HYAT - 23

Even more baffling to Shen Qianzhan was why she appeared to be someone who needed a blind date to solve her marital problems.

Feeling offended, Shen Qianzhan stared at the screen for a while, remaining silent.

Just as she was pondering whether to throw Meng Wangzhou back into the “little dark room” for self-reflection, Meng Wangzhou, as if sensing danger, promptly added a sentence, instantly defusing the crisis.

“Didn’t you attend the association event last time? Several collectors had a particularly good impression of you. I told them you were taken, but they wouldn’t give up and urged me to invite you... all to get together and have some fun.”

A question mark slowly formed above Shen Qianzhan’s head: “I’m taken?”

She wasn’t stupid. Although Meng Wangzhou wasn’t exactly vain, he was inherently boastful, with a bit of a rogue’s swagger and a stubborn need to save face.

These traits were usually harmless, but once they involved her, the customer experience wasn’t so pleasant.

Meng Wangzhou was already feeling guilty, and now he could feel Shen Qianzhan’s cold sarcasm even through the screen. He tentatively asked, “Even if it’s not official now, it’s pretty close, right?”

Shen Qianzhan didn’t have many interactions with Meng Wangzhou; their only connection was Ji Qinghe.

She didn’t play dumb. Before putting away her phone, she replied directly, “Mr. Ji and I are just business partners. For the sake of smooth future cooperation, Boss Meng, please avoid saying things that can easily lead to misunderstandings. It’s quite awkward.”

After pressing send, Shen Qianzhan reflected on her recent actions.

Among the few people, only Su Zan, that little smarty, knew about her relationship with Ji Qinghe. She usually considered herself open and aboveboard, but her words and actions might indeed appear careless in the eyes of others.

The more friendly ones, like Meng Wangzhou, would at most think they were flirting. But if she encountered someone with malicious intent, who knew what absurd rumors might spread.

It was truly difficult to be a flirtatious woman who admired beauty these days.

________________________________________

After trying 108 different ways of slumping on the sofa in Shen Qianzhan’s office, Su Zan finally waited for her.

He immediately sprang up like a carp, stood respectfully with his hands behind his back, awaiting the leader’s inspection.

To his surprise, Shen Qianzhan didn’t even glance at Su Zan, instead, she went to make tea with her thermos.

Amidst the flowing water, Su Zan suddenly felt a sense of desolation, as if he had been relegated to a cold palace.

He shuffled in small steps to the desk and, under Shen Qianzhan’s surveying gaze, quietly placed the Christmas gift box in the very center of the table.

This move was indeed effective.

Shen Qianzhan turned around leisurely and glanced at it: “Christmas limited edition?”

Su Zan nodded profusely.

Shen Qianzhan examined it carefully for a moment, finding it barely to her liking: “Did you go through a lot of trouble?”

Su Zan dared not say yes, his eyes sparkling with utmost sycophancy: “How can it be called trouble to do something for you? I just asked countless fair-weather friends to travel through multiple malls in Japan to snatch one from the counter.” He deliberately lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously: “My sister wanted one, but I didn’t give it to her. I only gave it to you out of filial piety.”

Women, for the most part, prioritize sensory pleasure, and Shen Qianzhan was no exception.

She knew Su Zan’s words were at least seventy percent exaggerated, yet she found them very pleasing.

She pointed to the reception chair in front of the desk, magnanimously saying, “Alright, your mouth is always dripping honey. You don’t do proper work, you just know how to sweet-talk little girls everywhere.”

She pulled out the chair and sat down, opening her computer to wait for the legal department’s documents, and asked, “You dare to come here to confess your sins now? Has there been any progress with Xiang Qianqian’s matter?”

Su Zan grinned, his eyebrows dancing: “Sister Zhan, you definitely won’t guess who her backer is.”

Shen Qianzhan finished typing her password to unlock the computer, then looked up at him: “Are you talking about Jiang Yecheng?”

Su Zan, who had just been slapped in the face: “...”

“You knew already?” Su Zan sighed deeply, his previously upright demeanor suddenly scattering like loose sand, spilling everywhere: “Then why didn’t you give me a hint? I could have wasted less effort.”

“Have I seen any of your people these past few days?” Shen Qianzhan scoffed: “Let alone a person, I haven’t even seen a single feather. How could I give you a hint?”

Su Zan knew he was in the wrong. After sulking for a few seconds, he honestly reported: “I checked Qianqian’s resources for the past three months, both actively pursued and those offered to her. If I hadn’t carefully investigated, I wouldn’t have seen Jiang Yecheng’s handiwork behind it.”

Shen Qianzhan crossed her arms, leaning against the back of the chair, and coldly curved her lips: “Get straight to the point.”

“Jiang Yecheng promised Qianqian that if she could borrow the ‘Key of Time’ watch from Ji Qinghe, he would guarantee her the female lead role in the tribute drama,” Su Zan’s mood was somewhat low, and even his tone was a bit dejected: “The tribute drama belongs to Qian Deng, and she’s the company’s top actress. How could our own drama not have her? What was she even thinking?”

“Su Zan,” Shen Qianzhan said, unusually serious, “You really aren’t suitable to be an artist manager.”

Su Zan was speechless and remained silent.

“Usually, when an artist sees further than their manager, you’re no longer qualified to manage them,” Shen Qianzhan unscrewed her thermos, blew some cool air, and carefully touched it with her upper lip.

It was a bit hot.

She put down the teacup and said softly, “Xiang Qianqian is ambitious, has clear goals, and no small amount of ambition. When I first took on Bai Xuan’s project, she actively joined me for dinner with Bai Xuan’s senior executives. I estimate that she and Jiang Yecheng probably got together around that time.”

Shen Qianzhan had originally thought that Xiang Qianqian’s negative publicity for acting like a prima donna was due to Su Zan indulging her. Now, looking at the timeline, it was likely that Xiang Qianqian felt she could rapidly ascend by associating with Jiang Yecheng, a big shot in the industry. As a result, she lost her self-awareness and was severely set up by a rival.

Su Zan had talked with Xiang Qianqian before coming, and he was speechless at Shen Qianzhan’s ability to deduce the truth based solely on speculation: “Did you guess who caused this trouble?”

“Mrs. Jiang, probably,” Shen Qianzhan glanced at Su Zan’s pale face, essentially confirming it: “I told you to listen to more gossip and secrets, did you listen to me?”

Jiang Yecheng was a typical kept man in the industry. In his early years, he rose to prominence by relying on Mrs. Jiang, steadily climbing to the position of Bai Xuan’s second-in-command. In middle age, his domestic status underwent a qualitative change; he not only secretly engaged in affairs outside but also brazenly kept mistresses right under his wife’s nose.

Shen Qianzhan couldn’t guess Mrs. Jiang’s state of mind. But later, Mrs. Jiang replaced Jiang Yecheng’s secretary, constantly tracking his whereabouts and checking up on him so strictly that she almost accompanied him everywhere.

Xiang Qianqian getting involved with Jiang Yecheng was bound to lead to retaliation sooner or later.

She sipped her warm tea and perfunctorily comforted Su Zan: “Xiang Qianqian’s current predicament is mostly self-inflicted. You don’t need to blame yourself too much for your incompetence. The negative reputation caused by her prima donna behavior probably also had Mrs. Jiang’s hand in it. She knew Xiang Qianqian was arrogant and couldn’t handle the blow of falling into a slump. See? As soon as she fell from grace, she desperately sought any remedy, placing all her hopes on her so-called backer. Go and persuade her. If she can handle this matter cleanly and satisfy Mrs. Jiang, Qian Deng might still be able to help. If she remains so stubbornly misguided...”

Shen Qianzhan calculated with her fingers and calmly stated, “By the end of next year at the latest, she’ll definitely be out of the picture.”

Su Zan felt a bit weary: “We’ll see.”

After speaking, his eyes darted around, and he asked, “Aren’t you curious why Qianqian didn’t seek help from her own company, but instead trusted Mr. Jiang to get her a female lead role?”

“Is that hard to understand?” Shen Qianzhan gave him a disgusted glance: “Jiang Yecheng, that old fox, intended to replace me. He’s throwing olive branches at Jian Xin and enticing naive girls to approach Ji Qinghe. Given his relationship with Xiang Qianqian, if he leaked some news about the breakdown of cooperation with Qian Deng, how could that foolish girl not believe him? She probably felt Qian Deng couldn’t satisfy her ambition and wanted to climb higher. Asking to borrow a watch is just absurd. Jiang Yecheng merely packaged his despicable scheme of offering Xiang Qianqian to Ji Qinghe, to see if Mr. Ji would accept. Anyway, if Ji Qinghe doesn’t accept, he loses nothing.”

Shen Qianzhan saw people and things too clearly, sometimes feeling a sense of loneliness from understanding the ways of the world.

She could understand Xiang Qianqian’s actions, but she regretted the effort she had invested in the girl over the years.

Su Zan could still communicate peacefully with Xiang Qianqian now because she didn’t yet have the confidence to openly fall out with Qian Deng. If she couldn’t turn back, the next step would either be Xiang Qianqian breaching her contract and facing backlash, or Qian Deng freezing and blacklisting her. Either outcome would be a lose-lose situation.

However, Shen Qianzhan wasn’t curious about what kind of turning point Xiang Qianqian’s life would take next; choices that were predictable at a glance were boring. What she was curious about was why Jiang Yecheng was so persistent in cooperating with Ji Qinghe?

What kind of trump card did her enigmatic Ji Zong hold that made Jiang Yecheng so... like a fly seeking filth?

Hmm...

If that dog man knew this description, he’d probably make her learn the meaning of the word a hundred, a thousand times over.

Thinking of this, Shen Qianzhan shivered violently and quickly stopped her dreadful thoughts.

________________________________________

After Shen Qianzhan explicitly stated that she would not get involved in Xiang Qianqian’s matter, Su Zan understood, and left her office dismally.

An hour later, the contract from the legal department was sent to her email as promised.

Shen Qianzhan carefully reviewed it and re-sent an attachment to Ji Qinghe.

At the same time, she opened Ji Qinghe’s WeChat and wrote a long, several-hundred-word summary report about the paparazzi hot search incident.

A few minutes later, Ji Zong, who was several time zones away from her, coldly and nobly replied with a single word: “Mm.”

Shen Qianzhan raised an eyebrow.

That’s it?

Unwilling to give up, she carefully phrased a question and delicately asked, “Ji Zong, aren’t you asleep yet?”

Ji Qinghe was sitting in the first-class lounge at the airport, listening to Ming Jue report on his work schedule.

He multitasked and replied to her: “At the airport.”

Shen Qianzhan checked her calendar. Only five days had passed since Ji Qinghe left for his business trip. She was surprised: “That fast?”

Ji Qinghe raised an eyebrow, and replied expressionlessly: “I’m fast?”

Shen Qianzhan, who instantly understood Ji Zong’s emphasis: “...” She didn’t mean that.

She rubbed her temples, explaining: “I wasn’t questioning your ability.”

Ji Qinghe: “I figured you wouldn’t dare.”

He added: “You are the least qualified person to say that.”

Shen Qianzhan rolled her eyes, wanting to throw her phone. But considering Ji Qinghe was just stating facts, she cleared her throat and enthusiastically resumed her online chat with her investor dad: “Is Ji Zong flying back to Beijing tonight?”

Ji Qinghe didn’t reply.

He lazily lifted his eyelids and glanced at Ming Jue, whose voice had dropped: “Continue.”

Ming Assistant, who privately thought he was being considerate of his boss’s divided attention, perked up and continued reporting.

Ji Qinghe lowered his gaze, looking at the conversation box that consistently showed “typing” and “delivering” status. The light in his eyes, refracted by the overhead lights, shimmered with a captivating luster.

—”Just sent the contract to your email. Please take a look when you have time. If there are no issues, we can sign when you return.”

—”I’ve summarized and compiled the explanation you asked for. If Mr. Ji feels it lacks a sense of ceremony, I can format it into an official document and send it to your email.”

—”If you don’t have time to review so much text, I can also recite it passionately for you.”

—”Ji Zong?”

—”Care to respond?”

Ji Qinghe chuckled softly, his fatigue from the past few days seeming to instantly ease a little.

He raised a hand, lightly pinching his brow, and replied: “This explanation isn’t that important to me.”

Shen Qianzhan typed a question mark.

Then why did you act so furious and self-righteous, making this explanation one of the cooperation conditions?

Ji Qinghe said: “It’s just that my reputation cannot be slandered.”

“Thank you for your trouble.”

Wait?

What did that mean?

All her painstaking investigation, just for Ji Qinghe’s statement that his reputation couldn’t be slandered?

He knew well that Xiang Qianqian was just looking to borrow his watch, and that watch had briefly been on her wrist not long ago, so it clearly wasn’t successfully lent out.

So Ji Qinghe, that dog man, went through all this trouble just to make her investigate the truth and realize that there was nothing between him and Xiang Qianqian?

Is he sick?

She was so angry she felt like revolting. To prevent losing control, she threw her phone far away, frantically chanting to herself: The contract hasn’t been signed, the contract hasn’t been signed, stay calm! Stay calm! Keep playing along!

Shen Qianzhan took a deep breath, replied with three smiling emojis, and ruthlessly ended the online chat service.

________________________________________

Due to the slight unpleasantness during the contract delivery conversation, Shen Qianzhan regained her pride as the humble Party B and ignored her Party A dad for an entire day.

However, as a lowly Party B, no matter how proud, she couldn’t maintain it for more than twenty-four hours.

On the day the final version of the contract was finally approved and signed, Shen Qianzhan went to Buzhongshui’s Beijing branch office with Su Lanyi.

Both parties signed and stamped the official seals.

Once all procedures were completed, both parties held a copy of the agreement and shook hands cordially.

Seeing a major matter settled, Shen Qianzhan held the contract, almost bursting into tears of relief.

When it was her turn to shake the investor dad’s long fingers, Ji Qinghe slightly curved his lips, revealing a half-smile that suggested he had just outsmarted someone: “Producer Shen, I look forward to your guidance in the future.”

Shen Qianzhan’s smile stiffened, and she vaguely felt... that her future might not be so pleasant.