Chapter Sixty-Four
Thinking was one thing, but saying it out loud was absolutely out of the question.
Although Shen Qianzhan often let her judgment be clouded by good looks, she always kept the bigger picture in mind. Once she accepted the idea that Ji Qinghe was her devoted admirer, her anger naturally dissipated.
Little did she know that while she saw him as a devoted admirer, he saw her as a prize within his grasp.
Both harbored their own schemes—it was a case of tit for tat.
—
After the lunch break, Shen Qianzhan stayed on set until three o’clock.
Su Zan was the supervising producer for the drama Time, and with him on site, there was little left for her to do. However, Shen Qianzhan couldn’t quite let go of her concern for Ji Qinghe.
This wasn’t entirely due to personal feelings.
On a professional level, Ji Qinghe was her investor—her "daddy" of funds—and she ought to treat him like an ancestor, careful not to offend or neglect him. On a personal level, their private relationship was complex and delicate, so it was only natural to pay extra attention and show consideration.
Seeing that he was adapting well on set, surrounded by admirers, Shen Qianzhan felt reassured. Before leaving, she said goodbye to Su Zan and headed back to the hotel with Qiao Xin.
Shen Qianzhan hadn’t slept well the night before, and after barely making it back to the hotel, she collapsed into bed as soon as she entered her room.
Qiao Xin had originally intended to show her the list she had compiled, but by the time she returned from changing in the next room, Shen Qianzhan was already fast asleep.
Quietly adjusting the room temperature, Qiao Xin saw that it was still early and settled into the living room of the suite with a power bank to play games.
Lin Qiao dropped by once in the middle, supposedly to discuss the script.
But rather than discussing the script, it seemed more like she was there to escape trouble and avoid debts. During the half-hour "script meeting," Lin Qiao didn’t mention a single word related to the script, instead venting about how despicable and terrifying Jiang Juanshan was and how he exploited the hard work of the crew.
Qiao Xin couldn’t help but chuckle but didn’t want to undermine Jiang Juanshan, so she offered words of comfort instead.
Having witnessed Time progress from a script outline to project approval and filming, she naturally understood the immense pressure both Jiang Juanshan and Lin Qiao were under. Seeing Lin Qiao grow increasingly serious as she spoke, Qiao Xin worried that her psychological breaking point was truly near and quickly reassured her, "Let’s keep our voices down. Sister Qianzhan just fell asleep."
At the mention of Shen Qianzhan, Lin Qiao instinctively shuddered. "Sister Qianzhan just went to sleep?"
"Yes," Qiao Xin replied, pouring her a glass of water. "From the moment the contract was signed, she hasn’t relaxed for a second. I’ve watched her piece Time together like a puzzle, slowly assembling it into a complete picture."
"You know how demanding a producer’s workload is," Qiao Xin said, taking a small sip of tea. "With so many fragments suddenly laid out before her, just figuring out where each piece belonged took an enormous amount of time and effort. You and Teacher Jiang are like the prominent flags in the puzzle, speeding up Sister Qianzhan’s progress. When she puts pressure on Teacher Jiang, you naturally feel it too."
"If this were any other time, as a friend, I’d tell you to take a break if you’re too tired. But with Time, there’s no room for breaks. Every day is a massive investment, and with Mr. Ji right here on set watching, any mistake leaves no room for maneuvering."
Lin Qiao fell silent, cradling her cup and taking small sips of warm water. After a long while, she finally muttered, "My brain feels completely drained."
Suppressing a smile, Qiao Xin patted her shoulder. "I can’t offer much advice on the script. Whether you and Teacher Jiang disagree or can’t work together anymore, sort it out yourselves before the final draft is due."
Lin Qiao let out a pitiful "Oh."She lingered in place for a while, only moving after Jiang Juanshan called, reluctantly carrying her laptop and taking three steps back for every one forward as she left the room.
In the evening, as dusk was just settling, Su Zan called to ask if they wanted to go out for dinner together.
Qiao Xin, hearing no movement in the room, guessed that Shen Qianzhan was probably still asleep. Rubbing her sore neck, she replied, "Sister Zhan is still sleeping. Even if we wake her, she probably won’t want to go out."
After a few seconds of silence on Su Zan’s end, the person speaking changed to Ji Qinghe: "How long has she been asleep?"
Qiao Xin glanced at the time on her screen and answered, "Three hours."
There was a brief pause on the other end before he said, "Wake her in twenty minutes."
Qiao Xin murmured an acknowledgment.
Though she didn’t understand why, she followed Ji Qinghe’s instructions and went to wake Shen Qianzhan twenty minutes later.
—
Shen Qianzhan was particularly delicate just after waking up, either complaining that the air conditioning was too cold or that the air humidity was too low.
Qiao Xin adjusted the room temperature twice before Shen Qianzhan reluctantly stopped nitpicking.
But her body felt weary, with soreness in her back and legs. From her toes to the base of her thighs, everything felt numb and achy, as if she’d been run over by rolling stones.
Seeing that she wasn’t in a good mood, Qiao Xin wisely kept her distance.
After ordering takeout in the outer room and handing the phone to Shen Qianzhan for her to choose her meal, the doorbell rang—someone had come to visit.
Qiao Xin went to answer the door.
There was some murmuring in the outer room, and after the door closed, the person who reentered was Ji Qinghe.
At first, Shen Qianzhan didn’t notice. She was too absorbed in browsing the menu, picking and choosing—one moment adding a skewer of enoki mushroom and beef to her cart, the next spotting cheese fish balls and comparing calorie counts, reluctantly deciding between the two.
Her cart emptied and filled, filled and emptied, several times before she finally noticed the shadow looming over her.
But it was too late.
Ji Qinghe reached out and took her phone, quickly scanning her takeout order—spicy beef oil hotpot base, a large portion of enoki mushroom and beef, two servings of lamb rolls, one serving of lettuce, one serving of dried bamboo shoots, and several fish balls with mushrooms, among other items.
He smiled faintly, a hint of triumph in his expression, as if he’d just foiled her plans: "No takeout today."
Looking down at her, he seemed to be deciding how to proceed: "Should I carry you, or will you get up on your own?"
Shen Qianzhan was a bit confused: "Where’s Qiao Xin?"
"She went back to her room to eat." He glanced toward the insulated lunchbox on the table. "Su Zan said you haven’t been eating well on set, so I had a chef from the hotel prepare dinner for you."
Seeing her somewhat reluctant expression, Ji Qinghe listed the dishes: "Braised lamb with scallions."
"Braised bamboo shoots."
"Lotus leaf chicken."
Shen Qianzhan surrendered immediately: "I’m up, I’m up, right now."
—
Shen Qianzhan’s routine for getting up was simple. Since she’d slept in her clothes, all she had to do was slip on a pair of slippers.
She hurried into the bathroom to wash up and brush her teeth. By the time she sat down, Ji Qinghe had already unpacked the insulated lunchbox layer by layer and set out chopsticks, waiting for her to start eating.
Shen Qianzhan wiped her damp hands and had just picked up her chopsticks to grab some meat when Ji Qinghe frowned slightly, took a tissue, and wiped her hands for her: "I never knew you were so childish before."
Shen Qianzhan let him dry her hands, pursed her lips, and said, "There’s a lot you don’t know about me. Even if I told you one thing a day, it would take ten years to finish."
Ji Qinghe looked up.His eyes held a faint, fragmented smile. Reflecting the light from the ceiling, his pupils resembled amber—crystal clear and translucent.
Shen Qianzhan had always thought Ji Qinghe’s gold-rimmed glasses were the perfect finishing touch, flawlessly accentuating the man’s refined yet roguish demeanor. But now, she found the glasses rather obstructive, concealing his gaze too well, like dust obscuring a pearl, always adding a layer of distance to his emotions.
Her scrutiny was too intense for Ji Qinghe to ignore. He picked up a bamboo shoot tip with his chopsticks and placed it in her bowl. As he withdrew his hand, the chopsticks lightly tapped the rim of the bowl, producing a crisp, tinkling sound. “Eat first.”
Shen Qianzhan’s mischievous thoughts surfaced, and her suggestive remarks followed effortlessly. “Eat first? Does Mr. Ji mean there are other activities after the meal?”
Ji Qinghe didn’t look at her, only tilting his head slightly, leaving a sliver of his gaze on her. “What kind of activities do you want?”
Shen Qianzhan watched as he ladled soup into a bowl. The broth was a brilliant golden hue, with circles of oil floating on the surface, looking both nutritious and nourishing. She abruptly changed the subject, asking about the soup first. “What kind of soup is this?”
Ji Qinghe’s lips curved into a faint smile, though it was unclear who he was teasing. “It’s definitely not deer antler and suoyang soup.” He pushed the bowl of soup toward her. “Based on actual needs, this soup nourishes yin and strengthens the kidneys.”
“And hydrates.”
In just a few words, Shen Qianzhan found herself inexplicably at a disadvantage, losing the upper hand.
She raised her eyelashes, no longer holding her chopsticks properly. Her fingertip, separated by a layer of fabric, slowly traced from his chest down to his abdomen. Taking advantage of his occupied hands, she boldly poked his abs twice. “Mr. Ji isn’t just hard here—his mouth is quite tough too.”
Her fingertip didn’t exert much force; her fingers were soft, lightly tickling his sensitive spots. When she sensed his instinctive, subtle flinch, she finally pinpointed his sensitive area and deliberately circled her fingertip there.
Ji Qinghe was ticklish.
She had discovered this yesterday.
All her pleading and begging had been less effective than finding his weak spot, which was both satisfying and straightforward. At the time, Shen Qianzhan’s mind had gone blank, but she still remembered that his abdomen was particularly ticklish.
Sure enough.
His wrist trembled slightly, splashing a bit of the soup.
The next second, he set down the ladle, seized her wrist, and pressed it firmly against the table.
The ceiling light hanging directly above him flickered as a firefly intruded, flapping its wings and persistently crashing into the glowing bulb.
Shen Qianzhan’s heart suddenly felt as if a gap had opened, with fine strings vibrating up and down, humming incessantly.
His gaze was deep and heavy, lacking the usual indulgence. Instead, it was dark and profound, like a bottomless pit that swallowed all the light it captured until a flicker of fire ignited within.
“Put away your little schemes for now.”
Ji Qinghe said, “If you get hungry later tonight, what I feed you won’t be this.”
Shen Qianzhan blinked.
And blinked again.
After a long moment, as if finally finding her voice, she replied stiffly, “I have a meeting later tonight.”
Ji Qinghe looked at her and slowly said, “I’m not in a hurry. I have plenty of patience to wait until you’re hungry.”
Shen Qianzhan was instantly silenced.
She had raised the flag of battle, only to suffer a crushing defeat.
Now, she couldn’t even eat in peace, couldn’t flirt properly, and couldn’t gracefully step down from the situation.
She suddenly wondered how Ai Yi had managed to navigate the romantic scene for so many years and emerge unscathed.
Meeting someone like Ji Qinghe, who was as tough as nails, would probably leave a person riddled with holes, wouldn’t it?Her interest waned, and she no longer had the ambition to compete with him. Deep down, she even began to suspect that the whole "devoted admirer" act was just an illusion he used to coax her. Ji Qinghe hadn’t changed at all—their dynamic remained one where he could easily control her, while she was as helpless as fish on a chopping board.
Her shift in mood was too obvious. Ji Qinghe had always been able to see through her thoughts. Though he didn’t know where her disappointment and frustration came from, he instinctively sensed that if he didn’t handle this properly now, it would only become more troublesome later.
Thinking this, Ji Qinghe loosened his grip on her wrist and softened his tone. "What on earth are you thinking about all day?"
Shen Qianzhan retorted, "Smut and money."
Quite honest.
Ji Qinghe didn’t respond immediately. He let out a short laugh and said, "I have both of those."
He tapped the table lightly with his knuckles to get her attention. "How about a long-term arrangement? One that pays daily."
The latter part of his sentence was sincere and practical, but some people’s minds were filled with nothing but blurry, indecent thoughts, unable to grasp the good in it. "Working year-round without a break—do you think you can handle it?"
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