Contract Lovers, Please Don’t Fall in Love

The thing Shen Nian regrets most is getting drunk at the company celebration.

She spills all of Director Gu Huai’s secrets: he’s socially anxious, sneaks snacks, and works overtime because nobody’s waiting for him at home. Only after she’s finished does she realize Gu Huai is standing right behind her.

That’s it, she thinks. I’m getting fired.

The next day, she’s called into the director’s office. Gu Huai hands her a document: A Dating Contract. Party A: Gu Huai. Party B: Shen Nian. Terms: Attend a client’s family dinner as his girlfriend. Duration: One month. Compensation: Double bonus and a week of paid leave. A handwritten clause is added: Please do not develop unnecessary feelings during the contract period.

Shen Nian signs. It’s only one month. How could she possibly fall for an icy King of Hell?

Once the contract begins, Gu Huai starts adding “extra scenes.” When she works late, he “happens to be on his way” and drives her home. When she’s bullied, he openly takes her side. When she casually mentions wanting wontons, he buys some in the middle of the night and brings them straight to her. Shen Nian’s heart starts racing out of control.

Then, on the day the contract expires, the clock strikes midnight and Gu Huai pulls out a new one: A Dating Contract, Season Two. Duration: No time limit. Compensation: Everything Gu Huai has.

He says, “The contract says not to fall for each other, but I didn’t manage it. What about you?”

Shen Nian tears the old contract in half. “A contract can’t control something like falling in love.”

Later, when someone asks how they met, Shen Nian smiles and says, “Because of a contract.” Gu Huai adds from beside her, “A contract that never expires.”

Contract term: A lifetime. Additional clause: Please be sure to fall in love,