Chapter Ninety-Seven
Most of the time, Shen Qianzhan found it difficult to resist Ji Qinghe’s seductive tactics that used his own body as bait.
And the latter seemed to have discovered this weakness of hers, gradually mastering and skillfully applying it.
Shen Qianzhan secretly despised her own lack of resolve, yet her knees felt unmistakably weak, giving in completely and without hesitation.
Feigning ignorance, she played dumb and asked, “What kind of commitment?”
Then, without giving him a chance to speak, she answered her own question: “Of course, I’m dating you with the intention of getting married.”
Shen Qianzhan and Ji Qinghe had officially started their romantic relationship after the filming of Time began, and it had not yet been three months.
Initially, when she proposed keeping their relationship private, Ji Qinghe’s attitude was one of tacit approval, accommodation, and cooperation. From a broader perspective, intertwining personal emotions with work did indeed carry certain risks.
Society was currently in a phase of rapidly consuming relationships.
Due to work pressure and the demands of life, people harbored an irresistible longing and pursuit for sweet romance. However, as intimate relationships—once admired and pursued as spiritual sustenance—frequently fell apart, the public developed an immense aversion to “publicly funded romance.”
Although it wouldn’t escalate to a matter of personal morality, it would subtly affect the reputation of the work.
This was also why Shen Qianzhan had always insisted on not mixing personal feelings with work.
Unfortunately, as human beings, one would inevitably encounter a few people in life who made one break their own rules.
And Ji Qinghe was the rule Shen Qianzhan broke in matters of desire.
During the months of life on set, the two of them carried on their affair in secret, indulging in passion night after night.
If it weren’t for the unexpected incident that caught everyone off guard two days ago, they might have continued maintaining this harmonious clandestine relationship until Time wrapped up filming.
But things rarely unfolded according to one’s will or expectations.
When Shen Qianzhan firmly rejected Ji Qinghe back then, she never imagined that in the near future, she would wake up in this man’s arms every day.
When she decided to keep their relationship low-key and hide Ji Qinghe’s existence, she also never thought that one day she would fall out with Su Lanyi and leave Thousand Lights.
When everything was slowly progressing along its predetermined track, she never expected that an accident would bring their relationship to the surface.
Ji Qinghe’s gaze fell on her lips, which were mottled from his kisses. He used his thumb to wipe away the lipstick that had smeared at the corner of her mouth. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
His hand slid to her ear, gently pinching her earlobe. “After returning to Beijing, I’ll gradually introduce you to my world. You’ll meet my business partners—who might also become yours—and some of my friends, like Zong Liao. Are you planning to avoid meeting them, or…”
He raised an eyebrow slightly, leaving the sentence unfinished.
It was precisely this kind of open-ended statement, left for the other person to interpret, that added even more pressure.
“It’s not contradictory,” Shen Qianzhan said, feeling a bit ticklish from his pinching. She wanted to pull away but didn’t dare, biting her lower lip as she spoke. “I’ll also introduce you to my circle of friends, though I don’t have many close friends, and you’ve already met most of them.”
At this point, she grew somewhat puzzled. “Is it because I don’t have many friends that I don’t feel like sharing?”
With this remark, she turned the tables, leaving Ji Qinghe at a loss.
He lowered his gaze, giving her a look that seemed to say, “Haven’t you had enough?” “You’ve been twisting my words all along.”Shen Qianzhan smiled unconsciously.
Her little tricks might fool others, but they never worked on Ji Qinghe.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, stood on tiptoe slightly, and kissed his chin.
Seeing him lower his eyes, indulging her as if waiting to see what else she could do to coax him, Shen Qianzhan leaned in and kissed his lips again.
His lower lip was dry, yet exceptionally soft.
As their lips met, a sudden reluctance welled up in her heart. She nibbled and sucked, savoring the taste again and again.
After a long moment, she finally licked her lips with lingering satisfaction, like a well-fed enchantress, almost ready to lick her paws like a cat in front of him.
“I’m not sure what kind of relationship your apprentice and Song Yan have. I originally thought they were dating. But when I asked, not only did the parties involved deny it, but even after grilling their manager, I couldn’t get a clear answer.”
She wouldn’t bring up Fu Xi and Song Yan for no reason. Ji Qinghe couldn’t immediately guess what she was trying to say. After pondering for a few seconds, he replied, “They’re not dating.”
“They’re divorced.”
Shen Qianzhan was stunned.
Her mind went blank for a moment, as if fireworks were crackling and flashing inside her head: “Divorced?”
Ji Qinghe curled his lips slightly. To spare her pride, he restrained the smile at the corner of his mouth: “Mm, it seems they’re considering remarrying, so your efforts weren’t entirely in vain.”
Shen Qianzhan had often covered for Fu Xi and Song Yan, always the first to tip them off when paparazzi or reporters were around.
Ji Qinghe had frequently been forced to act as a tool, caught between the two of them, and had long harbored complaints: “I only found out recently. What does their situation have to do with us? I’m not a public figure, and I rarely appear in the public eye. If necessary, I can stay completely behind the scenes and never show up again.”
Look at him.
This scoundrel was already taking the initiative, setting traps and digging pits for her.
Shen Qianzhan calmed her emotions and said, “I’m trying to prevent their relationship from being exposed, to avoid adding pressure to Time. Sometimes, too much attention on a project isn’t a good thing. Under heavy pressure, it’s easy to collapse or become a target. If their exposure happens at the wrong time, it will only backfire on Time.”
“As a luxury brand, Endless Year should ideally be associated with positive, uplifting, and energetic content. My reputation isn’t great. If Time becomes a target, you’ll also become one, which could negatively impact Endless Year to some extent. There’s nothing to hide about us being in a relationship, and I won’t deliberately deny it. We’ll handle it the same way others do when they date.”
Before doing anything, Shen Qianzhan always considered the consequences and impact. She was deeply entrenched in the entertainment industry, inseparable from it. She understood far better than Ji Qinghe how starkly black-and-white the two-dimensional world beyond reality could be.
One side as pure as crystal, the other as dark as hell.
Unless you’ve experienced it yourself, you wouldn’t know how much inexplicable, surging malice exists in this world.
She wasn’t sure if Ji Qinghe understood her meaning. After a moment’s thought, she gestured and explained: “To put it concretely… we won’t go public before Time airs. At public events, we’ll keep a low profile and avoid flaunting our relationship. In private, we’ll date as we normally would. It’s not the same as the kind of secrecy Fu Xi and Song Yan have. I can still go out and be seen.”After speaking, Shen Qianzhan glanced at him, thinking to herself: He says it so pitifully, as if he had no other options if she didn't make it public. This dog of a man is always two-faced, putting on a show in front of her while secretly causing trouble behind her back.
Last time, when she swiped her card to enter his room and was seen by several crew members, she didn’t believe for a second that he had nothing to do with it.
All her considerations were based on the project’s reputation. Shen Qianzhan was well-known in the industry for letting her work speak for itself. She never forced CP pairings, nor did she deliberately create buzz for attention. Every time her dramas aired, they were clean and enjoyable to watch.
This could also be considered a producer’s professional integrity, staying true to her principles.
Ji Qinghe seemed to accept her explanation. After looking at her for a moment, he said thoughtfully, "Listening to this, it seems I should hurry up and make you Mrs. Ji."
With that, he patted Shen Qianzhan’s butt and whispered, "Alright, I was just teasing you on purpose. How could I bear to make things difficult for you?"
He leaned down, pulling her into his arms, and kissed the crown of her head as he lowered it. "To avoid suspicion, I’ll head back to rest first? I barely slept last night after chatting with your dad until the early hours."
He did look somewhat tired.
Shen Qianzhan patted his back, feeling sorry for him. "How could Old Shen be so inconsiderate, not letting you sleep?"
At this mention, Ji Qinghe paused slightly and said, "He said he wanted to test how long my endurance lasts." His eyes darkened slightly as he smiled silently. "So, looking at it now, your personality is probably a family trait, isn’t it?"
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