Read this novel in Chinese previously. Definitely one of the best yaoi entertainment type stories.

Both characters are adorable and their interaction is <3

I'm so conflicted about this novel. On one hand, I don't really like the relationship between the MC and the ML. I feel like it's too shallow and bland. On the other hand, I absolutely adore the MC's career line. Honestly, if this book just focuses on the MC acting, I feel like I will love it so much more. That aside, I can't bear to rate this novel 4 stars because I keep coming back to reread the MC's showbiz journey, so I'll give it 5 stars instead.

This is a showbiz story through and through! The focus of the novel is on the movies enacted by the MC, with the romance and the drama of showbiz acting as fairly prominent subplots. It kind of disseminates the whole showbiz scene? At least, by exploring the stories of the characters in movies as well as the actors that play in them.

CHARACTERS: 4.5/5

General Thoughts:

AHHH! The main characters in this novel are a breath of fresh air. The MC is a very realistic transmigrator that regressed in age (he... more>> doesn't lack the maturity of someone his mental age should have -- which is a fault of a lot of similar stories). And in contrast to him was the shockingly outwardly-stoic-but-inwardly-a-maiden ML LOLOL, who brought that hint of youth and freshness into the story~ The side-characters were great too, of course! I can tell the author worked hard to make them seem like real people -- even the cannon fodders had their own stable character settings.

Rong Xu (MC) :

The MC is a transmigrator who was a highly respected actor in his previous life. In this new life, he ends up in the body of a similarly named young master (who has nothing to do with the showbiz industry). Pitted against by his relatives, he decides to give acting another try!

He's very calm. Definitely not your average protagonist. It's why I don't necessarily think the cast are the stars in this novel. As a protagonist, the MC doesn't immediately catch your attention, but the more you get to know him, the more you'll like him!

Qin Cheng (ML) :

At first, you might think that he's your average ML LOLOL! He certainly looks like it outwardly. He has serious facial paralysis and is unable to express himself outwardly. He falls in love with the MC at first sight but stoically pretends to not even care for him. Etc. Etc. LOLOL, BUT this ML is actually an adorable young-maiden type inside! His duality makes for a lot of great scenes -- most of which are humorous (giving this mature novel a bit of freshness) but also some that are just super sweet!

Oh, and as for his character settings~ He's also a young master in this novel, and his mother was friends with the OG!MC's mother. He had never met Rong Xu before, however. Since he was too busy with his acting career (he's at the top of the top!)

SETTING: 5/5

Although the setting is fairly vanilla, the work the author put into making the readers understand the showbiz industry definitely wow-ed me~ It's not my favorite aspect of this work (I like the ML too much for that LOLOL), but it's certainly my second favorite!

ROMANCE: 4/5

As mentioned, the romance is mostly a subplot in this novel~ But, with the uniqueness of the main characters' dynamics, I ended up liking it more and more. At first, I was iffy on it, but sooner or later, Lotus Seed with Orange Stuffings won me over ;)

PLOT: 4/5

The plot here is more chill than usual so you might find yourself getting bored at some parts if you aren't interested in the stories of the film. I honestly don't have much to say about it? I just think that it's the kind of novel you pick up on a day when you just want to relax and are not looking for anything too complicated.

RATING: 4.25/5

This was a good read for me! But, since I didn't finish (I only read up to the manually translated parts), I can't say how much I would have liked it if I read it till the end. Still! I do highly recommend this story~ Especially for the ML (hehe) and the worldbuilding! The stories the author tells through the movies and television shows were also really good and worth reading on their own!

RANDOM RATINGS:

• Personal Enjoyment: 4.5/5
• Literary Level: 4.5/5
• Humor Level: 4/5 (this story has some pretty funny scenes!)
• Angst Level: 3.5/5 (although the overall mood of the novel is light, the stories inside of the story were mostly tragic T.T prepare for feels!!!)
• Heat Level: 2.5/5 (this novel has a couple of PG-13 scenes, and maybe even more than that in the future??? I rated it like this just in case, but all I really saw were steamy kissing scenes~)

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It's pretty good if you're looking for face slapping and stuff or just an MC who's succeeding in life, would've given it a higher if there wasn't just a teensy bit of racism, there's plenty of pretty privileges shown too.

Also the ML falls really fast because pretty people privileges so if you don't like that I recommend not reading this.

I recommend not reading the side cp near the end, because that sh*t made me so frustrated and for good reasons too.

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Spoiler

The side cp getting together was just really poor decision making of the author tbh.

Kerry literally r*ped Lin then insulted him verbally because he wasn't attractive and was fat, but now 14 years later seeing Lin is now pretty he suddenly realizes he was in love with the Lin 14 years ago?? I call bs on that.

Overall this side CP just seems a bit TOO superficial for me.

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Chapter I'm up to: 35/

Personal rating: 3/5

Honestly, this story is nothing particularly special or ground-breaking.

It follows the trope where an experienced actor/singer/martial artist dies and is reborn again as an obscure newbie, and starts their legacy again from the ground-up. For some reason, BL authors seem to love this trope (perhaps because it's essentially a power fantasy?).

Here, MC was former OP actor, now reborn as a teen and proceeds to act his way into fame. Each arc focuses on a new drama/movie, where MC proceeds to blast his way through with his OP acting skills and each time get amazing ratings and newfound wechat followers. Somewhat boring to read.

MC is well natured, cutesy and somewhat sly.

ML is outwardly cold but secretly doting. And creepy, although the author tries to paint his obsession as cute.
Why creepy? ML barely interacted with MC (who is also technically underage to boot) but he instantly fell hard for MC. ML secretly stalks MC, creates fangirl accounts for MC... and even purchases several of MC's prospective rental properties to force MC to continue living with ML. Um, no thanks. It'd be tolerable if the author just didn't try to force the reader into thinking this was funny/romantic/cute. At this stage, I'd rather the ML not exist and just read about the MC doing his own thing.

≧ω≦!!!!I wanna have my very own cute orange flavored bun ML to tease! I also want to be a high class person in this world so I can shower these actors that I love with all of heart and be able to watch their movies and/or TV Shows multiple times!!!
I really didn’t want to start binging at first because I had a feeling I won’t be able to let go AND I WAS RIGHT!!!!! Now I gotta wait for moreee 😣😫😫

So good omg. ML is so cute ahhhhhh. MC and ML are perfect for each other. I would've liked to read more about what happened to the Rong Company though.

Ahhhh!!!!! Why is the gong so cute??? This whole novel is full of fluff. My situation was like those fans in the novel while reading this novel.

I love it so much.

Super cute, lots of cute interactions so far.

waiting for the translated version because mtl isn’t that good of style for me personally. Can’t wait to see future development in their relationship!

I have read this novel three times already. What makes me keep coming back? There are a lot of reasons.

The MC and ML are more than just likeable, especially the ML. At first glance, he is your regular cold ML, but then you find out that he is quite earnest in how much he likes the MC and doesn't shy away from expressing his adoration and love in the cutest ways possible. He isn't overbearing and listens to our MC while also keeping his own opinion instead of just turning... more>> into a wife-s*ave.

I also found myself loving a lot of the side-characters, mainly the Crazy Qin/Qin crazy group. They are a funny bunch and their interactions with Qin Cheng (ML) don't get boring. Lin Xiao also gets his own story in the extra chapters which turned out just as engaging as the main storyline.

The thing most memorable, however, that makes me keep coming back are the different drama and movie plots throughout the novel. I loved both dramas and almost all the movies Rong Xu (MC) acted in. They were well thought-out and I won't deny that I have cried because of some of them.

I assure you you won't regret picking up this novel. <<less

For me, this is a perfect story. It has the perfect romance:comedy:drama ratio.

There are plenty to laugh about. Moments where you cringe out of sweetness and times where you tear up.

Rong and Qin are definitely one of my fave couples. They complement each other’s character very well. You wouldn’t expect Qin to be like he is in Weibo (reminds me of Xiao and the ML of Rebirth of the Supermodel- another story by the same author). You just can’t help but love them.

Lastly, there are a lot of side character... more>> interactions and we even see some of their backgrounds- Lin Biao qaq. I cried.

This story is precious and is a must read. <<less