Love Contract with the Queen Actress - Chapter 1

The scent of wind-stirred blossoms lingered in the air, while the chill of the night was warmed by entwined arms.

Frosted windows veiled by heavy snowfall, sheer curtains obscuring the amorous scene within the bedroom,

A myriad of sensations, quiet yet tumultuous, hazy and surreal.

Su Yuchen awoke groggily to find the morning light already bright.

The winter sun filtered through the gauzy curtains, warm and comforting, heating her cheeks and warming the bed beneath her.

Exhausted, she lifted her lashes slightly, only to be met with a pale, exquisitely sculpted shoulder.

“…”

As awareness dawned, Su Yuchen: “!!!”

Slowly and stiffly, she shifted her gaze. Bathed in the morning light was a breathtakingly beautiful face.

A stray lock of dark hair draped over a high, delicate nose. Flawless, makeup-free skin, smooth and even, lips naturally flushed as if rouged by force.

It was Shen Wu! none other than Shen Wu, the universally acclaimed goddess of the silver screen.

As a newly signed artist at a top-tier agency, Su Yuchen, a film academy graduate with a year and a half of minor roles under her belt, had often struggled in obscurity. Finally landing a spot at this prestigious company, she had quietly idolized Shen Wu as her unattainable aspiration.

And yet last night… she had actually slept with Shen Wu, the triple-crown-winning actress?!

“…”

Su Yuchen gingerly reached for a large white towel, tiptoeing off the bed and stepping barefoot onto the plush white carpet.

She moved as silently as possible toward the door, scooping up her discarded clothes along the way.

Unfortunately, her coordination had always been slightly off, her sense of balance a little unreliable.

As she skirted around the nightstand, she lost her footing and bumped into it.

Clang!

The vase of blooming roses wobbled, the sound piercingly loud in the quiet room.

“…”

Clutching her high heels, Su Yuchen froze, her bare shoulders tensing, the delicate contours of her shoulder blades standing out sharply.

“One second, two seconds, three seconds…”

She counted silently in her head. Hearing no movement from behind her, she exhaled in relief and lifted her foot to leave but just as her toes touched the ground…

“Miss Su, where exactly are you planning to go?”

The woman’s voice was soft, almost melting into one’s bones, languid and teasing, sending shivers down the spine.

But for Su Yuchen, caught in the act of fleeing, it rooted her to the spot.

Behind her, the rustling of bedsheets followed as Shen Wu sat up.

Shen Wu: “After keeping me up all night, you’re just going to leave like this?”

“Tsk, didn’t take you for such a heartbreaker.”

“…”

Heartbreaker. Sleeping with someone and then bolting? That really was heartless!

But all she’d wanted was to find a place to put her clothes back on…

Yet now, not a single word would come out of her throat.

“…”

Honestly, just let the universe explode already.

Su Yuchen’s ears and cheeks burned crimson. Slowly, stiffly, she turned around.

Her gaze landed on Shen Wu, now half-propped up on the bed.

The simple act of adjusting the fallen strap of her lace nightgown with slender fingers only accentuated her alluring figure.

Su Yuchen’s face flushed two shades darker.

What do I do? This is a sin, a sin!

Shen Wu swept a hand through her voluminous waves. “You were quite fierce last night. Why so timid now, like a little rabbit?”

Su Yuchen stood frozen, the exposed skin of her shoulders prickling under the cool draft.

“Um… I, I was…”

“You’re a stutterer now?”

Shen Wu saw she couldn’t answer, so she directly altered the correct answer for her.

“…”

“Since it’s already happened, why not think of a way to resolve it? For example, if I were planning to get engaged soon, how would you take responsibility for me?”

She leaned slightly forward, elbows resting on her knees, her slender and beautifully sculpted hands propping up her chin.

Her eyes sparkled with the amused interest of someone observing a small animal.

En… engaged?

“…”

Su Yuchen swallowed hard.

“With your consent, the responsible course of action would be… to marry you! But…”

“I consent.”

Shen Wu cut off her attempt at a rebuttal, answering crisply and decisively.

“Agreeing outright might seem like I don’t value myself, but I couldn’t care less.”

“???”

“…!!!”

Su Yuchen was so shocked she nearly lost her voice, dropping one of the high heels she was holding.

“Pfft.”

That light, soft chuckle drifted through the air as Shen Wu’s peach-blossom eyes lingered on Su Yuchen’s delicate, innocent, and unblemished pretty face.

Her tone turned meaningful: “An engagement is an engagement, no matter who it’s with. With you, I quite like it.”

“After all, last night, you were so wild. I rather enjoy this sinful side of you.”

“Who would’ve thought? With such a pure, little-white-rabbit face, you sure don’t hold back when bullying someone.”

A deafening boom. Su Yuchen’s mind felt like it had just been hit by a mushroom cloud.

She was utterly stunned, stumbling over her words again: “N-no… please, don’t joke about this.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

Su Yuchen’s face burned red, her entire body frozen in place.

Instinctively, she clutched the remaining golden high heel to her chest, the bundled-up clothes tucked under her arm, wrapped only in a knee-length snow-white towel. Her expression was one of sheer panic and helplessness, the tension in the tendons of her feet betraying how hard she was clenching her entire body.

So small. So helpless.

“Hmm, let me guess.”

The award-winning actress’s composure was impeccable. “You are planning to take responsibility for me, right? Little stutterer.”

“Ah… if… well, I would take responsibility.”

“But, I actually don’t remember how this happened… N-not to shirk responsibility! I just mean I didn’t do it on purpose…”

Su Yuchen floundered, her words tumbling out in a jumble, but her remorse was genuine.

If it had been anyone else, they might have tried to take advantage of the situation.

After all, Shen Wu had another identity, the eldest daughter of the Gao Tong financial conglomerate.

For beauty, for profit, the open and covert battles would be endless. But Su Yuchen was no schemer, she couldn’t even calculate whether three pounds of fruit for ten yuan was a better deal than one pound for three yuan.

“Mmm.” Shen Wu listened patiently, as if she already knew this newly signed actress well. “I know you didn’t. I’ll give you time to think it over.”

Su Yuchen nodded vigorously.

Shen Wu’s eyes were naturally alluring, always carrying a hint of dreamy haze when she looked at someone.

Yet now, her gaze remained fixed on Su Yuchen’s face, unusually earnest: “Is there anything you want?”

Su Yuchen had been nodding, but upon hearing this, she shook her head like a rattle-drum.

A few strands of her fluffy long hair fell over her forehead.

Shen Wu chuckled softly, leaning in slightly as if coaxing her. “For example, do you need anything?”

“No, nothing.” Su Yuchen answered quickly, then fell silent again.

Shen Wu’s gaze grew even more meaningful. “Oh? You don’t need anything?”

Su Yuchen’s gaze was as resolute as someone about to join the Party: “Yes, I lack nothing.”

“That really makes things… difficult.”

Shen Wu listened, then leaned back slightly, shifting her weight onto her arms propped behind her. She tilted her chin up slightly and stared at Su Yuchen for a long moment.

“So, you’re still standing here because you’ve come to give me your considered answer?”

“N-no, that’s not it,” Su Yuchen snapped out of her daze, hastily grabbing her shoes and backing toward the door while bowing repeatedly. She fumbled with the door handle. “I’ll take my leave now.”

Just before closing the door, she didn’t forget to give one last deep bow to her idol, her senior, and the woman she had just slept with.

The high heels in her arms slipped out again, followed by her clothes. After scrambling to pick them up multiple times, she finally managed to shut the door with great effort.

Shen Wu watched it all in silence.

Her fingertips lightly brushed the other side of the pillow, still warm, and she whispered under her breath, “Silly kitten, still can’t recognize me.”

…

Su Yuchen had no idea how she made it back home. The moment she entered her room, she shut the door and slumped against it, unable to regain her composure for a long time.

It wasn’t until her phone rang that she was jolted back to reality.

The caller ID read “Uncle.”

“Hello? Yuchen, why did it take you so long to answer? You need to pay this month’s rent, and there’s your mother’s nursing fees. Honestly, you’re supposed to be some big-shot actress, yet you’re always so stingy when it comes to money. Your aunt and I have our eyes on a negative ion air purifier, thought we could… give it to your mom. Why don’t you buy it when you have the time?”

The machine-gun-like barrage from the other end of the line finally stopped. Exhausted, Su Yuchen made her way to the bathroom.

The faucet in the old apartment creaked as she turned it on, splashing cold water onto her face. She looked up and saw her reflection in the foggy mirror.

Under the dim light, her fair cheeks looked slightly pale, likely from exhaustion the night before. The moment her long lashes lowered slightly, an unmistakable weariness surfaced in her eyes.

Yet her features remained undeniably exquisite, an oval face, a high nose bridge, and large, innocent almond-shaped eyes that sparkled with clarity when she blinked. Her chestnut-colored straight hair cascaded over her shoulders, curling slightly at the sharp lines of her collarbones.

Unbeknownst to her, it was precisely her genuinely pure and clean aura that had landed her a minor breakout role as a campus beauty, earning her the fan-given title of “Naturally Pure College Girl.”

Now, as she tilted her chin up and loosened her collar, the “pure college girl” revealed a deep pink bite mark on her shoulder, surrounded by lingering hickeys along the side of her neck, bold and glaring against her fair skin.

The sudden surge of sensuality made the “pure college girl” label feel utterly misplaced.

Still not fully recovered from the shock, Su Yuchen stepped out of the bathroom and noticed her phone flashing on the table.

She picked it up. “Hello? Sis-sister Nan.”

Her agent, Fu Nan, got straight to the point: “Yuchen, come to the company this afternoon.”

“Ah, what for?”

Fu Nan wasn’t just her agent, she was a powerhouse who had guided Shen Wu and an award-winning actress to stardom. Her roster now included several A-listers, making Su Yuchen feel like the runt of the litter by comparison.

Right now, she sounded incredibly busy. “You’ll find out when you get here.”

Su Yuchen held the phone with both hands and nodded at the air, only to realize the other person couldn’t see her. Flustered, she quickly responded, “Oh, oh, okay.”

Just before hanging up, Funan added, “Oh, right, there are probably paparazzi downstairs at the company. Try to be careful, but if they really corner you and ask about Shen Wu, just say you don’t know anything.”

The moment Su Yuchen heard that name, it was as if a tiny needle had pricked her heart: sweet, sour, and with a faint flutter.

Her ears instantly turned red. “Wh-what Shen Wu? Sister Nan, what are you talking about…?”

Her guilt was overwhelming, but Fu Nan clearly didn’t pick up on it.

“You know, Shen Wu and that socialite Fu Mozheng… Ugh!”

The landline on the other end rang again, and Fu Nan was clearly eager to wrap up the call. “It’s all over the trending list. Look it up if you’re curious, but remember, if anyone asks, say you don’t know, no clue. Alright, that’s it.”

After hanging up with her agent, Su Yuchen took a few seconds to steady herself before opening Weibo.

At the top of the trending list was unmistakably: #ShenWuAndHeiressFuMozhengEngagement#.

The tag was marked with a “boiling” symbol.

Su Yuchen clenched her fists lightly, only to suddenly notice her fingertips felt icy cold.

Shen Wu… she’s getting engaged?!

But she still wants me to take responsibility, what kind of situation is this?!