PCP C7
Chapter 7: Restaurant
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Editor: Caelath]
Yu Wan had always liked to stay at home. Ever since she was young, her favorite things to do were reading, either in the library or at home. Because she didn’t go out very often, she didn’t have many friends. But Yu Wan’s looks were very attractive, particularly how cute she looked. In school, she would wear her bangs straight and her hair at shoulder length, making many boys swoon over her.
There were many people who had confessed to her when she was in school, though they were always torn away by either Yu Wan’s rejection or Yu Huan’s intimidation. Yu Wan was very clear that she had no interest in them. She was an alien that put her love of books at a level far above romance. If she had the choice of either reading a novel or dating a new boyfriend at a coffee shop, she wouldn’t think the latter would be worth her time. *
Jian Yunong was also a novel fanatic, though she had once asked in uncertainty, “How could someone who obsessively reads romance novels ever find a boyfriend that she’d be satisfied with?”
Yu Wan said, “Indeed, authors write in all the details, events, and warmth that they may want but will never experience in their life into their novels. This comforts them that the characters and personalities in their books do exist. Though he may love someone else, he exists in your heart.”
Jian Yunong sighed. “Then Yu Wan, it’s no wonder that it’s so hard for you to find a boyfriend.”
Yu Wan laughed, but didn’t reply.
Up until now, she had never really developed feelings for someone or a crush on anyone before. Sometimes, she would admire some hot models with Jian Yunong and gasp about how beautiful they were, but she would forget about them in a blink of an eye. Maybe she really wasn’t paying attention to the people around her.
But on the day she met Shen Qingzhou, Yu Wan found that she wasn’t such a blockhead as Jian Yunong said she was. She didn’t lack a heart or guts, either.
She realized that she had a particular fondness for Shen Qingzhou, and that she felt attracted to him whenever she so much as stood next to him. When she saw him smiling at his dog, her heart turned to a big pile of mush.
Hopefully, this was a sign that things was getting serious for her. Yu Wan decided that she needed to venture deeper and get to know him better.
She slept all the way to noon, and went out as soon as she tidied up herself for the day. Today, she was meeting with two screenwriters. Yu Wan invited them to a restaurant; since she hadn’t eaten yet, and she treated them along to the meal, too.
When they were done stuffing themselves, the three started to discuss the script.
“This arc can’t be changed. If it does, then everything afterwards will be hard to expand.” Yu Wan furrowed her brows.
“If that’s the case, the crew will have to shoot a lot more scenes.”
Yu Wan was a little irked. Her novel was like her own child, and her heart ached no matter which piece was cut off. “Let me think about it, let’s move on to the next one.”
“Sure.”
As they were discussing, the screenwriter across suddenly tugged at his friend. “Look, Lin Yeyu. She’s walking this way.”
There were many people walking towards their end of the restaurant. Shen Qingzhou and Lin Yeyu stood out the most, but since the restaurant was rather high class and quiet, nobody stumbled forward to ask for autographs.
“Is there really something between them?”
“I don’t know, but they look really good together.”
Yu Wan watched Shen Qingzhou walk closer and closer. She felt a bit annoyed at the two screenwriters’ whispers; they look good together? How? How exactly?
When they were only six or seven meters apart, Shen Qingzhou’s gaze suddenly shifted to Yu Wan. Yu Wan was watching him without so much as blinking, and she felt an immediate shock when their eyes met.
He stopped in front of her.
The tiny group behind him stopped too and suspiciously looked towards Yu Wan’s table. The two screenwriters were also bewildered, what was this? Were they whispering too loud or something?
Yu Wan gazed at him with her head tilted upwards. “Mr. Shen?”
Shen Qingzhou lowered himself near her and placed his keys on her leg at an angle that no one else could see. His voice was soft and heavy, “Go take care of Red Bean. I won’t be home until later.”
She was the only one who could hear his voice. His warm breath brushed against her ear, tingling against her skin.
Yu Wan was a bit stunned and said, “Oh” in a small voice.
Shen Qingzhou stood up once he finished his sentence and didn’t look at her again as he kept walking. The people behind him stared curiously at Yu Wan, and Lin Yeyu followed Shen Qingzhou. She looked back at her for a moment, but her expression was too cloudy for Yu Wan to discern anything.
“Yu Wan, do you know Shen Qingzhou?” The screenwriter asked. “I’ve met Shen Qingzhou once while filming with a crew, and he’s really strict while directing. Yu Wan, have you been in a crew, too?’
Yu Wan shook her head, “No…”
“Then what did he say to you, you two were really close.” The screenwriter was green with envy.
Yu Wan coughed. “Nothing. Anyways, let’s hurry up and finish these few episodes…”
The two screenwriters obviously liked to dabble in gossip. For such a high and cold man like Shen Qingzhou to take that posture earlier… With a little imagination, it would make anyone blush. But Yu Wan clearly didn’t want to talk about it, and they politely didn’t bring it up again.
Yu Wan flipped through the documents,her mind floating away. Though she knew that it was just for Red Bean, at the moment when he bent down, her heartstrings were stretched taut. If he had spoken just one more word, they might well have snapped.
Before going home, Yu Wan went to the supermarket.
While she was grocery shopping, she dialed Shen Qingzhou’s number. At that time, he was reviewing business with coworkers across a dinner table.
He looked at the caller ID and picked up his phone. “Hello.”
“Am I bothering you?”
“Just talk.”
“Oh, okay. I wanted to ask you when you were going home, do I need to make dinner for you today?”
Shen Qingzhou glanced at the overflowing feast in front of him. “I’ll come home at seven o’clock, and yes, you do.”
“Okay, then I’ll feed Red Bean and Majesty first. I’ll make your food later.”
Shen Qingzhou felt a little strange. He was being grouped together with the two pets?
“Then Mr. Shen, do you have any preferences? Are you okay with spicy food?”
“No preferences.” Shen Qingzhou thought a bit before saying, “Don’t make it too spicy.”
“No problem!”
Shen Qingzhou hung up the phone and realized that the entire table was looking at him.
Shen-dao’s call sounded a little too tender, hm? Even mentioning coming home at seven o’clock. Though everyone was thinking the same thing, none of them dared to voice their thoughts. Shen Qingzhou’s cold gaze swept across the table, “Continue.”
Yu Wan walked back to her apartment after she finished buying the ingredients. She brought Yu Diandian out and then unlocked 702’s door with Shen Qingzhou’s key.
Yu Diandian and Red Bean were overjoyed at the sight of each other and ran off to play in some other part of the house. Yu Wan walked into the kitchen to start cooking.
“Dinner’s ready. Come over here, you two.”
Yu Diandian and Red Bean raced over once they heard her voice. Yu Wan set the plates down and smiled when she saw the cute pets happily chowing down. She snapped a photo facing their backs.
On Weibo: Majesty got a new dinner buddy.
Instantly, people started to comment.
[Weiwan, you got another one?]
[Weiwan-sama, could you hurry up with releases? I’ve been waiting for so long that mushrooms have started to grow on my head.]
[Is this a new pet? It’s so big, is it really yours?]
Her phone dinged with a notification. Someone she followed had commented on her post.
YoMamaFlew*: [Where did that big dog come from, it looks a lot like Yu Diandian.]
*TL-note: This is Jian Yunong’s online username.
Yu Wan sat down as she replied. [It’s my neighbor’s.]
YoMamaFlew: [WTF, you…]
A few seconds later, Yu Wan’s phone rang. Jian Yunong’s calling speed was unprecedented, “What’s going on? You’ve decided to hook up with the dog first instead of the guy? Yu Wan, that’s just too crafty of you.”
Yu Wan rolled her eyes and joked, “This is all part of my grand scheme, how could you possibly even come close to being able to fathom the depth of my plot.”
“Okay, okay.” Jian Yunong said. “Where’s the man, send me some pics.”
“Find it yourself on the internet.”
“On the internet? Huh? Don’t mess with me, show your sister how handsome he really is.” *
*Jian Yunong is saying sister as in a casual, though not literal, way.
Yu Wan watched the two snarf down their dinner on the floor. “Just look him up online, there’s plenty of photos of him.”
“… A celebrity?” Jian Yunong carefully asked.
“Sure.”
After a pause, “Who?”
“Shen Qingzhou.”
“… F***!”
Yu Wan firmly hung up the phone while Jian Yunong was furiously cussing her out. Why was she so excited, was it really that strange for Shen Qingzhou to be living across from her? Was it really that amazing for her to be in Shen Qingzhou’s house right now?
Soon, Jian Yunong texted: [Comrade Yu Wan, I hereby represent all of the public to tell you this. You’ve stepped on the biggest piece of dog poo in the world.] *
*Dog poo means dumb luck in China.
Yu Wan laughed. [Don’t get too jealous.]
Jian Yunong: 😒
Red Bean and Yu Diandian ate at five, so Yu Wan estimated that he wouldn’t come home until two hours later. She went back to her apartment to grab the script for Underworld of Wolves, a few bags of snacks, and some flip flops. The slippers in Shen Qingzhou’s house were too big for her to wear.
Yu Wan took her script and sat on the sofa that she saw the moving company hoist in before. This is what quality feels like, this is what true bliss is; it’s just too comfortable!
Yu Wan munched on her snacks as she edited the script, and Yu Diandian and Red Bean chased each other around the house. Before she realized it, she fell asleep on the sofa.
This was the scene that Shen Qingzhou saw when he stepped through the door. His attention was focused on the slender person lying on the sofa. Her entire body was sprawled comfortably, and she looked incredibly carefree with her calf braced against the armrest and swaying in the air. By the sofa, Red Bean and Yu Diandian had also fallen asleep and propped themselves against her. Who knew that one girl and two dogs could create such an incredibly serene and peaceful display?
Shen Qingzhou slowly walked closer and looked down at the slumbering girl from high above. He looked back at the kitchen. It was clear that nothing had been prepared.
“Yu Wan.” He called her name.
The girl on the sofa turned on her side and continued to sleep.
Shen Qingzhou’s eyes narrowed, and he reached out to grab her wrist. Yu Wan dreamed that she was being pulled up by someone when she was young, when Yu Huan dragged her reluctant self out of bed to go to school. But she sat on the edge of the bed while hugging Yu Huan’s waist, whining that she didn’t want to go to school.
Shen Qingzhou stiffened, and a vein on his temple jumped. He looked at Yu Wan, who was still firmly clasped onto his waist, and took a deep breath. “Yu Wan!”
Yu Wan jerked awake. She blinked confusedly, who was calling her name?
Three seconds later, Yu Wan realized the strangeness of her situation. She slowly lifted her head and saw Shen Qingzhou’s icy expression, then looked down to see herself still hugging his midriff…
Her brain short-circuited for a moment, and she blinked again. “You’ve come back.”