Yu Wan followed beside Shen Qingzhou the whole time. His legs were long and he walked quickly, so Yu Wan could only half-walk, half-jog after him, feeling extremely miserable.
The two of them stepped out of the lift and went their separate ways.
“Mr Shen, remember to open the door for me in half an hour.”
Shen Qingzhou gave an “mm,” opened his door directly, and went inside. Behind him, Yu Wan pursed her lips.
“Just who exactly is he?”
After entering her flat, Yu Wan separated the ingredients from the snacks. She put the extra ingredients into the fridge and left the rest out to make dinner tonight. But before cooking, she still needed to resolve the questions that had been lingering in her mind the whole way back.
Yu Wan took out her phone, opened the browser, and simply typed in the three characters: Shen Qingzhou.
Two seconds later, a row of news articles and information popped up.
“Film *Night City* surpasses 100 million at opening box office; Shen Qingzhou’s latest masterpiece after *An Undeserved Calamity*.”
“Shen Qingzhou attends film press conference, does not go on stage throughout…”
“Rumours between Shen Qingzhou and actress Lin Ye denied! What is the truth behind the matter…”
“Post-95 rising actor Ji Ning reveals Director Shen’s daily life on set.”
…
So he really was a public figure.
Yu Wan recalled Shen Qingzhou’s earth-shatteringly handsome face. Indeed, hiding a face like that away would be too much of a waste. But Director Shen? He was a director? Not an actor?
Yu Wan quickly opened his profile page and slowly scrolled down with her finger.
Works, profession, school, major achievements…
The more Yu Wan read, the more surprised she became. That ice-block Shen Qingzhou was actually such a well-known director.
Yu Wan read for quite a while before putting down her phone. Shen Qingzhou was very famous. No wonder when she had asked his name for the first time, his gaze had been so strange.
For once, Yu Wan felt annoyed at herself for paying absolutely no attention to the entertainment industry.
After finishing her investigation, naturally it was time to cook. Yu Wan turned on the range hood and began preparing to pour oil.
“Ding… pop!”
Yu Wan froze. What was going on? The range hood had gone off. She looked up at the lights. The lights were off too… and the air conditioner had stopped working!
Yu Wan walked out of the kitchen, looked around, then frowned and called property management.
“Hello, I’m the resident of Building 7, Flat 701. My flat has lost power.”
“Hello, Miss Yu. Because your water and electricity bills have remained unpaid past the deadline, according to regulations, your utilities have been cut off.”
Yu Wan was speechless. They had notified her before, but she had been a little busy recently and had forgotten.
“Then I’ll pay it. Can you turn the electricity back on first?”
“You’ll need to come to the property office and pay the bill first. Only then can we restore your power.”
“…”
702.
Shen Qingzhou was in the study handling work when the doorbell suddenly rang.
“Ding-dong.”
Shen Qingzhou’s gaze fell toward the living room outside. He stood up and walked out of the study. Hongdou had been lying beside him the whole time; when it saw Shen Qingzhou go out, it also happily trotted alongside him.
Shen Qingzhou opened the door and immediately saw the fair, delicate little face outside. His gaze slid downward, but he did not see what he had expected. Instead, he only saw a plate of raw ingredients.
“Mr Shen, my place has lost power. Um… can I cook at your place?”
The air froze stiffly for a few seconds.
Yu Wan cleared her throat. “Property management said they’ll restore my power after I go pay the bill. But Hongdou and His Highness are both waiting to eat, and if I go there and back, it’ll waste a lot of time, so…”
Shen Qingzhou’s expression was calm. After listening to her, he did not say anything and merely shifted slightly to the side.
Yu Wan let out a breath of relief. “Then I’m coming in.”
Yu Wan entered. Naturally, the adorable Student Yu Diandian followed behind her.
The moment Hongdou saw Yu Diandian, it immediately became excited. It circled around her nonstop. The two dogs touched heads and barked a few times, looking as though their relationship was extremely good.
Yu Wan smiled, then suddenly said, “Mr Shen, please keep an eye on them a little. If they try to do… unspeakable things in public, then you…”
“The kitchen is over there.” Shen Qingzhou’s brow twitched slightly as he very silently changed the topic. “Don’t make it too messy.”
Yu Wan raised an eyebrow. Actually, she had wanted to say that since the two had such a good relationship, and since the male was unmarried and the female was unmarried, she approved.
But since Shen Qingzhou was… shy? Then she would not mention it.
Yu Wan entered the kitchen and started cooking. She washed the vegetables, cut the meat, and prepared to light the stove. However, after fiddling with it for a long time, she realised that the kitchen equipment was built a little strangely. Why were there so many buttons…
“Mr Shen, how do you work this thing in your house?” Yu Wan asked while studying it.
A moment later, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around as she spoke.
“This is different from the one in my home, and it’s all in English too. It’s a little complicat—”
The word had not fully left her mouth when the person behind her had already walked forward. Yu Wan stared at the shirt collar that had suddenly come close, froze for one second, and felt her breath catch in her chest.
Too close.
Yu Wan wanted to take a step back, but behind her was the glass counter, leaving her with nowhere to retreat.
Shen Qingzhou, however, seemed completely unaware. He looked up at the range hood and pressed a few buttons. Clearly, Shen Qingzhou rarely used the kitchen either, because after pressing for a while, the light still did not come on.
The central air conditioning outside was constantly running, so the kitchen was also very cold. Yet a thin layer of sweat appeared on Yu Wan’s back. She looked at the white shirt so close to her, smelled the faint but very pleasant scent on it, and for some reason, her heart began to thump wildly.
Finally, there was a ding above her head. Yu Wan slowly raised her head. Her gaze passed over his Adam’s apple, then his delicate jaw, his lightly pressed lips, and finally stopped in his light tea-coloured eyes.
“It’s done. Press here. You have to press them together.” Shen Qingzhou’s voice carried a magnetic smoothness, slightly deep, like a cello in a broadcasting hall…
Yu Wan was a little distracted. When Shen Qingzhou did not hear her answer, he lowered his head to look at her.
Her delicate and lovely fair face was tilted upward. Her eyes were very large, her pupils a deep ink-black. Shen Qingzhou stared for a moment, then frowned slightly.
“You didn’t understand?”
“Ah?”
“If you don’t look and only listen, how would you know which button I pressed?” Shen Qingzhou was puzzled.
Yu Wan laughed awkwardly and quickly turned back around with her back facing him.
“You… say it again.”
Shen Qingzhou was silent for a moment, but he still patiently explained it once more. Then he looked toward the cooking area. After reading the English words there, he operated it for her to see.
“Do you understand now?”
Yu Wan nodded and quietly tilted her head to look at him. His aura was very faint, and even his body temperature seemed low, but standing beside him, Yu Wan felt that his presence was very strong—so strong she could not ignore it at all.
Yu Wan did not interact with many people, but she knew that not everyone was like Shen Qingzhou. She could not describe exactly what made him special. She could only say that he was like the mysterious figures in the novels she wrote: keeping people a thousand miles away, yet drawing everyone’s curiosity.
After Shen Qingzhou finished speaking, he went to pour a glass of water.
Yu Wan let out a breath of relief and began seriously making dinner for the two adorable pets. Half an hour later, Yu Wan came out carrying the dinner. When she reached the living room, she saw Hongdou and Yu Diandian gathered around Shen Qingzhou. He was holding a dog toy, seemingly teasing them.
More importantly, there was a faint smile at the corners of his lips.
His eyes were lowered, so Yu Wan could not see the expression in them. But she could guess that his eyes must be gentle, just like the look she had once seen him give Hongdou.
“Hongdou, Your Highness, dinner is ready,” Yu Wan called brightly.
The two dogs, whose sense of smell was excellent, immediately turned and ran toward her. Shen Qingzhou put down the toy in his hand and also raised his eyes to look in her direction.
Yu Wan’s gaze collided with his in the air. For some reason, Yu Wan suddenly felt that this scene had a little bit of an… old married couple feeling.
She had made food for the “children” and called them to eat, while her “husband” exchanged a warm glance with her.
Cut!
Yu Wan abruptly withdrew her gaze. She must have gone silly from looking at handsome men. How could her imagination have run wild to this extent?
Yu Wan placed the food in the designated dining area. Hongdou and His Highness squeezed together and happily began eating. Yu Wan watched them eat lovingly for a while, then stood up.
“Mr Shen, have you eaten dinner?”
Shen Qingzhou had already picked up a magazine from the sofa and was reading it. Without raising his head, he said, “No.”
“Oh. Then can I borrow your kitchen again to cook a bowl of noodles?”
“Whatever.”
“Thank you.” Yu Wan returned to the kitchen.
Tonight, she had originally planned to cook noodles for herself. When she came over earlier, she thought it would be a little embarrassing to cook only for herself, so she had brought enough for two people.
Jian Yunong had once said that Yu Wan was bad at socialising and did not understand tact. Staying at home all day made her seem exactly like a canary locked inside a birdcage. She said Yu Wan had very few strengths, but her imagination and cooking skills were genuinely good…
Indeed, she had no parents, and her brother was too busy. Since she cooked for herself alone, she had truly researched recipes quite thoroughly. At least Jian Yunong and her brother were full of praise for her cooking skills.
Yu Wan quickly made two bowls of egg and shredded-meat noodles. They looked simple, but she had added her own special sauce.
She brought the noodles to the dining table and looked at Shen Qingzhou.
“Mr Shen, I made noodles. Come eat.”
Shen Qingzhou’s gaze moved toward her. “No need.”
“I made two portions. Besides, didn’t you say you haven’t eaten yet?” Yu Wan said.
Shen Qingzhou put down the magazine. “There’ll be takeaway delivered later.”
“Eating takeaway every day isn’t nutritious.” Yu Wan very smoothly picked up the two bowls of noodles and naturally placed one in front of him. “I guarantee that if you eat this, you absolutely won’t regret it.”
Shen Qingzhou frowned slightly and looked at the noodles on the coffee table.
But perhaps because he was hungry, this bowl of noodles did indeed look quite good, and the smell was also very tempting.
Yu Wan started eating her own portion first. “Just take it as my thanks for letting me borrow your kitchen. Don’t be polite.”
Shen Qingzhou: “…”
“It really is very delicious. I’m certain and completely sure.” Yu Wan blinked her large eyes at him.
Shen Qingzhou glanced sideways at her.
Yu Wan’s eyes were very beautiful. Her ink-black pupils seemed to hold flickering stars, and her eyelashes were thick and long, fluttering and making her appear even more lively. Now, she was looking at Shen Qingzhou pitifully with those eyes.
In that instant, Shen Qingzhou’s mind produced an image of… Hongdou.
She looked very similar to Hongdou when it was trying to please him.
“Eat, eat.” Yu Wan slurped her own noodles while staring at him without blinking.
Just when Yu Wan was about to give up on persuading him to eat, Shen Qingzhou actually picked up the chopsticks. Under her watchful gaze, he picked up a mouthful of noodles and ate it.
Yu Wan’s eyes slowly curved into a smile. It seemed he was not that difficult to handle after all.
The delighted Yu Wan did not know that the reason Shen Qingzhou had been willing to give her face and take that first bite of noodles was entirely because he had suddenly felt that her pitiful look just now somewhat resembled… a pet dog.
Shen Qingzhou had an unusually abundant amount of patience and kindness toward non-human animals—especially dogs.
“Is it good?”
Shen Qingzhou had originally planned to eat only one bite, but after that first bite, he quickly finished the rest of the noodles.
He glanced at her and gave a fair evaluation. “Your cooking skills are good.”
“Of course. Otherwise, why would the dogs like it so much?” Yu Wan said proudly.
Shen Qingzhou: “…”
“…No, I’m not saying you’re a dog.”
It seemed like the more she explained, the worse it got.
“Cough, cough. What I mean is…”
“Ding-dong.”
Just then, the doorbell rang.
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