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Little Madman's Guide to Acting Good
Chen Qizhao was reborn and returned to the age of 18 when he was still the wicked little overlord of the Chen family.
At this time, his brother hadn’t experienced a car accident while his parents were in good health and weren’t seriously ill. The Chen family was still the prosperous Chen family and everyone thought he was a good-for-nothing who was useless and easily taken advantage of.
“He only knows how to quarrel with his older brother every day. He is arrogant and willful!”
“He looks good, but unfortunately, he is an idiot.”
“Isn’t he a useless person? Just serve him well.”
“It is a pity about that child of the Chen family.”
There were the group of scoundrel friends who were full of thoughts, the rats eyeing him covetously and the old, cunning people who were secretly scheming.
Chen Qizhao put on a mask of arrogance again. ‘Do you like acting so much? Why don’t we act together?’
It wasn’t until later that everyone discovered that at the end of the play, they would either go bankrupt or be imprisoned.
At this time, his brother hadn’t experienced a car accident while his parents were in good health and weren’t seriously ill. The Chen family was still the prosperous Chen family and everyone thought he was a good-for-nothing who was useless and easily taken advantage of.
“He only knows how to quarrel with his older brother every day. He is arrogant and willful!”
“He looks good, but unfortunately, he is an idiot.”
“Isn’t he a useless person? Just serve him well.”
“It is a pity about that child of the Chen family.”
There were the group of scoundrel friends who were full of thoughts, the rats eyeing him covetously and the old, cunning people who were secretly scheming.
Chen Qizhao put on a mask of arrogance again. ‘Do you like acting so much? Why don’t we act together?’
It wasn’t until later that everyone discovered that at the end of the play, they would either go bankrupt or be imprisoned.
- GenresM M RomanceContemporary
1015 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2022
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 28, 2025
➺
4/5🌟
I've already read quite a few rebirth danmei and this is one of the better ones. There are rebirth stories where the protagonist just didn't want to repeat the same mistakes from their last life and chose to avoid them, or not taking the initiative to attack the villains as long as they're not provoked. But this one focused more on revenge. Well, if he really wanted to have a good second life, no amount of avoidance could help him and only revenge can really make him achieve a peaceful life. Actively making a move is the only way so retaliation is inevitable.
Maybe what I loved the most about this novel is the realistic family dynamic. Chen family is the perfect example of 'not liking your family doesn't necessarily means you don't them'. After losing his family in the first life one after another you might think that after the MC was given a chance to go back in time, he would rushed to hug his family and show them how much he loved and missed them. But no because that's not him. He has a tough and stubborn personality and his loss and rebirth wouldn't be able to change his core behavior. He's quite distant with his family even in his first life and I'm actually glad that it was not an instant loving family after he came back. The MC, his brother and his father are all emotionally awkward and it's really fascinating to see them quarelling but deep inside, they care for each other so genuinely. The family part is actually my favorite part of this novel.
The romance might not be the focus of the story, but I'm still glad it's there because the MC really need this balance in his emotions. To exact his revenge, he's given all his energy, physically, mentally and emotionally, and having the ML by his side who's like his silent comfort really helped him a lot. It's a really slow burn romance and it's just perfect for his situation.
The main villains are also not brain-dead. They're all smart and calculative, because if not, the whole Chen family would not be caught unaware of their conspiracy in the first life. Even with how clever and ruthless the MC is, his biggest advantage is really his knowledge about the first life and also that his wit is hidden well, so he's mostly underestimated. But if the fact that he's the mastermind is out in the open, it would be harder for MC to achieve his goal.
I highly recommend this one to everyone, as long as you're emotionally stable. This one really hit hard in some parts.
I've already read quite a few rebirth danmei and this is one of the better ones. There are rebirth stories where the protagonist just didn't want to repeat the same mistakes from their last life and chose to avoid them, or not taking the initiative to attack the villains as long as they're not provoked. But this one focused more on revenge. Well, if he really wanted to have a good second life, no amount of avoidance could help him and only revenge can really make him achieve a peaceful life. Actively making a move is the only way so retaliation is inevitable.
Maybe what I loved the most about this novel is the realistic family dynamic. Chen family is the perfect example of 'not liking your family doesn't necessarily means you don't them'. After losing his family in the first life one after another you might think that after the MC was given a chance to go back in time, he would rushed to hug his family and show them how much he loved and missed them. But no because that's not him. He has a tough and stubborn personality and his loss and rebirth wouldn't be able to change his core behavior. He's quite distant with his family even in his first life and I'm actually glad that it was not an instant loving family after he came back. The MC, his brother and his father are all emotionally awkward and it's really fascinating to see them quarelling but deep inside, they care for each other so genuinely. The family part is actually my favorite part of this novel.
The romance might not be the focus of the story, but I'm still glad it's there because the MC really need this balance in his emotions. To exact his revenge, he's given all his energy, physically, mentally and emotionally, and having the ML by his side who's like his silent comfort really helped him a lot. It's a really slow burn romance and it's just perfect for his situation.
The main villains are also not brain-dead. They're all smart and calculative, because if not, the whole Chen family would not be caught unaware of their conspiracy in the first life. Even with how clever and ruthless the MC is, his biggest advantage is really his knowledge about the first life and also that his wit is hidden well, so he's mostly underestimated. But if the fact that he's the mastermind is out in the open, it would be harder for MC to achieve his goal.
I highly recommend this one to everyone, as long as you're emotionally stable. This one really hit hard in some parts.
November 6, 2025
A rare gem among rebirth novels!
Typically, protagonists wake up ten years earlier, fully prepared to seize their second chance, no matter how tragic their past. But this is the first time I've encountered a traumatised reborn protagonist who continues to struggle with severe anxiety and mild depression. Furthermore, he’s now painfully aware of what’s coming, which keeps him in a constant state of high stress, vigilant to every detail. This relentless pressure takes a toll on his health, and once his mission is complete, his mental state collapses as he loses his sense of purpose. "I was reborn, took revenge, now what?" This realistic character arc and logical plot progression are a breath of fresh air.
I was deeply invested in this story. The romance was extremely slow burn, yet it remains thoroughly satisfying!
Typically, protagonists wake up ten years earlier, fully prepared to seize their second chance, no matter how tragic their past. But this is the first time I've encountered a traumatised reborn protagonist who continues to struggle with severe anxiety and mild depression. Furthermore, he’s now painfully aware of what’s coming, which keeps him in a constant state of high stress, vigilant to every detail. This relentless pressure takes a toll on his health, and once his mission is complete, his mental state collapses as he loses his sense of purpose. "I was reborn, took revenge, now what?" This realistic character arc and logical plot progression are a breath of fresh air.
I was deeply invested in this story. The romance was extremely slow burn, yet it remains thoroughly satisfying!
August 20, 2025
A realistic portrayal of a reborn MC and a true dog eats dog world.
May 8, 2025
A story that featured a rather realistic take on rebirth trope. Most danmeis with such trope gave you big hints that they weren't quite tragically affected by their previous life, but this one was farrrr different.
The MC was deeply traumatized by his previous life, and all of that trauma & exhaustion from living basically hell for more than 30 years in his first life showed incredibly well in his rebirth. While the plot spend its time focusing more on his carefully planned revenge on those who bring the downfall of his family (and fyi he also send those people to jail on his previous life), there was also this depressing undercurrent on his persona that showed here and there while he was basically fighting alone to save his own family from the misery that ended them all in the previous life.
People who like a rebirth trope that doesn't shy away from the PTSD it caused will probably find this a wonderful read. Moreover, the romance, while serving on the side, was definitely the slowest burn I've read in a while and yet it was still nevertheless very exciting to follow (the tension!!!the never ending tension!!!). I'd recommend this if you're looking for a rebirth MC who's cunning & smart, who fights againts villains that made you creeped out sometimes because how evil they were both in the previous & current life MC's living now with a sprinkle of heartfluttering slow romance on the side.
Admittedly, I got way too impatient reading this nearing the end because it was definitely a long novel, but in its entirety, the story was just rock solid. I don't think I'd revisit this because the depressing tone that MC had really brought you down the more you read it, but I could never deny how well-written this one was.
The MC was deeply traumatized by his previous life, and all of that trauma & exhaustion from living basically hell for more than 30 years in his first life showed incredibly well in his rebirth. While the plot spend its time focusing more on his carefully planned revenge on those who bring the downfall of his family (and fyi he also send those people to jail on his previous life), there was also this depressing undercurrent on his persona that showed here and there while he was basically fighting alone to save his own family from the misery that ended them all in the previous life.
People who like a rebirth trope that doesn't shy away from the PTSD it caused will probably find this a wonderful read. Moreover, the romance, while serving on the side, was definitely the slowest burn I've read in a while and yet it was still nevertheless very exciting to follow (the tension!!!the never ending tension!!!). I'd recommend this if you're looking for a rebirth MC who's cunning & smart, who fights againts villains that made you creeped out sometimes because how evil they were both in the previous & current life MC's living now with a sprinkle of heartfluttering slow romance on the side.
Admittedly, I got way too impatient reading this nearing the end because it was definitely a long novel, but in its entirety, the story was just rock solid. I don't think I'd revisit this because the depressing tone that MC had really brought you down the more you read it, but I could never deny how well-written this one was.
March 10, 2025
Finally, a traumatized reborn protagonist that still has to deal with his trauma after he's reborn! And the guilt and internalized anger!
Imagine having a rebellious relationship with your family, then they all die, and you think it's your fault. You work relentlessly to get revenge even though you don't know if your family will forgive you. Then, you're reborn back to when you're 18, before everything happens. You know what's going to happen, but you still have friction with your family, and you know that they won't listen to you because it sounds crazy. What can you do? Desperately hide the madness and pretend to be arrogant as before while still getting your revenge and awkwardly caring for your family.
And the romance was such a slow burn! Only this book can make me so happy at hand-holding lmao.
Imagine having a rebellious relationship with your family, then they all die, and you think it's your fault. You work relentlessly to get revenge even though you don't know if your family will forgive you. Then, you're reborn back to when you're 18, before everything happens. You know what's going to happen, but you still have friction with your family, and you know that they won't listen to you because it sounds crazy. What can you do? Desperately hide the madness and pretend to be arrogant as before while still getting your revenge and awkwardly caring for your family.
And the romance was such a slow burn! Only this book can make me so happy at hand-holding lmao.
April 4, 2025
The romance was super slow burns and there wasn't a lot of fast hitting...anything... in this book. Mostly MC faking being a flighty playboy while secretly working to get back at his enemies and protect the family. It's still really interesting with the romance happening so slowly but also very naturally.
Also did like the fact that the author had the MC clearly still affected by his past life, basically PTSD. So many rebirth stories have them angry and using the knowledge but never the psychological effects having watched your life be taken from you only to return to before it and struggling to prevent that horrible outcome from reoccurring. The poor MC can't even go to a shrink cause most of his trauma doesn't even exist in this time line.
Also did like the fact that the author had the MC clearly still affected by his past life, basically PTSD. So many rebirth stories have them angry and using the knowledge but never the psychological effects having watched your life be taken from you only to return to before it and struggling to prevent that horrible outcome from reoccurring. The poor MC can't even go to a shrink cause most of his trauma doesn't even exist in this time line.
July 4, 2025
4.5! Qué historia, estoy conmovida y feliz! He derramado lágrimas como nunca antes, ya sea por lo feliz y triste que me hizo sentir. Que hermosa manera de desmantelar las fuerzas enemigas, estuve en tensión constante por los planes que iba a implementar el protagonista.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2025
Went crazy and binged this in a day! The pain! The heartache! The slow burn! Omg!!!! I need more
October 28, 2025
商战有点幼稚，感情线几乎没有，主角人设立住了，性格挺鲜明
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews