Love Contract with the Queen Actress - Chapter 2

Su Yuchen had been swaying on the subway for so long that she missed her stop. It wasn’t until then that she snapped out of her daze, turned around, and took the train back in the opposite direction.

By the time she arrived at the company, she was already half an hour later than planned.

Sure enough, a crowd of reporters had already gathered outside the Gaole Entertainment building.

Cameras and microphones were everywhere.

Su Yuchen tugged her white baseball cap lower and tried to skirt around the side, but a sharp-eyed reporter darted forward to block her path.

“This young lady looks like one of Shen Wu’s colleagues at the company, right? Could you share something about Shen Wu and Fu Mozheng?”

The moment he shouted, more people noticed Su Yuchen’s presence, and immediately, they swarmed toward her like a hive of bees.

These reporters were desperate for a scoop, anyone who even remotely resembled someone from Gaole Entertainment was fair game.

And Su Yuchen, with her slender figure and graceful posture, stood out effortlessly. She wore a plain white cropped puffer jacket, faded blue jeans, and a pair of white Martin boots she’d bought for 68 yuan with free shipping. Her chestnut-brown, shoulder-length straight hair cascaded down her back.

In the crowd, she was impossible to miss.

No wonder they’d cornered her.

“Miss, are you heading into Gaole Entertainment?”

“You must be an artist, could you tell us something about Shen Wu, the Triple Crown-winning movie queen?”

“Is Shen Wu in the company right now? She’s about to get engaged to the elite socialite Fu Mozheng, surely there’s some insider info at your company? Give us a hint…”

Only now did Su Yuchen finally understand what her manager had meant when she warned her to “be careful.” She was still relatively new to the industry, more of an ordinary person than a celebrity, and she had severely underestimated the frenzy of entertainment reporters. All she wanted was to escape the chaos.

“No, no, I don’t know anything. Please let me through.”

But the paparazzi didn’t care who they were interrogating, they’d latch onto anyone remotely connected to Shen Wu, desperate for even the tiniest scrap of gossip.

The main reason they were so aggressive was that they hadn’t managed to catch any celebrities entering through the front doors, the underground garage was off-limits to the public, and most artists arrived by car. Only the broke Su Yuchen had to walk from the subway.

“Fu Mozheng is a top-tier socialite, the Fu family is on par with Shen Wu’s Gaotong Group. Since the engagement news has already leaked, they must have been seeing each other for a while, right?”

“Shen Wu won her third major film award at 27, was Fu Mozheng at the celebration banquet last night? Did you see anything?”

“Don’t you think Shen Wu and Fu Mozheng make a perfect match?”

Su Yuchen was usually easygoing and avoided confrontations, but the relentless barrage of “Shen Wu and Fu Mozheng” began to grate on her nerves.

She pulled her arm free from one person’s grasp, only for another to immediately seize it.

It was overwhelming like being dragged into a suffocating quagmire.

Finally, Su Yuchen frowned.

“Cough, cough…”

Her face turned deathly pale as she clutched her chest, her body trembling slightly. “I… I have a heart condition… You’re crowding me, stressing me out… I can’t breathe…”

Her quivering lips and hunched posture made it clear she was in extreme discomfort.

A thin sheen of sweat glistened on her forehead, and she gasped for air, her mouth slightly open.

“I’m not from Lego,” she deliberately mispronounced Gaole Entertainment’s name, “I’m just a patient. You… which one of you grabbed me just now?”

Su Yuchen weakly reached out toward the man who had pulled at her, her fingers twitching in the air.

She was a trained professional, and her acting skills were genuinely impressive.

The kind of excellence that would earn full marks from performance instructors.

Now, improvising as a patient, she slipped into character in an instant, startling everyone around her.

“It’s not me, not me!” The short, stout man was the first to throw up his hands and take a step back.

The entertainment reporters, who had been packed tightly around her like an iron barrel, suddenly scattered in a wide circle.

The crowd erupted in surprised gasps, and no one dared to approach.

At one point, a kind-hearted girl even asked, “Do you need us to call an ambulance?”

Su Yuchen knew when to quit. She waved her hand weakly. “No, no need. My medicine is over there, I’ll just go get it myself…”

When someone tried to support her, she feebly pushed them away and took slow, deliberate steps toward the entrance of Gaole Entertainment.

She was getting closer to the security booth at the entrance, the parking ramp now within reach.

Then, suddenly, someone spoke up from behind her. “Wait a minute, why does she look so familiar?”

“Hold on, I remember now! Isn’t she Su Yuchen?!”

Once one reporter recognized her, the crowd immediately surged forward again. Someone grabbed her and refused to let go. “She is from Gaole Entertainment, she’s one of their artists! My daughter even had her as a screensaver when she played the campus belle! No wonder she’s so convincing, she’s a professional!”

“At last night’s celebration for Shen Wu’s award, I caught photos of you drinking red wine with her and heading toward the hotel elevators. Shen Wu is usually so aloof, I’ve never seen her take to anyone like that. So, there’s no way you don’t know what’s going on!”

Of all the luck, this person had actually caught photos of Shen Wu and her!

“Come on, talk. We’ll let the little act you just pulled slide. The main thing is, we couldn’t get more shots last night, you must know something.”

Su Yuchen’s ears burned. She wasn’t sure whether to be angry or embarrassed, but she kept struggling to break free. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Let me through.”

The crowd pressed in, and her hat was knocked off by someone.

Her chestnut-brown straight hair cascaded like a disrupted waterfall, swaying slightly.

The poor white hat on the ground was promptly trampled underfoot.

The slender figure seemed on the verge of being swallowed by the tide of people…

Just then, a black business car screeched to a sudden stop.

The glossy paint and aggressive design of the vehicle were now right in front of them, the sound of brakes startling the mob.

The crowd instinctively parted, their attention shifting to the slowly opening car door.

A delicate fragrance wafted out.

A long leg clad in knee-high suede boots stepped onto the ground first, the slender silver-chrome heels glinting in the light.

The next moment, Shen Wu appeared before everyone, wearing a black bodycon dress, knee-high heeled boots, a stretch of snow-white thigh defiantly bared to the winter chill, and oversized black sunglasses.

Her wavy hair, swept to one side, amplified her commanding presence to the fullest.

She tilted her head slightly, looking at Su Yuchen, whose clothes were now disheveled from being tugged and let out a soft, displeased “Tch.”

Strangely enough, the aggressive reporters who had been ready to pounce fell silent in an instant.

In the face of Shen Wu’s full-force aura, amplified by her towering heels, they all seemed to shrink back in unison. Some even stood there gaping, wanting to ask questions but too intimidated to utter a single word.

“You all just love to pick on her, don’t you?”

Shen Wu stepped forward, her ten-centimeter stilettos clicking as her striking height surpassed even some of the men around her, her commanding presence effortlessly parting the crowd of paparazzi.

She walked up to Su Yuchen, gave her a glance, then bent down to pick up the fallen hat, dusting it off before scanning the surroundings. “Why is everyone bullying our little artist like this?”

Silence.

With an air of disdain, Shen Wu hooked her arm around Su Yuchen’s and wordlessly dragged the girl in the white down jacket toward the car.

Su Yuchen was unceremoniously shoved inside, catching only three softly spoken words, “So damn clueless”, before Shen Wu blocked her from view.

After finishing her task, Shen Wu turned back gracefully, flashing a smile at the crowd. “Go collect your appearance fees later. Thanks for waiting, the red envelopes will be extra generous. I’ll release any news first when the time comes, so please don’t make things up, alright? Who knows, we might collaborate again someday.”

The last remark was a clever warning, there could be money to gain, or jobs to lose.

The paparazzi exchanged uneasy glances, but the black business car carrying Shen Wu had already sped away.

One reporter finally caught on. “Didn’t Shen Wu get engaged to the top socialite Fu Mozheng? Why does she seem more compatible with this girl?”

“Now that you mention it, no one’s ever caught Shen Wu and Fu Mozheng in the same frame. But Shen Wu actually stepping up for this little actress? Interesting. Ugh, I was so stupid, should’ve snapped more shots. Regretting it now!”

“Tsk, tsk. Like a domineering CEO fiercely protecting his wife. Kinda sweet, actually.”

…

Su Yuchen sat in her seat, fingers unconsciously twisting the hat’s straps.

Too nervous to turn her head, she could only steal glances at Shen Wu from the corner of her eye.

Outside, the air was cold enough to see their breath, yet Shen Wu had stepped out in thigh-high boots, a stretch of bare leg exposed. Wasn’t she freezing?

Before the thought could settle, Su Yuchen noticed Shen Wu shiver slightly.

From the cold.

So even someone that formidable could feel the chill.

Su Yuchen hunched her shoulders and let out a quiet laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

The voice was soft, but Shen Wu’s sharp ears caught it.

She sat with her arms crossed, legs elegantly crossed, her oversized black sunglasses still on, face unreadable, though she seemed annoyed.

“N-Nothing.” Su Yuchen quickly turned to look out the window, but her gaze landed on a black faux-fur coat draped over the front seat. Her heart twinged slightly.

So Shen Wu had rushed out without her coat because she was in a hurry to save her?

No way. Shen Wu wouldn’t care that much about her, right?

Lost in thought, Su Yuchen nearly turned to sneak another look but stopped herself.

Pursing her lips, she stiffly kept her eyes on the window.

After a long silence, Shen Wu, still holding her arms, spoke to the driver. “Old Du, no need to circle around. Head straight to the Gaole underground garage.”

“Understood, Miss.” The driver finally made a sound, though he remained focused on the road, never turning back.

Gaole Entertainment was a subsidiary of Gaotong Group. The driver addressing Shen Wu as “Miss” suggested he was a long-time employee of the Shen family, one who knew his place.

The car rolled to a stop in the garage, and once the driver stepped out, only Shen Wu and Su Yuchen remained inside.

Shen Wu still sat with her arms crossed, but her seat was by the door, if Su Yuchen wanted to leave, she’d have to pass by her.

“…”

“Um… Aren’t we getting out?”

Su Yuchen pointed to the door, then quickly withdrew her finger.

Beneath the pitch-black sunglasses, Shen Wu’s gaze was unreadable, but Su Yuchen knew Shen Wu was looking at her right now.

The two had just spent an intimate night together, and now, confined in such a quiet space, even the slightest stretch of an arm would brush against the person seated beside them.

The warmth exchanged through layers of clothing created an indescribably ambiguous atmosphere.

“Where are you going?”

Shen Wu’s red lips parted as her voice echoed through the car, the tone lingering at the end.

“Nan Nan asked me to come to the company. I… I wanted to see what she needed me for…”

Shen Wu interrupted, “Did Fu Nan not remind you to avoid the main entrance?”

Su Yuchen replied softly, “Ah… she did. She told me to be careful, but I didn’t expect things to be like this.”

Shen Wu, still wearing her sunglasses, withdrew her gaze and looked straight ahead.

“What did they ask you when they cornered you?”

Su Yuchen hesitated. “They… asked about some personal matters concerning you.”

“About me and Fu Mozheng, right?”

Shen Wu cut straight to the point, her tone icy as she mentioned the name.

“There’s nothing worth asking. I have no intention of marrying into the Fu family. That press release was planted by someone else. As for who it was, Fu Nan is investigating.”

Su Yuchen’s lips parted slightly, nearly forgetting to close them.

Was she explaining this to her?

But did Shen Wu need to explain anything to her?

Right. She must be saying this to prevent her from spreading rumors.

Su Yuchen quickly patted her chest in reassurance. “Yes, I understand. Don’t worry, I won’t say anything reckless outside.”

“…”

Shen Wu took a quiet breath, her chest rising and falling noticeably.

Suppressing her temper, she still couldn’t help but mutter three words: “So stupid.”

She snatched Su Yuchen’s phone and tilted her chin up. “Unlock it.”

Without hesitation, Su Yuchen complied immediately.

Shen Wu tapped the screen a few times before shoving the phone back into her hands. “You can contact me if anything happens. Don’t let a situation like today happen again.”

Clutching her phone, Su Yuchen suddenly felt it burning hot, as if resonating with the hidden warmth of her now faintly pink earlobes.

Shen Wu added, “My offer still stands. You can keep considering it, but you know I don’t have much patience. Give me an answer soon.”

Considering… considering the engagement?

Su Yuchen really wanted to ask questions, but just then, the phone resting on the leather seat rang.

It was Shen Wu’s phone.

The ringtone blared loudly in the confined space.

The first time, Shen Wu didn’t answer.

The phone rang stubbornly again, as if refusing to give up until she picked up.

Finally, Shen Wu flipped the screen over and frowned at the caller ID.

The note displayed only a single character: “Fu.”

Su Yuchen happened to catch a glimpse. Her naturally round, almond-shaped eyes widened slightly, her transparent gaze never good at hiding her thoughts betraying her curiosity, as if the question was written plainly on her face.

After a brief pause, Shen Wu answered the call. “Yes?”

A cool male voice came through. “My sister wants to see you.”

“What for?”

Shen Wu’s voice turned even colder, devoid of the lazy drawl she used when teasing Su Yuchen. Her tone sharpened, reverting to her usual cutting and domineering demeanor.

“Don’t you think you owe my sister an apology for that press release affecting her mood? She’s in the middle of her finals at the music conservatory abroad, and your actions could disrupt her focus. Yet she’s still willing to fly back to meet you over this.”

To Su Yuchen’s surprise, it wasn’t Fu Mozheng as she had assumed, it sounded like Fu Mozheng’s brother instead.

Feigning nonchalance while subtly leaning closer to the phone, Su Yuchen’s ears practically strained toward the conversation.

Shen Wu noticed this from the corner of her eye. With her free hand, she raised slender fingers to press against her own forehead.

She sighed, tilting her head slightly as she imperceptibly angled the phone toward Su Yuchen.

“Listen, Fu Number Two, are you trying to flip the script on this press release? I was half-convinced your family was behind it. Of course, I have no proof, so I won’t make baseless claims. But since you don’t either, I suggest you refrain from casually pointing fingers.”

“Oh, and one more thing, her focusing on studies is perfectly reasonable. If she’s got exams coming up, she should concentrate on preparing instead of stirring up trouble with unrelated people. Might I suggest you pick up a book yourself sometime? With three older brothers spoiling her rotten, it’s no wonder none of you can tell right from wrong anymore.”

By the time she finished, the other end had clearly been stunned into silence. Even after Shen Wu hung up, the caller probably still hadn’t recovered.

Putting her phone away, Shen Wu turned, only for her lips to brush against the ear of the woman who’d been eavesdropping so intently.

That fleeting contact sent a jolt through them both, like static electricity crackling in dry winter air. They froze, hearts trembling as if struck by an invisible current.

Su Yuchen jerked back, clutching her ear.

Shen Wu stood motionless for a long moment before nodding meaningfully. “I see. Miss Su, does this mean I still owe you a good morning kiss?”