Reborn as a Substitute

by PDG

In his previous life, Ji Sheng was a popular star who was framed and eventually died in disgrace.

Reborn as an 18th-tier artist, Ji Sheng is determined to take revenge. In order to climb to the top of the world of fame and fortune, he does not hesitate to send himself to the bed of Xie Xuanming, his enemy in the previous life.

Xie Xuanming is handsome, rich, and can be considered a perfect lover.

It’s a pity that there is a white moonlight in his heart.

On the first meeting after rebirth, Xie Xuanming squeezed Ji Sheng’s chin and narrowed his eyes.

Xie Xuanming: You look like him.

Ji Sheng: Hehe, I knew it in my previous life.

One day, Xie Xuanming was drunk and crazy, dragging Ji Sheng to visit the white moonlight’s grave.

Xie Xuanming hugged the tombstone tenderly: I knew him for several years, but he never loved me.

Ji Sheng: Hmm, no love, no love.

Xie Xuanming stroked the nameplate with the tips of his fingers: Obviously, he approached me first and my heart was stirred, only to find that he was playing games.

Ji Sheng: Yeah, acting, acting.

Xie Xuanming: Come closer, let him see. It’s not like I am alone, it’s not like no one wants me.

Ji Sheng had no choice, stepped forward and froze.

Ji Sheng: Wait, isn’t this my grave?

Genres: Gay

Unknown Binding

Reviews

[Cali · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were definitely parts of this I liked but there were also a lot of parts that I didn't like. My one major gripe was all the long flashbacks! That's just a personal preference on my part but every time one came up I was annoyed that we were moving away from the main story for so many chapters. My next gripe is that the first few chapters make the set-up seem really misleading. I was under the impression from the MC's point of view that the ML had blackened and forced him into an abusive relationship because he looked like his white moonlight when in reality they just had a disagreement that caused them to drift apart until the MC and a side character's relationship was going to be exposed and then the MC's agency and the ML agreed to pretend to have the MC and ML be together. And even with all the flashbacks that was only like 2 chapters of flashbacks and their fake relationship was only having a picture of them kissing taken by the paps. So after the first flashback, I just felt bad for the ML the entire time. It also seemed like after the rebirth the MC had a much more calculating personality but after his rebirth was exposed his personality essentially went back to being a bit of an idiot which I didn't particularly care for either. I did appreciate that the flashback MC was really passionate about being able to play the drums and follow his dream. Overall, I think it was just ok.

[Ar · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 It's melodramatic and messy at times. Many things did not make sense in this but hey it's not often where you get a drummer X lead-singer-turned-movie-emperor cp, so it was entertaining.
The revenge did not feel satisfying but I did like both Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming, I also liked how Sheng Kongzhi wasn't exaggeratedly evil from the start, he's just a really selfish narcissist, which is a person that people can realistically fall in love with and not realize fall victim to his manipulations. (The stalker fan, however, was exaggerated).
I liked the olden days so much! How Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming met and their interactions as a band aaaa... really sweet.
Although the transition between the present and the past was frustrating at times, it was very well-done at other times.

Quote (Stray Dog's Lyrics):

Noisy streets, smelly corners

Filth and dirt, but the world is silent

Hidden desires that meet flesh and blood

Pure white powder of desire

Build a temple of hope on the ruins

Ignite the glory of rebirth in the world

The glory sold for a bite of bread

Can bring hypocrisy to its doom

Stray dog carries rotting wounds

Chasing the sun of yesterday in the filth

[Staring At A Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't really like the characters at first, they seemed a bit dramatic and as if their personalities were inconsistent. However, they both grew on me towards the end. I still think there's major inconsistencies in this novel - free translator points out the difficulty of pinning down the age of birthday of the MC. The author is a bit inconsistent in the details, and the flashback format just makes that tendency more extreme. Rather than revealing a cohesive story, it feels like one that was designed in hindsight - filled with overreactions and unsatisfying reveals. But the translation is great, and I'm sad at the other low ratings, so I'm bumping my score up

[Mint missusO3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this.
Happy moments after the bloody dog drama.

[gowri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed because I really liked the premise and the beginning but the relationship progression sorta lost me....the MC was really the best part of this novel

[Asya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a huge brick of missed potential. Also who ever invented those ungodly long flashbacks that just appear out of nowhere I’m coming for you sleep with one eye open from now on

[Rafaele · Rating 1 out of 5]

É uma bagunça e nada faz sentido.

[Aerys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely had moments of irritation, and the non-transition between flashbacks and current time doesn't help, but the ending (and extras) are worth the read (I mean, read it more than once :) ).

[TofuBao]

DNF - Nope. No! It’s not happening. Besides the “fighting king of the toilets” line - nothing about this was likeable.

Dropped - lost interest unfortunately.