Forcefully Doting On You - c59

 

Chapter 20

Mu Cai successfully got the opportunity to play the third male lead in a performance. Before he had the chance to share the good news with Su Xingyun, his agent rushed back that night and hurriedly sent him back to the closed training venue for the concert.

"This outside world is too dangerous," Su Xingyun thought. "It's better to let Mucai focus on preparing for the concert first. During this time, I'll find him a reliable and discreet assistant who can help take care of some minor matters during filming."

During the two months that Mu Cai returned to the training base, Su Xingyun did not arrange any other activities for him except for the follow-up publicity announcements related to Pure Love cosmetics.

However, Mu Cai's Weibo account was being managed every day. Su Xingyun divided the photos from the previous ad shoot into three parts and sent them out every two days, with about four or five photos each time. This way, fans on Weibo could occasionally admire his appearance and help maintain Mu Cai's popularity.

When the photos were almost all sent out, the ads for Pure Love that were shot earlier were also completed and released. The official Pure Love Weibo account even paid for promotion and tagged Mu Cai's Weibo handle.

Soon, before the enthusiasm from "Rookie Star" had completely cooled down, the netizens saw another video:

In three different scenarios, a young man had three different shades of lip color applied by a makeup artist. The colors of this new product were not bold but fresh and elegant, blending seamlessly with the person's face. They made the person's complexion appear fairer.

The camera showcased Mu Cai's lips from all angles. His upper lip was like a bow, adorned with a small lip pearl in the center. After applying lip gloss, his lips had a radiant sheen and a healthy color.

In the final moments of the video, Mu Cai stood up from the chair and pushed open the balcony door. Instantly, the sunlight flooded in, enveloping the young man in a hazy halo, making him appear like a heavenly angel on earth.

Mu Cai leaned on the balcony railing, turned his head, and smiled at the camera.

With his curved eyebrows and eyes, a slight plumpness on his cheeks, he looked incredibly adorable and pinchable. His lips stretched out, sparkling under the sunlight, while his expression appeared both happy and content.

It was so beautiful that one couldn't help but hope time would freeze at this moment.

Comments on the official Pure Love microblog suddenly exploded:

[Oh my, the colors of this lip gloss are so stunning![

[It's Pure Love endorsed by Cai Cai! I want to take a sip of Cai Cai's lips!]

[After drinking coffee, this lip gloss barely faded! I won't say anymore, I'm going to place an order!]

This advertisement created quite a buzz on Weibo. And when it was aired on a popular local TV station, it made Mu Cai more well-known to the public.

Two months later, a week before the highly anticipated Seven Stars concert, the official microblog of "Xiaoxue Jiangshan" finally revealed the list of main performers.

Mu Cai, who played Yi Sheng, sparked a series of discussions and fan battles. His popularity kept rising, and more and more people were looking forward to the upcoming concert. This brought the hype for the concert to an unprecedented level.

However, Mu Cai had no idea about all of this.

In another week, it would be the concert day. They had returned from the training base to the concert venue in the capital a week ago, and have been rehearsing non-stop.

-----

The tickets for the Seven Stars concert were already announced on various online platforms, and the pre-sale would start at noon today.

Gu Yunchen had been waiting in front of the ticketing platform for a while now. He had already adjusted his phone screen to the purchasing interface and selected front-row seats. His finger was just a few millimeters away from the purchase button.

Time continued to pass, minute by minute.

After staring intently at the number in the top left corner of the phone screen, Gu Yunchen immediately tapped. A rotating icon appeared on the screen and a few seconds later, the system prompted him that the purchase was successful and the ticket had been issued.

Gu Yunchen felt extremely proud and quickly took a screenshot of the successful purchase, which he then posted on his Moments to show off.

He was usually low-key and rarely posted on Moments or even checked them. But this time, not only did Gu Yunchen post a screenshot, but he also made a very cheesy victory sign. Instantly, people from all walks of life came forward to inquire about the situation.

Gu Yunchen's WeChat contact list included people from the entertainment industry, the art circle, and the business world. The older ones remained silent and simply gave a thumbs up. Those around his age had no reservations and left comments:

"Did the sun rise in the west today? Brother Gu, whose concert are you going to? Mo Hengqing hasn't held a concert for a while, right?"

"Hey, the person upstairs is so behind on the news. This is Mu Cai's concert. Our Brother Gu has long abandoned the unattainable moonlight and has now set his sights on a little kitten in a twisted way!"

This was a typical post from Tang Feng, who was always sarcastic. What's worse, he did it publicly, in broad daylight, under the gaze of heaven and earth — an outright slander and defamation!

Upon seeing this, Gu Yunchen couldn't help but "tsk" in disgust.

He didn't have any "white moonlight" — he simply had a competitive mindset towards Mo Hengqing as they were of similar age and occupation. That's why he happened to glance at him a few more times than usual. How did he suddenly become his "moonlight" in Tang Feng's post?

In the past, Gu Yunchen didn't bother explaining these groundless rumors, for he had nothing to hide. But things were different now that he had a love interest - he had to learn to avoid suspicion. So Gu Yunchen's fingers flew across the screen as he replied to Tang Feng:

"Careful what you say."

As soon as he sent his message, a new notification popped up — it was from Jing He, the director of "Xiaoxue Jiangshan."

Jing He was two generations older than Gu Yunchen, even more if you assume each generation gap was three years. The age gap between them was enough to fill the Marianas Trench.

Therefore, Gu Yunchen highly respected this senior, but never really had an in-depth conversation with him. He didn't know why Jing He was trying to reach him now. Maybe it was related to their movie.

With a professional mentality, Gu Yunchen thought he had already cleared up the rumors, and put aside the idea of teasing his sarcastic friend. He clicked on Jing He's WeChat message, but what he saw wasn't what he expected:

"Is your ticket for Mu Cai's concert? Do you have any extras? Me and a few friends wanna go."

Gu Yunchen: "......"

Gu Yunchen politely declined the request:

"No."

There was a pause on the other end, and then a message came again after a while:

"I saw that you're quite close with Mu Cai. Can you ask him if he has any extra tickets?"

Gu Yunchen responded firmly:

"It's not easy for young people to make a living. If you want to support, please buy tickets."

Jing He never expected such a response on WeChat. Did he look like the kind of person who would take advantage of younger generations?! It sounded like Gu Yunchen was treating him as if he wanted free tickets! He was willing to buy, but he was just a bit slow, could he be blamed for that!

As soon as Jing He thought of this, his literary pride took over:

"Can you blame me for being a bit slow? I can't just ask for it for free!"

Gu Yunchen didn't care if Jing He was asking for it for free or not. If he were to ask Mu Cai for tickets, then Mu Cai would definitely have to find a way to get them for him. After all, he (MC) liked him (GYC) so much.

But Mu Cai didn't have any connections and was also very easy to embarrass. Wasn't it too difficult for him to go through all the trouble to get the tickets for Jing He? Gu Yunchen didn't have the heart to make Mu Cai work so hard for someone else.

Just as he was about to refuse Jing He's request, the other party sent another message:

"After all, I'm a man with a wife. How can my speed match yours?"

Gu Yunchen: "......"

Gu Yunchen was so angry!

How dare this senior artist act like this! He was clearly a shameless old man!

When Jing He saw that there was no response from the other end on WeChat, he knew that his strategy of suppression before promotion was effective.

The other person must be so angry that they can't even speak!

With a sense of satisfaction in his heart, Jing He could now have a proper conversation with Gu Yunchen. He lazily typed with a leisurely speed:

"Don't be mad, Xiao Gu. I just want to ask you, has Mu Cai studied acting before?"

As soon as Gu Yunchen read this message, the anger in his heart disappeared without a trace.

Jing He was known for his ability to train actors. Wen Lan, who won the Best Actress award for five consecutive years, was once criticized as just a pretty face when she was young. However, after working under Jing He's guidance, she seemed to have a breakthrough and went on to win numerous domestic and international awards throughout her acting career.

The other person must be asking to understand more about Mu Cai's situation. This way, when they start filming Xiaoxue Jiangshan, Jing He will know how to guide Mu Cai.

Therefore, Gu Yunchen didn't joke around and quickly replied:

"He hasn't studied acting, to be honest. When he came to audition for you, it was his first time acting."

Jing He was somewhat surprised.

From the moment he heard the news about auditioning for the role of Yi Sheng, to the actual audition, it took less than three days. Trying to fully understand the script, grasp the character, and interpret the audition scene in just three days is truly difficult without years of acting experience and skill.

However, Mu Cai was an exception.

Jing He thought for a moment and felt a sudden heaviness in his heart. He replied:

"He's a very talented actor."

Guyunchen silently agreed.

Unexpectedly, the other person sent another message:

"Unfortunately, talented actors often have a common flaw. They can only perform well in roles that they personally connect with. Roles that they don't connect with, they're usually just average."

That's actually true.

Jing He couldn't help but feel a little regretful for Mu Cai's unfortunate timing: "This kind of unpolished talent, it used to be simple. Back then, a movie could be filmed slowly, a character could be honed well, and eventually, they would achieve mastery. But now... Ah, with capitalism prevailing, this fast-paced environment is no longer suitable."

Gu Yunchen's heart twitched.

Jing He truly felt regret. If Mu Cai had some powerful backing, didn't have to worry about basic needs, could freely choose roles, and have the time and resources to study, then his path to stardom would naturally be smooth, perhaps even becoming a brilliant star in the history of cinema.

But now...

Suddenly, his phone vibrated.

Jing He looked down and saw a message from Gu Yunchen:

"He can do it, because I'm here."

-----

Author's Note: 

Jing He smugly says: "Still being mean? My typing speed isn't fast because I have a wife, do you have one?"

Angry Gu Yunchen: "??? Are you crazy or something?"

-----

Notes: Chapter numbers are going to be confusing for a little while, sorry. Again, this is Chapter 20 in the raws. I don't split chapters. 

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