PCP C5
Chapter 5: Dinner
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Editor: Caelath]
Yu Wan followed Shen Qingzhou closely. His pace was brisk, and Yu Wan had to jog unenthusiastically half the time to keep up.
The two parted ways when they walked out of the elevator.
“Mr. Shen, remember to open the door for me in half an hour.”
Shen Qingzhou grunted and walked in his door without another word. Yu Wan pursed her lips at his back. “What kind of person is that guy?”
When she went into her apartment, Yu Wan separated the ingredients and snacks from one another. She put most of the raw foods in the fridge and left some behind for tonight’s dinner. However, before cooking, she needed to solve some of the problems she had thought of on the way home.
Yu Wan took out her phone, opened the browser, and simply typed the words “Shen Qing Zhou”.
Two seconds later, a long list of news articles and wikis popped up.
“Blockbuster film ‘Night City’ breaks ten billion in box office, Shen Qingzhou strikes again right after ‘Calamity’.”
“Shen Qingzhou attends movie premiere, yet never went on stage…”
“Scandal between Shen Qingzhou and celebrity Lin Yeyu proven false! What really happened…”
“95’ amateur actor Ji Ning reveals the daily life of Director Shen.”
….
He seems like quite the public figure, Yu Wan thought. Shen Qingzhou’s frighteningly attractive face resurfaced in her memory. Indeed, it would be a waste for a face like that to be hidden. But, Director Shen? He’s a director? Not an actor?
Yu Wan quickly clicked open a wiki and scrolled down with her finger.
Works, majors, university, achievements… Yu Wan grew more and more astonished by the second. It was hard to fathom that an iceberg like Shen Qingzhou could be such a famous movie director.
Yu Wan didn’t put down her phone for a long time. Shen Qingzhou’s name was very well-known; no wonder his stare seemed strange when she asked him what his name was.
It was rare for Yu Wan to regret not following the entertainment industry.
After poking around on the internet, it was time for her to make food. Yu Wan turned on the kitchen ventilator and started to dribble some oil on the pan.
“Tink… Snap!”
Yu Wan stopped. What was going on? The ventilator had shut down, and the lights were off too… Even the air conditioner wasn’t working!
Yu Wan walked out of the kitchen and scanned her apartment. She furrowed her brows as she called the neighborhood’s utilities department.
“Hello, I’m the resident in Apartment 7 Room 701, my house’s electricity just shut off.”
“Good evening, Miss Yu. The deadline passed for the utility bill, so we cut it according to policy.”
Yu Wan felt exasperated. They had indeed informed her about it earlier, but she had forgotten about it since she was so busy.
“Then I’ll pay, could you reconnect the electricity?”
“We will do that once you come to the services department and pay the bill.”
“…”
While Shen Qingzhou was busy working in his office, the doorbell rang. “Ding-dong.”
Shen Qingzhou’s gaze reached the living room, and he stood up to walk out of the office. Red Bean was slumped on the floor nearby, and it got to its feet and started to follow Shen Qingzhou.
He opened the door and saw her pale, clean, and petite face. His stare shifted downwards to meet a plate of raw ingredients.
“Mr. Shen, my house’s electricity just shut off, uh, can I come and cook at your house?”
The air froze for a few seconds.
Yu Wan cleared her throat. “The utilities told me that they would reconnect the electricity once I go pay the bill, but I thought that Red Bean and Majesty are still waiting for their food and it would take a while for me to go back and forth, so…”
Shen Qingzhou looked indifferent. He didn’t say anything after she trailed off, but instead leaned aside slightly.
Yu Wan exhaled. “Then I’m coming in.”
The cute little Yu Diandian waddled behind Yu Wan’s heels as she walked in.
Red Bean was immediately delighted at the sight of Yu Diandian. It circled around it, and the two bumped heads while barking. Their feelings looked incredibly mutual.
Yu Wan laughed and said, “Mr. Shen, just keep in mind, if they do some… indescribable thing in public, you…”
“The kitchen is over there.” Shen Qingzhou’s brow twitched slightly, and he coolly changed the topic. “Don’t make a mess.”
Yu Wan raised an eyebrow. She wanted to say that since they clicked together so well and both were single, she was fine with them being together. But Shen Qingzhou was… Embarrassed? Then she wouldn’t press the matter.
Yu Wan started to prepare in the kitchen. After she washed the vegetables and sliced the meat, she tried to start the stove. But after a while of fiddling around, she realized that the kitchenware’s layout was a bit strange, why were there so many buttons…
“Mr. Shen, how do you work this thing?” Yu Wan called out as she studied the machinery.
Soon, she heard footsteps behind her. She spoke as she turned around, “This is a bit different from what I use at home, and it’s all in English, so it’s rather complicated…”
Before she could finish the word “complicated”, the person behind her had already walked up. Yu Wan stared at the incoming shirt collar and was stunned for a moment. Her breath pushed against his chest.
They were too close, and Yu Wan wanted to take a step back. But the glass countertop was right behind her, so she couldn’t move at all.
And Shen Qingzhou didn’t seem to notice at all. He looked up at the ventilator and pressed a few buttons. It was obvious that he rarely used the kitchen, and the light didn’t turn on after a bit of button mashing.
The air conditioner never stopped and the temperature in the kitchen was also very low, but a line of cold sweat broke out on Yu Wan’s back. She looked at the white collared shirt in front of her and caught a whiff of an extremely faint yet soothing smell. Her heart started to thump.
Finally, a ding sounded on top, and Yu Wan slowly looked up. Her gaze passed his throat, his exquisite chin, his soft lips, and halted at his smoky tea pupils.
“It’s done. Press here and here at the same time.” Shen Qingzhou’s voice carried an irresistible smoothness. His rich tone was like a viola in an auditorium…
Yu Wan’s mind floated away, and Shen Qingzhou looked down when he heard no response.
A charming, delicate, and clean face gazed up at him in a pampering sort of admiration. Her eyes were quite large with a rich shade of dark chocolate. Shen Qingzhou’s brows furrowed. “Did you get that?”
“Ah?”
“If you’re only going to listen and not watch, how are you going to know what to press?’ Shen Qingzhou was confused.
Yu Wan quickly turned around with her back facing him. “Please, please say the instructions again.”
Shen Qingzhou paused, but he still patiently ran through the instructions again. After reading the English on the cooking machinery, he demonstrated each again for her to see.
“Do you see now?”
Yu Wan nodded and quietly tilted her head to look at him. His breath was steady but shallow and his body temperature was low, but Yu Wan thought that his aura was very overwhelming and broad.
Yu Wan never came in contact with a lot of people, but she knew that Shen Qingzhou was different from most. She couldn’t really put her finger on the exact reason why he was unique, but it was safe to say that he was like a mysterious character in one of her novels. Though he was distant and isolated from everyone else, he still attracted everyone’s attention.
Shen Qingzhou went to pour a glass of water after he finished.
Yu Wan let out a sigh of relief and started to carefully cook for the two pets. Half an hour later, she walked to the living room holding plates of their dinner. She saw Red Bean and Yu Diandian huddled next to Shen Qingzhou, who seemed to be playing with them with a dog toy.
But the most important thing was the faint smile on the corners of his lips.
His gaze was cast downwards, so Yu Wan couldn’t see his eyes. But she could imagine the kindness in them, just like how he was looking at Red Bean last time.
“Red Bean, Majesty, dinner is ready.” Yu Wan called.
The two doggies (with their exceptional olfactory abilities) immediately leapt towards her. Shen Qingzhou put down the toy and also looked towards her.
Yu Wan’s gaze met his, and for some reason she thought that the scene was a little… like an old couple. She made food for the “kids”, and then she would catch a fleeting glimpse of affection with her “husband”.
Crack! Yu Wan instantly withdrew her stare. She must have gotten dumb looking at hunks, how did she even think of something that silly?
Yu Wan put the plates in their dining area, and Red Bean and Majesty squeezed over to start eating. She tenderly watched them feast for a while, then stood up. “Mr. Shen, have you eaten dinner yet?”
Shen Qingzhou was already reading a magazine on the sofa. Without looking up, he said, “No.”
“Oh, then may I borrow your kitchen to make some noodles?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks.” Yu Wan went back. She had prepared to cook for herself tonight but thought that it would be a bit rude to only bring enough for herself, so she brought enough for two people.
Jian Yunong once said that Yu Wan wasn’t good at socializing and locked herself up in her house all day like a bird in a cage. She said that she didn’t have much good qualities, though her imagination and cooking skills were remarkable…
Indeed, with a brother that was never home and a lack of living parents, she’d always been cooking for herself. Her research of recipes and dishes were very thorough, and at least Jian Yunong and her brother had always praised her cooking.
Yu Wan quickly finished making two bowls of noodles with eggs and braised meat. It looked rather plain, but it contained a special sauce that was her special creation.
As she put the noodles onto the dinner table, Yu Wan glanced at Shen Qingzhou.
“Mr. Shen, I made some noodles. Why don’t you come and eat?”
Shen Qingzhou’s gaze shifted in her direction. “No need.”
“I made two servings, and didn’t you say that you haven’t had dinner yet?” Yu Wan asked.
Shen Qingzhou put down his magazine. “There will be takeout coming soon.”
“Eating takeout every day isn’t healthy.” Yu Wan fluidly picked up a bowl of noodles and set it in front of him. “I promise that you won’t regret it.”
Shen Qingzhou’s brows furrowed as he looked at the noodles on the coffee table.
It was probably because he was hungry, but the noodles looked very appetizing to him. The aroma was quite enticing, too.
Yu Wan started to eat from her bowl. “Just take it as thanks for using your kitchen. You’re welcome to eat.”
Shen Qingzhou, “…”
“It’s really delicious, I’m sure of it.” Yu Wan batted her eyes as she peered at him. Shen Qingzhou returned a stare of his own.
Yu Wan’s eyes were very beautiful. Her dark pupils glittered like a sky of stars, and her eyelashes were long and full. Now, she was using them to gaze angelically at Shen Qingzhou.
In that split second… Red Bean appeared in Shen Qingzhou’s mind. She was incredibly similar to Red Bean when it was trying to charm him.
“Eat, eat.” Yu Wan slurped at her noodles without averting her gaze.
Just as she was about to give up, Shen Qingzhou miraculously picked up the chopsticks and took a bite.
Yu Wan’s eyes slowly arced as she smiled. It seemed that he wasn’t so hard to deal with, after all.
However, the ecstatic Yu Wan didn’t know that the reason why Shen Qingzhou ate that first morsel of noodles was all because he thought that she looked like a… pet dog.
Shen Qingzhou’s patience and kindness to animals, especially dogs, was boundless.
“Is it good?”
Shen Qingzhou had planned to take just one bite, but he quickly ate the rest after the initial taste.
He stared at her and directly said, “You’re good at cooking.”
“Of course, why else would you think the dogs would enjoy it so much?” Yu Wan stated proudly.
Shen Qingzhou, “…”
“…No, I’m not talking about the dogs.”
“Ahem, what I meant was…”
“Ding-dong.” The doorbell rang.