Love Contract with the Queen Actress - Chapter 6

“Ding-dong.”

The doorbell rang.

Shen Wu quickly stepped out of the bathroom.

The chime of the doorbell seemed to make even the tiny particles suspended in the air crackle with excitement.

Yet Shen Wu hesitated.

“If I open the door too quickly, will it seem like I’m too eager?”

Muttering about not being in a hurry, even though she had already spent ages fussing in front of the mirror, Shen Wu retreated again.

The beauty in the mirror wore no makeup but was dazzlingly gorgeous.

Long, wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders, accentuating her slender, jade-like neck.

“Ah, the hairstyle could be better, but it’s fine. Still, no one does it like me.”

Shen Wu let out a long sigh.

She tousled her hair in the mirror a couple more times, letting the slightly curled locks appear more voluminous, deliberately leaving the ends a little messy.

As the second ring of the doorbell sounded, Shen Wu picked up the sleek black perfume bottle on the vanity and spritzed it twice into the air.

Mist swirled, saturating the air with sweetness, like a conspiracy wrapped in sugar.

The droplets slowly settled, draping the fragrance over her.

Clinging to her hair, her lashes, climbing onto her delicate, poised shoulders.

“Silly kitten, you won’t escape tonight.”

Pleased, Shen Wu tilted her chin at her reflection, adjusted her collar slightly, and deliberately revealed a little more of her exquisite collarbone.

By the third ring, she was already standing behind the door.

She waited for the sound to fade completely, then silently counted to two before pressing the handle.

Click.

The door opened.

Shen Wu lowered her gaze, her fair, slender fingers resting against the doorframe.

She turned slightly, showcasing her graceful curves.

Then she lifted her eyes, gaze silken, and murmured, “Silly kitten-”

Before the last syllable of “kitten” could fully leave her lips, she froze in place.

“How did you know I found a little kitten?”

Su Yuchen sat across from her, eyes bright and clear, her nose red from the cold, giving her a youthful, rosy-cheeked innocence that perfectly complemented the tiny kitten peeking out from the crook of her arm.

“But it probably isn’t silly. Even though it was starving, it knew to avoid my fingers when eating.”

Su Yuchen had been animated at first, her eyes sparkling, but now, sensing the mood, her voice grew quieter.

Shen Wu sat on the sofa, feeling like all her enthusiasm had gone to waste.

It was cold. She pulled her open cardigan tighter around herself.

Crossing her arms, she smoothed over the awkwardness. “Where did you find it?”

Su Yuchen answered honestly, “Under your building.”

“…”

The saccharine perfume in the air made Shen Wu wish she could travel back in time, grab the person spraying it in front of the mirror, shake her violently, and then hurl that globally limited-edition fragrance into the trash.

“Ahem.”

“Hah, the feng shui under my building must be excellent.”

Su Yuchen, belatedly realizing something, glanced at the ice bucket on the dining table, where a bottle of champagne lay.

“Um, well… Tonight’s temperature dropped drastically, and there’s heavy snow. If I didn’t take it somewhere warm, it might not have made it.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Su Yuchen’s slender fingers gently combed through the kitten’s fur. Her hands were elegant, with long, well-proportioned fingers, the tendons on the back subtly defined as she moved. Against the soft fur, her skin looked like carved ice.

But only Shen Wu knew those same fingers, that same night, had wandered freely, igniting flames wherever they touched.

Shen Wu tilted her head slightly, then turned back, unable to stop her gaze from lingering on that beautiful hand.

She slowly noticed the little kitten cradled in the other’s arms.

The small, scruffy kitten was curled into a ball, its fur a chaotic mix of childish fluff and straight strands, with caramel, black, white, and gray blending together in disarray. Its fur stuck out in all directions, forming a faded tortoiseshell-like little sea urchin.

But its eyes were bright and round, carrying an innocent expression when looking at people, especially now, as it stole glances at Shen Wu. Those big eyes held not just curiosity but also a hint of hidden fear.

“It… looks pretty soft?” Shen Wu finally spoke slowly.

“Yeah, probably only two months old. Very soft, very well-behaved.” After a slight hesitation, Su Yuchen added, “Do you want to hold it?”

As if to prove just how soft the kitten was, Su Yuchen lifted it slightly, stretching it into a soft, elongated shape.

The kitten seemed a little uncomfortable but remained obedient, its big, innocent eyes fixed on the person in front of it.

Shen Wu felt her heart soften under that gaze. Someone who had never been particularly fond of pets found herself reaching out without hesitation.

One holding the kitten, the other receiving it, their fingertips brushed against each other unintentionally.

Shen Wu’s fingers pressed lightly against Su Yuchen’s.

For just a moment, a tingling sensation, like an electric current, traveled from their fingertips all the way to their chests.

Whether it was static or something else, it sent a flutter through both their hearts.

Su Yuchen’s mind seemed to short-circuit. She instinctively looked up, only to meet Shen Wu’s eyes directly.

Locked in that gaze, the sound of their heartbeats, the closeness of their faces, the sweet scent in the air and one innocent little kitten suspended between them.

After a brief moment, their eyes darted away, both of their ears turning red.

Su Yuchen pressed her lips together, not daring to look up again.

Shen Wu’s gaze flickered briefly before she settled back into her seat, deliberately crossing her arms. “So… is it a boy or a girl?”

“Huh?”

“Oh,” Su Yuchen snapped out of it, stroking the kitten’s back. “A girl. Calico cats are usually female.”

Shen Wu stared at that hand, slightly dazed. “I-It’s kind of cute.”

Truthfully, the scruffy little kitten wasn’t much to look at, but the hands holding it were undeniably beautiful.

In Shen Wu’s world, white cats or carefully bred pedigree felines were the only pets that met her aesthetic standards. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have spared a second glance at this grubby little thing.

But right now, cradled in Su Yuchen’s arms, the kitten seemed almost enchanted, suddenly far more appealing.

Shen Wu thought, maybe it wasn’t that the kitten was unattractive, just not pedigreed.

But what did that matter? Cuteness was enough.

Just like the fool in front of her.

“Yeah, she is pretty cute!”

Su Yuchen, oblivious to what Shen Wu had actually meant by “cute,” grinned, her eyes curving into crescents. “I spent a dollar on a sausage at the convenience store downstairs to lure her out.”

If she weren’t cute, she wouldn’t have been “kidnapped” in the first place.

Shen Wu rested her chin on her hand, listening patiently before asking, “So, are you planning to keep her?”

“…”

Su Yuchen frowned slightly, hesitating. She peeked up at Shen Wu, only to find the other’s gaze still fixed on her. Flustered, she straightened her posture a little.

“Let’s find someone to adopt it. I can’t take good care of it right now, and keeping it without being prepared would be irresponsible.”

Pretty responsible, huh?

Shen Wu raised an eyebrow. “So, who are you planning to find to adopt it?”

Su Yuchen hesitated, “I-I don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll post online or look for rescue centers. But I’ll definitely screen carefully to find a suitable adopter. It has to be strict.”

Shen Wu rested her chin on her hand, gazing at Su Yuchen with a faint smile. “No need to look far. How about I adopt it? But-” She paused. “I don’t know how to raise pets, so I’ll need someone to help me all the time.”

“Ah-” Su Yuchen was completely taken aback. Her round, almond-shaped eyes widened even further. “Why would you want to adopt a cat?”

“…”

Yeah, why adopt a cat? Why do you think?

Shen Wu fell silent for several seconds before finally saying, “Who knows? Maybe to catch idiots.”

“…?”

This time, it was Su Yuchen’s turn to go quiet. She couldn’t fathom what kind of “idiot” would require Shen Wu to personally catch.

Though the words sounded like nonsense, given the situation, there was no real reason to argue.

Shen Wu sighed in resignation and waved her hand dismissively.

“Did you give it a name yet?”

The sudden change of topic made Su Yuchen quickly respond, “N-Not yet.”

“You said you spent one yuan on a sausage to lure it home?”

“Yeah,”

Su Yuchen suggested tentatively, “So, call it Sausage?”

It seemed like this silly kitten was actually asking for her opinion on naming the furball.

Naming something together, it felt like a task reserved for new parents, carrying a hint of intimacy.

Shen Wu, who had been silently holding back a breath earlier, suddenly felt her mood lighten inexplicably.

The corner of her lips curled up. “That sounds awful.”

Su Yuchen frowned earnestly. “Then we can’t just call it ‘Lured Home,’ can we?”

“…”

At this point, Shen Wu’s patience had reached its limit.

“Why not just call it One Yuan?”

“Eh?” Su Yuchen’s eyes lit up. “That, actually works.”

“One Yuan, it’s kind of cute.”

Her excitement made her chatter more. “I was originally thinking of calling it Little Sea Urchin because its fur sticks out like one. But then it also looked like a burnt chestnut, so I thought of naming it Roasted Chestnut. Later, its fur reminded me of mold, so I considered calling it Moldy. But none of those names felt meaningful. Yours is much better.”

Shen Wu listened with a smile, her gaze lingering on Su Yuchen’s fair face.

Su Yuchen was undeniably beautiful: large almond eyes paired with a high nose bridge, lips naturally rosy, and a smile that curved her eyes like crescents, filled with starlight. Her grin was like a bright afternoon sun, warm enough to make one’s heart skip a beat.

Gentle and harmless, she looked easy to bully, slender limbs and a delicate frame. But most people wouldn’t know how defined the muscles in her forearms became when she exerted force.

Su Yuchen was actually very strong, Shen Wu had experienced it firsthand that night, when her wrists had been left with red marks that took days to fade.

Yet this person looked as innocent as a kitten, making it hard to imagine the sinful side of her in bed.

She talked for so long that even Su Yuchen started feeling awkward before finally stopping herself.

“Um… was I talking too much and bothering you?”

Shen Wu lowered her crossed arms and brushed aside the long hair by her ear. “Not at all. You can talk more, and by the way, teach me how to take care of a cat.”

Only then did Su Yuchen begin to relax a little. She finally noticed that Shen Wu was wearing a soft pink knitted cardigan today, paired with a matching camisole underneath, the neckline slightly low.

The thin fabric followed the delicate contours of her figure, extending all the way down to her white loungewear pants and fluffy open-toed slippers.

Her entire outfit was relaxed, without a trace of makeup, yet she was dazzlingly beautiful.

As if just by sitting there, doing nothing, she could effortlessly command the world’s favor.

Someone like her… and yet, here I am.

Su Yuchen was lost in thought until she heard Shen Wu speak to her, “What’s wrong? You’ve been staring at me.”

“!!”

Su Yuchen’s ears, already tinged pink, now felt like they were burning.

Flustered, she lowered her head. “N-no, I wasn’t looking.”

Liar.

Silly cat.

Shen Wu didn’t press the issue.

After a moment, she stood up and raised her fingers, making a soft clicking sound, “Tsk, tsk, tsk…”

Su Yuchen, who had been sitting there holding the kitten, felt a surge of happiness hearing Shen Wu coax the little cat, though she still didn’t dare to look up.

“This kitten is very well-behaved, really adorable.”

Since Shen Wu wanted to keep the cat, it made sense to start building a bond early. Letting her play with the kitten was a good idea.

So, for the second time, Su Yuchen obediently held the kitten out toward her.

Shen Wu stepped closer, stopping right in front of her.

A voice drifted down from above.

“It really is adorable.”

Su Yuchen could see the tips of Shen Wu’s fluffy slippers now—those delicate pink toes peeking out from the white fur, looking even more exquisite.

Then, a jade-like hand appeared in her line of sight. A slender finger, pale as a spring onion, lifted her chin and even gave it a playful scratch.

Caught off guard, Su Yuchen found herself tilting her head up, forced to meet Shen Wu’s gaze.

Her eyes locked onto a pair of starry, mesmerizing eyes.

“Good kitty. How about I take care of you from now on?”