An Actor's Rhapsody Recap, Plot, Synopsis, Total Episodes

An Actor's Rhapsody Synopsis

The drama focuses on a series of stories about "Quan Zi Jin Zu". The investors who, in order to realize his macho dreams, wildly rewrite the script, the writer has no choice but to fulfill the hole repeatedly...

An Actor's Rhapsody Recap

Episode 1 Recap

On the day of filming, the original female lead who was supposed to star in the drama left the set without authorization to attend a red carpet event. The director had to replace her with a “substitute actor” for easy editing in post-production. However, this move was discovered by the investor boss Gu, who originally played the role of a fried bread stick seller in the drama. He fired the female lead on the spot and single-handedly salvaged the situation.

When production resumed, the plot progressed to the first encounter of the male and female leads. Boss Gu, who played the role of a famous prostitute, was dissatisfied with the sweet and cloying plot and demanded that the screenwriter immediately come up with an unconventional script. The screenwriter adapted the story according to Boss Gu's ideas, resulting in a direct and emotional ending for the male and female leads who had missed each other several times.

Boss Gu once again called the screenwriter to criticize the story, and in order to move the plot forward, the screenwriter found a way to bring back the old plot while still staying unconventional. Anticipating Boss Gu's criticism, the screenwriter added a twist to the old cliché in the story. Just as Boss Gu was about to complain about the plot, he was knocked out by the extras holding the new script and forced to move on to the next scene.

Episode 2 Recap

After waking up, Gu Xian and Shangguan Yunzhu confided in each other. However, Boss Gu was still dissatisfied with the character settings of the male and female leads, the celibate domineering CEO and the pure white flower. He expressed his dissatisfaction to the screenwriter. The screenwriter tried to add plot twists to the original script, changing it so that there were other forces behind Shangguan Yunzhu, who approached Gu Xian with ulterior motives but fell in love with him in the process. Before Shangguan Yunzhu could sort out her own feelings, the forces behind her urged her to take action against Gu Xian. Gu Xian had planned to confess his love, but was disappointed to learn that Shangguan Yunzhu had approached him for a different purpose. When he tried to investigate the truth, he encountered a life-threatening crisis. Shangguan Yunzhu was injured while protecting Gu Xian, and he almost died in a fight with their pursuers, leading the plot into a dead end. In order to continue the story, the screenwriter, in accordance with Boss Gu's request, introduced Qin Wang, the second male lead who descended from the sky, to help Gu Xian and Shangguan Yunzhu survive the crisis and set the stage for the reveal of the twin siblings.

Episode 3 Recap

Gu Xian and Shangguan Yunzhu escaped back to the Jiaofangsi, but Qin Wang suddenly appeared. When Gu Xian faced Qin Wang, who was wearing a mask and had fainted on the ground, he was overwhelmed by an uncontrollable sense of familiarity. Qin Wang woke up, and the two brothers were deeply moved as they recognized each other. Qin Wang mentioned Gu Xian's runaway in childhood, and was saddened that Gu Xian had chosen to leave home in order to survive. Similarly, Gu Xian learned from Qin Wang that the Night Pearl, which could cure his illness and keep him alive, was in Shangguan Yunzhu's hands. Shangguan Yunzhu, who was eavesdropping outside the door, also learned about Gu Xian's true identity. He was actually the son of Wang Cehai, Shangguan Yunzhu's enemy who had wiped out his family. However, Shangguan Yunzhu could not bear to harm Gu Xian and could only expose his true identity to Wang Cehai. He hoped to use Wang Cehai's adopted son Wang Yu to end Wang Cehai's life and avenge his dead parents. Under Wang Cehai's arrangement, Shangguan Yunzhu married Gu Xian with the Night Pearl. On the night of their wedding, Gu Xian knocked out Shangguan Yunzhu while she was not paying attention.

Episode 4 Recap

Gu Xian went to Qin Wang with Ye Mingzhu in search of him. However, Qin Wang had already guessed his intentions, and in order to cut off Gu Xian's thoughts, Qin Wang ended his own life. Gu Xian was heartbroken and returned to the wedding room. However, on the wedding night, the plot on this side continued, and Shangguan Yunzhu teased Gu Xian in every way possible. Gu Zong's emotions collapsed, and he called the director and screenwriter to hold them accountable, criticizing them for only following the trend. He demanded that the screenwriter immediately modify the subsequent plot and suggested that the suspense genre is currently popular, so the screenwriter should follow suit and change the subsequent plot to a suspense one. After the reshooting, Gu Xian returned home and discovered that Shangguan Yunzhu had been killed. Before he could react to the successive loss of his loved ones, he was suddenly arrested by the Jinyiwei who appeared out of nowhere. In the dungeon, Gu Xian was tortured by Wang and was on the verge of life and death, but he was saved by the sudden appearance of eunuch Wang Chehai and learned the truth about his own identity and successful search for his father. With his new status, Gu Xian took over part of Wang Chehai's influence and was determined to find out the truth and avenge Shangguan Yunzhu.

Episode 5 Recap

Gu Xian brought the Jinyiwei back to the Jiaofangsi. His subordinates brought the three suspects who might have killed Shangguan Yunzhu in front of him, and the three of them claimed to be innocent. After hearing what they said, Gu Xian began to investigate and discovered that they did indeed have a grudge against Shangguan Yunzhu. Gu Xian led his men to arrest them, but the three of them died during the interrogation. Gu Xian followed the direction of a cold arrow and was misled by false information, falling into a trap set up by Wang and Bu, and became a scapegoat for the murder of Wang Chehai.

Boss Gu watched the follow-up plot and couldn't face his own extremely bleak life in the story, so he once again asked for a change in the script. He asked the screenwriter to quickly end the suspense and write a new historical inspirational story. With a stroke of the writer's pen, the character played by Gu in the new story is Liang Xiao, a scholar who travels to the capital with his servant to take the imperial examination. They encounter bandits along the way and Liang Xiao is robbed of all his belongings. He and his servant, Zhiyan, chase after the bandits and arrive at the entrance of a mansion, where they meet the mistress of the house, Zhao Wanqing.

Episode 6 Recap

After learning about their situation, Zhao Wanqing took in both of them and began creating opportunities for Liang Xiao and herself to be alone together. At the same time, the maid Ziyun followed suit and made the pageboy develop a crush on her. To support Liang Xiao, Zhao Wanqing proactively gifted him money to take the exam in the capital. After signing the promise letter provided by Zhao Wanqing, Liang Xiao went to the capital to take the exam. Just as Liang Xiao had left, Zhao Wanqing opened a long list and added Liang Xiao's name to the end. It turned out that Zhao Wanqing had built a mansion on the route to the capital and had been hiring bandits for a long time to trap scholars who had no choice but to accept her help. She was only waiting for a new top scholar to bring in high profits. Meng Bo and the pageboy came to Zhao Wanqing's mansion while chasing after bandits, and Zhao Wanqing and Ziyun used their usual tactics. Liang Xiao and the pageboy coincidentally met Meng Bo and his servant, and they became friends in sympathy with each other's situation, encouraging each other to strive for success. Soon, the day of the exam arrived as scheduled.

Episode 7 Recap

The day of the exam quickly arrived, and the two of them encountered many difficulties on their way to the exam hall. Between witnessing injustices and missing the exam time, they chose to help others, and as a result, they were late and prevented from entering the exam hall. Just when the two of them were in despair, the person they had just saved appeared behind them, dressed in luxurious silk clothing, and turned out to be a powerful figure in the court. The person understood the situation and helped them obtain the qualification to take the exam. With their extraordinary abilities, they both passed the exam and became the top scorers, creating the first "double yellow egg" scenario in the imperial examination system in years.

After congratulating each other on their success, Liang Xiao and Meng Bo hurried back to propose marriage to Zhao Wanqing. Unexpectedly, Zhao Wanqing, who had been persistently seeking funding for years, suddenly received two investment opportunities. After weighing her options, she couldn't decide who to fulfill her marriage agreement with, so she decided to stabilize both sides and conduct further evaluation.

Episode 8 Recap

To further test their abilities, Zhao Wanqing went on a hardcore triple date with Liang Xiao and Meng Bo, relying on her maid Zi Yan to cover for them. Little did they know that Zi Yan would follow their lead and end up in the same predicament as Zhao Wanqing. The two of them covered for each other, but in the end, they couldn't make a decision. On the day of the wedding, the two wedding processions collided, and Zhao Wanqing's scheme was exposed. Liang Xiao and Meng Bo saw through Zhao Wanqing's true face and left in anger. As the plot approached its conclusion, unexpectedly, Boss Gu's friend came to visit and brought their own dog. The two suddenly became enthusiastic during their conversation, and Boss Gu called the screenwriter to request that their friend and dog be given a role, which the screenwriter had to reluctantly agree to. The story returns to the plot, and Liang Xiao is appointed as a local official. He nervously sets out on the road and is suddenly frightened by the appearance of the dog. A mysterious woman named Pi Duoduo suddenly appears and rescues Liang Xiao.

Episode 9 Recap

Pi Duoduo took the unconscious Liang Xiao home to care for him, and she carefully tended to him, leading to the slow development of romantic feelings between them. In reality, Pi Duoduo urgently requested Boss Gu to find a way for her to quickly finish filming and return home. The screenwriter could only arrange for Liang Xiao to mistakenly believe that Pi Duoduo was responsible for his misfortune, leading him to kill her out of love and hatred, but this plot led to a dead end.

Boss Gu called in the screenwriter and said that he had a dream of becoming a martial arts hero, so the screenwriter began to work hard to fulfill his dream. In the new story, Boss Gu played the role of a martial arts hero named Guo Pei, who fell off a cliff and, according to the rules of martial arts TV dramas, stumbled upon a bunch of martial arts secrets. Guo Pei tried to practice, but found that each book of secrets had different and harsh conditions. After studying them, Guo Pei decided to give up and followed the water source to a bamboo forest, where he met the stunning Situ Yu, who had white hair. Guo Pei started a conversation with her, but it attracted Situ Yu's pursuit. Guo Pei fled for his life and returned to the cave, where he began to practice the martial arts secrets in preparation for a confrontation with Situ Yu, who was still waiting outside.

Episode 10 Recap

Guo Pei started practicing daily, and after mastering a technique, he would go to spar with Situ Yu. Although he always lost, he managed to escape successfully. After multiple battles with Situ Yu, the two developed feelings for each other. Guo Pei found the lost Lion Roar technique among a pile of secret books and planned to confess his romantic feelings to Situ Yu. However, he was unaware that Situ Yu had already become deaf due to accidentally practicing a demonic cultivation technique. Therefore, the Lion Roar technique was completely ineffective. Nevertheless, Situ Yu, who was also attracted to Guo Pei, revealed to him the truth about why he had chased after him before. The secret books were treasures of the Dan Huang faction, and Situ Yu had become desperate to seek revenge and accidentally practiced demonic cultivation. However, he unexpectedly met Guo Pei, who was talented and gifted, and pretended to want to kill him in order to force him to study harder. After learning the truth, Guo Pei practiced even more diligently for the sake of his beloved, and their relationship progressed rapidly. Then,Boss Gu found the scriptwriter and insisted that a martial arts story should not be about love, so the plot suddenly reversed.

Episode 11 Recap

Guo Pei discovered that Situ Yu seemed to be keeping a secret from him. Whenever they had a date within the sect, Situ Yu would suddenly change her attitude, as if there was another personality within her. Through secret observation, Guo Pei finally discovered the reason why Situ Yu was doing this. It turned out that Situ Yu had been raising a child without his knowledge. Guo Pei mistakenly thought that the child was Situ Yu's, but in fact, the child was entrusted to her by their master, who was the child's parent. Guo Pei was heartbroken but could not let go of his feelings for Situ Yu. Before Guo Pei could resolve his feelings, their enemies came looking for them. Situ Yu died protecting Guo Pei from an arrow. Before she died, Situ Yu entrusted the master's orphan to him, hoping that he could take care of the child and raise him safely. However, Guo Pei was devastated and passed on all his skills to Fu Chou before leaving with her. Fifteen years later, the young Fu Chou had grown up and met Ye Qianqiu's daughter Ye Yunjing by chance, and decided to begin his revenge plan.

Episode 12 Recap

The kind and innocent Ye Yunjing fainted on the roadside and was rescued by Fu Chou. She regarded Fu Chou as a gift from heaven and named him. Fu Chou was very gentle and considerate towards Ye Yunjing. They spent their days together, chatting, laughing, practicing martial arts and playing music. Their feelings for each other quickly grew, and they asked Ye Yunjing's father for permission to get married. However, they encountered strong opposition from Ye Qianqiu. Fu Chou had a hard time controlling his emotions towards his enemy, Ye Qianqiu, and also had a love-hate relationship with Ye Yunjing. At this time, Ye Yunjing fought hard with her father. She recalled every detail of her time with Fu Chou and was touched by his willingness to risk his life to save her. Eventually, Ye Qianqiu couldn't resist his daughter's determination and gradually eliminated his prejudice against Fu Chou, agreeing to let them get married. With his goal in sight, Fu Chou felt that he had finally repaid his deceased mentor and Guo Pei, who had left all his skills to him. He decided to seek revenge and settle old scores after the wedding.

Episode 13 Recap

On the day of the wedding, Fu Chou launched an attack at the banquet, killing all of his enemies in the martial arts world and revealing his true identity to Ye Qianqiu. However, Ye Yunjing only wanted to know if Fu Chou had been using her all along and whether he truly had feelings for her. Fu Chou was conflicted, but because of his hatred, he refused to admit that he had also fallen in love with Ye Yunjing. In despair, Ye Yunjing could only watch as Fu Chou carried out his revenge plan. However, at the critical moment, she protected Fu Chou from a hidden sword and he rushed to check on her, ultimately dying in her arms. The story came to an end, but Boss Gu called the screenwriter to criticize himself for always ending up dying in his roles and requested that the next story have a male protagonist. The screenwriter then wrote the male lead as Emperor Zhao Li, a man with obsessive-compulsive disorder who woke up from a dream. Consort Jin Yulan came to visit and instigated Zhao Li to resolve to gather exactly 3,000 concubines during the selection today.

Episode 14 Recap

During the selection process, many talented women tried their best to stand out, but three of them, who can be described as extremely resourceful, could not be concealed. Under the arrangement of Jin Yulan, they made it through the layers of selection and were the only three who made it to the final round. Zhao Li was impressed by the talents of these three women and, upon Jin Yulan's suggestion, decided to make them new concubines. It was time for the daily lottery drawing, and Zhao Li intended to give the three new concubines a chance, but was ruthlessly stopped by the eunuchs. It turned out that Zhao Li had previously demanded that the water in a bowl be level. So, in order to treat everyone fairly, all 3000 concubines had to recite the names before he could make a choice. Due to the large number of people, the eunuch recited for the entire night, and by the time he finished, Zhao Li was so exhausted that he missed the first round of the lottery drawing.

Episode 15 Recap

On the evening of the second day, Zhao Li had the eunuch come early to start singing, but this time the singing ended in failure again due to the private bribes of the three concubines. Zhao Li finally felt that there was something fishy going on and started to investigate. He discovered that the three women were often picked on by the noble concubine Jin Yulan, and there were often cries from the concubines in the palace. Zhao Li realized he had uncovered the truth and hinted to Jin Yulan to stop. However, Jin Yulan became even more ruthless, and Zhao Li decided to punish her. The truth that came to light, however, left Zhao Li stunned. It turned out that the three new concubines were originally Jin Yulan's mahjong partners. They were always short of one player when they entered the palace, so they decided to let Jin Yulan urge Zhao Li to select new concubines and secretly help the three of them enter the palace at the same time. Zhao Li was greatly affected and ultimately demoted the concubines to the cold palace. The story ends here, but Gu Xian felt that the palace struggle was too dull. The screenwriter then made a sudden move and a murder case occurred in Huangquan Town, causing panic. Chunyu Youyou, a female demon-hunter from the Heavenly Masters' Mansion, went to catch the demon.

Episode 16 Recap

Boss Gu, played by Gu Xian, appeared as Bai Ci and drove away the fox demon Mo Cang before attempting to use his magic to save a dying person. Chunyu Youyou, who arrived at the scene, mistook him for a monster sucking people's essence and the two got into a fight. Bai Ci's powers were stronger than Chunyu Youyou's, so she used medicine to temporarily weaken Bai Ci's powers. To protect himself, Bai Ci bound himself with a same-heart spell to Chunyu Youyou. Chunyu Youyou then decided to watch over Bai Ci and not let him commit any crimes. They went to the marketplace together, and it was Bai Ci's first time shopping. In front of a vendor, Bai Ci put a hairpin that Chunyu Youyou liked on her, causing her to begin to develop feelings for him. Suddenly, the lively street became chaotic, and the two followed the demonic energy to its source. As Bai Ci was temporarily weakened, he was attacked by the fox demon Mo Cang. In a critical moment, Chunyu Youyou took the blow and was severely injured and lost consciousness.

Episode 17 Recap

Bai Ci took Chunyu Youyou to his private villa and took care of her carefully, and the two developed feelings for each other. One day, while strolling on the street, they heard news of another murder case, and this time it was the Taoist Tian Shi Fu outside the city, which was Chunyu Youyou's school. When they arrived and saw the tragic scene of the whole door being slaughtered, Chunyu Youyou completely broke down. At the same time, various traces of Bai Ci were found at the scene, and she was mistakenly thought to have approached Chunyu Youyou just to slaughter her school. Chunyu Youyou completely turned against Bai Ci and vowed to never stop until she was dead. Mo Cang, the fox demon who had been following them, discovered Chunyu Youyou's feelings for Bai Ci and decided to take advantage of it by disguising himself as Bai Ci and manipulating Chunyu Youyou.

Episode 18 Recap

Mo Cang's identity was exposed by Chunyu Youyou. It turned out that Bai Ci and Mo Cang were both nine-tailed foxes, born from the same litter. However, Mo Cang fell into the demonic path due to jealousy. Under Mo Cang's sweet words, Chunyu Youyou believed in his plan. So she went to Bai Ci and lied, saying that she only needed a fake wedding from him to fulfill her dream, and then she wouldn't bother him anymore. Out of guilt, Bai Ci agreed to her request, not realizing that he fell into Mo Cang's trap. On the day of the wedding, Chunyu Youyou put poison in the cup of wine, causing Bai Ci to lose his immortal power. Mo Cang then suddenly attacked, thinking he had succeeded, but Bai Ci unexpectedly fought back. It turned out that Bai Ci had already discovered that Chunyu Youyou had been contaminated with Mo Cang's demonic aura, so he lured Mo Cang into a trap. Chunyu Youyou, who learned the truth, was heartbroken and realized that even the wedding was not out of love. In the end, Chunyu Youyou was killed by Mo Cang while trying to save Bai Ci, leaving a tragic ending to the story. The screenwriter was waiting to receive the final payment with tears in their eyes, but Boss Gu suffered a car accident on the way home.

Episode 19 Recap

Boss Gu encountered a car accident and wanted to shoot a time-travel drama. The screenwriter, who was already mentally prepared, calmly returned with a task to write another time-travel story, deleting the last three words of the original drama while crying. In the new story, the screenwriter, with emotions, decided that Boss Gu would play the silly son of a landlord, Tang Ziyou. However, Tang Ziyou unexpectedly had the soul of Mu Lin's recently deceased dog, Tangtang, in him. When Tang Ziyou woke up, he ran out of Tang's mansion and met Mu Lin. He rushed towards her, and Mu Lin was shocked but soon discovered that Tang Ziyou had the exact same birthmark as Tangtang. Mu Lin called out to him, and from his barking response and shining eyes, she confirmed that he was Tangtang. Facing Mu Lin's explanation, Tang Laoye believed that it was all nonsense and tried to take Tang Ziyou back with his men. However, Tang Ziyou fiercely fought back and showed that Mu Lin could calm him down. Tang Laoye had to let him go. Under Mu Lin's care, Tang Ziyou became very obedient, and she helped him change some of his dog habits.

Episode 20 Recap

The relationship between the two slowly heated up with each other's care, but the closer they got, the more uneasy Mu Lin felt. Mu Lin knew in her heart that Tang Ziyou was not her forever partner, but she couldn't bear to leave him. The two depended on each other. On a foggy night, Tang Ziyou and Mu Lin were kidnapped because of a valuable jade pendant. When Tang Ziyou woke up again, he found himself lying in a simple village house. He learned from a wild dog that Mu Lin had been seriously injured and was dying to save him. Tang Ziyou managed to escape and went to find Mu Lin, only to see the kidnappers about to hit her with a stick. Tang Ziyou threw himself onto Mu Lin, and the stick landed heavily on his back. He was beaten to the point of spitting blood, while Mu Lin cried desperately. At that moment, Tang Lao Ye appeared in the distance with a team of people, saving the two of them.

Episode 21 Recap

Mu Lin apologized to Tang Ziyou, who was lying in bed with serious injuries, saying that she did not fulfill her duty as a host to protect him. Tangtang, through Tang Ziyou's words, expressed his reluctance and eventually left this world. Mu Lin was heartbroken and committed suicide by cutting her throat at his bedside. The story ends here, but the screenwriter rushes for the final payment. Boss Gu, who has been very fascinated by a movie recently, requests the writer to write another story like the movie. The writer explodes and leaves Gu Xian with the words "never meet again." After confirming that the writer intends to quit, Boss Gu chases after him. Faced with the writer's accusing gaze, Boss Gu realizes that he had previously squeezed him too hard and begs the writer to finish the final story. However, the writer refuses to budge. The writer says that unless a meteor shower falls from the sky, he won't write another word. As soon as the words were spoken, a meteor shower actually falls. Seeing that the writer is at a loss, Boss Gu promises to let the writer freely develop the final story, and the writer finally breathes a sigh of relief.

Episode 22 Recap

A new story begins. Night Wudeng, played by Boss Gu, a killer in the martial world, chased a thief into the home of a little girl named Ye Ling'er. Night Wudeng arrived too late to save Ye Ling'er's parents and was mistaken by Ye Ling'er, who was hiding in a cabinet, as the murderer who killed her parents. Night Wudeng pretended to be deaf and dumb and followed Ye Ling'er around. Night Wudeng took Ye Ling'er on a journey wandering around. Their whereabouts were discovered by the surviving thieves who set up a trap to lure them into a dark alley. Night Wudeng was injured in multiple places while protecting the defenseless Ye Ling'er. Night Wudeng covered Ye Ling'er's escape but was stabbed by Ye Ling'er, who was seeking revenge. Night Wudeng was shocked, and Ye Ling'er regretted her actions when she learned the truth from the thief's mouth. Ye Ling'er went out to find someone to save Night Wudeng and bumped into Miao Lan. Miao Lan followed Ye Ling'er's lead and prepared to save Night Wudeng, but accidentally knocked Night Wudeng unconscious.

Episode 23 Recap

Miao Lan rescued Ye Wudeng and Ye Yunjing and took them to her home to recuperate. Miao Lan, who was born with incredible strength but unaware of it, inadvertently aggravated Ye Wudeng's injuries multiple times while taking care of him. Ye Wudeng suffered internal injuries but could only silently endure the pain. The screenwriter noticed Boss Gu's resistance to the character's hardships in the script, but intentionally inserted many scenes of injury, treatment, and bloodletting in the plot. Boss Gu's hands were pierced with holes, but he persevered with the belief of the actors. Ye Wudeng's heroic demeanor attracted Miao Lan, who asked Ye Yunjing for information about him. After learning about his past, Miao Lan's heart was completely captured. Under Miao Lan's careful care, Ye Wudeng gradually recovered and planned to leave. However, Ye Yunjing, who saw through his intentions, actively allied with Miao Lan and hoped she could bring home and warmth to Ye Wudeng.

Episode 24 (Ending) Recap

Under the planning of Ye Linger, although they did not break the window paper, they had already slept together. However, things did not go as planned. During the preparation of the wedding, Ye Wudeng discovered that the assassin who was following him had found them. In order to protect Miao Lan and Ye Linger, Ye Wudeng left a letter to the two and left. Finally, the story was completed, and the crew celebrated the end of filming. However, the producer reminded everyone that there were still commercial ads to shoot. After the shooting was completed, everyone chased after Boss Gu to ask for the final payment. A farce ended amidst the intermittent demands for payment. Some time later, the fully funded film was officially released. Boss Gu was criticized by the public for revising the script, and he had to make a public apology. He hoped that everyone could learn from his experience, respect creativity, love acting, and create good works with dedication.

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