HYAT - 22

Meng Wangzhou was pacing at the activity room door for the third time with a broom when Shen Qianzhan finished a pot of rose tea.

While regretting the afternoon tea lacked hazelnut chocolate cookies, making it too bland, she glanced at Meng Wangzhou, who was wandering around the door like a lost soul, and asked, “Does Boss Meng always have this much... energy and free time every day?”

Ji Qinghe followed her gaze to Meng Wangzhou, the NPC who had been silently asserting his presence outside the window, and lightly swiped his finger across his laptop’s touchpad: “This shop barely has any customers all year round. He’s usually like this.”

Shen Qianzhan hummed in acknowledgment. Although curious about how Meng Wangzhou usually made a living, she didn’t ask further.

A story was only a story if the person involved told it themselves. If she asked Ji Qinghe without permission, it would be gossip.

As a professional producer, Shen Qianzhan wouldn’t allow herself to leave a bad impression of being nosy and gossipy on her investor dad at the beginning of their cooperation.

This was both professional ethics and moral cultivation!

She was still basking in her self-importance and spiritual enlightenment.

Ji Qinghe, however, was oblivious to her rich inner monologue. He inadvertently glanced at Shen Qianzhan, who was lost in thought, biting her pen cap, and said, “Meng Wangzhou isn’t always in Beijing. He and I learned watch repair from the old man together.”

This piece of history was somewhat unexpected.

Shen Qianzhan subconsciously asked, “Then when I contacted him through an expert last time, he said he wasn’t proficient in watch repair?”

“He wasn’t wrong,” Ji Qinghe chuckled lightly. “He gave up when he started learning theoretical knowledge.”

Shen Qianzhan was unusually at a loss for words. She scratched her head and asked, “How old were you when you started learning repair from Old Master Ji?”

She remembered that Ji Qingzhen was already middle-aged, not young, when he became famous for repairing the wooden梵 clock.

“I don’t remember.” Ji Qinghe slid the document to the signature and seal section, his gaze shifting to her: “Perhaps when you were still sucking on a pacifier, I was already holding a screwdriver.”

Shen Qianzhan felt insulted: “I’m only turning thirty next year, show some respect?”

Ji Qinghe retorted, “Thirty already, Producer Shen? Do you age by the month? You were twenty-four in June.”

Shen Qianzhan was instantly amused and infuriated. She rolled up her sleeves, silently cursing him as a “dog man”: “Ji Zong wasn’t so honest when he claimed to be a full-time trust fund baby with a general store that sold everything, was he?”

Qiao Xin’s face turned pale.

She secretly tugged at Shen Qianzhan, trying to remind her that they were still at the negotiating table with Party A.

“Really?” Ji Qinghe’s gaze was frank, his posture relaxed: “I am quite the trust fund baby.”

Ming Jue, who had helped Ji Qinghe expand Buzhongshui’s territory by at least twofold, looked somewhat speechless: “...” According to Ji Zong’s definition of being a trust fund baby, those without some real ability might not even qualify.

He silently took the laptop Ji Qinghe pushed towards him and went to print in the next room.

When the sound of the printer spitting out paper came, Shen Qianzhan’s anger-induced, soaring rationality finally returned a little. She pursed her lips and muttered discontentedly, “Ji Zong’s eloquence is wasted if he doesn’t become a debater.”

Ji Qinghe, seeing that he had teased her enough, knew when to stop: “It’s not a waste, after all, there are more important things to do.”

Shen Qianzhan completely ignored him.

She listened to the clattering of the printer next door, imagining stacks of RMB flying into her bank account soon, and instantly felt calm.

Tsk, how did she become just like Su Zan? She was really getting older without getting wiser.

Why argue with her investor dad? Was the money not good to count, or was Dad not charming enough?

She smiled sweetly, pouring Ji Qinghe a cup of lukewarm clear tea: “We’re signing the contract soon. Please have a cup of clear tea to moisten your throat.”

Qiao Xin, who witnessed Shen Qianzhan’s rapid change of expression throughout: “...”

She felt she might never become a producer in her lifetime.

________________________________________

The progress in the afternoon was incredibly fast. Besides successfully signing Ji Qinghe’s employment contract, both parties drafted a preliminary agreement outline regarding the investment amount and cooperation terms.

As a producer, Shen Qianzhan, although authorized by Su Lanyi to make many major decisions independently, still needed Su Lanyi’s final approval for decisions concerning Qian Deng’s interests. She was only responsible for negotiating with Ji Qinghe on behalf of Qian Deng.

The investment contract certainly wouldn’t be signed quickly.

However, Shen Qianzhan was already very satisfied with the current progress.

As it was getting close to dinner time and the day’s tasks were completed, Shen Qianzhan generously offered to treat them to dinner.

Ming Jue glanced at his watch and politely declined on Ji Qinghe’s behalf: “I’m very sorry, Producer Shen. Mr. Ji has a flight to New York at 10 PM tonight, so he probably can’t join us for dinner.”

Shen Qianzhan paused in putting away her documents, looked at Ji Qinghe, who was drinking water, and asked, “How long will Ji Zong be on this business trip?”

“One week.” Ji Qinghe met her gaze, his eyes changing in shade and depth under the light: “Ming Jue will continue to handle the contract, so it won’t delay your work.”

Shen Qianzhan had only asked out of casual concern. Seeing his misunderstanding, she opened her lips but didn’t explain further.

Before leaving, Shen Qianzhan specifically asked Meng Wangzhou, who was already sweeping in the front hall with a broom, if he wanted to join them for dinner.

Meng Wangzhou was quite happy. He had just put down the broom he had been holding all afternoon and was about to go back inside to change. Glancing over and seeing that Ji Qinghe hadn’t come out with Shen Qianzhan, he suddenly thought of something and hesitantly said, “I just remembered, Qinghe has a flight tonight. I’ll see if he needs any help later, so I won’t go.”

Shen Qianzhan didn’t insist. She had only asked out of courtesy anyway.

Meng Wangzhou’s reaction was completely within her expectations.

She smiled and said, “Then next time. When Ji Zong returns from his business trip, I’ll treat everyone to dinner again.”

Back in the car, Shen Qianzhan removed the poor, weak, and innocent Meng Wangzhou from her WeChat blacklist and added him back to her friends list.

________________________________________

The work that followed gradually got on track.

Shen Qianzhan focused diligently on the legal team and Ming Jue, refining the contract.

Typically, every workday, Shen Qianzhan would bring her thermos and settle into the legal department manager’s office, taking root.

Su Zan had been avoiding her for a few days. After finally getting his hands on the limited-edition Christmas makeup gift set, he realized... Shen Qianzhan had been too busy overseeing the contract to pay him any attention.

After another failed attempt to find her, Su Zan asked Qiao Xin, “Where’s Sister Zhan? Is she infatuated with another handsome guy in the legal department?”

Qiao Xin, under the high-pressure work environment from Shen Qianzhan, had been constantly busy, her eyes swollen. Hearing this, even her breathing was tired and hoarse: “If you don’t have anything important, don’t look for her. She’s been driving the legal department crazy lately.”

Su Zan stroked his chin, unsure if he believed her or not: “That thorny?”

At the mention of this, Qiao Xin’s face instantly contorted: “Buzhongshui is too difficult to deal with. That assistant to Ji Zong, he’s busy and shrewd. The contract has been revised three times, and new disagreements keep emerging.”

Su Zan had been busy handling Xiang Qianqian’s negative news recently, either in the public relations department or out on assignments. When he was at the company, he was afraid of being caught by Shen Qianzhan and retaliated against. Let alone joining the fun, he avoided her as fast as he could, so he naturally knew nothing about Qian Deng’s cooperation with Buzhongshui.

Now that Shen Qianzhan wasn’t around, he simply pulled up a chair next to Qiao Xin, eating her snacks while asking, “How did Sister Zhan negotiate with Buzhongshui? She seems to be practically living in the legal department, like she got a good deal and is afraid the other party will realize and regret it.”

“You could say that,” Qiao Xin recalled the conversation between Shen Qianzhan and Ji Qinghe that afternoon, picking out what she could tell Su Zan: “Sister Zhan’s estimated project fund was 300 million, and Ji Zong agreed without even asking.”

Usually, when Shen Qianzhan went to negotiate investments, no matter how familiar or trusted the investor, they would relentlessly question when the invested funds could be put into production, when repayments were expected, and their risk assessment for the project’s returns. They would even force the producer to sign a guarantee.

She had never seen anyone like Ji Qinghe, who simply understood and accepted everything.

Su Zan, however, was not surprised: “Rich people don’t care about such small money. 300 million is nothing to Ji Zong; he wouldn’t mind if Sister Zhan just scattered it around for fun.”

When Qiao Xin heard that 300 million was just “small money,” her face contorted, completely losing all expression control: “Mr. Su, please don’t be like that. I’m afraid if I start to resent the rich, I’ll resent you too.”

Su Zan twitched the corner of his lips, not smiling: “Me, rich? I’m almost begging under a bridge.”

Qiao Xin quietly added: “You’re rich in the sense of squandering thousands of gold. I’ve never seen a man who can throw money away more than you.”

Su Zan hissed, about to retort how Ji Qinghe’s 300 million wasn’t squandering money, but the words caught in his throat, feeling it wasn’t precise enough. Given his Sister Zhan’s capabilities, that 300 million probably wouldn’t be squandered...

Although he didn’t have much business acumen, being exposed to it for a long time, he wasn’t that naive.

Ji Qinghe’s investment was likely to boost Buzhongshui’s watch brand reputation and status, essentially paying for an advertising slot.

If a 300 million investment could fully open up the domestic market for Buzhongshui watches and make it the most recognized luxury brand in the country, then it clearly seemed like Buzhongshui was profiting.

Thinking this, Su Zan vaguely smelled Ji Qinghe’s precise calculations beneath his refined exterior. He suddenly felt some sympathy for Shen Qianzhan.

If Ji Zong truly set his sights on his Sister Zhan, with all these overt and covert schemes, who knew when Shen Qianzhan would be cunningly brought under Ji Qinghe’s control.

He threw a piece of beef jerky into his mouth, then stood up and patted Qiao Xin’s shoulder, encouraging her: “Work hard! If you do well, just wait for Ji Zong to give you a red envelope.”

Qiao Xin slowly formed a question mark: “Why would Ji Zong give me a red envelope?”

Su Zan smiled mysteriously and profoundly, then took his Christmas gift box and walked directly into Shen Qianzhan’s office.

Shen Qianzhan had just happily cracked her whip when she received Su Zan’s WeChat message.

Confirming that the final contract could be sent back to Buzhongshui that afternoon, she finally moved her noble posterior and left the legal department.

________________________________________

Winter in Beijing was sunny and dry.

On good weather days, one could see the wind dispersing miles of dust, and the sky was as clear as a washed azure.

As Shen Qianzhan walked through the corridor back to her office, she was greeted by the afternoon sun.

The building blocked the winter wind outside the window. As she looked out, she could see the bustling crowd at the entrance of a nearby mall. A giant display screen showed a short video preview for New Year’s Eve. The dazzling sunlight made her squint slightly, as if she had suddenly realized another new year was approaching.

She stopped, about to send Ji Qinghe a WeChat message.

Her phone vibrated slightly, and a message from Meng Wangzhou, as if he had discovered a new world, came in first: “I’m released?”

Before Shen Qianzhan could reply, another WeChat message followed immediately.

Meng Wangzhou asked her, “Producer Shen, are you free on the evening of the thirty-first?”

Shen Qianzhan thought for a moment and replied, “I’m free.”

It was during the New Year’s holiday then; aside from social gatherings, there was generally no serious business.

Meng Wangzhou invited her: “Our association organized a blind date event for single men and women.”

Shen Qianzhan: “...” Damn? Are you perhaps trying to get me killed by Ji Qinghe?