Jian Xi is an aspiring actress pitted against Tang Fei’s cocky A-list celeb. She’s also looking for her birth mother in Beijing. According to the synopsis, archaeologists find the grave of Dong Xian in 2016, and within it, the truth behind Emperor Ai of Han’s “passion of the cut sleeve.” A famous director reads about the findings and decides to film a movie based off of this story, selecting the big name Tang Fei and the new face Jian Xi to play the lead roles. Tang Fei is a guy; Jian Xi is a girl – how do Dong Xian and our meta-story come in?

“Emperor Ai loved Fu Ji deeply, but pushed her away on purpose for political reasons. He hoped that when he executed the Fu clan, he would be able to preserve her life – but the Empress Dowager Fu insisted on sending her into the palace, hoping to use her to control the emperor. Emperor Ai used Dong Xian as a cover-up, but Fu Ji did not know of this, and her love turned to hate. She chose to help her family seek power. Emperor Ai, heartbroken, refused to speak the truth even when he died. Dong Xian, however, secretly recorded everything.