“Um…”
The words were on the tip of her tongue, yet she didn’t know how to respond to him.
Su Yicen’s scorching breath tickled her neck. Song Chan twisted her body to dodge, but his arm around her waist only pulled her tighter.
“Su Yicen!”
Song Chan’s tone rose a notch as she called his name in warning.
But this level of threat was nothing to Su Yicen anymore. He continued to hold her tightly without a care.
Leisurely, he reminded her, “Teacher Song, I’m asking you a question.”
“Su Yicen, we’ll talk when we get home. There are people everywhere outside…”
She lowered her voice and clawed at his arm, but the more anxious she got, the weaker her body felt. After struggling for a long time, she couldn’t budge his arm an inch.
“Let go of me. You’re going to wrinkle my gown…”
Her softened attitude pleased Su Yicen greatly. The strength in his arm around her waist eased a little, but he still didn’t release her.
“I’ll buy you another one, as long as you like it.”
A gown worth millions was spoken of lightly by Su Yicen, and he indeed had the wealth to back it up.
“So just now, did Teacher Song mean she wants to go home with me for a detailed talk?”
Su Yicen drew out the end of his sentence meaningfully, hiding who knew how much intent within.
She was just about to find an excuse to change the subject when hurried footsteps approached from outside the door, growing closer.
The dressing room door was suddenly pushed open from outside, and Li Yuchuan rushed in anxiously.
The instant the door opened, their closely pressed bodies sprang apart almost immediately.
Song Chan steadied herself with a hand on the vanity and waved her palm in front of her face, trying to cool her flushed cheeks.
Without missing a beat, she said, “There’s so much dust in this dressing room. We should call housekeeping to clean it up. How is it all covered in dust…”
Meanwhile, Su Yicen, with his back to her, had his arms crossed and one hand propping his chin, intently scrutinizing the cleaning schedule on the wall.
Probably because the person had arrived so suddenly, without giving them any time to prepare.
Su Yicen seemed not to have heard what Song Chan had said. He stared at the cleaning schedule without a hint of cooperation and spoke in a tone like a leader on inspection.
“This cleaning schedule is very reasonable. Chichuang should come learn from it.”
As his words fell, the entire dressing room froze. Li Yuchuan, standing at the door, halted mid-motion, frozen like a paused video frame in a dynamic pose.
After a long moment, he didn’t utter a single word, his wide eyes darting back and forth between the two opposite him.
The deathly silence was suffocating.
The longer they waited, the more nervous Song Chan grew, worrying if Li Yuchuan had seen something just now, afraid their relationship had been caught.
Song Chan coughed lightly and turned around with a serious expression, coldly breaking the silence.
She snapped at him, “Little Li, why didn’t you knock again?”
“Huh?… I… um…”
He mumbled for a long time, unsure what he was even saying.
He rubbed his neck, trying to mask his awkwardness, and unconsciously stepped back, wanting to flee this battlefield thick with tension.
“S-Sorry, Chan Sister…”
Seeing his reaction, Song Chan breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, figuring he probably hadn’t seen anything.
She pressed, “What’s got you rushing in like that? What’s the matter?”
His stalled brain rebooted, and Li Yuchuan nearly forgot why he’d come looking for Song Chan. He hurriedly explained.
“Chan Sister, the red carpet lineup has been finalized.”
“You’re going out right before Li Shuning. I just came to tell you that…”
As he spoke, his gaze cautiously swept over Song Chan and Su Yicen’s faces, his voice trailing off lower and lower.
“Uh… if there’s nothing else, I’ll head out now?”
Song Chan propped herself on the vanity, feigning casualness as she waved him off nonchalantly.
“Go on, go on.”
“Oh, right, Teacher Su is borrowing the dressing room. If you see his manager later, remind their team to hurry over.”
She gestured at him. “Teacher Su hasn’t done his makeup, hair, or changed yet. He’s in a rush.”
He agreed, “Got it!”
He backed out of the dressing room trembling with fear, and Li Yuchuan finally exhaled in relief. He felt like his heart had nearly jumped out of his throat earlier.
What had he just seen?!
He’d actually seen those two in the room shove each other apart forcefully, then immediately act like nothing had happened.
Witnessing that, Li Yuchuan feared he might get “silently eliminated”!
He quickly pulled out his phone and sent a message to Qian Ya.
Working Stiff LYC: 【Ya Sister, bad news. I feel like Chan Sister and Top Star Su might’ve gotten into a fight in the dressing room just now.】
The door had just closed, and the footsteps faded away. Song Chan let out a long breath.
Before she could reproach Su Yicen, he struck first.
His lips parted slightly, his voice steady. “I’m in a rush?”
The ambiguous question came at an unhurried pace. When his burning gaze met hers, she dodged without mercy.
Song Chan knew what Su Yicen wanted to pursue, but the earlier scare had left her shaken. She didn’t want to continue that topic.
She took a step back, widening the distance as he leaned in.
“This is work time. Please be professional, Teacher Su.”
He swallowed his intended words and nodded, going along with her.
“Fine, so Teacher Song wants to talk work with me?”
If he hadn’t mentioned it, Song Chan might have overlooked it. She still hadn’t replied to that drama crew’s invitation.
She asked him, “Is your company producing a fashion drama?”
Song Chan smacked her forehead, nearly forgetting the title.
“What was it… ‘Fashion Gentleman in Paris’?”
“And you’re going to play the male lead?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
Su Yicen sat down, crossing his legs elegantly. He picked up a bottle of mineral water, twisted it open, and naturally handed it to Song Chan for her to drink.
He spoke unhurriedly, “That drama is invested by Chichuang. The production team is solid, the script’s decent from what I’ve read, and online feedback from fans is high too.”
“I’m interested. We can talk about it.”
With that, Su Yicen changed tack and turned to look at her.
“Teacher Song, how did you know about this drama?”
Song Chan replied, “The crew sent me an invitation to be a fashion consultant.”
“Oh.” Su Yicen nodded at that, a smile tugging at his lips. “Looks like the producer has good taste.”
“So, does Teacher Song plan to take it?”
Thinking of that tempting paycheck figure made her heart ache a little.
But no helping it—compared to money, she loved her work more.
With things said this far, Song Chan saw no point in hiding it and shook her head decisively.
“No.”
“Most of the filming is in Paris, and my schedule’s packed through the second half of the year.”
Hearing that, the man who had sat down stiffened slightly and drew a breath.
“You’re right…”
He thought about going to Paris, which meant he wouldn’t be back in Hangbei for a long time.
No Hangbei meant no seeing…
Su Yicen’s gaze shifted to Song Chan. In two seconds, he made up his mind and tossed out lightly.
“If Teacher Song’s not going, then neither am I.”
“Hiss—” Song Chan whipped her head to look at him, her charming eyes full of threat.
There were too many people outside with loose tongues. Who knew when someone else might barge in? She didn’t want to bicker with him.
She took a sip of the water Su Yicen had handed her earlier, leaving a lipstick mark on the bottle mouth.
Casually, she asked, “I saw Li Shuning listed as the proposed female lead?”
“Yeah.” Su Yicen acknowledged. “Proposed doesn’t mean confirmed. Nothing’s set until filming officially starts.”
With that, he turned toward her, propping his chin on his hand, eyebrow arched.
“But I heard that actress reached out to the director herself after learning I was interested…”
Su Yicen emphasized certain words pointedly, his gaze on Song Chan expectant of her reaction.
“Oh.”
Song Chan responded indifferently, her expression calm as if it had nothing to do with her.
Seeing no reaction from her, the man seated steadily uncrossed his legs and sat up straight.
He asked, “You don’t mind?”
Song Chan brushed it off lightly. “Mind what? You’re a top idol. It’s normal for her to want to ride your coattails.”
Su Yicen had thought she’d be jealous, but not only was there no vinegar, her understanding response pleased him even more.
Before he could feel happy, though, Song Chan pivoted and asked.
“What about Zhou Chiyu? Is he joining the cast?”
The moment she mentioned Zhou Chiyu’s name, Su Yicen couldn’t help recalling their first time, when Song Chan had mistaken him for that guy.
Thinking of Zhou Chiyu made this two-time Film Emperor drop his expression management entirely, his face falling.
His voice turned hard and cold, irritable. “No idea.”
Unwilling to leave it, he spoke up again after barely two seconds of silence.
“You’re really his fan?”
Song Chan flashed a brilliant smile, deliberately drawing out her tone to tease this jealous type.
“Of course! Zhou Chiyu is my idol! Everyone at the company knows~”
In that instant their eyes met, Song Chan clearly felt the restraint in Su Yicen’s dark eyes. Suddenly, his gaze dropped to her lips, and her heart panicked as she realized she’d played with fire.
The top idol before her—if he turned beastly, who knew what he’d do.
“Y-You… don’t… don’t get impulsive. The gala’s starting soon, and there are people everywhere outside…”
Her voice trembled at the edges as she spoke, backing away, but where could she retreat to in this small dressing room?
Su Yicen rose unhurriedly, smoothing the wrinkles from his clothes where he’d sat. His words carried clear reproach.
“When you were provoking me just now…”
“Teacher Song, why didn’t you consider all the people outside?”
The closer he got, the more panicked Song Chan felt. He was almost upon her.
The door suddenly opened, and Feng Zheng led the team in. Everyone looked grave, including a little girl who was crying.
The small dressing room instantly crammed with over a dozen people.
Su Yicen glanced over, his dark eyes catching the smug look on Song Chan’s face. His smooth brow furrowed.
“Why didn’t you knock before coming in?”
His gaze swept to the new little assistant, who was already sobbing.
Meeting Feng Zheng’s troubled expression, Su Yicen asked him.
“What happened?”
“What happened?” Feng Zheng’s voice rose uncontrollably, startling the little girl into trembling.
He glared at her but couldn’t hold back, stomping his foot in frustration.
“A huge problem!”
Feng Zheng pointed at the girl, his words squeezing through gritted teeth. “This is her first event with us, and she makes such a massive screw-up. She forgot your red carpet gown at the hotel and didn’t bring it over.”
The room fell utterly silent at his words. Everyone knew the gravity of this.
The whole internet anticipated this Charity Gala. As the finale act, if Top Star Su Yicen appeared on the red carpet without his gown, the fallout from such a blunder was unforeseeable.
Faced with a problem, solve it first. Su Yicen didn’t blame the girl— what was done was done, no point dwelling.
He checked his watch and asked Feng Zheng, “The gala starts in an hour, and my finale is over two hours from now. Going back to get it should be enough time.”
Feng Zheng sighed in explanation. “I’ve already tried everything I could think of.”
“It’s rush hour now. Hangbei’s always jammed, and around ZE Fashion, it’s gridlock. Two hours isn’t enough for a round trip…”
“Plus, traffic control has restricted this stretch because it’s so congested. Half an hour ago, the road in front of ZE Fashion Building became exit-only.”
Feng Zheng clapped his hands and spread them helplessly. “I’ve exhausted every option. No way now. Even if we call another brand to deliver, it can’t get in…”
Suddenly facing this, even Su Yicen was at a loss.
Song Chan broke the deadlock that seemed set in stone.
She tentatively spoke up. “If… it’s not a big-brand gown…”
“Teacher Su, could you make do?”
“I can try to put an outfit together for you.”
At that instant, the eyes of Su Yicen’s entire team in the dressing room fell on Song Chan. The dimness in their gazes finally brightened a little.
Feng Zheng quickly agreed. “Then we’ll have to trouble Teacher Song.”
Song Chan smiled. “This is ZE Fashion’s Charity Gala, so I should…”
Before she could finish, Su Yicen interrupted from beside her. “In such a short time, does Teacher Song have time to get a gown?”
Earlier, Su Yicen had thought of a solution. This was a problem from his own team. If he breached the contract unilaterally, neither the public opinion nor the compensation would involve ZE Fashion.
This way, it wouldn’t implicate her. He didn’t want Song Chan to get scolded by the higher-ups again because of him. After all, as long as she didn’t get involved, it had nothing to do with her.
Song Chan showed no intention of giving up. She explained, “This is the ZE Fashion Building. We usually need all kinds of suit styles for cover shoots.”
“If Teacher Su doesn’t mind wearing non-big-brand suits, I can put together an outfit for you.”
“Not at all, not at all.” Before Su Yicen could speak, Feng Zheng agreed on his behalf. “We’re truly grateful. We’ll have to trouble Teacher Song then.”
Meeting his eyes, Song Chan nodded with a firm gaze.
She actually didn’t have much confidence she could pull it off, but she knew deep down that she couldn’t let Su Yicen lose face in such a setting. She wouldn’t allow it.
Song Chan threw on a jacket and gathered the hem of her gown, holding it close.
“Then hurry up and get Teacher Su’s makeup and hair ready. I’ll go put together the gown right now.”
In ZE Fashion’s changing rooms, there were plenty of suits of all styles, including no shortage of big-brand ones.
However, for a red-carpet suit befitting someone of Su Yicen’s status, there truly wasn’t one in the ZE Fashion Building. Those had to be borrowed from the brands.
Earlier, Song Chan had noticed that the assistant was carrying a classic black evening suit.
For the red carpet appearance, it was still best to have some distinction, just as Su Yicen had taught her before—to give people that eye-catching wow factor.
Sparkle! At that thought, inspiration suddenly struck Song Chan. Previously, while preparing cover shoots for the Pure White Series, she had borrowed quite a few light-colored suits from brands.
Holding her gown hem, her movements were inevitably a bit inconvenient as she walked, but today was ZE Fashion’s big day. Every colleague was busy, and she couldn’t find anyone to help.
Song Chan struggled to hold her gown hem while taking care not to damage it.
After running through three large changing rooms, she finally put together a gown she was fairly satisfied with for him.
When she returned with it, Su Yicen’s makeup and hair were mostly done.
With no time to rest, Song Chan worked with his team’s stylist to help him into the outfit.
As a qualified fashion editor, clothing coordination was basic. This time, Song Chan made a bold attempt.
She put together a champagne-colored cloud-pattern suit for Su Yicen, but that alone wasn’t enough. She also layered a Champagne Sequin Jacket over the suit.
This not-so-simple combination amplified the innate nobility in Su Yicen’s bones, making him appear even more aloof and unattainable.
Seeing the outfit, the stylist gave a thumbs-up in praise.
“Amazing! Teacher Song is really incredible!”
“It really proves that fit is key. I think it doesn’t lose to big-brand gowns at all…”
The words of praise entered her ears, and Song Chan smiled in acknowledgment, but she wasn’t really listening closely.
She looked up at Su Yicen’s cool and exquisite face, feeling like something was missing, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it for the moment.
As her gaze swept over his sharply defined ear, Song Chan immediately realized.
“Ear accessories! Do we have any ear accessories?” she asked the nearby makeup artist.
The makeup artist looked troubled. She had been with the team for four years, and no one knew better than her that Su Yicen didn’t wear ear accessories.
Their Top Idol didn’t wear any decorations like that—not even necklaces.
Getting no response, Song Chan guessed they didn’t have any, but luckily the dressing room did, and plenty of them.
She picked out an ear-cuff chain and clipped it onto Su Yicen’s ear.
The addition of the metallic texture shattered the original calm of Su Yicen’s makeup, making his look even colder and more alluring.
Only after putting on the ear cuff did Song Chan belatedly ask.
“You don’t like wearing stuff like this?”
Everyone in the surrounding team held their breath, watching the two—the former public CP on the verge of a public fallout—afraid they might flip out any second.
But Su Yicen seemed utterly unfazed. He turned to look at himself in the mirror.
“It’s… pretty good-looking. Let’s go with it.”
As the dressing room lights illuminated his face, fully exposing his exquisitely contoured features right before her eyes, Song Chan’s heart throbbed fiercely.
As if sensing something, Su Yicen happened to turn his head, his pitch-black, profound eyes crashing into her gaze.
Their unabashed eye contact made Song Chan forget for an instant that there were so many people around.
She looked away, and her hand moved on its own, plucking a flower from the vase on the table and tucking it behind his ear.
Song Chan’s clumsy attempt to cover her embarrassment was all too obvious. Knowing she was shy, Su Yicen didn’t tease her. He just turned sideways to the mirror and commented.
“Teacher Song has good taste. This actually looks pretty good.”
“So, am I wearing this on the red carpet?”
“…No.” Song Chan hurriedly removed it, making up an excuse. “I just suddenly thought that next time for a cover shoot, we could…”
“Oh.” Su Yicen nodded, the smile at his lips unwavering.
“Then I’m looking forward to working with Teacher Song next time.”
Their lingering gaze, full of unspoken tension, made Feng Zheng—the only one who knew the truth—watch with his heart pounding in fear.
He clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention to himself.
“Hey, hey, hey! Everyone get back to your tasks. The red carpet is about to start, you know? Those handling coordination, go coordinate. Those managing the flow, go check it. Don’t all crowd here…”
With one sentence from Feng Zheng, half the people in the dressing room cleared out. No one paid attention to the two of them anymore.
Only Su Yicen kept his gaze fixed unwaveringly on Song Chan.
Song Chan had originally thought Su Yicen’s sneaky flirtations were already too much for her to handle. She hadn’t expected this blatant staring to be what truly made her heart race.
The dressing room was now bustling with people, and for easier access, the door was even left wide open.
Song Chan shifted her steps to the side, but the space was so small—there was nowhere for her to hide.
While everyone else was busy and no one noticed them, Su Yicen suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms.
The wind from his movement lifted her hair, strands brushing her cheek as her heart pounded wildly.
Su Yicen’s steady voice brushed against her heart, word by word.
“Thanks for the help, wife. You bailed me out.”