Song Chan told Su Yicen not to follow her and asked him to wait for the next elevator.
But he refused to listen and stuck to her side like a clingy spirit, giving her an impeccable reason.
“Since we’re in the same crew, we’ll run into each other eventually.”
“It’s better to act like strangers if we’re caught rather than trying to cover it up and making it more obvious.”
Su Yicen’s words defeated her, mainly because Song Chan felt they made sense.
She was indeed too nervous, which would only make it easier to give herself away. Treating him just like any other co-star would seem more natural.
Though Song Chan conceded a step, she still reminded him.
“We agreed in advance—no matter who we run into later, you have to keep your distance from me.”
“You have to keep that ice block face of yours cold…”
As she finished speaking and turned her head, she caught the smile he couldn’t suppress at the corners of his mouth.
Even though Song Chan knew that men couldn’t help but lower their laughter threshold when they encountered someone they liked, Su Yicen was being a bit too obvious.
Her fingertip poked his face.
“Trouble you to rein in that smile of yours.”
The elevator ascended, and the jumping numbers stopped at the 10th floor.
The elevator doors slowly opened. Song Chan immediately slapped away Su Yicen’s restless hand that wanted to grab hers.
She tilted her head, her lively and seductive eyes carrying a hint of threat. He restrained his hand movements and obediently schooled his face into its icy expression.
Even though Song Chan had run through ten thousand scenarios in her mind earlier about how to act when others looked at her and Su Yicen.
She never could have predicted that the first person they ran into upon arriving would be Zhou Chiyu.
Talk about enemies on a narrow road.
After the elevator doors opened and Su Yicen saw Zhou Chiyu standing outside, the last bit of smile at the corner of his lips instantly froze into coldness on his face.
His hook-like gaze swept coldly over Zhou Chiyu. His lips parted slightly, and he spat out two words without any politeness.
“Jinx.”
Perhaps because her nerves were too taut, those two words seemed amplified countless times as they drifted past Song Chan’s ears.
Her uneasy heart raced chaotically. She worried that Zhou Chiyu had heard Su Yicen’s words just now.
Fortunately, he merely paused his gaze before proactively greeting her, his tone showing nothing amiss.
“Chanchan, you’ve joined the crew.”
Su Yicen: ……
Song Chan: ……
Hearing that nickname come from Zhou Chiyu’s mouth left both of them a bit dumbfounded.
Su Yicen’s cold gaze sized up Zhou Chiyu from top to bottom, then shifted to Song Chan beside him.
Being stared at like that made her hair stand on end. She blinked rapidly, conveying her thoughts with her eyes.
She had no idea about this nickname either; it wasn’t something she told him.
But seeing Su Yicen raise his brow in clear disbelief, Song Chan decided not to explain.
She turned directly to face Zhou Chiyu and asked tactfully.
“Teacher Zhou, how did you know my nickname?”
Zhou Chiyu smiled faintly, showing no intention of entering the elevator.
“Before coming to Paris, I went to your company to coordinate the collaboration. One of your colleagues told me, and she also said you were my fan…”
“I thought Teacher Song’s nickname was pretty interesting, so I remembered it.”
Upon hearing Zhou Chiyu’s words, Song Chan immediately knew who he was talking about.
At ZE Fashion, no one knew her as well as Qian Ya.
Now that she thought back, Song Chan realized why Qian Ya had mysteriously called her that day, saying she had a surprise prepared for her and that she’d find out in a bit.
But looking at her current situation, sandwiched between Su Yicen and Zhou Chiyu, Song Chan didn’t even dare to breathe.
What Qian Ya had given her couldn’t be called a surprise—it was more like a fright.
“Hmph—”
Su Yicen pursed his lips and let out a disdainful cold snort.
Only then did Zhou Chiyu seem to notice him, as if for the first time.
“Yo—, Teacher Su, I didn’t even notice you just now…”
Su Yicen didn’t change his expression, his words as cold as millennial ice.
“Then you should get your eyes checked. My 188 cm height, and you couldn’t see it…”
Hearing those words come out of his mouth, Song Chan couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath inwardly.
She had to admire Su Yicen’s sarcastic skills—they were impressive. A single simple sentence had struck right at the sore spot.
Everyone in and out of the Entertainment Circle knew their fans fought fiercely, but whenever it came to their height issue, Zhou Chiyu’s fans always suffered total defeat.
Though Zhou Chiyu’s 183 cm height was already impressive among male artists in the Entertainment Circle, compared to Su Yicen’s 188 cm, it became a glaring flaw—he always lost without winning.
This time was no exception.
The rudeness in Su Yicen’s words was too obvious, and Zhou Chiyu’s tone cooled a few degrees.
“Teacher Su, do you have some business with me?”
Once his roasting mode was on, Su Yicen couldn’t hold back, the words slipping out almost automatically.
“Teacher Zhou really should get his eyes checked. He can’t even see that he’s blocking the way, yet here he is asking others?”
Indeed, he had blocked the two of them inside the elevator for quite a while.
Having been roasted twice in a row, Zhou Chiyu showed no temper and maintained his gentle, sunny demeanor.
He stepped aside and gestured with his hand.
“My apologies, please go ahead.”
As he passed Zhou Chiyu, Su Yicen deliberately straightened his posture, highlighting the obvious height difference, and walked by his side.
Zhou Chiyu: “Teacher Song, there’s a crew dinner tomorrow. Are you joining?”
Song Chan, who had just wanted to escape this battlefield, was called out by name and stopped.
At the same time, Su Yicen, who had nearly walked away, paused his steps. The leg he had lifted retracted, the movement somewhat deliberate.
“Dinner?”
Song Chan was a bit confused; she hadn’t noticed any such notice.
“Our crew is having a dinner tomorrow, and official filming starts the day after…”
Zhou Chiyu explained to her, though his gaze couldn’t help but notice the person who had doubled back.
Su Yicen leaned against the wall, his finger pressing the down button on the elevator panel. The doors, which had just closed, opened again.
The intent to chase him away was obvious in his words: “Doesn’t Teacher Zhou need the elevator? Why isn’t he leaving?”
Zhou Chiyu: “No rush. I still have a couple things to chat with Teacher Song about.”
Their swords-drawn tension was truly frightening. Caught in the middle, Song Chan was at a loss on both sides.
Seeing that Su Yicen showed no sign of leaving, and worried that things would slip if this continued, Song Chan turned to face him.
“Teacher Su, didn’t your manager say earlier that he had something to discuss with you? Weren’t you in a hurry just now…”
With her back to Zhou Chiyu, Song Chan blinked at him and pursed her lips, feeling like she’d made more facial expressions in that moment than in her entire life.
After all, not being found out was the most important thing. Regardless of whether he accepted it, Song Chan raised her hand and waved at him.
“Teacher Su, go ahead with your business. See you at the dinner tomorrow…”
Afraid of truly angering Song Chan, the suddenly dismissed Su Yicen could only throw sarcastic jabs at Zhou Chiyu while heading toward his room, looking back every few steps.
Zhou Chiyu watched his retreating back and asked casually.
“Teacher Song, did you come here with Teacher Su?”
There were too many dangerous words in that sentence—one slip, and it would give her away.
Song Chan answered cautiously: “I happened to be on the same flight as Teacher Su and only ran into him after we got off the plane.”
Her polite and formulaic response revealed no flaws.
But as she looked up, she spotted a pair of dark eyes secretly watching them from around the corner.
Song Chan squinted, signaling him to hurry off.
Nearly caught by Zhou Chiyu, and seeing him about to turn his head, Song Chan quickly asked.
“Teacher Zhou, what did you need me for?”
“Nothing much, just chatting about some ideas for the collaboration with your company…”
Being in Paris, Song Chan couldn’t reach back to the company. After a brief chat to brush off Zhou Chiyu, she walked to the corner of the lobby where that person had been earlier—and he really had left.
With nothing left to see, Song Chan returned to her room. Just as she was about to close the door, a hand suddenly appeared to stop it.
Su Yicen leaned against the doorframe, one hand braced on the door she wanted to close.
He lowered his gaze to the watch on his wrist, his tone clearly accusatory.
“You just chatted with Zhou Chiyu for a full two minutes and forty-three seconds.”
Song Chan was speechless: “You were timing it?”
Su Yicen lifted his chin, stating it as a matter of course: “I’m jealous.”
Song Chan didn’t take it seriously: “Go ahead and be jealous.”
With those words, she reached for the door while pushing at his chest with her other hand, trying to shut it.
But how could her strength compare to a man’s? Su Yicen didn’t use much force at all, and Song Chan couldn’t budge him. Instead, he grabbed her wrist.
He pulled her inside and grumbled in a low voice: “You’re not even coaxing me.”
“Coaxing you.” Song Chan brushed it off perfunctorily, then lowered her voice to remind him: “Stop messing around. Don’t let anyone find out…”
Su Yicen didn’t care: “Whatever. If we’re found out, we go public.”
“Of course, there’s another solution.” He changed tack: “You could let me in…”
Before he finished, she nipped his intentions in the bud.
“No.”
“You won’t? Then I’ll call for someone.”
Song Chan had completely underestimated Su Yicen’s shamelessness.
He was blocking her doorway, not letting her close the door. She hadn’t even called for anyone— what was he calling for?
Song Chan: “Su Yicen, have you no shame?”
His response was even more shameless.
“Shameless, I want you.”
At a loss for words, Song Chan sighed. Stalemating at the door like this wasn’t a solution.
Suddenly, she heard the click of a door lock opening from the next room over, throwing her into a panic. She grabbed Su Yicen’s suit tie and yanked him into the room.
The door shut neatly, and locking it had become a habit.
Startled into a fright, by the time the lock clicked, Song Chan hadn’t even reacted yet—she had personally locked the two of them in her room.
Leaning against the door panel and panting for a good while, Song Chan finally caught her breath.
Slender fingers with distinct knuckles loosened the tie that had been pulled tight at his collar.
The already restless Su Yicen slowly approached Song Chan, pinning her against the door.
His fingers curled, lightly lifting her chin and forcing her to meet his gaze.
His pitch-black, profound eyes fixed on her face, taking in the thin sheen of sweat on her forehead and her red lips trembling lightly from tension.
Su Yicen’s voice, laced with desire, turned seductive and alluring.
He asked her: “Chanchan, do you know that right now, our situation looks a lot like we’re having an affair?”
Her heart skipped a beat like it had been struck. Song Chan’s erratic heartbeat became even more pronounced.
She wanted to dodge, but pinned against the door by him, she had nowhere to go.
She licked her lower lip, her voice carrying a tremor: “What… do you want to do?”
“I want…”
His fingertip trailed over her neck, sending a tingling itch through her.
“I want to stay overnight in Teacher Song’s room tonight.”