Lethal Admirer:The idols cage

The roar of eighty thousand fans inside the Shanghai Mercedes-Benz Arena was loud enough to vibrate through the concrete floors beneath the stage. Screams echoed off the high rafters, chanting a single name in synchronized frenzy:

"LU CHEN! LU CHEN! LU CHEN!"

On stage, bathed in blinding violet spotlights and rising artificial smoke, Lu Chen delivered his final chord on the grand piano. He was thirty years old—a veteran idol, a household name across China, and a man whose porcelain features seemed carved by an artist who specialized in tragic perfection. Dressed in a silk, deep-v jacket embellished with silver embroidery, his slender neck and sharp collarbones caught every ray of light. When he stood up and bowed deeply to the sea of lightsticks, his gentle, flawless smile sent another wave of ear-splitting shrieks through the stadium.

To the world, Lu Chen was an untouchable deity. Perfect. Regal. Unattainable.

Only Lu Chen knew how hollow that deity felt inside.

The moment he stepped off the stage and entered the quiet, carpeted corridor leading to the VIP backstage dressing rooms, the smile vanished instantly. His shoulders slumped slightly, and his pale skin glinted with cold sweat. Ten years in the entertainment industry had stripped him of everything—his privacy, his health, his sanity. He was exhausted.

"Great show, Ge!" his young assistant, Xiao Bao, called out, rushing over with a warm towel and a bottle of water. "The trending topics are already exploding! Weibo is completely jammed!"

"Thanks, Bao," Lu Chen muttered softly, taking the towel and wiping the sweat from his forehead. His voice was raspy, laced with fatigue. "I just want to rest. Tell the management I won't be attending the after-party tonight."

"Ah... but Ge, the main investor for tonight's stadium tour is here..." Xiao Bao hesitated, looking nervously down the hallway. "They said he was watching from the central VIP box."

Lu Chen froze mid-step, his dark eyes narrowing slightly. "The main investor? Who?"

Before Xiao Bao could answer, heavy, measured footsteps echoed down the silent corridor. The security guards standing along the walls instantly straightened their backs, bowing their heads in deep respect.

A man stepped out from the dim shadows of the hallway.

He was broad-shouldered, standing well over six feet tall, dressed in an impeccably tailored dark charcoal suit. At twenty-eight years old, Shen Wei possessed a face that looked dangerously striking—sharp jawline, dark obsidian eyes, and a composure so cold it felt suffocating. He was the sole heir to Shen Corporation, a massive conglomerate with tentacles reaching into real estate, tech, and media entertainment.

He was also Lu Chen’s biggest "fan." Not the kind who bought albums and posted polite comments online, but the kind whose wealth allowed him to buy the very ground Lu Chen walked on.

"You performed beautifully tonight, Chen-chen," Shen Wei said. His voice was low, smooth, and laced with a possessive undertone that sent a sudden shiver down Lu Chen’s spine.

Lu Chen forced himself to stay composed, offering a polite, distant smile—the standard mask he wore for powerful figures. "Mr. Shen. Thank you for sponsoring the tour. I'm glad you enjoyed the performance."

Shen Wei walked forward slowly, closing the distance between them until he was standing uncomfortably close. He was younger than Lu Chen, yet his presence completely dominated the space. He smelled of expensive sandalwood and crisp rain.

"Enjoyed it?" Shen Wei murmured, his dark eyes trailing slowly down Lu Chen’s exposed collarbone, lingering on the subtle rise and fall of his chest. "I didn't like it at all."

Lu Chen’s mask slipped for a fraction of a second. "Excuse me?"

Shen Wei leaned in, his lips hovering just an inch from Lu Chen’s ear, dropping his tone so low that only Lu Chen could hear him. "I don't like eighty thousand people staring at you with greedy eyes. I don't like the way those bright lights make your skin look like it belongs to everyone. I hate sharing what's mine."

Lu Chen’s breath hitched. His pulse spiked violently against his ribs. He stepped back, trying to create distance, but his back hit the wall of the corridor.

"Mr. Shen, please watch your words," Lu Chen said, his tone turning cold and defensive, his pride as a senior artist flaring up. "I am an idol. My stage belongs to my audience."

Shen Wei didn't look offended. In fact, a faint, dark smirk touched the corner of his lips. He lifted one hand—his fingers long and calloused—and lightly brushed a strand of damp hair away from Lu Chen’s forehead. His touch was burning hot against Lu Chen’s cool skin.

Lu Chen flinched, trying to pull away, but Shen Wei’s fingers moved down, tracing the line of Lu Chen's jaw before pressing firmly against his chin, forcing the older man to look directly into his eyes.

"Your audience doesn't know you, Chen-chen," Shen Wei whispered, his grip tightening just enough to make it impossible for Lu Chen to break free. "They see the star. I see the broken, exhausted man who cries in his car when the cameras turn off. I know what pills you take to sleep. I know what time you wake up. I know every single secret you hide under this pretty silk shirt."

Lu Chen’s eyes widened in sheer horror. The realization hit him like a bucket of ice water. The stalker... the mysterious gifts... the feeling of being watched in his own apartment…

It wasn't a crazy fan from the streets. It was the man standing right in front of him, controlling his entire career with money and power.

"You..." Lu Chen gasped, his voice trembling with a mixture of anger and fear. "You're insane."

"I am devoted," Shen Wei corrected softly, his eyes flashing with a terrifying, unyielding obsession. He leaned in further, his lips brushing against the shell of Lu Chen’s ear.

"And very soon, you will realize that the stage you love so much... is nothing compared to the cage I built for you."

Shen Wei released his chin, stepped back, and adjusted his cuffs as if nothing had happened. He offered Lu Chen a polite, elegant smile that didn't reach his dark eyes.

"Get some rest, Lu Chen. You'll need your strength for what comes next."

Without another word, Shen Wei turned around and walked away, his long coat swaying gently, leaving Lu Chen standing frozen against the wall, his heart hammering in his chest like a trapped bird.