PCP C3

 

Chapter 3: Dog Food

 

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Editor: Caelath]

 

Luo Qian and Yu Wan spent the rest of the afternoon chatting  in the coffee shop. The Xinggu Company had their eyes on “Underworld of Wolves” for a quite a while, so not being able to sign a deal with the author had been a big headache for them. Now that they had, the project would naturally be given the highest priority.

“I’ll assign two professional screenwriters to help advise you, though you’ll still have the final say on everything. We want to film as soon as possible, so please get the script ready.” Luo Qian said.

“Sure, I’ll put this on the top of my list for the next period of time.”

Luo Qian sipped her coffee and suddenly asked, “Are you dropping ‘The Last Tick of TIme’?”

Yu Wan stared in bewilderment at Luo Qian. She thought that she was only being polite when she said that she had read all of her books, but it seemed that she was a legitimate fan all along.

“It won’t be dropped, but it’ll update slower than usual.”

“I don’t know whether to be relieved or sad.” Luo Qian sighed. “Yu Wan, can I ask, does Su Jian have any feeling towards Xiao Yu at all?”

Yu Wan paused and gazed at Luo Qian with her hand on her chin. “You want spoilers?”

“Can I?” Luo Qian looked excited.

“Nah.”

“…”

Yu Wan went home after parting with Luo Qian. In the elevator, she kept thinking about how she would change “Underworld of Wolves” to make it appropriate for the screen.

“Ding…” Yu Wan took out her key as she walked through the corridor.

“Ah.” She wasn’t watching where she was going, and took a step back after meeting a hunk of resistance. Yu Wan furrowed her brows as she saw the figure in front of her.

Yu Wan stared. “You, you’re standing at my door because…” Seeing a knockout-handsome guy standing in front of your door would make anyone feel a bit dazed.

“What did you feed Red Bean that day?” Shen Qingzhou immediately asked. His tone was cool and direct, giving off a sense of pressure. Yu Wan looked up at him with a tight feeling in her chest, “It’s only the dog food that I made…”

“Red Bean’s already gone for two days without eating.” Shen Qingzhou said.

“Ah?” Yu Wan was confused.

Shen Qingzhou said, “I took it to the vet, and it’s not serious. They said that it was something it ate recently that made it lose its appetite.”

Yu Wan smiled, “So… You think that something’s wrong with my Majesty’s food. Mr. Shen, Majesty ate it too, and she’s completely fine.”

Shen Qingzhou’s brows furrowed slightly, and his exquisite lips pursed slightly.

Yu Wan’s gaze stopped at his lips, and immediately moved away in a panic. “Ahem, I think, there might be a possibility.”

Shen Qingzhou kept staring at her. His gaze indicated for her to continue.

Yu Wan calmed down and spoke, “Majesty really likes the lunches that I make her, and she waits for it diligently every day. An old man taught me the recipe, and he’s raised more dogs than anyone can count. He’s also a nutritionist, so not only do doggies love his lunches, they’re also extremely healthy.”

“Get to the point.”

“Oh.” Yu Wan started to sweat. “The first time I made it for Majesty, she wolfed it down. Afterwards, I bought some kibbles from the store for when I don’t have time to cook for her. But she didn’t have an appetite for them at all…”

“So, you’re saying?”

Yu Wan nodded. “It could be that Red Bean’s become… addicted to my lunches.”

“…”

Shen Qingzhou was still quiet, so she offered, “It’s almost dinnertime anyway, why don’t I make some for Red Bean, too?”

His pupils were pale with a tint of smoky tea. Coldness seemed to radiate from him.

“Eh… Forget about it, then. It’s not that big of a deal; if you just put a little variation in what he eats, he’ll be back to chowing down in no time.”

Yu Wan slid her key in her door as she spoke. She decided to not look at him any longer, as she felt like her life expectancy was dropping by the minute.

“Wait. Bring it over when you’re done.”

Just as Yu Wan was about to walk in her door, Shen Qingzhou spoke. Yu Wan turned around in astonishment, but Shen Qingzhou had already turned his back towards her.

Yu Wan pouted her lips. He wouldn’t let his pet starve after all.

When Yu Wan closed the door, Yu Diandian trounced over excitedly. Yu Wan crouched down to pet her head, “Babe, the one who’s been chasing after you isn’t feeling well lately. His master was waiting for me at the door.”

“Woof, woof!”

“Mm… Since Red Bean is so pitiful, I’ll cook today.” Yu Wan stood up. “Come on, shoo. I’ll get your tasty dinner done in a jiffy.”

Since it was hot, Yu Wan turned on the air conditioner and took a shower. She put on a new change of clothes and went to the kitchen to cook dinner… No, dog food.

Half an hour later, the savory meals were finished. Yu Diandian wagged its tail as it followed her, and Yu Wan put down a plate. “You can eat first, I’ll come back later.”

Yu Diandian pounced on the food as soon as it hit the floor. What did it need Yu Wan else for?

Yu Wan walked to 702 and took a deep breath before pressing the doorbell.

Soon, the door opened. A chilly wind rushed towards her face through the crack of the door. Yu Wan thought that her apartment was rather cool, but when she entered Shen Qingzhou’s residence, she realized that the temperature was frighteningly low.

“Ahh… It’s so cold.” Yu Wan muttered. She turned her head and saw Shen Qingzhou’s even icier expression, and she laughed dryly. “Food’s here. Where’s Red Bean?”

“Over there. You can just put it down.”

Yu Wan walked to Red Bean.

“Red Bean.”

The dog was sprawled weakly on the floor, but its eyes flashed as soon as they rested upon her. Yu Wan set down the dinner in front of him and sat down on the floor. “Hey, have a bite. Don’t you want to eat this?”

Red Bean sniffed the meal, paused for three seconds and then plunged his snout at the plate, gobbling heartily.

Shen Qingzhou felt relieved when he saw Red Bean start eating. He walked to Red Bean and kneeled down on one knee while patting Red Bean’s head. “So you’ve become a picky eater, hmm?”

His low, opulent tone was striking to her ears. His voice was both pampering and slightly exasperated, and Yu Wan’s breath was cut short. She instinctively looked at him.

A gentle shine reflected off of his impeccable face. His pupils, though usually indifferent, glinted with a faint kindness… He could really talk like this?

“Miss Yu.”

As she was staring at him in wonder, Shen Qingzhou suddenly turned to her. In an instant, his expression snapped back to its usual coolness.

“Mm.” Yu Wan quickly turned away and bore her eyes into Red Bean instead.

“Since Red Bean does like your food, if you have time, I would like to hire you to make food for Red Bean.”

“Majesty eats it every day, I can just make another helping for Red Bean… Wait, you said you wanted to hire me?” Yu Wan was caught off guard.

Shen Qingzhou stood up and looked down at her from his height. “Just one meal per day is fine. You can set your salary.”

Yu Wan replied, “It doesn’t have to be so formal like a job, right? I’m glad to help you out as a neighbor.”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t seem to have heard her. “Is right now fine for the time of day?”

Is this an interrogation? That does sound like an interrogative tone…

“I’m at fault too for not stopping Red Bean from eating. I really like Red Bean anyways, so fixing it some food isn’t a problem at all. But Mr. Shen, money is just…”

“You can consider it.” Shen Qingzhou coolly interrupted her. “I don’t have any guests over, and there’s no one who can cook, so I would be in need of your services.”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t look like he knew or cared about how she was going to finish her sentence, and walked towards the kitchen to fill up a water cup.

Yu Wan’s eye twitched. She realized that this person had an amazing quality: he could use his completely emotionless politeness to shut people’s mouths in a blunt yet candid manner. It didn’t matter the slightest whether you wanted to accept or deny.

Mm… Okay, it wasn’t like she wanted to deny him, since there was nothing bad about coming every day to admire a beauty like him. And, she would have a deeper understanding and more ideas the next time she described a male protagonist in her book.

“Red Bean, why are you so cute while your owner is so cold?”

Red Bean kept eating in delight.

“It’s only because you’re so miserable that I would come make you food.” Yu Wan chuckled and muttered, “But just to be clear, I’m not here just to chase after looks…”

“Miss Yu, have you agreed? How much do you want, I’ll pay a year’s worth in advance.” She didn’t notice that Shen Qingzhou had already come back. He held a glass cup full of water, and the joints on his fingers were incredibly distracting.

Yu Wan was startled as she turned to face him. When she saw his frankness, she realized that there was no way he was going to accept a reason like “neighborly friendliness” or a “fondness for dogs”. “Okay, Mr. Shen. I’ll have the money be based on how much the ingredients cost, and I’ll collect it in the future. How’s that?”

Shen Qingzhou paused. “Fine.”

Yu Wan smiled as she stood up, “Mm, then that’s how it’ll be.” She kindly reached out for a handshake, but was only greeted with a moment of silence. The person in front of her showed no sign of accepting the gesture, so Yu Wan coughed awkwardly. “Then, Mr. Shen, I’ll take my leave.”

Shen Qingzhou inclined his head.

Yu Wan turned back to wave at Red Bean. “Red Bean, I’m off.”

“Woof!”

Yu Wan walked towards the door. After a few steps, she suddenly stopped. “Right, Mr. Shen, I don’t think I even know your full name yet.”

Shen Qingzhou looked at her for a moment. His gaze was, well, a bit strange.

He said, “Shen Qingzhou.”

“Shen, Qing, zhou.” Yu Wan repeated. The name swirled in her mind, and she felt that the words sounded very sweet together. She nodded and thought, this name is actually pretty elegant…

“Mr. Shen, you have my phone number, right? I remember calling you last time.”

“Mm.”

“Okay then.” Yu Wan felt puzzled, “But why didn’t you call me before and instead waited at my door?”

Shen Qingzhou furrowed his brows. “I wasn’t waiting for you, you just came back when I walked past your apartment. Also, your phone was shut off.”

“Oh, so that’s how it was. It probably ran out of battery, I’ll go charge it when I get home. Bye.”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t say anything and watched Red Bean eat. Having grown used to his attitude, Yu Wan didn’t mind the slightest. She closed the door behind her and went home.

701 and 702 were only a few paces apart. As Yu Wan walked into her apartment, she crouched down next to Yu Diandian. “Majesty, are you done? Majesty, I’ll have to start making two dishes now. Even though it’s a bit of a hassle, I’ll be able to admire a hunk every day, mm… Shen Qingzhou’s temperament fits too well with my next novel’s male protagonist. Lucky, I’m too lucky.”