Chapter 105
Shen Qianzhan truly didn't know.
Ji Qinghe had never mentioned to her that he had acquired the rights to "Time." Even when she had proposed temporarily disbanding the production crew to return to the capital and cooperate with the investigation, he hadn't breathed a word about it.
When they occasionally chatted about the matter's progress, after confirming that Shen Qianzhan was capable enough to handle it, he would only ask simple questions. As long as Shen Qianzhan didn't bring it up, he wouldn't mention it at all.
She didn't feel that their relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend alone gave her the right to demand Ji Qinghe do anything for her.
No one was obligated to give endlessly to another person.
It was just that his recent actions, one after another, were all for her sake.
Ji Qinghe didn't tell her directly what he had done for her. Instead, he had paved the way for her in areas beyond her capabilities.
And what he gave was precisely what she needed.
There was no imposition or subjective self-interest.
Shen Qianzhan could no longer deceive herself into thinking that Ji Qinghe's actions were purely for the sake of Endless Year.
His so-called rationality had long since been skewed beyond measure for her.
She didn't continue the deep conversation with Su Lanyi. At this moment, she urgently wanted to hear him confirm it himself.
—
When Ji Qinghe received her call, he was in a meeting with several senior executives.
He paused the meeting and slipped into the break room to take her call.
Shen Qianzhan didn't ask directly. She had always been good at hiding her curiosity, not letting it be easily detected.
Sitting in her BMW, she first asked softly, "Are you busy?"
"I still have time to take my girlfriend's call." Ji Qinghe closed the door, sat on the sofa by the window, and poured himself a cup of tea. "Are you done with the handover?"
Shen Qianzhan hummed in agreement and started the engine. "Want to have dinner together tonight?"
Hearing the soft sound, Ji Qinghe guessed she was just about to leave Thousand Lights. He smiled faintly, unable to refuse. "It'll be a bit late. If you have nothing to do this afternoon, want to come sit in my office?"
Only then did Shen Qianzhan remember that he had mentioned last night he would be very busy today, telling her to contact Ming Jue directly if she ran into trouble. Ming Jue would relay the message, and he would handle everything for her.
But at that moment, her entire consciousness had been drifting along with him. How could she have taken any of it in...
She grimaced slightly and said, "I won't come to check up on you. I'm not worried at all. I'll wait for you, then."
Ji Qinghe sensed that she was being unusually proactive today. Although he couldn't guess what she wanted to talk to him about, his mood instantly brightened.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, but the corners of his lips curled up unconsciously. He joked, "My office has a viewing deck with a floor-to-ceiling window. Don't you want to come and experience it?"
"No, no." Shen Qianzhan was now terrified whenever he used that coaxing tone. She said, "I want to go home to get something."
Ji Qinghe was still scarred by the incident of being swarmed by reporters at the airport the other day. Fearing she might run into trouble, he urged Shen Qianzhan to have Meng Wangzhou accompany her.
Shen Qianzhan agreed verbally, but after hanging up, she drove straight home from Thousand Lights.
Besides Ji Qinghe, Meng Wangzhou also lived at Time Hall. Shen Qianzhan felt it was a bit inappropriate to be so shamelessly intimate under someone else's nose, so she considered tidying up her own place to be ready to move in at any time.
But in reality, other than dusting the furniture, there was nothing else to tidy up.
When Mr. and Mrs. Shen came for the New Year, they had spent every day tirelessly transforming her "dog kennel." Later, after seeing them off back to Wuxi, Shen Qianzhan had been busy with the production crew and hadn't stayed at her own home much.
Compared to her previous living environment, the comfort level had now significantly improved.
Thinking of Mr. and Mrs. Shen inevitably brought to mind the call she had received from Old Shen a couple of days ago.
The production crew's scandal had blown up too much. Many news stations were broadcasting it in succession, and the coverage was so extensive that not only were mainstream media outlets providing updates, but even several popular social media platforms were constantly pushing the topic.
This indirectly led to Mr. and Mrs. Shen learning from various channels that Shen Qianzhan was embroiled in the controversy.
Old Shen, his heart aching for her, had confirmed, "Did you really owe someone tens of millions before and not tell the family?"
Shen Qianzhan felt the matter was in the past and tried to laugh it off. "Yeah, I'm pretty capable, right? It's a pity. If I hadn't used it to pay off debts, I could have bought you and your Mrs. Shen a custom-built villa with a small elevator."
Old Shen was silent for a few seconds, then choked up and started crying.
This scared Shen Qianzhan silly. She spent half an hour comforting him before she could barely explain the whole story. But after hearing what had happened, Comrade Old Shen became even angrier. "That bastard, that little brat, they still haven't found him?"
"It's all in the past. I've let it go, so you should stop dwelling on it."
Thus, Shen Qianzhan spent another half an hour talking to Old Shen about the production crew scandal.
She comforted the old man, who was worried sick. "Don't worry. In a few days, it'll be fine after the police issue a statement."
Old Shen's trust in her had hit rock bottom. He confirmed twice, very disbelievingly, "Are you serious? You're not just placating me again? The family may not be rich, but I, Old Shen, still have the ability to provide for my daughter's food, drink, and fun. If you're unhappy at work, just come home. Dad won't mind."
Shen Qianzhan was deeply moved. Before she could say anything sentimental, Old Shen asked another question, "So... Qinghe wasn't hired by you to trick your mom and me into feeling at ease, right?"
Shen Qianzhan was speechless.
Did she even need to resort to trickery?
Furious, she handed the phone directly to Ji Qinghe, who was snickering quietly on the side. She then watched, dumbfounded, as Ji Qinghe chatted happily with Old Shen for half an hour as if no one else was around.
What did they talk about?
She didn't understand a word.
But the result, in any case, was that Old Shen finally understood one thing: Ji Qinghe being Shen Qianzhan's boyfriend was real, not fake.
His dream of having a future son-in-law had come true.
—
After finishing her "Future Work Plan" at home, Shen Qianzhan returned to Time Hall before the evening rush hour in Beijing.
Meng Wangzhou was being mysterious today, and she had no idea what he was busy with. The main gate of Time Hall was sometimes open and sometimes not, all depending on whether he was dutifully sitting in the shop.
However, as a "probationary insider" who hadn't yet maxed out her intimacy level, Shen Qianzhan was too embarrassed to be overly concerned or interfere in Meng Wangzhou's private affairs. She watched him rush out enthusiastically and then rush back, having no idea what he was so passionate about.
Today, Shen Qianzhan's timing was perfect. Just as she returned, she ran into Meng Wangzhou preparing to go out.
He greeted her proactively, "Producer Shen, you and Qinghe don't have to wait for me for dinner tonight. I have something to do and will be back late."
Shen Qianzhan acknowledged him. Seeing how happy he was, she asked casually, "Did something good happen, Boss Meng?"
"Not really." He smiled without showing his teeth, the corners of his mouth curving. "I got a new job!"
Shen Qianzhan raised an eyebrow, surprised that Meng Wangzhou, the universe's number one idler, would also have a day of diligent work.
—
With no one at home, Shen Qianzhan waited openly for Ji Qinghe in the living room of the courtyard house.
Her plan for herself was to first lie low for a year, systematically learn how to be a producer, and also take a course in directing to cultivate her directorial skills.
What if one day she couldn't make it as a producer? She could still be a director...
This idea came to Shen Qianzhan because of Shao Chouxi. During her time with the crew, she had learned a few camera movement techniques from Shao Chouxi and had become quite interested in camera control.
In addition, during meetings between the producer and the directing team to discuss the desired cinematic effect, she often had to personally demonstrate and explain, which sparked her interest in the physical art of acting as well.
Shen Qianzhan was a woman of action. Once she decided, she acted.
After setting her direction in the afternoon, she had signed up for courses while researching.
Her plan for her future was very clear-headed.
She knew what she wanted, what she should prioritize, which direction to develop in, and what goals she wanted to achieve.
After a series of analyses, Shen Qianzhan thought she might be a petrel that had gradually lost its fighting spirit while battling the ocean waves.
She wanted to return to the nest.
It wasn't just to make up for the lost companionship and affection with Mr. and Mrs. Shen over the years, but also because she now had someone who made her want to live slowly and gradually come to a stop.
—
That evening, when Ji Qinghe came home from work, he had just stepped into the entryway when Shen Qianzhan, who had been waiting behind the door, hugged him from behind.
He changed his shoes, then turned to hold her. "You've been waiting for me downstairs all this time?"
Shen Qianzhan first nodded, then shook her head. "Meng Wangzhou came back just now, so I went back upstairs."
Ji Qinghe lowered his head to kiss her, from the tip of her nose to the corner of her lips, little by little, leaving wet kisses. "Come to the company with me tomorrow?"
Shen Qianzhan looked up at him and asked, "I want to talk to you."
Her tone was formal, as if she had serious business to discuss.
His expression grew slightly solemn. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, finally settling on her face, as if a thousand pounds of dust had stilled in an instant.
He nodded and asked, "Upstairs or right here?"
"Let's go upstairs." Although Meng Wangzhou had his own small courtyard, he often came over to their open-plan kitchen for a snack, to raid the fridge for fresh fruit and snacks, or to grab some ingredients to cook for himself.
He clearly had a proper, separate kitchen outside, but he preferred to pop over here.
There was even one time when he, having temporarily forgotten that Shen Qianzhan was also living here, thought a burglar had broken in. He was about to come catch the thief with a baseball bat, only to be met with the awkward sight of Ji Qinghe pressing Shen Qianzhan against the refrigerator in a rather intimate act.
His face had turned as red as a monkey's bottom, and he seemed even more embarrassed and annoyed than the two people involved. He had bolted out the door and vanished.
After going upstairs, Shen Qianzhan first handed her future plans to Ji Qinghe.
She had prepared it meticulously, not only printing out all the steps but also dividing them into three or four sub-points, compiling it into a booklet, and pressing it into a thin proposal.
Ji Qinghe glanced at her and began to read in silence.
A part of Shen Qianzhan's future plan was the counterattack against the recent public opinion storm.
First, wait for the police to release Old Chen's death report and the true circumstances of Chen Yan's detention.
Second, release the complete video from the day Chen Yan caused the disturbance. The camera she had installed could record both video and audio, making it incredibly easy to restore the scene and show who was the victim and who was the aggressor.
Third, she still had a recording in her possession, a recording of her final negotiation with Mrs. Chen, kept as a precaution. In the audio file, Mrs. Chen clearly made a clarification for Shen Qianzhan.
The above were the methods to resolve the public opinion crisis.
In addition, she had engaged a lawyer to prepare a lawsuit against Xiao Sheng. This kind of improper and unhealthy competitive behavior constituted a serious infringement on her reputation. Once the materials were fully prepared, a lawsuit could be filed.
But this move had a hint of "killing a thousand enemies and losing eight hundred of your own," so Shen Qianzhan had put a question mark after this plan, indicating she was hesitant about whether to proceed.
Beyond that were her plans for her future.
He finished reading without a word and asked in a low voice, "Have you decided?"
Shen Qianzhan nodded. She had just showered and changed into a long nightgown. As she sat down on the carpet, holding onto Ji Qinghe's knees, the hem of her long dress trailed on the floor, creating a beautiful arc.
She tilted her head up slightly and asked him, "I heard from Su Lanyi that you bought the rights to 'Time'?"
Ji Qinghe didn't deny it.
His consistent attitude about hiding things from Shen Qianzhan was that if she didn't ask, he wouldn't stir up trouble. But once Shen Qianzhan asked, he would never lie to cover it up and erode their mutual trust.
"I bought them." Ji Qinghe pondered for a few seconds, then said, "After the trouble with the crew, the rights weren't so valuable anymore. It wasn't too difficult."
Shen Qianzhan called his bluff. "I don't believe you."
Shen Qianzhan had always known that Bai Xuan had designs on him. An old fox like Jiang Yecheng, who had been honing his skills for years, would never let himself be at a disadvantage and must have squeezed him for all he was worth.
"Thousand Lights was first drained by the emergency rescue of 'Spring River,' emptying its cash flow. Then, Xiao Sheng's betrayal ruined the reputation of 'Time,' causing Thousand Lights' entire cash flow to break. While Thousand Lights might not rip you off, they definitely wouldn't be willing to just hand over this big prize."
It was just like Su Lanyi's usual style.
When trouble arose, find someone who could bear the responsibility. If they couldn't, then push a compliant person out to take the fall.
This time, with the trouble in Shen Qianzhan's crew and the public opinion fermenting as it did, for Su Lanyi to withstand the pressure for so long before finally choosing to push her out alone to protect Thousand Lights could already be considered a gesture of old affection.
"She didn't make any demands. She agreed very readily." Mentioning this, Ji Qinghe was also a little surprised. "I originally thought it would take some effort."
"She didn't make any?" Shen Qianzhan was astonished.
Handing it over so easily didn't sound like the Su Lanyi she knew.
Thinking about it this way, the shares she transferred... weren't such a loss after all?
Ji Qinghe stroked her hair and said, "Including Su Zan. That day, he thought you were planning to completely disband the crew. He said he would definitely find evidence of the private deal between Xiao Sheng and Penglai Chenguang to clear your name. He said you didn't need to return to Thousand Lights, but you absolutely could not leave with such a stained reputation."
She looked up at him from under his palm, slightly moved. "He never told me any of this."
Even that day at the airport when he saw them off to Wuxi, he had clearly left but then returned in the rain, standing there silently like some abandoned big dog, looking utterly pitiful.
"He said you would definitely tell him you didn't care, and that he shouldn't take it to heart either." Ji Qinghe was more than willing to be this messenger. His voice was low, as if telling a story. "The entertainment industry knows best what's real and what's fake. Everyone is watching your drama for entertainment, but no one will stand from a god's perspective to judge whether you were right or wrong. Smart people know you were set up. You still have a future. You could easily get this position at another company."
Yes.
She knew how to turn the tables.
She had done nothing wrong. That was the most powerful rebuttal.
As for how to use public opinion to reverse the situation, that was what she had been planning and calculating recently.
It was just that she hadn't figured out the key to it all, and he had already handed her the most effective weapon.
"I can't have all those unimportant people going through fire and water for you while I do nothing and watch you in your darkest hour." Ji Qinghe took her hand, pulled her up, and sat her on his lap. He said in a low voice, "I can also be your subject, willing to go through hell and high water for you."
—
Two days later.
The Wuxi police released a notice.
The content of the notice was just as Shen Qianzhan had expected. Besides clarifying that the cause of Old Chen's death was due to his own health reasons, it also, to Shen Qianzhan's surprise, announced another major contributing factor to his death—he had long been working multiple jobs, lacked sleep, and his physical condition was already poor.
It even named and shamed some of the production crews that had employed Old Chen as a warning.
This notice came two days later than Shen Qianzhan had anticipated, but the police investigation was so detailed it was beyond her expectations.
Soon after the official results were announced, the results of the production crew's internal review were also successively made public.
The two departments seemed to have coordinated, releasing their findings on the same day.
The results of the crew's review further confirmed that the crew was not at fault in any way.
At the same time.
Shen Qianzhan used the marketing accounts at her disposal to write several short articles titled "The Secrets of Thousand Lights: The Battle of Two Tigers," which laid out the feud between Shen Qianzhan and Xiao Sheng with perfect clarity.
The internet was in an uproar.
The fierce controversy from a few days ago now seemed like a joke, filled with strangeness and absurdity.
Countless apologetic comments and reposts instantly flooded the comment section under Shen Qianzhan's last Weibo post.
Everything was proceeding just as Shen Qianzhan had predicted, heading in the direction of a backlash against Xiao Sheng.
But this alone was not enough.
Public opinion that captured the keen interest of gossip-loving netizens could usually only be sustained for a week. Everyone was busy with their own lives, careers, and families, and most lacked patience. That's why, in the beginning, they couldn't even be bothered to learn more of the facts and just jumped on the bandwagon.
It was as if by siding with the weaker party, they would appear incredibly noble and righteous.
But in the face of facts, the people they had defended would soon be easily abandoned by them.
Xiao Sheng was a case in point.
After handling the crew's affairs, Su Zan made a trip to Old Chen's hometown.
He gathered a lot of evidence for Shen Qianzhan. He didn't speak out rashly, but first transferred this evidence to her.
Several days later, Shen Qianzhan's Weibo posted a lawyer's letter, demanding that Xiao Sheng clarify the facts to the public and issue a public apology to Shen Qianzhan within seven days.
Immediately after, several official Weibo accounts, which symbolized certain trends, entered the fray, publicizing the dangers of cyberbullying.
During these seven days, some so-called "black material" about Shen Qianzhan was briefly exposed. But it was quickly seen through by the angry netizens, who were gradually coming to their senses with proper guidance.
Any black material involving Shen Qianzhan's private life was met with a long, stitched-together image posted by netizens in response.
This long image was from a private interview with Ji Qinghe at a recent new watch product launch for Endless Year.
The reporter asked, "Mr. Ji, you've been caught up in a scandal recently. Do you admit to your romantic relationship with Shen Qianzhan?"
Ji Qinghe smiled and replied, "Qianzhan is the girlfriend I am currently dating and plan to marry. My family also likes her very much."
The reporter's tone rose slightly, a little excited. "Both sides have met the parents? Is good news on the horizon?"
Ji Qinghe didn't answer this one. He smiled and nodded, as if in tacit agreement, not shying away from the fact that Shen Qianzhan was currently embroiled in a scandal, being boycotted by the entire internet, and could even harm the reputation of Endless Year.
The reporter asked again, "Then what are your thoughts on the recent controversy surrounding Shen Qianzhan?"
Ji Qinghe paused, raising an eyebrow slightly. "I am the consultant for the 'Time' production crew, and also an investor. It's not appropriate for me to answer this question from the perspective of a public figure, nor from the perspective of my personal relationship with her. But I trust her."
The reporter nodded, hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Then are you aware of the news regarding Shen Qianzhan's personal reputation? Do you mind?"
Ji Qinghe feigned ignorance. As the reporter hesitantly brought them up one by one, his gaze was calm and steady, like a powerful beam of light, locking onto the questioning reporter. He retorted, "Don't you find it absurd and vicious to impose these things that you yourself find difficult to speak of onto a young woman?"
He paused briefly, then said in a low voice, "My world is very lonely, filled with the white noise of things moving either fast or slow. When I was young, the white noise of my world was the sound of flipping through books and taking notes in the library; in my youth, it was the ticking of clock hands and gears in a museum; as an adult, the only thing I can't forget in my world is her."
"You probably don't know how tedious the profession of a watch restorer is. I find even an occasional rain shower to be refreshing. She is the clock hand holding a red umbrella, walking back and forth in my world."
"Making me want to hide her and time away."
—
By the time Shen Qianzhan saw this long Weibo post, a week had already passed.
On the eighth day of Xiao Sheng playing dead, she handed over all legal matters to her lawyer.
The lawyer was even one Ji Qinghe had lent her, to the extent that every time they discussed the case, Shen Qianzhan felt extremely guilty facing this elite lawyer who helped Ji Qinghe handle countless contracts worth hundreds of millions.
What was this called?
This was called using a sledgehammer to crack a nut!
A waste of talent!
Also.
Mr. Ji, have you ever heard the story of the king who lit the warning beacons to amuse his concubine?
—
The entire affair, with its wave after wave of reversals and climaxes, remained a hot topic online for a whole month.
On this day, an entertainment gossip marketing account posted, "You all got the show canceled, and now you're here cheering for her legal battle. I wonder if your consciences can take it."
One stone stirred a thousand waves.
Just as the entire internet was about to crowdfund to hire Shen Qianzhan as a producer, Endless Year made an official announcement—
"You and 'Time' are both mine."
The news that Endless Year had bought the rights to "Time" and would continue production quickly swept across the internet.
The web was filled with a sea of sour, envious people crashing the servers—
"Truly rich and imposing."
"Well, no need to crowdfund anymore. We can still buy handbags. Are you happy, sisters?"
"I want a sweet love like this too."
However, as the person deeply embroiled in the public opinion storm, who had dominated the hot search list for nearly a month as a producer, she completely disappeared after her reputation officially reversed and never appeared again.
Along with Ji Qinghe, who had been publicly flaunting their affection not long ago, he also vanished without a trace.
Amid the online calls for her to speak out, Shen Qianzhan was busy reassembling the crew, revising the script, pushing the schedule, and returning to filming.
Meng Wangzhou’s new job was as a production assistant, mainly responsible for miscellaneous tasks.
Su Zan remained the supervisor of Time, making a fuss all day long on set.
A month later, Qiao Xin also completed the handover, left Thousand Lights, signed with Shen Qianzhan’s studio, and was promoted to executive producer.
Thousand Lights also weathered the crisis and found new life under Su Lanyi’s forceful intervention.
However, Thousand Lights’ behavior of catering to netizens instead of protecting its own employees during the Shen Qianzhan incident earned widespread resentment, and its reputation plummeted uncontrollably.
Just as it seemed the matter had completely concluded, Shen Qianzhan’s silence made the whole frenzy feel like something was missing, leaving everyone somewhat disinterested.
Fans gradually began to admire her looks and ship her with Ji Qinghe based on blurry paparazzi photos circulated by marketing accounts.
Look, what a divine crew this is.
Within the creative team, the producer and the watch restorer, the male lead and the female lead, as well as the main and supporting screenwriters—all had sweet love stories.
It was simply breathtaking.
—
Six months later.
The official Weibo account of Time was renamed Want to Hide You and Time, officially premiering.
This divine drama, which had garnered high attention and constant controversy since filming began, finally secured its prime time slot.
What excited netizens even more was the Beijing TV Festival a few days later.
Want to Hide You and Time won Best TV Series, and Shen Qianzhan also clinched the Best Producer award.
She and Ji Qinghe walked hand in hand, making an appearance on the red carpet.
On the same day, Endless Year released its 2020 watch series—the Time Collection.
The promotional tagline read: "The story that happens when I meet you is what love is."
As a hot topic, Shen Qianzhan was quickly surrounded by reporters after the TV Festival ended, accepting interviews.
A reporter asked: “It’s rare to get an interview with you, Producer Shen. Can you tell us whether Endless Year’s Time Collection choosing to launch today is suspected of being a marketing ploy?”
Shen Qianzhan glanced at the reporter’s press pass—still the New Entertainment Express, which she disliked.
She looked straight ahead, completely ignoring the deliberately targeted question, and instead answered another reporter’s query: “Producer Shen, after winning this award, what are your filming plans for the next six months?”
Shen Qianzhan shook the trophy in her hand and smiled: “I have three goals as a producer. First, to produce a hit drama—I’ve achieved that. Second, to win the Best Producer award—I’ve achieved that too. Third, after gaining fame and fortune, to become a lazy person lying around counting money. The third goal might take a lifetime of effort.”
Shen Qianzhan’s speaking style was humorous and witty, showing more calm and composure compared to her previous interactions with the media.
After answering several work-related questions, just as all the reporters thought they wouldn’t hear her mention Ji Qinghe today, she suddenly raised her hand and adjusted the camera pointing directly at her.
She smiled at the camera, her radiant charm instantly bursting through the screen, mesmerizing all the viewers in the live stream.Amidst the flood of comments like "Ahhhhhh she's so gorgeous why isn't she an actress, I stan her so hard but it's so tough, always having to rely on blurry leaked photos from the set and often missing them altogether ahhhhhh. I envy idols and celebrities who have works we can endlessly admire their beauty in," she smiled faintly, suddenly feeling a little shy.
"He said that as long as I'm ready, just give him a little hint, and he'll propose to me."
"I've been thinking for half a year and still don't know how to hint. If any of you see him, please tell him for me—I'm ready."
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