Chapter 40: The love letter yearns for her embrace.

Zhou Yu realized that after his drunken outburst the previous night, Chen Jingchi had begun to let loose and no longer concealed his true thoughts.

In my memory, he wasn't the kind of person who would say nice things to comfort people. Even when trying to soothe her emotions, he would beat around the bush and approach the issue from the sidelines. Asking him to say things like "I'm worried about you" or "I want you to be happy" was simply asking the impossible.

So when Zhou Yu heard the words "I want to see you," she didn't feel embarrassed at first; instead, she found it unbelievable.

Did he somehow unlock some kind of profound insight, suddenly discovering an unfamiliar language module?

She didn't dare to explore how many "surprises" were hidden in this module, and said unromantically, "Then don't think about it yet."

Anyway, we won't see each other. The second half of the sentence was left unsaid out of kindness.

Chen Jingchi chuckled: "I'll give it a try."

"It's too noisy here, I'll hang up now and talk to you when I get back."

After the call ended, Chen Jingchi replied to the message in the six-person group chat.

Chen Jingchi: [I just found out]

Chen Jingchi: [Let me ask if I can take you guys to the awards ceremony.]

This caused a stir in the group chat. Zhuo Wencheng immediately sent over a guide and asked when they would organize a group to apply for the travel permits.

Zhou Yu searched online for the date of this year's Golden Melody Awards ceremony and, upon seeing the familiar numbers, suddenly remembered something.

June 28th.

No wonder Chen Jingchi said that her birthday was easy to remember when he first heard it.

It turns out that he had always had this obsession in his heart, and this was the closest he had ever come to realizing it.

An hour later, Chen Jingchi retweeted a Weibo post by Song Qian.

@Chen Jingchi: See you next time! //@Song Qian: Thanks, bro! I've never had such a lively concert before [laughing and crying emoji] I guess I caught a lucky break!

Two minutes later, he posted another update, this time with nine photos of the performance, and this time the caption wasn't just a few emojis.

@Chen Jingchi: Thank you for your support, I'm very happy today.

Clicking into the comments section, the first highly-rated comment is surprisingly not a template:

When is my brother going to have a concert?! It's too expensive to see you! [crying]

Chen Jingchi replied: [It should be soon]

When Zhou Yu saw these two words, he guessed that it was a chain reaction brought about by the album's sudden popularity.

Two days ago, Chen Jingchi attended a jewelry collection event for the Italian luxury brand Valerane. After the event, the brand's official account posted a video with nine photos, two of which featured Chen Jingchi. Many fans speculated that the obvious hints suggested that Chen Jingchi was about to sign a contract with the brand.

If what the fans say is true, then this will be Chen Jingchi's first luxury brand endorsement since his debut, meaning that his commercial value will be significantly enhanced.

Not long ago, his fan base was so large that even stadiums couldn't be booked, fearing that tickets wouldn't sell out. But now, he finally has the confidence to tell his fans that a concert is on the agenda, no longer a distant fantasy.

In the comments section below his reply, fans started frantically tagging the official Shengyu account, and even Du Heng's alternate account was exposed.

[Dad, could the concert be held during the summer vacation? @YoungMasterIsHandsomeAndSongsArePopular]

[Let's keep this trend going for a few more days, otherwise the scalpers will make a killing again @YoungMasterHandsomeSongsPopular]

Du Heng's Weibo alternate account had the same IP address as Chen Jingchi's, and since the Weibo posts were all about praising people and fighting back against online attacks, it was easy for fans to spot.

Zhou Yu also joined in the fun, secretly paying attention to it, and was amused by his name.

Before going to bed, Zhou Yu received a picture from Chen Jingchi, which was a schedule until the end of next month.

Just one glance was enough for her to tell that he had returned to his previous busy routine. The difference was that Zhou Yu noticed that almost every weekend in June was filled with various award ceremonies.

"Migratory Birds" is a newly released album, so it's impossible for it to win an award now. "Vulgar Monster," released last year, benefited from this wave of popularity.

She saved the schedule and casually asked, "Have the concert dates been set?"

Chen: [Next month is too busy, it will probably be during summer vacation, or early July if all goes well]

Summer vacation provides more time, allowing him to make the most thorough preparations.

Zhou Yu suddenly remembered that he had gone to his music festival with his friends during the Lantern Festival this year and felt bad for letting them be exposed to the cold wind all night. Chen Jingchi had said that he would let them sit in the first row at his next concert.

At the time, everyone thought it was a very distant goal, but in less than half a year, Chen Jingchi was fully capable of fulfilling his promise.

Zhou Yu was filled with mixed emotions, thinking about how he was bullied by the director during the New Year, how his lyrics were plagiarized and there was no resolution for a long time, and the miserable situation when the album was just released.

His journey has been difficult, but fortunately, fate will ultimately favor those who run hard.

Five days later, Valerane officially announced on Weibo that Chen Jingchi had signed on as the brand's spokesperson for China. In the following month, Chen Jingchi was invited to attend various music award ceremonies in the middle of the year, and his debut album "Vulgar Monster" suddenly became a favorite of the awards.

#Most Popular Male Singer at the 5th Chinese Music Awards#

#MTV Original Music Chart Best Original Album#

#CMusic Pop Music Awards Annual Champion#

#Lingting New Song Chart Annual Chart Top Hits#

Chen Jingchi has won so many awards that he can't hold them all, and Zhou Yu also got a glimpse of how popular he is from the royalties he received at the beginning of the month.

This was the first time she had ever seen money beyond her comprehension. She didn't dare spend any of it and saved it all in her card, planning to explain it to Liu Xianya properly during the summer vacation before deciding how to use the money.

In mid-June, a trending topic on Weibo caught everyone's attention.

#Singer Gu Chen from the popular drama "Hot Love Planet" apologizes#

After receiving a lawyer's letter and remaining silent for a month and a half, Gu Chen released a statement on his Weibo account, publicly apologizing to Chen Jingchi and Zhou Yu for plagiarizing the lyrics of "Evening Star Falling" in his song "Hot Love Planet," and promising to remove the plagiarized song and bear some of the losses.

The written words are earnest and sincere, clearly not written by the author.

Zhou Yu could guess the reason why he quickly slid to his knees: Chen Jingchi had suddenly become popular without warning, and offending him now was no less than provoking a powerful figure.

She could imagine that if "Migratory Birds" hadn't become this popular, she would have had to suffer in silence over the plagiarism issue, and by the time the verdict was handed down, no one would care anymore.

She and Chen Jingchi both forwarded the apology statement and pinned the post to the top of their feeds.

*

The 27th was the end-of-term week, and Zhou Yu was packing his luggage in his dormitory after finishing his last exam.

Seeing this, Fan Xin asked curiously, "Zhou Zhou, are you going to Chen Jingchi's awards ceremony tomorrow?"

Zhou Yu nodded.

An Kejia helped her bring the clothes in from the balcony and said, "I'm so envious of you. If you win an award, will you be on TV?"

"No way." Zhou Yu smiled. "I can't get on stage."

One of the awards at the Golden Melody Awards is Best Lyricist, but unfortunately Chen Jingchi was not nominated this time.

Zhou Yu himself has no intention of appearing in public.

"It's great to be able to go see it live," An Kejia sighed. "We can only watch the broadcast."

After packing their luggage, the five of them met at the school gate and set off. Some colleges start their summer vacation early, and by this time, many students had already left the school.

Chen Jingchi was attending an event out of town the day before and wasn't traveling with them. As soon as Tan Bei got in the car, she moved her phone in front of her and said, "Help me pick out which outfit looks good for me the night after tomorrow."

There were several photos of dresses in the album. Zhou Yu thought they were all beautiful, and pointed to the blue one: "This one suits your skin tone."

Tan Bei listened to her: "Then we'll wear the remaining three for the concert in July."

Although Chen Jingchi's summer concert has not yet been announced, fans have found the time and address in the approval documents. It is scheduled for July 15th in Xianhai, with three shows.

At the music festival, Chen Jingchi shared the stage with other artists from various groups, and at Song Qian's concert, he only performed a few songs as a guest. Next month, however, he will finally be able to hold his own solo concert.

It was still in his hometown of Xianhai. This made Zhou Yu extremely proud.

The schedule for attending the awards ceremony was quite tight. Tan Bei originally wanted to go a few days earlier to explore the surrounding area, but Zhou Yu's last exam was postponed until today, so they could only set off now.

The plane landed in the evening. After completing all the formalities, the five of them checked into the hotel. Zhou Yu and Tan Bei shared a room. It was almost midnight. Tan Bei was tired from the journey. She ate something before going to bed and then fell asleep, but Zhou Yu couldn't fall asleep for a long time.

Tomorrow's awards ceremony is equally important to her. She doesn't know if Chen Jingchi is asleep at this moment. She tosses and turns in bed for a while, picks up her phone to check the time, and sees a message from Chen Jingchi that he sent a minute ago, as if they had a telepathic connection.

Chen: [Are you asleep?]

Chen Jingchi was very busy in June, so busy that he was constantly on the go. After finishing his classes, he would immediately disappear from the school. It had been more than a month since they had last seen each other.

She replied: [Not yet]

When Zhou Yu goes to sleep, she sets her phone to silent and vibrate mode. If she hadn't been unable to sleep and picked up her phone to check it, she might have missed his messages.

Several pictures of suits popped up in the chat box.

Chen: [Choose what to wear tomorrow]

The five of them will be attending the gala tomorrow night as audience members, so they won't be able to see Chen Jingchi backstage. Seeing that he sent over the outfits, Zhou Yu thought to herself, "Is her taste really that good? Why does everyone have to ask for her opinion?"

The suits were all understated styles, differing only slightly in color tones. Zhou Yu was at a loss for what to choose, and since his selection would determine his appearance the next day, he simply saved all the pictures and had the AI ​​pick out the most suitable one for the formal occasion, which he then sent to Chen Jingchi.

After sending it, the other party displayed "typing" for a moment. Zhou Yu stared at it for a while, then asked, "[Can't you sleep?]"

Chen: [Hmm]

They all felt the same way, but as someone attending the ceremony, Chen Jingchi probably felt more pressure.

He carries the expectations of many people, and if he wins this award, it will be a milestone achievement in his career and a landmark breakthrough.

He is only 19 years old and has been in the industry for less than a year. There has never been such a young singer in the history of the Golden Melody Awards.

However, Zhou Yu was also well aware that the chances of "Vulgar Monster" winning an award were not that high.

The album suddenly won so many awards in June, largely because "To My Dear You" became so popular. As for the album itself, it did cause a sensation when it was first released, but the hype came and went quickly.

Compared to "To My Dear You," Zhou Yu realized what true household name and widespread popularity meant. "Vulgar Monster," however, clearly hasn't reached that level.

Just as I was about to type in the input box, a new message popped up from the other party.

Chen: [Don't you want to sit next to me?]

Zhou Yu was taken aback.

A few days ago, Du Heng sent her a private message, asking if she wanted to sit with Chen Jingchi at the ceremony on the evening of the 28th.

As a finalist, Chen Jingchi's seat was arranged directly in front of the stage, making it easy for him to go on stage at any time. Several important seats were reserved next to him for his agent and collaborators.

Zhou Yu knew that once she sat with him, she would inevitably be caught on camera, and her face would appear on the live broadcast, seen by countless people.

Zhou Yu did not want to show his face, so he could only politely decline Du Heng's offer.

Faced with his question, she still felt somewhat guilty.

Zhou wanted to honestly explain to him: "I don't want to show my face."

Then she asked: "Will you be unhappy?"

Chen: [No, I respect your opinion.]

Even so, it was such a grand occasion, and she had the opportunity to be by his side and witness this glorious moment with him. She still felt somewhat guilty.

After thinking it over, Zhou replied: "I will always be watching you."

Chen: [Okay]

Chen: Goodnight

*

The next day, Chen Jingchi set off for the event very early. After getting his makeup and styling done, there were still interviews and a red carpet event, so time was very tight.

The five of them slept until noon, had lunch together nearby, and then prepared to queue up to enter the venue in the afternoon.

Compared to concerts in mainland China, the audience size for tonight's event wasn't large. The five members were seated together, which was considered quite close to the front of the stands.

After taking her seat, Tan Bei took a few group photos with her phone and posted them in the group chat: "The next time I come to a place with so many people will be at Chen Jingchi's concert."

"I thought this place was quite big, but it's actually much smaller than I imagined," Zhuo Wencheng said. "I feel like there would definitely be a lot more people at Brother Chi's concert."

“And we don’t have to queue,” Xu Yue said with a smile. “We’re all going on stage.”

Chen Jingchi's concert in Xianhai will require a live band, and the three boys will also need to go on stage. After returning, they need to quickly rehearse songs with the band to strive for the best performance.

Zhuo Wencheng found the list of performers for the gala and commented, "Oh no, so many of them are people I don't recognize."

"How long will the preceding performances last? Will the awards ceremony be at the very end?" Tan Bei asked curiously.

“No, the performances are interspersed throughout the awards ceremony, just in case you get bored,” Zhan Li explained to her. “It’s just that the Best Newcomer award will probably take quite a while. I saw that in previous years it usually took about two or three hours to go.”

"It's been so long!" Tan Bei exclaimed. "I should have secretly brought some food in."

To Zhou Yu's left was Zhuo Wencheng. She glanced at the list on his phone, which was full of unfamiliar names. She figured tonight's party would be quite a hard time for her.

After all the audience members had entered, it took almost an hour for the guests inside to gradually arrive. Hearing a chorus of screams around him, Zhuo Wencheng straightened up: "Are they here?"

"They're here." Xu Yue saw a crowd of people moving around inside and, after identifying him, asked, "Is he in the middle?"

Zhuo Wencheng craned his neck and said, "That guy in the black suit, he's pretty close by."

At first, the group managed to maintain some interest, but after an hour of endless awards ceremonies and performances, they were starting to get restless.

"I don't recognize any of the award winners, and I don't recognize many of the performers either," Tan Bei complained to her in a low voice. "It's so boring. The thought of having at least three more hours to go makes me feel hopeless."

“So, if you’re not a hardcore fan, you shouldn’t come here,” Zhan Li said, looking at the excited crowd around her. “We really don’t belong here.”

"Can we leave earlier?" Zhou asked.

Zhuo Wencheng, who was standing next to him, said, "We can go out early, but Brother Chi can't; we still have to wait."

Tan Bei leaned on her shoulder: "Help!"

After enduring more than an hour of hardship, Zhou Yu suddenly heard the words "Best Newcomer" and immediately perked up, patting Tan Bei, who was playing on her phone: "Bei Bei, we're here!"

The people next to them quickly sat up straight, their eyes wide and ears perked up.

The images of the five finalists appeared on the big screen, with Chen Jingchi in second place.

"It's finally here!" Tan Bei turned on her phone's video recording. "I have to record this moment quickly!"

Zhou Yu also opened her phone camera and started shooting videos. The large screen played the MV clips of the nominated songs one by one. When it was Chen Jingchi's turn, it was obvious that the screams around him were more enthusiastic than those of the other singers. Zhou Yu could even hear the girls behind him talking.

"Hey? Is that Chen Jingchi who sang 'To My Dear You'?"

"It's him! It's him! I didn't expect him to be so handsome in person."

"Will he win an award? He's become so popular lately."

After the clip finished playing, the male host handed the envelope to the female host: "You can open it now!"

"Okay," the female host said with a smile, "The winner of the Best Newcomer Award is..."

The host on stage began opening the envelopes, and Zhou Yu heard his own heartbeat quicken with the tension of the atmosphere, thump, thump, each beat heavy and powerful.

"Ahhh, I can't take it anymore, my hands are shaking, Zhan Li, please help me hold the phone steady!" Tan Bei was so excited that she covered the lower half of her face with one hand.

"I'm shaking too, damn it!" Zhan Li took the phone. "My heart is beating at 180!"

Zhuo Wencheng pinched Xu Yue's thigh hard: "It has to be him, it has to be him, it has to be him!"

Xu Yue was so nervous that he couldn't feel any pain at all.

The envelope was opened, and the card inside was taken out. These two steps should have only taken a few seconds, but Zhou Yu felt as if an eternity had passed.

The two hosts glanced at the card and exclaimed in unison, "Shen Qisi! Congratulations!"

Music filled the venue, and the camera cut to the winner, showing Chen Jingchi sitting next to him with a faint smile, applauding him.

Zhou stared intently at Chen Jingchi's face, but disappeared from the screen after only a few seconds.

The world fell silent, and my heartbeat returned to normal in a short time.

"Ah." Tan Bei looked at Zhou Yu, her voice lowering, "No."

The group remained silent, and Zhuo Wencheng quietly withdrew his hand from Xu Yue's leg.

Zhou pressed the stop recording button and put her phone away. Although she had prepared for this, she still couldn't help feeling disappointed when the outcome she didn't want to see actually happened.

Even she couldn't control her low spirits, and she wondered what he was feeling sitting next to the winner, who had missed out on the award.

Xu Yue turned his head to look at the four people and said, "It's okay, maybe 'To My Dear You' will win an award next year."

Tan Bei took Zhou Yu's hand and chimed in, "Yes, with such good reviews, this song definitely has a higher chance of winning an award than this one."

Zhuo Wencheng spoke the truth: "Actually, we're fine, just wait a bit..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant. Of all the people who came here full of expectations, no one wanted this award more than Chen Jingchi.

No one knows what he was thinking as he smiled and clapped when the camera panned to the faces of the award winners next to him.

Zhou Yu suddenly regretted not agreeing to sit next to him.

For the remaining hour or so, Zhou Yu had lost all interest in watching the performance. She opened Weibo, but because there were more than 10,000 people at the venue and the cell phone signal was poor, it took her a long time to log in.

Chen Jingchi's name is already trending on social media.

#Chen Jingchi misses out on Best Newcomer Award#

#Chen Jingchi Golden Melody Awards Red Carpet#

#Chen Jingchi's Vulgar Monster Nomination#

Clicking on the first entry, some comments from passersby appeared on the forum.

As expected, to be honest, this album didn't have a large audience. The reason it's been winning so many awards lately is entirely thanks to its second album.

[He seemed quite calm during the live stream, probably because he knew he was just there to make up the numbers.]

If he actually wins the award, won't the news be all over the place? He's too old, and he's not experienced enough.

[At only 19 years old, being nominated is already amazing. Let's see if he wins an award next year.]

[No matter what, the future is bright! Go Chen Jingchi!]

Almost all the comments were kind, and Zhou Yu read them for a long time until a new message popped up on his phone.

Du Heng: [Let's leave about ten minutes early, otherwise there will be too many people.]

Du Heng: [Tell them to come out early too, and meet at the entrance of the track and field stadium across the street.]

Zhou Yu replied: 【Okay】

Seeing that it was almost time, Zhou wanted to convey Du Heng's message to them. The five of them got up and left the venue, then walked to the track and field gate to wait for the others.

Zhuo Wencheng, who is usually very outgoing, was silent this time. Seeing that they were all silent, Tan Bei asked cautiously, "What should we say to him when we see him later?"

Zhan Li pondered for a moment: "Let's see how he is. I'm afraid he'll be too devastated."

Zhou Yu stared blankly at his toes, head down. Even they didn't know how to comfort him, let alone her. They racked their brains for a long time but still couldn't figure out how to make him feel better.

Unlike when album sales were sluggish, we could talk about other things back then, but now he hasn't even left the venue yet, and the Golden Melody Awards live broadcast hasn't ended. How can we divert his attention?

After staring blankly for an unknown amount of time, Tan Bei whispered a reminder: "They're here, they're here!"

Zhou Yu suddenly looked up and saw two figures walking towards him from the opposite side.

They didn't even get into the car, and none of their other assistants or bodyguards followed.

Du Heng stopped two meters away and did not go any further.

Chen Jingchi walked straight toward Zhou Yu, who was standing at the back. As the distance between them gradually decreased, he did not hesitate at all. In front of everyone, he generously and openly reached out and hugged her tightly.

Zhou Yu's heart almost stopped. She could still hear the faint singing in the venue, and her nose was filled with the slightly bitter scent of his perfume. He held her tightly, pulling her into his arms.

This time, he wasn't drunk; he was completely sober, like a drowning person grabbing onto a piece of driftwood, desperately craving her embrace.

It was as if holding her in my arms made all the loss and regret less unbearable.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Thank you Tongtong266 for the landmine!!

Thank you to reader "keyee" for the +5 nutrient solution! [pink heart]