Love Contract with the Queen Actress - Chapter 37

“You know how beautiful I am. What if someone better comes along? What if one day you grow tired? What if Kuang Gong can’t control herself…”

The words carried a mechanical buzz and unnatural pauses, like a child’s Lego creation tossed out for adults to play with.

These adults knew full well it was just a child’s pieced-together toy, yet some wanted to use it for grand schemes.

In the shadowy corners, the words echoed, quietly nurturing a poisonous fruit of conspiracy in the abyss of darkness.

…

Sunlit island, sea breeze gently swaying, tousling everyone’s hair.

Su Yuchen found the sunlight almost blinding, squinting her long lashes as her scalp felt numb from the heat.

The shadow of her lashes fell on her eyelids as she raised a hand to shield her eyes.

Her slender, pale fingers cast a faint shadow, briefly blocking the intense sunlight.

The island’s white sandy beach reflected the sun, blurring the line between where the shore ended and the sea began, as if the waves were embracing the sand’s softness.

The sunlight bounced off the beach, turning the fine white sand into shimmering diamonds, scattering diffuse reflections like a light panel, making Su Yuchen’s delicate face glow even brighter.

“Where’s Shen Wu…?”

She had just finished cooking and eaten only half a bowl before Shen Wu took the bowl away, vanishing without a trace.

Su Yuchen grew anxious, shading her eyes with her hand as she stood on tiptoe, searching while the sea breeze tangled the ends of her chestnut-brown hair.

“Sister, what are you doing standing in the sun?”

Liu Ruomeng’s voice called from a distance.

Turning, Su Yuchen saw Liu Ruomeng fully decked out in sun protection, sunglasses, a sun hat, UV-resistant clothing, and even gloves, waving at her.

“Come over here! The sun’s too strong there, you’ll get tanned!”

The sound of waves crashing mixed with the humid sea breeze, wrapping around Liu Ruomeng’s words, making them sound damp.

Su Yuchen turned her head slightly, the tendons in her slender neck shifting.

“It’s fine, don’t worry.”

She called back in response before turning again, hand still shielding her eyes as she searched for that tall, lean figure.

Su Yuchen’s fair skin, illuminated by the island sun, seemed almost translucent, glowing with a fresh, dewy radiance.

She wasn’t the type to tan easily, her delicate skin would flush pink under the sun, with her nose and cheeks, where the skin was thinnest, turning rosy first, only enhancing her porcelain-like complexion.

The camera caught this moment.

And quietly zoomed in for a close-up.

Liu Ruomeng was frantic, itching to rush out and drag back the daredevil challenging the sun.

“Come back, sister! You’ll really get tanned!”

She had an instinctive fear of tanning, her own skin wasn’t fair to begin with, and she envied Su Yuchen’s flawless complexion. But she wasn’t the type to resent others for their beauty. Seeing Su Yuchen standing in the sun, she just wanted to pull her back, such fair skin shouldn’t be ruined by the sun.

The close-up also captured Liu Ruomeng, who pulled her sun hat down low. Beneath it, there was actually an additional sun-protective fabric covering her face, hooked over the bridge of her nose to conceal her entire visage.

But that wasn’t enough. She even fished out a pair of sunglasses from her pocket, covering the only exposed area left, her eyes.

From then on, Liu Ruomeng’s entire face, or rather, her whole body, was tightly wrapped up.

If she hadn’t made a sound, no one would have recognized her as Liu Ruomeng.

Unfortunately, there was no way Liu Ruomeng would stay silent. She leaped into the sunlight, stomped across the sand, and charged toward Su Yuchen with a loud yell.

Grabbing Su Yuchen’s arm like a warrior rescuing a comrade, she exclaimed, “Hurry, hurry! You absolutely cannot get a tan, I’m begging you, okay?!”

The next second.

Su Yuchen was practically yanked off her feet like a little kite, finally arriving under the shade of the guesthouse’s eaves.

The wooden boardwalk echoed with rapid footsteps, as if the scorching sun had grown even fiercer.

Su Yuchen ran alongside Liu Ruomeng until the boundary between sunlight and shadow was far behind them, only then did Liu Ruomeng let go.

Panting heavily, she pulled off her sun hat and removed the face covering in one swift motion.

“Whew! why would you go out and roast yourself like that? If I had skin as fair and flawless as yours, I’d pamper it eight hundred times a day. How could you bear to expose yourself to such harsh sunlight?”

Su Yuchen rubbed her wrist. “It’s actually not that bad. I don’t feel too hot.”

Not feeling too hot was normal, after all, the Northern Hemisphere had just emerged from winter, stepping into the awakening embrace of early spring. Even on this tropical island at a higher latitude, the true heat of the season hadn’t arrived yet.

“How is it not hot?” Liu Ruomeng slapped her thigh. “Oh, fine, it’s not hot, but the UV rays are intense! How could you go out without even a sun hat? Don’t tell me you didn’t apply sunscreen either.”

“I put on some,” Su Yuchen admitted honestly, blinking her almond-shaped eyes.

“…”

“Oh my god! That’s nowhere near enough. Come here, let me reapply some for you.”

As she spoke, Liu Ruomeng, like Doraemon with her magic pocket, somehow produced a bottle of sunscreen and waved it around like she was in a commercial. With a sly grin, she said, “Sis, bare your fragrant shoulders for me, let me carefully apply this to your smooth, fair, jade-like skin~”

Her tone carried a hint of… hunger.

Her movements were even more eager.

“Wipe your drool.”

It turned out they had unknowingly reached the rest area, where, naturally, they weren’t the only ones present.

From a shadowed corner untouched by sunlight, Kuang Gong’s cool voice rang out. “Why bother applying it to your shoulders? It’s not like they’re exposed.”

“…”

“Who’s there?!”

Liu Ruomeng squinted as if she couldn’t see clearly, craning her neck forward before giving up and calling out, “It’s so dark over there, is someone talking?”

Su Yuchen: “…”

Wait… was she doing this on purpose, or did she genuinely not recognize her?

Su Yuchen wasn’t sure, but before she could say anything, Kuang Gong slowly emerged from the shadows of the tree canopy and surrounding barriers.

Her dark green shirt had been swapped for a cobalt blue one, same rigidly conservative style as always, though the chiffon fabric at least felt gentle against the skin.

Kuang Gong remained expressionless as she walked, saying, “It’s not that I think you’re dumb, but how can you see clearly without taking off your sunglasses?”

“…”

Liu Ruomeng was speechless for a moment, then pursed her lips and reluctantly removed her sunglasses, shooting Kuang Gong a sidelong glance. “I must say, Boss Kuang, you really live up to your reputation, emerging from the shadows like a vampire, always skulking around in the dark, aren’t you?”

“Still better than you, at least I have a brain.”

Kuang Gong retorted coldly.

Liu Ruomeng immediately bristled. “Better my foot! You’ve just got the forked tongue of a viper, haven’t you?”

“…”

Su Yuchen felt a bit exasperated, worried they might start bickering again, and raised a hand to intervene. “Alright, alright. Actually, I wanted to ask, have either of you seen Shen Wu?”

“Shen Wu?”

At the mention of Shen Wu, Liu Ruomeng seemed to involuntarily recall that pot of porridge and shuddered in disgust. “Haven’t seen her.”

Then, puzzled, she asked, “What’s the matter? Didn’t get enough to eat and want to scoop another bowl?”

After Shen Wu left, the porridge had been ordered to be thrown out, so even if they found Shen Wu now, that pot of porridge was long gone. But Liu Ruomeng was still intensely curious. “That porridge looked like pure evil. After eating it, are you really still Su Yuchen?”

“…”

Su Yuchen gave a wry smile. “It wasn’t actually that bad.”

Liu Ruomeng couldn’t help but touch her own throat. “But Xiao Zhi fainted and woke up saying she’d had a nightmare.”

“…”

It was really hard to salvage the group’s ingrained impression at this point. Su Yuchen decided not to dwell on the topic any longer and turned to Kuang Gong, who was leaning lazily against a pillar.

“Boss Kuang, have you seen Shen Wu?”

Just as Su Yuchen was about to give up hope and head to the other side of the coastline to search, Kuang Gong replied, “She’s over by the thatched huts.”

“The thatched huts by the shore?” Su Yuchen’s eyes suddenly brightened with a spark of hope.

She looked toward the azure coastline not far away, where waves crashed rhythmically onto the sand, washing away the lazy, carefree moments.

Scattered along the sandy beach stood clusters of thatched huts of varying sizes and heights.

The roofs of the huts swayed gently in the sea breeze, dancing a cheerful rhythm.

Su Yuchen had already taken a step forward when Liu Ruomeng’s words made her pause.

“Wait, Boss Kuang, weren’t you with me the whole time? How do you know where Shen Wu is? Not to be nosy, but you seem to have an uncanny grasp of Sister Shen Wu’s whereabouts.”

Liu Ruomeng’s question struck a nerve, tugging sharply at Su Yuchen’s heart. After all, the memory from last night, of Shen Wu in her arms sharing a knowing smile with Kuang Gong in the dimly lit tent, still stung the softest part of her soul.

A sour, bitter feeling welled up inside, not overwhelming, just a faint layer, but enough to tighten her chest for a moment.

Yeah, Kuang Gong seemed to know Shen Wu’s movements a little too well.

Either she had been observing Shen Wu closely, or she had known her since childhood and could predict her actions. So, they must have grown up together as childhood friends!

Liu Ruomeng, oblivious to the tension, pressed on. “You still haven’t answered, how do you know Shen Wu is in one of those little thatched huts by the shore?”

Liu Ruomeng’s words came out like rapid-fire, always carrying a hint of endless chatter: “That thatched cottage over there might look like a scenic spot, but from our lounge here, it’s a blind spot, isn’t it? How can you be so sure? You’re not trying to trick my sister Yuchen, are you?”

Kuang Gong had very fair skin, which appeared even paler in the shadows of the corridor.

“I didn’t see it.”

Liu Ruomeng retorted mockingly: “Oh, oh, oh, so you didn’t see it? Don’t tell me you have some kind of X-ray vision superpower?”

Kuang Gong might have had financial power, but superpowers were out of the question.

Su Yuchen’s eyes, slightly rimmed with a faint red hue, glistened as she looked over at Kuang Gong’s profile.

She heard Kuang Gong say calmly in a soft voice: “I heard it.”

“Shen Wu told me herself.”

“…”

Liu Ruomeng was momentarily stunned, then pouted in dissatisfaction: “Why didn’t Shen Wu tell us and only told you?”

“How should I know?”

Kuang Gong seemed to have reached her limit as well, shooting Liu Ruomeng a sidelong glance: “Maybe your relationship with her isn’t that good. Can you really blame others for that?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk~ So yours is just that much better, huh?”

While Liu Ruomeng was still bickering with Kuang Gong, she turned her head in surprise to see Su Yuchen’s back as she quickly walked away: “Sister, where are you going?”

Leaving the chaotic voices behind, Su Yuchen hurried toward her destination under the increasingly warm sea breeze.

Shen Wu was there alone. For some reason, Su Yuchen felt a subtle yet intense concern in her heart.

Does Kuang Gong really know Shen Wu that well?

It seemed she was driven by a need for verification, mixed with a faint hope, hope that Shen Wu wasn’t actually there.

The tall branches of the coconut trees stretched wide leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

The swaying tree shadows rustled as a gust of wind passed by, creating a soft, whispering sound.

Su Yuchen, draped in the interplay of leafy shadows and fragmented sunlight, rushed to the front of the thatched cottage.

A dozen or so thatched cottages stood at varying heights, stretching toward the distant coastline.

She could almost hear her heartbeat, pounding so hard from the sprint that it felt like it might burst from her chest. Her breath came in short gasps, making her already misty almond eyes even more dewy.

Her long lashes fluttered as her gaze settled on Shen Wu, who sat hugging her knees outside the cottage, watching the undulating sea.

Shen Wu’s hair was a mesmerizing cascade of waves, draped over her slender, straight shoulders, now tousled by the sea breeze, fluttering like delicate butterfly wings.

Her tall, slender frame, curled up with her knees hugged to her chest, looked small and fragile.

Clad in thin clothing, she silently gazed at the sea.

There was a fragile, almost broken quality to her in the wind.

Su Yuchen stopped in her tracks as she approached.

Just before her toes lay the wooden walkway leading to the platform, about thirty steps in total. Not too long, but not too short either, as it would take over thirty strides to reach Shen Wu.

Su Yuchen panted heavily, her vision slightly blurred from her rapid breaths.

Perhaps it was the thought of approaching Shen Wu that filled her with complex emotions. From afar, she simply gazed at that beautiful figure, tilting her head up as she had countless times before, admiring the presence of that person.

Shen Wu had once been an untouchable distance in her life. But now, all she had to do was climb these few dozen wooden steps to stand beside the one who occupied her heart.

“Why did you come?”

A sudden gust of sea wind swept by fiercely. Shen Wu turned her head to look at Su Yuchen standing below the steps.

Her hair was tousled by the wind, covering half of her face, her peach-blossom eyes reflecting a dim glow.

With slender, pale fingers, she tucked the stray strands behind her ear, allowing her bright eyes and almond-shaped gaze to meet without obstruction.

Shen Wu looked at Su Yuchen, and Su Yuchen looked back at Shen Wu.

One stood atop the high platform, the other below the wooden walkway.

One gazed downward, the other looked up.

A trace of melancholy lingered in the peach-blossom eyes, while something indescribable flickered in the almond-shaped ones.

The sea breeze continued to play mischievously with their hair and the hems of their clothes, rustling the broad coconut leaves as if composing a melody just for them.

The fine white sand stretched beneath the sloping wooden walkway.

The thatched roof of the hut was woven from golden-brown straw, its edges fluttering like waves of wheat, as if teased by a mischievous child.

Perhaps because they were so close to the sea, the air was thick with the moist, salty scent of the ocean, a crisp, briny fragrance that wove through their floating strands of hair and curled around their slowly clenching, pale fingers.

Shen Wu and Su Yuchen simply gazed at each other, neither speaking a word, yet the symphony of the sea breeze and rustling leaves provided a soft, whispering backdrop.

Two beauties, one high, one low, one standing and one sitting, so picturesque it seemed like a painting.

“So, you really are here.”

After a long silence, Su Yuchen finally spoke her first words upon seeing Shen Wu.

Shen Wu tucked her wind-tossed long hair behind her ear and glanced at Su Yuchen. “You…”

She didn’t finish her sentence, turning away instead to hug her knees and gaze at the undulating sea.

Su Yuchen steadied the fluttering in her chest, waiting for her heartbeat to calm before ascending the steps.

Beside Shen Wu was a small wooden platform, and behind her stood the tiny thatched hut. The platform had no railings, as if it had been designed purely as a scenic spot, with no thought given to practical safety concerns.

Su Yuchen approached Shen Wu and sat down gently beside her, mimicking her posture before casually letting her legs dangle over the edge.

In the sea breeze, her slender, pale calves swayed slightly.

The sunlight along the distant coastline was no longer scorching, hinting at its slow descent.

Shen Wu frowned and tugged at the person beside her. “Move in a little. It’s dangerous.”

Su Yuchen smiled back at her, a playful glint in her almond-shaped eyes. “Then isn’t it dangerous for you to sit here too?”

They were sitting in the same spot, as if sharing the same starting line, a position Su Yuchen had deliberately chosen when she sat down.

“How long have you been sitting here?”

Faced with this question, Shen Wu remained silent for a few seconds before answering. Just then, another sea breeze swept past, tousling the ends of her wavy long hair.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Instead of answering, Shen Wu asked this instead.

Su Yuchen followed her gaze out to the sea. “Is that why you’re upset?”

“I’m not upset.”

Shen Wu responded quickly this time, but after speaking, she fell silent again. Her rosy lips parted slightly as she struggled to say, “I just think cooking is too hard. I can’t seem to learn it no matter how hard I try. It’s a little frustrating.”

This was one of the few times in Shen Wu’s 27 years of life that she had ever felt such frustration.

Some things just couldn’t be learned no matter how hard one tried, and that filled him with an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

For others, this might not be a big deal, but for someone as strong-willed as Shen Wu, it inevitably caused some inner discomfort.

“Where did you fail to learn?” Su Yuchen gently covered Shen Wu’s hand with her own.

As she spoke, her slender, pale fingers tightened slightly, enveloping that fair hand in her palm. “Didn’t I eat the food you made? It’s improved a lot in taste.”

Shen Wu’s hands had originally been wrapped around her knees, but when Su Yuchen sat down on the edge of the wooden platform, looking a bit reckless and precarious, Shen Wu had panicked and tugged at her. By the time they spoke again, her hand naturally rested at her side, now held softly by Su Yuchen, sending an inexplicable tremor through her chest.

Her earlobes flushed red as Shen Wu lowered her gaze to the ground in front of her toes. “You’ve never eaten my cooking before. How can you tell if there’s been any improvement?”

She sighed heavily. “It was obviously terrible.”

Who would have thought Shen Wu cared so much about her cooking skills?

That time she stood at the kitchen door wearing sunglasses, refusing to acknowledge the property staff, it wasn’t that she was hard to get along with. She was just angry at herself.

At this realization, the corners of Su Yuchen’s lips curled up slightly.

She composed herself, still holding Shen Wu’s hand, and swung it gently like a child making a pinky promise. “How is there no improvement?”

“Last time, it was stuck to the pan and couldn’t even be scraped off. This time, wasn’t it edible? Isn’t that a huge improvement? What else counts as progress?”

“…”

Shen Wu: “…”

After a two-second pause, Shen Wu burst into laughter.

“Are you trying to comfort me? Because it sounds even worse now.”

“No, no,” Su Yuchen said, one hand still holding Shen Wu’s while the other pressed against her chest. “I really could taste the warmth and love you put into cooking.”

“And…” She paused. “Since I’m the only one who ate it, I’m the most qualified to judge.”

“The taste wasn’t bad at all. Sure, there’s still a little room for improvement, but it’s already very good.”

These words sent a warm current through Shen Wu’s chest. Her heart, which had been icy just moments ago, was now enveloped in a soothing, bubbling warmth.

She let out a soft hum and swung Su Yuchen’s hand back. “Su Yuchen, do you even have taste buds?”

“Huh? Me?”

Su Yuchen pointed at herself, almond-shaped eyes curving into crescents. “Of course I do.”

“Why would you say that?”

Shen Wu glanced at her sideways for a few seconds before shaking their joined hands even more vigorously. “Because I took a bite too!”

Seemingly amused by her own frustration, she swung Su Yuchen’s hand back and forth, muttering helplessly, “It was awful. I don’t know how you managed to eat something so terrible.”

That was why Shen Wu had snatched the bowl away halfway through Su Yuchen’s meal.

And that was probably why she was so angry and frustrated, wasn’t it?

Su Yuchen let her arm be swung around, smiling at Shen Wu the whole time.

After a long pause, she finally spoke softly but earnestly, “Because… it was made by you.”

Because it was made by you, even bitterness would taste sweet.

The sun sank in the west, casting a fiery red glow across the sea. In the distance, the cobalt-blue horizon seemed scorched, rapidly receding.

The sea reflected fragmented glimmers of light, the sunset crushed into crystalline shards scattered across the undulating canvas.

Two figures stood beneath the setting sun, silhouetted alongside coconut trees heavy with fresh fruit.

The breeze was gentle, the ocean calm, the air thick with the scent of sweet dopamine. Someone pressed the shutter, freezing this fleeting moment of warmth and beauty in time.

When Fu Nan led the two of them off the island, her expression wasn’t particularly good.

Shen Wu didn’t ask, and Su Yuchen probably felt she shouldn’t either, so she simply stayed quietly by Shen Wu’s side.

After disembarking, they boarded Fu Nan’s white Jeep.

The Grand Cherokee roared to life, tearing through the night with an arrogant growl as it surged out of the underground parking garage.

Shen Wu sat cross-legged beside Su Yuchen. Though both were buckled in as required, Shen Wu seemed especially relaxed, almost too much so, as if she couldn’t care less about proper posture.

Her latest-model phone, encased in a bright, flashy designer case, was held casually in her hand as she swiped across the screen.

The cool blue glow illuminated her face, casting light on her peach-blossom eyes.

Su Yuchen, in contrast, sat primly with her knees together and hands resting properly on her lap.

Up front, Fu Nan occupied the driver’s seat, while the passenger seat beside her remained conspicuously empty, as if deliberately left vacant to keep others at a distance.

At a red light, Fu Nan hit the brakes.

Today, she wore frameless silver-trimmed glasses, her sharp gaze piercing through the lenses.

She stared into the rearview mirror. “You both know now?”

Shen Wu hummed in response.

With a nonchalant shrug, she added, “Just found out.”

The light turned green, and Fu Nan’s Grand Cherokee plunged back into the sea of traffic.

Eyes fixed on the road, she flicked on the turn signal and swiftly jerked the wheel.

The car executed a sharp U-turn, shaking off the paparazzi tails that had been trailing them.

“You’re awfully calm for someone who just found out.”

As Fu Nan spoke, she suddenly veered onto the overpass, leaving the cars behind honking furiously.

The one vehicle that had managed to keep up was swiftly left in the dust as well. Fu Nan glanced at Shen Wu again in the rearview mirror.

Shen Wu showed no reaction, her fingers still tapping and swiping on the screen, absorbed in whatever she was doing.

Su Yuchen, strapped into the backseat, felt like she was being spun inside a washing machine. Thank goodness the seatbelt held tight, otherwise, she might’ve been plastered against the window during those sharp turns.

The atmosphere in the car grew subtly tense.

For some reason, Su Yuchen felt Fu Nan was driving particularly aggressively today.

Her words, too, were hard to decipher.

“Did… something happen?”

Su Yuchen ventured softly, her fingers fidgeting slightly on her knees. “If it’s not something you can talk about, you don’t have to answer.”

After all, having the company’s top brass and partner chauffeuring her around made her, a mere employee, feel a little uneasy.

Her light, clear voice trailed off like a tiny bubble rising from a spring.

Shen Wu turned to look at her. The slight frown on her brow softened the moment she saw Su Yuchen’s slightly nervous face, and the knot in her chest seemed to loosen.

She smiled reassuringly at Su Yuchen. “No, just a minor issue.”

Hearing it dismissed as a “minor issue,” Fu Nan adjusted her frameless glasses with clear disagreement.

Then, coolly, she added, “Probably not so minor.”

“…”

If it wasn’t minor, then it was genuinely serious.

Su Yuchen frowned. “So… it’s a pretty big problem, then?”

She wanted to help but wasn’t sure if there was anything she could do.

Whatever was required of her, she would charge forward without hesitation, giving her all, holding nothing back.

“Not exactly,” Shen Wu continued with a smile, taking Su Yuchen’s hand just as Su had held hers earlier, giving the stiff arm a gentle shake. “Don’t worry, it’s no big deal. Someone set up a stage to put on a grand show, and we should give them that opportunity, shouldn’t we?”

The two held hands again like little kids, swaying lightly.

Su Yuchen did seem to relax a bit, exhaling softly. “If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know anytime.”

“Mm.” Shen Wu nodded and gave Su Yuchen’s hand another shake.

“…”

Fu Nan, who was driving up front, was forced to swallow a mouthful of dog food and couldn’t bear to watch any longer.

Frowning, she said, “I think we’ve already given them a huge opportunity. The production team really screwed us over by confiscating our phones first thing…”

Her words seemed to make her even more upset, and her tone turned icy: “I’m definitely calling to complain. And she calls herself my friend, when things went down, she wouldn’t even let me go to the island to find you. Some friend!”

She was probably referring to her producer friend.

Reluctantly letting go of Su Yuchen’s hand, Shen Wu tossed her phone aside and waved her other hand in front of her face.

“Easy, easy. It’s not that big a deal. With your skills, you’ll have it sorted in no time, right?”

Perhaps because Shen Wu made it sound so simple, the weight in Fu Nan’s chest lightened slightly.

Until Shen Wu added, “My ‘Dowager Empress’ is back from her horse-riding estate, along with her French lover, Michelle. Family dinner on Sunday. You’re coming.”

Only then did the lingering displeasure on Fu Nan’s face begin to fade.

“Then… it should be fine.”

As Fu Nan sighed in relief, Su Yuchen glanced over and saw the tense lines of her shoulders slowly relax.

She really did seem to ease up.

Was this “Dowager Empress” Shen Wu’s mother?

Just as Su Yuchen’s thoughts began to wander,

“By the way,” Fu Nan glanced in the rearview mirror, “I never asked, how did you two end up sending your ‘heartbeat texts’?”

“…”

Su Yuchen stayed silent, pressing her lips together and looking at Shen Wu.

Still holding Su Yuchen’s hand, Shen Wu brushed a strand of hair aside and answered without a hint of guilt: “We both sent ours to Kuang Gong.”

“Ah, President Kuang?”

Fu Nan sounded surprised.

“So, she’s the most popular now?”

She adjusted her glasses, which had nearly slipped off in shock, and let out an awkward laugh. “It’s already impressive that President Kuang could adapt to this show at all. And now you’ve made her the most sought-after contestant.”

Shen Wu smiled, resting her chin on her hand. “The most popular contestant gets to pick any ‘heartbeat target,’ and the other person can’t refuse.”

Fu Nan checked the rearview mirror again. “So, who did President Kuang end up choosing?”

At that very moment.

At the mountaintop villa.

Liu Ruomeng clung to the railing, her silhouette etched against the moonlight as she wailed, “Help!”

“Someone save this poor little kitten!!”