seductive edge when he smiled. Whether from hurt feelings or the sting of the liquor, their corners were now flushed red and beaded with moisture. His brows swept like bamboo strokes, lending his handsome features just enough clean elegance to temper that hint of haughty wantonness.
Then Shen Lian smiled. He seemed entirely unbothered by Chu Yilan's hostility and raised a hand to undo two buttons.
His collar was soaking wet and terribly uncomfortable.
Once he was done, Shen Lian leaned back against the sofa, tipped his head up toward Chu Yilan, and gently raised a brow. "Feel better now?"
Everyone: "..."
Have you lost your mind?!
Before you continue