Love Contract with the Queen Actress - Chapter 3

Su Yuchen’s ears were still burning when she sat in Fu Nan’s office.

Shen Wu had just asked for a good morning kiss.

In the close confines of the car, their scents seemed to linger between them.

She caught the faint, elegant fragrance of Shen Wu, top notes of bergamot with an alluring hint of iris in the base, as if she could feel the bewitching bloom of purple irises.

But the most intoxicating scent was her natural body fragrance.

Shen Wu’s face was so close to Su Yuchen’s.

At that moment, Su Yuchen thought hazily: We’ve never kissed while sober, have we?

She couldn’t remember what Shen Wu’s lips truly tasted like, last night’s memories had been stolen by alcohol, leaving only the lingering impression of soft lips tinged with the flavor of red wine and roses.

“Yuchen? Su Yuchen?”

The sudden voice snapped her back to reality. She looked up to see her agent, Fu Nan, already seated across from her, studying her with a scrutinizing gaze.

Fu Nan: “What’s got you so distracted? I called you several times, what were you thinking about? Honestly-”

“We didn’t kiss!” Su Yuchen blurted out, as if waking from a dream.

“Huh?”

“No! I mean… I wasn’t thinking about anything!” Su Yuchen hurriedly corrected herself.

“Wait, what do you mean, ‘didn’t kiss’?” Fu Nan had sharp, striking features, her arched brows as bold as her personality.

When scrutinizing someone, she was especially keen and incisive. “Yuchen, are you… in a relationship?”

“No!”

Su Yuchen’s fair, delicate cheeks flushed pink, her slender neck turning red with panic, thankfully hidden by her high-necked sweater.

“I’m really not in a relationship.”

If that even counts as one…

Luckily, Fu Nan was too preoccupied with her own troubles to press further. She just waved a hand dismissively. “Good. Remember, your contract stipulates that you can’t do anything to damage your public image while under the agency’s management and that includes dating.”

Su Yuchen smiled, nodding. “Yeah, I know.”

Fu Nan’s phone rang again. She raised a hand to silence Su Yuchen, tossing out a quick “I’ve got to take this” before striding to the floor-to-ceiling window, slipping into a professional smile as she answered the call.

Fragments of conversation drifted over, Shen Wu and Fu Mozheng’s names repeated over and over.

Right. That’s what real compatibility looks like, a match made in heaven.

Both were heiresses to wealthy families, though Shen Wu had ventured into entertainment while Fu Mozheng had gone to a world-renowned music conservatory. Despite the five-year age gap, Shen Wu, at 27, was in her prime.

Fu Mozheng even seemed to be the same age as her, Su Yuchen had looked it up hastily on the subway.

Not just the same age, but born on the exact same day.

What a coincidence. Yet despite sharing a birthdate, their fates couldn’t be more different. To put it harshly, one was the moon in the sky, the other dust on the ground.

Su Yuchen was lost in thought when she suddenly heard her own name slip from Fu Nan’s lips.

“What? Su Yuchen? Huh? But… why? Well, yes, I think the role suits her…”

“The investor’s decision? The Fu family’s side? Their executives know Su Yuchen? No, I don’t understand…”

Utterly baffling.

Su Yuchen noticed Fu Nan glancing her way repeatedly, the furrow between her brows deepening as the phone call dragged on.

Eventually, Su Yuchen stopped zoning out and simply stared back at Fu Nan with her clear, dewy eyes, engaging in a silent standoff.

It didn’t sound good, but her life was already bad enough. It wasn’t easy for things to improve, opportunities always slipped away unnoticed. Strangely, she felt a sense of calm.

Fu Nan returned, gripping her phone, and sat down across from Su Yuchen with a grave expression.

“Yuchen, I originally wanted you to audition for this role, but there’s been a last-minute change. It’s been given to… Fu Mozheng.”

“Fu Mozheng?” Su Yuchen chewed on the name, instinctively lowering her gaze.

Fu Nan patted her hand resting on the table. “Honestly, I don’t understand why this happened either. The Fu conglomerate is investing in this drama, and Gaole Entertainment has shares too. But when they make a request, the higher-ups have to show deference. And coincidentally, the Fu family’s youngest daughter, Fu Mozheng, is returning from music school abroad and wants to act in this drama. So… I’m sorry.”

Su Yuchen’s fingers curled slightly before she withdrew her hand from Fu Nan’s grip. “It’s alright, Sister Nan. I understand.”

“Honestly, Fu Mozheng hasn’t even finished her studies, she’s a music student. She’s completely unsuitable for this role…”

Fu Nan shook her head helplessly. “But that’s how it is. I’ll look for another project for you. You’ll just have to wait a bit longer for updates.”

“Mm, okay. Thank you, Sister Nan.”

Su Yuchen stood up. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out first.”

She had expected it and accepted it with relative calm.

“Actually…” Fu Nan hesitated but finally asked, “Yuchen, have you had any dealings with the Fu family before?”

The question was odd. Su Yuchen was just an ordinary office worker, struggling to pay rent and save money for her mother’s medical bills. How could she possibly have any connection to such an elite family?

She shook her head. “Today’s the first time I’ve heard of the Fu Group and Fu Mozheng.”

“That’s strange,” Fu Nan muttered, her frown deepening as if it couldn’t be smoothed out. “Then… have you offended anyone before?”

“Probably not.”

Su Yuchen was honest. “I’m just an ordinary person. It’s just that my luck is a bit bad, every time things seem to be looking up, fate trips me up.”

She was used to it. It was as if someone had stolen her luck. Most people weren’t as unlucky as her.

But Fu Nan’s suspicion was written all over her face. “That doesn’t make sense… Then why would they block you…?”

Fu Nan muttered to herself, her voice trailing off until Su Yuchen could no longer hear.

After a long pause, Fu Nan sighed deeply. “Ah, never mind. Don’t worry, I’ll keep your situation in mind. Just wait for my updates.”

After parting ways with her agent, Su Yuchen walked down the street, clutching her dirtied white baseball cap.

She looked up at the smoggy sky over the capital, exhaling a slow breath.

The white mist dissipated quickly in the dry, cold northern air, its fleeting existence mirroring her own.

At that moment, she suddenly felt her name was fitting, Su Yuchen, “Jade Dust.” Even if she were a speck fallen from a piece of jade, in the end, she was still just dust. Picked up carelessly, blown away with a light breath, tossed into the wind until she was battered and bruised.

Fu Mozheng, she had stolen her role.

No sooner had she returned home than she found a smooth path laid out before her, with what seemed like three doting older brothers. Being cherished by others, how blissful that must feel.

Would Fu Mozheng eventually get engaged to Shen Wu in the future?

After the engagement would come marriage. If their families were to unite, it would indeed be a perfect match, elevating their status even further, wouldn’t it?

Actually, it sounded quite nice. She wished them happiness.

Lost in these wandering thoughts, she found herself back home before she knew it.

Though she called it home, it was actually an old rented apartment, accessible only by climbing a worn-out, ancient staircase. The hallway lights flickered intermittently, every other floor left in darkness, and the concrete steps were marred with chipped and uneven patches.

The place was old, reportedly left to her uncle by her grandparents. Why not her father? Because her father had passed away shortly after she was born, and they feared her mother might try to claim the family’s assets.

Now, her mother was bedridden, under constant watch at home, and she even had to rent this old place from her uncle and aunt.

Since her acting gigs often kept her busy, she needed someone familiar to care for her mother. So, Su Yuchen had hired her aunt to look after her.

With all these arrangements, her monthly expenses had skyrocketed, yet her income hadn’t seen any significant increase. She often struggled with the exorbitant costs of medical care and equipment.

The key turned one and a half times in the lock, and the old-fashioned security door creaked open with an eerie groan.

Su Yuchen pushed the door open to find her aunt sitting in the living room with her cousin’s young son, both engrossed in watching videos. The little boy shouted excitedly, “The big star is back! The big star is back!”

“Auntie, Xiao Kai.” Su Yuchen was slightly taken aback, her eyes flickering over the scattered toys on the floor. “I thought we agreed that since I’m free today, I’d take care of Mom. Why are you here?”

“Oh, well, Xiao Kai had tutoring nearby, so we just happened to pass by,” the middle-aged woman said with a knowing smirk. “Your uncle asked us to drop in and check on your mom.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “And also, to ask about the rent.”

“The rent…” Su Yuchen hesitated.

Immediately, the woman raised her voice in a lecturing tone. “Yuchen, I know your situation. Your father died young, and you have your mother to support. Your uncle and I sympathize, but you see, your cousin and his wife don’t have steady jobs, and Xiao Kai’s at the age where he needs to start school. Money’s tight everywhere, so your aunt really has no choice here.”

“Understood.”

Su Yuchen pulled out her phone and transferred the rent. “Auntie, please check. I’ve sent you the rent for this month and next.”

A ding! sounded as the notification came through. The woman unlocked her screen, scrutinized the amount, then pursed her lips and put her phone away.

“Yuchen, you’re really keeping things strictly business with me, aren’t you? The rent is exactly what’s due, not a single cent more for your elders.”

Already exhausted from the day, Su Yuchen’s expression darkened.

She tossed her cap onto the sofa and turned to face her aunt’s sharp features. “You said it yourself, the rent is exactly what’s due. There shouldn’t be a problem with that, right?”

“Hmph.” Her aunt curled her lip again. “What about the air purifier your uncle mentioned for your mom? Have you thought about it? I’m telling you, you can’t be this unfilial. Just look at the smog in Beijing during winter, how’s she supposed to survive without an air purifier?”

“Exactly!”

The little nephew had a square head and a short neck, looking like a stubby little black can, but his voice was surprisingly loud: “Xiao Mei’s family has an air purifier! Grandpa and Grandma said to have the big star buy one for us, hurry up and send the money!”

Auntie quickly covered the brat’s mouth: “Don’t talk nonsense! That purifier was bought by your aunt for her own mother.”

The child shook off his grandma’s hand and continued shouting: “But you said we’d move it to our house after keeping it here for two days! I don’t care, I want it now! All my classmates have one at home!”

“Kids say silly things, don’t take it to heart,” Auntie hurriedly added. “It’s just that we were thinking of your mother, a bedridden patient, already so frail, she really could use a care machine like this…”

“Alright, I get it,” Su Yuchen cut her off. “I’m exhausted today and just want to shower and rest early. I’ll buy a wall-mounted air purifier myself another day, so no need for you to worry.”

Seeing her scheme fall apart, Auntie was visibly displeased, her fake smile vanishing as her tone turned sharp.

“What did you think of that young man your uncle introduced last time, the one working at the Tobacco Bureau? He was extremely satisfied with you, didn’t even mind your family situation and was willing to give you a hefty sum to properly care for your mother. And you just turned him down like that?”

“He’s over forty, with kids almost my age, and you call him a ‘young man’?”

“Ah!” Auntie slapped her thigh. “What does that matter? Older men know how to cherish their wives! Having kids already is a good thing, he won’t pressure you to have more. Besides, with your pickiness, do you really think you can marry into a wealthy family?”

Su Yuchen froze for a moment. A wealthy family…

Mistaking her silence for agreement, Auntie grew even more animated: “Your father used to work for the Fu conglomerate, you know! He was Madam Fu’s personal chef, earned a fortune every month!”

“But for some reason, after you were born, he started acting strange. He’d often stare at Madam Fu’s newborn daughter with this dazed smile… Then he got fired. After that, well, you know, the car accident. But still, our family did have ties to the elite…”

“Anyway, back to the point, are you meeting that young man or not? He’s very sincere and even promised a 100,000-yuan matchmaking fee!”

“That’s 100,000 yuan! I’ll even share some with you, enough to hire a professional caregiver for your mother and cover months of therapy. What’s there to lose?”

“Honestly, with your looks, you could get any amount of money! Why are you so stubborn?”

Auntie kept rambling on.

But Su Yuchen was lost in thought. Suddenly, she remembered Shen Wu’s question to her: “What do you lack?”

Now she understood more clearly than ever, she truly lacked money.

If she cared more about money, or was just a little more flexible, maybe she wouldn’t have so many troubles. There were so many opportunities laid out before her, so many temptations, so many…

So, should she consider agreeing to Shen Wu’s proposal?

What’s the difference between a contractual marriage and being kept on a monthly allowance?