HYAT - 19

When words rush out, it’s easy to blurt things out.

To persuade him, Shen Qianzhan’s mind was racing with high-minded sentiments and ideals. The phrase “Compared to my boundless sea of dreams, you are nothing” hovered on her lips. However, fearing Ji Qinghe’s likely rational rebuttal, she forced herself to swallow it.

She was a creature of habit. With every move, she meticulously calculated three steps ahead on the chessboard.

She didn’t control the pieces; she set the board.

Only when encountering Ji Qinghe did she break her vow for the first time, lose her composure the second time, and concede defeat the third time, always ending in utter defeat.

Shen Qianzhan reflected inwardly: Usually, she ate vegetables, not meat, neither killing nor raising animals. Besides her excessive verbal sins, she shouldn’t have done anything outrageous.

So why did she keep falling into his hands, again and again, with no end in sight?

She feared that overly intense or extreme words would backfire, provoking Ji Qinghe’s rebellious streak. After some thought, she threw the question back at him: “That depends on whether you want to be a father or a younger brother.”

She gave examples: “A father is like you are now, someone for whom I can serve tea and water, sell my soul, and work tirelessly whenever you need me. A younger brother is like Su Zan; he must serve tea and water and sell his soul for me whenever I need him.”

Shen Qianzhan extended a finger and carefully poked his chest, still unwilling to give up on creating some distance from their overly ambiguous proximity: “If you feel you can’t make a choice immediately tonight, you can go back and think about it first. As I said before, cooperation requires willingness and shared goals.”

She was out there fighting tooth and nail, helping him rake in money, and then he’s lusting after her body from behind? Is that decent?

Ji Qinghe received a signal from some of her emotions. Unexpectedly, he didn’t relentlessly pursue her as Shen Qianzhan had predicted. He released her with the gentle push of her poke, stepping back with restraint.

He was still a cool, stoic pine tree, but at that moment, Shen Qianzhan felt a distance between them that had never existed before.

He lowered his head, seemingly casually patting his gloved palm: “Shen Qianzhan, I’m not as perverted as you.”

The deep pupils in his eyes appeared somewhat lighter under the elevator lights. When he looked up at her, a faint cluster of light seemed to ignite and then extinguish in an instant. Like embers flickering after a bonfire has died down, hidden in the grass, occasionally leaping with the wind.

Shen Qianzhan instinctively felt danger. That chill spread from her feet to her brow. She shivered. Just as she was about to say something to salvage the situation, Ji Qinghe pressed the elevator door open button. Before stepping out, he lifted his eyelids and gave her a very unrefined glance: “Comparatively, I still prefer to see you using alcohol to enhance the mood.”

That look was so disdainful that Shen Qianzhan froze for a while before realizing what he was talking about.

She raised her elbow and vigorously sniffed the alcohol on her.

This action inadvertently awakened some of her almost forgotten memories. Those deeply buried fragments, like a puzzle, assembled into scenes of a sensual adult film before her eyes.

Finally, it came to rest on a certain shameful play in front of a wine cabinet.

...

That scoundrel.

He’s perverted again.

________________________________________

The elevator door opened and closed.

Shen Qianzhan’s face also changed from gloomy to clear, repeatedly. After several repetitions, she took a deep breath and stepped out of the elevator.

Su Zan was waiting for her by the car.

He had a cigarette between his fingers, took a deep drag, but hadn’t exhaled yet. Then he saw Shen Qianzhan emerge from the elevator lobby with steady, composed steps. He watched her for a moment, then tilted his head, signaling Qiao Xin to help her.

He had been with Shen Qianzhan long enough to know how to tell if she was drunk or not.

Normally, if her walking posture was standard, swift as the wind, you had to look where her eyes landed. If she kept staring at the ground, then she was putting on a brave front, pushing herself.

When she was sober, her gaze would only be fixed forward, walking like the wind, her face screaming, “I’m invincible to alcohol, challenge me if you dare.”

Su Zan estimated.

Judging by Shen Qianzhan’s current runway aura, she wasn’t completely drunk, probably around a moderate level of five-tenths.

He flicked the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it to extinguish it.

When she got closer, he cleared his throat and announced: “Sister Zhan, Mr. Ji has left.”

Shen Qianzhan was originally quietly arguing with Qiao Xin that she wasn’t drunk and didn’t need help. Hearing this, she turned her head to look behind the car: “He left?”

Su Zan nodded: “He left.”

Qiao Xin interjected: “You told me to take Mr. Ji down first. After reaching the parking lot, he told me to go ahead and he would wait for you by the elevator for a while. Then just now, his assistant came and said he had an urgent matter and had to leave.”

During dinner, everyone present heard Ji Qinghe say he would leave after signing the contract.

Qiao Xin was afraid Shen Qianzhan would blame her for not keeping him, so she was so guilty she didn’t even dare to raise her head.

Shen Qianzhan, as the person involved, was actually not too surprised.

She had said things to this extent. If Ji Qinghe could still remain unperturbed and stay to finalize the contract with her, that would be truly magical.

She turned to Su Zan: “He didn’t leave any other message?”

“He did,” Su Zan stepped back to open the passenger door for her: “Mr. Ji told you to go directly to his studio at Time Hall tomorrow. No latecomers will be entertained.”

Shen Qianzhan breathed a sigh of relief.

It’s good not to have to beg him again; otherwise, with how troublesome Ji Qinghe is, she’d lose half her life sooner or later.

She waved her hand, feeling a sense of exhaustion and weakness after her mind was finally at peace: “Let’s go back first. I won’t attend tomorrow’s topic selection meeting.” After thinking for a moment, Shen Qianzhan added: “Qiao Xin, you come with me.”

________________________________________

After getting in the car, Shen Qianzhan tilted her head and went into sleep mode.

Su Zan had originally wanted to share his discoveries from his afternoon’s efforts with her, but seeing how tired she was, he simply shut up and silently looked out the window.

Shen Qianzhan was initially just feigning sleep.

Tonight, she had been fighting wits and wills, battling first the “little bitches” and then the “scoundrel.” She was utterly exhausted. But gradually, her consciousness deepened, and she unconsciously fell asleep.

The car weaved through traffic, not driving smoothly.

She felt as if she was hovering above this layer of subconsciousness. Even with her eyes closed, she could clearly see Su Zan quietly giving directions to Qiao Xin. His voice was low, carrying the awkwardness of feigned composure, with a hint of a smile. He was a completely different type of man from Ji Qinghe.

Shen Qianzhan “watched” for a while, feeling somewhat uninspired.

Her memories churned, returning to a moment ago, the scene where Ji Qinghe had held her in his arms and asked her, “Then what about me? What do I count as?”

She knew she was in a dream.

She fearlessly hooked her finger lightly around his tie and pulled him down. When they were close enough for their noses to almost touch, within her clearest field of vision, her gaze lingered on his sharply defined philtrum.

“What a silly question?”

“You are my little darling, of course.”

Shen Qianzhan brushed her thumb against his cheek, her gaze lingering on Ji Qinghe’s face, which had captivated her soul. She patted him with loving, benevolent affection: “This appearance, at least high-grade competition level.”

She snuggled deeper into Ji Qinghe’s embrace, pressing extremely close to him.

Perhaps because reality and dream were not far apart, his body temperature and presence felt incredibly real.

Through his outer coat, her hands rested on the high-end custom suit fabric, which had an excellent texture. Her fingertips felt smooth, with a slightly rougher touch from the cloth.

She reached out, passing through the dark coat, her hands on his waist: “Look at this waist...”

She clicked her tongue twice, as if unable to find the right words to describe it. Only when she looked up, her eyes brimming with a smile, a faint glow emanating from her gaze to the corners of her lips, as if recalling something, did she pinch him: “Isn’t there a term called some kind of waist? Although I haven’t tried others, yours must be called a bull’s.”

She let out a snort of laughter, perhaps feeling that her thoughts were too excessive, unbecoming of her status as a gold-medal producer.

Her hands reluctantly withdrew. When she poked his chest and pushed him away, her eyes instinctively darted elsewhere, mumbling with both emotion and a sigh: “Too precious, though. Who can afford something inlaid with diamonds?”

She was utterly immersed in her dream, uninhibited.

Unbeknownst to her, outside the dream, her sleep-talk was incessant.

The car was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop onto the carpet.

Qiao Xin’s cheeks were flushed crimson with embarrassment, her ears and neck burning hot, making her feel almost feverish.

Yet, Shen Qianzhan continued—

“Look at this waist...”

“Isn’t there a term called doggy waist? Although I haven’t tried others, yours must be called a bull’s.”

“Too precious, though. Who can afford something inlaid with diamonds?”

Su Zan, clinging to the back of the passenger seat, a bottle of mineral water still in his hand, forced himself to remain calm: “Should we try waking her up?”

Qiao Xin’s ears were burning red, and she mumbled incoherently: “I don’t know, don’t ask me, I didn’t hear anything.”

Su Zan also had an indescribable expression.

An executive who throws her face away like this in front of her subordinates, Shen Qianzhan must be the only one at Qianzhan, right?

When she first started mumbling, Su Zan thought she was thirsty and searched the car for water to give her. He even felt pity, thinking how difficult it was for Sister Zhan, a woman, to strive so hard for her career.

But before the bottle even touched her mouth, he heard a string of obscenities.

Su Zan tried to make amends for Shen Qianzhan. He glanced at Qiao Xin and said: “She probably hasn’t had any eye candy from the little ones recently, so she’s craving it.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Qianzhan, in her dream, kicked the dashboard: “Ji Qinghe, you scoundrel.”

Su Zan: “...”

Qiao Xin wisely remained silent.

He numbly twisted the bottle cap back on and said: “This is between heaven, earth, you, and me. Understand?”

Qiao Xin immediately nodded like a pecking chick: “Understand, understand.” To keep my salary, I must not leak my boss’s private affairs!

________________________________________

The next morning.

Before driving to work, Shen Qianzhan sent a photo to the small group with only three members: “Whose footprint is this?”

The photo’s perspective was from the driver’s seat towards the passenger dashboard. The storage compartment below the dashboard had been kicked open, spilling vehicle-related documents all over the floor, and a clear gray footprint stretched across the open compartment.

Qiao Xin looked down, remaining silent.

She was very busy, busy buying coffee for her boss, preparing breakfast, printing contracts, and organizing schedules.

Su Zan looked at it and replied: “This shoe print looks quite like a high-heeled shoe, Sister Zhan, doesn’t it look familiar?”

Shen Qianzhan took advantage of a red light to compare her shoe sole with the footprint.

It really was her own kick...

She had no face to demand accountability, only humbly asking: “Was I really that drunk last night to have such strength?”

Su Zan’s face turned a little green.

He thought for a moment and kindly remained silent.

Shen Qianzhan waited for a moment without any reply, sensing something was wrong. She stepped on the brake at the stop line and directly @-ed Su Zan: “Do you want the cheat sheet to solve Xiang Qianqian’s public relations crisis?”

The next second.

Su Zan, the traitor, surrendered to the enemy: “Last night, you had a dream, a kind of spring dream that people your age commonly have.”

“Do you remember what you said in your dream? ‘Little darling,’ ‘high-grade competition appearance,’ ‘doggy waist.’”

“If your lungs haven’t exploded yet after hearing this, and you still want to continue listening, please call: Protect our adorable Su Zan.”

Shen Qianzhan took a deep breath and replied: “Speak!”

Su Zan, imagining Shen Qianzhan’s expression at that moment, was scared witless: “You also said ‘it’s a pity it’s too precious, who can afford something inlaid with diamonds,’ and then you angrily cursed Ji Qinghe as a scoundrel while kicking the dashboard.”

“I’m done. I think the cheat sheet can wait. Sister Zhan, just spare my life.”

Shen Qianzhan almost fainted.

Her vision went black, and her throat was dry.

Every word Su Zan said felt unfamiliar to her, but combined... they were indeed quite familiar.

She unscrewed a bottle of mineral water to calm herself down.

In deep winter Beijing, the mineral water, which had been chilled in the car for who knew how many days and nights, felt like an ice spring. The coolness rushed straight to the top of her head.

She shivered, becoming completely sober. The sole of her foot, which had kicked the dashboard, belatedly began to tingle.

After a brief period of subjective emotions like “How could I do such a stupid thing?” “Oh no, how am I going to face Ji Qinghe today?” and “Would robbing the rich to help the poor by silencing a rich second-generation be treated leniently?”, Shen Qianzhan calmly replied with three words: “You are dead.”