HYAT - 33

The Qiandeng Pictures annual gala was held at Season of Spring Bay.

Unlike last year, this year’s gala not only included employees from the company but also saw Su Lanyi inviting many industry artists and partners to participate.

Qiandeng’s overall strength improvement was evident in the industry. Su Lanyi had always intended to use the annual gala as an opportunity to showcase Qiandeng’s achievements in recent years. This would not only elevate the company’s standing but also display her influence within the industry.

At such an important event, Shen Qianzhan, as one of Qiandeng’s founding generals, naturally couldn’t stay out of the limelight.

A week prior, she had selected her outfit and makeup for the gala. Unlike her usual alluring and charming feminine style, Shen Qianzhan chose a Dior Fall Haute Couture suit this time. It was sharp and stylish, exuding an elite aura that declared, “I am highly capable” from head to toe.

Shen Qianzhan usually wore blazers often, with a rich palette that almost formed a rainbow. But a pure dark, tailored suit that highlighted her figure like an underground fire tearing through the night, pure yet seductive, seductive yet sharp, was truly rare.

For her makeup, a novel and fresh retro look advantageously sculpted her features to be more three-dimensional and profound. Her eyes were like soul-hooking scythes, their gaze shifting as if filled with starlight and galaxies, encompassing mountains and rivers in her disdainful glance.

The moment she stepped into the venue, the convergent gazes—of admiration or envy—from all directions immediately made Shen Qianzhan realize she was a sure hit tonight.

________________________________________

Ji Qinghe arrived relatively early. As the year-end approached, he had numerous official duties to attend to, frequently traveling between Buzhongshui’s headquarters and Beijing.

When the venue lights suddenly dimmed, he was dismissively entertaining the chief editor of a magazine that Su Lanyi had invited from who knows where. Thus, he had a clear view of Shen Qianzhan’s anything-but-low-key entrance.

Ji Qinghe’s admiration for Shen Qianzhan began with her appearance.

There were truly few women who could please his eyes. Shen Qianzhan was the only one who, regardless of her demeanor, made his heart itch.

He watched Shen Qianzhan sway step by step, effortlessly greeting company artists and investor representatives. His gaze deepened, and he let out a helpless, mocking chuckle.

Ming Jue had already sent away the tactless chief editor of the magazine. Turning around, he saw Ji Qinghe in a daze and followed his gaze—Shen Qianzhan was like a blooming social butterfly, surrounded by layers of eager admirers.

He suddenly remembered something that had happened two days ago.

That day, after Shen Qianzhan got off at the intersection, Ji Qinghe lowered the divider and his first words were: “Is this top idol on the endorsement candidate list?”

Before he could finish verifying, Ji Qinghe tossed the document aside, saying expressionlessly, “Cancel it. No collaboration.”

Ming Jue, from his own standpoint, deeply sympathized with the young idol who had his butt pinched by Producer Shen and consequently lost an endorsement. However, considering his identity and position, he could only go along with Ji Qinghe.

He regretfully glanced at the ignorant “wild and unrestrained” people surrounding Shen Qianzhan. The last one, Meng Wangzhou, was driven out of the quadrangle courtyard and is still sleeping on the street under a bridge...

________________________________________

Shen Qianzhan’s seat was right next to the main stage, adjacent to Su Lanyi.

The annual gala included a segment for department heads to speak. As a producer, and with certain decision-making power in the company, Shen Qianzhan was scheduled to appear right after Su Lanyi.

A video played on the giant screen, edited along the timeline of Qiandeng Pictures’ development, starting from its inception.

Shen Qianzhan appeared in the video during Qiandeng’s second year of establishment. Afterward, her presence was seen in every TV drama and film Qiandeng invested in and produced. She was like a bright lamp illuminating the way forward in Qiandeng’s development history, single-handedly pulling up a rising mountain.

Her eyes reflected the shifting light and shadows of the film. Those memories, some buried, some deeply hidden, gradually began to resurface as the film played frame by frame.

In Qiandeng’s second year of establishment, she was at a low point in her life.

Dreams shattered, faith collapsed, with no family fortune to rely on, no roof to shelter her—she had reached an impasse.

Every step back then was arduous; one wrong move could lead to utter ruin.

Now, condensed into a film, it was just a few short minutes of her life. Those restless nights, those moments of collapse and despair, seemed to be gently erased by an eraser. Except for the person who always remembered them, etched deep into her bones, in the eyes of the world, it was just a blank space, unconcerned.

Applause erupted.

There were veteran employees who had grown with Qiandeng and felt a myriad of emotions, and there were new employees who were simply moved by the inspiring film. The applause, as if coming from a parallel space, surged from all directions.

Initially, it wasn’t quite real, but gradually, like rising and falling tides, it became distinctly clear.

Shen Qianzhan stood by this tide, moistened by the spray, and finally came back to her senses.

Su Lanyi was already on stage delivering a speech, unreservedly praising Shen Qianzhan, the great contributor. On the giant screen, the camera cooperatively focused on Shen Qianzhan’s exquisite face.

As if waking from a dream, after a brief moment of daze, she looked at the camera and smiled gracefully.

That smile was radiant like light, captivating and brilliant.

________________________________________

The warm and harmonious atmosphere of the annual gala continued until the department leaders finished their speeches and the lottery drawing began.

Shen Qianzhan was exceptionally lucky, so she was always forbidden from participating in such events. Feeling bored, she caught sight of Ji Qinghe getting up to leave out of the corner of her eye. She rubbed her chin and discreetly followed him.

Su Lanyi handled things properly, not only inviting important guests to the annual meeting but also reserving several hotel rooms for these VIPs to settle in.

Just as Shen Qianzhan stepped out, Ming Jue was waiting on the path she had to take, handing her a room card.

She looked down at the room card, her brows furrowed in distress... This scene looked exactly like a secretly arranged tryst from a steamy novel, sneaking out of the event for a secret rendezvous.

Ming Jue suppressed a laugh, earnestly urging, “Mr. Ji just wants a private environment to chat with Producer Shen without being disturbed. Producer Shen can rest assured.”

Rest assured my ass.

Shen Qianzhan grumbled to herself: You haven’t seen him when he’s like a hungry wolf.

Despite her thoughts, Shen Qianzhan resignedly took the room card and went upstairs with Ming Jue.

As the elevator ascended, Shen Qianzhan finally felt something was amiss. She frowned: “I remember the thirty-sixth floor is for exclusive suites, not open to the public.” And it certainly wouldn’t be a guest room arranged by Su Lanyi for investors.

Ming Jue nodded, neither denying nor explaining.

Shen Qianzhan had long experienced this Assistant Ming’s tight-lipped nature, where you couldn’t get a word out of him with a crowbar. Seeing him unresponsive, she didn’t bother to ask further.

The elevator arrived. Ming Jue held the elevator door open and pointed the way for her: “Producer Shen, turn left and walk twenty meters and you’ll be there.”

To avoid deepening the sense of ambiguity, Ming Jue thought for a moment and swallowed the latter half of the sentence, “Mr. Ji is already waiting for you in the room.”

Even so, when Ming Jue saw the look Shen Qianzhan gave him before she left, he still felt like a... brothel madam, luring an innocent girl into a den of iniquity.

He rubbed his nose and silently recited the core socialist values.

________________________________________

When Shen Qianzhan swiped her card and entered the room, only a ceiling light in the foyer was on.

All the indoor lighting came from the boundless city night view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Ji Qinghe leaned against the wine cabinet, half-seated at the table, and turned to glance at her.

Silent yet lethal.

Shen Qianzhan’s steps lightened as she walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

The lights below were like a perfectly organized chessboard, neatly dividing the areas and streets. She felt as if she stood upon this board, and with a sweep of her hand, half the city’s fireworks and bustle were within her grasp.

This feeling was not unfamiliar. She liked high floors precisely because she enjoyed the view of everything laid out before her when looking down.

She lived and struggled in Beijing, but her sense of belonging was so sporadic that she could only find her sense of existence by standing by the window late at night.

She stood with her arms crossed, took a breath to steel herself: “I’ve thought about it for two days, and I still think it’s better to maintain the status quo.”

Shen Qianzhan tilted her head slightly, observing his reaction.

After her eyes adjusted to the dim light, his features gradually became clear in her vision. Shen Qianzhan saw him frown, seemingly unsurprised: “Reason?”

Shen Qianzhan’s original draft was—Mr. Ji is excellent, and she was incredibly flattered but also bewildered by his favor. However, the gap between them was too wide, and she was no longer young; she didn’t want to add another scandal to her life. She also wasn’t very interested in maintaining a physical relationship, as people in her line of work feared scandals, and she didn’t believe the value of sleeping with her could equate to all of Buzhongshui’s resources.

She was short-sighted and had no desire to get rich by relying on a man.

But when these words reached her lips, she hesitated repeatedly and swallowed them back.

These reasons, to Ji Qinghe, would only be excuses. And the consequence of making excuses... Shen Qianzhan glanced at the large bed in the distance and immediately straightened her back.

“I once loved someone very much.” Shen Qianzhan looked up at him: “He was a director, the director for my first independent production.”

“Mr. Ji probably doesn’t know much about our industry. I used to be a project planner, similar to Qiao Xin’s current situation. Before I met him, I was always accumulating experience, not knowing when I would be able to prepare my own project.”

“He supported me in becoming an independent producer and gave me a startup fund. I resigned and started preparing the project, relying on the experience I had gained while working as a planner. Independent producers have no company as a backing, no reliable connections, and no money. The project was forced to be shelved in its early stages.”

“When there was no money, he took me to dinner parties to meet investors. When there wasn’t a suitable core creative team, he introduced me. All difficulties seemed as light as a piece of paper in front of him, resolved with a wave of his hand.” Shen Qianzhan lowered her gaze, looking at a distant billboard: “I’m a quick learner; I quickly grasped everything he taught me. Once the project was in place, we had a screenwriter, a script, investors, and a production team. Everything went smoothly.”

“I always remember the day filming started.” She paused briefly, then spoke again, her voice steady, as if describing a story unrelated to herself: “It was no different from any other day; the sunlight was especially good. He was wearing a light blue shirt, stroking my head and congratulating me, saying he was going away for two days for a business trip and asking if there was any gift I wanted. Then he left and never came back.”

Shen Qianzhan parted her lips, her tone chillingly cold: “He absconded with the money, trampled on my dignity, and just left. After that, it was as if I died once, sinking into a low point, desperate.”

Without funding, without a director, the project collapsed. She was unable to bear the huge expenses of the crew that followed and had no choice but to disband the team.

She was left burdened with massive breach of contract penalties, pushed out to face all the misunderstood malice.

Now that she was successful and famous, no one was tactless enough to bring up that past.

Only she clearly remembered the pain of shattered passion and broken faith from back then.

“Mr. Ji can understand it as me being hurt in love and unwilling to accept another relationship,” Shen Qianzhan brushed her hair back, stating indifferently: “Anyway, everyone thinks I’m that kind of ‘playgirl’ who changes men like clothes. Sleeping is fine, but talking about feelings is out of the question.