Love Contract with the Queen Actress - Chapter 14

As soon as Director Gao made her announcement, the public erupted in an uproar.

The number of people flocking to the livestream to watch the drama grew rapidly, and the barrage of comments scrolled like mad.

[Holy crap, Director Gao is a legend!]

[Appointing someone live on stream, no matter how big the backer behind Liu Ruomeng is, she’s done for now, haha, this is so satisfying!]

[Director Gao’s temper is as stubborn as ever, no wonder she’s such good friends with a legendary actress like Ruan Mengqing, they’re cut from the same cloth.]

[I support Su Yuchen taking over as Princess Minglu! Adding Chronicles of the Dynasty to my watchlist!]

[Wait, isn’t this Su Yuchen the same nobody who’s supposed to be on a dating show with Shen Wu?]

[I thought she was some newbie being aggressively promoted, using Shen Wu for clout, and definitely had a sugar daddy backing her. Turns out I was wrong, she’s just an extra in this drama who got water splashed on her by a D-list like Liu Ruomeng. I apologize for my malicious assumptions.]

[Same here.]

[So, is she actually paired with Shen Wu for the dating show or not?]

[Probably not. I feel like the well-bred heiress Fu Mozheng is a much better match for Shen Wu, more likely to be her.]

[Oh right, everyone talks about Shen Wu being a triple-crown actress but forgets she’s the only daughter of Qualcomm Group’s chairman. That background is top-tier old money in the capital’s elite circles, even more prestigious than the Fu Group.]

Unconsciously, the chat had veered off track, diving into the juiciest gossip of the moment.

Su Yuchen stood before Director Gao, her mind still reeling in disbelief.

In the past, she had always been the unluckiest one, as if someone had stolen all her good fortune, leaving her with nothing but misery. But ever since that night with Shen Wu.

Well, ever since meeting Shen Wu, her luck seemed to be slowly turning around.

In the past, Su Yuchen wouldn’t have dared to dream of such good fortune falling into her lap. Yet now, against all odds, it was happening.

Was it… real?

She clenched her fists, discreetly pinching her palm beneath the wide sleeves of her violet robe.

Ouch!

It was real.

It was actually real.

Su Yuchen swallowed hard, the delicate tendons of her pale neck faintly shifting.

She looked at Director Gao and said, “I’ll do my best to perform well.”

“Whoa!”

Cheers erupted on set, and someone even started clapping. The barrage of comments flooded with congratulations, all celebrating Su Yuchen’s good fortune.

Off-camera, Liu Ruomeng’s face was ashen with fury, as though nothing could salvage the situation now. Her gaze wandered through the crowd, taking in their smiles, while a tidal wave of resentment crashed violently in her chest.

Then, suddenly, she spotted Fu Mozheng at the edge of the crowd.

Fu Mozheng stood beside her famously renowned actress mother, her expression equally grim.

As if sensing the stare, Fu Mozheng turned and met her gaze coldly.

When her eyes landed on Su Yuchen, they turned especially icy, indescribable, but undeniably chilling.

…

In the makeup room, Su Yuchen was comforted by the costume, makeup, and prop teams before the staff helped her remove her makeup and change back into her own clothes.

The moment she stepped outside, a gust of wind from the outskirts of the capital blew into her eyes.

The New Year was approaching, and the winter in Yanjing was bitterly cold. The tree branches stretched out like skeletal limbs, bare and brittle.

The sky was gloomy, and when the northwest wind swept across this remote outskirt, it would carry with it a flurry of sand and gravel, howling like a banshee as it lashed against people’s faces and bodies, slapping them with a maddening force.

Su Yuchen could barely keep her eyes open against the wind. She pressed a hand over her sand-filled eyes, standing frozen in place, head bowed, her long hair cascading down to veil her cheeks.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her wrist.

A cold voice rang out above her: “Let’s go.”

Go?

Before Su Yuchen could react, her feet were tugged forward, and she was spun around, pulled toward another direction.

The person dragged her along at a brisk, urgent pace. Squinting, Su Yuchen caught sight of a tall, slender figure ahead.

Wavy, voluminous hair tumbled loosely over shoulders and back, swaying gracefully with each hurried step.

A faint, delicate fragrance wafted from the strands, drifting to the tip of Su Yuchen’s nose.

The scent was familiar, the same lingering aroma that had clung to her fingers that night when they had tangled in those thick locks, the same intoxicating warmth that had spilled over snow-white shoulders in a haze of intimacy.

She recognized that subtle fragrance, and naturally, the figure before her was all too familiar.

But the person walking ahead moved swiftly, visibly seething with anger.

“Shen Wu?!”

Su Yuchen realized the one pulling her forward was none other than Shen Wu.

She stopped in her tracks, yanking Shen Wu to a halt as well.

“Where are we going?”

Her eyes stung from the wind, tiny grains of sand rolling painfully beneath her lids.

Tears immediately welled up and spilled over.

“…”

Shen Wu stood still, staring fixedly at Su Yuchen.

At the sight of those tears, her brows instantly furrowed.

“Why are you crying?” Shen Wu’s lips seemed to form a censored curse before she grabbed Su Yuchen’s hand again. “Let’s go. Let her cry.”

“W-what are you doing?” Su Yuchen stumbled forward a couple of steps, pulled along.

Without turning back, Shen Wu replied, “We’re getting your dignity back.”

“Huh? What dignity?”

“I’m fine.”

“No, really, I’m not crying.”

Su Yuchen grew flustered, her voice hitching as she sniffled, sounding almost tearful.

Shen Wu’s back seemed to stiffen for a moment before she finally slowed her pace, stopping completely and turning to face Su Yuchen, whose eyes were now red-rimmed.

“I’m not blind. Do you think I can’t tell whether you’re crying or not?”

Though her words were sharp, her tone softened toward the end.

Then she raised a hand, gently wiping away the tears at the corners of Su Yuchen’s eyes, her touch as delicate as if handling something fragile.

Despite Su Yuchen’s usual resilience, the tenderness of that gesture sent a powerful tremor through her heart.

“Why didn’t you just tell me someone was bullying you here? Did I have to hear it from someone else and dig through livestreams to find out what happened?”

Shen Wu sounded reproachful, her fingers lingering on Su Yuchen’s face.

The wind outside was biting, the world bleak and desolate, but Shen Wu’s fingertips were warm.

Where they brushed against her skin, a tingling sensation spread through Su Yuchen’s chest.

For a moment, Su Yuchen’s mind wandered, was it static electricity again, like in winter?

Then Shen Wu’s voice, carrying over the distant howl of the cold wind, wrapped in a puff of breath, reached her ears,

“You fool. You could’ve just asked me for help.”

At that moment, warmth surged in Su Yuchen’s heart, like a hot spring bubbling up in the dead of winter, melting away the bitter chill.

Given her principles, she would never allow such ambiguous behavior to occur without having a confirmed relationship with Shen Wu.

But today, she suddenly felt greedy. The winter chill made her long for the warmth of those fingertips.

Besides, being cared for didn’t feel bad at all.

Unable to suppress a smile, she shrugged. “Isn’t it all settled now?”

“I even landed a role others would fight tooth and nail for. That cup of water wasn’t wasted.”

Her smile was so bright that Shen Wu’s anger dissipated halfway, leaving her with no choice but to shake her head helplessly and let out a soft “Hmph.”

That sound carried resignation and a hint of barely concealed fondness.

The two of them stood under the gloomy winter sky.

Yet they were each other’s brightest spot.

A few strands of Shen Wu’s hair were tousled by the wind as she parted her lips.

“You seem quite happy… but I’m not.”

“Ah, why aren’t you happy? I’m happy, so you should be happy too~”

Su Yuchen gazed at Shen Wu with a sweet smile, like a human-sized White Rabbit candy.

After a moment, Shen Wu spoke, enunciating each word: “We have to throw it back.”

Su Yuchen felt that if she were a cartoon character, a giant sweat drop would be hanging from her forehead right now.

She was still smiling, though with a slight headache.

She coaxed, “Really, don’t. I took her role, that’s already the biggest punishment for her.”

“Since I’ve already won, how can I stoop to doing something I despise, just like her?”

Shen Wu finally curled the fingers resting on Su Yuchen’s cheek but didn’t withdraw them. Instead, she suddenly pinched a generous amount of soft flesh between her thumb and forefinger, pulling it outward with a hint of venting frustration.

Su Yuchen’s fair skin was stretched, looking delightfully elastic.

“Idiot, remember to tell me if anything happens in the future. If something like this occurs again, I’ll toss both you and your daughter out onto the street.”

“…”

Su Yuchen froze, momentarily forgetting to complain about her pinched cheek.

Why did that sound like a wife scolding her spouse?

Wait, daughter? Could she be talking about One Yuan?

“I can’t give birth to kittens, though.” Su Yuchen couldn’t help retorting, her words slightly muffled from having one cheek pinched, exposing the rarely seen teeth on her left side to the air.

Shen Wu burst into laughter.

What kind of nonsense was this? This girl was just too adorable.

Hearing her speech slurred from the pinch, Shen Wu released her grip and instead gently rubbed the soft, smooth cheek, as if saying with her actions: Did that hurt? Let me soothe it for you.

Su Yuchen, still being pampered, earnestly insisted, “I really can’t have kittens. One Yuan isn’t my daughter.”

“Got it.”

“Shall we go then?”

“Where to?”

“Didn’t you say we were going back to grab some clothes? I should also check on my mom.”