HYAT - 44

The courtyards in Beijing’s Second Ring Road had a unique charm, but Shen Qianzhan’s BMW was particularly conspicuous.

She made a U-turn at the dotted line in the road. As her turn signal blinked, the car smoothly changed direction and came to a stop in front of the Time Hall.

Ji Qinghe, who had been waiting for a while, smiled subtly when she arrived. He got up and tapped on Shen Qianzhan’s car window.

She responded by appearing at the window.

Ji Qinghe asked, “Should I park, or will you?”

Shen Qianzhan glanced at the parking space, which seemed difficult to fit the car into. As she was calculating the most elegant way to park, Ji Qinghe reached out, unlocked the car door, pulled it open, and said, “Get out.”

He didn’t stand up straight. With one hand on the car door and the other on the roof, he leaned over and looked at her: “I’ll park it.”

Shen Qianzhan was agreeable. She grabbed her bag and handed the car over to him.

Ji Qinghe was used to a life of privilege. Aside from clocks, Shen Qianzhan had never seen him show interest in anything else. But everything that came into his hands was like a toy; he always handled it with ease.

The BMW’s body was quite long. He mentally measured the car’s length and the angle to enter the space. With one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the gearshift, he perfectly and elegantly maneuvered Shen Qianzhan’s car into the parking spot in a single go.

After parking, Ji Qinghe handed the car keys to Shen Qianzhan and asked, “Was it easy to find your car yesterday?”

Shen Qianzhan’s face immediately darkened: “It only took me about half an hour.”

Ji Qinghe chuckled lightly and naturally took the rather heavy gifts from her hands: “Was there traffic on your way here?”

“It was a little congested at the last intersection.” Shen Qianzhan put the car keys away, not even noticing that her hands were now empty. She asked politely, “How were Old Master Ji’s check-up results?”

“Very good.” Ji Qinghe pushed open the door and stepped aside to let her in first: “If it weren’t for Ji Lin having a fever and needing care, he and Ms. Meng would have wanted to stay in Beijing for a while longer.” This explained why the meeting had been arranged so hastily.

As they spoke, Ji Qinghe led her through the main gate and into the courtyard.

Unlike the simple decorations of the Time Hall, this courtyard was at least twice as large.

Past the main gate, there was a screen wall. On the steps were several potted green plants. Perhaps because of the New Year, there were a few exquisite, small glass lanterns hanging from the branches and vines. They looked a little out of place, yet also a bit cute.

Ji Qinghe followed her gaze and said, “On New Year’s Eve, Su Zan got drunk late at night and wanted Meng Wangzhou to help him hang lanterns.”

Shen Qianzhan couldn’t hide her shock: “Su Zan gets drunk in such a unique way?” The little rascal would only dare to demand a lipstick to draw on a turtle in front of her.

Ji Qinghe didn’t answer right away. He led Shen Qianzhan through the “hanging flower” gate.

On both sides of the gate were newly pasted couplets for the New Year. The tassels hanging from the two lanterns above fluttered in the wind like silk ribbons.

Without Ji Qinghe’s explanation, Shen Qianzhan understood—Su Zan probably saw the lanterns when he was brought inside and they left a deep impression on him. After all, when someone is drunk, there is no logic to their actions.

Shen Qianzhan inexplicably felt a little guilty: “Su Zan caused you trouble.”

Ji Qinghe didn’t seem to mind: “Meng Wangzhou spent the whole night humoring him like he does Ji Lin. I don’t have that kind of patience.” He glanced at her meaningfully: “But for someone else, I might.”

Shen Qianzhan was focused on the threshold and didn’t even notice that this last sentence was directed at her.

Dusk was settling, and the lights in the courtyard came on.

The light blended with the thinning daylight, creating a somewhat desolate feeling of a day ending.

Shen Qianzhan’s “rich-hating mentality” was slowly being born in this seemingly endless courtyard.

After walking through the courtyard, the main house was just three steps away.

The door to the main house was half-open, and a faint sound of talking could be heard. The accent was a bit difficult to place. But the voice itself sounded very familiar to Shen Qianzhan the more she listened.

She was just guessing that the people inside were Meng Wangzhou and Old Master Ji when Meng Wangzhou’s head popped out from behind the half-open door, and he said with a look of pleasant surprise, “Producer Shen is here!”

He glanced at the gifts Ji Qinghe was holding and politely complained that Shen Qianzhan was treating them like strangers by bringing gifts to a simple dinner.

Shen Qianzhan smiled, finally realizing that the reason her hands had been empty all along was because Ji Qinghe had been carrying the gifts for her.

She changed her shoes and went inside. After walking around the screen, Shen Qianzhan saw Old Master Ji Qingzhen, who was sitting at a desk, practicing calligraphy.

The moment she looked up, Old Master Ji also turned his head and looked at her. Unlike their previous meetings in Xi’an, the old man smiled at her warmly and motioned for her not to be nervous.

He put down his brush and walked around the desk to sit behind a tea table.

A pot of hot tea was warming on the table. The tea sea was dry, but faint water stains were visible.

Meng Wangzhou said he was going to get some snacks and left, leaving only Old Master Ji and Ji Qinghe in the room.

This situation made even the worldly Shen Qianzhan a little nervous.

She cleared her throat and spoke first: “Old Master Ji, it’s been a while. I’m here to pay my respects.” This opening was a bit too formal, causing Ji Qinghe to look at her.

He placed the tea filter on a leaking cup and poured her a cup of Tieguanyin to ease the atmosphere: “After Bu Zhong Sui and Qiandeng started working together, my grandfather has been wanting to meet you.”

“Producer Shen has a great reputation. No need to be so nervous.”

Ji Qingzhen seemed to find the scene amusing. He gave Ji Qinghe a playful look and said, “I didn’t know you were so considerate in how you treated people now.” He took a sip of tea, lightly adjusted his glasses, and turned to Shen Qianzhan: “It has been a while. After I arrived in Beijing, Qinghe told me about your collaboration.”

With that, he pondered for a few seconds: “I’m getting old and content with my leisure. I don’t have the energy to take on such a big project. But Qinghe is interested and has a good rapport with you, so you both complete each other.”

In front of a respected elder, Shen Qianzhan was always humble and reserved, not daring to be presumptuous. Hearing his words, she offered a mouthful of flattery: “Yes, it really is a godsend. CEO Ji is young and brilliant, and what’s more, he and I share the same interests and goals. It gives me a lot of confidence in the ‘Time’ project. But my biggest regret is still not being able to have Old Master Ji involved in the project. I feel it’s not just a loss for me and ‘Time,’ but a loss for all clock enthusiasts.”

Ji Qinghe, who knew the whole story perfectly, smiled and quietly watched her spout nonsense.

Once Shen Qianzhan adjusted her attitude and switched her mode, she could talk endlessly: “The collaboration between Bu Zhong Sui and ‘Time’ was both unexpected and logical. CEO Ji is young and handsome, and his craftsmanship philosophy in clock restoration is something I can only hope to achieve. If it weren’t for CEO Jiang from Bo Xuan Pictures introducing us, I wouldn’t have even known CEO Ji...”

Ji Qingzhen let out a questioning “Oh” and looked at the silent Ji Qinghe: “How is it that I heard from Qinghe that you two have known each other for a long time?”

Shen Qianzhan was stunned.

She subconsciously looked at Ji Qinghe, who was playing with a teacup, and silently asked him with her eyes: “What kind of ‘known each other for a long time’? Didn’t we agree on our story before meeting the family?”

Ji Qinghe rarely saw that look in her eyes. After admiring it for a moment, he slowly said, “We’ve known each other for a long time, but she didn’t know it.”

He used one finger to press down on the lid of the teacup and held the teapot with the other, leaning slightly to refill Old Master Ji’s tea: “Just listen to what she has to say. Don’t ask questions that will reveal all my secrets.”

Ji Qingzhen stroked his beard and smiled meaningfully: “It’s my fault again. Girl, you continue.”

Only now did Shen Qianzhan realize that Ji Qinghe’s devious nature was probably a family trait. Old Master Ji’s eyes and smile seemed to know everything, but he acted as if he was completely in the dark. With that interruption, Shen Qianzhan’s “rainbow praise” mode was gone, and she was filled with guesses about how much Old Master Ji actually knew.

Fortunately, Meng Wangzhou brought in some tea snacks midway, providing a diversion: “Producer Shen, try these. They’re my old lady’s specialty.”

Meng Wangzhou loved to brag and show off. The conversation went from the snacks to Ms. Meng’s ancestors who were imperial chefs for the palace. The topic meandered, eventually turning to “it’s a shame that I had so many talented ancestors, but I, Meng Wangzhou, only managed to stick to one useless thing.”

Shen Qianzhan expressed her deep sympathy for Meng Wangzhou’s plight: “It’s a noble thing to be persistent in one’s life. You’ve had it tough.”

With Meng Wangzhou there, the atmosphere was naturally harmonious.

After three rounds of tea, Meng Wangzhou finally remembered that he had to help Ms. Meng and took Ji Qinghe with him to assist.

Once the two of them left, the room was empty, leaving only Shen Qianzhan and Old Master Ji staring at each other.

Luckily, Shen Qianzhan had prepared many questions for the old man before she came. They talked about everything from clock restoration to the key choices in Old Master Ji’s life, and even the Wooden Fantasia Clock, so there were no awkward silences.

“The documentary on restoring the Wooden Fantasia Clock was only a few episodes, but the actual restoration took many years.” When talking about this national treasure, Old Master Ji couldn’t help but feel a sense of emotion: “The Wooden Fantasia Clock was also the catalyst for the breakdown of my relationship with Qiongzhi. I was in Beijing for those years, living right here. It was as if the sole purpose of my life was to restore this clock and get it working again.”

Old Master Ji glanced at her and said with a smile: “You can ask Qinghe about all of this; he knows. He even helped me when I was restoring the Wooden Fantasia Clock. His craftsmanship is good; he was born with a knack for it. He stayed at the clock museum in the Palace Museum for two years. His grandmother didn’t want him to be tied down to this craft, so she handed him Bu Zhong Sui’s clocks.”

Shen Qianzhan was a bit surprised by this part of Ji Qinghe’s past: “CEO Ji stayed at the clock museum for two years?”

“Qinghe knows everything about clocks, ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign. He is a master of making and restoring watches and clocks, a natural talent for working with time.” Old Master Ji’s voice was deep and rich: “Back then, Qinghe and Wangzhou were both learning clock restoration from me. Wangzhou wasn’t interested and had no talent, so he only learned the basics. In fact, all I could teach were some restoration techniques, which weren’t very profound. There were many clocks I had never seen or restored myself.”

“For your project, you must have learned about the origins of court clocks. By the time of the Qianlong Emperor, the scale of palace clocks was quite impressive. For the clocks made for collections, gold, jewels, and precious stones were piled on as if they were worthless. The styles ranged from Chinese pavilions to Western cathedrals. With the addition of automatic striking and chiming mechanisms, repairing them was extremely difficult. But he just loved it and was passionate about it, devoting himself entirely to the craft. My colleagues who were restoring the clocks with me back then thought very highly of Qinghe, so they let him stay for two years.”

Ji Qingzhen recalled the past, his face full of nostalgia: “You don’t know him well, so it’s hard for you to understand. Qinghe is like me. When he loves something or someone, he becomes obsessed with it.”