Love Contract with the Queen Actress - Chapter 34

With a soft click, the lock disengaged as the doorknob turned from the inside, and the door swung open.

Shen Wu stood in the doorway, arms crossed, her expression unreadable. She didn’t say anything, just tilted her chin slightly and watched the two of them in silence.

Yet, despite her wordlessness, the two people under her gaze reacted in starkly different ways.

Kuang Gong and Liu Ruomeng.

One leaned lazily against the wall, while the other had a fistful of their collar, pressing them against it.

When Liu Ruomeng spotted Shen Wu at the door, she froze.

Her gaze slowly slid over, past the heavy wooden door, landing on Shen Wu’s impassive face.

“Uh… this… it’s not what it looks like…”

She fumbled over her words, hastily releasing the dark green shirt’s collar and sliding off Kuang Gong’s body. Her eyes darted around, searching the floor for nothing in particular, her hair still tightly bound by a headband. The moment her rationality returned, her face twisted with unbearable shame, despair leaking through every pore.

Her skin was tanned, her frame tall and slender, lips slightly parted, only her eyes betrayed any emotion.

It was as if the windows to her soul were crammed full of screaming alpacas about to tumble out of their frames.

Finally,

Liu Ruomeng: “I don’t wanna live anymore.”

Perhaps it was the humiliation of having her little secret exposed in front of others, something too painful to put into words.

But Kuang Gong remained utterly indifferent, still leaning against the wall with arms crossed, not even bothering to smooth out the wrinkled collar. “Wishful thinking.”

“…”

The atmosphere was unbearably awkward.

Su Yuchen hesitated for a long moment before finally peeking out from behind Shen Wu. Her almond-shaped eyes shimmered with unshed tears, swirling with complicated emotions.

She really didn’t know whether to remind her, your mic’s still on.

The moment Liu Ruomeng saw Su Yuchen, two crystalline tears rolled down her cheeks. She repeated, voice trembling, “Sis, I don’t wanna live anymore.”

Su Yuchen: “…”

“This is so embarrassing… wuuu!”

Su Yuchen wasn’t faring much better. She had been about to offer some words of comfort, but Kuang Gong beat her to it.

“Liu Ruomeng, pay back your investment before you die.”

Cold, merciless, every word a stab to the heart.

Liu Ruomeng clutched her chest as if bleeding internally.

“Kuang Gong, I told you, you’re not human.”

She wiped her face. “I don’t have money!”

“Do whatever you want.”

But Kuang Gong wasn’t the type to indulge tantrums. Without missing a beat, she said, “If you don’t have money, your cat can pay for you.”

“…”

“Kuang Gong! What are you gonna do to my cat?!” Liu Ruomeng nearly launched herself at her in a murderous rage, luckily intercepted by Su Yuchen.

But while her hands were restrained, her mouth wasn’t. Liu Ruomeng had already thrown caution to the wind, spewing a rapid-fire monologue: “You look down on me, you bully me, are you some kind of freak? Are you even human? No, you’re not human, otherwise why would you force me to wear those weird outfits, why the hell would you-”

“Mmph-”

Her torrent of words was abruptly cut off as Su Yuchen clapped a hand over her mouth.

Under Liu Ruomeng’s reddened, bewildered stare, Su Yuchen gave her a pained look and whispered, “I was gonna say earlier… your mic’s still on.”

“…”

Time seemed to freeze, the stalemate stretching on for what felt like an eternity, long enough for Su Yuchen’s hand, covering her mouth, to grow slightly numb.

Finally, the tears that had been slowly rolling down Liu Ruomeng’s cheeks suddenly burst forth like a dam breaking.

“Waaahh!”

She jumped back, tearing off the portable mic clipped to her clothes.

“I don’t want to live anymore! I really don’t want to live anymore!”

Sobbing and wailing, she ran off, two thick streams of tears trailing behind her like noodles being dragged through the air.

Kuang Gong and Shen Wu exchanged a glance, seemingly unfazed, brushing past each other as they went about their own business.

Only Su Yuchen watched Liu Ruomeng leave, her heart heavy with a sense of tragic solemnity.

Because, truth be told, she didn’t want to live anymore either.

…

The show continued filming as usual.

By evening, everyone had finished washing up and changed into their pajamas, ready for bed.

Raindrops pattered noisily against the tent’s roof, casting a desolate, melancholic atmosphere over the night.

Freshly washed, Su Yuchen sat on a small sofa, combing her hair. She wore a set of beige pajamas printed with tiny bears, the soft color complementing her fair skin, bright eyes, and delicate features, her beauty like something out of a painting.

The comb glided smoothly through her chestnut-brown hair, long and silky, her slender fingers weaving through the strands. Under the overhead light, tiny particles of dust seemed to dance in the air around her.

Fu Monan, who had been standing in the corner, quietly took a seat beside her.

The inflatable sofa dipped slightly under her weight. Su Yuchen, still holding a section of hair near her neck, turned to look.

There, sat Fu Monan, clad in a sleek black silk pajama set.

The outfit was unexpectedly bold, the hem of the shorts riding up just enough to reveal her long, pale legs, showcasing a figure that clashed entirely with her usual demure daytime appearance.

“Yuchen, your pajamas are so cute. And there are little bears too,” Fu Monan said with a smile, stretching out her smooth, toned legs.

She seemed well aware of her own allure, wearing such a revealing set in the slightly chilly air. Knees pressed together, feet slightly apart, she accentuated the elegant lines of her legs to the point where Su Yuchen hardly dared to look, forcing her gaze to remain fixed on Fu Monan’s face.

“Mhm, thanks,” Su Yuchen replied with a smile, her eyes briefly catching on the small mole on Fu Monan’s face.

A thought flickered through her mind: Fu Monan and Fu Mozheng really are cousins, even the beauty mark on their noses is in the same spot.

After speaking, she didn’t intend to continue the conversation, lowering her gaze to resume combing her hair.

But Fu Monan lingered, idly running her fingers through her own hair before asking, seemingly offhand, “Where do you usually buy your clothes? This set is really nice, I’d love to get one too.”

Wearing matching pajamas, now that would be a little too intimate.

Su Yuchen paused mid-stroke, then continued combing. “I got it on Taobao. There was a sale, 99 yuan for two sets, free shipping.”

“…”

Fu Monan, whose wardrobe consisted entirely of luxury brands: “…”

For a moment, she had the distinct impression that this conversation was beyond saving.

Fu Monan bravely smoothed over the awkwardness, letting out a soft chuckle. “She’s easier to raise than Mozheng. Mozheng is really picky about clothes. Back then, the family went through several tailors and designers because of her. Later, she got into high-end custom designs, and my cousins found her a lot of resources. After she got her own exclusive design studio, we stopped hearing about these issues, and the tailors and designers were let go.”

“Oh, really?” Su Yuchen replied absentmindedly. She had already finished combing her hair but, feeling too embarrassed to turn around, kept up the motions of grooming.

“Yeah, even though Mozheng and I were born on the same day, same month, same year, I was an unexpected premature birth. I heard I was carried out of the delivery room a minute earlier, so I became the older sister. But it doesn’t seem like I’ve been much help to my younger cousin…” Fu Monan paused before continuing, “On the contrary, she’s the outstanding one, doted on by the whole family. After studying abroad, she even entered the entertainment industry. If she hadn’t been filming The Love of the City, that big-budget drama, there’s no way I’d be the one on this dating show.”

Outside the tent, the wind howled fiercely, its desolate gusts battering the fabric walls. The flimsy material was no match for the coastal gales, and the lantern light inside flickered wildly in the turbulence.

For a fleeting moment, Su Yuchen caught a glimpse of Fu Monan’s eyes, dark and unreadable, like the gloomy sea she had seen earlier. But the impression quickly dissolved under the warm glow of the lantern. Maybe it was just the deep-set brow bone casting a momentary shadow.

“Ah, what’s happening? It’s so scary,” Fu Monan murmured, scooting closer to Su Yuchen with a shiver. “I’ve never experienced anything like this. It’s so cold… Yuchen, what do I do? I’m freezing.” She repeated herself, voice trembling.

“…”

Su Yuchen clutched the comb, hesitating over whether to respond, but her mouth moved faster than her thoughts.

“Seriously, you’re wearing so little, of course you’re cold.” Liu Ruomeng finally couldn’t hold back an eye roll as she pulled a thin cardigan over her pajamas.

Liu Ruomeng was also in sleepwear, hers adorned with little embroidered cat faces along the edges. Though both outfits were cute, hers looked far more refined, completely incomparable to Su Yuchen’s. It was like comparing a 99-yuan “buy one, get one free” deal to something actually worth buying.

“…”

Chastened, Fu Monan lowered her head, fussing with her hair. The strands hid her expression, but she didn’t dare bring up the cold again.

Liu Ruomeng’s eyes were still slightly red, clearly from crying earlier, but she seemed to have composed herself now. She reached over to borrow one of Su Yuchen’s hair ties. “Hey, your pajamas are actually pretty cute. The little bears are adorable. Did you say they were 99 yuan, buy one get one free?”

“Yeah,” Su Yuchen handed her the comb as she watched her tie up her hair. “But I think the promotion’s over. Probably not available anymore.”

Liu Ruomeng clicked her tongue. “Then forget it. I don’t want to look like a total sucker.” As she spoke, something seemed to dawn on her, and her combing hand froze mid-air. “Wait, buy one get one free, so the other set is the same?”

Before the words had even faded, the tent flap was lifted open.

Shen Wu, dressed in a light pink pajama set dotted with tiny strawberries, walked in with her chin held high, strutting as if she were on a runway.

Everyone present: “…”

No one could miss the fact that this was clearly the “buy one, get one free” set. Otherwise, why would Shen Wu, known for her bewitching elegance and untouchable, high-class aura, be wearing a pair of pajamas with loose threads and an utterly ordinary cut? Not to mention, the style was completely at odds with her usual glamorous, ice-queen persona.

The main issue was that Su Yuchen’s pajamas and Shen Wu’s were not only identical in design, but even the crookedly stitched chest pocket was misaligned in the exact same spot.

This was far more suggestive than Fu Monan’s earlier request for the pajama link, this was literally wearing the implication on their sleeves.

Shen Wu tossed her hair, letting her thick, wavy locks cascade like seaweed.

The movement pulled at the tendons in her slender neck, revealing the faint contours of muscle and bone beneath her skin.

She didn’t care in the slightest that she was wearing a “99 yuan free shipping, buy one get one free” pajama set.

Instead, she flaunted the fact that she was matching with Su Yuchen without restraint, strolling over to flick her hair under the light one moment, bending down to inspect the ventilation valve the next. In short, she made sure every pair of eyes followed her every move, asserting her presence with undeniable force.

Perhaps it was because her figure and looks were already striking enough, but somehow, she made even these cheap pajamas look dazzling.

Far more stunning than Fu Monan, who had braved the cold in her skimpy sleepwear.

Reading the admiration in everyone’s eyes, Shen Wu let out a soft, satisfied “hmph” in her heart.

When she glanced at Su Yuchen again, she caught a shimmering glow in those bright, beautiful eyes. Only two words crossed her mind: nailed it.

“I’m so gorgeous… as expected of me,” she nearly blurted out.

She walked up to Su Yuchen. “Not going to sleep yet?”

Completely ignoring the well-proportioned Fu Monan beside her.

Not even sparing a glance for that figure-hugging mini nightdress.

After all, with her looks and body, she could make even a burlap sack look good.

Enough to leave everyone else in the dust.

Fu Monan tugged at her slightly gaping collar, as if genuinely freezing, trying to maintain some dignity as she quietly tucked her chest back into her clothes with minimal movement.

Su Yuchen quickly stood up, stepping to Shen Wu’s side in two strides.

“We should sleep. It’s getting late, let’s go to bed soon.”

With that, she tossed yet another question to the group.

Xiao Zhi, who had been enjoying the drama for a while now, was still wearing a face mask. Pressing lightly at the edges with her fingertips, she spoke through barely parted lips, “There are three inflatable mattresses in the tent tonight, all lined up side by side.”

Her voice came out distorted from not being able to open her mouth properly.

But she persisted in asking, “So… who’s sleeping with who tonight?”

At this moment, the atmosphere in the tent grew palpably tense.

At the far end, three double-sized inflatable mattresses were arranged in a row.

Due to space constraints, they were squeezed so close together it felt almost claustrophobic.

This brought up a new problem: with six people and one long, shared sleeping space, the question of who would sleep next to whom suddenly became a massive dilemma.

At this moment, what was needed most was someone to liven up the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the most talkative person had slightly swollen eyes, pursed her lips after saying a couple of words, and fell silent as if she was sulking with someone.

The one who had upset her was even less likely to speak, doing so would only make her angrier.

An awkward silence once again filled the tent.

Yet, everyone quietly gathered around the beds.

As if facing some enormous difficulty, no one spoke up first.

After a while, Shen Wu picked a mattress at the edge and sat down first.

Su Yuchen also sat down beside Shen Wu, her bright eyes occasionally stealing glances at her.

But even though someone had taken the initiative to sit, still no one made a sound.

Finally, Xiao Zhi couldn’t take it anymore. She peeled back the edge of her face mask and asked, “Since the beds are already pushed together, why don’t we just sleep randomly?”

As she spoke, her gaze flickered toward Shen Wu.

She took a small step forward, her eyes betraying a flicker of eager anticipation.

Shen Wu and Su Yuchen sat together on one mattress, neither speaking nor expressing an opinion.

Fu Monan timidly raised her hand and asked, “I have a question, are we still being recorded at night?”

As she spoke, she pointed at the camera in the corner.

When everyone’s eyes turned back to her, they noticed she had somehow draped a shawl over herself, covering up any exposed skin.

“Probably… not, right?”

Bad memories resurfaced in Su Yuchen’s mind. She glanced at the camera, recalling the earlier microphone incident, and suddenly felt suffocated.

Liu Ruomeng also seemed dazed, as if struck by something, her usual chatter completely gone.

The usually silent Kuang Gong was the one who spoke up. “They don’t record at night.”

Xiao Zhi looked over. “Boss Kuang, how do you know?”

“……”

Kuang Gong crossed her arms, her tone and expression completely calm. “How could they record without infrared night vision equipment?”

“……”

“Oh, right.”

Xiao Zhi patted her face. “So does that mean we’re safe once the lights are off?”

“Not necessarily,” Fu Monan said, pointing at the equipment on her waist. “We’d have to take these off and turn them off to be safe.”

Perhaps trying to ease the awkwardness, she clumsily cracked a joke, one she wasn’t even good at: “If we don’t take off the mics, what if the production team hears something? Wouldn’t that be way too awkward?”

After saying this, she even let out a soft laugh to sell the joke.

But most people in the room couldn’t bring themselves to laugh.

Especially Su Yuchen and Liu Ruomeng.

The two of them kept their heads down, busying themselves with nothing in silence, like restless little animals.

Xiao Zhi, impatient by nature, finally snapped, “Alright, alright, let’s not waste any more time. Let’s assign the sleeping spots now so we can get to bed early. If we miss our beauty sleep and end up with dark circles, we won’t look good on camera.”

With that, she immediately started arranging the beds. “Here’s the plan, Xiao Zhi, Sister Wu, and Boss Kuang will sleep on this side. Yuchen and Monan can sleep over there.”

As soon as she finished, she even shot a meaningful glance at Fu Monan, as if to say, See? I helped you out!

But after she spoke, no one moved.

“……”

Xiao Zhi felt awkward, her lips twitching as she forced a smile. “What’s wrong?”

“Is no one tired?”

“……”

Still, no one responded. After a while, Shen Wu stood up and walked over to the spot Xiao Zhi had indicated, sitting down without a word.

That was the far corner of the tent, a spot bordered by the tent wall on one side and only adjacent to one person on the other, the position Xiao Zhi had designated for herself.

No one expected Shen Wu to be so cooperative. After sitting down, she propped herself up with her hands behind her, smiling with her peach-blossom eyes as she gazed at the group.

Even the ridiculous, cheap strawberry-patterned pajamas couldn’t dull the striking impact of her stunning beauty.

Xiao Zhi’s eyes sparkled with delight, but a figure darted past her in a flash, squeezing in beside Shen Wu before she could.

It was Su Yuchen.

Hugging her little blanket, Su Yuchen planted herself like an unyielding barrier, cutting off any attempts to get close.

“…”

Xiao Zhi protested, “That was my spot.”

The smile still lingered at the corners of Shen Wu’s lips, but the joy in her heart had already crept into her brows.

She uttered a fiercely protective line: “First come, first served.”

“…”

Under Xiao Zhi’s indignant gaze, Shen Wu leisurely lay down, enjoying the moment as Su Yuchen draped a small blanket over her. Then, with a playful blink of her peach-blossom eyes, she watched as Su Yuchen slipped under the same covers with her.

With those two already settled, the remaining few faced the dilemma of choosing their sleeping spots.

This was a dating show, after all. It was the little details like these that viewers would latch onto, spawning all sorts of shipping factions once the episode aired.

Liu Ruomeng, already mentally frayed, let out a hollow laugh.

“Look at them, so perfectly matched, sharing a blanket and everything. So sweet.”

“…”

Her original intention had just been to rile up Kuang Gong, since everyone sensed that Kuang Gong harbored feelings for Shen Wu that went beyond friendship.

Why else would the two of them have been huddled together for so long? Kuang Gong, the supposedly emotionless vampire, even called Shen Wu “little dummy.” She really wanted to get under that jerk’s skin.

But her words didn’t seem to faze Kuang Gong at all, not even a flicker of a reaction.

Just as Liu Ruomeng was starting to feel annoyed, Xiao Zhi snapped beside her.

“Aren’t you here to film a dating show? Why are shipping people already?”

Her tone was sharp, but she wasn’t wrong. They were all here to find partners, preferably good ones. It was already decent enough not to be aggressively pursuing someone on camera, so who in their right mind would say something like that?

Xiao Zhi truly couldn’t understand. She clutched the face mask she had just peeled off, squeezing it so hard the essence nearly oozed out.

“Of course. I knew before coming that they already had shippers and their own fan community. But that’s obviously fake. I think Sister Shen Wu and CEO Kuang seem much closer, so it’s totally unreliable. Otherwise, why would their fan community rank so low?”

Liu Ruomeng shot her a sidelong glance, looking at her like she was an idiot.

Thinking to herself: Try arguing with me now, wish you could see what’s in my head!

Meanwhile, behind the monitors, the production team, who had initially considered stopping the recording, found themselves in perfect sync with Liu Ruomeng’s thoughts.

The director, phone in hand while browsing gossip, couldn’t help but interject, “Actually, it’s really not that low.”

“True. It’s ranked over a dozen spots higher than our show’s fan community, maybe even more…

At the same time, the director’s phone screen displayed Shen Wu and Su Yuchen’s CP fan community, the “WuXinYuYi” supertopic. Internal discussions had already begun surging as the show gained popularity.

The hashtag #MistyHeartJadeIntent is skyrocketing up the trending charts, with CP fans and solo stanners tearing up the fan forums in an all-out war.

[Su Yuchen’s portrayal of the Deer Princess is absolutely stunning, and her acting is breaking out of the circle, so impressive! I hereby declare that from now on, I’m a Su Yuchen stan.]

[Su Yuchen earned this role through her own talent and won over audiences with her performance. Let’s see who dares call her an opportunist now.]

[Seriously, if it weren’t for Shen Wu’s popularity, could she even make it to Starry Night? And as a special guest, no less. Who else could it be if not Shen Wu?]

[No wonder the toxic solo stans are better at shipping than us. The sugar they dig up is way bigger than what we find. Yeah, Shen Wu doesn’t help just anyone, she specifically helps Su Yuchen, even arranging a special guest spot for her. Hey, why didn’t Shen Wu arrange a special guest spot for you? Haven’t seen you holding hands with Shen Wu on the red carpet either.]

[True, true. Honestly, thanks to the toxic solo stans for making me believe my ship is real.]

[Please, can Su Yuchen’s fans show some restraint? Stop deluding yourselves and dragging others into it. Our queen isn’t someone a barely-relevant newcomer like yours can compare to. She’s a triple-crown film queen, walk on your own, don’t cling to her coattails. Thanks.]

[Excuse me? This is the WuXinYuYi CP fan space. We didn’t tag either of them, nor did we invade your space. We’re just minding our own business here. You’re the ones barging in to cause trouble, aren’t you?]

But the sheer number of solo stans was overwhelming. Shen Wu’s popularity and influence were undeniable, making this clash inevitable.

As more and more solo stans flooded into the WuXinYuYi fan space, the situation grew increasingly dire.

[LOL, you shippers have zero boundaries. We’re just here to wake you up.]

[Exactly, it’s hilarious. The Starry Night hype just died down, and now you’re at it again? A senior artist walking the red carpet with a colleague, that’s all it was. Stop reaching.]

[Back when we were being dragged into your mess, we couldn’t even find your fandom space. A nobody from the 18th tier shouldn’t even dream of clout-chasing across universes, okay?]

[Oh, looks like you have a fandom space now. Was it just hastily set up? LOL, I’m dying of laughter.]

[Shen Wu and Su Yuchen are just professional colleagues. Why are you acting like they’re some epic romance? Are you insane?]

[Let’s go, girls! Time to raid Su Yuchen’s newly minted fandom space!]

[Let’s gift her a pair of crutches so she learns to walk on her own.]

[Let’s go teach her a lesson, stop living in fantasyland.]

With one call, they mobilized, instantly shifting the attack to Su Yuchen’s personal fan space.

Su Yuchen’s fan space really had just been created. The moderators were freshly appointed, and the announcement post was still pinned at the top.

The solo stans arrived in full force, rolling up their sleeves, ready to wreak havoc.

[Oh wow, this is a brand-new space, huh? Barely any posts, how pathetic.]

[Su Yuchen’s sad little fan space can’t even compare to our queen’s massive following. Seriously, how dare you reach above your station?]

[I’ll say it now, there’s no way those two are a thing. If I’m wrong, I’ll wash my hair upside down.]

Just as things were looking grim, the bold CP fans counterattacked.

[@NoOneOutshinesOurQueen: You might want to prepare for that upside-down hair wash. Check who registered this fan space before you run your mouth.]

[Ohhh, toxic solo stan, click in and take a good look, was this fan space created by someone from Shen Wu’s studio?]

[And hey, while you’re at it, check if the moderators are also from Shen Wu’s team, yeah?]

The headstrong big sister took on ten at once, turning her sarcasm up to the max: [LMAO, those two are literally a married couple, even sharing the same team. You outsiders getting all worked up over here is just hilarious.]

[Meanwhile, the lovebirds are on Love or Marriage getting paid to date. So, tell me, aren’t you just seething with jealousy?]

At this very moment, the so-called “married couple” accused of dating on the company dime were squeezed under the same blanket.

The tent was dark, with only a dim nightlight casting a faint glow in the far corner.

Vision blurred, the only company was the soft breathing of the person beside her.

“Hiss-”

Amid the lingering scent of irises, the figure next to her shivered slightly. Su Yuchen quickly asked, “What’s wrong? Are you cold?”

After speaking, she startled herself and reflexively touched her waist, remembering that her mic had already been removed. Only then did she relax.

Shen Wu snuggled closer into her arms and whined, “So cold~” deliberately mimicking Fu Monan’s tone when complaining about the chill.

Outside, the sea wind howled, rustling the leaves violently.

Tiny pebbles scattered and rolled across the ground.

It really was cold.

In the darkness, Shen Wu sighed faintly, furrowing her brows and clutching her chest. “I’m delicate and can’t bear hardship. So, what do you plan to do about it?”

It had to be said that a beauty could make anything look graceful. What might have seemed overly affected on anyone else appeared utterly natural, even enchantingly alluring, on Shen Wu.

Surrounded by that intoxicating fragrance, Su Yuchen couldn’t help but shift closer to Shen Wu.

“Let me warm you up.”

Wavy locks spilled across the pillow, lightly tangling with chestnut-brown strands.

“Feeling better now?”

Su Yuchen spoke in a whisper, still shaken from the earlier microphone scare. She was terrified, both of being overheard and of subjecting herself to another round of soul-crushing embarrassment.

Even knowing the safest course of action, her arm still betrayed her, slipping around Shen Wu’s waist and pulling her gently closer.

“How about now? Warmer?”

The sensation of soft, fragrant warmth against her skin made Su Yuchen’s hand tremble for a fleeting moment.

“Still a little cold.”

Shen Wu’s voice mimicked hers, hushed and intimate, lips brushing against her ear as she whispered.

“What should we do?”

“Ah…” The warmth at her ear was testing the limits of Su Yuchen’s heart rate. Keeping her body still, she tilted her chin back, exposing the delicate, pale skin of her neck.

But evasion had its limits. While her ear escaped those lips, the slender column of her neck lay vulnerable.

The next second, she felt Shen Wu’s teeth sink into her skin.

Crimson lips pressed against the fragile, porcelain-white throat, a stark contrast of scarlet and snow, striking in its intensity.

Pearl-white teeth tightened gently just inches from her pulse, canines disrupting the smooth plane of her skin.

For a fleeting moment, it almost felt real, like she had truly been bitten.

Images of vampire maidens in voluminous dresses, their red lips pressed to their lovers’ necks, flickered unbidden through Su Yuchen’s mind, a chaotic, intoxicating tableau she couldn’t shake.

A flush bloomed visibly across Su Yuchen’s fair skin, the thin veil of flesh unable to conceal the tension of tendons under pressure, marking the aftermath of Shen Wu’s mischief.

The lingering blush refused to fade, leaving behind a suggestive bite mark.

In the dim light, the red imprint resembled nothing so much as a rose in full bloom, hidden in shadow, yet breathtakingly beautiful.

Unseen by the world, yet utterly bewitching.

Taboo and secrecy, filled with unspeakable frantic heartbeats as applause.

Su Yuchen winced in pain, letting out a soft “hiss” as he shrank back, trembling slightly.

At this moment, the only sound was their quiet, shared breathing.

The lamplight was dim, and all was silent except for the howling night wind tearing at the earth outside the tent. Everyone was sleeping on one large shared bed, so any excessive reactions would naturally disturb those nearby.

The person beside them seemed to have their sweet dreams disrupted, murmuring something unintelligible in their sleep.

“Mmm-hmm…” Liu Ruomeng, sprawled carelessly next to them, rolled over, mumbling indistinctly through her chewing: “So good, so good, this cat food is delicious… buy more, buy more…”

“…”

Su Yuchen’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest in fright.

He whispered a warning: “Don’t mess around.”

“We’ll get caught.”