ADTCP Ch35part1

The convoy of buses all came to a stop, and the volunteers lined up neatly, waiting to enter. The surrounding noise and bustle seemed to suddenly be muted in an instant.

Tao Zhen’s head buzzed as he stared blankly at the cold, handsome young man in front of him, as if the next moment he would be sucked right into those deep black eyes.

It took him a long while before he finally muttered a reply, clutching his pounding heart, even forgetting to stay angry.

He tried to cover it up, rubbing his face as though nothing had happened, then followed the big group inside. But his light and bouncy steps betrayed just how good his mood was at that moment.

Not far away, Li Jie removed his sunglasses in disbelief, fumbling hurriedly for his phone.

Why? Why did Tao Zhen look not the least bit upset, not the least bit anxious?

Wasn’t he supposed to have only gotten a contract with Z Era because of Doctor Seven? Now that their tie had been cut, shouldn’t he be scrambling to patch things back up?

But when Li Jie opened the comments section under his own post, he realized everyone else seemed to have already known about this!

Doctor Seven × Tao Zhen’s CP fans were keeping quiet, lying low and withdrawing, while another CP fandom—calling themselves “True Captured Feelings”—were in full-blown celebration, shouting with joy. After being suppressed for so long, they were finally exultant, eyes filled with the thrill of beating their rival fandom.

【All the True × Doctor shippers, get out here! Open your eyes and see clearly!! The CP we ship is the real one!! Do you even understand what “official pairing” means?!!】

【Those who called the photographer ugly, come out and apologize, okay? Just this one shot of his back already convinced me, don’t even dare imagine how handsome the front view is!】

【This angle looks like a candid shot, that’s really low-class… but honestly, Tao Zhen and his boyfriend are indeed handsome, True Captured Feelings szd】

Low-class? What low-class!

Li Jie clenched his phone so hard his knuckles turned white, not even hearing the teacher calling his name from not far away. He cursed silently, attention wholly fixed on a freshly appearing comment:

【By the way, maybe no one noticed, but this blogger looks like an anti-fan. They’ve liked quite a few posts cursing our Tao Zhen…】

【? Damn, you’re right. So this guy just came to stir up hate? The angle’s clearly a candid shot, and his wording is dripping with malice, trying to pit both fandoms against each other.】

【Malicious baiting—reported!】

【Reported +1!】

【……】

Somehow, whether it was True × Doctor shippers or True Captured Feelings shippers, the two sworn-enemy camps suddenly had a common target: reporting Li Jie’s alt account.

By the time Li Jie tried to reply to the comments, he was already notified that his account had violated community rules. His face twisted with rage; he nearly smashed his phone. Grinding his teeth, he looked up—and found someone standing right in front of him, face even darker than his own.

A teacher who had always treated him decently was now glaring at him with clear displeasure.

“I’ve been calling your name at least ten times just now. You kept your head down playing on your phone. Are you here to volunteer, or to play with your phone?”

“As the head of the Arts Troupe, how can you be so irresponsible? If you don’t want to be president, then give the position to someone else!”

Li Jie’s face went pale at the scolding, but he had no choice. He forced out a smile, bowing and scraping as he said:

“Sorry, teacher, I got distracted just now. It was my fault…”

***
Inside Nancheng Olympic Sports Center, the capacity was enormous—able to hold nearly sixty thousand people. The circular steel structure loomed over steep rows of seats, blocking out the sun at the dome and casting wide swaths of shade.

Meanwhile, the vast central ground of the stadium was completely bathed in sunlight, directly facing the gigantic stage and LED screens, with rows of chairs arranged in military precision like a legion.

By comparison, the volunteers filing into the arena looked as tiny as ants. They obediently followed their instructors, were split into various posts, and scattered around according to plan:
security checks at the main entrance, secondary checks before entering the hall, guiding positions at exits and stands, providing information and handing out concert materials, moving stage equipment, assisting with backstage supplies…

The concert hadn’t even officially begun, and already everyone was spinning like tops. After being briefed on their duties, they were immediately called to haul mountains of bottled water.

It was their final job before the lunch break. Most of them threw themselves into it, and though it was already December’s cold, icy weather, the majority were sweating buckets, the scene reminiscent of Victorian England, factory workers digging coal.

Tao Zhen also worked hard, shoving up the sleeves of his down jacket to his forearms as he carried crates of water. But since he usually didn’t exercise much, his stamina was poor. Just after a single trip, he was already panting heavily, whole body short of breath.

Just as his steps were about to slow and he was going to set down the two cases of water to rest a moment, Zhu Wensheng suddenly appeared at his side and took the load straight from his hands. Tao Zhen looked up in surprise.

The black-haired young man was carrying four full cases—24 bottles, 550 ml each—without seeming to strain at all. Tao Zhen hesitated, then couldn’t help trotting after him, gazing up like an eager little cub: “Why are you carrying so many by yourself? Give me one of those, okay? I only stopped to… tie my shoelace! I can actually carry them!”

“Mm.” Zhu Wensheng glanced sideways. “I know you can.”

Even so, he didn’t slow down in the slightest.

Tao Zhen had to catch up again. His damp blond bangs drooped over his forehead, showing a smooth brow and a pair of very clear eyes. “Zhu Wensheng! Zhu Wensheng, Ah-Sheng—” In the end, his trailing tone stretched out, soft to the point of sounding almost like a pout.

Zhu Wensheng stopped. His Adam’s apple bobbed. The three cases of water hadn’t sped his heartbeat, but that drawn-out call made him take a deeper breath. He set the three cases on a nearby chair, then took a bottle from the pocket of his volunteer vest and handed it to Tao Zhen: “Take this.”

Isn’t that basically calling me weak? Tao Zhen widened his eyes, about to protest, when a hot, broad palm wiped away the beads of sweat on his brow. The slightly rough calluses slid over his flushed, tender cheek, leaving a shivery trail of tingles.

Zhu Wensheng looked a little helpless and said quietly, “It’s just volunteering. Don’t push yourself too hard, you’ll wear yourself out.”

All the retorts that had rushed to Tao Zhen’s chest deflated at once. He murmured an “oh,” twisted the cap, and tipped the bottle back. The sweet water slid down his throat, soothing the heat in his body. He took a few more gulps, then noticed the sweat at Zhu Wensheng’s temples and couldn’t help leaning closer: “Then… do you want a couple sips too?”

They happened to reach the drop-off point for the water. “Mm,” Zhu Wensheng replied, dusting off his hands. Tao Zhen meant to pass him the bottle, but after waiting a moment with no hand extended to take it, he said in surprise, “Why aren’t you…?”

The boy’s dewy pink lips were damp with water, like a flower bud about to open; when he spoke, the tip of his red tongue showed a little.

Zhu Wensheng stared at that for a few seconds and said succinctly, “My hands are dirty.”

The air paused for a beat. After a brief hesitation, Tao Zhen rose onto his toes and lifted the bottle to his lips to feed him. Zhu Wensheng obligingly bent down and drank the remaining half bottle from Tao Zhen’s hand, finishing by curling his tongue to catch the last sweet droplets beading at the rim.

Staring at the now-empty bottle, Tao Zhen belatedly realized, did he just… feed Zhu Wensheng from a bottle he’d drunk from? Was that… an indirect kiss?!

Zhu Wensheng lowered his head. “What is it?”

“N-nothing!” Tao Zhen crushed the empty bottle until it creaked and, a little flustered, fell into step beside him, just as a few students carrying water brushed past.

“Hey, who said volunteering at this concert would be great? We’ve been running water back and forth nonstop! Are we even gonna get a close look at the celebrities?”

“No idea. I wanted selfies and autographs… Holy crap! Look over there! Are they coming out to rehearse?!”

The scream cracked like the shot at Lexington; all the volunteers froze, then jolted to attention, forgetting the water cases as they rushed to the edge of the stage. Out came the internet stars led by DoctorSeven. They hadn’t changed into performance outfits yet—just casual clothes easy to move in—but each of them already radiated star power, moving with easy confidence.

Seeing the crowd bunch up at the stage, the supervising teacher frowned and barked at them, but Qiqi stepped forward to intervene. “It’s fine. The volunteers have worked hard, let’s take a group photo first, then we’ll resume rehearsal.”

The teacher had only been worried about order. “Won’t that delay you?”

“Not at all.”

DoctorSeven, Sunflower, Little Knife… the big creators usually seen only on phones were right there offering selfies and autographs, and the volunteers were buzzing. Tao Zhen got swept up too; he tugged on Zhu Wensheng’s sleeve. “Let’s go say hi to Qiqi-Ge, okay? I promised Jiajia I’d get her an autograph!”

Since Qiqi already had a girlfriend, Zhu Wensheng nodded and went along with him.

“Doctor Seven!”

Qiqi had just finished a selfie when a familiar voice rang out. He looked up, eyes lighting when he saw Tao Zhen. “Hey! Tao Zhen! What are the odds!”
“Don’t tell me you’re here for my autograph, or I’ll drag you onstage and have everyone take photos with ZhengZhibang!”

Tao Zhen laughed and greeted him, then called Jia Jia over for a picture together. Qiqi obligingly crouched with a peace sign. After the shot, he straightened and his gaze fell, almost by accident, on the man beside Tao Zhen. “And this is…?”

Before Tao Zhen could answer, Qiqi suddenly stiffened, his eyes going glassy. The black-haired youth had very long legs and striking looks; even in the standard blue volunteer vest his build was impossible to hide. And a physique this exceptional, he’d only ever seen it on one person.

Even though they were far apart before—

“Ah, I didn’t introduce you,” Tao Zhen said, scratching his cheek a little sheepishly, voice low. “This is my boyfriend, Zhu Wensheng.”

“Your boyfriend, Zhu… Zhu Wensheng?”
Qiqi unconsciously echoed, a little dazed.

He took a step closer despite himself, his mind racing with possibilities—only to meet Zhu Wensheng’s cold, inky gaze. In an instant, a chill ran through him; he almost felt like prey fixed by a predator.

Qiqi’s lips worked, the question on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it down at the last second. He turned back to Tao Zhen and joked, a bit exaggeratedly, “Your boyfriend is too handsome, it’s making me self-conscious! Why doesn’t he appear on camera in your videos? Guaranteed viral!”

No one dislikes their partner being praised; Tao Zhen’s eyes curved. “Thanks, ge!”