Pampering My Cute Pet

Chapter 14

For the entire duration of the car ride, Yu Wan couldn’t pull herself out of her smile.

His glance wasn’t as cold as before; rather, it was gentle. The curves on his face were elegant and smooth. Though his smile was shallow, it pushed away the night’s chilliness with ease. In that moment, Yu Wan felt her heart beat like a drum.

Their surroundings grew silent as the car entered the hotel’s underground garage. Shen Qingzhou parked the car and unfastened his seatbelt before turning to Yu Wan. “Out.”

Yu Wan mumbled a reply as she held his tea-colored eyes against hers.

Shen Qingzhou stared back. She had answered him, but she didn’t show any sign of getting off. “Do you want to stay on the car or something?”

In truth, Yu Wan had simply forgotten everything that was happening and immersed herself into a deep, murky pool of thoughts. She had never thought of herself as a dreamy person, but why did she think that Shen Qingzhou seemed perfect in every way no matter where she looked at him?

“Are you done staring?” Shen Qingzhou’s brows furrowed in concern.

“Shen Qingzhou, it’s such a pity that you don’t smile often.” Yu Wan put on an expression of “regret.” She had even forgotten to call him by his title and used his name instead.

His sternness seemed to crack a little. “Don’t worry. Just focus on dinner.”

Yu Wan tsk’ed as she shook her head. She muttered to herself, “Him and Yu Huan are all the same. All they use are their faces, not their brains…”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t hear her, but he did eject her seatbelt when he saw how slow she was. He reached over to open her door and push her out. “Out, now.”

The fabric on his clothes swished against her, and she jolted at his warm presence. “Oh, okay…”

Shen Qingzhou stared at her as she fumbled out of the car. It almost seemed comical to him– how could someone this dumb have written a bestselling mystery novel?

When they arrived at his hotel room, Yu Wan opened the fridge. There were still ingredients leftover.

“Just wait there for a few minutes. It’ll be quick.” Yu Wan took out some meat and vegetables. Shen Qingzhou could see her every move from the living room. In no time, the sizzle of food against the frying pan and the aroma of meat and cumin wafted throughout the space. Shen Qingzhou hadn’t really eaten for the entire day; he was famished.

Yu Wan jiggled her frying pan and stuck her head down to the cabinets. “Eh? Where’s the soy sauce?”

From behind, a hand holding a sauce bottle reached out. Yu Wan’s gaze reached around to meet Shen Qingzhou’s cold stare. “You put it over there in the corner.”

“Oh.” Yu Wan took it. “Thanks.”

Shen Qingzhou stepped aside and continued observing her cook. Yu Wan stole a few glimpses and kept cooking diligently.

A while later.

“Hey, give me some of that olive oil.”

“Pass me some sugar.”

“This is salt, okay? Right over there… Yep, yep.”

“How much?” Shen Qingzhou’s calm voice.

“A small spoonful.”

“This much?”

“A tiny bit more.”

Yu Wan watched the famous movie director, Shen Qingzhou, tap a spoon in the most gentle manner possible. His carefulness… almost made her laugh.

To be frank, she wasn’t very serious about him passing her ingredients, but she didn’t think that it would keep going until she was done. Moreover, Director Shen didn’t seem to mind. It was as if he had just discovered the wondrous art of cooking. His eyes shone with amazement.

“Alright, we’re done.” The meal was simple, consisting of a meat, vegetable, and soup.

Shen Qingzhou sat down and started to eat. Yu Wan sat across, watching him with her head resting on her palm.

“Oh, yeah. I tweeted something yesterday. Did you see it?”

He glanced at her. “Nope.”

“Then, you better go look. It’s kind of embarrassing to mention you and not get a reply.” Yu Wan ordered.

“Embarrassing? Really.” Shen Qingzhou wore an “it’s always been this way” expression. The edge of her mouth twitched. There probably wasn’t a shortage of celebrities who had been overlooked by the majestic Director Shen before.

“I have a lot of readers, you know. Sigh, they’re probably going to yell at me again.”

“Mm.”

“You better not forget, Director Shen. Don’t embarrass me, for the sake of my generous cooking.” Yu Wan’s words didn’t really reflect on her expectations of his response. It wasn’t like he’d ever had to hide that he was as cold as a stone.

Yu Wan went back to her room when Shen Qingzhou finished waiting. After she left, he opened an app that he hadn’t opened in over a month.

With his congested inbox, he didn’t find Yu Wan, so he searched up her username. Her pseudonym, Wei Wan, popped up immediately.

He clicked open her feed and saw her latest tweet. He looked at the comments; there were a lot who “comforted” her for the lack of response, while others “explained” his behavior.

Shen Qingzhou’s brows raised slightly. His finger reached out to press the retweet button, along with a food emoji.

Once it was sent, he lightly smiled at the thought of a certain someone’s joy.

Yu Wan put on her pajamas and climbed into her little blanket burrito after her shower. When she turned on her phone, she saw a little red “1” notification by her social media. Yu Wan tapped it open without even thinking twice. Someone she was following had retweeted her post?

Yu Wan stared in confusion at the retweeter. Shen Qingzhou? Shen Qingzhou?!

He actually gave a reply? And he was following  her, too? Yu Wan’s grin was ear-to-ear. The power of food was truly universal. Director Shen’s generosity was proof of that.

Yu Wan giggled as she clicked open the comments. The whole section was aflame with Shen Qingzhou’s retweet. 

“Who’s Weiwan? Can someone fill me in here? My idol actually retweeted something?”

“She’s the scriptwriter for Director Shen’s new TV drama. She’s the original author of the adaptation’s original, too. I heard the novel is dope.”

“Aaahhh, it’s the first time my bae Zhou actually retweeted something that isn’t a promo. Big thank!”

…

Yu Wan noticed that the number of her followers was rising fast. Her most recent post was like a hotspot for the “Shen Qingzhou Group Tour.”

“…”

The next morning, Yu Wan went to the set. The other two scriptwriters held a little brainstorming session once she came. When they were done, Yu Wan watched the actors from above. Of course, she also enjoyed the view of the overbearing director-sama.

Yu Wan felt satisfied as she kept looking. Li Mengmeng and Xiang Zeran were an excellent pair; both were extremely attractive and phenomenal at acting. Moreover, she had heard through the grapevine that Shen Qingzhou personally picked the two, mm…. Director Shen really made everything a lot easier for her feelings.

When they finished, they walked to the side to take a break. Li Mengmeng bounced right on over the moment she saw Yu Wan sitting. 

Xiang Zeran also pulled up a chair. He remembered his screw-up the previous night: “Weiwan, I’m really sorry for eating your dinner yesterday. Why don’t I treat you out during lunch today?”
“When did you even do that?” Li Mengmeng asked curiously.

Xiang Zeran explained what happened, and Li Mengmeng broke into a giggle. “Of course, you should definitely treat her out. You’ve got some balls to eat my Weiwan’s food.”

“I wanted to give mine to hers, but she left right away…” Xiang Zeran moaned.

Yu Wan chuckled. “I wasn’t really hungry yesterday, anyways. I don’t mind if you ate it, you don’t need to treat me out.” 

“Oh, we can’t have that. Stay here during lunch, I’ll have my assistant get us something good to eat.” 

“Yeah, for sure.” Li Mengmeng piped up. 

With the duo’s insistence, Yu Wan had no way of rejecting them. “Alright, alright. I’ll join you guys, then.”

“Sure, no problem.”

Li Mengmeng suddenly thought of something in the middle of her laughter. “Weiwan, I saw yesterday that Director Shen retweeted your post! He even followed you. Say, even though I’m casting as the female protagonist, he isn’t even following me.”

Yu Wan smiled as calm as she could. She would never expose for her life that she had used some… peculiar methods to get on Shen Qingzhou’s good side.

“Oh… Really, then I’m flattered.”

“Yeah, right? Anyways, with how long I’ve been following Director Shen, I’ve never seen him retweet someone else’s stuff. Oh, besides promos.” Li Mengmeng whispered wickedly, “Weiwan, spill the beans. Is there anything… exotic happening between you two?”

Yu Wan raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think that?”

Li Mengmeng was quiet for a moment before turning back. “Hmm…. I guess it really is my imagination. It’ll be a miracle if there was. There’s no way someone can warm up the director’s resting b**** face.”

Yu Wan: No way? Definitely not. He clearly smiled yesterday.

During lunch, the whole crew received boxed lunches except for Xiang Zeran. He had followed through on his promise and had his assistant buy lots of delicious takeout. Yu Wan sat between Li Mengmeng and Xiang Zeran, feasting in happiness. 

The other actors passed by. “Brother Ran, you didn’t call me over for food?” 

“Here, have a bite. Don’t take too much, though. This is compensation for our scriptwriter-sama.”

“Brother Ran actually has to pay someone back for once?”

“Well, obviously.”

“Then, I won’t intrude. You better do your job, then… Ouch, Director.” The actor wasn’t watching where he was going and directly bumped into Shen Qingzhou. 

“Mm.” Shen Qingzhou nodded slightly. 

The actor scampered away in a flash. Shen Qingzhou’s gaze fell upon Yu Wan, who was still eating away in bliss. Xiang Zeran pinched some food for her with his chopsticks, and Yu Wan didn’t seem to mind. She took it in her plate, almost by habit. 

Shen Qingzhou suddenly felt extremely annoyed. 

He walked up front and stared down from his tall figure towards Yu Wan, who was still chomping down furiously. “Scriptwriter, out.”

Yu Wan looked up. “Mlem?”

“Are you done eating? Get up.” 

“Nope, not yet.” Yu Wan answered honestly. 

The vein on Shen Qingzhou’s temple bulged. “You’re coming with, even if you aren’t finished.” 

Yu Wan, “…”

Shen Qingzhou walked out first. Li Mengmeng clapped Yu Wan’s shoulder. “Director Shen gets really scary when he’s mad. Wish you luck.” 

Yu Wan, “Did I mess up somehow?”

“Definitely. See, the director is terrifying, but he always acts with reason. He won’t pick on you if you’ve been good.” 

Yu Wan’s face soured as she put down her chopsticks. “You guys can keep eating, then. I’ll be back.” 

Xiang Zeran, “You haven’t even eaten much. I’ll save some for you.”

“No, there’s no need for that. You guys can finish it.”

Chapter 14

For the entire duration of the car ride, Yu Wan couldn’t pull herself out of her smile.

His glance wasn’t as cold as before; rather, it was gentle. The curves on his face were elegant and smooth. Though his smile was shallow, it pushed away the night’s chilliness with ease. In that moment, Yu Wan felt her heart beat like a drum.

Their surroundings grew silent as the car entered the hotel’s underground garage. Shen Qingzhou parked the car and unfastened his seatbelt before turning to Yu Wan. “Out.”

Yu Wan mumbled a reply as she held his tea-colored eyes against hers.

Shen Qingzhou stared back. She had answered him, but she didn’t show any sign of getting off. “Do you want to stay on the car or something?”

In truth, Yu Wan had simply forgotten everything that was happening and immersed herself into a deep, murky pool of thoughts. She had never thought of herself as a dreamy person, but why did she think that Shen Qingzhou seemed perfect in every way no matter where she looked at him?

“Are you done staring?” Shen Qingzhou’s brows furrowed in concern.

“Shen Qingzhou, it’s such a pity that you don’t smile often.” Yu Wan put on an expression of “regret.” She had even forgotten to call him by his title and used his name instead.

His sternness seemed to crack a little. “Don’t worry. Just focus on dinner.”

Yu Wan tsk’ed as she shook her head. She muttered to herself, “Him and Yu Huan are all the same. All they use are their faces, not their brains…”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t hear her, but he did eject her seatbelt when he saw how slow she was. He reached over to open her door and push her out. “Out, now.”

The fabric on his clothes swished against her, and she jolted at his warm presence. “Oh, okay…”

Shen Qingzhou stared at her as she fumbled out of the car. It almost seemed comical to him– how could someone this dumb have written a bestselling mystery novel?

When they arrived at his hotel room, Yu Wan opened the fridge. There were still ingredients leftover.

“Just wait there for a few minutes. It’ll be quick.” Yu Wan took out some meat and vegetables. Shen Qingzhou could see her every move from the living room. In no time, the sizzle of food against the frying pan and the aroma of meat and cumin wafted throughout the space. Shen Qingzhou hadn’t really eaten for the entire day; he was famished.

Yu Wan jiggled her frying pan and stuck her head down to the cabinets. “Eh? Where’s the soy sauce?”

From behind, a hand holding a sauce bottle reached out. Yu Wan’s gaze reached around to meet Shen Qingzhou’s cold stare. “You put it over there in the corner.”

“Oh.” Yu Wan took it. “Thanks.”

Shen Qingzhou stepped aside and continued observing her cook. Yu Wan stole a few glimpses and kept cooking diligently.

A while later.

“Hey, give me some of that olive oil.”

“Pass me some sugar.”

“This is salt, okay? Right over there… Yep, yep.”

“How much?” Shen Qingzhou’s calm voice.

“A small spoonful.”

“This much?”

“A tiny bit more.”

Yu Wan watched the famous movie director, Shen Qingzhou, tap a spoon in the most gentle manner possible. His carefulness… almost made her laugh.

To be frank, she wasn’t very serious about him passing her ingredients, but she didn’t think that it would keep going until she was done. Moreover, Director Shen didn’t seem to mind. It was as if he had just discovered the wondrous art of cooking. His eyes shone with amazement.

“Alright, we’re done.” The meal was simple, consisting of a meat, vegetable, and soup.

Shen Qingzhou sat down and started to eat. Yu Wan sat across, watching him with her head resting on her palm.

“Oh, yeah. I tweeted something yesterday. Did you see it?”

He glanced at her. “Nope.”

“Then, you better go look. It’s kind of embarrassing to mention you and not get a reply.” Yu Wan ordered.

“Embarrassing? Really.” Shen Qingzhou wore an “it’s always been this way” expression. The edge of her mouth twitched. There probably wasn’t a shortage of celebrities who had been overlooked by the majestic Director Shen before.

“I have a lot of readers, you know. Sigh, they’re probably going to yell at me again.”

“Mm.”

“You better not forget, Director Shen. Don’t embarrass me, for the sake of my generous cooking.” Yu Wan’s words didn’t really reflect on her expectations of his response. It wasn’t like he’d ever had to hide that he was as cold as a stone.

Yu Wan went back to her room when Shen Qingzhou finished waiting. After she left, he opened an app that he hadn’t opened in over a month.

With his congested inbox, he didn’t find Yu Wan, so he searched up her username. Her pseudonym, Wei Wan, popped up immediately.

He clicked open her feed and saw her latest tweet. He looked at the comments; there were a lot who “comforted” her for the lack of response, while others “explained” his behavior.

Shen Qingzhou’s brows raised slightly. His finger reached out to press the retweet button, along with a food emoji.

Once it was sent, he lightly smiled at the thought of a certain someone’s joy.

Yu Wan put on her pajamas and climbed into her little blanket burrito after her shower. When she turned on her phone, she saw a little red “1” notification by her social media. Yu Wan tapped it open without even thinking twice. Someone she was following had retweeted her post?

Yu Wan stared in confusion at the retweeter. Shen Qingzhou? Shen Qingzhou?!

He actually gave a reply? And he was following  her, too? Yu Wan’s grin was ear-to-ear. The power of food was truly universal. Director Shen’s generosity was proof of that.

Yu Wan giggled as she clicked open the comments. The whole section was aflame with Shen Qingzhou’s retweet. 

“Who’s Weiwan? Can someone fill me in here? My idol actually retweeted something?”

“She’s the scriptwriter for Director Shen’s new TV drama. She’s the original author of the adaptation’s original, too. I heard the novel is dope.”

“Aaahhh, it’s the first time my bae Zhou actually retweeted something that isn’t a promo. Big thank!”

…

Yu Wan noticed that the number of her followers was rising fast. Her most recent post was like a hotspot for the “Shen Qingzhou Group Tour.”

“…”

The next morning, Yu Wan went to the set. The other two scriptwriters held a little brainstorming session once she came. When they were done, Yu Wan watched the actors from above. Of course, she also enjoyed the view of the overbearing director-sama.

Yu Wan felt satisfied as she kept looking. Li Mengmeng and Xiang Zeran were an excellent pair; both were extremely attractive and phenomenal at acting. Moreover, she had heard through the grapevine that Shen Qingzhou personally picked the two, mm…. Director Shen really made everything a lot easier for her feelings.

When they finished, they walked to the side to take a break. Li Mengmeng bounced right on over the moment she saw Yu Wan sitting. 

Xiang Zeran also pulled up a chair. He remembered his screw-up the previous night: “Weiwan, I’m really sorry for eating your dinner yesterday. Why don’t I treat you out during lunch today?”“When did you even do that?” Li Mengmeng asked curiously.

Xiang Zeran explained what happened, and Li Mengmeng broke into a giggle. “Of course, you should definitely treat her out. You’ve got some balls to eat my Weiwan’s food.”

“I wanted to give mine to hers, but she left right away…” Xiang Zeran moaned.

Yu Wan chuckled. “I wasn’t really hungry yesterday, anyways. I don’t mind if you ate it, you don’t need to treat me out.” 

“Oh, we can’t have that. Stay here during lunch, I’ll have my assistant get us something good to eat.” 

“Yeah, for sure.” Li Mengmeng piped up. 

With the duo’s insistence, Yu Wan had no way of rejecting them. “Alright, alright. I’ll join you guys, then.”

“Sure, no problem.”

Li Mengmeng suddenly thought of something in the middle of her laughter. “Weiwan, I saw yesterday that Director Shen retweeted your post! He even followed you. Say, even though I’m casting as the female protagonist, he isn’t even following me.”

Yu Wan smiled as calm as she could. She would never expose for her life that she had used some… peculiar methods to get on Shen Qingzhou’s good side.

“Oh… Really, then I’m flattered.”

“Yeah, right? Anyways, with how long I’ve been following Director Shen, I’ve never seen him retweet someone else’s stuff. Oh, besides promos.” Li Mengmeng whispered wickedly, “Weiwan, spill the beans. Is there anything… exotic happening between you two?”

Yu Wan raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think that?”

Li Mengmeng was quiet for a moment before turning back. “Hmm…. I guess it really is my imagination. It’ll be a miracle if there was. There’s no way someone can warm up the director’s resting b**** face.”

Yu Wan: No way? Definitely not. He clearly smiled yesterday.

During lunch, the whole crew received boxed lunches except for Xiang Zeran. He had followed through on his promise and had his assistant buy lots of delicious takeout. Yu Wan sat between Li Mengmeng and Xiang Zeran, feasting in happiness. 

The other actors passed by. “Brother Ran, you didn’t call me over for food?” 

“Here, have a bite. Don’t take too much, though. This is compensation for our scriptwriter-sama.”

“Brother Ran actually has to pay someone back for once?”

“Well, obviously.”

“Then, I won’t intrude. You better do your job, then… Ouch, Director.” The actor wasn’t watching where he was going and directly bumped into Shen Qingzhou. 

“Mm.” Shen Qingzhou nodded slightly. 

The actor scampered away in a flash. Shen Qingzhou’s gaze fell upon Yu Wan, who was still eating away in bliss. Xiang Zeran pinched some food for her with his chopsticks, and Yu Wan didn’t seem to mind. She took it in her plate, almost by habit. 

Shen Qingzhou suddenly felt extremely annoyed. 

He walked up front and stared down from his tall figure towards Yu Wan, who was still chomping down furiously. “Scriptwriter, out.”

Yu Wan looked up. “Mlem?”

“Are you done eating? Get up.” 

“Nope, not yet.” Yu Wan answered honestly. 

The vein on Shen Qingzhou’s temple bulged. “You’re coming with, even if you aren’t finished.” 

Yu Wan, “…”

Shen Qingzhou walked out first. Li Mengmeng clapped Yu Wan’s shoulder. “Director Shen gets really scary when he’s mad. Wish you luck.” 

Yu Wan, “Did I mess up somehow?”

“Definitely. See, the director is terrifying, but he always acts with reason. He won’t pick on you if you’ve been good.” 

Yu Wan’s face soured as she put down her chopsticks. “You guys can keep eating, then. I’ll be back.” 

Xiang Zeran, “You haven’t even eaten much. I’ll save some for you.”

“No, there’s no need for that. You guys can finish it.”