At night, Yu Wan sat at her desk revising *Wolf Yan* while video-chatting with Jian Yunong, her only childhood friend, who was far away overseas.
“Yu Wan, I’m telling you now, when you join the production crew later, if you meet any big celebrity I like, you have to get me an autograph,” Jian Yunong said indistinctly while slurping instant noodles.
Yu Wan rolled her eyes at her. “Big sister, I’m going there to work, not to chase celebrities. Asking for autographs is embarrassing.”
“Hey, since when did you get all noble on me?”
“If you want an autograph, wouldn’t it be easier to ask my brother directly? Why ask me? In the future, I’ll only be a small-time screenwriter, okay?”
Jian Yunong said, “Your brother is a busy man. How would he have time for little things like that?”
“Get lost, get lost.”
Jian Yunong finally finished her noodles and let out a loud burp. Yu Wan glanced at her, feeling as though she could smell the pickled cabbage instant noodle flavour through the screen.
“This was the last bowl of pickled cabbage noodles I brought with me. Yu Wan, tomorrow you have to mail me a whole box,” Jian Yunong said sorrowfully.
Yu Wan: “…Eat yourself to death, why don’t you.”
“Oh, right. Didn’t you say last time that a new neighbour was moving in opposite you? How is it? Male or female? Friendly? Must be rich, right? Anyone living in your building is either wealthy or powerful.” Jian Yunong wore an expression full of contempt for the bourgeoisie.
Yu Wan’s fingers paused on the keyboard. Shen Qingzhou’s cold, otherworldly face drifted through her mind.
“Mm, he moved in. He’s a man. Very handsome.”
“Very handsome?! How handsome? Compared to your brother?” Jian Yunong looked excited.
Yu Wan smiled. “He’s not the same type as my brother. But if you ask me, I prefer this neighbour’s looks. After all, I’ve been looking at my brother for over twenty years. I’m tired of him.”
“If your brother heard that, he’d definitely beat you to death.”
“He wouldn’t bear to.”
“Just keep bullying your brother to your heart’s content.” Jian Yunong clicked her tongue and shook her head. “But Yu Wan, it seems like you really like this neighbour. It’s rare for a super homebody like you to take a fancy to someone. Hey, hey, what about him? Is he friendly to you? Did he give you a new-neighbour gift and try to get closer?”
“Friendly?” Yu Wan’s brow twitched. She muttered, “It’s already good enough if he doesn’t freeze me to death…”
Jian Yunong didn’t hear clearly and continued talking to herself. “Such a handsome neighbour, and rich too. Tsk tsk, you little girl, your luck is pretty good. Hey, if you manage to hook him, remember to update me.”
Yu Wan made an “oh” sound. “I’ll try my best.”
Jian Yunong froze. She had only been joking. She hadn’t expected Student Yu, who usually only lived through words, to actually have that kind of intention.
“Are you serious?”
Yu Wan thought about it. “The first time I saw him, I just felt he was inexplicably good-looking. Like the male lead of one of my novels.”
Jian Yunong was dumbfounded. “Um, Yu Wan, don’t tell me you’re doing that unrealistic love-at-first-sight thing?”
“Love at first sight? Does this count?” Yu Wan seriously thought it over. “If this counts, then I suppose it is.”
“…” Could she not be so casual about it?
After ending the video call with Jian Yunong, Yu Wan worked on the script for several more hours, then had a small online meeting with the two screenwriters. By the time it ended, Yu Wan’s eyes were unbearably tired. She threw aside her computer and directly flopped onto the bed like a corpse.
And after lying down, she unknowingly fell asleep. When she woke up, the sky was already bright.
Sunlight shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Yu Wan sat up on the bed with a dazed expression. Looking at the computer screen that was still lit, she suddenly felt as though there was something she had not finished doing…
After thinking for a long time, she suddenly jolted awake. It seemed, perhaps, maybe… she had forgotten to update *The Final Pendulum* yesterday.
A drop of cold sweat appeared on Yu Wan’s forehead. She guiltily crawled back to the computer. After opening the author dashboard, she discovered that there was already a pile of comments under the story.
“Where are you? Why did you stop updating today?”
“You promised daily updates, daily updates! Great One, you liar, 555555.”
“I just kicked over the bowl in front of me. Unwan, come out. I promise I won’t beat you to death!”
“The place you stopped the day before yesterday made me panic. I was waiting wholeheartedly for today’s update!!!”
“Author-sama, are you okay? Were you kidnapped? Huh?!”
…
The drums of update demands were beating too loudly. Yesterday, Yu Wan had worked on the script until late and completely forgot to update. Yu Wan propped up her chin, thinking about how to explain herself to this group of hungry little children waiting to be fed.
After a long while, Yu Wan ran to the living room and found Yu Diandian, who was sleeping comfortably. She woke it up.
“Your Highness, look pitiful. Give me a pitiful expression.”
Yu Diandian had just woken up, its eyes still shimmering with tears. Yu Wan was quick-eyed and quick-handed, and immediately took a photo…
Five minutes later, her book fans saw that Unwan had updated her Weibo.
The photo showed Yu Diandian, the beloved pet that often appeared on Unwan’s Weibo. However, in today’s photo, it looked “exceptionally pitiful.”
Everyone saw the caption Unwan had written: I had something urgent yesterday and forgot to update. As compensation, there will be two updates today. Also, here is one pitiful photo of His Highness…
Once Yu Diandian appeared, the public anger finally calmed down quite a bit. Yu Wan let out a breath of relief, pulled herself together, and went to code words furiously.
Because she remembered that she had promised Shen Qingzhou yesterday that she would make food for Hongdou, Yu Wan went to the kitchen very punctually today to prepare the ingredients. However, once she opened the fridge, she realised that the ingredients seemed to be completely insufficient.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t gone supermarket shopping in a long time. The snack stock at home was almost finished too. Thinking this, Yu Wan changed clothes, picked up her bag, and prepared to go to the supermarket inside the residential compound to buy some things.
As Yu Wan walked toward the supermarket, she called Shen Qingzhou, wanting to remind him that she would deliver the food a little later today.
The call connected.
“Hello.” His slightly deep voice was a pleasure to the ears…
Yu Wan said, “Mr Shen, are you home?”
“No. I’m at the supermarket.”
“Supermarket?” Yu Wan said in surprise. “The supermarket inside the compound?”
“Mm.”
“That’s great. I’m going to the supermarket now too. Because there aren’t enough ingredients at home, I’m going to buy some now. I was just about to tell you that Hongdou will be eating a little later today.”
The other end paused. “Okay.”
“Then wait for me. I’ll be there soon.”
After saying that, Yu Wan hurriedly hung up without waiting for Shen Qingzhou to react.
Standing in front of the freezer, Shen Qingzhou frowned slightly. Wait for what?
Yu Wan arrived at the supermarket, stored her bag away, then took out her phone and called Shen Qingzhou.
“Mr Shen, where are you?”
“Do you need something?”
“Yes. Aren’t we going to buy ingredients together?”
“…When did I say I was buying ingredients with you?” Shen Qingzhou’s voice dropped several degrees.
As Yu Wan walked inside, she looked around for his figure. Ignoring Shen Qingzhou’s not very friendly tone, she said faintly, “Are you sure you don’t want to see what Hongdou is eating?”
The other side fell silent for a few seconds. “Drinks section.”
“Okay.” Yu Wan hung up, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips.
From far away, she spotted Shen Qingzhou’s figure. Tall, straight, and slender—no matter how she looked at him, he looked like something out of a poster.
“Mr Shen.” Yu Wan walked over and glanced at his shopping trolley.
Imported mineral water, imported milk, imported simple meals… In any case, everything was top-tier. This supermarket was specially prepared for the homeowners here. There were not many people shopping, but the selection was extremely complete, and there were also many top-quality foods from overseas.
Yu Wan withdrew her gaze. “You’re only buying these?”
“Mm.”
Yu Wan nodded. In any case, she really couldn’t understand people who came to the supermarket but did not buy a single snack.
“Where do we buy the things Hongdou eats?”
“I’ll take you there in a bit. Right now, I’ll buy some of my own things first while I’m here. You don’t mind, do you?” Yu Wan tilted her head to look at him.
Shen Qingzhou looked straight ahead. “Whatever.”
Yu Wan smiled. She casually took several rows of Yakult from the fridge, picked up a few cans of banana milk, then finally stopped in front of the brand of milk Shen Qingzhou had chosen.
“Does this milk taste good?”
Shen Qingzhou had no patience for this matter to begin with. If it had not been for Hongdou, there was no way he would have followed someone around a supermarket. He responded perfunctorily.
Yu Wan said, “Then I’ll try it.”
She took a large carton. Since she could not hold everything in her hands, she directly placed it into the trolley Shen Qingzhou was pushing.
Shen Qingzhou’s gaze paused on her extremely natural expression, as though he wanted to say something. In the end, he silently looked away.
The two walked into the snack aisle. Yu Wan stuffed packet after packet of biscuits, chocolate pies, White Rabbit milk sweets, and other things into the trolley. Shen Qingzhou pushed the trolley and looked at Yu Wan’s behaviour in complete incomprehension. He did not understand why anyone would enjoy eating such junk food so much.
“Hey, hey, look.”
“So handsome. Even more handsome up close…”
“To actually see him here… does he live nearby?”
“Do you dare ask for an autograph?”
“I don’t dare… I heard he doesn’t like being disturbed in private. Why don’t you go?”
“I don’t dare either.”
Yu Wan had just tossed a packet of crisps into the trolley when she turned around and saw two girls whispering not far away, their gazes constantly glancing toward Shen Qingzhou. Yu Wan turned back to look at Shen Qingzhou and muttered, “Looks like handsome people get worshipped whenever they go out.”
Just as they were about to leave that aisle, the two girls finally pushed and shoved each other over.
“Mr… Mr Shen, could you give us an autograph?”
Yu Wan looked at the two of them in surprise. An autograph? Wasn’t that a little exaggerated? Was he so handsome they wanted his signature?
Wait…
Yu Wan’s mind turned. Why did they even know his surname?
Yu Wan looked at the two young girls whose faces were flushed red, then looked at the cold-faced Shen Qingzhou, completely confused.
“Sorry, I didn’t bring a pen.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. We brought one.” One of the girls hurriedly took out a pen and a piece of paper, then shakily handed them to Shen Qingzhou.
Shen Qingzhou reached out and took them. He quickly wrote his name on the paper, then returned it to the girl.
He nodded slightly and walked away from the shelf. After taking one step, he turned back and glanced at Yu Wan. “Bring the trolley.”
“Oh.” Yu Wan reacted a beat late and followed after him. As she walked, she looked back at the two girls. The two of them were staring at the paper with his signature, so excited they probably wouldn’t recognise their own parents.
After they had walked quite far and the two girls could no longer be seen, Yu Wan frowned and said, “Mr Shen, who are you?”
The question sounded a bit strange, and Yu Wan knew it too. But who told her to be someone who paid no attention to the outside world? Apart from knowing that her own brother was a big celebrity, she knew absolutely nothing about other famous people.
Shen Qingzhou did not answer her either. He turned his eyes slightly to look at her. His light tea-coloured eyes remained completely calm.
“Hongdou’s food. Hurry up.”
Yu Wan pursed her lips. Seeing that he had no intention of answering, she could only stop asking and quickly take Shen Qingzhou to buy the ingredients.
After they finished shopping, Shen Qingzhou pushed the trolley to the checkout. Yu Wan hurriedly prepared to take out her own things, because their items were mixed together, and sorting them out would take some time.
Shen Qingzhou directly interrupted her. “I’ll pay. Consider it today’s wages.”
Then he indicated for the cashier to ring everything up.
Yu Wan obediently stood to the side, thinking faintly in her heart: You have money, so you get the final say.
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