Love Contract with the Queen Actress - Chapter 44

The early spring breeze carried a hint of warmth, playfully tousling strands of hair.

This year’s spring arrived gentler and more temperate, clearly a promising omen eager to bestow its warmth.

Shen Wu and Su Yuchen hid behind a cluster of shrubbery, just a dozen steps away from the bustling crew.

Occasionally, snippets of conversation drifted over to them.

Shen Wu had her arms wrapped around Su Yuchen’s neck, refusing to let go. Without even needing to pin her against a wall, she pressed herself flush against her.

Her rosy lips curled into a smirk as she tilted her head to meet Su Yuchen’s gaze. “I just told you I’d come for revenge tonight, but here you are, holding onto me like this. Could it be you can’t wait?”

A flush crept across Su Yuchen’s cheeks. She was usually quite reserved, and the sudden realization of her earlier impropriety, acting so recklessly, made her want to pull away.

But before she could even move, Shen Wu only clung tighter, pressing closer.

“I have to say, baby, with your face this red, you still dare to imitate others and do something naughty?”

“…”

Su Yuchen’s throat went dry as the softness that had left its mark pressed against her without reservation, squeezing her so tightly she could barely breathe.

She inhaled deeply, her chest rising and falling noticeably as she struggled to suppress the heat simmering inside. Gently, she stroked Shen Wu’s hair. “Baby sister, there are too many people outside. If you want to settle the score with me, shouldn’t it wait until tonight?”

As if addicted to teasing her, Shen Wu leaned in even closer, her smile radiant, completely oblivious to how provocative her current posture was.

“Baby, what if I said I want to do it now? What would you do then?”

“Now…” Su Yuchen’s ears burned as images from last night, her and Shen Wu tangled together, flooded her mind.

The dim lighting, the hazy glances, and the way Shen Wu, exhausted and voice hoarse from crying, could only shed silent tears from the corners of her eyes.

Shen Wu was so breathtakingly beautiful that even the mere thought of her made Su Yuchen’s heart race uncontrollably.

“Now, of course… of course…”

Her mouth was parched, her words stumbling.

Her heartbeat pounded so loudly it was terrifying. Outside, people were everywhere, and she could clearly hear their excited chatter as they worked, oblivious to how close the subjects of their gossip really were.

“Oh my god, the Shen family’s ancestral home is even more impressive than the rumors!”

“Shen Wu’s place is huge, no wonder they’re old money from the capital.”

“But why is Su Yuchen filming at Shen Wu’s house? And from what the butler said, the room Su Yuchen is using was originally Shen Wu’s bedroom.”

“Yeah, I heard that too. Shen Wu just picked a random guest room to shoot in.”

“Holy crap, are we witnessing a real couple here? Who just lends out their home like that and settles for a random room?”

“Shen Wu, that untouchable ice queen, is willing to go this far for Su Yuchen? They must be the real deal, right?”

“I’d heard rumors about them before, but I never thought I’d actually get to witness it firsthand.”

“My little sister and her classmates are obsessed with them, they even have a ship name. Oh yeah, it’s called ‘Misty Jade Hearts.’ It’s super popular right now.”

“So, if they’re joining our dating show, does that mean they’re just getting paid to date in public?”

“Ah, don’t say it, but it’s really possible. My friend is part of the aerial photography crew, and they said they saw Shen Wu and Su Yuchen going to the changing room together at night. They stayed in there for ages and never came out. Guess what happened in the end?”

Su Yuchen’s back stiffened in shock, Oh no, were they seen?

She pricked up her ears to listen.

“What happened? Tell us!”

The people around them urged the staff member to continue. The person deliberately dragged it out, clearing their throat as if taking a sip of water before speaking again.

“You might not believe it, but they didn’t come out, and then two more went in, Kuang Gong and Liu Ruomeng followed them! The four of them were in the changing room. Who knows what they talked about, but people outside said they heard arguing inside. Since it’s a private space with no cameras, no one could see who was arguing with whom. But in the end, Liu Ruomeng ran out crying.”

The people nearby looked enlightened: “Oh! A story of four people, but only three got named?”

“Damn, this is like a battlefield. In the end, Liu Ruomeng tragically exited, running away in tears?”

“But it still doesn’t make sense. What’s the relationship between Kuang Gong, Shen Wu, and Su Yuchen?”

“No idea, but isn’t it obvious now? Clearly, Shen Wu chose Su Yuchen. Otherwise, why would they be doing the prep interview together this time?”

“Ohhh! Kuang Gong always seems so cold, but who knew she’d be so pitiful?”

“Secretly in love with Shen Wu but unrequited, tangled in pain, she must be hiding somewhere crying right now, right?”

“If you ask me, the most pitiful one is Liu Ruomeng. She got knocked out right from the start. Ah, love is just so hard to understand.”

“Yeah, emotions are just a game.”

At this very moment, behind the holly bushes, two people were hiding.

Shen Wu couldn’t control the corners of her lips, almost laughing out loud. Su Yuchen was startled, afraid she’d actually laugh and be heard, so she quickly covered Shen Wu’s beautifully shaped mouth with her hand.

“Shhh.”

Su Yuchen shook her head at Shen Wu and whispered, “Don’t make a sound. They’ll hear us.”

The staff members, completely unaware, continued humming a melancholic love song: “It was supposed to be a movie for three, yet I couldn’t even have a name~”

The body beneath her trembled, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. It really was hilarious, listening to gossip about themselves right in front of them. Who could resist laughing?

Shen Wu laughed for a while, then lifted her peach-blossom eyes, their gaze hook-like and tinged with a seductive spring tide, locking onto Su Yuchen’s.

The next second, Su Yuchen indeed felt a scorching, damp sensation against her palm.

She still reacted as if burned, but unlike before, she didn’t immediately pull her hand away.

Instead, as if “burned” so often she’d grown used to it, she countered the mischievous act by pulling the other into her arms and kissing her deeply, silencing those teasing red lips.

The mischievous pink tongue was chased as if being punished, but there was no escape, her body was tightly held, every inch of her soaked in the other’s fragrance.

Drowned in the overwhelming sensation, her fingers tingled, her breath grew uneven.

Finally, before releasing Shen Wu’s lips, Su Yuchen lightly bit the “naughty” pink tongue as punishment.

“……”

Shen Wu barely managed to catch her breath, the suffocating sensation leaving her scalp tingling.

To keep from losing her balance, Shen Wu could only helplessly wrap her arms around Su Yuchen’s fair, slender neck.

Breathing heavily, her peach-blossom eyes glazed over with a dazed mist from lack of oxygen. Her entire body felt weak and boneless, her delicate swan-like neck arching backward in a graceful curve.

At this moment, the tendons of her pale neck were faintly visible beneath her thin skin, rising and falling with each ragged breath.

Seeming somewhat exhausted, she tilted to one side, only to be steadied by a pale arm. Her face instinctively lolled to the side, pulling at the tendons in her neck as her hair cascaded down, soft, fragrant strands like seaweed, swaying gently like willow tendrils.

Now, with the back of her head cradled in Su Yuchen’s elegantly boned hand, Shen Wu relied entirely on the other’s strength to stay upright, like a dying white swan.

“You… you again…”

Su Yuchen had clearly been inexperienced at kissing before, but this girl seemed to learn things frighteningly fast, grasping the essence in no time. Her progress in this area was downright terrifying.

The clumsy pecks from before had completely transformed after that one night, as if she now knew exactly where Shen Wu was most vulnerable, where she wanted to escape yet couldn’t resist the pleasure. Su Yuchen had mastered it all.

That once-innocent little rabbit, who had known nothing at first, could now effortlessly kiss her target into near unconsciousness.

It was too intense, so much so that Shen Wu’s heartbeat refused to calm for a long time.

Su Yuchen’s slender fingers supported the back of Shen Wu’s head, the distant clamor of voices just beyond them.

She murmured softly, “Baby sister… are you okay?”

Just moments ago, in this secluded shadow hidden from outsiders, she had kissed Shen Wu until she nearly collapsed.

Certain places had undergone strange, indescribable changes.

Shen Wu tilted her chin slightly, gazing at the sky through the gaps in the holly bushes, feeling as though the heavens were slowly spinning.

The blue sky, the white clouds like cotton candy, now refracted through the prism of her tear-filled eyes, shimmering as they turned in dizzying circles.

With a steadying grip at her waist and her head still cradled, Shen Wu took several deep breaths before the spinning scenery finally settled. Forcing her breathing under control, she managed to speak, “I really… regret ever letting you taste desire. Where… where did you learn all these… these wicked tricks?”

Her voice still carried a breathless tremor, the overwhelming suffocation only just receding, her fingertips faintly shaking.

As if afraid Shen Wu might fall, Su Yuchen pulled the weakened woman into her arms, tightening her embrace. Behind the spring-warmed bushes, she gently kissed the corner of Shen Wu’s lips.

“Baby sister, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“…” Shen Wu swallowed, the tendons in her neck shifting beneath her skin. “If you didn’t mean to, then why did you… where did you learn such shameless moves?”

Her voice still wavered.

Su Yuchen kept her lips pressed to the corner of Shen Wu’s mouth, not parting even as she spoke.

As if reluctant to let go, her lips brushed lightly against Shen Wu’s cheek, feeling the faint shiver that ran through the woman in her arms.

“Baby sister, I didn’t learn from anywhere else…” She paused, speaking quite honestly, “I just sensed your preferences, and then… then I…”

“Then you used me as your experimental field, and you figured it all out by yourself?” Shen Wu looked up at the sky, finally unable to hold back, rolling her eyes.

“Mmm… I’m sorry.” Su Yuchen gently pecked Shen Wu’s slightly swollen, glistening red lips that had been thoroughly teased. “Baby sister, I wanted to be gentler, but when I’m with you, I just can’t control myself…”

Every part of Shen Wu was so exquisite, fragrant as flowers, with skin fairer than snow.

Faced with such a beauty, her hazy gaze, the watery crimson at the corners of her eyes, her lips slightly parted, her chest rising and falling rapidly, who could possibly restrain themselves?

Su Yuchen had long grown addicted to the taste. She was utterly infatuated with everything about Shen Wu.

So, none of those things required any tutorials. With Shen Wu, she just naturally knew what to do.

The red lips were right before her, slightly trembling. Su Yuchen’s bright eyes concealed a deep, burning desire. She lowered her gaze, refusing to look, but her lips still brushed against that delicate, soft skin. “Baby sister, can you not always tease me like this in the future?”

It was the truth. Even when she was already at her limit, Shen Wu kept pushing her boundaries.

“Otherwise, I really don’t know what to do.” Su Yuchen could only whisper softly, coaxing her.

This tender plea sounded to Shen Wu like someone enjoying the benefits while pretending innocence.

So, it’s my fault?

She wanted to roll her eyes again but restrained herself, closing them instead and letting herself be held.

“Baby, you really-”

“Wishful thinking.”

“Just wait. I’ll definitely get my revenge tonight.”

The two shared an intimate moment outside, while inside, numerous staff members were still gossiping about them.

The rumors grew wilder, with some even claiming that Shen Wu and Kuang Gong were in a marriage of convenience, and that Su Yuchen, the obscure one, was just a smokescreen for the two of them.

As the subjects of the gossip, the two listened with great interest for a while. Finally, under Su Yuchen’s persistent urging, Shen Wu led her on a long detour behind the shrubbery, and the two returned to the mansion through the front door together.

The butler, dressed in a crisp black suit with graying hair but standing tall and straight, instinctively adjusted his round-framed reading glasses when he saw them.

His gaze first fell on the garden gate, then returned to the front door, seemingly puzzled as to why they had come back from that direction.

As Shen Wu passed the butler, she silently raised a finger to her lips, signaling for silence.

Understanding, the butler quietly retreated.

Shen Wu and Su Yuchen walked toward the hall, where the staff members who had been enthusiastically gossiping earlier now wore expressions of varying degrees of awkwardness.

As they passed the person who had claimed that “Shen Wu and Kuang Gong are in a marriage of convenience, and Su Yuchen is just a smokescreen,” Shen Wu deliberately slowed her pace.

She let out a soft “Hmm?” catching the attention of Su Yuchen, who was walking beside her.

Su Yuchen quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Her concern was palpable.

She was also worried that perhaps she had been too rough earlier and that Shen Wu might now be feeling unwell.

Shen Wu gently raised an eyebrow, lifting her fingers to affectionately adjust the white ribbon tied around Su Yuchen’s jade-like neck.

“Today’s filming is for the family interview segment. How could you be so careless? Your scarf was crooked and you didn’t even notice. Really, you little scatterbrain.”

Little… little scatterbrain?

Those fair, delicate fingers lingered deliberately on the fluffy white scarf, fiddling with it for a few moments before Shen Wu finally smiled in satisfaction. “There, all fixed. Don’t be so absent-minded next time. If this gets caught on camera, who knows what kind of gossip might spread.”

“…”

The few who had been gossiping immediately shrank their necks, their previously eager expressions freezing on their faces before they quickly turned away, pretending to be busy.

A glimmer of starlight danced in Su Yuchen’s bright almond-shaped eyes. When she looked at Shen Wu, the smile at the corners of her lips was almost impossible to suppress.

She took Shen Wu’s hand, still resting on her neck ribbon, and softly chided, “Stop fooling around.”

Shen Wu responded with an even more bewitching smile. “I won’t.”

With that, the two of them headed upstairs for filming. A group of young girls, die-hard fans of the “WuXinYuYi” ship who religiously checked in on the supertopic, watched their retreating figures with clasped hands and starry eyes.

“Mmm, I told you my ship is real.”

“Help, they’re so perfect together.”

“From now on, who dares to say WuXinYuYi is fake?”

Standing behind them, Fu Nan pinched the bridge of her nose helplessly, sighing inwardly. Just earlier, Su Yuchen had stormed off after asking some inexplicable questions, no doubt to confront Shen Wu and demand answers. Who knows if Shen Wu managed to explain things clearly?

At least I made myself clear. Shen Wu genuinely didn’t know that Xinqiao’s new investor was Tong Xin, otherwise, she would’ve avoided any conflict of interest. Su Yuchen was just overreacting for no reason.

But now, it seemed they had made up again. Shen Wu must have smoothed things over, and now the two of them were back to being all lovey-dovey, their pink bubbles impossible to hide. They’ll probably get even more obvious from now on.

Su Yuchen is just too easy for Shen Wu to handle. At this rate, won’t she end up completely at Shen Wu’s mercy?

…

The filming proceeded smoothly.

Su Yuchen sat in “her” pink-themed room, an open suitcase in front of her as she packed her belongings, even the suitcase itself was pink.

Of course, anyone could tell at a glance that such an aggressively pink suitcase had to be a gift from Madam Shen Qiang to Shen Wu.

The contents of the suitcase visible on camera were all harmless personal items: towels, toiletries, a bathrobe, and the like.

The camera slowly zoomed in on Su Yuchen’s face.

The warm afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, casting a golden glow over the room. Su Yuchen sat on the pink sofa, slightly uncomfortable, her earlobes and the collarbones hidden beneath her sweater tinged a soft pink.

Not long ago, she and Shen Wu had been rolling around in this very spot. Now, facing the camera so soon after, she couldn’t shake off a strange, indescribable feeling.

Whether it was guilt or some other forbidden emotion at work, Su Yuchen kept her head down as she packed, avoiding the camera’s gaze.

Unbeknownst to her, however, the lens captured just how breathtakingly beautiful she looked.

Her bright almond eyes were partially veiled by long lashes, the slanting sunlight from the window casting delicate shadows beneath them.

Her pure, ethereal aura, bathed in the golden glow, seemed wrapped in a warm, hazy light.

Her fair skin glowed with a soft radiance, making her appear warm, soft, and immaculately clean.

The PD beside her seemed worried that Su Yuchen’s prolonged silence might make the scene awkward, so she stepped in with a few questions.

“Yuchen, are you planning to bring all these things with you this time?”

Su Yuchen hesitated for a moment. Unskilled at lying, she didn’t answer directly, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. “Well… maybe not all of them…”

Unaware of how lovely her flushed face looked, she kept her long lashes lowered, too shy to meet the camera’s gaze.

The PD smiled and asked, “Yuchen, could you share your thoughts on filming for the show during this period? For example, was there anything particularly challenging for you?”

As if stirred by a memory, Su Yuchen’s lashes fluttered slightly before she finally looked into the camera with a gentle smile. “Setting up the tent was… quite difficult.”

Meanwhile, in the next room.

Shen Wu, asked the same question, frowned slightly at the camera. “Cooking was… quite difficult.”

Shen Wu’s PD seemed momentarily awkward before laughing it off. “Other than that, was there anything else you found challenging?”

Shen Wu swept a strand of hair behind her ear and cast a sultry glance at the camera.

“Other than that? Nothing was difficult at all.”

…

The members’ bonus episode took over six hours to film. Once the directors deemed they had enough footage, they packed up and rushed back to the studio, aiming to air it by 8 PM the next day.

The editing room’s computers roared back to life as the editors burned the midnight oil, determined to finish the episode within 24 hours.

Finally seeing off the crew, Su Yuchen slumped exhaustedly onto the steps.

The spring warmth was pleasant, and the day’s temperature was just right.

The setting sun dipped below the horizon, setting the sky ablaze with crimson clouds that painted the thick layers above in deep purple silhouettes.

It looked like a highly saturated, intensely vibrant oil painting stretched across the entire sky.

Su Yuchen propped her chin in her hand, lost in thought as she gazed at the sunset.

Her phone, resting on the wooden steps beside her, chimed twice with notifications.

Reluctant to look away, she reacted a beat slower before slowly picking up her phone.

Another red dot, this time on WeChat.

Only then did Su Yuchen realize she hadn’t checked her phone all day.

Opening it, she found numerous group messages and a flood of stickers from Liu Ruomeng. Skimming through them, the group chats were mostly work-related updates, while Liu Ruomeng’s messages were a dramatic outcry about the show’s crew questioning her about her interactions with Kuang Gong.

Dozens of wailing stickers later, she had sent a voice message: “You’re so heartless, sis! You don’t care about me at all, flying off with Shen Wu, leaving me to suffer Kuang Gong’s torment!”

Feeling genuinely apologetic, Su Yuchen replied: [Sorry, I was filming and didn’t check my phone.]

After sending it, she didn’t expect an immediate response, the messages were already two or three hours old.

As she exited Liu Ruomeng’s chat, about to lock her phone, she suddenly noticed a red dot on the “New Friends” notification.

That must have been the alert she heard earlier.

Tapping in, she saw another friend request: Xinqiao – Tong Xin has requested to add you as a friend.

Su Yuchen clicked in and tapped “Agree.” A message popped up almost immediately:

[Miss Su, notifying you for the second interview was really too difficult, it took so much effort just to add your WeChat.]

The teasing tone made Su Yuchen feel a little awkward. Just as she was about to reply, she noticed the words at the top of the chat box: “The other party is typing…”

Her fingers, hovering over the number pad, froze mid-air.

As someone with social anxiety, she avoided replying to messages whenever possible.

However, the person on the other end seemed quite talkative and didn’t mind whether she replied or not. Soon, another message came through: [Ms. Su, I’m not sure if you’re taking this audition for the female lead seriously or not, since you haven’t even bothered to reply to my messages.]

“……”

Su Yuchen felt a moment of awkwardness before replying: [Sorry, I was just working.]

Tong Xin sent over a sticker that was completely at odds with her usual demeanor, a 300-pound biker with a thick beard, clad in a studded leather jacket, hugging a Hello Kitty.

This was quickly followed by another message: [The Fu family is hosting a banquet in a few days. Come along and we’ll do the second round of interviews there.]

“……”

Su Yuchen: [Which Fu family?]

Tong Xin: [Which Fu family do you think? The one belonging to Fu Mozheng, Shen Wu’s rumored fiancée.]

Almost immediately, another message followed: [Of course, there’s also Kuang Gong, the other one the show’s team forcibly paired up with her.]

How could an interview take place at someone else’s home, especially Fu Mozheng’s?

When she saw this message, Su Yuchen raised an eyebrow.

So, the real target was Kuang Gong?

Though it was rather odd, Su Yuchen still replied with a smiling bunny sticker.

[Chairwoman Tong probably wouldn’t like wearing an inflatable Doraemon costume, would she?]

[??????]

Tong Xin: [Heh, instead of worrying about others, you should worry about yourself. Shen Wu’s birthday is coming up. She’s so picky, what are you planning to give her?]

Su Yuchen never expected Tong Xin to bring this up, but it was far more devastating than being threatened with the white chocolate endorsement.

Su Yuchen blanked for a moment.

“Right, Shen Wu’s birthday is just a few days away.”

She had previously bought Shen Wu a small pendant, which Shen Wu had carefully stored in her jewelry box. But when the walk-in closet was opened, an entire wall of pull-out jewelry drawers was revealed. That tiny pendant of hers seemed utterly insignificant in comparison, like a malnourished bean sprout.

Tong Xin seemed to sense Su Yuchen’s panic and happily sent another follow-up: [Don’t worry, just don’t get her anything hard. If she doesn’t like it, she’ll just throw it in your face. Just make sure you don’t get disfigured, or our shortlist for the white chocolate heroine will be one person short.]

Su Yuchen: “……”

Tong Xin seemed to have stepped on someone’s sore spot and gleefully continued: [I don’t know how you usually deal with Shen Wu’s temper, but take my advice, you’re still young, with a bright future ahead. Run while you can.]

[She’s violent! She once set my car on fire. Scared now? Bet no one’s told you these secrets before?]

[I knew you’d been deceived. Heh, I’m the only one brave enough to tell you the truth. You should thank me!]

[I can already guess, when she’s with you, is she always the one bullying you?]

Su Yuchen stopped replying, and Tong Xin, satisfied, turned off her phone.

…

The bathroom was filled with steam.

Thick, swirling mist enveloped the air.

The pristine bathtub was filled with warm water, its surface dotted with bright red petals. A small bottle of mineral-scented aromatherapy sat on a crystal trolley nearby, and sparkling bath salts were stored in an intricately decorated glass jar.

Su Yuchen had pinned her hair up, revealing her slender, swan-like neck.

As she raised her arms to tie up her hair, the shape of her shoulder blades became more distinctly outlined.

The nape of her neck, pulled taut by tendons and bones, traced a fine ridge along her spine, accentuating a delicate skeletal prominence at the base of her neck.

Wrapped in fair, tender skin, her muscles and bones were breathtakingly beautiful.

After removing the last piece of clothing, Su Yuchen dipped her pale toes into the water to test the temperature before finally settling in.

The water was just right, warm and enveloping against her smooth, delicate skin.

Vibrant rose petals floated across the water’s surface, drifting with the ripples until they gathered against Su Yuchen’s porcelain shoulders. Her jade-like bones and fragrant flesh seemed to exude a natural sweetness from within.

Leaning against the back of the bathtub, she slid slightly deeper into the water.

Then, she scooped a handful of water and splashed it onto her face.

“Phew!”

Droplets cascaded like broken strings of pearls down her cheeks and neck, while a few crimson rose petals clung to her slender, fair forearms.

Her lashes were dotted with tiny beads of water, as if adorned with minuscule diamonds.

Staring up at the bathroom ceiling, she let out a heavy sigh.

“Ah… What should I get Shen Wu for her birthday gift?”

She mentally calculated her meager savings, pitifully insignificant, and wondered what she could possibly give Shen Wu.

Su Yuchen sank into deep thought again.

It should have been such a simple matter, yet she had been foolish enough to forget about it entirely.

Perhaps it was because she had been so busy lately that it slipped her mind. If Shen Wu found out, she would surely throw a tantrum.

What if she refused to let her touch her…

What would she do then?

Su Yuchen knocked on her own head. “Su Yuchen, why is your brain full of nonsense right now? Purify! Purify!”

She had even forgotten how, without any guidance, she had done so many bold, intimate things to Shen Wu, how the sight of Shen Wu frowning, her eyes brimming with tears, had made all her fatigue vanish, driving her to recklessly claim her again and again.

The sheer volume of these “nonsense” thoughts in her mind had piled up endlessly, to the point where she couldn’t dwell on them any longer.

Tomorrow, they were going to officially register their marriage, and Fu Nan had already gone to arrange the paperwork.

She and Shen Wu would be legally wedded wives by then. On such a day, she really ought to give Shen Wu a gift.

“It’s all my fault for not working harder and saving more money.”

Lost in self-reproach and wild thoughts, she was startled when the bathroom door suddenly swung open.

Beyond the glass and wrought-iron door, obscured by the frosted panes, stood a tall, slender silhouette.

A second later, with a soft swish, the glass door was pushed aside.

Shen Wu stood there, dressed in a short silk bathrobe trimmed with lace.

“I’ve been hearing you muttering to yourself in here for a while now. What are you talking about?”

Su Yuchen flailed in panic, losing her balance. Her shoulder blades slipped against the wet ceramic, nearly sending her plunging underwater.

At the risk of choking, she hastily submerged herself deeper, leaving only her face above the water, her chin half-hidden beneath the surface.

“Ah, why did you come in?”

After asking, Su Yuchen buried her mouth underwater as well, keeping the water level just high enough not to interfere with her breathing.

Two bubbles surfaced with a “glug-glug” sound.

Shen Wu, clad in a light champagne-colored silk nightgown that perfectly accentuated her breathtaking curves, walked over. She reached out with her jade-like hand to test the water temperature.

“This is my home. A little lamb like you has wandered into my territory, and you dare ask why I came in?”

As she spoke, she swept her long, wavy hair to one side, revealing her flawless swan-like neck.

“…”

Su Yuchen: “…”

How could she explain the inappropriate thoughts swirling in her mind?

But the real issue was, what should she give as a birthday gift?

Su Yuchen lifted her mouth above the water, her almond-shaped eyes shimmering with emotions Shen Wu couldn’t decipher.

“Baby sister, you should go. I… I’m not done bathing yet.”

With that, she submerged her mouth underwater again.

As if exposing her skin to the same air as Shen Wu was a dangerous thing.

“Me? Leave?”

Shen Wu covered her lips with a light laugh. “You’re in my bathtub, and you’re telling me to leave? Isn’t that a bit much?”

“Baby,” she paused, “you haven’t forgotten, have you? Tomorrow at 9 a.m., we’re going to the civil affairs bureau to get our marriage license. You were the one who said it.”

“Glug-glug.”

The only response was a few bubbles.

Shen Wu: “…”

Seeing Su Yuchen remain silent, Shen Wu gracefully stepped forward barefoot, tiptoeing to sit on the edge of the bathtub.

Her nightgown was too short to conceal the alluring sight of her fair legs. One long leg rested lightly over the other, bent at the knee, with a faint pink hue on her kneecap.

Once seated, Shen Wu draped one arm over the edge of the tub while the other toyed with the delicate tie of her robe.

Amid the rising steam, her stunning beauty was unveiled, radiant beyond compare.

A smile curled at the corner of her lips, her peach-blossom eyes shimmering. The soft, voluminous waves cascading over her shoulder seemed even more lustrous in the misty air.

“Baby, I did warn you.”

As she spoke, she undid the slender tie, then turned slightly, letting her snow-white leg rest lightly on the edge of the pristine bathtub.

The outer robe slipped off like a sheer cicada wing, draping over her other delicate ankle.

Her fair shoulders teased in the damp air, the thin straps resting on her exquisite collarbones. The tender skin and fragile ties looked as if they couldn’t withstand even the slightest tug, ready to snap at any moment.

Shen Wu tilted her head slightly, blinking her still-flushed peach-blossom eyes.

“Didn’t I say I’d come for revenge tonight?”

Su Yuchen’s ears burned crimson.

Her eyes were already tinged with red. When Shen Wu unceremoniously dipped her leg into the petal-filled water, the contrast of pale skin against vibrant red blossoms was visually striking.

A faint “snap” seemed to echo in her mind, as if the last taut thread of restraint had finally snapped. A flood of desire surged forth like a beast unleashed, rampaging through her chest.

Su Yuchen could no longer hold back. Underwater, her hand grasped Shen Wu’s exquisitely sculpted ankle and yanked hard. As the fragrant irises submerged, she pressed forward, covering Shen Wu’s body.

“Baby sister, you chose not to leave.”