Pampering My Cute Pet

Yu Wan kept following closely behind Shen Qingzhou. His long legs carried him swiftly, forcing Yu Wan into a half-walk, half-run, feeling utterly pathetic.

The two exited the elevator and parted ways.

“Mr. Shen, remember to open the door for me in half an hour.”

Shen Qingzhou gave a noncommittal hum of agreement and entered his apartment directly. Yu Wan, behind him, pursed her lips. “Just who is he?”

Once inside, Yu Wan separated the groceries from the snacks, placing the excess ingredients in the refrigerator and keeping the rest out for dinner. Before cooking, however, she needed to address the questions that had been swirling in her mind since their encounter.

Yu Wan pulled out her phone, opened the browser, and typed in the three characters of Shen Qingzhou's name.

Two seconds later, a barrage of news articles and information popped up.

“'Night City' premiere box office exceeds 100 million, Shen Qingzhou's latest masterpiece after 'Calamity'."

“Shen Qingzhou attends film premiere, remains offstage throughout…”

“Rumors of Shen Qingzhou and actress Lin Ye denied! What is the truth behind the story…”

“Post-95s rising star Ji Ning exposes Director Shen's daily life on set.”

…

Truly a public figure. Yu Wan recalled Shen Qingzhou's breathtakingly handsome face. Indeed, such a face was too stunning to be hidden away. However, Director Shen? A director? Not an actor?

Yu Wan quickly clicked on his encyclopedia entry, slowly scrolling down with her finger.

Works, profession, education, major achievements… The more Yu Wan read, the more astonished she became. That icy Shen Qingzhou was actually such a renowned director!

Yu Wan stared at the screen for a long while before putting down her phone. Shen Qingzhou was quite famous, which explained his odd look the first time she asked his name.

Yu Wan felt a rare pang of frustration for her lack of attention to the entertainment industry.

After her investigation, it was naturally time to cook. Yu Wan turned on the range hood and prepared to pour oil into the wok.

“Ding… pop!”

Yu Wan froze. What was that? The range hood went off. She looked up at the lights – they were out too… and the air conditioner had stopped working!

Yu Wan walked out of the kitchen, looked around, and frowned as she called building management.

“Hello, I’m the resident of 7-701. My power is out.”

“Hello, Miss Yu. Your electricity and water have been shut off because your bill is overdue.”

Yu Wan cringed internally. They had notified her, but she’d been busy lately and had forgotten.

“I’ll pay it. Could you please turn the power back on first?”

“You need to come to the management office to pay the bill before we can restore your service.”

“…”

702.

Shen Qingzhou was busy with work in his study when the doorbell suddenly rang. “Ding-dong.”

Shen Qingzhou glanced towards the living room, stood up, and walked out of the study. Hongdou, his dog, who had been lying nearby, trotted after him.

Shen Qingzhou opened the door and saw the small, fair face outside. His gaze drifted downwards, expecting to see something, but only found a plate of raw ingredients.

“Mr. Shen, my power went out. Um, could I cook at your place?”

A few seconds of awkward silence hung in the air.

Yu Wan cleared her throat. “Building management said they’ll turn the power back on once I pay the bill, but Hongdou and Dianxia are waiting to eat. Going back and forth will take a long time, so…”

Shen Qingzhou’s expression remained indifferent. After she finished speaking, he simply stepped aside slightly.

Yu Wan breathed a sigh of relief. “Then I’ll come in.”

Yu Wan entered, followed, of course, by the adorable Dianxia.

Hongdou immediately became excited upon seeing Dianxia, circling it incessantly. The two touched noses and barked a few times, seemingly getting along famously.

Yu Wan smiled and suddenly said, “Mr. Shen, just a heads up, if they decide to engage in… indescribable acts in broad daylight, you…”

“The kitchen is that way.” Shen Qingzhou’s eyebrow twitched slightly as he abruptly changed the subject. “Don’t make too much of a mess.”

Yu Wan raised an eyebrow. She’d actually meant to say that since the two dogs were so fond of each other, and since neither was spoken for, she approved. But since Shen Qingzhou seemed… shy? She decided to drop it.

Yu Wan entered the kitchen and began preparing the meal. After washing and chopping the ingredients, she was ready to light the stove. However, after fiddling with the controls for a while, she realized something was amiss. There were so many buttons…

“Mr. Shen, how do you work these things?” Yu Wan asked as she continued to examine the appliances.

A moment later, she heard footsteps approaching from behind. She spoke as she turned around, “These are different from mine, and they’re all in English. It’s a bit compli…”

The word “complicated” died on her lips as the person behind her stepped closer. Yu Wan stared at his suddenly close shirt collar, stunned for a second, her breath catching in her chest.

He was too close. Yu Wan wanted to step back, but the counter was directly behind her, leaving her trapped.

Shen Qingzhou, seemingly oblivious, looked up at the range hood and pressed a few buttons. Evidently, he rarely used the kitchen, as the hood remained unlit after his attempts.

The central air conditioning was running, keeping the kitchen cool, yet Yu Wan felt a thin layer of sweat forming on her back. She stared at the crisp white shirt inches from her face, inhaling its faint but pleasant scent, her heart inexplicably pounding in her chest.

Finally, a “ding” sounded overhead. Yu Wan slowly raised her head, her gaze traveling past his Adam's apple, his chiseled jaw, his lightly pursed lips, finally resting on his light tea-colored eyes.

“There. Press here. You have to press them together.” Shen Qingzhou’s voice was smooth and magnetic, slightly deep, like a cello in a concert hall…

Yu Wan was slightly distracted. When Shen Qingzhou didn’t hear a response, he looked down at her.

Her delicate, fair face was tilted upwards, her large eyes filled with inky black pupils. Shen Qingzhou gazed at her, his brow furrowing slightly. “Didn’t understand?”

“Huh?”

“How will you know which buttons I pressed if you don’t look?” Shen Qingzhou asked, puzzled.

Yu Wan felt embarrassed and quickly turned her back to him. “Could you, could you say that again?”

Shen Qingzhou paused, but patiently repeated the instructions. Then, he glanced at the cooking area, deciphered the English labels, and demonstrated the process again.

“Understand now?”

Yu Wan nodded, discreetly turning her head to look at him. His scent was subtle, his body temperature cool, yet standing next to him, Yu Wan felt his powerful aura, impossible to ignore.

Yu Wan had limited social interactions, but she knew not everyone was like Shen Qingzhou. She couldn't pinpoint what made him so different, only that he was like the enigmatic characters in her novels, distant yet intriguing.

After explaining, Shen Qingzhou went to pour himself a glass of water.

Yu Wan let out a breath and began preparing the two pets' dinner in earnest. Half an hour later, she carried the food out to the living room. She saw Hongdou and Dianxia gathered around Shen Qingzhou, who was holding a dog toy and seemingly playing with them.

More importantly, a faint smile played on his lips.

His eyes were downcast, so Yu Wan couldn’t see his expression, but she could guess. His eyes must be gentle, just like the look she’d seen him give Hongdou before.

“Hongdou, Dianxia, dinner time!” Yu Wan called out.

The two dogs, with their keen sense of smell, immediately turned and ran towards her. Shen Qingzhou put down the toy and looked up at her.

Their gazes met in midair. Somehow, Yu Wan suddenly felt like this scene was… reminiscent of an old married couple. She had cooked for the “children” and called them to eat, while her “husband” exchanged a warm glance with her.

Cut! Yu Wan abruptly averted her gaze. She must have been mesmerized by his beauty to have such fanciful thoughts.

Yu Wan placed the food in the designated dining area, and Hongdou and Dianxia eagerly began to eat. Yu Wan watched them lovingly for a moment, then stood up. “Mr. Shen, have you had dinner?”

Shen Qingzhou was reading a magazine on the sofa. Without looking up, he replied, “No.”

“Oh, then could I borrow your kitchen again to cook some noodles?”

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you.” Yu Wan returned to the kitchen. She had planned to cook noodles for herself tonight. Earlier, when she came over, she felt awkward cooking only for herself, so she brought enough ingredients for two.

Jian Yunong had once said she was socially awkward, not smooth or tactful, and that staying home all day made her like a caged canary. She said she had few strengths, but her imagination and cooking skills were genuinely good…

Indeed, without parents and with a busy brother, she often cooked for herself, thoroughly researching recipes. At least Jian Yunong and her brother had always praised her cooking.

Yu Wan quickly prepared two bowls of egg and shredded pork noodles. They looked simple, but they contained her special sauce.

Carrying the noodles to the dining table, Yu Wan looked at Shen Qingzhou.

“Mr. Shen, I made noodles. Come and eat.”

Shen Qingzhou’s gaze shifted towards her. “No, thank you.”

“I made two portions, and you haven’t eaten anything yet,” Yu Wan said.

Shen Qingzhou put down the magazine. “I have takeout coming.”

“Eating takeout every day isn’t healthy.” Yu Wan smoothly picked up both bowls and naturally placed one in front of him. “I guarantee you won’t regret trying this.”

Shen Qingzhou frowned, looking at the noodles on the coffee table.

Perhaps because he was hungry, the noodles did look appealing, and the aroma was tempting.

Yu Wan began eating her own portion. “Consider it a thank you for letting me use your kitchen. Don’t stand on ceremony.”

Shen Qingzhou, “…”

“It’s really delicious, I promise.” Yu Wan blinked her large eyes at him. Shen Qingzhou glanced sideways at her.

Yu Wan’s eyes were beautiful, her dark pupils sparkling like stars. Her long, thick eyelashes fluttered, adding to her charm. Now, she was looking at Shen Qingzhou with those pleading eyes.

In that instant, Shen Qingzhou’s mind conjured an image of… Hongdou. She looked a lot like Hongdou when the dog was trying to win his favor.

“Eat, eat.” Yu Wan slurped her noodles, her eyes fixed on him.

Just as Yu Wan was about to give up on persuading him, Shen Qingzhou picked up his chopsticks. Under her watchful gaze, he took a bite and ate it.

Yu Wan’s eyes curved into a smile. It seemed he wasn’t so difficult to deal with after all.

In her cheerful mood, Yu Wan didn’t realize that Shen Qingzhou had only taken that first bite because her pleading expression had reminded him of… a puppy.

Shen Qingzhou had a surprising amount of patience and kindness towards non-human animals, especially dogs.

“Is it good?”

Shen Qingzhou had only intended to take one bite, but after that first taste, he quickly finished the rest.

He glanced at her and offered a sincere compliment. “Your cooking is good.”

“Of course! Otherwise, why would the dogs like it so much?” Yu Wan said proudly.

Shen Qingzhou, “…”

“…No, I didn’t mean you’re a dog.”

It seemed she was only digging herself deeper.

“Ahem, what I meant was…”

“Ding-dong.” Just then, the doorbell rang.

ʕ◉ᴥ◉ʔ

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