Love Contract chapter 7
Late-night Snack
When Shen Jie received He Yujing’s call, she almost lost her composure.
She had thought everything was fine after repeatedly cautioning him, but to her surprise, He Yujing went ahead and caused a major issue. The director was fired, and he only told her afterward that she needed to find a new one.
“What kind of mess are you stirring up again?” Shen Jie said, frustrated. “Weren’t we supposed to stay out of it? We don’t even know the full situation. Now, where are we supposed to find a suitable director?”
He Yujing glanced at Jiang Liusui, who had deliberately distanced himself while he was on the phone, idly fiddling with his own phone.
“Wu Qi is a shady character. Keeping him around would only cause trouble sooner or later.”
When Shen Jie heard this, she realized that He Yujing had confirmed the grudge between Wu Qi and Jiang Liusui, which eased her mood a bit. “But what if he leaks to the media, claiming you’re abusing your power?”
“He won’t,” He Yujing said confidently. “He’s too guilty to dare. He’d be eager to part on good terms.”
Shen Jie initially thought He Yujing was acting impulsively, but seeing that he seemed to have thought it through, she felt a slight sense of relief. “You’ve already broken ties with him so quickly. Have you decided who will take over the filming?”
He Yujing paused for a second but then remained calm and said nonchalantly, “We’ll find someone.”
Shen Jie nearly lost her breath.
Although Jiang Liusui wasn’t deliberately eavesdropping on He Yujing’s conversation, he could guess that the person on the other end was his agent, and he knew the situation wasn’t easy to resolve, which made him feel a bit guilty.
He Yujing skillfully ignored Shen Jie’s scolding, letting it go in one ear and out the other. During a pause in the conversation, he called out to Jiang Liusui.
“Take a few days off. Someone will notify you when the reshoot is scheduled.”
Not long after Jiang Liusui left the set, Jiang Chuan called him back.
“I was busy earlier and missed your call… What did you say?! He came directly to find you?!”
When he first heard that Wu Qi had approached Jiang Liusui, Jiang Chuan was quite nervous. After confirming that Jiang Liusui was unharmed and that Wu Qi wouldn’t be bothering him again, Jiang Chuan felt like he had just ridden a roller coaster, finally letting out a sigh of relief. “I really didn’t expect He Yujing to help you out like this.”
“Even if it wasn’t a big deal for him, we still owe him a favor. We need to find an opportunity to properly thank him,” Jiang Chuan said, troubled. “The problem is that we probably won’t have many chances to help him. Should we treat him to a meal? But just one meal seems too casual and insincere… How about giving him a gift?” As soon as Jiang Chuan suggested this, he immediately dismissed the idea. “No, that won’t work either. Besides, what could we give him that wouldn’t make it seem like we’re up to something?”
Jiang Liusui was also unsure. Even though He Yujing didn’t seem to care much and played it off as a joke, Jiang Liusui felt it wouldn’t be appropriate to just casually thank him.
He thought that replacing the director would at least delay the shoot for a week, but to his surprise, three days later, he received a notification to return to the set the next afternoon. What surprised him even more was that the new director was Huang Zhicheng.
Unlike Wu Qi, who filmed anything and everything, Huang Zhicheng focused his career on the big screen and had never directed an MV before. Jiang Liusui couldn’t help but wonder how much Shengyun had to pay to bring in such a top-tier director for this project.
“Didn’t you know? Director Huang is a fan of He Yujing’s music and often shares his songs on Weibo.” Hearing that Jiang Liusui would be back on set the next day, Shen Sijia quickly arranged to meet him at the snack street near the National Academy of Art. When he mentioned the situation on set, she was so excited that her words started tumbling out in a disorganized mess.
“It’s unbelievable! You’re actually working with my idol, and not only that, but he even replaced the director for you… Director Huang is really good at filming people! He’s definitely going to make you look amazing!”
“Oh, by the way, Suisui,” Shen Sijia said, suddenly worried. “What exactly happened with Wu Qi? Can you tell me more about it?”
After sending the message, Zhou Xun kept asking what had happened, and whenever he had the time, Jiang Liusui would briefly explain the events of the past two days to him and Shen Sijia. When they heard that he had not only taken on He Yujing’s MV but also had a confrontation with Wu Qi, their group chat was flooded with exclamation points.
Although Shen Sijia had already heard the gist of it, she was still furious when Jiang Liusui recounted the story, cursing Wu Qi non-stop without taking a breath.
Shen Sijia was particularly creative with her insults, and Jiang Liusui was thoroughly entertained. Just as she was about to switch gears, she suddenly exclaimed, “But wow, my idol really protected you! He even made Wu Qi apologize to you. I can’t believe it. Just thinking about it feels so satisfying. Wu Qi’s reaction must have been priceless, right?”
The more Shen Sijia thought about it, the more excited she became, and she couldn’t help but gush, “I knew I didn’t pick the wrong idol. He’s just too perfect! I can totally picture the scene. He’s so commanding when he gets serious!”
“Yeah,” Jiang Liusui agreed for the first time while she was fangirling. “Yu Ge is really a good person.”
Shen Sijia’s eyes lit up, and she pulled him into a frenzy of idol worship before eagerly asking, “So, does this MV have any choreography? Did you see him dance during the shoot? He’s so cool when he dances! No matter what he dances to, he always looks so confident and stylish.”
“I only handled the story part, so I’m not sure if there’s choreography,” Jiang Liusui recalled carefully. “I didn’t see him dance on set.”
Shen Sijia had a million more questions to ask, but Jiang Liusui suddenly asked, “By the way, do you know what he likes to eat?”
If there’s a suitable opportunity, it might be nice to treat He Yujing to a meal.
Jiang Liusui didn’t know anything about He Yujing’s preferences, but luckily, his devoted fan Shen Sijia knew every detail about him and could recite all the information about He Yujing from memory.
Shen Sijia carefully recalled, “I don’t think he ever mentioned having a particular favorite food, but he’s from the North, so his taste should lean towards stronger flavors… Oh, right! He used to study at Guoyi, and he mentioned that the zhajiang noodles at the end of the street were quite good. That shop even became a popular spot online, and many people go there to check it out.”
“Over there, see? The business is doing really well.” Shen Sijia pointed to a nearby noodle shop with a simple yet cozy décor. “It’s already past eleven, and there are still people lining up.”
Jiang Liusui nodded and casually refreshed his phone. Unexpectedly, the first thing that popped up on his feed was from the very person they were talking about.
On the first day of filming, the crew had set up a group chat, and at the time, Jiang Liusui, preoccupied with Wu Qi’s matters, added He Yujing as a friend. He Yujing had now posted a photo, which he recognized as being taken in a studio. The image showed an empty cigarette box and a corner of a computer screen.
Jiang Liusui paused when he saw the accompanying text.
The night was deep, and the once bustling Shengyun building had dimmed, except for the sixth floor, which was as bright as day. Faint, upbeat, and rhythmic music could be heard intermittently, repeating after pauses, as if adjustments were being made.
He Yujing rubbed his temples, feeling somewhat fatigued.
There was still one song left for the album, but the arrangement wasn’t quite right in a few places. He had planned to fix it after filming the MV for the pre-release track, but the MV shoot was abruptly halted, so he decided to use the time to perfect the arrangement.
Things weren’t going as smoothly as he hoped, though. The recording studio was filled with smoke as he repeatedly listened to that section of the melody. He habitually reached for the cigarette box, only to find it empty.
He was out of cigarettes.
Feeling irritated, He Yujing ruffled his hair as he stood up, realizing he had forgotten to eat dinner.
He wasn’t sure if it was real hunger or something else, but he snapped a picture of the empty cigarette box beside his computer and posted it on his feed.
[A bit hungry.]His phone, set to vibrate, buzzed incessantly with notifications. Chi Lianxi was the first to comment: [Come out for a drink.]
He Yujing, holding the last stub of his cigarette in his mouth, replied with one hand: [Working.]
Chi Lianxi: [Workaholic. Waiting for you to drop a track that shakes up the entertainment industry (thumbs up) (thumbs up).]
Su Wan sent him a private message: [Are you still at the Shengyun studio? I just finished recording. Want me to bring you something to eat?]
He Yujing didn’t reply to her. He simply exited the chat with Su Wan. More messages came in, all with similar offers to bring him takeout or snacks, which he ignored and swiped away one by one.
Feeling bored, a new message caught his eye.
It was from Jiang Liusui.
[Yu Ge, are you at the company?]He Yujing’s finger hovered over the pop-up for a second before he clicked on it and replied with a simple (yes).
The typing indicator appeared on the other side: [I’m at Guoyi’s snack street. Do you want some zhajiang noodles from the end of the street?]
Seeing the words “Guoyi,” He Yujing suddenly remembered that Jiang Liusui was still a student. Although they were in different departments, he was technically his junior. He had reviewed his file when selecting candidates before; due to starting school early, Jiang Liusui was about to graduate at 21, and he had a youthful appearance.
He hadn’t been that hungry before, but now, with Jiang Liusui’s mention, he did start to crave the flavors he enjoyed during his student days.
He asked, [Are you going to bring it to me?]
Jiang Liusui replied, [Yes.]
He teased, [So thoughtful.]
Instead of replying with words, Jiang Liusui sent an emoji.
It was a small fox with its head slightly tilted, looking innocent, which instantly reminded him of the sender’s expression.
He Yujing chuckled silently and pushed his luck: [Then bring me a pack of cigarettes too. Thanks.]
Shen Sijia could never have imagined that Jiang Liusui would actually bring He Yujing a late-night snack. Even though she had jokingly hoped the two would get together, she never thought they would actually interact.
The idea that this unlikely pair might be forming some sort of connection drove Shen Sijia crazy. “Oh my god! In just half a month, your relationship with him has gotten so close. How much further will this go?”
Jiang Liusui didn’t take it to heart. “Didn’t I say before? Yu Ge is a good person.”
“That’s nonsense,” Shen Sijia blurted out, accidentally revealing her idol’s true nature. “He’s not the approachable type at all. He’s really proud.”
“……”
“No, what I mean is, he usually doesn’t take the initiative to get close to people.” Shen Sijia gave him a thumbs up from the bottom of her heart but then thought about Jiang Liusui’s usual popularity and wasn’t all that surprised. “I should have known! You, Suisui, even won over your senior.”
In Shen Sijia’s mind, Jiang Liusui had always been likable.
He never went out of his way to please anyone, yet people always gravitated towards him. His personality and looks made him hard to resist, and the most dangerous part was that Jiang Liusui would occasionally act a bit coy without even trying. It wasn’t just girls who liked him— even Zhou Xun, a hardcore straight guy, couldn’t resist his charm.
As the two stood at the entrance of the noodle shop waiting for their order, a few girls walked in. One of them noticed Jiang Liusui and quickly tugged at her friend, whispering something.
Since making it to the trending topics recently, Jiang Liusui’s popularity had skyrocketed. Normally, he didn’t pay much attention when going out, but lately, he had started to be more cautious about his appearance.
He was wearing a black bucket hat, the wide brim covering most of his face. Even so, his striking appearance was hard to miss. His lips were naturally tinted, his chin sharp, and his tall, slender figure made even the curve of his wrist bone look like a work of art.
The girls nudged each other, sneaking glances at him. Finally, one couldn’t resist and approached him, “Hi, excuse me, are you Jiang Liusui?”
He was much taller than her, so he slightly lowered his gaze when looking at her. Their eyes met, and he smiled at her first.
The girl’s face instantly turned bright red, and she stammered, “I-I… You-you’re really good-looking!”
Her friend was much more outgoing. Noticing that Jiang Liusui seemed to be in a good mood, she bravely expressed her admiration, “Baby, I’ve watched all your shows! I really like you!”
Jiang Liusui was taken aback, not expecting to be called that by a girl in real life. Once he realized what was happening, he felt a bit embarrassed, nervously touching his face with curled fingers.
Then, finding the situation amusing, he smiled and said, “Hmm… thank you.”
The girls were almost overwhelmed by how cute his reaction was, surrounding him with excited compliments: “You’re even better-looking in person than in photos and videos! Some people really do have a natural filter.”
“Really, your skin is so white! We spotted you in the crowd right away!”
Shen Sijia, whether fearing being misunderstood about their relationship or just wanting to join in the fun, chimed in with the others, “Wow, Jiang Liusui!”
Jiang Liusui: “…”
Jiang Liusui thought to himself that her acting was perfectly over-the-top.
At that moment, the store owner brought over the zhajiangmian (fried sauce noodles) he had packed. Someone curiously asked, “Are you bringing this as a late-night snack for someone?”
Jiang Liusui didn’t think much about it and hummed in response. It wasn’t until everyone stared at him that he realized he probably shouldn’t have answered so honestly.
The girls immediately started asking questions, “Who are you bringing it for so late at night?” “You even specially packed a late-night snack—must be a really good friend!” “Is it for your girlfriend?”
Even Shen Sijia, who was in the know, joined in teasing with a mischievous look, “Yeah, who are you bringing food to this late?”
Jiang Liusui gave her a half-smile and glanced at her, making Shen Sijia feel a bit guilty and wonder if it was too mean to tease him like this.
“For a newly acquainted brother,” he told them.
“…………!!” Shen Sijia was caught off guard by the big sweet revelation, almost fainting from the sweetness.
Watching the girls who were equally charmed but clueless, Shen Sijia clutched her chest and nearly choked up with admiration.
Jiang Liusui, you’re amazing.
Even though I know you didn’t mean it that way, you really know how to make a girl feel special.