Love Contract with the Queen Actress - Chapter 9

The sound of running water echoed from the bathroom.

Su Yuchen sat on the sofa, her back ramrod straight, like a solemn monument.

One Yuan curled up beside her, happily grooming itself.

The little cat seemed genuinely delighted to see Su Yuchen, even rolling over to expose its belly before carelessly closing its eyes for a nap.

Compared to the kitten, Su Yuchen was practically stiff with tension.

Her hand absently brushed against the sofa, and naturally, she touched the tattered script lying there.

“The scripts given to Shen Wu must all be of high quality…”

“Ahem!”

Su Yuchen cleared her throat and picked up the script again. Though she was terrified of ghosts and had the courage of a mouse, a quick glance earlier had shown her that it was indeed well-written.

Come to think of it, she had never read a script from an award-winning actress before.

With that in mind, her slender fingers reached out and dragged the script closer,

[She climbed the stairs in the dark, her body stiff. The reason this building was so cheap was because the unit below hers had seen a gruesome death. (Shen Wu’s note: The hallway lights were never fixed, probably due to the heavy yin energy or maybe just poor management. Either way, no one comes here often.)]

(Shen Wu’s note: There’s only one reason to live in a place like this, poverty.)

The word “poverty” was written in a noticeably larger font, and Su Yuchen felt as if an arrow had struck her chest.

Of course, it was poverty, even reading a ghost story made her a target.

The sound of water from the bathroom continued, the splashing suggesting a steamy haze inside.

Su Yuchen steadied her nerves and kept flipping through the script.

[She recalled: On the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, eerie sounds always emerged, a female ghost singing in a drawn-out, haunting melody, stretching every syllable into a bizarre rendition of a nursery rhyme.]

[She didn’t pay it much mind. (Shen Wu’s note: Hard to pay attention when you’re just trying to survive, right?)]

Su Yuchen: “…”

Alright, alright, every word feels like it’s about me.

Wahhh!

Being poor isn’t a crime, the crime is not having money.

She continued reading, skipping over a torn section.

[The lights at home flickered…]

[Her: A power outage?]

[A shadowy figure lurked behind the curtains. She rushed over and yanked them open, only to see nothing but the pitch-black night outside.]

Just as she reached this part, the lights in the room flickered.

“…”

Su Yuchen: No way…

The more frightened she became, the more her eyes involuntarily darted back to the script.

The torn pages clearly read: [She sat on the sofa, feeling a tickle by her ear. When she turned her head, her nose brushed against a strand of hanging black hair.]

Su Yuchen’s spine stiffened instantly because she felt a tickle by her ear.

Something seemed to be brushing against it, lightly but persistently.

Just like the trees outside the window, swaying wildly in the night wind, their shadows twisting and clawing at the darkness.

Su Yuchen slowly turned her head and saw One Yuan perched on the back of the sofa, diligently grooming itself.

The little rascal must have jumped up there at some point.

Its long, curled tail flicked back and forth, sweeping past Su Yuchen’s neck and ears.

“…”

“One Yuan, you really know how to set the mood.”

Su Yuchen exhaled in relief, tapped the kitten’s forehead, then scooped it into her arms, ruffling its furry little head.

Suddenly, her movements froze.

A faint, trembling female voice seemed to drift into her ears, singing a twisted, meandering tune.

“Is someone… singing?”

Why is someone singing in the middle of the night? This couldn’t help but remind Su Yuchen of the ghost story she had just read.

The bathroom was enveloped in a misty haze, with steam curling and rising languidly.

In the completely enclosed space, a pair of slender arms lifted gently under the stream of water, the smooth skin glistening as it caught the flow, outlining breathtaking curves.

Delicate fingers pinched the showerhead, and with a light tug, the spray nozzle was removed from its holder.

Pale, tender skin was rinsed by the water, taking on a soft, rosy hue.

Damp strands of hair clung to her shoulders as Shen Wu’s eyes shimmered with mischief. Holding the showerhead aloft, she began her usual routine during every bath.

“Who brought forth the ancient call~?”

Thud.

A long, well-proportioned foot stepped onto the edge of the bathtub.

Shen Wu, gripping her “showerhead mic,” lowered her center of gravity, striking the pose of a rock superstar.

The only difference being that rock stars usually wore clothes.

“Yalasuo, that is the Qing~Zang~ Pla~teau~!”

Every beat was off-key, every note seemed to struggle desperately to break free, twisting into a chaotic, dissonant mess.

The one window God had closed for her was singing.

Whenever she sang, Fu Nan would tell her to shut up, forbidding her from opening her mouth in public and absolutely refusing any singing-related jobs.

Even when repeatedly invited by a certain gala, she always declined politely, which only added to her air of mystery.

Her speaking voice was actually quite pleasant, it was just her singing that could kill.

Over time, she stopped singing in front of others, reserving her performances strictly for shower time.

As if singing in the shower came with built-in reverb, making her voice sound amazing.

After that, she performed a lively, upbeat pop single, complete with choreography.

She concluded her private concert with a self-sung, self-danced rendition of Three Bears.

Finally, the curtain fell.

The hairdryer hummed as her dark tresses fluttered in the warm air.

Once her hair was dry, Shen Wu applied a transparent eye mask and stepped out of the bathroom, only to find Su Yuchen rushing toward her with a tense expression.

A smirk tugged at Shen Wu’s lips, her eyes gleaming with smug satisfaction.

She even stopped buttoning the top of her pajamas, letting the silky, snow-white skin peek out, the neckline dipping to reveal the delicate lines of her collarbone.

But Su Yuchen seemed completely oblivious, gripping her shoulders urgently. “Did you… hear anything just now?”

A long silence followed.

Shen Wu’s slender neck stiffened slightly. After a moment, she swallowed hard and stubbornly replied, “No.”

Unexpectedly, this answer only deepened Su Yuchen’s panic.

“I think… I just heard a ghost singing.”

“…”

“…”

Shen Wu gritted her teeth, forcing a smile. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah!” Su Yuchen nodded vigorously. “It was terrifying! The female ghost sounded like she was singing, but then she’d switch between screeching and cackling, and there were these thudding sounds like she was bouncing on the floor. I think she was being beaten up.”

“…”

Shen Wu took a deep breath. “Even as a ghost, she’s getting beaten up? Su Yuchen, why don’t you go be Satan?”

She slapped Su Yuchen’s hands away and angrily buttoned up her pajamas. “I’m going to bed!”

With that, she turned and strode off.

“…”

It looks like she’s angry again. Su Yuchen hesitated for a moment before following a few steps, only to be met with a closed door at the entrance of the master bedroom.

“What should I do now…”

…

That night, at an upscale restaurant, Liu Ruomeng stood at the entrance and said to her assistants, “This is a private gathering with friends. It’s inconvenient for you to follow.”

The assistants’ eyes lit up. “Does that mean we can go home first?”

Liu Ruomeng shot them a sidelong glance. “Thinking too lightly, aren’t you? My salary doesn’t include paid leave for you.”

“Go wait in the car. I’ll call if I need anything.”

The assistants exchanged glances before reluctantly returning to the car.

As Liu Ruomeng pushed open the restaurant door, she saw Fu Mozheng and He Yunyun already drinking and chatting.

“Mozheng, Yunyun, sorry I’m late. Wrapping up work took longer than expected.”

He Yunyun, holding a glass of red wine, was mid-laughter with Fu Mozheng when she looked up in surprise. “You came?”

Liu Ruomeng froze for a second but quickly smiled and took a seat.

Shrugging off her extravagant white faux fur coat, she said cheerfully, “Did you forget, Yunyun? We agreed to meet tonight.”

“Oh,” The drawn-out syllable made it clear that He Yunyun, ever the scatterbrain, barely remembered the arrangement.

Fu Mozheng sipped her wine, glanced at Liu Ruomeng, then set her glass down with a faint smile, saying nothing.

Liu Ruomeng quickly added, “Mozheng, the reason I was late today was because I was filming with your mother. Actress Ruan gave me so much guidance, I learned a lot.”

Fu Mozheng nodded politely.

Clearly, she wasn’t keen on engaging in conversation with Liu Ruomeng, whom she barely knew.

Liu Ruomeng, slightly flustered, pressed on, “Actress Ruan is truly amazing, her acting is just incredible.”

Used to being the one pampered and flattered, she suddenly found herself struggling to play the role of the flatterer. Her words came out stiff, good, great, fantastic.

“With her guidance, you’ll surely inherit her talent and skyrocket to fame!”

How embarrassing, she was parroting the very compliments others had once showered on her!

Despite her efforts, Fu Mozheng remained silent, her smile unwavering.

Scrambling for a topic, Liu Ruomeng finally had a flash of inspiration. “Oh! I saw Shen Wu driving to the set today. Mozheng, did you know about that?”

At the mention of Shen Wu, Fu Mozheng’s expression shifted. Her gaze sharpened instinctively.

“What was she doing at your set?”

She had called Shen Wu that afternoon, only to be ignored.

Her friend request on WeChat? Left unaccepted.

She was Fu Mozheng, the heiress of the Fu family, someone everyone fawned over, someone who could have anything she desired. Yet Shen Wu… Shen Wu was practically challenging her!

The thought alone made her eyes glint with a cold, obsessive intensity.

That look sent a chill down Liu Ruomeng’s spine.

She had always assumed a well-bred socialite like Fu Mozheng would carry herself with refined grace. But the way her eyes narrowed now was downright terrifying.

In a small, hesitant voice, Liu Ruomeng stammered, “Y-yes, I saw her sports car… She came to pick someone up…”

“Who?” Fu Mozheng’s brows furrowed. “Who did Shen Wu go to pick up?”

“Su… Su Yuchen.”

…

Shen Wu sat on the wide, soft bed, picked up the doll lying on the pillow, and pressed it onto her lap before delivering two solid punches to its belly.

“Ugh, so mad!”

She grabbed the plush piglet by its nearly nonexistent neck and shook it violently. “Is my singing really that bad?”

“What kind of awful singing is that?”

“What kind of awful beating is that?”

“Su Yuchen is the real devil here, isn’t she?!”

Just as she was venting, her phone on the bedside table chimed twice.

Shen Wu tossed the doll aside, flopped onto the bed, and grabbed her phone. Unlocking it, she saw a red notification dot on WeChat’s top-right corner, with a small “2” inside.

Her slender, pale fingers unlocked the phone, revealing a red dot in the “New Friends” section.

At this point, Shen Wu already had a hunch. Sure enough, when she tapped it, it was Fu Mozheng.

Mozheng: [Shen Wu, it’s Fu Mozheng.]

Mozheng: [So you can see this, right? Add me back so we can talk this out. The whole world thinks there’s something between us now, you owe me an explanation.]

Shen Wu was already in a foul mood. “What’s there to explain?”

Her finger decisively tapped “Reject.”

Fu Mozheng was clearly glued to her phone because she must’ve received the rejection notice immediately. Fuming, she sent two more messages in rapid succession.

Mozheng: [So you went on that dating show with someone else just to humiliate me?]

Mozheng: [Shen Wu, are you still holding a grudge because I turned you down when we were kids? We were both immature at 19.]

Shen Wu’s stubbornness flared up. She moved her finger away from the “Reject” button and typed:

[Stop sending those ridiculous press releases, or I’ll send you a lawyer’s letter and a public statement together.]

Then she immediately hit “Reject” again and even tapped “Block” for good measure. She couldn’t resist making a throat-slitting gesture at the screen.

The flood of gossip articles had already traced back to which marketing agency was behind them. It was none other than a subsidiary of the Fu Corporation funneling the funds.

“Back when I was 19, the one I met was actually…”

Shen Wu cut herself off, tossed her phone aside, and hugged the plushie again, rolling around on the bed before throwing a few punches at the air.

“An idiot!”

Right now, the stunning Su Yuchen was just outside, separated by only two rooms. The distance from the guest room to her master bedroom was nothing, yet here she was, alone and sleepless, further irritated by some arrogant jerk.

Might as well pass out already!

To the outside world, she was the epitome of a goddess, maybe not ice-cold, but definitely the queenly type everyone acknowledged.

No fan could possibly imagine her now, lying on the bed, kicking her legs in frustration while clutching a plushie.

“How am I supposed to find an excuse to open Su Yuchen’s door?!”

Shen Wu lay sprawled out, stretching her arms to hold the piglet plushie above her, face-to-face with it. “No way! I can’t just go open Su Yuchen’s door, Su Yuchen should be the one knocking on mine!”

“Am I not beautiful?! I’m this gorgeous, she should be the one initiating!”

“I wish Su Yuchen would knock on my door right now.”

The moment the words left her mouth, there was a knock at the bedroom door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Shen Wu bolted upright. “Who is it?”

The only other person in this house was Su Yuchen, so the question was more out of flustered reflex than actual confusion.

It couldn’t be the cat, One Yuan, could it?

Su Yuchen’s voice sounded outside the door: “It’s… it’s me. May I come in?”

“…”

Shen Wu froze for a second, then grabbed a plush toy and pointed at its nose: “So wishing on you actually works? Then I’ll keep hitting you whenever I have a wish.”

The toy’s spiral eyes drooped as its head lolled, seemingly exhaling a wisp of soul smoke in its dazed state.

Perhaps because Shen Wu hadn’t responded for a while, Su Yuchen hesitated outside for two seconds before mustering the courage to speak again: “Have you gone to sleep already?”

“Not yet!” Shen Wu abruptly jumped off the bed, rushed to open the door but then leaped back to the full-length mirror, hurriedly smoothing out the tousled strands of her beautiful hair before finally walking over to open the door.

Outside, Su Yuchen stood hugging a pillow and blanket, looking at Shen Wu with nervous apprehension.

Those eyes were clear, bright, dewy and luminous, so reflective they could almost mirror Shen Wu’s own image.

“Ahem.”

Shen Wu crossed her arms and deliberately drawled: “So, what brings you here?”

“I…” Su Yuchen bit her lip: “Could I sleep with you tonight?”