Chapter Thirty
He lowered his head slightly, his breath almost touching her. A faint, cool fragrance seemed to drift like smoke, seeping into every part of her body.
Shen Qianzhan instinctively looked up.
Ji Qinghe wasn’t looking at her. His gaze was fixed on the giant screen display, his dark eyes illuminated by the dazzling lights, like a faintly burning guiding flame that perfectly accentuated his aloof and noble demeanor.
A phrase suddenly popped into her mind—vivid and alluring.
Was this damn man really not sent by some demon or monster to bewitch her? Otherwise, why did she feel utterly captivated, weak in the knees and dizzy every time she saw him?
Shen Qianzhan pondered what to say to regain the upper hand, but before she could speak, the lighting shifted from bright to dim, gradually transforming into flowing light, pulling the exhibition hall into a bygone era.
On the stage, the host showcased the first charity auction item from every angle.
Behind them, hushed conversations gradually rose. Some speculated about whose work it was, while others simply discussed the item’s value and origins. The low, overlapping murmurs made it clear that idle chatter was no longer appropriate.
Shen Qianzhan temporarily set aside her wandering thoughts and focused her attention.
—
The highlight of the charity gala was the auction items.
Before attending, Shen Qianzhan had received a list of the auction items.
Su Lanyi had spent days agonizing over the list, her brows furrowed in frustration.
The items she was interested in were mostly too expensive to afford, while the reasonably priced ones didn’t appeal to her. Simply donating without bidding felt like a painful waste of money.
These days, it was difficult to maintain both appearances and practicality.
Shen Qianzhan didn’t get involved in the selection process.
The first time Su Zan raised his paddle, the item was a necklace. He bid twice but lost interest when the other party relentlessly pursued it and didn’t continue. The second time he raised his paddle, the item was a high-purity cat’s eye green jade bracelet. Su Zan directly called out his maximum bid, and when the next competitor raised the price, he casually flipped his paddle and tucked it behind his neck, giving up.
Seeing his inappropriate behavior in such a setting, Shen Qianzhan pinched him hard in a spot the cameras couldn’t capture. “Put the paddle down and sit properly.”
Su Zan dared not protest, rubbing his sore thigh and hissing in pain.
Feeling that Su Zan wasn’t very reliable, Shen Qianzhan couldn’t help but ask, “What did your sister tell you?”
“She gave me two million and told me to bid on whatever I liked, as if I were saving up for a wife in advance.” Su Zan grimaced in pain, complaining about her heavy-handedness. “I don’t even have a serious woman in my life, and she’s talking about saving up for a wife. Don’t you think my sister is worrying for nothing?”
Shen Qianzhan didn’t respond, her gaze drifting meaningfully toward Ji Qinghe.
The latter naturally picked up on the cue and, before the host’s gavel fell, said in a low voice, “After I became an adult and reached the legal marriage age, I’ve kept my household registration booklet myself.” He didn’t turn around, his eyes still fixed on the stage. To make it easier for her to hear, he leaned slightly toward her, lowering his chin to accommodate her height. “The Ji family allows freedom in marriage. Once your name is on the household register, you can even enjoy an annual low-income subsidy.”
Shen Qianzhan’s curiosity was instantly piqued. She glanced at Ji Qinghe and feigned seriousness. “Why are you telling me this?”
Ji Qinghe finally turned to look at her, a faint smile playing on his lips. His voice was low and resonant, like grains of magnetic sand gently stirring. “You know why.”
Shen Qianzhan, feeling as if she’d been shot in the knee: “…”Her earlobe tingled, whether from Ji Qinghe leaning too close or a stray strand of hair. Shen Qianzhan nonchalantly tucked the strand behind her ear and said, "Mr. Ji's approach to marriage is like hiring a CEO's wife."
First an annual salary, then a basic living allowance—did having children count toward performance metrics too?
Ji Qinghe didn’t respond.
Some words he took as playful banter, but Shen Qianzhan might not.
This woman held grudges like a needle’s eye—not someone to offend lightly.
Fortunately, Shen Qianzhan didn’t press further. Her attention was quickly captured by the next item on display.
If Shen Qianzhan had any hobbies, the first was counting money, the second was spending it, and the third was watching others spend it.
She simply reveled in rolling around in piles of cash.
—
After the banquet, Su Zan managed to bid on a jade hairpin, barely fulfilling the spending mission Su Lanyi had assigned him.
He was the type to gloat after getting a bargain. The moment he secured the hairpin, he took a photo and shared his location. His caption reeked of an irredeemable, idle rich second-generation vibe—
"Representing my dear sister at a charity gala to spread love. Another day of painstakingly working to deplete the family fortune."
Shen Qianzhan, who had witnessed Su Zan’s entire social media performance, was the first to lose patience. She commented with three dog emojis.
As the event wound down, the exhibition hall was dotted with small groups, all seizing the final moments to network. Ji Qinghe, in particular, was at the center of a moderately crowded hotspot.
Shen Qianzhan had originally planned to borrow Ji Qinghe for ten minutes, location flexible.
But given the current situation, even one minute seemed unrealistic, let alone ten.
Endless Year’s donation for the night was the most sincere—a mechanical chiming clock from the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, a private collection of Mr. Ji Qingzhen for decades.
The clock’s high collectible value secured the highest bid of the evening.
Having navigated this circle for years, Shen Qianzhan understood the rules all too well.
Ji Qinghe’s move was a businessman seizing an opportunity—using this charitable act to announce Endless Year’s entry into the Chinese market. It wasn’t that he lacked compassion; charity always involved real money.
It was just that the original intent of charity galas was never entirely pure.
Knowing her place, she stood up, preparing to slip away quietly.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she rose, her wrist was gripped firmly. Ji Qinghe held her tightly and said, "Wait a moment."
His interruption was too abrupt, and it was unclear who the "wait" was directed at.
But it worked.
The people surrounding him cleared away, instinctively taking two steps back.
Ji Qinghe released her and asked, "Shall we leave together later?"
Such phrasing was too easily misunderstood. All eyes turned to her.
Shen Qianzhan paused briefly. Thanks to years of experience in saying the right thing to the right person, she reacted almost instantly with a reasonable response: "No rush. Mr. Ji is busy, so I won’t disturb you now. If you’re concerned, I’ll have Su Zan report the project progress to you or Assistant Ming regularly."
The scrutinizing gazes softened, turning friendly and understanding.
Shen Qianzhan could almost hear the thoughts of the women with ulterior motives toward Ji Qinghe: "She’s not here to steal the spotlight. I can rest easy."
She smiled slightly and, before Ji Qinghe could make another move, lifted the hem of her dress, thanked him politely, and took her leave.
Su Zan, plucked from the crowd by her, hadn’t fully processed the situation before being dragged away as if his pants were on fire.They arrived at the parking lot and got into the car before he finally had a chance to ask, "Sis Qianzhan, why did you run off like that? I was just about to pull up my WeChat and didn’t even get a chance to scan your code."
Shen Qianzhan brushed him off: "Next time, I’ll bring you a whole carload to scan at your leisure."
Su Zan pursed his lips, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He carefully tucked away the jade hairpin like a treasure, instructed the driver to start the car, and said they would drop Shen Qianzhan off at home first. "Others would kill to have even the slightest connection with Mr. Ji, but you? You can’t distance yourself fast enough."
The car was a bit chilly. Shen Qianzhan leaned forward to grab her coat from the back seat, putting it on as she retorted, "A beautiful woman getting tangled up in gossip with a man—do you think that’s a good thing?"
Su Zan replayed her words in his head, skeptical. "I think your emphasis was on 'beautiful woman.'"
"Good, you caught that." Shen Qianzhan smiled and patted Su Zan’s pig-like head. "Starting tomorrow, you’ll be moving to my department as my junior. Behave yourself, keep your head down, and don’t go around offending your beautiful boss for no reason. Women are all venomous, especially the beautiful ones."
Su Zan said expressionlessly, "If you keep scaring me like this every day and I end up impotent, will you take responsibility?" He had barely escaped the childhood trauma of Su Lanyi, only to run into the midlife crisis that was Shen Qianzhan.
The fortune-teller said he was destined to be plagued by women—how true that turned out to be.
—
But fate has a way of toying with people.
On his very first day back as Shen Qianzhan’s junior, Su Zan managed to violate her taboo about gossip.
The trouble started with the photos he posted on his WeChat Moments the night before.
Aside from a high-definition, uncensored center-stage shot of the jade hairpin, he had also taken two photos of the scene to prove he wasn’t lying. The problem lay in the background of those scene photos...
While taking the pictures, Su Zan had turned his back to Shen Qianzhan to adjust the lighting, inadvertently capturing her and Ji Qinghe whispering to each other in real time.
Even as a background figure, Mr. Ji’s presence was striking. He effortlessly overshadowed Su Zan’s bright, handsome features, even with the latter’s face enlarged, and in a blurry yet coolly elegant pose, he attracted the attention of most of Su Zan’s WeChat friends.
At first, some asked if the man talking to Shen Qianzhan was a newly signed artist at Thousand Lights. Once acquaintances chimed in, they began teasing Shen Qianzhan for indiscriminately radiating charm again, wondering which young man had fallen for it this time.
Belonging to the same circle and industry, Su Zan could scan half the entertainment world over a single meal.
When that half of the world connected, they turned Su Zan’s comment section into a full-blown discussion forum. The result? They happily unearthed a romance novel.
Endless Year had been making frequent big moves in the industry lately, coinciding with the rotation of its China spokesperson. Everyone was giving their all to secure the position and win the endorsement. Naturally, many recognized the man whispering intimately with Shen Qianzhan as Ji Qinghe, the acting CEO of Endless Year China.
Once his identity was confirmed, the story practically wrote itself.
First, an enthusiastic gossip enthusiast mentioned that Ji Qinghe had trended on Weibo with Thousand Lights artist Xiang Qianqian. With that as a starting point, everyone connected it to Xiang Qianqian’s contract breach and sudden departure, secretly spinning conspiracy theories: this was a battle between two women vying for one man—Thousand Lights’ cash cow and its treasure trove.
This conspiracy theory was initially questioned by more meticulous older gossip enthusiasts for its logic. But when they considered Thousand Lights and Endless Year’s recent collaboration on a tribute drama, they praised Shen Qianzhan’s clever tactics, smoothly ousting Xiang Qianqian and seizing the advantage of proximity.Based on the photos inadvertently exposed by the pig teammate Su Zan, Shen Qianzhan and Ji Qinghe are developing well, and her rise to the top is just around the corner.
Of course, the above story circulated within half of the social circle where Shen Qianzhan and Su Zan were absent, until after being eagerly discussed for several days, it was completely ignited by rumors fermenting within Thousand Lights.
When this gossip reached Thousand Lights, various departments combined it with the frequent gifts sent to Shen Qianzhan's department from Endless Year not long ago, and finally had an epiphany.
As the person involved who only realized the situation after the rumors had spread rapidly, Shen Qianzhan sat in her office with a face as dark as water, snapping her third lipstick in half.
Her icy gaze fell on Su Zan, who had already shrunk into a ball, and she angrily threw the documents in her hand at him: "You're more of a hindrance than a help."
Su Zan, who had come to apologize, felt particularly wronged: "How was I supposed to know everyone was so idle? They were practically ready to write a steamy novel and pitch it as a project."
Shen Qianzhan continued throwing things at him: "Idle? Their malice is overflowing, and it's aimed at me. Keep your mouth shut tight recently. If you cause any more trouble, I'll throw you off the rooftop."
Su Zan trembled: "Then what about the rumors between you and Mr. Ji?"
Shen Qianzhan was on the verge of a meltdown.
Could it be that she had to go make another deal with that cunning old fox?
Author's Note: Didn't make it back on the hour, dropping another hundred red envelopes in the front row~
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solutions from 2020-03-02 18:28:57 to 2020-03-03 18:41:44~
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