Forcefully Doting On You - c60

 

Chapter 21

On the evening of the concert, Gu Yunchen arrived at the venue early, wearing a hat and a mask. His seat was in the inner section, closest to the stage with the best view. And because there were fewer seats, he didn't have to worry about someone taking his spot.

After going through security, Gu Yunchen bought drinks, tissues, and a light stick. He used to be a member of a boy band and had his own concerts. But back then, it was his fans who bought these items to support him. Now, it was his turn to hold up the light stick and support someone else.

More than ninety percent of the people who came to see the concert were young girls. As a grown man, Gu Yunchen stood out among them. But luckily, he sat in the inner section, a distance away from the other seats. Most of the people around him came in pairs or groups and nobody was bored enough to strike up a conversation with him.

With the help of his low hat brim and the mask covering half his face, Gu Yunchen successfully hid his identity before the concert started.

When the concert began, all the lights above turned off, plunging the entire venue into darkness. Suddenly, a spotlight shone on the stage, revealing the seven members of the Seven Stars group who had already formed their positions on the elevator.

The thousands of fans in the audience started cheering and screaming.

The lights above changed suddenly, casting a magnificent glow on the seven members' white outfits, creating a wonderful palette of colors on their bodies.

The music suddenly started, and the beat resounded in the ears.

Seven Stars' formation immediately scattered, and the seven people started dancing forward. At the same time, a beautiful, ethereal voice like mountain streams echoed in the venue, refreshing the ears of all the audience and hitting their souls like ripples.

The dim small lights instantly turned into bright big lights, and everything on the stage was immediately visible.

Mu Cai was standing at the center position, wearing a loose white sweatshirt and khaki work pants. He sang and danced to the rhythm of the music.

His soft black hair fluttered with his movements, and his delicate pale face, with its arched eyebrows and curved eyes, showcased his little tiger teeth.

The audience couldn't help but scream out loud, and some even shouted at the top of their lungs:

"Mu Cai!" "Mu Cai!" "Mu Cai!"

The fluorescent sticks and exclusive light sticks underneath the stage danced, forming a scattered galaxy of stars in the darkness, all coming together to express their love and support for the person on stage.

Gu Yunchen had once enjoyed such treatment. If someone had told him at that time that someday he would be chasing after someone in this way, Gu Yunchen would have scoffed and thought that person might be crazy.

And now, he was immersed in the atmosphere of the entire venue, excitedly raising the fan banner in his hand like a child. He swayed along with the rhythm of the song, hoping that the shining figure on stage would glance at him, just like all the other fans.

If it weren't for the lingering rationality in his mind desperately poking at Gu Yunchen's nerves, he would have wanted to take off the mask that was obstructing his face and shout at Mu Cai.

Jealousy and unwillingness emerged in the depths of Gu Yunchen's heart.

Those fans surely didn't know that the person they adored, who smiled like the bright sunshine, would be shy in front of him. He was the one Mu Cai liked!

Although Mu Cai was the lead singer of the group, this was the opening song of the Seven Stars concert. He only sang for a while before stepping back. The other six members split the remaining parts and stood in the center of the stage, smiling at the audience.

The fans below gave face to them. Each person shouted their name and waved their fan sticks or banners.

Although it wasn't as grand as when Mu Cai was on stage, there was definitely no awkward silence.

The next songs were sung by Mu Cai as the lead singer, with the other members taking turns to handle the chorus and rap sections.

All the songs performed at the Seven Stars concert had been released as an album a week before the concert. Therefore, the fans present had already heard these songs and could sing along, making the atmosphere extremely lively.

At the end of the concert, the group members sang the theme song of the "Rookie Star" program together.

This theme song is played at the end of each episode of the program, it has a beautiful melody and simple lyrics, many people can sing a few lines. So, by the end of the concert, it had turned into a chorus of thousands of people.

Most of the fans present had followed the "Rookie Star" program and personally witnessed the growth and efforts of the seven people on stage. Seeing their idol's dream come true, shining on stage, many fans couldn't help but burst into tears.

-----

By the time the concert ended, it was almost 11 o'clock at night. Mu Cai thoughtfully reminded the fans to pay attention to their safety, especially the female fans, who should preferably travel in groups.

As the audience dispersed, the lights in the venue were turned on to help people see the way and the steps when leaving the concert. Just as Gu Yunchen stood up and was texting Lin, his assistant, he heard a surprising voice next to him:

"Gu Yunchen!"

He instinctively wanted to turn around. Luckily, his senses kicked in and stopped him in his tracks. He didn't respond, but lowered his hat brim and tried to walk out quickly.

However, the voice was surprisingly loud, echoing throughout the venue, causing many people to turn their heads and see what was happening.

Fortunately, the security personnel had already noticed the commotion and Gu Yunchen seized the opportunity to stride towards them.

A few security personnel realized something was wrong and quickly surrounded the area. They were used to these situations and had seen the real faces of many celebrities. With Gu Yunchen's cooperation and the assistance of the hat brim and mask, the security personnel immediately recognized the person and swiftly separated him from the crowd.

Gu Yunchen managed to escape and communicated with the security personnel for a few moments before they allowed Lin, with the rabbit plush toy, to enter the venue. The two of them were temporarily led by the security personnel to the backstage dressing room.

The members of the Seven Stars group, who were in the middle of removing their makeup, were stunned when they heard the door open and turned around.

Mu Cai was the first to react and joy appeared on her tired face. "Rabbit plushie!"

Gu Yunchen, who was about to nod in acknowledgement to everyone, paused. The person Mu Can saw at first glance was not him?!

At that moment, Li Yuzhe, who was standing nearby, was the first to react and greeted him, asking, "Hello, Brother Gu."

Everyone in the room followed suit and greeted him. Mu Cai, only now realizing him mistake, shifted her gaze away from the rabbit plush toy and obediently said, "Hello, Brother Gu."

Lin Jiayi looked surprised and asked, "Brother, how did you come here?"

As the pampered "Prince" of Starlight Entertainment, he had always been open about his identity and it felt natural for him to address Gu Yunchen as "brother". Among the members of the group, except for Mu Cai, everyone's expression changed upon hearing this.

Gu Yunchen felt relieved when Mu Cai finally responded. He looked at Lin Jiayi with a cold expression and said, "Yeah, I came to see your concert, but ended up being recognized."

He spoke casually as if it didn't matter. Everyone in the dressing room, who had been nervous, calmed down as well.

No one said a celebrity can't attend a concert, especially since Gu Yunchen used to be their mentor. Even if it was revealed, it wouldn't have any negative impact. Perhaps netizens on Weibo would even think their mentor-student relationship was great.

After Gu Yunchen said that, he asked nonchalantly, "Where are you guys staying tonight? Can I come with you?"

Gu Yunchen had personal experience. After a concert, celebrities usually feel exhausted. Plus, it was already past 11 pm, and they were probably not going back to the company but would rest nearby.

However, Lin Jiayi felt like something wasn't quite right.

Since he participated in "New Star," many things seemed to have changed. For example, his senior brother frequently topped the trending searches with Mu Cai, and his brother even taught Mu Cai how to dance on the show. Recently, there was even news that Mu Cai would participate in a movie starring Lin Jiayi's older brother.

Lin Jiayi thought there must be some coincidence in all this. But when he looked at Gu Yunchen's usual cold expression, he became uncertain.

After a moment of contemplation, he finally said, "We're staying at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Brother, you can come with us later."

Gu Yunchen nodded and ignored Mu Cai's longing gaze. He calmly took the rabbit plush toy from Assistant Lin and sat down on the side.

After the seven of them finished removing their makeup and most of the people outside had left, they followed the leader and walked out of the venue. Three cars were parked outside, one of which was driven by Assistant Lin.

Gu Yunchen, carrying the rabbit plushie, was the first to sit in his own car, but he didn't close the door.

Mu Cai hesitated for a moment in place, then followed his heart and walked towards Gu Yunchen's car. After all, Gu Yunchen had said that if he wanted to play with the rabbit plushie, he could go to his car.

As soon as Mu Cai sank into the soft seat, he eagerly looked at the snowy-white rabbit in Gu Yunchen's hands.

The car roof light was on, casting a warm yellow glow on the young man's skin. His eyes were big and black, with a watery sheen, shifting between Gu Yunchen's face and the rabbit plush toy in his hands, a hint of longing showing on his face.

Mu Cai couldn't help but speak up, "Gege, I..."

Before he could finish his sentence, something soft and fluffy was pushed into his hands.

It was the rabbit plushie.

Mu Cai immediately smiled, "Thank you, Gege!"

Gu Yunchen snorted.

Always acting cute and spoiled.

Lin Jiayi, who was outside the car, saw Mu Cai holding the rabbit plushie and thought he looked extremely soft. He figured it wouldn't matter to bring one more person since his brother's car was big anyway.

But just as Lin Jiayi was about to approach them, he saw Gu Yunchen suddenly lean out of the car, pulling the slender young man's shoulder towards him with one hand and closing the car door with the other.

Gu Yunchen maintained his embrace on Mu Cai and ordered Assistant Lin, "Drive to the Hyatt Hotel."

Assistant Lin: "..."

Lin Jiayi, who had just taken a step outside: "..."

Assistant Lin silently started the car.

However, Mu Cai was completely unaware of everything that had just happened. He kneaded the rabbit plush toy for a while and looked at Gu Yunchen with hopeful eyes. "Gege, can we... tonight?"

Gu Yunchen's expression was cold, but he wished he had ten or eight more pairs of ears to hear what Mu Cai would say next.

What can I do?

"...Can I borrow this rabbit plushie? I want to sleep with it. I didn't bring my doll with me today."

Gu Yunchen: "..."

Gu Yunchen was cold: "No."

Seeing how devastated Mu Cai looked, he couldn't help but start to doubt a very serious question.

Does the other person actually like him, or do they just like his plushie?

-----

Author's note: 

Gu Yunchen: If both me and this rabbit plushie fell into a river, who would you save?

Mu Cai: "...I can't swim."

Gu Yunchen: Great, I'll save you.

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