Chapter 9 Annoying

Chapter 9: Annoying

After getting in the car, Gu Shiying quickly buttoned up his collar, making sure Fu Huan wouldn't get a single chance to fantasize about him.

Guan Yu was someone who executed tasks very conscientiously and had an upright character. Fu Huan, having dug his own grave, had to endure Guan Yu’s live navigation updates throughout the entire ride.

Guan Yu: "Turn right at the next intersection."

Guan Yu: "Red light, red light—there are pedestrians ahead. Don’t run the red light."

Guan Yu: "Fu Huan, yellow lights are dangerous too. Don’t rush through!"

Fu Huan felt a throbbing pain in his temples from the constant instructions. "You don’t need to navigate for me anymore."

Guan Yu: "But didn’t you ask us to turn on the navigation?"

Fu Huan: "Not anymore. I’m familiar with this road."

Guan Yu: "Alright, I’ll turn it off then."

Sitting in the back seat, Gu Shiying lowered his head, biting his lip to suppress his satisfaction. The frustration he had endured for days was finally being released.

He had finally found a way to counter Fu Huan. Since Fu Huan could hear his inner thoughts, Gu Shiying could uncover the rules and use them to his advantage. Those inner thoughts were Fu Huan’s weakness. As long as he reasonably avoided them, he could surely extinguish Fu Huan’s affection for him.

Seeing Fu Huan frustrated brought him joy; otherwise, he would be the one feeling stifled.

Hmph, let’s see you try to touch my hand whenever you feel like it.

The three of them followed the original plan and found a restaurant nearby for dinner. The area was bustling, and with it being the weekend, the crowd was huge. By the time they finished waiting in line at the noodle shop and had their meal, it was almost 7 p.m.

The noodle shop had been recommended by Yang Shuhang. For Gu Shiying, the taste was just okay—he wasn’t really a fan of noodles. But not wanting to spoil the mood, he only finished half of his bowl.

It was almost time for the event. Yang Shuhang’s livehouse performance was located in a mall on the same floor as the noodle shop.

While waiting for the elevator, Fu Huan said he was going for a smoke and told the other two to go up first.

Both Gu Shiying and Guan Yu were attending a livehouse for the first time. Excitedly, they joined the queue to enter.

The place seemed more like a relaxed bar but differed from a typical one. This livehouse focused more on nurturing bands, with different bands performing on different days. To see more popular bands, you even had to buy tickets.

The lead singer of Yang Shuhang’s band had gained some fame on social media, attracting many online fans to come and watch.

Once inside, they found the place comfortably arranged, with both booth seats and regular seating. You could order a drink, chat with friends while listening to music, and there was even a dedicated area for fans to interact closely with the musicians.

Gu Shiying and the others had fan tickets, so their seats were further back. They were there mainly to show support for the band, and glow sticks were placed on their seats.

Though he had never attended a livehouse before, Gu Shiying was familiar with the concept. He picked up a glow stick and started playing with it.

Gu Shiying said to Guan Yu, "Isn’t this just a small concert?"

Guan Yu: "Yeah, and the atmosphere is great. There were even glow signs and band merchandise at the entrance."

Gu Shiying: "I saw that too."

Guan Yu: "Yang Shuhang is on his way to fame."

Gu Shiying nodded vigorously: "We should print a thousand copies of his photos and have him sign them. Once he becomes famous, we can sell them."

Guan Yu nodded seriously, contemplating the feasibility: "Makes sense. I’ll start collecting his photos and videos tomorrow."

As the two were lost in their fantasies, Fu Huan returned and took a seat next to Gu Shiying.

Gu Shiying asked him, "You’re here?"

Fu Huan nodded, his expression as aloof as ever.

The three of them were seated slightly to the right of the center stage. They were at a long table with a bench underneath. The seat numbers were pasted on the back of the bench, corresponding to numbered cushions.

While waiting for the show to start, a man weighing around 200 pounds sat down next to Fu Huan. As he plopped down, he pushed Fu Huan toward Gu Shiying.

To avoid bumping into the other person, Fu Huan leaned toward Gu Shiying. Although he didn’t actually collide with him, his hand ended up resting behind Gu Shiying’s waist.

Gu Shiying’s first reaction was that their skin didn’t make contact, but as Fu Huan leaned in, he could smell a faint hint of smoke on him. It wasn’t strong—only noticeable up close. Being too near, Gu Shiying instinctively shifted away.

Gu Shiying tensed up but forced himself to act casual: "What’s wrong?"

Fu Huan: "The space is a bit tight."

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

Although Fu Huan’s thoughts about Gu Shiying were anything but innocent, he still maintained a proper distance and didn’t cross any boundaries.

Fu Huan opened his phone, pulled up the store’s mini-program, and showed it to Gu Shiying: "Anything you’d like to eat? I’ll order."

Gu Shiying: "Didn’t we just eat?"

Fu Huan: "I’m still hungry."

Gu Shiying whispered to him: "The drinks and snacks here are really expensive." As an average college student, it pained him just to look at the prices.

A fruit and snack set alone cost 399, and that didn’t even include drinks.

Fu Huan: "I earned 200 from a part-time job yesterday."

Gu Shiying knew he was referring to the 200 he had transferred to him.

Gu Shiying: "You’re really splurging, then. Spending hundreds just like that."

Fu Huan: "If you have any part-time jobs in the future, you can come to me again."

Gu Shiying: "So even my small part-time earnings have to be shared with you?"

Fu Huan: "Yeah. Then next time, I’ll volunteer."

Gu Shiying didn’t dare to continue the conversation. He didn’t want to have any further involvement with Fu Huan—he was determined to keep his distance!

Fu Huan then asked Guan Yu if he wanted anything to drink. Guan Yu glanced at the prices and ordered a relatively affordable sparkling water. Gu Shiying ordered the same.

Soon, the waiter brought over the fruit and snack set. The presentation was elegant, and the taste was decent, but Gu Shiying felt as though he were eating gold. He even chewed the piece of honeydew melon a few extra times before swallowing.

At exactly 7:30, fans in the front rows started screaming.

The main band of the night had taken the stage.

The band consisted of five members: a lead vocalist, a guitarist, a bassist, a drummer, and a keyboardist. Yang Shuhang was the guitarist, and he played quite well.

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

Gu Shiying waved enthusiastically at Yang Shuhang on stage, and Yang Shuhang smiled in their direction.

The performances continued one after another, featuring both their original compositions and covers of popular songs. The interaction between the stage and the audience was excellent.

The lead singer was not only handsome but also sang beautifully. Gu Shiying, experiencing a livehouse for the first time, had a great experience.

During the band's set break, other singers took the stage. Gu Shiying, having drunk a lot of water, got up to use the bathroom.

The men's restroom wasn’t as crowded as the women's, so he was in and out quickly.

After washing his hands, Gu Shiying ran into Yang Shuhang, who had also come to use the bathroom, along with his keyboardist bandmate.

Yang Shuhang: "Why are you alone? Where are the other two?"

Gu Shiying: "They’re still at our seats."

Yang Shuhang: "This is our keyboardist, Stone Bro. This is my classmate. Man, just call him Xiao Gu."

Stone Bro was stylish, fitting Gu Shiying’s stereotype of a band keyboardist—shoulder-length hair, silver earrings, and fair skin. Compared to his handsome roommates, Stone Bro’s looks were somewhat plain, but his style compensated for it. He was quite friendly toward Gu Shiying.

He extended his hand to Gu Shiying: "Hello, Xiao Gu. It’s the first time I’ve seen Shuhang bring a classmate along."

Gu Shiying shook his hand politely: "Well, I’m just a broke college student, not really your target demographic yet. But your performance was captivating—a true feast for the ears and eyes."

Stone Bro: "You’ve got a way with words, little classmate."

Gu Shiying was about to exchange more pleasantries when a malicious thought suddenly popped into his head:

"Kick Yang Shuhang out of the band in a while."

Gu Shiying’s smile stiffened slightly. He managed a smile: "I’ll head back to my seat now. Can I come find you all after you finish?"

Yang Shuhang, completely unaware that his "good friend" was plotting to kick him out, replied cheerfully: "Sure! I’ll introduce you to the other guys in the band later."

They still had nearly an hour of performance left. Gu Shiying returned to the audience area.

After sitting down, his initial excitement wore off, and he grew restless during the second half, unable to focus on the sweet love songs.

How did Stone Bro plan to kick Yang Shuhang out? Was he capable of doing something bad to him?

Guess every scene has its drama.

But one’s a keyboardist, the other a guitarist—what beef could they have? Why does Stone Bro harbor such malice toward Yang Shuhang?

Gu Shiying couldn’t figure it out and worried whether Stone Bro might actually hurt Yang Shuhang. He’d heard this industry could be kinda messy.

Before he knew it, the night’s performance wrapped up.

Gu Shiying and the other two went to the green room.

Fu Huan clearly had little interest in meeting Yang Shuhang’s bandmates, but since Gu Shiying wanted to go, he didn’t object.

The band’s lounge had a sofa set, a coffee table with snacks, fruits, and an ashtray, surrounded by various instruments and the members’ personal belongings. In short, it was quite messy.

The lead singer, a handsome guy who had been gentle and interactive with fans on stage, now looked expressionless from exhaustion after singing all night.

Yang Shuhang happily introduced his roommates: "Let me introduce you to my roommates."

The band members were polite to Yang Shuhang, greeting them warmly.

Still preoccupied with Stone Bro, Gu Shiying wondered if the band members were just pretending to get along. He stepped forward to shake hands with them.

Putting on a bright smile, he said cheerfully: "I just listened to your performance—it was amazing! Can I shake your hands? When you release an album, I’ll definitely buy it to collect!"

Gu Shiying shook hands with the lead singer, who didn’t refuse.

"Hello, thanks for the support." His reply was polite but perfunctory.

"I’m so tired. Can we wrap up early? I don’t feel like dealing with strangers."

His attitude toward Yang Shuhang was hard to figure.

Next, Gu Shiying shook hands with the bassist: "Hello! Would it be possible to learn bass from you someday? You play so well."

The bassist, a slightly chubby guy eating a banana, said: "No problem."

"Hungry, hungry, hungry. Let me eat first."

The drummer seemed socially awkward. Gu Shiying mustered the courage to shake his hand, but they separated after just one second.

"Don’t come any closer!"

It turned out that, for now, only Stone Bro had bad intentions toward Yang Shuhang. The others reacted like normal people.

Guan Yu followed Gu Shiying’s lead and shook hands too. He somehow produced a notebook and asked for autographs, fully committing to Gu Shiying’s earlier joke.

Only Fu Huan stood by the door the entire time, looking standoffish but cool with his resting bored face.

Stone Bro smiled at Gu Shiying: "Xiao Gu, not going to shake my hand again?"

Gu Shiying: "Sure thing."

Stone Bro indeed reached out and shook Gu Shiying’s hand, deliberately holding it a few seconds longer.

"Just another dumb college kid like Yang Shuhang. Scram!"

Used to hearing others’ inner thoughts, Gu Shiying remained unfazed: "Stone Bro, Yang Shuhang and I will come hang out with you again sometime."

Stone Bro’s animosity for Yang Shuhang was unmistakable.

Stone Bro: "You’re welcome anytime. We’ll buy you drinks and barbecue next time."

Gu Shiying played dumb: "Great, great!"

Everyone was tired. Yang Shuhang, Gu Shiying, and the others left the bar.

On their way down, they encountered a crowd and were squeezed into the elevator by people behind them.

Gu Shiying, standing near the front, was squeezed into a corner. Fu Huan was also pushed to the back.

In the cramped, crowded space, Gu Shiying had no way to avoid Fu Huan.

If this were at school, Gu Shiying would inadvertently brush against people and hear their thoughts. But now, the only inner voice he heard was Fu Huan’s—familiar and totally annoying!

"Ugh, can’t these hands just hold his dick instead?"

Author's Note:

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Fu Huan: O(∩_∩)O Babe, come hold it.

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Random 100 summer cash gifts~