Forcefully Doting On You - c66

 

Chapter 27

On the night of the wrap party for Mu Cai's movie, he flies back to the capital with Gu Yunchen.

Su Xingyun, having heard that Mu Cai would return after the movie's wrap, arrives at the airport in advance to wait for them at the VIP exit.

Much to his surprise, as soon as they meet and he tries to ask Xiao Liu to put the other's luggage in his car, he notices Mu Cai's suitcase is already held in Gu Yunchen's hands.

Showing his nimbleness, Gu Yunchen hands over the suitcase to his own assistant right before Su Xingyun could say anything, making him only able to helplessly watch as Mu Cai's luggage swiftly placed into the trunk of another car.

His gaze behind the glasses at this moment is like a sword, shooting straight at Xiao Liu standing nearby. 

When leaving Lin city, how did he explain to Xiao Liu? How could Xiao Liu not even handle such a simple task?!

Caught in the crossfire of a god's quarrel, the innocent mortal suffered. Under Su Xingyun's gaze, Xiao Liu couldn't help but shrink his neck.

Before leaving, Su Xingyun had given Xiao Liu numerous instructions and reminders to never let the weasel - oh no - Gu Yunchen get close to Mu Cai. However, Gu Yunchen is a shareholder of Kai Cheng Entertainment and is quite domineering. The Assistant Lin by his side is so reticent as if he's a machine. (Note: In case you get confused -- Xiao Liu is Mu Cai's assistant. Assistant Lin is Gu Yunchen's assistant)

They are not receptive to flattery and can be aggressive. Xiao Liu, who has only worked with one artist before, is not as experienced as Su Xingyun and is no match for them.

What can he do; he feels equally desperate!

Xiao Liu lowered his head grievingly.

Su Xingyun feels extremely disappointed, as if he had painstakingly raised a chick, only to watch its immature wings spread to follow someone else.

To make matters worse, the parties involved are completely unaware and Mu Cai waves excitedly at him, "Brother Su, I'm going to play at Brother Gu's house during this time!"

Mu Cai continues by mentioning that New Year is one month away and asks with a hint of unease, "Brother Su, I should be taking a vacation for New Year, right?"

Although many stars continue working during the New Year, Mu Cai doesn't have this mindset. He already has enough savings to support his life, and since he won't be staying in this world for long, there's no need for him to seize the time and work more.

The young actor on the other side has been shooting on location for a while. Su Xingyun knows it's tough, but perhaps due to the frequent activity, Mu Cai's formerly pale complexion seems much improved, a hint of healthy rosy glow radiates from his skin.

However, he has become thinner. The clothes that had previously fit him well now seem loose on Mu Cai's frame.

Lowering his gaze slightly, he purses his lips while his large, dark eyes sneak glances from below, making him look extremely endearing.

Silently, Su Xingyun sighs, realizing he can't resist him. All he can say is, “Okay, okay, I won't accept any more roles for you during this period.”

Instantly, Mu Cai's eyes shine brilliantly, and the corner of his lips curl up in pure joy. "Thank you, Brother Su!"

After speaking, he takes a few bags from Assistant Lin, and shoves them into Su Xingyun’s hands: "These are local specialties I brought back from Lin City. They're for you, Brother Su, a thank you for always taking care of me!"

Lin City houses a famous film and television base in the country, hosting tens of drama crews every year. Su Xingyun has managed many artists since entering the industry and has been to Lin City countless times. He's had these local specialties before, but these were bought specifically for him by Mu Cai, indicating that he holds a special place in Mu Cai's heart.

The moment Su Xingyun thought about this, he instantly felt a wave of ease wash over him. The frustration he felt from having the little chick snatched away from him puttered out in an instant, and even the mere sight of Gu Yunchen became much less irksome.

Although he didn’t laugh, his typically icy demeanor had relaxed a bit. He reminded Mu Cai, "Be careful and protect yourself when you're out playing. I'll arrange activities for you after the new year."

"Okay!" nodded Mu Cai obediently. He added, "Don't worry, Brother Su. Based on what Brother Gu said, their staircase is carpeted with soft rugs. I plan to stay in Brother Gu's house and not wander around haphazardly, so I'll be safe."

Su Xingyun: "..."

It's exactly because you are at his place that I'm worried!

Su Xingyun's heart started to feel weary again. This little chick hasn't even grown up, yet it is about to be kidnapped to the weasel's lair. Wouldn't it be devoured entirely?

Gu Yunchen couldn’t help but chuckle. He gently wrapped his arm around Mu Cai's shoulders. Looking at Su Xingyun, implying, "Relax, Brother Su. I'll take good care of Cai Cai. After all, he's still young."

He emphasized the last sentence a bit, as if conveying a promise.

A glint shone behind Su Xingyun's glasses, directly staring at the person across him.

Gu Yunchen's gaze didn’t waver, responding with the same direct look.

Only Mu Cai was slightly bewildered.

His body was just of age, eighteen years old, not exactly old, but not quite young either. Since he was indeed younger than the other two, he had no choice but to remain silent.

Su Xingyun scrutinized for a while before grudgingly nodding. He looked at Mu Cai and said, "Alright then, go and have fun."

Mu Cai said goodbye and got into the car that came to pick up Gu Yunheng.

Only when Gu Gu Yunchen and Assistant Lin also got in did the driver start the car, heading towards Gu Yunheng's private villa.

-----

The villa was in the far suburbs of the capital city, quite a distance away from the city center and inconvenient for daily commuting. Gu Yunchen normally didn’t live here but stayed in his city center residence. Mu Cai didn't mind this inconvenience as he began his New Year vacation. There were no work obligations and thus, the distance from the city center didn't matter.

Although Gu Yunchen was a shareholder of Kaicheng Entertainment, he didn’t manage the company. He owned his own studio and was the boss and sole artist. Therefore, apart from attending necessary contract signings and endorsement events, he took vacations whenever he wanted.

In the past, Gu Yunchen wouldn't be considered a workaholic, but he usually only took vacations during the week before Chinese New Year. This year, with Mu Cai around, he decisively informed Yang Cheng in advance that he didn’t need any events booked for him until the end of the festival.

By the time they finished the wrap-up party, it was already past nine in the evening, and it was nearly midnight when they got off the plane. The night was deep, and the villa was in the suburbs of the capital city. The roads had few cars, and their journey was smooth, reaching their destination quickly.

Before inviting Mu Cai to stay at his home, Gu Yunchen had already arranged for housekeeping to clean the long-vacant villa inside and out. The sheets and covers were also sunned and replaced in advance.

Upon their return, they could go straight to bed after washing up.

Both of them were extremely tired, and after saying goodnight, they crawled into bed.

During the following month, Mu Cai lived comfortably. He had nothing to do as there was an auntie preparing meals, and housekeeping staff regularly came to do chores.

Every day, Mu Cai and Gu Yunchen spent time together watching movies, playing video games, and in the evenings after dinner, they went out for a walk to digest food and walk their dog.

Gu Yunchen had an Alaskan Malamute in his villa that was large and round with fluffy hair. Unexpectedly, the dog took quite a liking to Mu Cai and would always trot over for a pet whenever it saw him.

Mu Cai also enjoyed the fluffy Alaskan Malamute's company, and couldn't resist petting him whenever the dog approached. However, the Malamute's strength was quite fitting for its stature, so it was Gu Yunchen who had to hold onto the leash during their evening walks.

There's something about a man with the strength of an eight-pack abdomen that allows him to maintain grace even when walking a powerful dog. This ability of Gu Yunheng greatly impressed Mu Cai.

These idyllic days continued for over a month, until New Year's Eve finally arrived.

That day, Gu Yunchen's parents were to come over for the reunion dinner.

Mu Cai was sat on the living room couch alongside Gu Yunchen, awaiting the arrival of Gu Yunchen's parents.

Initially, Mu Cai felt it might be awkward for him, as an outsider, to intrude on what should be a family reunion. He’d proposed to Gu Yunchen the idea of staying at a hotel for a few days, considering that the company would open again after the seventh day of Chinese New Year.

However, Gu Yunchen completely ignored it and tried his best to stop him. The other party repeatedly emphasized that Gu Yunchen's parents would only have lunch with them and absolutely would not stay overnight. Only then did Mu Cai agree to stay.

However, he was still feeling a bit nervous, thinking that it might be better to stay at a hotel.

Soon, Gu Yunchen's phone rang. He answered the call, said a few words, and then looked at Mu Cai with his deep-set eyes.

Understanding his intention, Mu Cai stood up and followed him to the door.

The weather was quite nice on this day of the New Year. It had snowed a few days earlier, but the ice on the road had been cleared, and the sun was shining brightly.

As soon as Mu Cai stepped outside, he saw a car parked outside the iron gate, and two elegant elders were already standing there.

Gu Yunchen quickly walked ahead and opened the door, as the two elders walked in leisurely.

Although Gu Yunchen's father and mother were of age, they were well-maintained and still looked quite youthful. Especially Gu Yunchen's mother, who had few wrinkles on her face and carried a youthful demeanor in her mannerisms. It was evident that she had been spoiled by her husband for decades.

Upon meeting Gu Yunchen's parents, Mu Cai immediately greeted them, "Hello, uncle and aunt."

The young man was slim with some flesh on his face. His skin was fair, revealing a healthy blush. His eyes seemed to have a layer of shimmer, with dark and large pupils. The tip of his nose was slightly upturned, giving him a well-behaved appearance.

Mu Cai's voice was ethereal and pleasant, making people feel comfortable listening to it. Gu's mother's face lit up with joy, and she stepped forward to examine him closely, "So you are Mu Cai? You look even better in person than in the photos."

The two elders in front of him had warm smiles, and Gu Yunchen's mother's face showed her undisguised affection for him. Mu Cai was infected by their mood, and his nervousness lessened slightly. He smiled back at them, "Thank you for your compliment, aunt!"

After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but ask about the photo that puzzled him, "What photo were you looking at, though?"

How could there be a photo of him in Gu Yunchen's mother's possession? The other party was already over fifty, could they still be fans of current celebrities?

Seeing the genuine confusion in his eyes, along with a glance from her son, Liang Yuan finally understood the misunderstanding.

What a rascal! He hasn't even won his heart yet! And by the looks of it, Mu Cai doesn't even know that he's being pursued by his son!

It's a shame that after chatting with Gu Yunchen on WeChat and seeing Cai's pictures, Liang Yuan was quite satisfied with her son's taste.

She didn't expect her son to be so bad at pursuing someone, much worse compared to his father back in the day!

Liang Yuan was frustrated at his lack of progress, but felt embarrassed to expose Gu Yunchen's thoughts in public. So she quickly came up with an idea and said with a smile: "It's from your Weibo account! Yunchen introduced you to us before, so I went to watch your show and followed you on Weibo. When your movie comes out, your uncle and I will go watch it and give you box office support!"

Mu Cai was taken aback and couldn't help feeling a little guilty.

He didn't know how Gu Yunchen described her to his parents - he probably hadn't mentioned that he used to be his stalker fan.

If that were the case, Gu Yunchen's parents were indeed very well-mannered, as they were still so warm towards her.

However, thanks to the enthusiasm of the two elders, Mu Cai gradually relaxed and began to chat and laugh with Gu Yunchen's parents.

Gu Yunchen was silently praising his mom.

-----

Today was New Year's Eve, and they were having their reunion dinner at noon.

Auntie Zhang, who was always in charge of cooking at the mansion, came to Gu Yunchen's place early in the morning. After half a day of preparation, she filled the fridge with a variety of semi-finished or finished dishes. As a result, cooking was now much easier for them. The finished dishes could simply be heated in the microwave, while the semi-finished ones could be steamed over water in the pot.

Both Gu Yunchen's father and Gu Yunchen were also preparing two fresh dishes.

Mu Cai wanted to help in the kitchen, but was stopped by Liang Yuan.

She looked at her son's boyfriend visiting for the first time and joked, if they had her work now, wouldn't she end up like the cruel mother-in-law character on TV shows?

Of course, Liang Yuan didn't want to be that kind of person, so she had Gu Wenxuan and Gu Yunchen busy themselves, while she chatted with Mu Cai and asked her various questions.

Seeing the two men in the kitchen preparing fish and chopping ribs, Mu Cai couldn't help feeling restless. She said, "Auntie, why don't I go and help?"

Otherwise, it feels too much like a person who eats out of other's generosity without contributing anything.

And if there were only Gu Yunchen busy in the kitchen it would be fine, but there's another elder preparing food, how could a younger generation like him stay idle!

Liang Yuan grabbed him: "What's the rush? It's not common for guests to help out. Don't worry, Yunchen and his dad are both good cooks, they'll prepare the meals for you in the future."

Mu Cai felt there was something off about this sentence, but before he could contemplate further, he saw Liang Yuan put on a gentle face again: "If you go, who will keep me company? Are you bothered by me and no longer want to stay with this old lady?"

Mu Cai: "…"

Mu Cai admitted defeat and obediently stayed on the sofa.

Liang Yuan seized this opportunity to ask various questions. When she learned about the young man's family background, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for Mu Cai.

His father passed away, his mother unloving – it would be up to them and Yunchen to care for him in the future!

She also inquired about Mu Cai's future career plans, and casually involved him in conversations about Gu Yunchen to try and boost her son's impression in Mu Cai's eyes.

By the time they were about to have their reunion dinner, Mu Cai had already learned about Gu Yunchen's bedwetting when he was three years old, his arrogance since childhood, his insistence on eating only his favorite flavored ice cream at kindergarten, and how he refused to exchange it with female classmates, ultimately making them cry.

He thought somewhat dazedly, Gu Yunchen had been such a straight man since childhood.

The fact that he could eventually become more flexible in the original story was indeed a miracle.

It seems that Mo Hengqing's charm was truly powerful!

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