Love Contract chapter 12

 Wrapping Up

When they left the private room, it was already past 2 AM. A fine drizzle had begun to fall outside the corridor of the club. The fountain in the central garden was illuminated, the rain forming a faint, translucent outline around it in the dim yellow light.

Jiang Liusui didn’t have a driver, and it was too late to call Ding Yan over. He was a few steps ahead of He Yujing, who offered, “I’ll have my driver take you home.”

“What about you?”

“I live in the same neighborhood as Chi Lianxi, so I’ll go with him.”

Feeling it was too much trouble, Jiang Liusui hesitated, “Maybe I should just call a cab—”

But He Yujing immediately pushed him forward with both hands, “It’s late, and it’s raining. Why take a cab? I brought you out, so how could I let you go home alone?”

Jiang Liusui found it hard to refuse such kindness. Thinking it would be safer anyway, he turned back with a smile, “Then thank you.”

But He Yujing didn’t appreciate the thanks, letting out a light scoff, “What’s with the thanks? Can you stop being so polite?”

“……”

Jiang Liusui asked tentatively, “Are you still sober?”

He Yujing had been forced to drink a lot in the private room. He didn’t show it on his face, but that remark seemed too strange for someone sober.

Chi Lianxi, a few steps behind them, didn’t catch the first part of their conversation but was stunned by He Yujing’s words. He sincerely advised, “Stop acting drunk. I don’t want to see you on the front page tomorrow.”

He Yujing tilted his head back, appearing calm, “I’m going with you.”

“?”

“If we make headlines, you won’t escape either.”

Chi Lianxi was both annoyed and amused. Just then, Jiang Liusui shivered. He had come straight from the set wearing only a thin long-sleeved T-shirt. He hadn’t felt cold in the private room, but now, the chilly rain seemed to seep into his bones.

Chi Lianxi had draped his jacket over his arm. Seeing this, he offered, “Are you cold? Wear my jacket.”

But before Jiang Liusui could respond, He Yujing frowned, took off his own well-fitted jacket, and placed it over Jiang Liusui.

The gray satin bomber jacket carried the scent of tobacco and a faint, yet unmistakable, perfume—warm with a hint of sweetness, like the blend of dry sandalwood and vanilla.

He’s changed his cologne again.

This thought flashed through Jiang Liusui’s mind, and he froze for a moment, unsure of what was happening. He Yujing, having done all this, shook his wrist and glanced at Chi Lianxi, though his words were directed at Jiang Liusui, “Just wear mine.”

Chi Lianxi couldn’t tell if he was drunk, but from that glance, he sensed a hint of territorial displeasure, as if a beast was being interrupted while marking its territory.

“……” Chi Lianxi stood there, shocked, “You’re really putting on quite a show tonight, huh?”

Realizing this was the poor drinking behavior he had been warned about, Jiang Liusui couldn’t help but smile.

Compared to those who would curse and act out, this kind of baseless stubbornness was almost endearing. Knowing it was pointless to reason with a drunk, Jiang Liusui didn’t refuse. Instead, he asked, “Aren’t you cold?”

Just a moment ago, the jacket had been placed over him, and Jiang Liusui instinctively grabbed the sleeves to keep it from slipping off.

He Yujing’s gaze swept over the snow-white wrist peeking out from the cuff. Jiang Liusui had a smaller frame, and the oversized jacket gave him a delicate, vulnerable look.

“I’m not cold, you keep it on.”

Chi Lianxi, seeing how drunk he was, joined in with a smile, “Alright, he’ll wear yours. I won’t fight you for it.”

Unexpectedly, He Yujing lowered his voice, speaking just loud enough for only the two of them to hear, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Borrowing and returning, back and forth—before you know it, you’ve gotten close.”

He Yujing gave him a disdainful glance, “Not a chance. He hasn’t even graduated yet. Don’t try any of your tricks on him.”

“……”

Chi Lianxi felt wronged by this drunken accusation and thought to himself, “I wasn’t even thinking about that.”

At the end of the corridor, Lin Chong was already waiting with an umbrella. He Yujing instructed, “Take Jiang Liusui home first, and tell Xiao Wen to make sure he gets home safely.”

Lin Chong quickly agreed, holding the umbrella mostly over Jiang Liusui, “Mr. Jiang, come with me.”

After they sent Jiang Liusui off, Lin Chong and Chi Lianxi’s assistant came back to pick up the others. Once most people had left, Su Wan’s assistant noticed she was still standing there, “Su Jie, shall we go?”

“…Let’s go,” Su Wan replied, snapping out of her daze.

The assistant knew how much she had looked forward to tonight. Su Wan had spent a lot of time choosing her outfit and carefully doing her hair and makeup. But once in the car, she leaned back in her seat, silent.

The assistant asked cautiously, “Did Mr. He eat what you made? How did you two get along?”

Su Wan didn’t answer.

She and He Yujing had debuted around the same time, but their statuses were worlds apart. In this dazzling world, he was too special, too radiant, impossible to ignore.

After a long silence, her voice came out tired, “No, he didn’t even take a bite.”

The assistant tried to comfort her, “He probably didn’t realize you made it specifically for him.”

Su Wan waved it off, saying nothing.

Her expression was so downcast that the assistant, who had noticed her changes over the past few months, knew how rare it was for her to like someone so much. Gritting her teeth, she encouraged, “Su Jie, maybe you should tell Mr. He how you feel. There might still be a chance, and at least you’d have closure.”

“It’s useless. You’ve never dealt with him, so you don’t know.”

People had been trying to win He Yujing’s favor for years, and he had seen it all. Even if she confessed, it wouldn’t make any difference.

“He Yujing’s the kind of person who’s clear about what he wants and doesn’t want. If he doesn’t want something, he just doesn’t want it.” Su Wan gave a self-deprecating smile, “I should’ve let go long ago. But if I can’t, I’ll just quietly like him without getting close to him.”

If this continued, it would only make people annoyed.

Tonight, he didn’t even initiate a single conversation with her.

The assistant, affected by her dejected mood, couldn’t help but ask, “Then what does he want?”

“What does He Yujing want?” Su Wan murmured as if talking to herself. “What he wants, he always gets.”

The release date for the prelude was getting closer and closer. Since they spent more than a week changing directors, the filming and post-production had become increasingly tense. On the morning of the last day of filming, they shot He Yujing’s solo scenes. Jiang Liusui, for once, slept in and had a leisurely lunch at home before having Ding Yan pick him up. Unexpectedly, when they arrived on set, they could hear Huang Zhicheng’s scolding from afar.

Having not seen him for half a day, Director Huang seemed to be quite upset with He Yujing, his usually cheerful face now flushed with anger. “You’re supposed to be a down-and-out painter. Can you stop acting so smug? We’re shooting an MV here, so we don’t need stellar acting, but at least make it somewhat believable!”

After finishing his scolding, Huang Zhicheng encouraged him, “Alright, getting angry won’t help… let’s do it again. This time, it will definitely be better. At least compared to before, your progress is noticeable.”

“Don’t get discouraged, keep going! We’re almost done.”

He Yujing, sounding utterly dejected, replied, “…Sure, we can do this.”

Jiang Liusui couldn’t hold back his laughter, drawing the attention of everyone present. Director Huang finally felt a sense of relief, “Xiao Jiang you are here? Go get styled, Yujing’s solo scenes are almost done, and we just need to shoot the final scene with you two.”

By the time Jiang Liusui finished getting his makeup done, He Yujing’s shoot was nearing completion. Huang Zhicheng and He Yujing had been tormenting each other all morning, and the director was finally able to catch his breath. He carefully explained the final scene and, still uneasy, reminded them, “This scene is the opening and one of the key points of the whole piece. Give it your all, and if we nail it, we can wrap up smoothly. Have you memorized the script?”

Jiang Liusui responded affirmatively. Director Huang wasn’t worried about him, but his gaze shifted to He Yujing, who felt so scrutinized that he put down the glass of water with the straw still in it. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it memorized.”

Huang Zhicheng nodded, “You’d better.”

“……”

To achieve a romantic and intense lighting effect, the last scene was deliberately scheduled for just before dusk. The filming location was in the flower fields behind a small Western-style house, where the crew was busy adjusting the flowerbeds and checking the rain equipment to be used later.

The final and most important scene that day was the first encounter between the two characters. A somewhat famous painter, stuck in a creative rut, goes out to clear his mind and falls in love at first sight with a beautiful young man he encounters by chance.

The first encounter served as the opening of the MV and lasted less than half a minute, but to fully convey the atmosphere, every detail had to be meticulously crafted.

In the pure white studio, unfinished paintings stood everywhere. The painter in the center furrowed his brows tightly, and as he added another stroke, his face showed obvious frustration.

He threw down his brush, yanked open the door, and walked aimlessly forward through the flower fields behind the studio, his hands still stained with unwashed paint. Bright sunlight fell from above, but it failed to penetrate the painter’s indifferent gaze.

As if to spite him, sparse raindrops began to fall from the sky without warning, soon turning into a downpour. Tourists who had come to enjoy the flower fields hurriedly left. The painter’s mood plummeted, and he stood motionless in the rain, utterly dejected.

Not far away, the evening primrose flowers, like something out of an oil painting, suddenly quivered as someone sat up.

It was a strange young man.

He seemed to have fallen asleep there, and his face, awakened by the rain, still held a trace of confusion. A petal that had fallen from a flower branch slid down his cheek. At the moment their eyes met, the droplet on the young man’s eyelashes could no longer bear its weight and fell. Finding the sight of each other soaked to the skin amusing, the young man’s fair, beautiful face broke into a smile.

When the young man smiled, his eyes opened slightly wider, making his usually alluring, slightly upturned eyes appear round and innocent, giving him a sweet and naive look.

In the cold, clear rain, the painter distinctly heard the sound of his own heartbeat—

An unprecedented sensation made his heart feel hollow and weightless, sinking deeper and deeper, only to be quickly filled with vibrant colors.

……

……

“Cut!” Huang Zhicheng beamed, “Great, that’s a wrap for this scene!”

The clapboard operator’s voice immediately followed, “Congratulations on wrapping up!”

The once quiet set instantly became lively as the crew hurried to stop the rain machines. Huang Zhicheng, surprised by how smoothly the final scene went, teased, “If you had performed like this in the morning, I wouldn’t have had to worry so much!”

Shooting an MV was different from filming a drama, so Huang Zhicheng had lowered his standards, content as long as the scene didn’t feel out of place. He hadn’t expected this scene to be so perfect that there wasn’t a single flaw.

Especially the last moment—He Yujing’s look at Jiang Liusui was so convincing it seemed like he was genuinely moved.

But the person being reprimanded didn’t respond, as if he was still lost in the emotions of the scene. When He Yujing finally came back to his senses, he saw Jiang Liusui smiling at him.

“It’s a wrap.” Jiang Liusui raised his hand, waiting to high-five him in celebration.

Unlike him, Jiang Liusui could quickly get in and out of character. Even though he knew it was an advantage for an actor, He Yujing couldn’t help but feel a bit displeased. It was as if he was the only one who had been affected, left emotionally dazed.

He extended his hand and gave Jiang Liusui a half-hearted high-five, not even noticing Lin Chong rushing into the flower fields to bring him a towel.

“A smooth wrap for the final scene is a good omen. This MV—”

Jiang Liusui, initially worried that Wu Qi’s incident would delay their progress, was in a good mood as they wrapped up earlier than expected. He was about to say that this MV might turn out to be a big hit when a large, dry towel suddenly covered his head.

The world before him turned white, and Jiang Liusui heard the person beside him say, “Dry yourself off; the rainwater is almost getting into your eyes.”

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he thought he detected a hint of annoyance in He Yujing’s voice.

It was as if he wanted him to shut up.

“……” Jiang Liusui took off the towel covering his face, and noticed that Lin Chong was equally puzzled. Unable to resist, he asked, “You gave me your towel, so what are you using?”

A passing stage manager saw the scene and smiled, “Is Mr. He taking such good care of Mr. Jiang because he’s still in character?”

Ding Yan had also rushed over with a towel in hand but now hesitated, unsure if he should still give it. Jiang Liusui simply took the dry, unused towel from his assistant and handed it to He Yujing, saying, “Here, use mine instead. Let’s switch.”

As Jiang Liusui moved, the water droplets on his neck slid down, tracing the slender and straight line of his collarbone before disappearing into his chest. The artificial rain had left his shirt nearly see-through, making his fair and delicate skin even more flawless.

He Yujing’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he accepted the towel.

Jiang Liusui suddenly remembered something. “I have something for you. Can I give it to you in your dressing room later?”

“Sure,” He Yujing agreed, then reminded him, “Change your clothes and dry your hair before coming over.”

—

By the time Jiang Liusui had finished cleaning up and removing his makeup, the sun had already set. The small villa was brightly lit, and the crew was busy organizing the props used for the day’s filming.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door of He Yujing’s dressing room. A voice came from inside.

“Come in.”

Jiang Liusui pushed the door open and entered. He Yujing had already changed into his casual clothes. With summer gradually arriving, he was wearing only a white graffiti T-shirt and blue cargo pants, still adorned with the jewelry from the shoot. Jiang Liusui noticed that he had multiple piercings in both ears, all adorned with sparkling studs and ear chains.

He Yujing sat idly, looking as if he had been waiting there for a while. His long legs and broad shoulders made his physique stand out, even in simple, casual clothing, revealing the powerful muscle lines beneath.

Jiang Liusui glanced at his strong and beautiful forearm, then at his own slender arm, feeling a twinge of envy. His gaze fell on He Yujing’s face, and he couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: Whether it was his figure or face, He Yujing really had no flaws.

No wonder so many people liked him…

Seeing Jiang Liusui enter, He Yujing put down his phone and looked at him.

“The coat you lent me earlier has been dry cleaned.” Jiang Liusui placed the bag with the clothes on the dressing table and then handed over a smaller gift bag. “This is a wrap-up gift. I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I asked a friend, and she said this would be a good gift for a singer.”

He Yujing’s gaze followed the gift bag, his demeanor reminiscent of a large, lazy feline, as he asked with interest, “Can I open it now?”

Jiang Liusui nodded, and He Yujing unwrapped the beautifully packaged box to find a brand new pair of in-ear monitors inside.

Pure white, from a brand he frequently used.

He Yujing had a good idea of the brand’s price and joked, “You’re giving me such an expensive gift, huh? What should I do? I only got you flowers.”

He turned to the side, revealing a spot that had been blocked. Jiang Liusui then noticed a bouquet of dreamy pink and blue flowers placed next to the makeup mirror. Lush hydrangeas and delphiniums overlapped, with white warm jade roses interspersed, looking fresh and vibrant.

“I’ll make it up to you next time,” He Yujing murmured to himself, “It won’t be long now…”

“No need, I—” Jiang Liusui didn’t catch what he said after that and was about to explain that his gift was not only to celebrate the wrap-up but also to thank him for all the help over the past days. However, He Yujing suddenly leaned closer and, in a whisper-like tone, asked, “After filming the MV for so long, do you want to hear the song?”

He had only participated in the MV’s story scenes, and the soundtrack had never been played during filming. Jiang Liusui instinctively asked, “Really? Can I listen?”

Although he had been very curious over the past few days, he hadn’t asked about it because the song hadn’t been released yet.

He Yujing, amused by his reaction, chuckled. “Why not? Friends I’ve known for a long time have already heard it, as have Director Huang and the screenwriter.”

As he spoke, he unlocked another phone on the table and connected it to a nearby pair of headphones. “Come sit next to me.”

Jiang Liusui, no longer hesitant, sat down and put on the headphones. A light, playful prelude filled his ears, followed by a series of lazy chords, and then He Yujing’s voice came through the headphones.

His voice wasn’t particularly high or low, but its unique and magnetic tone blurred the lines between youth and maturity, making it unforgettable after just one listen. If Jiang Liusui were to describe it, He Yujing’s voice would remind him of a flower.

Not the delicate and fragile kind, but something so intensely beautiful that it could overwhelm the senses.

Surprisingly, despite the MV being a complete love story, the first single was not a slow, sentimental ballad but a catchy, upbeat tune.

He Yujing sang with a seemingly deep and alluring tone, but the lyrics hinted at something darker.

—[In the blink of an eye, lingering warmth arises, a single embrace makes us all unique, as if we could still be connected.]

—[Every day, you say you’re the rarest, but once in hand, you gradually lose your color.]

“The final mix of the accompaniment is slightly different from the one on my phone, but this is more or less it.” Seeing Jiang Liusui’s reaction, He Yujing could already guess his thoughts. Although he had received countless compliments before, for some reason, he found himself wanting to hear praise from Jiang Liusui. Pretending to be serious, he asked, “So, how is it?”

Without hesitation, Jiang Liusui responded, “It’s great.”

—[Let them come and go, while you will always be the moon,]

—[Unable to stay, that’s what makes you shine, the further away, the more beautiful.]

Before he knew it, the chorus had begun. The infectious melody poured into Jiang Liusui’s ears, and the more he listened, the more he liked it. “It’s really good, a song that leaves an impression after just one listen. It’ll definitely be popular.”

He Yujing’s eyes sparkled with amusement, then he joked, “Then I’ll take your word for it. If it doesn’t become popular, I’ll hold you responsible.”

“……” Jiang Liusui was left speechless, so he simply praised him, “It won’t come to that. After all, you’re He Yujing.”

He had heard all kinds of compliments before, but he rarely encountered something so straightforward, which made him laugh. Jiang Liusui initially didn’t think much of it, but seeing He Yujing laugh like that, he couldn’t help but smile along.

“I never got the chance to say this, but thank you for choosing me back then. I’m really happy I got to shoot this music video.”

Unlike the harsh and selfish emotions sung in the song, He Yujing looked at him, his voice soft, revealing a rare gentleness.

“I’m really happy too.”