Chapter 9: Utterly Infuriating

After getting in the car, Gu Shiying immediately fastened the top button of his collar. He absolutely wouldn’t give Fu Huan even the slightest chance to fantasize about him!

Guan Yu was the type of person who executed tasks with absolute seriousness and possessed an upright character. Fu Huan, trapped by his own device, had to endure Guan Yu giving him a live play-by-play the entire drive.

Guan Yu: “Turn right at the next intersection.”

Guan Yu: “Red light, red light! Pedestrian ahead—don’t run the red light.”

Guan Yu: “Fu Huan, yellow lights are dangerous too! Don’t try to beat it!”

Fu Huan’s temples throbbed. “No need to navigate for me anymore.”

Guan Yu: “Weren’t you the one who told us to turn on the navigation?”

Fu Huan: “Not anymore. I know this road.”

Guan Yu: “Fine, I’ll turn it off then.”

Sitting in the back seat, Gu Shiying lowered his head, biting his lip to suppress his glee. The pent-up frustration he’d felt for days was finally being released.

He’d finally found a way to deal with Fu Huan. Since he could hear the guy’s inner thoughts, he would discover the rules and exploit them. Fu Huan’s inner thoughts were his weakness. As long as he carefully avoided them, he could surely extinguish Fu Huan’s feelings for him.

Seeing Fu Huan frustrated brought him satisfaction; otherwise, he’d be the one stewing in frustration.

Hmph. That’s what you get for touching my hand whenever you feel like it.

The three of them followed their original plan, finding a restaurant nearby to eat. The area was a bustling commercial district, and with it being the weekend, the foot traffic was enormous. By the time they finished waiting in line at the noodle shop and then eating, it was nearly seven o’clock.

This noodle shop had been recommended by Yang Shuheng. For Gu Shiying, the taste was just okay. He really didn’t like noodles, but he didn’t want to be a spoilsport. In the end, he only ate half of his bowl.

It was nearly time to enter the venue. The livehouse where Yang Shuheng would be performing was located in the same mall as the noodle shop.

While waiting for the elevator, Fu Huan told them he was going to step out for a smoke and told them to go on up first.

Neither Gu Shiying nor Guan Yu had ever been to a livehouse before. The two eagerly went to queue up for entry.

The place was actually more of a quiet bar, but different from a real nightclub. This livehouse focused more on cultivating bands. Different bands performed on different dates, and you had to buy tickets to see the more popular ones.

Yang Shuheng’s band’s vocalist was fairly well-known on social media platforms, and quite a few online fans came specifically to see him.

After they walked in, they found the interior was arranged quite comfortably. There were booths and regular seating. You could come in, order a drink, and chat with friends while listening to music. There was even a designated area for fans, allowing them close contact with the musicians.

Gu Shiying and the other two had fan tickets, so their seats were further back. They were there to support the musicians, and there were even light sticks placed on their seats.

Even if you’ve never eaten pork, you’ve seen a pig run. Gu Shiying picked up a light stick and started playing with it.

Gu Shiying said to Guan Yu, “Isn’t this just like a mini concert?”

Guan Yu: “Right? The atmosphere’s pretty great. There were even support light boards and band merchandise at the entrance.”

Gu Shiying: “I saw that too.”

Guan Yu: “Looks like Yang Shuheng is about to get big.”

Gu Shiying nodded vigorously. “We should print a thousand of his solo photos later, get him to sign them, and then sell them when he gets famous.”

Guan Yu nodded seriously, pondering the feasibility of this. “Makes sense. Starting tomorrow, I’ll start collecting his photos and videos.”

Just as the two were getting lost in their fantasy, Fu Huan returned and sat down in the seat next to Gu Shiying.

Gu Shiying asked him, “You’re back?”

Fu Huan nodded. His expression was no different from his usual indifferent demeanor.

Their three seats were slightly to the right of the center of the stage. They were sitting at a long table with a row of long benches underneath. The chair backs had seat numbers pasted on them, corresponding to cushions with the same numbers.

While waiting for the show to start, a man who looked to be around two hundred pounds sat down in the seat next to Fu Huan. When he plopped down, he shoved Fu Huan towards Gu Shiying.

To avoid the man, Fu Huan tilted his body towards Gu Shiying. He didn’t actually bump into him, but his hand braced right behind Gu Shiying’s waist.

Gu Shiying’s first reaction was relief that there was no skin contact. However, the moment Fu Huan leaned in, he could smell the faint scent of smoke on him, not strong, only detectable up close. It was too close. He instinctively dodged slightly to the side.

Gu Shiying’s whole body tensed, but he still tried to act casual. “What’s wrong?”

Fu Huan: “The space isn’t very wide.”

Gu Shiying had no choice but to steady himself and shift a bit towards Guan Yu, making a little room for Fu Huan, who then moved a bit closer to him.

Although Fu Huan’s mind was utterly depraved towards Gu Shiying, he still maintained a normal distance at this moment, not crossing any boundaries.

Fu Huan opened his phone, pulled up the shop’s mini-app, and held it out for Gu Shiying to see. “Anything you want to eat? I’ll order.”

Gu Shiying: “Didn’t we just eat?”

Fu Huan: “I’m not full.”

Gu Shiying whispered to him, “The drinks, snacks, and fruit here are super expensive, you know.” An ordinary male college student would feel the pain just looking at the prices.

A single fruit and snack platter cost three hundred and ninety-nine, and drinks weren’t even included.

Fu Huan: “I earned two hundred from a part-time job yesterday.”

Gu Shiying knew he was talking about the two hundred he had transferred to him.

Gu Shiying: “You’re really willing to part with it then, throwing away several hundred just like that.”

Fu Huan: “You can look for me again next time you have a part-time job.”

Gu Shiying: “So what, a small-time gig I find, I have to split the pay with you?”

Fu Huan: “Hmm. Then next time, I’ll just be a volunteer.”

Gu Shiying didn’t dare continue the conversation. The last thing he wanted was to get further entangled with Fu Huan. He was resolute about keeping his distance!

Fu Huan then asked Guan Yu what he wanted to drink. Guan Yu glanced at the price and ordered a relatively inexpensive sparkling water, and Gu Shiying did the same.

Soon, a server brought over the fruit and snack platter. The presentation was exquisite, and the taste was pretty good, though it made Gu Shiying feel like he was eating solid gold. He found himself chewing the honeydew melon cubes an extra couple of times before swallowing.

At exactly seven thirty, the fans in the front few rows screamed.

Tonight’s main band took the stage.

The band had five members: a vocalist, a guitarist, a bassist, a drummer, and a keyboardist. Yang Shuheng was the guitarist, and he played quite well.

As his roommate, Gu Shiying knew that Yang Shuheng knew how to play many instruments, and the guitar was just one of them.

Gu Shiying waved enthusiastically towards Yang Shuheng on stage. Yang Shuheng smiled in their direction.

What followed was one performance after another. They had their own original songs and also covered popular hits. The interaction between the stage and the audience was quite good.

The vocalist was not only handsome but also sang beautifully. It was Gu Shiying’s first time at a livehouse, and the experience was excellent.

During the band’s intermission, other singers took the stage. Gu Shiying, having drunk a lot of water, got up to use the restroom.

The men’s restroom wasn’t crowded like the women’s. He went in and came out quickly.

After washing his hands, Gu Shiying came out and ran into Yang Shuheng, who was also taking a bathroom break, along with his keyboardist teammate.

Yang Shuheng: “How come it’s just you? Where are the other two?”

Gu Shiying: “They’re at our seats.”

Yang Shuheng: “This is our keyboardist, Brother Stone. This is my classmate. Bro, just call him Little Gu.”

Brother Stone was quite stylish, fitting Gu Shiying’s stereotypical image of a band keyboardist: shoulder-length hair, silver ear studs, and fairly pale skin. His roommates were all handsome, so in comparison, Brother Stone’s looks were a bit plain, but his attire was a plus. He was quite enthusiastic towards Gu Shiying.

He reached out a hand to Gu Shiying. “Hey there, Little Gu. It’s the first time Little Shu has brought a classmate to see us.”

Gu Shiying politely shook his hand. “After all, I’m just a broke student, not exactly your target audience yet. But your performance just now was really captivating. It was an audiovisual feast.”

Brother Stone: “Little classmate, you sure are a smooth talker.”

Gu Shiying was about to exchange a few more pleasantries when a voice filled with malice flooded into his mind.

【I’ll kick Yang Shuheng out of the band soon enough.】

The smile on Gu Shiying’s lips froze slightly. He forced a smile. “I’ll head back to my seat first. Can we come find you guys when it’s over?”

Yang Shuheng, completely unaware that the “good brother” beside him was plotting to oust him, said cheerfully, “Sure! I’ll introduce you to the other guys later.”

They still had nearly an hour of performing left. Gu Shiying returned to his spot in the audience.

After sitting down, the initial excitement Gu Shiying had felt upon arriving was gone. He was restless for the remainder of the show, unable to take in any of the sweet love songs.

How was this Brother Stone planning to push Yang Shuheng out? He wouldn’t do anything harmful to him physically, would he?

Truly, every circle had its own brand of competition.

But one was a keyboardist, the other a guitarist. What conflict could there be? Why did Brother Stone harbor such malice towards Yang Shuheng?

Gu Shiying couldn’t figure it out, no matter how much he thought. He also worried whether Brother Stone might cause Yang Shuheng physical harm. He’d heard this scene could be pretty messy.

Before he knew it, tonight’s performance was drawing to a close.

Gu Shiying and the other two headed to the backstage lounge.

Fu Huan clearly had no interest in meeting Yang Shuheng’s bandmates, but since Gu Shiying wanted to go, he didn’t refuse.

When they arrived at the band lounge, there was a set of sofas inside, a coffee table with snacks, fruit, ashtrays, and the like. Musical instruments were scattered around, along with the band members’ personal belongings. In short, it was a mess.

The vocalist was a handsome guy. On stage, he was gentle with the fans and interacted actively, but after singing all night, he was tired and his face was expressionless.

Yang Shuheng happily introduced his companions: “Let me introduce you—these are my roommates.”

The few of them gave Yang Shuheng some face, and everyone exchanged greetings.

Gu Shiying, still thinking about the issue with Brother Stone, wondered if the band was all smiles on the surface but harbored secret discord. So, he took the initiative to go up and shake hands with them.

He tried his best to put on a cheerful smile. “I was just listening to you guys sing, it sounded amazing! Can I shake your hands? When you release an album, I’ll definitely buy one to collect!”

Gu Shiying stepped forward to shake hands with the vocalist, who didn’t refuse.

“Hello, thanks for liking it.” The reply was very formulaic.

【So tired. Can I just go back early? Don’t want to deal with strangers.】

This guy’s attitude towards Yang Shuheng… it was hard to say it was positive.

Next, Gu Shiying shook hands with the bassist. “Hello, hello. Would there be a chance to learn bass from you? You play incredibly well.”

The bassist was a slightly chubby guy, currently eating a banana. “No problem.”

【Hungry, hungry, hungry. Just let me eat first.】

The drummer seemed a bit socially anxious. Gu Shiying braced himself and shook his hand. After just one second, their hands separated.

【Don’t come any closer!】

It proved that, for now, only Brother Stone harbored ill intentions towards Yang Shuheng. The others were having normal reactions, at least for the moment.

Guan Yu also followed Gu Shiying around shaking hands. He’d somehow procured a notebook, getting them to sign directly, fully implementing Gu Shiying’s earlier joke.

Only Fu Huan stood by the door the entire time, pulling off his aloof handsomeness with a world-weary expression.

Brother Stone looked at Gu Shiying with a beaming smile. “Little Gu, not going to shake my hand once more?”

Gu Shiying: “It’s not impossible.”

Sure enough, Brother Stone reached out to shake Gu Shiying’s hand, deliberately holding on for a few extra seconds.

【All just as stupid as Yang Shuheng, these dumb college boys. Just get lost already!】

Gu Shiying, having grown accustomed to hearing people’s inner thoughts, didn’t change his expression. “Brother Stone, next time Yang Shuheng and I will come hang out with you again.”

Brother Stone, as expected, was full of resentment towards Yang Shuheng.

Brother Stone: “Welcome! Next time, we’ll treat you guys to drinks and barbecue.”

Gu Shiying acted as if he didn’t suspect a thing. “Sure, sure, sounds great!”

Everyone was tired. Yang Shuheng and the others from 504 left the bar.

As they were heading downstairs, they happened to run into a crowd. All four of them were squeezed into the elevator by the people piling in from behind.

Gu Shiying was near the front and got pushed directly into a corner. Also squeezed to the back was Fu Huan.

In the cramped space, packed with people, Gu Shiying had no way to avoid Fu Huan.

If this were at school, Gu Shiying would have been inadvertently touched and heard someone’s inner thoughts. But at this moment, the only inner voice he heard was Fu Huan’s—familiar, and utterly infuriating!

【Tsk. Did those hands have to shake hands with those ‘brothers’ of his?】