Chapter Seventy-Three
The next afternoon, Ming Jue arrived on time to pick them up.
The business vehicle quickly merged onto the main road from the right side of the bell tower and soon sped northward toward their destination.
Shen Qianzhan leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes to rest.
Last night, after Ji Suimu carried Ji Lin away, she received a video call request from Su Zan and quickly returned to her room.
She had work matters to attend to, so Ji Qinghe did not disturb her. Midway through, he brought her a glass of warm water and some fruit.
After quietly delivering this "love express," he leaned against a spot out of the phone camera’s view for a moment and sent her a message: "Do you need anything else?"
Her WeChat buzzed, and Shen Qianzhan switched screens to check.
Seeing it was from Ji Qinghe, she glanced up at him and replied, "No, I’m fine." In truth, Shen Qianzhan could have easily paused the meeting, but she chose not to.
On the phone, Su Zan’s formal report continued.
Shen Qianzhan took a bite of the kiwifruit he had sliced, multitasking effortlessly.
Ji Qinghe tapped his screen a few times, and soon Shen Qianzhan received another message from him: "Auntie Xie left you some late-night snacks. If you want them, I can bring them up."
She popped the remaining half slice of kiwifruit into her mouth and replied with one hand, "No, thanks. Eating late at night makes it easy to gain weight."
Ji Qinghe paused, his gaze shifting from the phone screen to her slender, well-proportioned figure.
Shen Qianzhan’s strict approach to managing her figure was no less rigorous than that of actors and artists striving for on-screen perfection.
He wisely refrained from commenting and instead asked, "How much longer will this take?"
The question was direct.
Shen Qianzhan naturally didn’t think he was just making casual conversation. After a moment’s consideration, she replied, "Not sure."
As soon as she sent the message, Qiao Xin’s voice broke through the background noise from Su Zan’s end. Taking advantage of Su Zan’s momentary pause to swallow, she chattered away with a report on the script’s progress.
Shen Qianzhan shrugged at the perfect moment, conveying helplessness.
Ji Qinghe had only meant to show concern. Seeing that she seemed to have misunderstood, he didn’t explain. Instead, he pocketed his phone and left the room.
As he left, he didn’t forget to close the door behind him.
The sound of the door closing was crisp and loud, completely lacking the subtlety of their earlier clandestine encounter.
Su Zan’s end indeed fell silent for a few seconds.
A moment later, he cleared his throat and tentatively called out, "Mr. Ji, you’re still up this late?"
Shen Qianzhan switched the screen back to the video call, munching on kiwifruit as she replied, "Stop calling. He’s gone."
Su Zan let out an "ah," sounding deeply regretful. "A night of springtime is worth a thousand pieces of gold. You’ve missed out on quite a lot tonight, Sister Zhan."
Shen Qianzhan didn’t respond, her expression indifferent, as if she found Su Zan’s crude joke utterly beneath her.
Risqué jokes thrive on lively reactions. Without her participation, Su Zan quickly lost interest, skipping any transitional pleasantries and resuming his report from where he had left off.
However, Shen Qianzhan was only calm on the surface. Beneath her elegant facade, her mind was racing with the steamy scene that had unfolded earlier in the storage room—
A 4D audio-visual experience, immersive and all-encompassing.
It felt as if the cool, lingering scent on him was still right under her nose, so close she could almost breathe it in.
What had she missed out on tonight?
She had struck gold!
—
Shen Qianzhan was no stranger to the Ji family.
Last year, in her efforts to persuade Old Mr. Ji to come out of retirement, she had visited this place three times.
While she might not be familiar with every brick underfoot, she was at least well-acquainted with the place.The architectural style of the Ji family residence was similar to Ji Qinghe's courtyard house in Beijing—both were Chinese-style antique imitations. However, the old mansion offered more creative freedom and a broader layout than the courtyard house.
At the main entrance stood an exquisitely crafted stone wall, its patterns resembling ink-wash landscape paintings. From a distance, one could see verdant pines and distant mountains, while up close, a fisherman drifted on a river in a boat. Complemented by flowing water curtains, the scene was breathtakingly beautiful.
Listening to the sound of rushing water, Shen Qianzhan felt as though she were hearing the notification of an Alipay payment...
Her heart fluttered with each ripple.
Walking past the stone wall screen, she encountered distant ponds and nearby pools, pavilions, and towers.
The opulence and grandeur of the Ji residence overwhelmed her senses.
Shen Qianzhan couldn't help but recall her feelings during her first visit: "When I learned Old Mr. Ji's address, I thought he lived in seclusion and must have a detached personality. On the way here, I felt this trip wouldn't go smoothly."
Her opening remarks hinted at a complicated emotional journey.
Ji Qinghe, intrigued, deliberately slowed his pace, waiting for her to continue.
"After arriving, even before meeting Old Mr. Ji, my heart sank halfway," Shen Qianzhan recalled, still feeling a bit aggrieved. "At the time, I had two strategies in mind: one was money, and the other was sentiment." However, upon seeing the gate of the Ji residence, her first strategy died before it could even see the light of day.
"This is the Ji family's ancestral home, passed down through generations for centuries. Before my grandfather retired, it had long been neglected and was in a state of disrepair, completely different from how it looks now," Ji Qinghe remarked lightly, a faint smile on his lips. "Later, as our generation grew up, my father felt that since the younger members were reaching marriageable age, the facade of the old mansion should be properly maintained and dignified. Otherwise..."
He paused deliberately, leaving her hanging.
Shen Qianzhan knew he was baiting her but took the hook anyway: "Otherwise what?"
"Otherwise, it would be hard to find a wife," Ji Qinghe replied with a slight smirk. "Yet, wasn't I still turned away?"
His implication was too obvious. Hearing this, Shen Qianzhan noticed Ming Jue gradually falling behind out of the corner of her eye and retorted lightly, "That's interesting. Which door turned you away? You're clearly trying to avoid responsibility."
She deliberately twisted his words, shifting the meaning.
Instead, Ji Qinghe, who had tried to corner her, found himself checkmated and had no response.
Having won the verbal sparring, Shen Qianzhan felt elated, her steps noticeably lighter.
——
Two figures, one tall and one short, were already standing at the entrance of the main house.
Old Mr. Ji held Ji Lin's hand, waiting under the eaves.
Shen Qianzhan had met Old Mr. Ji many times and, while still maintaining a sense of reverence, felt much more at ease in his presence.
After chatting briefly in the living room, Old Mr. Ji led Shen Qianzhan to the collection room to select an antique clock. True to his promise after agreeing to lend her one, he had been waiting for her to come and pick it up.
The old man's collection was far more impressive than Ji Qinghe's. Rows of antique clocks, categorized by era, spanned from the Qing Dynasty to modern times, each a priceless treasure.
Outwardly calm, Shen Qianzhan's heart was in turmoil, surging with excitement.
If she had known Old Mr. Ji possessed such a clock pavilion, she would have turned back immediately back then.
Sentiment?
Talking about sentiment to a wealthy collector who owned hundreds of antique clocks?
How had she ever been so unaware of her own audacity?
When adults grew quiet, children couldn't sit still.Ji Lin, held by the hand by Ji Qinghe, leaned his small body crookedly against his leg and mumbled, "There are so many clocks inside, all repaired by my little uncle. Auntie Shen, can you pick them out?"
Shen Qianzhan had already come to terms with the fact that her title could undergo countless upgrades and changes within a single day. Hearing this, she lowered her head and met Ji Lin's gaze. "What if I do pick them out?"
Ji Lin tilted his little head and thought for a moment, then pushed Ji Qinghe with his chubby little hand. "If you pick them out, I'll give you my little uncle."
Seeing that Shen Qianzhan didn't seem satisfied with this reward, Ji Lin looked up at Ji Qinghe, clicked his tongue twice, and showed a hint of disdain, as if to say, "See? Even giving you away doesn't work."
Ji Qinghe placed his hand on Ji Lin's head and ruffled his hair into a mess with a few strokes.
Just as Ji Lin was frantically trying to fix his hairstyle, Shen Qianzhan's gaze settled on the antique black wood enamel carved clock in front of her, which depicted Penglai Immortal Island, pavilions, towers, and the Eight Immortals presenting treasures.
She remembered that in the script of Time, there was an overseas replica antique clock that was severely damaged after being swapped and recovered. The protagonist went to great lengths to restore it to its original appearance, and later gave it as a congratulatory gift to his wife's grandfather.
The names of antique clocks were usually long and difficult to pronounce. Shen Qianzhan remembered this clock so vividly because of its vivid wood carving, which perfectly matched its name—the Black Wood Enamel Carved Antique Clock of the Eight Immortals Presenting Treasures at Penglai.
This antique clock was one of the clocks she intended to borrow from Old Mr. Ji on this trip, and it was also the top-ranked antique clock on the list Shen Qianzhan had compiled.
Shen Qianzhan didn't rush to answer immediately.
It suddenly occurred to her that Ji Lin's question might have been prompted by Old Mr. Ji.
No wonder, before leaving for the airport, Ji Qinghe had given her a list of clocks and told her to recite it when the time came. Fortunately, she had a sense of propriety and thought it wouldn't look good to pull out a list on the spot, so she had memorized it silently.
Thinking of this, she turned her head and glanced at Ji Qinghe.
He was busy playing with Ji Lin and didn't return her gaze.
Realizing this was a test question, Shen Qianzhan set aside her casual attitude and answered seriously.
She scanned the room, carefully examining each clock one by one. When she was mostly certain, she answered and submitted her "paper": "The Black Wood Enamel Carved Antique Clock of the Eight Immortals Presenting Treasures at Penglai, the Gilded Copper Four-Horse Gold Cup Enamel Relief Antique Clock, the Hardwood Gold-Inlaid Gilded Copper Carved Clock, and the Gold Rising Moon Eternal Magpie Chime Gilded Pavilion-Style Chime Clock."
As she named each clock, she pointed to its location.
Ji Qingzhen saw that she had correctly identified all the clocks and glanced subtly at Ji Qinghe behind him, shaking his head almost imperceptibly. It was unclear whether he was lamenting that his grandson was no longer reliable.
He wasn't doubting Shen Qianzhan.
Ji Qingzhen already had some idea of Shen Qianzhan's knowledge of clocks. Using Ji Lin to test her was also a way to gauge how much she knew about Qinghe.
Seeing this, Ji Qingzhen pondered for a moment and spoke first: "Every clock here is priceless. For example, the 'Black Wood Enamel Carved Antique Clock of the Eight Immortals Presenting Treasures at Penglai' was a damaged piece that Qinghe's father bought at an auction years ago. Although it was damaged, because it returned from overseas, its intrinsic value is immeasurable, and its price is exceptionally high. If Qinghe's father hadn't brought it back to the Ji family, this antique clock might not have been able to walk the track of time again as it does today."Shen Qianzhan understood his meaning: "I've already consulted Mr. Ji in advance about methods for preserving antique clocks. The production team has also specially set up a safe, and there will be dedicated personnel guarding it day and night. Once the clocks arrive in Wuxi, I will personally oversee the handover. Even during the filming process, I will strictly enforce rules for the actors to protect the antique clocks, ensuring they are returned to you intact and undamaged."
With Ji Qinghe present, Ji Qingzhen wasn't worried.
At his age, all cherished possessions were merely external things—they couldn't be brought into life nor taken in death—so he didn't hold them too dearly. Shen Qianzhan's attitude was sincere, neither subservient nor arrogant, and he was satisfied. He made the final decision: "These four pieces, I'll have someone send them to Wuxi tomorrow."
Shen Qianzhan expressed her thanks, but her heart sank slightly.
She had spoken boldly when asking to borrow them, but now that she had actually secured them, she felt a bit apprehensive.
These treasures were worth at least millions, some even priceless. Taking them back to the production team meant she would have to treat them with the utmost care. Even a scratch, let alone any damage, would force her to go bankrupt all over again.
If they were truly damaged, she'd have to sell herself to Ji Qinghe. If sleeping with him once wasn't enough to repay the debt, she'd do it twice—after all, she wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
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