Chapter Six
Shen Qianzhan had been played for a fool, and her anger and frustration kept her tossing and turning all night.
Early the next morning, she dug out an unopened set of cosmetics from her still-unpacked suitcase and spent a full hour in front of the mirror applying makeup.
Concealer, brightening, highlighter—she skipped none of the steps, creating a flawless, natural-looking "air" nude makeup.
By the time she arrived at the company, it was still before lunchtime. Shen Qianzhan bought a cup of Americano at the café downstairs, swiped her card to enter the building, and headed upstairs.
Thousand Lights Pictures was a highly employee-friendly company, offering most staff holiday allowances for business trips. However, this benefit was nothing but an empty promise for Shen Qianzhan—everyone else enjoyed it except her.
The moment Shen Qianzhan stepped out of the elevator, her assistant, Qiao Xin, was already waiting at the door with the schedule in hand.
Aside from a meeting, she had a scriptwriter audition scheduled for three in the afternoon.
After listening to the work arrangements for the past two days, Shen Qianzhan gave a slight nod, then glanced toward the office area. "Where’s Su Zan?"
Qiao Xin froze, recalling how Su Zan had fled in panic upon hearing the front desk’s warning earlier. She kept her eyes downcast, choosing to betray him: "He heard you were coming and hid upstairs."
Shen Qianzhan followed the assistant’s subtle upward gesture toward the ceiling, her expression unreadable. "If he doesn’t want me to tear down that ceiling, he’d better get down here right now."
Qiao Xin acknowledged the order and watched as Shen Qianzhan entered her office. She then pulled out her phone to message Su Zan on WeChat: "Young Master Su, what did you do to upset Sister Zhan this time?"
Su Zan replied quickly: "She’s going through menopause—irritable and easily angered. What does that have to do with me?"
Qiao Xin bit her finger while holding her phone, sighing helplessly: When gods fight, mortals suffer. After a moment’s thought, she tactfully relayed the instruction: "Sister Zhan is eager to see you. Maybe you should bring Zhou Yan along and go see her?"
Su Zan: "..."
He felt that just Zhou Yan alone might... not be enough.
—
Despite the drama, Su Zan didn’t dare disobey Shen Qianzhan’s orders.
He dragged his feet for half an hour, then entered Shen Qianzhan’s office with a stack of freshly printed Baidu Baike pages, his mood as heavy as if he were heading to a funeral.
Shen Qianzhan was eating a salad, looking utterly unwilling and full of disdain.
The little heart in Su Zan’s chest sank even lower, growing heavier.
He shuffled forward and pulled out a chair to sit down.
Seeing him present the documents like an offering, Shen Qianzhan raised an eyebrow and teased, "What, is my office so scorching hot that you can’t stand being here for even a moment?"
Su Zan didn’t know whether to laugh or not, finally forcing out a smile more awkward than a grimace. "I searched all night after going back yesterday. Not only did no one know Mr. Ji, but no one around me even knew Endless Year had a China region executive director." He pouted pitifully. "Sister Zhan, are we dealing with some kind of supernatural event?"
Shen Qianzhan glanced at the thick stack of documents beside her. "If there’s no trace of him, how did you manage to compile such a thick book?"
"I printed out everything about Endless Year’s brand history, related products, and backstory for you." Su Zan eagerly flipped to the fifty-seventh page, which he had folded at the corner. "Look here—this is an interview with Old Master Ji."
Shen Qianzhan set down her fork, elegantly dabbed the corners of her mouth with a tissue, and leaned in to look.
Interviews with Old Master Ji were few and far between. The one Su Zan had compiled was published in a fashion magazine on the day the Suimu series of watches was launched.Claiming to be an exclusive interview, this segment occupied only a pitifully small section amidst the full pages of watch images and text. It discussed the design inspiration and philosophy behind the Endless Year series of watches, as well as the reporter's question to Old Ji regarding public regret over the lack of successors to his watchmaking and restoration skills.
Ji Qingzhen's response was vague; he neither mentioned Ji Qinghe nor directly answered the question, merely expressing hope that all traditional craftsmanship could continue to be passed down. He stated that the Endless Year series under Endless Year would maintain his personal style while continuously promoting the refinement and wisdom of traditional techniques.
Shen Qianzhan scanned the text several times before looking up: "That's it?"
Su Zan let out an "ah": "That's it."
Shen Qianzhan's voice instantly rose several pitches: "Nothing else?"
Su Zan: "...Nothing else."
Shen Qianzhan pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration: "I asked you to find information related to Ji Qinghe, not to show me the fine virtues of the Chinese nation."
She spread her hands, settling for second best: "What about contact information? Surely you found that?"
Su Zan squirmed awkwardly before finally letting out a weak suggestion: "Does the official work email for Endless Year count..."
Shen Qianzhan pointed toward the door: "Get out."
—
Unable to rely on Su Zan, Shen Qianzhan had to roll up her sleeves and do it herself.
Ji Qinghe's personal information was exceptionally well-protected; whether on Endless Year's official website or Baidu Baike, there was indeed no trace of him.
The only search result related to Ji Qinghe was a romance novel.
Shen Qianzhan glanced at it, expressionlessly closed her laptop.
Obtaining Ji Qinghe's contact information was actually quite simple—ask Jiang Yecheng.
But that would inevitably lead to interrogation.
Ai Yi was right; Jiang Yecheng's desire to collaborate with Ji Qinghe was urgent and fervent. He wouldn't sympathize with Shen Qianzhan's reasons for not wanting to work with Endless Year, only continuously pressuring her to achieve his goal.
For now, things hadn't reached a dead end. She felt... she could still struggle a bit longer.
—
After the meeting, having synchronized the recent project progress at Thousand Lights, Shen Qianzhan immediately met with the screenwriter who had submitted a trial draft.
The screenwriter, Lin Qiao, twenty-six years old, a native of Beijing. She owned a courtyard house within the First Ring Road, lived comfortably without financial worries.
A few years ago, when Shen Qianzhan first joined Thousand Lights Pictures, the first project she worked on was an original script by Lin Qiao. Later, as Thousand Lights grew, Lin Qiao, with their established collaboration, almost became the exclusive screenwriter for Thousand Lights. Whenever Shen Qianzhan produced a project, Lin Qiao's name appeared on it more often than not.
The tribute drama was too big and difficult a piece of cake to bite into. Shen Qianzhan hadn't initially considered Lin Qiao, intending to hire an experienced veteran screenwriter to form a writing team. But unable to resist Lin Qiao's self-recommendation, Shen Qianzhan figured the writing team couldn't entirely consist of screenwriters she hadn't worked with before, so she gave her a trial opportunity.
The young woman was well aware she couldn't be the lead screenwriter. Before leaving, she said to Shen Qianzhan: "Sister Zhan, I'm free during this period. If you hold a script planning meeting, you can call me. I might be able to offer some fresh ideas, and I can also learn from the senior screenwriters. If you're worried, I'll sign a confidentiality agreement, guaranteed to keep my lips sealed tight."
Shen Qianzhan was reviewing her script outline and, without looking up, replied: "Didn't your social media say you planned to go to Japan soon?"
"Ah," Lin Qiao said honestly, "Going to Japan isn't as important as this opportunity.""By the way." Remembering something, she sat back down. "Weren't you asking me last time where I gather material? Let me recommend an app to you. It's quite niche and obscure, but it's incredibly useful for writers like us who desperately need others' life experiences and professional insights."
She sat back down and eagerly pushed an app toward her—Expert.
"This one. You can schedule one-on-one consultations with experts in any profession or field."
Shen Qianzhan glanced at it curiously, a hint of skepticism on her face.
Seeing her disbelief, Lin Qiao pulled up her own consultation orders. "Look, for the last script about a legal tycoon, I consulted this strategist. And the time before that, a psychological counselor, an HR from a financial listed company, a senior market manager for big data products at JD and Taobao..."
"Su Zan also registered an account. I even saved a screenshot." She switched to her photo album and showed her the image.
One glance at it nearly made Shen Qianzhan spit blood.
Su Zan—Film Industry Agent, Veteran Rich Second Generation. Expertise: Creating and Managing Internet Celebrities, How to Squander Family Wealth, Daily Life of a Rich Second Generation, How to Become a Professional Spender.
Rarely finding someone to vent with, Lin Qiao blinked and gestured for her to look at the consultation data below. "A 600-yuan consultation, and over twenty people actually booked it."
Shen Qianzhan smiled, polite yet awkward. "Su Zan isn't all there. You should stay away from him in the future."
After Lin Qiao left, Shen Qianzhan registered a guest account.
"Expert" featured a wide array of professions; even something as niche as a watch restorer had three listings.
Shen Qianzhan filtered by region. Only one person in Beijing was listed—the founder of Time Hall, certified as the deputy director of the Beijing Watch Collectors Association.
She cautiously checked the reviews, hesitated for a moment, and finally booked a one-on-one phone consultation.
Assuming the response wouldn't be too quick, she set the matter aside and prepared to leave work.
Unexpectedly.
Just as Shen Qianzhan drove her second-hand Mini Cooper onto the overpass, Expert called.
She paid the fee, connected to the car's Bluetooth, and answered the call.
The voice on the other end sounded around her age—bright and clear. He introduced himself first, then asked Shen Qianzhan what aspect of watches she wanted to consult about.
Shen Qianzhan said, "Watch restoration."
The other person hesitated slightly and asked, "Do you have a broken watch and want to learn about restoration, or are you hoping for advice or precautions regarding watch restoration?"
Shen Qianzhan's mind went blank for a moment.
Her goal was simple: to find an expert in this field who could provide professional help and guidance for her project. When he asked for specifics, she couldn't think of anything to ask right away.
Just as she hesitated, the other person urged, sounding pained, "It's 400 yuan for thirty minutes. You're wasting not just time but money..."
Shen Qianzhan, accustomed to extravagance, felt no pinch at all. Stuck in the rush-hour traffic, she replied unhurriedly, "Then tell me about the common issues that occur with watches."The other party was convinced she was here to waste time and money, sighed, and replied, "There are many reasons—water damage, dead batteries, or the clock losing power, the balance wheel stopping immediately. With these mechanical things, the biggest issue is usually that the time stops. We don’t always know the exact cause of the malfunction; we need to open the watch and inspect the parts to determine how to fix it."
He muttered, "I’m not an expert in repairs. If you ask me how to appreciate clocks or which watches have collectible value, these thirty minutes might still be worth it."
Shen Qianzhan didn’t respond.
At that moment, she was deeply reflecting on why she had spent so much time on something so clearly inefficient—neither yielding work results nor inspiring ideas.
Indeed, a waste of time and money.
Just as she was losing interest and drafting a closing statement in her mind to end the call, the other party suddenly said, "Hold on."
Stuck in traffic with nowhere to go, Shen Qianzhan didn’t mind waiting.
She listened to the dragging sound of slippers scraping against the floor through the speakers, followed by the creak of a wooden door opening. The phone was handed to someone else: "My customer wants to discuss watch repairs. Can you help me entertain her?"
In the brief silence, Shen Qianzhan, whether sensing something or relying on a woman’s intuition, felt her heart tighten as if gripped by a hand, suddenly suspended.
Then, from the other end of the line, a young man’s voice, tinged with laziness, impatience, and devoid of emotion, broke the silence. Shen Qianzhan’s heart finally settled, only to plunge into another bottomless abyss.
Ji Qinghe asked, "What’s there to talk about?"
It was unclear whom he was asking, but his impatience was evident: "If you’re not saying anything, I’m hanging up."
Truly, life is full of unexpected encounters.
Shen Qianzhan’s inner thoughts were incredibly complex and tangled at that moment. If she had to describe it, it was like a herd of alpacas throwing a party in her mind… not grass, just alpacas.
Just as she silently waited for him to hang up, Ji Qinghe paused, leaving three seconds of dead air before asking, "Shen Qianzhan?"
What the hell?
He could recognize her as Shen Qianzhan even when she wasn’t speaking?
As if reading her mind, he chuckled softly on the other end and said, "Your breathing sounds familiar."
OpenNovel