Rose Planet [Entertainment Industry]

Duan Zhihan is a celebrated Best Actor who has spent the last six years filming overseas, returning only to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award. Jiang Li, a top entertainment star since his teenage years, dies of terminal liver cancer on his twenty-f fifth birthday. The media and public view Jiang Li with disdain, citing rumors of a messy private life and speculating about the cause of his death. At the award ceremony, Duan Zhihan overhears minor actors gossiping maliciously about Jiang Li. He dismisses one actor from his agency and immediately leaves the venue to return to China, abandoning his chance to win the award. His assistant is confused by this decision, noting that Duan Zhihan has a tradition of buying a birthday cake for someone every year, but this year he refuses to purchase one.

Duan Zhihan arrives at Jiang Li’s sparse funeral, attended only by his manager, Ye Cheng. He lights incense before Jiang Li’s memorial portrait, revealing that the two men were once secretly married. Duan Zhihan learns that Jiang Li’s father was a violent gambler who abused him, leading to severe psychological trauma. After being beaten in front of his classmates, Jiang Li developed a delusion that he was a robot from another planet. He would pretend to power himself on and off, write observation reports about Earth, and hide behind a cold, unfeeling shell to protect himself from pain. Despite his eccentric behavior, Jiang Li was a proud and talented individual who had once been a top student.

Ye Cheng explains that Jiang Li spent his final days in the hospital, counting down until he could be discharged. When he realized he would never leave, he asked if he was finally returning to his home planet. Before dying, Jiang Li’s last words were a lament that the people he was waiting for had not come. Duan Zhihan realizes that Jiang Li had taken his casual promise to return seriously. Six years ago, when Duan Zhihan left the country, Jiang Li had asked if he would come back for him. Duan Zhihan had agreed indifferently, unaware that Jiang Li would wait for him until his death. The funeral wreath left by Duan Zhihan is the only one present, highlighting Jiang Li’s isolation.

As Duan Zhihan stands alone in the mourning hall, a fire breaks out among the paper offerings. A burning beam crashes down from the ceiling, narrowly missing him. He notices that Jiang Li’s memorial portrait has fallen and blocked the beam, saving his life. The image of the portrait shielding him mirrors Jiang Li’s lifelong habit of waiting and protecting others from a distance. Overcome with regret and realization, Duan Zhihan declares to the rescuers outside that his husband is still inside and steps back into the flames. He retrieves the burning portrait, holding it to his chest as the ceiling collapses. His final thought is a vow to hug the vulnerable Jiang Li beneath the robot persona and ensure he lives a better life if given another chance.

Duan Zhihan awakens in a bright room to find Jiang Li sitting on a sofa, wearing a white shirt with ice-blue hair. Jiang Li turns around with a fierce expression and tells him that whoever does not get a divorce is an idiot. This marks the beginning of a second chance, as Duan Zhihan finds himself back in time during their marriage. The story shifts from tragedy to redemption, as Duan Zhihan must now navigate his relationship with Jiang Li, understanding the depth of his pain and the significance of his promises. He aims to break through Jiang Li’s robotic facade and provide the love and stability that was denied to him in his previous life.