A Dreamlike Song

Description

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Idol star Tang Zhen suddenly committed su*cide. Rumors abound, and no one guessed the reason.

Zhou Zike (ML) × Tang Zhen (MC). HE.

Modern alternate universe, all characters, place names, and events are purely fictional.

The entire story consists of nine acts. Acts one, three, five, and seven are in progress, Acts two, four, and six depict past events, and the eighth act leads to the climax.

Associated Names
One entry per line
如梦令
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Rebirth of a Movie Star (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Showbiz
  2. to be read part 7
  3. BL (temp)
  4. Best entertainment industry danmei (4-5*)
  5. to read

Latest Release

Date Group Release
09/22/24 Chrysanthemum Garden c57
09/20/24 Chrysanthemum Garden c56
09/18/24 Chrysanthemum Garden c55
09/16/24 Chrysanthemum Garden c54
09/13/24 Chrysanthemum Garden c53
09/11/24 Chrysanthemum Garden c52
09/06/24 Chrysanthemum Garden c51
07/30/24 Chrysanthemum Garden c50
07/27/24 Chrysanthemum Garden c49
07/24/24 Chrysanthemum Garden c48
07/21/24 Chrysanthemum Garden c47
07/19/24 Chrysanthemum Garden c46
07/14/24 Chrysanthemum Garden c45
07/12/24 Chrysanthemum Garden c44
07/10/24 Chrysanthemum Garden c43
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Review
1 Review


toleroid
toleroid
Jul 01, 2024
Status: Completed
Seriously good.

Very interesting story about a celebrity with severe mental illness surrounded by well-meaning enablers and people who can't help him, making his condition worse, eventually leading to a failed su*cide attempt. His six years younger, on and off boyfriend, the one person whose judgment isn't totally clouded by his fame and past success or their relationship, finally grows up and takes control of the situation after his su*cide attempt, turning the situation around.

And the backdrop to this personal drama is a silent war between entertainment companies and businesses, that... more>> the MC, Tang Zhen, was unwittingly involved in.

Unlike most entertainment danmeis, this isn't a story where evil characters get face slapped. It has surprising complexity. Some people with questionable morals win at the end. People with totally different personalities and worldviews end up achieving what they want just like in real life, for example
Spoiler

Fang Xihe and his son Fang Qiu.

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Even the good characters aren't perfect.

Spoiler

For example, ML who was a clueless kid who couldn't help MC or understand MC's problems at all. Or MC's agent who blindly trusted Liang Qiuyun and then repeatedly forced MC to get along with him even after she suspected he physically / sexually ab*sed him. Or his assistant Wen Xin who wasn't willing to accept the reality of his problems and was in a constant delusion that MC would magically "recover". Or the fact that all the people who cared about MC also simultaneously were using him and enabling him, which is probably very common for celebrities.

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Even minor characters in the story aren't stereotypical, for example

Spoiler

Chen Xiaoxian, the innocent rich girl whose whole family was destroyed because she was their "weak spot". Even though she seems weak and s*upid, she doesn't even blink when her father and brother died. It's actually a bit suspicious, I think it's implied that she dragged her husband out of jail to give Fang Qiu an opportunity to kill him.

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It's not extremely sad but it is very, very dark / knives out in flashbacks. But the present-day story is a lot of sugar. The ML, Zhou Zike, is genuinely good to the MC, Tang Zhen. They have a pure relationship, and Xiao Zhou is simply the man Tang Zhen likes.

Feels really satisfying to see the yandere ML stereotype being totally overturned.

Also, love ML's character development, going from a helpless underage kid who had no idea what was going on in MC's life and couldn't help him, to someone who could wholeheartedly protect and trust him.

Probably my only criticism is that MC and ML never talk about their misunderstandings, so it feels like there's no closure even at the end.

Spoiler

There are no conversations about how MC was sexually ab*sed, drugged, and kidnapped, even though this was the cause of his mental illness and their relationship problems. ML probably knows but he never mentions it. You never see his emotional reaction to discovering what really happened, which I feel is a bit unrealistic. MC's agent is possibly even worse, because she almost pretends it didn't happen at all.

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Is it a realistic depiction of mental illness / trauma? Kind of.

For example, the story seriously addresses the idea that mental illness shouldn't be stigmatized or considered embarrassing. That Tang Zhen has a unhealthy / obsessive / overly sacrificial ideas about love. That mental illness often can't be 100% "cured". That severe mental illness such as depression with su*cide attempts could have impact the mental health of friends and family.

At the same time, it's never really clear or discussed what type of mental illness Tang Zhen has. Not to mention how

Spoiler

he never undergoes any type of talk therapy because his psych decides it's not useful (to be fair Tang Zhen straight up refuses to talk), and he doesn't write a single entry in his journal to the end.

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Edit: Just want to add that I read the mtl so it's possible that I've just missed some parts of the story. Looking forward to the full translation. <<less
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