What do you think?
Rate this book
明日星程
很偶然的机会，演技平平人气普通的夏星程收到了著名导演何征的邀约，与获奖无数的影帝杨悠明出演一部同性题材的电影《渐远》
夏星程也没想到，这部电影最终把他推向了痛苦与快乐并存的深渊
本文结尾是心意互通的he
"The Star Around The Sun"
Xia Xingcheng, with average acting skills and appearance, had been a small star in the entertainment industry for six years. But one day, a famous director invited him to act in a gay movie titled “Gradual Distance” with numerous award-winning movie emperor Yang Youming. In the movie, they had a sweet love; out of it, there was polite coldness. In the movie, they had a sad ending; out of it, there were ambiguous feelings. The contrast between what was in the movie and what was outside of it often made Xia Xingcheng unable to find himself. Because of Yang Youming’s guidance, he had stepped into the ranks of actors, but also because of Yang Youming, he couldn’t distinguish between what was reality and what wasn’t.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t expect that the movie would finally push him into the abyss of pain and happiness.
夏星程也没想到，这部电影最终把他推向了痛苦与快乐并存的深渊
本文结尾是心意互通的he
"The Star Around The Sun"
Xia Xingcheng, with average acting skills and appearance, had been a small star in the entertainment industry for six years. But one day, a famous director invited him to act in a gay movie titled “Gradual Distance” with numerous award-winning movie emperor Yang Youming. In the movie, they had a sweet love; out of it, there was polite coldness. In the movie, they had a sad ending; out of it, there were ambiguous feelings. The contrast between what was in the movie and what was outside of it often made Xia Xingcheng unable to find himself. Because of Yang Youming’s guidance, he had stepped into the ranks of actors, but also because of Yang Youming, he couldn’t distinguish between what was reality and what wasn’t.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t expect that the movie would finally push him into the abyss of pain and happiness.
1353 pages, Webnovel
Published April 7, 2019
8 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 27, 2024
This story follows two actors who film a BL movie together and end up sinking a bit too deep into their roles.
I wish the author hadn’t made us slog through all the movie plotlines in such detail. I could somewhat tolerate the first one, since it’s connected to the main couple’s relationship. But after that? I really couldn’t care less.
With such a premise, I found their reason for falling in love too ambiguous and unconvincing—especially from Yang Youming’s side. We get a little glimpse into his POV in the extra, but it’s just not enough.
Though the foundation of their love is vague, they do share a journey of breaking down personal barriers and growing to trust one another. There’s also plenty of “dog food” moments, and the story is sprinkled with some typical movie industry drama. All in all, this could’ve been a much more compelling read if it had been trimmed down to the essentials.
April 19, 2022
3.5 stars for the first half of the book because I enjoyed it, but after they got together it just got boring.
March 11, 2025
The start of this novel is genuinely one of the most beautifully painful discovery of love that I have read in a modern Danmei. I normally don't love entertainment scene novels, but this one is good. I like how they describe the process of getting into character and how that affects them.
I think the rest of the novel is a very different tune to that first part, but it is still enjoyable.
I would give the first part 10/5 and the rest probably 3/5. I don't think it is bad, but the change of tune and all the movie details, some I appreciated as it gave us insight to MC's growth, but a lot of it felt a bit like dragging it on.
I don't think I can ever let go of how they filmed that first movie, and they explored their incapacity to separate from their characters at that point 😭😭😭😭
It is extremely intense and hot, the tension between them is 1000/10, before they are "officially" together. Which still has a lot of spice but it's different, still nice tho.
Amazing translation, too! I can see how hard the translator worked, they did such a good job.
I think the rest of the novel is a very different tune to that first part, but it is still enjoyable.
I would give the first part 10/5 and the rest probably 3/5. I don't think it is bad, but the change of tune and all the movie details, some I appreciated as it gave us insight to MC's growth, but a lot of it felt a bit like dragging it on.
I don't think I can ever let go of how they filmed that first movie, and they explored their incapacity to separate from their characters at that point 😭😭😭😭
It is extremely intense and hot, the tension between them is 1000/10, before they are "officially" together. Which still has a lot of spice but it's different, still nice tho.
Amazing translation, too! I can see how hard the translator worked, they did such a good job.
October 28, 2024
I really enjoyed the first 60% of the book; however, I admit I skipped a few chapters toward the end. The main characters were lovable and felt very real, with well-developed relationships and character growth. Some details that felt touching at the beginning started to feel excessive by the end. Overall, I would give it a 3.5-star rating.
August 4, 2025
Solid 🌟🌟🌟🌟 novel to be honest. This is a long review, so buckle up.
The pros:
This was pretty good. The writing was near on flawless, very poetic but very realistic and not overly embellished or dramatic. So props to the Author and also the translator who brought this to life in English.
As for the novel itself, Xia Xingcheng's growth as an actor and a person was really intriguing to see. The romance between Xingcheng and Youming was also extremely wholesome. The way they balanced each other out and helped each other grow as people was also really beautiful. I liked that, as a reader, we start off seeing Youming as really one dimensional and kind of this "otherworldly god", but as Xingcheng learns more about him and falls for him, we begin to be see the depth of Youming.
The cons: (but they aren't really cons 👀)
Something that I would've liked to see more of was Youming's flaws. They were described, but not shown as much as I would've liked. I also would've like to see how he became the actor he was. We got some details about his family life, but as an actor, those details were left kind of ambiguous, all we saw was that he went through some troubles to reach the place he was.
Another thing I had an issue with was with the transitions between reality and filming. They weren't as smooth and sometimes it was like whiplash going between the two. I suppose, because Xingcheng is more of a method actor, it does make sense why this was so. Xingcheng was often snapping between his real self and his character, and struggling (mentally) between the transition between acting and reality, so it is kind of smart for us as readers to also face this struggle too. I note that, like Xingcheng, I was also getting attached to the filming characters too. So, I believe this was an artistic thing, but again, if you aren't aware of it, it is definitely hard to manage the transitions between the filming and the reality.
Concluding comments:
Other than these two points, there is nothing really to fault about this book. I enjoyed it, and loved how the pacing was. It was neither too fast, nor too slow, and there was no dreaded filler chapters that lasted too long, or unfleshed out love triangles or side characters.
The romance between Xingcheng and Youming was not forced and progressed at a pace that wasn't too fast, nor too slow. They were an extremely healthy couple that did have arguments but worked things out. I liked that they, as a couple, did have flaws but they actively worked on it and despite there being an age difference, and a career gap between the two of them, their relationship was surprisingly balanced. I think this is because Xingcheng wanted to grow, he wanted to develop himself. That was just beautiful, as a reader, to see.
Because of this novel, I will read the author's other works.
The pros:
This was pretty good. The writing was near on flawless, very poetic but very realistic and not overly embellished or dramatic. So props to the Author and also the translator who brought this to life in English.
As for the novel itself, Xia Xingcheng's growth as an actor and a person was really intriguing to see. The romance between Xingcheng and Youming was also extremely wholesome. The way they balanced each other out and helped each other grow as people was also really beautiful. I liked that, as a reader, we start off seeing Youming as really one dimensional and kind of this "otherworldly god", but as Xingcheng learns more about him and falls for him, we begin to be see the depth of Youming.
The cons: (but they aren't really cons 👀)
Something that I would've liked to see more of was Youming's flaws. They were described, but not shown as much as I would've liked. I also would've like to see how he became the actor he was. We got some details about his family life, but as an actor, those details were left kind of ambiguous, all we saw was that he went through some troubles to reach the place he was.
Another thing I had an issue with was with the transitions between reality and filming. They weren't as smooth and sometimes it was like whiplash going between the two. I suppose, because Xingcheng is more of a method actor, it does make sense why this was so. Xingcheng was often snapping between his real self and his character, and struggling (mentally) between the transition between acting and reality, so it is kind of smart for us as readers to also face this struggle too. I note that, like Xingcheng, I was also getting attached to the filming characters too. So, I believe this was an artistic thing, but again, if you aren't aware of it, it is definitely hard to manage the transitions between the filming and the reality.
Concluding comments:
Other than these two points, there is nothing really to fault about this book. I enjoyed it, and loved how the pacing was. It was neither too fast, nor too slow, and there was no dreaded filler chapters that lasted too long, or unfleshed out love triangles or side characters.
The romance between Xingcheng and Youming was not forced and progressed at a pace that wasn't too fast, nor too slow. They were an extremely healthy couple that did have arguments but worked things out. I liked that they, as a couple, did have flaws but they actively worked on it and despite there being an age difference, and a career gap between the two of them, their relationship was surprisingly balanced. I think this is because Xingcheng wanted to grow, he wanted to develop himself. That was just beautiful, as a reader, to see.
Because of this novel, I will read the author's other works.
August 31, 2022
I don’t understand why some readers don’t like this, probably because of the huge age gap. Personally though, I am so satisfied with this novel. Truth to be told, reading this made me immense myself in XXC’s perspective; to the point that I put everything on hold just to be able to continue reading this novel. This writing style is too good. 👏🏻 There are some parts that I can’t read with a straight face. My lips curbed upwards by itself as I read on and the people around me feel like I am crazy, smiling and laughing by myself. 😆 Oh, and the extras were a great surprise, especially the fanfiction. 🤭
July 21, 2022
This was such a lovely story. I really liked the author's writing style and especially when they were describing the movie scenes, I felt like I was watching the movie in my mind's eye. I loved, LOVED the first movie that Xia Xingchen (MC) and Yang Youming (ML) worked on. There's nothing like two people falling in love in the summer, that feeling of freedom, that anything was possible. Most of all, I liked how their feelings for each other developed as they were filming, and as they were both straight men acting as gay men, it was inevitable that there would be some angst involved which was done tastefully, adding to the progression of the plot, which is really just me saying that they went through some hurdles before getting together.
Despite the age gap of 13 years, XXC and YYM were mature characters who knew what they wanted for the most part. There was no unnecessary drama and all the tumultuous feelings they felt while filming and figuring out how they truly felt for each other were honest and realistic. There was also no power imbalance between the two because while YYM was older, he didn't look down on XXC or belittle his feelings. XXC was also the one who actively pursued him, which was kind of expected because he fell for YYM first. XXC and YYM really complemented each other and even after they got together, I didn't think the story was boring at all.
Instead, it was the simplicity of the plot and the progression and development of their relationship that kept me reading. They were very sweet on each other, especially YYM who was protective of XXC and took care of him. Ugh, I want my own YYM. But I also honestly really liked XXC too - he was only in his early 20s but he was self-aware and level-headed. The only time either character got stirred up was when it had something to do with each other. It was interesting to see how they changed as the story progressed, both as individual characters and as a couple.
There were also some non-explicit sex scenes which were written well, being able to show readers how the characters felt for each other on a primal level. Really, just thinking about their sweet and loving relationship is enough to make me a little envious. I was also glad that the author didn't cook up any silly drama or misunderstanding just for the sake of it. Like I said, this was a simple but well-written love story.
Despite the age gap of 13 years, XXC and YYM were mature characters who knew what they wanted for the most part. There was no unnecessary drama and all the tumultuous feelings they felt while filming and figuring out how they truly felt for each other were honest and realistic. There was also no power imbalance between the two because while YYM was older, he didn't look down on XXC or belittle his feelings. XXC was also the one who actively pursued him, which was kind of expected because he fell for YYM first. XXC and YYM really complemented each other and even after they got together, I didn't think the story was boring at all.
Instead, it was the simplicity of the plot and the progression and development of their relationship that kept me reading. They were very sweet on each other, especially YYM who was protective of XXC and took care of him. Ugh, I want my own YYM. But I also honestly really liked XXC too - he was only in his early 20s but he was self-aware and level-headed. The only time either character got stirred up was when it had something to do with each other. It was interesting to see how they changed as the story progressed, both as individual characters and as a couple.
There were also some non-explicit sex scenes which were written well, being able to show readers how the characters felt for each other on a primal level. Really, just thinking about their sweet and loving relationship is enough to make me a little envious. I was also glad that the author didn't cook up any silly drama or misunderstanding just for the sake of it. Like I said, this was a simple but well-written love story.
March 15, 2022
pros: f*cking amazing, honestly great characters with a great and sweet dynamic, absolutely in love with the love interest yang youming and the mc is super likeable as well, the plot is well done and the pacing on point, good mix between sweet fluff and angst sprinkled in, the first two (didn’t read the third) extras are really great and it’s nice to see them falling in love from yang youmings perspective as well, great manhua!
cons: age gap (24 and 37 and in the movie 18 and 32, personally didn’t have a problem with their actual age gap since mc is old enough), wish there were more extras focused on mingxing, also wish they got to make their relationship public because both of them expressed wanting to do so throughout the novel
actually adding on to all of this
bark bark bark yym pls give me just one chance i can treat u better (lie)
cons: age gap (24 and 37 and in the movie 18 and 32, personally didn’t have a problem with their actual age gap since mc is old enough), wish there were more extras focused on mingxing, also wish they got to make their relationship public because both of them expressed wanting to do so throughout the novel
actually adding on to all of this
bark bark bark yym pls give me just one chance i can treat u better (lie)
July 5, 2023
This may be my new comfort read. It's a deceptively simple story of two actors who fall in love while acting in a movie together, but there's a surprising amount of depth to the characters and their emotions. Yang Youming is my new fictional crush of the year. Xia Xingcheng, our protagonist, is delightfully adorable, and his voice actor pulls off his coquettish brattiness so well in the audio drama adaptation. Theirs is that idealised age gap relationship (YYM is older by 13 years) that is almost unbelievable. To be fair, the story itself doesn't gloss over possible problems and insecurities that could pop up in a relationship like theirs. It's not naive, just idealistic.
It's not a perfect novel. The last arc felt pretty weak and unnecessary. I wish we did find out Director He Zheng's backstory and why he decided to film 'Gradual Distance'. Lots of readers have come up with similar theories, but it would have been a nice bow to tie up loose ends with so to speak, even in the extras.
It's not a perfect novel. The last arc felt pretty weak and unnecessary. I wish we did find out Director He Zheng's backstory and why he decided to film 'Gradual Distance'. Lots of readers have come up with similar theories, but it would have been a nice bow to tie up loose ends with so to speak, even in the extras.
October 16, 2021
A very mature and refreshing take on life and love in show-biz. The Star Around The Sun isn't anything out of the box, but it has the right amount of, what I can only call, angst, in the beginning, emotions, and dog food in the end.
What enamored me in the novel was the wholesome love that the leads shared (which tbh is the main focus of the story). The only part I was disappointed with was how rushed the ending was. I don't know how the author could have spanned out the end, but it could have had a good 3-4 chapters for itself, considering the pace of the entire novel. I hope the extras will make it better, but I genuinely enjoyed reading the book as a whole!
What enamored me in the novel was the wholesome love that the leads shared (which tbh is the main focus of the story). The only part I was disappointed with was how rushed the ending was. I don't know how the author could have spanned out the end, but it could have had a good 3-4 chapters for itself, considering the pace of the entire novel. I hope the extras will make it better, but I genuinely enjoyed reading the book as a whole!
April 24, 2022
AAAAAAAHHHH what else i can say?! It's a chef's kiss.
The author was amazing for the story depiction, and the plot was a masterpiece. Not gonna lie it made me set a new standard for showbiz danmei.
One of my favorite danmei(s) for sure <3
The author was amazing for the story depiction, and the plot was a masterpiece. Not gonna lie it made me set a new standard for showbiz danmei.
One of my favorite danmei(s) for sure <3
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2024
I'm surprised they never made their relationship public, even in the extra chapters. I can understand that it's not very important to them at that point, but still would have been a extra chapter to read.
Also, I'm assuming the movie is based on the directly himself. He saw his younger self in xxc. That's his heartbreaking story, and that's why he warned the two mains that it's a difficult road to go down.
Also, I'm assuming the movie is based on the directly himself. He saw his younger self in xxc. That's his heartbreaking story, and that's why he warned the two mains that it's a difficult road to go down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2021
It was a cute read!! I enjoyed it and found it really interesting at times, mostly when they were talking about acting as the two mains here are actors. Also I'd marry YYM without blinking. What a man.
November 29, 2021
mmm it was okay.
un libro que se puede leer de un tirón, amaras a yym y te encantará como le habla a la niñita esta cuando se mete con xc akzbjs lo amo mucho. me hubiese gustado que la relación se hiciera pública para ver como iban a solucionar eso, pero todo muy bien.
un libro que se puede leer de un tirón, amaras a yym y te encantará como le habla a la niñita esta cuando se mete con xc akzbjs lo amo mucho. me hubiese gustado que la relación se hiciera pública para ver como iban a solucionar eso, pero todo muy bien.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2021
very relaxing, no thoughts just Love
September 26, 2022
super cute, i really felt xxc's emotions
April 2, 2024
I love this novel so much that I cannot be coherent about it. Amazing, life changing.
July 5, 2025
It's beatiful to see Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming fall in love while filming a movie.
December 4, 2022
4.5 stars
I liked it a lot!!! So sweet with a hint of angst. The only thing I could do without is so many details from the movies after the first one.
I liked it a lot!!! So sweet with a hint of angst. The only thing I could do without is so many details from the movies after the first one.
August 31, 2025
I'm still a big fan of the Gradual Distance filming part, and the second movie (with YYM's cameo) was also fun, but the novel started dragging the moment they started filming the third movie. I still liked the novel as a whole, but wish it ended before the last arc.
On a side note, I'll be probably coming back to the Gradual Distance chapters because they're quite memorable for me. It's a pity the novel isn't licensed in English.
3.5* perhaps?
On a side note, I'll be probably coming back to the Gradual Distance chapters because they're quite memorable for me. It's a pity the novel isn't licensed in English.
3.5* perhaps?
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews