Love Contract chapter 14
Indulgence
The surrounding gazes seemed to pause for a moment, all focusing in the same direction. Jiang Liusui, unable to keep up with the pace, hesitated. “…Huh?”
Did He Yujing just say his name?
There were still several hours before the MV’s official release, and he casually revealed it in public?
“Oh my God—”
Someone whispered in amazement, and then, as if a switch had been flipped, the crowd woke up. Countless eyes were filled with curiosity, surprise, and envy, and the discussions from all directions were endless.
“He actually picked a graduate from the Academy? From our year?!”
“And it’s Jiang Liusui! Honestly, I’ve always thought he’s the best-looking of the best-looking, it’s just…” The girl paused and whispered, “He doesn’t seem that popular.”
“If He Yujing picked him, do you think he’ll still need to worry about being popular? After tonight, probably everyone will know who he is. Not a single leak beforehand; he really knows how to keep a secret.”
Under the eyes of the crowd, Jiang Liusui took two or three steps to stand beside He Yujing, maintaining a smile on his face but full of questions in his mind.
Afraid that others might overhear, he spoke almost directly into the man’s ear. “Is this a new promotional strategy? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
His voice was tinged with confusion and a bit of helplessness. He Yujing also leaned closer to his ear, answering with a question, “Why did you go to Chi Lianxi and not come to me?”
The close proximity allowed him to feel the warmth of the other’s breath grazing his ear. He Yujing’s voice was low, carrying a hint of displeasure that made it sound almost predatory. Jiang Liusui felt as if his ear had been nipped, causing him to shiver slightly.
Noticing his reaction, He Yujing clicked his tongue. “Aren’t we more familiar with each other?”
Jiang Liusui was taken aback by the question, and the messages He Yujing had sent him suddenly flashed through his mind.
So, did He Yujing actually want him to go over to him?
Jiang Liusui recalled how he had acted so distant, not even greeting him when he passed by.
“…Are you angry?” he asked.
“A little,” He Yujing replied, his smile not reaching his eyes, his expression resembling that of someone staring at a heartbreaker. “And to think I even prepared a gift for you.”
Jiang Liusui was genuinely at a loss for words this time.
He recalled when they wrapped up filming, He Yujing had said he would make up for the gift next time. At that time, he had thought it was just a polite remark, or perhaps the gifts they exchanged were too mismatched, and He Yujing mentioned it to save face.
When he had just entered university, he signed with Gallery and had worked with various production teams. He had made some enemies and some friends, but it was rare to maintain close friendships after filming. Most were just nodding acquaintances. The difference between him and He Yujing was too great. Although He Yujing had taken great care of him during filming, Jiang Liusui had thought it was just due to He Yujing’s nature and didn’t believe they would have much interaction in the future.
But He Yujing didn’t treat their conversation back then as mere politeness. He even attended the graduation ceremony at Guoyi and didn’t forget to make up for the gift, actively engaging him in conversation.
Jiang Liusui felt a wave of guilt wash over him. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Chi Lianxi, who had been ignored for quite some time, raised an eyebrow and interrupted, “Are you two done chatting? Still want to take pictures?”
For some reason, when these two were whispering together, it created an atmosphere as if they had separated themselves from the outside world. Not only did the surrounding students keep their distance, but even Chi Lianxi felt like he shouldn’t disturb them.
But then he reconsidered and felt it was unreasonable.
What was there to disturb?
Realizing he had kept Chi Lianxi waiting for quite a while, Jiang Liusui quickly responded, “Yes, yes, let’s take some pictures!”
He Yujing looked incredulous. “You’re still going to him?”
His voice unconsciously raised a bit, causing Chi Lianxi to burst out laughing. “What’s that supposed to mean? After taking the MV with you, he can’t take pictures with me? You’re quite possessive.”
As this joke landed, Shen Sijia, who was standing closest to them, screamed internally.
She had just thought for a moment that Chi Lianxi and Jiang Liusui seemed compatible—what was she thinking? That was totally wrong! They’re clearly allies.
It was clear that Shen Sijia wasn’t the only one struck by this cute moment. She overheard a few girls behind her unable to hold back, “Is it just me? The rumors about our Lao gong never had any solid evidence, but this is the first time I’ve seen him so close with someone. It feels like our Lao gong is treating Jiang Liusui like a little boyfriend.”
“No, no! Jie, I feel the same way!”
…
Jiang Liusui glanced at the people around him and suddenly said, “How about we take a picture together?”
He Yujing frowned, “All together? I—”
Before he could finish, Jiang Liusui grabbed his arm. Seeing that He Yujing didn’t pull away, Jiang Liusui grinned and pulled him closer. “Come on, let’s take a picture.”
He Yujing remained silent, but he didn’t shake off Jiang Liusui’s hand, as if someone had muted him.
Recalling how Jiang Liusui had also touched him like this before, He Yujing got a little distracted: Jiang Liusui was the most natural guy he had ever seen when it came to physical contact, and even his tone of voice could sound like he was being playful if you weren’t paying attention.
It was Chi Lianxi’s first time seeing his friend behave so obediently, finding it quite amusing. Jiang Liusui turned to him, “Teacher Chi, aren’t you joining us?”
“Fine,” He Yujing’s gaze swept over the hand Jiang Liusui had on his arm. “I suppose we can add you in.”
Chi Lianxi: “…”
With that mouth of yours, you really deserve a beating.
On the way out of the auditorium, Jiang Liusui received a photo from Shen Sijia.
The students around them had been snapping pictures like crazy while they were posing. Jiang Liusui, standing between He Yujing and Chi Lianxi, had attracted numerous envious gazes. Perhaps because of his prime position and Shen Sijia’s knack for taking photos, she managed to capture a shot with her phone that looked like it was taken with a professional camera.
After sending the picture, she followed up with three excited crying cat emojis: [I’ll treasure this group photo for the rest of my life.]
“What are you looking at?” came a casual inquiry from beside him.
Unlike Chi Lianxi, who stayed behind in the auditorium to go through the formalities with the school leaders, He Yujing had been invited to Guoyi as a donor. After they took the photos, he suggested that Jiang Liusui leave with him.
“The gift is in the car,” He Yujing explained. “And given the current situation, it wouldn’t be convenient for you to stay here alone. It’s better if you come with me.”
Jiang Liusui came back to his senses and handed his phone over. “It’s the group photo from earlier.”
He Yujing glanced at it, automatically ignoring the annoying person on the far right. In the photo, Jiang Liusui was still holding onto his arm, and they were standing very close to each other.
“Not bad, send it to me.”
Jiang Liusui forwarded the photo to He Yujing and then replied to Shen Sijia: [Your Lao gong said the photo turned out well, so I sent it to him.]
As expected, she quickly replied with more crying cat emojis: [What do you mean, my Lao gong? From today onwards, we’re one family, no distinctions. He’s your dear Lao gong.]
Even though Jiang Liusui was used to Shen Sijia occasionally blurting out some cheeky comments, he was still momentarily stunned and slowly typed a single period in the chat.
He Yujing’s sudden appearance had caused a stir, with students blocking the main entrance of the auditorium. To avoid the crowd, they exited through a side door. Lin Chong and another assistant, whom Jiang Liusui hadn’t met before, were always by He Yujing’s side.
The driver had pulled the car up to the side entrance, and perhaps anticipating that He Yujing would get in the car there, many students were waiting outside the door. As soon as He Yujing appeared, the crowd surged forward, and he softly told Jiang Liusui, “You get in first.”
Jiang Liusui didn’t hesitate and stepped into the car immediately. Just as He Yujing was about to follow, a loud voice called out from not too far away, “He Yujing Ge—! He Yujing! When will you have your next concert? Two years ago, I followed your tour from China to overseas, and didn’t miss a single show!”
The boy was shouting so loudly that his voice was nearly hoarse, and the atmosphere was intense. He Yujing, who was about to bend down to get into the car, couldn’t help but turn around and smile after hearing it:
“Skipping class in your sophomore year?”
The boy stammered, unable to respond, and laughter erupted from the crowd.
As the car door closed, the students voluntarily dispersed. Jiang Liusui watched the crowd through the window and thought about how, on normal days, the National Arts University would also have celebrities visit for various events, but it never caused such a sensation. After all, many students at the university were already somewhat connected to the industry, and quite a few had gained a bit of fame while still in school. Only He Yujing could evoke such fervor.
He truly was a star among stars, genuinely famous.
With this in mind, he noticed that the big star beside him had taken a call. Whatever the person on the other end said caused He Yujing to frown.
“What nonsense is this?”
His friend sensed the impatience hidden in his tone and found the situation a bit awkward as well, but recalling how Lu Zhun had been adamant on the phone earlier, he laughed dryly and said, “Lu Zhun’s been asking around everywhere. He couldn’t find you at the auditorium and heard that Jiang Liusui left with you. Can you meet with him?”
“Meet, and then what?”
“Well… you know, I mentioned it when we were drinking the other day. He likes Jiang Liusui and probably wants to confess before graduation.”
He Yujing remembered Lu Zhun, the youngest son of an executive at Tianyuan Group, a guy who changed girlfriends and boyfriends as often as he changed clothes. This normally had nothing to do with him, but the thought of Lu Zhun going to great lengths to meet Jiang Liusui suddenly made even that vaguely remembered face seem annoying.
He’d already been rejected once, so why keep obsessing?
He Yujing shifted his gaze. The person being obsessed over was currently replying to a message, smiling with eyes that curved into crescents.
The corners of his eyes naturally turned up, and his deep black eyes were moist, as if they held a pool of moonlight.
Shen Sijia messaged him: [Dinner tonight? Zhou Xun is here.] [Or if you have other plans, that’s fine! Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you.]
Jiang Liusui replied: [No need, you guys pick a place, I’ll join you soon.]
Just after sending that, he received another message from Xie Chen: [I heard you’re the lead in He Yujing’s MV, is that true?]
Thinking that He Yujing had already announced it publicly, he saw no harm in confirming, so Jiang Liusui replied with a simple “Yes.”
Xie Chen didn’t reply again. At that moment, He Yujing’s voice came from beside him: “Lu Zhun wants to meet you.”
He ignored the slight displeasure he felt and asked for Jiang Liusui’s opinion: “Do you want to see him?”
Jiang Liusui paused. He hadn’t taken those words seriously that night, and didn’t expect Lu Zhun to go to such lengths to see him. If it was a confession, it might be better to clear things up face to face: “Then I’ll meet him.”
The friend on the other end of the call hadn’t received a reply for a while and asked again, “So, is it okay, Ah Jing? If it’s really too much trouble, I can have Lu Zhun come over—”
“It’s fine, why wouldn’t it be?” He Yujing subtly ground his teeth, his voice carrying a hint of irritation. “Tell him to wait somewhere private.”