Pampering My Cute Pet

“Director Shen, Director Shen? Mr. Shen? Hello… Shen Qingzhou.” Yu Wan desperately tried to support him, her face bewildered. He just fell asleep like this?

She reached out, wrapping an arm around his waist to prevent him from falling to the floor. “Even if you want to sleep, you can’t sleep like this! Ugh… I can’t hold you up.”

Helpless, Yu Wan, blushing furiously, dragged him towards the nearby sofa. Shen Qingzhou practically put all his weight on her. With a final heave, she pushed him onto the sofa, her own momentum carrying her on top of him.

Shen Qingzhou was deeply asleep. In his hazy state, he only felt something soft against him, and subconsciously pulled it into his embrace. Yu Wan, now held tightly, struggled to wriggle free.

“Hongdou, don’t move…”

Yu Wan, "…"

Hongdou? Hongdou?! Where do I even resemble a red bean!

She tried to escape his embrace, only to be held even tighter. After a few attempts, Yu Wan gave up, resting quietly against his arm.

This was the first time she’d been this close to him. She could even see the fine pores on his face. Yu Wan recalled his kiss from earlier, her heart beating erratically. Shen Qingzhou must be drunk, right?

Yu Wan pursed her lips. Obviously… If he wasn’t drunk, how could his behavior change so drastically? I wonder if he'll remember anything tomorrow morning. If he does, what kind of expression will he have?

If he doesn't remember… it’s like I’ve profited. Yu Wan unconsciously lifted the corners of her mouth. I got to see this side of Shen Qingzhou, and even took advantage of him. Heh, Lin Yeyu definitely doesn’t have these perks.

As these thoughts drifted through her mind, Yu Wan fell asleep. She had also drunk quite a bit that night, and her head had been spinning. After all the commotion, lying in his arms felt strangely peaceful, and she drifted off unknowingly.

The next day, Shen Qingzhou woke up first.

He had a hangover, and his head was pounding. He opened his eyes and raised a hand to block the sunlight streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling window. But as he moved, he realized something was amiss.

A head rested on his arm, and a slender, pale arm was wrapped around his waist. Shen Qingzhou slowly widened his eyes, struggling to process the scene before him.

“Mmm…” The body in his arms stirred, nuzzling closer into his chest, finding a comfortable position before resuming sleep.

Shen Qingzhou took a deep breath. Yu Wan??

He assessed the situation. Two adults squeezed onto a single long sofa, and judging by their posture, he was holding her tightly in his arms, while she, of course, seemed perfectly comfortable nestled there.

Shen Qingzhou's temples throbbed. He said in a hoarse voice, “Wake up.”

The person in his arms moved slightly, showing no signs of waking. Shen Qingzhou sighed, and with his free hand, patted her cheek. “Yu Wan, wake up.”

“Don’t bother me…”

“Hurry up and wake up.”

The voice beside her ear was too loud, and Yu Wan was startled awake. “Wha, what’s wrong?”

She lifted her head, meeting Shen Qingzhou’s gaze.

Five seconds later, Yu Wan yelped and rolled off the sofa.

“What happened?” Shen Qingzhou sat up, looking down at Yu Wan on the carpet.

Yu Wan, her hair disheveled, said in a trembling voice, “Last night, you were the one who insisted on holding me and wouldn’t let me go.”

“What?” A flicker of disbelief crossed Shen Qingzhou’s eyes.

Seeing that he had forgotten, Yu Wan quickly added, “I swear I’m not lying! I wasn’t trying to take advantage of you. You were the one who insisted on hugging me and kept calling me Hongdou!”

“I…” Shen Qingzhou pressed a hand to his forehead, a faint, intriguing blush creeping up behind his ears.

“You were drunk last night,” Yu Wan said softly. “Have you forgotten everything?” She felt a pang of disappointment. Did he also forget the kiss?

Shen Qingzhou lowered his hand and looked at her, saying somewhat stiffly, “If that’s the case, I apologize. But, why were you in my room?”

“Well…” Yu Wan thought for a moment, then pointed to the cake on the nearby cabinet. “I came to wish you a happy birthday. I brought you a cake. Who knew you would… turn into such a wolf.”

A wolf.

Shen Qingzhou’s lips twitched.

“If you don’t believe me, look for yourself. You even ate some of it.” Yu Wan got up and brought the cake over. “Here, you took a bite out of this part.”

Shen Qingzhou’s gaze fell on the missing piece of cake. Suddenly, a few fragmented images flashed through his mind. He froze, then slowly raised his eyes to Yu Wan’s… lips.

Afraid he wouldn’t believe her, Yu Wan pointed to the bites she had taken last night, explaining earnestly, “See, you even had several bites.”

But Shen Qingzhou wasn’t listening. He watched her lips as she spoke, his thoughts drifting back to the previous night. He seemed… to remember.

Shen Qingzhou unconsciously raised a hand to brush his lips. The soft, tender, sweet sensation from last night seemed to linger. Yesterday, he had kissed Yu Wan.

He realized with a start that he didn’t feel any aversion to the memory; instead, he felt a hint of joy. Even drunk, he knew he had followed his heart. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so muddled.

Shen Qingzhou's eyes darkened. He looked at Yu Wan silently, without saying a word.

After finishing her explanation, Yu Wan noticed that Shen Qingzhou seemed to be lost in thought. Embarrassed, she put the cake aside. “Um, I should probably go now…”

“Wait.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t go.”

“Ah?”

Shen Qingzhou cleared his throat and, after a moment’s thought, said, “There’s toast in the fridge. Make some breakfast.”

“…”

Shen Qingzhou stood up and, without looking back, said, “I’ll go take a shower. There’s another bathroom, feel free to use it.”

“…”

Yu Wan went into the other bathroom, using the hotel toiletries to freshen up before heading to the kitchen. As she took out the breakfast ingredients from the fridge, her mind raced. Shen Qingzhou actually forgot. Drunk people are really scary.

But it’s probably for the best. Otherwise, things would be really awkward…

Shen Qingzhou emerged from the shower, dressed in fresh clothes, just as Yu Wan finished making breakfast. She placed the food on the dining table. “Mr. Shen, breakfast is ready.”

“Mm.”

Yu Wan sat down opposite him, observing him as she ate. He was composed, aloof, and reserved, a stark contrast to the night before.

“Mr. Shen, have you ever been drunk before?” Yu Wan asked curiously.

Shen Qingzhou choked slightly. “Rarely.”

“Then… do you know what you’re like when you’re drunk? I mean, do you know how you behave?”

Shen Qingzhou paused, his fork halfway to his mouth. Unseen by Yu Wan, a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.

“Oh? How do I behave?”

Yu Wan met his seemingly amused gaze, the words catching in her throat. “Just, a little… unrestrained.”

Unrestrained? That’s the best word she could come up with? Shen Qingzhou’s lips curled. “How unrestrained?”

Yu Wan frowned. “Isn’t holding me all night, mistaking me for Hongdou, unrestrained enough?” Not to mention, kissing me!

Shen Qingzhou chuckled softly. “Hongdou often jumps onto my bed at home. If I mistook you for Hongdou… you can only blame yourself for being too much like her.”

Like Hongdou? Is he joking?! Yu Wan was about to retort when the doorbell suddenly rang.

Yu Wan jumped. “Who is it?”

Shen Qingzhou gave her a strange look. “Why are you so easily startled? I’ll go open the door.”

“Wait, wait, wait! I’m still here! Don’t just open the door. What if someone misunderstands?”

“What does it matter?” Shen Qingzhou glanced at her and calmly walked towards the door.

Yu Wan stared wide-eyed as he opened the door without hesitation.

“Surprise!!” Tang Yue stood at the doorway, a sunny smile on his handsome face. “So, are you surprised to see me?”

Shen Qingzhou looked at him calmly. “Why are you here?”

“I couldn’t make it for your birthday yesterday. I came to apologize today. I heard Yeyu came over yesterday.”

“Mm.”

“Oh, then I’m even more at fault. As your good friend, I wasn’t even there.” Tang Yue walked in as he spoke. “But I brought you a…”

Tang Yue stared blankly at Yu Wan sitting at the dining table, then slowly finished his sentence, “surprise.”

Tang Yue abruptly turned to Shen Qingzhou. “You, you, you, you, you!”

Shen Qingzhou closed the door and gave him an exasperated look. “What surprise could you possibly have?”

Tang Yue didn’t have time to bicker. He followed closely behind Shen Qingzhou. “Shen Qingzhou, hey, Shen Qingzhou, are you serious?”

“Serious about what?”

“Her!” Tang Yue pointed at Yu Wan, a mixture of excitement and disbelief in his voice. “The little beauty from across the hall. You’ve even brought your work to your side, huh? You’re quite something.”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t bother explaining. He strolled leisurely to the dining table and continued his breakfast.

Tang Yue sat down in another chair, staring at Yu Wan with great interest. “Hey, we meet again.”

Yu Wan nodded. “Hello, I’m the screenwriter for the production team, Yu Wan.”

“Screenwriter? You’re the screenwriter?”

“Yes.” Yu Wan explained, “So, don’t get any wrong ideas. I’m not…”

“Oh~ So you’re the screenwriter.” Tang Yue grinned at Yu Wan. Appearing in the director’s room early in the morning, wearing slippers, dressed so casually… Heh, this is explosive!

Seeing Tang Yue’s strange smile, Yu Wan closed her mouth. She felt like she couldn’t explain herself.

Tang Yue patted Shen Qingzhou on the shoulder. “Director Shen, a master at using his position for personal gain.”

Then he turned to Yu Wan. “Little Screenwriter, what are you writing next? Has Director Shen already pre-ordered it for filming? Hmm… maybe I should invest in it, as a red envelope for you two.”

Yu Wan, "…"

Shen Qingzhou glanced at him. “If you have nothing else to do, go get busy. Don’t make noise here.”

“This is a classic case of prioritizing romance over friendship.” Tang Yue complained. “I actually do have business to attend to later. But I mentioned I brought you a surprise. Don’t you want to know what it is?”

“No, thanks.”

“What about Hongdou? Don’t you want to know about that either?”

“Hongdou?” Yu Wan looked at him curiously. “What about Hongdou?”

Tang Yue raised an eyebrow. “I’m in Beijing for about a week for work, so I had someone bring Hongdou over. He’ll be here this afternoon. I’ll take him back with me when I leave.”

“You brought Hongdou here?” Shen Qingzhou frowned.

“Of course. Hongdou must miss you terribly being left alone.” Tang Yue said, “I know you’re busy with work and don’t have time to take care of him, but don’t worry, it’s only for a week. I’ll take him back when I leave.”

“You don’t have to take him back. I can take care of him.” Yu Wan was clearly excited.

ʕ◉ᴥ◉ʔ

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