Chapter Five
Whether he had been drinking or not was irrelevant.
If Ji Qinghe said he needed to sober up, then he was drunk.
The law of the strong applied everywhere, at all times.
—
Shen Qianzhan’s schedule was rushed. Aside from the eight wheels on her suitcase, she had no means of transportation at hand.
She reasoned that an executive director of Ji Qinghe’s caliber wouldn’t be stuck on the airport expressway relying on public transport. So, she sent Su Zan off to fetch the car while she headed back to the private room alone.
After the dinner ended, the room felt cold and deserted, with the guests gone and the tea grown cold.
Ji Qinghe sat alone on a single-seater sofa, resting with his eyes closed. The arc of light from the ceiling lamp felt almost tangible, spilling generously over him.
Shen Qianzhan made quite a noise when she entered, but whether he couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge her or was deliberately trying to intimidate her, he didn’t open his eyes until she sat down, meeting her gaze directly.
With no outsiders around, Ji Qinghe’s expression was no longer as casual and indifferent as it had been during the dinner. He removed his glasses, closed his eyes slightly, and gently pinched the bridge of his nose.
Those hands, which had once touched forbidden territory, once again drew Shen Qianzhan’s full attention.
It was no wonder people said women were the best at making associations.
Just by looking at his hands, Shen Qianzhan couldn’t help but conjure up a series of explicit illustrations in her mind.
To hide her embarrassment, she cleared her throat lightly, trying to appear composed and worldly. “Shall I order a pot of tea? We can talk over a drink.”
Ji Qinghe paused his hand on his brow, and when he opened his eyes again, they were clear and sharp.
He glanced at his wristwatch, speaking slowly, his tone cold and rigid. “You’ve kept me waiting for thirty minutes.”
A conciliatory approach clearly didn’t work on Ji Qinghe.
Not that she had intended to reconcile in the first place.
“Since time is precious, let’s get straight to the point.” Shen Qianzhan pulled out a cigarette case and lit one.
She wasn’t a heavy smoker, only lighting up occasionally to set the mood. She held the smoke in her mouth, letting it swirl on her tongue before exhaling slowly. “Mr. Ji, your presence here isn’t a coincidence, is it?”
Ji Qinghe scoffed lightly, his gaze landing on the ashtray to her left as he issued an uncompromising command. “Put it out.”
Shen Qianzhan narrowed her eyes, refusing to back down.
Not only did she not put out the cigarette, she even deliberately tapped the ash off in front of him.
Her petty rebellion, like that of a rebellious teenage girl, didn’t seem to bother Ji Qinghe in the slightest. He leaned forward, sweeping both the cigarette and the lighter into the wastebasket beside him. “If you’re going to be this disobedient, consider that your last one.”
Shen Qianzhan stiffened, followed by disbelief. “Are you insane?”
Ji Qinghe looked at her, speaking unhurriedly. “A reasonable suggestion.” But his eyes held a hint of pressure.
This man was far from as gentle and refined as he appeared on the surface, and Shen Qianzhan knew it all too well.
She pursed her lips, remaining silent in protest.
The cigarette remained between her fingers, a thin wisp of smoke drifting upward quietly, but she didn’t take another puff.
As they stood at an impasse, Shen Qianzhan’s phone rang.
She pulled it out of her pocket and glanced at the screen. Seeing it was Su Zan, she hung up and tossed the phone onto the table in front of her. “If you have no further instructions, Mr. Ji, I’ll be heading back. The company driver is waiting to drop me off so he can finish his shift.”
Ji Qinghe neither agreed nor disagreed. “I thought you were the one who couldn’t wait between us.”
Just listen to what he was saying.Shen Qianzhan nearly laughed in exasperation. "In June, I took a vacation to Xi'an to visit the watch exhibition. Excluding travel time, I stayed for three days. The last night was spent with you in Qinghe Third Alley. At dawn, I returned to the hotel to check out and went back to Beijing. Xi'an and Beijing are so far apart—I never thought I'd see you again one day."
The implication of these words was that if he hadn't appeared in Beijing, hadn't shown up before her, everything would have already ended happily.
On this point, Ji Qinghe agreed.
Once a matter had begun, the rest flowed more smoothly.
Shen Qianzhan pondered for a few seconds before turning the tables: "Thousand Lights has always been conservative and cautious in risk-taking, with investors mostly from the media industry within the circle. I've never liked doing business with outsiders. Who initiated the collaboration proposal with Endless Year?"
This answer was somewhat difficult for Ji Qinghe to provide at the moment.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, signaling: "Ask another question."
Shen Qianzhan chuckled and tossed out an even sharper question: "Endless Year and I have nothing to do with each other, and I've never heard of Endless Year investing in the film and television industry before. Mr. Ji, chasing me all the way from Xi'an to here—does that mean you're asking for payment after sleeping with me?"
As her words fell, the private room fell into a silence so profound it seemed as if time itself had frozen, with even the sound of breathing barely audible.
Ji Qinghe lifted his gaze.
On the bridge of his nose was a faint mark left by his glasses frame. Under the shifting lights, the shadow-like indentation made his nose appear even straighter and more defined.
Shen Qianzhan saw him smile faintly, a look of casual indifference and disregard that seemed to dismiss everything, sweeping over her like a tidal wave.
In that instant, she felt like a blind gun with a clogged barrel, unable to make a sound.
"Shen Qianzhan, where is your brain?" His gaze was calm, as if appraising a vase, sweeping over her from head to toe. "If we were really calculating payment, you'd probably go bankrupt on the spot tonight."
Time suddenly seemed to have weight and significance. Every word in his sentence felt like a shackle, striking heavily against Shen Qianzhan's gray areas.
A rebellious urge to not admit defeat surged within her, and she nearly blurted out, "I'm not cheap either." Fortunately, her rationality hadn't completely deserted her, and his icy glance snapped her back to reality.
Only now did Ji Qinghe finally realize that Shen Qianzhan's way of thinking differed from his, and their perspectives were not even on the same wavelength.
Payment?
He scoffed, his smile dripping with sarcasm.
"I did something absurd and felt guilty, so I wanted to take responsibility." He stood up, as if unwilling to say another word to her. "But it seems I've only caused you trouble instead."
Before leaving completely, Ji Qinghe lowered his voice to a near whisper, as if speaking directly into her ear: "My feelings for Producer Shen run deep. Payment isn't necessary. I just hope Producer Shen never finds herself in a position where she needs to beg for my help."
Shen Qianzhan stood frozen in place.
She turned her head, watching helplessly as the bastard strode away, and hurled a cushion after him.
Damn it, I must have been blind.
——
Su Zan waited in the hotel's underground parking lot for nearly twenty minutes before Shen Qianzhan finally appeared.
Seeing her come down alone, he couldn't help but glance behind her. "Sis Qianzhan, Mr. Ji didn't come down with you?"
Shen Qianzhan shot him a glance and ignored him, secretly adding another note to her mental ledger about Su Zan's knack for "bringing up the wrong topic."
Exhausted and in no mood to deal with Su Zan, she closed her eyes to rest as soon as she got into the car, making her desire for silence abundantly clear.Seeing her poor complexion, Su Zan didn't dare to provoke her displeasure. He escorted her all the way to the residential complex and was about to carry her luggage to see her safely home when Shen Qianzhan waved her hand, signaling for him to just set the things down. "I'll take the elevator up. You should head back early."
Su Zan was accustomed to Shen Qianzhan's decisive nature and didn't insist further. "Then rest early. I'll postpone tomorrow morning's meeting to the afternoon. Come to work once you've had enough rest."
Shen Qianzhan nodded. As she turned to wheel her suitcase into the elevator, she remembered something and called out to Su Zan again. "How much did you reveal to Ai Yi?"
Su Zan had long anticipated Shen Qianzhan would settle scores after the fact. He had been on edge all evening, unable to enjoy his meal.
He actually felt quite innocent.
Ai Yi was cunning and adept at disguise. When she subtly probed for information, it felt as natural as genuine concern between old friends.
During Shen Qianzhan's business trip abroad, Ai Yi had visited the company to discuss exclusive licensing for Xiang Qianqian's new drama.
Vision Joy and Thousand Lights had collaborated for many years, and the relationship between Ai Yi and Shen Qianzhan was well-known. Whenever Shen Qianzhan produced a television series, priority cooperation was always given to Vision Joy.
Regarding the platform's exclusive licensing, Su Zan had heard Shen Qianzhan mention it. Knowing that Ai Yi had only proposed a preliminary concept without delving deeper, he didn't take any initiative.
Originally, Ai Yi's personal visit had been a spur-of-the-moment whim, with ulterior motives.
With Shen Qianzhan away from the company, only someone of Su Zan's position and stature was suitable to entertain her.
Women naturally have social advantages. Ai Yi, feeling sentimental and melancholic, said she wanted to waste some time and steal a moment of leisure, pleading for his company. Su Zan, thinking that maintaining VIP clients was part of his job, got carried away with the principle of "the customer is always right" and accompanied Ai Yi to the café downstairs for coffee and cake.
Ai Yi's social skills and art of conversation were renowned in the industry.
As a wealthy second-generation heir who only knew how to spend money, how could he withstand her? In no time, he was completely dismantled and utterly defeated.
Moreover, he hadn't intended to reveal Shen Qianzhan's trip to Xi'an in the first place. It was Ai Yi who, having heard the news from somewhere, used the pretext of inquiring about project progress to shrewdly ask whether his Sister Qian had made a special trip to Xi'an to scout locations for the tribute drama.
The tribute drama was a big piece of cake, with everyone in the film and television industry—from company decision-makers to artist agents—keeping a close eye on it.
It hadn't been easy for Shen Qianzhan to secure the production role. All preparations for the project were conducted in secret, fearing that attracting too much attention could lead to a single misstep causing complete failure.
Su Zan thought that given their long-standing cooperation, honesty was the best policy.
Besides, wasn't Shen Qianzhan's dedication to presenting high-quality television works and restoring the professional standards of the watch restoration profession something all the profit-driven producers and investors in the industry should learn from?
But who could have predicted Shen Qianzhan would hit a wall with Old Mr. Ji...
Still, the situation wasn't without hope, and it wasn't entirely bad.
After some thought, Su Zan decided it was better to report sooner rather than later. "Sister Qian, when I was sending Mr. Jiang back just now, he gossiped with me about your relationship with Mr. Ji."
"He asked me if you two had known each other for a long time..."
Shen Qianzhan's hand, which had been about to push the suitcase, paused. She vaguely sensed that Su Zan's clever expression hinted at some important news, waiting for her enthusiastic praise.
She lifted her eyelids slightly, showing little interest as she asked, "How did you reply?""I don't know him." Su Zan glanced at the elevator camera, then leaned in mysteriously, lowering his voice: "He thought you and Mr. Ji had already met in Xi'an."
Shen Qianzhan's eyelids twitched, too guilty to make a sound.
Su Zan, whose perception was as broad as the Pacific Ocean, didn't notice Shen Qianzhan's odd reaction at all. He continued proudly: "Then he let it slip."
"His voice was really soft—if I weren't so sharp-eared and keen-eyed, most people wouldn't have caught it." He licked his lips, rubbing his thumb and index finger together, blatantly hinting for a reward.
Shen Qianzhan shot him a look, then chopped him on the back of the head with the side of her hand, delivering a solid smack: "Is Thousand Lights your family's business? I'm making money for your family, and you have the nerve to ask me for a red envelope? Spit it out already."
Su Zan had a typical "needs a beating" personality—getting smacked actually made him behave. Rubbing the back of his head, he muttered under his breath: "Director Jiang thought you met Mr. Ji at Old Master Ji's house."
Shen Qianzhan narrowed her eyes.
Wait?
Why would she meet Ji Qinghe at Old Master Ji's house?
Seeing she still hadn't caught on, Su Zan sighed deeply and explained: "I always thought it was too much of a coincidence that Old Master Ji and Mr. Ji share the same surname. Sister Zhan, has your life become so dull you can't even think anymore?"
Shen Qianzhan's face turned green.
Her mind was flooded with the memory of Ji Qinghe's parting words: "I've grown quite fond of Producer Shen—payment isn't necessary. I just hope Producer Shen won't have any reason to come begging at my door in the future."
Damn that bastard!
He planned this all along, didn't he!
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