Love Contract with the Queen Actress - Chapter 4

[OMG, Shen Wu and Fu Mozheng are teaming up for a new drama?!]

[Why does the comment above sound so suggestive? Fu Mozheng, the wealthy heiress, has returned to the country and wants to dabble in the entertainment industry. Coincidentally, her fiancée is also preparing a new drama, what a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, not to mention getting paid to date on the side.]

[Wow, does this mean we’ll get to see some sweet moments? Shen Wu’s looks alone are intoxicating, I refuse to believe Fu Mozheng won’t fall for her.]

Two more marketing accounts soon posted related content, and the buzz skyrocketed. Several related hashtags exploded on the trending list, sparking heated discussions everywhere.

Su Yuchen held her phone as she waited in line for an audition at a hotel where a production team was stationed.

Today’s audition was for the role of a newcomer in the workplace, so she had deliberately chosen a chiffon blouse paired with simple slim-fit suit pants. To better embody the character, she had even left her down jacket at the front desk.

This audition wasn’t arranged by her company, she had heard about an online drama casting call and decided to try her luck.

The hotel corridor was packed with young hopefuls clutching their resumes, each dreaming of stardom. Among them, Su Yuchen was just another speck of dust.

As she inched forward in line, she occasionally adjusted the collar of her white chiffon blouse, mentally preparing for the role she was about to audition for.

Then, she overheard two girls in front of her discussing something on their phones.

“Did you see the trending news? My idol, triple-award-winning actress and absolute goddess Shen Wu, is engaged to that socialite heiress.”

The topic was indeed trending. Su Yuchen instinctively tensed up.

The girl in front covered her mouth with a giggle, but since they were so close, every word of their conversation reached Su Yuchen’s ears.

“I’m genuinely surprised about Shen Wu and that Fu family heiress. I pestered my agent and senior colleagues at the company, but no one had a clue before the news broke.”

“Honestly, same. I heard that heiress is notoriously arrogant and difficult. One of our junior dancers got fired by her assistant just for touching a beaded gown in the dressing room during her 18th birthday celebration.”

“That harsh?”

“Wait, why was a guy touching her dress in the first place?”

“Ugh, forget that! I once landed a gig as a dancer for the Fu Group’s anniversary celebration and overheard the heiress’s assistant badmouthing the entertainment industry as ‘low-class’ and ‘beneath them.’ If she looks down on it so much, why come back and snatch roles now?”

“Maybe for Shen Wu?”

“Who knows? With a privileged heiress like her backed by three CEO brothers who dote on their little sister stepping into the industry, the path is already paved. Some poor soul is bound to get their role snatched by her sudden appearance.”

The actual poor soul, Su Yuchen, hugged her resume and listened silently.

After a long wait, it was finally her turn. But as soon as she turned the corner, two men in black suits stopped her.

“Hold on. You can’t go through here right now.”

The burly men stood like two imposing walls, their dark shadows looming over Su Yuchen.

She blinked in confusion and pointed to the open room ahead. “I’m here for the audition.”

“This has nothing to do with us. This floor of the hotel has already been booked, and the area will be cleared shortly. Our young lady’s friend has just arrived and needs to rest. Please do not disturb.”

The two men in black suits blocked the way with their arms, their towering figures looming over Su Yuchen like dark monoliths. The bulging muscles on their faces seemed to twitch as they glared down at him.

With the path blocked, the people waiting in line naturally grew impatient. Many began to protest loudly: “Seriously? Who exactly is this ‘young lady’ of yours?”

“Talk about being domineering! This space was reserved by the film crew!”

The black-suited men, their faces twisted with disdain, scoffed. “Did your film crew book the entire hotel?”

The crowd, initially noisy, suddenly lost steam.

“Not just this floor, we’ve booked the ones above and below too. Move along now, and don’t disturb our young lady’s rest.”

“Our young lady’s friend just returned from a long flight and is exhausted. She’s in poor health and needs to rest.”

As they continued to block the way, the film crew grew increasingly agitated and came over to inquire. The two men in black gave the same explanation, prompting the assistant director to immediately protest. Arguments broke out between the crew and the bodyguards, escalating to the point where it nearly turned physical, plunging the scene into chaos.

Su Yuchen was jostled to the edge of the crowd, forced against the doorframe of a suite.

If there was ever a time to call herself unlucky, this was it.

Of course, things had to go wrong just as it was her turn.

This time, it was even more absurd, she’d run into some entitled young heiress who had booked entire hotel floors for her jet-lagged friend returning from abroad.

Who exactly was this “young lady”?

And who was this friend of hers?

“Hey, Mozheng, check out my new custom-designed jewelry. Isn’t it gorgeous?”

A girl in a red dress and another in a white blouse emerged from around the corner. The red-clad girl looped her arm around the other’s, affectionately calling her name: “Mozheng.”

“Mozheng, you’re finally back! I had this jewelry specially made to celebrate your return…” The girl in red was mid-sentence when she caught sight of the chaotic crowd ahead. Her delicate brows instantly furrowed in displeasure. “What’s going on here?”

The bodyguards, who had been acting high and mighty, immediately softened their demeanor at her reprimand.

“Miss He, Miss Fu, weren’t you upstairs getting a spa treatment?”

“We finished already!” The girl in red shot the bodyguard a sharp glare. “My best friend just got back today. If anyone ruins her mood, I’ll ruin theirs.”

“Of course, of course, we understand.” The bodyguards nodded obsequiously before turning back to aggressively shoo people away. “Hurry up and leave! Any later, and I’ll call the police on you!”

Su Yuchen was shoved forward, stumbling a few steps until she accidentally broke free from the crowd. As she straightened up, she suddenly found herself face-to-face with the girl in white.

They were the same height, both with cascading ink-black hair, and even their outfits were identical today,

White chiffon blouses paired with black skinny pants. Standing opposite each other, they might as well have been looking into a mirror.

Except the quality of their clothing was worlds apart, and their auras couldn’t have been more different.

The girl had sharp, upturned phoenix eyes, a pointed chin, and thin lips. A small black mole rested at the bridge of her nose. When she looked at someone, she instinctively tilted her chin up, her eyelids slightly lowered, exuding a natural air of arrogance.

“……”

“……”

“Mozheng, why are you looking at her?” The girl in the red dress stepped forward, blocking the line of sight between the two.

Su Yuchen clearly heard the name “Mozheng.”

Mozheng… Fu Mozheng?

It must be. The bodyguard had just mentioned “Miss Fu”…

She never expected to meet Fu Mozheng under such circumstances.

But her white chiffon blouse was now wrinkled from the commotion…

In contrast, Fu Mozheng stood gracefully opposite her, her exquisitely tailored outfit exuding understated luxury, forming a stark contrast to Su Yuchen’s disheveled appearance.

The two gazed at each other, standing silently amidst the bustling crowd.

Until the girl in red tugged at Fu Mozheng’s sleeve.

“Mozheng, do you know her?”

Fu Mozheng withdrew her gaze from Su Yuchen’s pale face. “No, I don’t.”

“I didn’t think so.”

Fu Mozheng smiled and patted the back of the girl’s hand. “Yunyun, I just thought she was quite pretty.”

“Haha,” He Yunyun giggled like an adoring fan, happily linking arms with Fu Mozheng. “How could she compare to you? I bet it was just surprising to see someone in knockoff clothes matching your style.”

“Well, it was a bit unexpected,” Fu Mozheng glanced at Su Yuchen’s wrinkled chiffon blouse and patted He Yunyun’s hand again. “But Yunyun, let’s not speak of others like that.”

“Ah, Mozheng, you’re too kind-hearted. No wonder you’re our school’s undisputed beauty queen and the most elegant pianist. Come on, let’s not linger here, let’s go back and rest. I swiped a bottle of vintage champagne from the top shelf of my dad’s wine cabinet to welcome you home.”

“My return was rather sudden. Aside from informing my brothers, I haven’t even gone home yet. Thanks for taking me in, Yunyun.”

“Oh, don’t be so formal with me.”

Chatting casually, the two entered the room without a second thought, leaving behind the clamor of those struggling to make a living.

Unconcerned, indifferent, someone else would handle it. They didn’t even think to pay attention.

Sure enough, the commotion soon died down.

After realizing who they were dealing with, the film crew resigned themselves to bad luck, postponing the casting for another day.

Su Yuchen walked out of the hotel dejectedly, along with the others who had lost their chance.

Come to think of it, this was already the second time Fu Mozheng had cost her a job opportunity…

Stepping out of the warm, hazy glow of the lobby, she crossed the metal threshold into the dim night.

Tiny snowflakes settled on her white down jacket. She lifted a hand to catch one, and a delicate hexagonal crystal melted on her fingertip.

So cold, just like the chill in her heart.

She had rushed over early in the morning to queue up, and now her stomach was finally protesting.

The street was dark, save for the glow from the 24-hour convenience store at the corner.

The steamy breath of the bun warmer fogged up the glass window.

Bracing against the cold wind, Su Yuchen trudged toward that faint light. Pushing open the door, she finally felt like she was back in the world of the living.

As her hands and feet thawed, she blew warm air onto her palms.

“Hello, one bun and a cup of hot milk, please.”

“That’ll be 12 yuan.”

The cashier handed her the items over the counter.

“Got it. I can scan here, right?”

Su Yuchen pulled out her phone to pay when suddenly the clerk exclaimed, “Whoa! Check the trending news, Shen Wu just went off on someone!”

Another clerk: “Let me see, let me see. Damn, Sis Wu is amazing! Isn’t this a slap in the face?”

The young guy didn’t even bother to lift his head, tapping away on his phone with another clerk.

Su Yuchen froze. Having gone hungry all day, her reaction time was a bit slow.

A few seconds later, she slowly opened Weibo and then froze in shock…

…

An hour earlier, Fu Nan was busy contacting people to pull the trending topic off the hot search.

Swamped with work, she suddenly received a call. “Hello? Editor Du? What? You intercepted a draft? Okay, okay, let me take a look.”

After reviewing the content sent by the other party, Fu Nan frowned deeply and immediately took a screenshot of the chat, forwarding it to Shen Wu.

[Miss Shen Wu, I need an explanation from you.]

With a “ding!” Shen Wu’s phone chimed.

She glanced at it with her brightly painted nails and then tossed it aside.

Sure enough, within three minutes, Fu Nan’s call came through.

“Shen Wu, you’re joining a dating show? Why didn’t you discuss it with me?”

“Oh, because the audience has never seen me on a variety show before,” Shen Wu admired her nails and then gestured to the technician beside her to continue the spa treatment.

Lying on the recliner, her thick, wavy hair cascaded beautifully. The young beautician couldn’t help but blush.

Fu Nan audibly took a deep breath. “Just because they haven’t seen you on a variety show doesn’t mean your first one should be a dating show!”

Shen Wu didn’t respond, instead picking up a destemmed strawberry and popping it into her mouth.

“If I didn’t know that Su Yuchen’s background was clean, I’d almost think she was that ‘heartbreaker’ you’ve been searching for all these years without success…”

Fu Nan sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Shen Wu, we’ve been through so much together over the years. On the outside, you’re this decisive, capable woman, but privately, you love figurines, shipping couples, gaming online, and constantly arguing with teammates. You’ve even kept a decrepit, barely functioning virtual pet for years. Don’t you realize how childish you are inside?”

Shen Wu nearly choked on her strawberry. After swallowing, her temper flared. “They’re the ones who suck and then try to blame me, the support.”

She even thumped the armrest for emphasis, startling the young beautician, who shrank back.

Once her outburst was over, Shen Wu waved it off. “Keep applying the mask.”

The blushing beautician gently placed her fingers on Shen Wu’s fair cheeks.

Fu Nan sensed something was off and asked warily, “My dear Miss Shen, where are you right now? Is it appropriate to talk like this?”

Shen Wu wanted another strawberry but, hindered by the mask, flexed her fingers in the air before giving up.

“At home, doing some skincare.”

“If you’re at home, then it’s fine,” Fu Nan first sighed in relief, then heavily again. “Forget it, forget it. Compared to your relentless dedication to your craft, none of this matters. Let’s continue discussing…”

“No need,” Shen Wu’s stubbornness kicked in. “Just do as I said.”

Ten minutes later…

[Holy crap, isn’t Shen Wu supposed to be engaged to some socialite? Why is she joining the super-popular dating show Love or Marriage? I don’t get it.]

[What? I-I just left a comment under Fu Mozheng’s Weibo wishing them well. How did this happen so suddenly?]

[But honestly, with all this drama, Shen Wu hasn’t even bothered to respond. Maybe there’s really nothing between her and Fu Mozheng?]

[Why no response? Isn’t this the biggest reaction for joining a dating show?]

[Whose face got slapped? I won’t say. [dog head]]

[For real, it’s so loud [covering mouth laughing]]

The trending hashtag read: #Shen Wu Dumps Fiancée to Join Dating Show#

Unsurprisingly, it was still marked as “boiling” hot.

The comments under the hashtag were all over the place, mostly just people speculating before flocking to Fu Mozheng’s Weibo to demand answers.

Some troublemakers even mocked Fu Mozheng, saying she must be delusional to claim she was Shen Wu’s fiancée, calling it a self-promotion stunt.

But the most discussed topic turned out to be:

[Who is Su Yuchen?]

[Shen Wu is going on a dating show with Su Yuchen? Are they pairing up as a couple?!]

[Holy shit, this is wild!]

Su Yuchen herself hadn’t even processed it yet. When she checked her call log, she saw multiple missed calls from an hour ago.

She must have missed the vibrations in all the chaos.

Still dazed, she opened WeChat to pay the bill first, only to find Shen Wu’s messages at the top of her list.

Wu: [Why aren’t you answering?]

Wu: [Call canceled]

Wu: […]

Su Yuchen felt a surreal disconnect, listening to the delivery guy praise “Goddess Shen Wu” like she was divine, while the actual Goddess Shen Wu was texting her…

She stared blankly at her phone until it suddenly vibrated again.

Another message popped up from Shen Wu,

Wu: [Come to my place tonight.]