Forcefully Doting On You - c67

 

Chapter 28

Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu did not stay the night as expected. The four of them had a sumptuous reunion dinner together. After a lengthy chat with Mu Cai, Liang Yuan reluctantly left with Mr. Gu.

Indeed, by this time, Mu Cai had grown much closer to Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu, and no longer felt uncomfortable spending time with them.

However, for some reason, even though Mrs. Gu seemed hesitant to leave, she firmly rejected the suggestion to stay at the mansion.

Liang Yuan smiled kindly and said, "Ah, we're getting on in years and our thought processes can't keep up with you young people. We fear that our presence here might make you uncomfortable."

Just as Mu Cai was about to reply, Mr. Gu, who had been smiling cheerfully without speaking for the whole time, finally said, "All right, we've had the reunion dinner, now it's time for you to give Yuan Yuan back to me."

After finishing his sentence, Mr. Gu placed his hand on Mrs. Gu's shoulder, gently pulling her into his arms. Even though it was a subtle gesture, it still clearly declared his wish for some alone time.

Mrs. Gu blushed a little and playfully scolded Mr. Gu after his action.

Mu Cai: "..."

He was mistaken. Originally, he thought that, as Mrs. Gu said, they were worried about making the young people feel uncomfortable. Now, it appears evident that they were disturbing the affectionate moments of the couple.

Gu Yunchen waved his hand, seemingly accustomed to it, "Alright, goodbye mom and dad. Be careful on the road."

Seeing this, Mu Cai simply smiled and waved, "Goodbye, uncle and aunt!"

Seeing the two older people's affection for each other, Mu Cai felt genuinely happy.

Only when the car carrying Mr. and Mrs. Gu vanished at the end of the road did Mu Cai start heading back with Gu Yunchen.

Thinking back to that scene, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Uncle and Aunt's relationship is really good."

Deeply affected from childhood by being seen as a third wheel by his own father, Gu Yunchen readily agreed, nodding his head. Thank goodness his dad took his mom away, otherwise, wouldn't there be an extra pair of third wheels between him and Cai Cai tonight?

Gu Yunchen turned his head and looked at Mu Cai's contemplative expression.

The young man's side profile was extremely handsome. From his full forehead, past his slightly upturned nose, and to his tiny chin, the contour lines were like a distant range of rolling hills, elegant yet three-dimensional.

Gu Yunchen suppressed the stirrings in his heart and casually continued the conversation, "Since I was a child, it's always been like this. My dad dotes on my mom, you see. She still carries the innocence of a young girl. I am similar to my dad. The reason I learned cooking was to make food for the person I like."

Indeed! Exceptional people are nurtured by a good family environment!

Thinking back to what was shown in the script, Gu Yunchen’s care for Mo Hengqing, Mu Cai could not help but wholeheartedly agree, nodding his head, "Brother Gu will certainly spoil his other half in the future."

Seeing his hint was successful, Gu Yunchen felt elated. He restrained his urge to smile too broadly and calmly said, "Although I usually place great emphasis on my career, it is only to create a better living environment for my other half in the future. I've been active in the industry for five years now, and I have accumulated considerable assets. Once I’ve earned enough money, I can comfortably shift behind the scenes at any time."

Mu Cai nodded in agreement. He understood that everyone has different views and ideas. Some people may focus more on their careers, while others prefer spending time with family. Some strive hard so they can eventually return to their families without worries.

And one of the reasons why Mu Cai chose to participate in the new energy field project launched by the state is that he hopes the project can successfully alleviate the energy crisis facing humanity and thereby create a better living environment for everyone.

Although Mu Cai never insists on how others think or act, he is certainly happy to meet someone who shares his views now.

Hence, Mu Cai praises Gu Yunchen enthusiastically, "Brother Gu is great! I like people like Brother Gu a lot!"

Gu Yunchen smiles with satisfaction.

If he likes people like him, he will soon like him.

-----

That night, both of them huddled on the sofa, scrolling through their phones, watching the Spring Festival Gala. Both Mu Cai and Gu Yunchen do not particularly fancy the Spring Gala, but the television remains on to maintain a festive atmosphere.

The moment the clock hits midnight, both of their phones are flooded with calls.

Mu Cai, who usually doesn't know many people, was surprised at the numerous vibrations from his phone. He first answers Mo Hengqing's call who asks him to visit Mo's house on the second day of the Lunar New Year. Mu Cai immediately agrees.

There are further calls from Su Xingyun, along with his teammates from the Seven Stars group. Even Director Jing He sends him a text message. After answering each call and responding to every single message, Mu Cai gives it a thought and sends a mass message to everyone on his WeChat list, wishing them a Happy New Year.

Gu Yunchen's phone, on the other hand, was also nonstop, with one call after another.

The two of them were busy, and it wasn't until around 12:40 in the morning that their phones finally quiet down.

Both Mu Cai and Gu Yunchen have regular routines—early to bed and early to rise. It was unusual for them to stay up so late; both of them starting to get sleepy. As the premiere of Xiaoxue Jiangshan was on New Year's Day, they planned to visit the cinema together. So, they quickly wished each other good night and went to bed.

The next day, they put on hats and masks, were picked up by a driver, and went to the cinema.

They chose a morning show deliberately. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the cinema was almost empty. Mu Cai and Gu Yunchen even picked the last row.

Looking at the vacant seats in front, Mu Cai felt as if they had booked the entire hall. The room darkened; Mu Cai quietly stared at the big screen in front of him.

The movie began with the sound of horses' hooves. Next, Gu Yunchen's disheveled figure appeared on a small path overgrown with weeds.

This scene was from the script, where the main character was being pursued by government soldiers.

Initially, Mu Cai was able to watch seriously, but when his character, Yi Sheng, appeared later in the movie, he had a hard time focusing.

The scenes, snippets, and images were all too familiar, as Yi Sheng was his character. He remembered clearly the positions he stood at on the filming site, how he was surrounded by a bunch of cameras, and scenes where he acted under everyone's watchful eyes. It was all too real for him!

Even though he couldn't immerse himself, he appreciated the movie's high-quality production and got a sense of the post-production team's strength. The brilliant execution of lighting, color grading, visual effects, and the handling of the background was evident.

They had only finished filming in late December, and now, during the mid-February New Year, the editing and post-production of the entire movie were completed within just over a month. They also managed to arrange for it to be shown in cinemas. Director Jing must be lauded for being a big name in Chinese cinema; his team was indeed well-established and impressive.

As the movie ends, Mu Cai has to admit that despite spending most of the time being out of character, the film is genuinely excellent to watch.

However, Xiaoxue Jiangshan has a somewhat heavy tone, and the color palette of the scenes is quite desolate. It's a stark contrast from the bright and joyous New Year's films usually screened during the Spring Festival.

On the way back to the villa with Gu Yunchen, Mu Cai couldn't help but question if anyone would genuinely watch such a heavy movie during the joyous New Year period?

The reality proved that people indeed would.

Although the premiere of Xiaoxue Jiangshan took place on an awkward New Year's Day, quite a number of viewers turned up. Shortly after the premiere, the movie's rating on Douban shot up to an impressive 9.6.

While the rating may not be stable and could drop in the future, it still reflects the overall public praise for this film.

Reviews also started to roll out on Weibo and various ticket-booking platforms. Many well-known film critics and influential Weibo users jumped in, with many of them commending. And most of the praise was aimed at Mu Cai:

[My girlfriend is particularly fond of Mu Cai, and originally, I didn't think much of these pretty-boy actors, until today when I accompanied her to watch Xiaoxue Jiangshan. Such a delight, from now on, I guess we have the same actor crush!]

This comment received over 1000 likes on the Cherry Movie Viewing app.

The Cherry Movie Viewing app is one of the mainstream online movie ticket platforms in the country. Reviews for Xiaoxue Jiangshan on the platform were a mix of good and bad, but ninety percent of them were in favor. Moreover, the number of likes on the positive reviews was noteworthy, an undoubtedly good sign for a just-released movie in terms of public opinion.

After returning to the villa, Mu Cai had been constantly checking his phone, looking at real-time box office numbers, reviews, and ratings. Finally he could relax. He closed the ticket platform app and opened Weibo.

Then he witnessed the hashtag #DidYiShengReallyDie storming its way to the hot topics list on Weibo.

As he clicked into the topic, he had quite a surprise.

The related Weibo posts were rapidly increasing. At this moment, there were already hundreds of them. Many of the posts looked like they were practically screaming:

[Ahh!!! As an old book fan who's been waiting for so many years, I'm thoroughly satisfied! Director Jing He is indeed remarkable. The entire cast was divinely selected, especially Yi Sheng! Yi Sheng looks so good, so good! Only Chang An, that old cunning man, would do something like this to our Yi Sheng, sob sob sob sob! Everyone must go to the theatre and watch it! I'm totally shipping Xuan Sheng cp!]

[Who dare say our Cai Cai has any scandals, who dare say our Cai Cai's acting is poor! I'm blown away by his portrayal of Yi Sheng! It's a pity that the ending is too heartbreaking. My Emperor's teacher will never wake up again, sob sob sob sob!]

[Chang An, you old cunning man, you’ve killed me! I’m totally dry, I need to watch Cai Cai's audition video to revive! Any goddess who has produced grains (Note: fan-created content), I want to enjoy some sweet Xuan Sheng grain qwq]

[...]

Even the hardcore fans and the logical experts wrote lengthy mini-essays to conjecture whether Yi Sheng died at the end of the movie. Mu Cai felt a headache just from looking at the densely packed text that seemed to go on without end.

-----

Meanwhile, Gu Yunchen was also scrolling through his phone. However, unlike Mu Cai, who was closely monitoring the movie's performance, Gu Yunchen was watching the latest video clip posted by the official Weibo account of the Xiaoxue Jiangshan film crew.

Today was the movie's premiere day and among the trending film-related topics, #DidYiShengReallyDie was leading the hot search list. The official film crew account astutely posted a highlights reel of Yi Sheng's scenes from the movie, serving double duty - indulging those who had already seen the movie and enticing new viewers to watch.

In the video, Mu Cai is seen with his hair bound by a white jade crown, wearing a half-worn green shirt. The camera angle is from above, capturing the moment when he slowly lifts his face. He appears pale and gaunt yet beautifully ethereal. The subsequent clips showcase his range, with every frown, smile, movement, and speech imbued with the exemplary manners and etiquette of a high-born heir.

Gu Yunchen, with his earphones on, listened to the video. Both in the movie and the video, Mu Cai's original voice was used. The video included Mu Cai’s persuasive, angry, and smiling expressions, each accompanied by various moods. Combined with the background music, it was quite impactful.

Gu Yunchen had been watching for a while before he clicked on the comments under the video, only to see countless people screaming :

[I need to know everything about this man in the next five minutes!]

[Cai Cai!!! Mommy loves you!]

[Oh my god! How can Cai Cai be so handsome! I really want to take Cai Cai home!]

[......]

Reading this, Gu Yunchen couldn't help but feel immensely proud. The much-adored Mu Cai, whom everyone wanted, was at his house.

Temporarily taken in by him.

As Gu Yunchen came to this thought, he checked the time and realized it was already past noon, time for lunch. During the Chinese New Year holiday, the cook and housekeeping staff were off, so Gu Yunchen had to prepare the meals.

On ordinary days, he would be too lazy for such hassle and would typically order takeout. But now, the thought of personally feeding Mu Cai filled Gu Yunchen with a special kind of joy.

He gently shook Mu Cai's shoulder, and the internet-addicted teenager finally looked up. A pair of large, black eyes looked up at Gu Yunchen with a puzzled expression.

Just looking at Mu Cai made Gu Yunchen's mood improve, and he couldn't help but smile, "It's time to eat. Today is the first day of the New Year, we should eat dumplings."

After saying this, he asked Mu Cai, "Do you want to help me make them?"

Although Mu Cai was engrossed in his phone, the chance to cook and eat in a lively setting was much more appealing than scrolling through social media. Therefore, his eyes lit up at Gu Yunchen's invitation, and he nodded immediately, "Yes!"

Gu Yunchen then took out pork and water chestnuts from the fridge. Using a chopper, he minced the fillings into a bowl, sprinkled some seasoning, and started to roll out the dumpling skins.

He was highly proficient, worked with great speed and efficiency. This didn't leave much room for Mu Cai to help, except for stirring the seasoned meat filling. After that, he joined Gu Yunchen in folding the dumplings.

Mu Cai, having seldom done this kind of work, wasn't familiar with dumpling-making. Not only were his dumplings made with thick skins and little filling, but somehow he also ended up with a streak of flour on his face.

When Gu Yunchen looked up and saw that, he couldn't help but laugh.

Feeling an itch on his face, Mu Cai raised his hand to scratch it, inadvertently smearing flour on his nose.

"You've got flour here. Let me wipe it off for you." Gu Yunchen washed his hands, gently grasped Mu Cai's chin, and lifted his face.

Extending his hand, the warmth from Gu Yunchen's fingertips gently touched Mu Cai's somewhat cool nose tip.

Right now, their faces were very close to each other–barely a brief glance would allow them to look directly into each other's eyes.

As Gu Yunchen looked into the eyes of the younger man, he saw himself reflected in those shiny, black pupils. It was as if he was the only person in Mu Cai's eyes and heart.

Gu Yunchen's breathing became noticeably heavier.

Time seemed to slow down in that moment, and neither of them moved.

Although Gu Yunchen had already wiped off the flour, why weren't his hands letting go?

Looking at Gu Yunchen with some confusion, Mu Cai saw how deeply he was staring at him. His face was getting closer and closer.

Even slow-witted Mu Cai could tell that something about the atmosphere wasn't quite right at this moment.

However, before he had any chance to say or do anything, his phone suddenly started vibrating in his pocket.

This subtle and nebulous... suggestive atmosphere instantly disappeared.

Mu Cai took out his phone and saw that it was a call from Su Xingyun. He quickly put down the dumpling skin in his hand, gestured to Gu Yunchen that he had to take a call, and walked out of the kitchen.

Picking up the phone, Mu Cai heard Su Xingyun's calm voice, "Cai Cai, I have a special movie opportunity here. Let me know if you're interested in auditioning after the New Year."

A special movie?

Before Mu Cai could ask for more details, Su Xing Yun continued, "I'll send you the information on WeChat soon. Take a look and think it over for a few days."

Pausing, Su Xingyun added, "Director Wu Feng personally asked me about your availability."

Mu Cai was taken aback.

Wu Feng, the director who had won countless international film festival awards, was indeed a point of pride for the Chinese.

Why would he be interested in Mu Cai?

After hanging up the phone, Mu Cai saw the document name sent to him:

[Same-sex movie "Memories of a Small Town" audition materials.]

Meanwhile, Gu Yunchen also received a message from Yang Cheng:

[It's said that for the movie "Memories of a Small Town," Wu Feng is already in touch with Mu Cai's agent.]

Gu Yunchen replied decisively:

[If he doesn't take it, I won't either. If he does, you must secure it for me.]

-----

Author's note: 

Gu Yunchen: Such a perfect opportunity for a kiss! How could it be interrupted by Su Xingyun! QAQ

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