HYAT - 57

The moment Shen Qianzhan’s gaze met his, Ji Qinghe leaned forward, his long fingers lightly cupping her neck and tilting her chin up.

He leaned in and bit her chin. He was intent on leaving a mark, and he bit hard, not letting go even when she tried to hit him.

In the moment of their standoff, Xiao Sheng knocked on the door again: “Producer Shen?”

Shen Qianzhan didn’t dare to make much noise. When Ji Qinghe finally let go, she raised her hand to feel her chin. There were two rows of teeth marks on her chin. They weren’t deep, but they probably wouldn’t fade away for at least fifteen minutes.

She was angry at Ji Qinghe for being petty but didn’t dare to act on it. As she got off the table, she deliberately stomped on his foot and warned in a low voice: “Don’t make a sound.”

The candlelight from the scented candle flickered twice on the windowsill. With his back to the light, the contours of his face were blurred, but his eyes were still bright and clear in the darkness.

Shen Qianzhan couldn’t help but stare at him for a few extra seconds, muttering to herself: He’s not even my boyfriend yet, and he’s already this jealous. What will he be like if we get together? Will she have to report every time she sees a person of the opposite sex?

She adjusted her collar and the hem of her clothes, making sure she looked decent, and picked up the candle to open the door.

Before opening the door, she held the doorknob and looked back at him.

Ji Qinghe was sitting where she had been, his body blending with the darkness.

Shen Qianzhan had the candle’s light in front of her and couldn’t see him clearly, but she could feel his unwavering gaze on her, as if it had weight, making her shoulders feel heavy.

She turned and opened the door.

Xiao Sheng was leaning against the wall. He saw her open the door just wide enough for her to fit through and instinctively glanced inside: “Producer Shen, I’m sorry to bother you so late. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

Shen Qianzhan and Xiao Sheng had never gotten along. With no one else around, she didn’t even bother to pretend. She stood holding the door with one hand and the candle with the other, sizing him up in the candlelight: “You knew you were interrupting something, but you still bothered me. Are you doing this on purpose, Producer Xiao?”

Her voice was sweet and seductive. Her contrived tone made it hard to tell if she was joking or being genuinely sarcastic.

Xiao Sheng didn’t want to get into a fight with her. He looked around and asked: “Is it convenient for me to come in and talk?”

A grown man is hiding in the room, do you think it’s convenient?

Of course, she couldn’t say that. Shen Qianzhan smiled and played dumb: “Producer Xiao, everyone in the hallway heard you knocking just now. If it’s a serious matter, you should call a few relevant people. If you, a man, come into my room late at night, it wouldn’t look good if word got out.”

Xiao Sheng frowned and explained: “It’s related to what you brought up this afternoon. Should we talk right here at the door?”

“The matter from this afternoon?” Shen Qianzhan thought for a few seconds and glanced toward Su Zan’s room next door: “You don’t mind if our Xiao Su listens in, do you?”

Xiao Sheng followed her gaze and saw she was referring to Su Zan. He raised the flashlight he had been holding against the ground, shining it on Shen Qianzhan, and then nonchalantly moved it to the tightly closed door next door: “Xiao Su is staying here?”

Shen Qianzhan suspected he had already seen the teeth marks on her chin. She was fuming with anger inside but couldn’t show it. She closed her door and went straight to knock on the door next door.

Su Zan had been eavesdropping for a while and was already waiting to open the door.

Shen Qianzhan’s hand was still in the air before she touched the door when Su Zan pulled the door open and politely invited them in.

Although Xiao Sheng and Su Zan weren’t particularly close, he had always been fawning over him because of Su Lanyi. Shen Qianzhan listened to him make small talk with Su Zan like he was firing a cannon. She blew out the candle, sat on a chair in front of the TV cabinet, and urged Xiao Sheng to get to the point.

Xiao Sheng took out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to each of them. When he went to light Shen Qianzhan’s, she avoided it and tucked the cigarette behind her ear: “I already brushed my teeth, so I won’t smoke.”

He didn’t push it. His gaze swept around the room, and he was a little surprised to see three beds in Su Zan’s room: “How did the logistics team arrange a room for Xiao Su? Even if there was nowhere else to stay, they shouldn’t have made you squeeze into a room with three beds.”

Su Zan hadn’t mentioned the supplies to Xiao Sheng. He had even given the logistics team a heads-up, telling them that he had asked two friends to bring in a carload of supplies and that they would leave once the snow stopped, asking them to keep it quiet.

Hearing this, he glanced at Shen Qianzhan. Seeing that she didn’t stop him, he explained: “Didn’t the crew have a supply shortage? I asked two friends to bring me a carload of supplies. The stuff is all piled up in the hotel warehouse. Since the snow hasn’t stopped, they can’t leave, so they’re staying with me.”

Xiao Sheng was speechless for a moment. He was about to ask more questions, but Shen Qianzhan interrupted him impatiently: “What’s the matter? Can you tell me now?”

“It’s like this...” Xiao Sheng said. He mentioned that after the meeting, he had pulled a few key people aside for a smaller meeting. Everyone was very receptive to the idea of cooperating with the film studio to save themselves. After some discussion, they thought it would be more efficient to handle things in stages. Xiao Sheng would be responsible for negotiating with the film studio’s partners to see if they were interested in a collaboration. Meanwhile, Shen Qianzhan would go back to Beijing to seek instructions from Su Lanyi and work on a specific contract.

“If there wasn’t a power and water outage and no signal, I could have finished getting instructions from CEO Su with a single phone call,” Xiao Sheng said. He looked at Su Zan and, seeing he wasn’t displeased, continued: “Given the current situation, even if the snow stops, it will take some time for it to melt. Producer Shen, you’ve solved a pressing problem for me, and I’m very grateful. Xiao Su and Producer Shen were sent by CEO Su to help, and since our predicament has been resolved, there’s no reason to keep you here to suffer.”

His words were sincere. It sounded like he was considering Shen Qianzhan and Su Zan’s well-being, but if you thought about it, he was just using an excuse to send the two envoys back to Beijing.

Shen Qianzhan smiled. She couldn’t have asked for anything better: “Since Producer Xiao is so earnestly asking for my help, there’s no reason for me to decline. When are you arranging for us to leave, Producer Xiao?”

Xiao Sheng was a little surprised that Shen Qianzhan was so agreeable. He couldn’t help but glance at her a few more times. Remembering the rows of teeth marks he had just seen on her chin, he instantly understood: “The logistics team can arrange a car to take you out tomorrow.”

Su Zan frowned, as if he had something to say. After opening and closing his lips a few times, he glanced at Shen Qianzhan. Seeing that she had no objections, he agreed.

After seeing Xiao Sheng off, Su Zan closed the door, muttering: “When I get back, I’m going to report him to my sister. I’ve only been here for a few days, and he’s already in a hurry to send us away. Now look, we brought all those supplies for nothing, and you solved their problem for them. I feel like we didn’t get any credit for this trip.”

“We weren’t going to get any credit in the first place.” Shen Qianzhan wasn’t too bothered by Xiao Sheng’s actions. Su Lanyi had sent her and Su Zan here to help solve a problem, but that was only half the reason. The other half was to put pressure on Xiao Sheng. She was angry at Xiao Sheng’s incompetence, which had cost the company a lot of money.

Su Lanyi’s goal had been achieved, and now Xiao Sheng had given her a legitimate reason to go back to Beijing. There was no need for Shen Qianzhan to stay, as it would only make people dislike her and make her unhappy. Besides, with no power, no water, and no signal, how was she, a woman who demanded to be glamorous at all times, supposed to endure it?

The news was a godsend for Shen Qianzhan.

She reached for the matches on the table, struck one, and relit the candle: “Alright, let’s pack up. We’re going back to Beijing tomorrow.”

As the candle lit up, Su Zan let out a surprised “huh.” He leaned in and carefully stared at the bite marks on her chin a few times: “You two were that intense?”

________________________________________

Early the next morning, Ji Qinghe and Ming Jue left first, flying from Nanjing to Xi’an.

After Shen Qianzhan and Su Zan inventoried the supplies in the warehouse and handed them over to the logistics team, they followed close behind, taking a car back to Beijing.

After leaving the Wuxi area, the phone signal was restored, and Shen Qianzhan’s phone started buzzing with all kinds of messages.

She first sent a message to her parents to let them know she was safe. Then she checked the latest draft of the Time outline and the script for the first episode that Qiao Xin had sent her.

Then she reported the Spring River crew’s predicament and the solution to Su Lanyi. She thought for a moment and came up with a story, disguising Ji Qinghe’s act of kindness as her commissioning him to help purchase and transport the supplies, and reported it to Su Lanyi.

As Su Zan was in the know, Shen Qianzhan, to avoid any discrepancies that might cause misunderstandings, took Su Zan to a rest stop for some grilled sausages, where they rehearsed their story.

Su Zan ate with his mouth full of oil and mumbled through his chewing: “I know, you don’t want to owe CEO Ji. Don’t worry, if my sister asks, I’ll say exactly what you said.”

“You’re wrong,” Shen Qianzhan said, poking him with a bamboo skewer: “Why are you so stupid? Is this about owing him or not?”

If the supplies were for her, she would have accepted them without hesitation. But these supplies were meant to help the Spring River crew in their moment of need. Could she accept them without a good reason and have a clear conscience?

Shen Qianzhan spent some time helping Su Zan understand the logic behind it. She, in the meantime, wasted no time giving instructions to Qiao Xin to push the progress of Time.

The most vulnerable preparation period of a project had passed smoothly. Now that they were at the script stage, things were about to get really busy.

________________________________________

After returning to Beijing, Shen Qianzhan immediately brought Jiang Juanshan and Lin Qiao in for a script meeting.

With the first episode’s script, the director lineup was quickly finalized. On the day Shao Chouxi signed the contract, the first five episodes of Time were finalized. Shen Qianzhan prioritized contacting Ai Yi to secure the platform for distribution.

The rest of the process proceeded methodically and efficiently. The project’s progress bar skyrocketed as if it were on a rocket.

On the day the script for the first ten episodes of Time was finalized, Shen Qianzhan gathered the creative team in the conference room for a meeting.

Ji Qinghe, as usual, was not present, and only Ming Jue joined the video conference.

The main content of the meeting was to finalize the lead actor list, after which Shen Qianzhan would approach the artists’ agents to sign the actors.

Shen Qianzhan had already discussed the lead actors with Qiao Xin on the day the script was submitted.

She had her eyes on Song Yan and Fu Xi. Song Yan was a rising star with a great reputation and a good audience. With Fu Xi, they had a mentor-mentee relationship, which provided a lot of juicy gossip. Additionally, both actors were skilled, and their talents would complement each other. Their looks and star power were a perfect match for the leads of Time.

Ai Yi leaned toward Chu Sisi, believing her image was a better fit for the female lead. She was, however, very satisfied with Fu Xi as the male lead: “Producer Shen, your taste in men is really good. You’re thinking exactly what I’m thinking.”

Shen Qianzhan gave a half-smile and retorted: “After all, I’m not old at heart, and I’m still at the peak of my love for handsome men. Sister Ai is a married woman. Your husband is mature and stable, so why would you bother with these young hotheads in the industry?”

Su Zan almost laughed out loud. He struggled to hold it in and could only pass the topic to the scriptwriters: “Do the two scriptwriters have anyone suitable to recommend?”

Lin Qiao’s aesthetic was the same as Shen Qianzhan’s. Her lifelong wish was for Fu Xi to act in her script. At that moment, she didn’t care that the investors were present and enthusiastically voted: “Fu Xi is excellent. He’ll definitely be able to carry the male lead role. Song Yan would be a good choice for the female lead, too. Pairing these two together would definitely create a lot of buzz.” Then, she suddenly became a little melancholic and looked at Shen Qianzhan eagerly: “But it’s hard to get Fu Xi. Not only is his salary high, but he also has very high standards for scripts and production teams.” And with the recent gossip between him and Song Yan, what if he politely declines to avoid any misunderstandings...

Jiang Juanshan didn’t say anything. He gave Lin Qiao a faint look, turned his pen, and passed the floor to the next person.

Ming Jue, who was on the projection screen, was slightly stunned. He looked at a certain spot off-camera. After getting some sort of silent permission, he cleared his throat and said: “CEO Ji has a lot of faith in Producer Shen’s judgment.”

“Producer Shen’s choices have always been very professional, with a high-end aesthetic and taste,” Ming Jue said with a meaningful smile, his gaze settling on Shen Qianzhan’s face. “CEO Ji says money isn’t an issue. You can cast anyone you want.”

Amidst the envy of everyone in the room, only Shen Qianzhan remained unmoved.

She suspected that this scumbag was praising himself but didn’t want to expose him. Seeing everyone’s eyes on her, she cleared her throat to ease the awkwardness: “You don’t have to trust me so much, do you? I’ll have Qiao Xin compile the list of potential candidates and their resumes and send them to CEO Ji.”

It was clear they wouldn’t finalize a list of candidates anytime soon. After the meeting, Shen Qianzhan had Qiao Xin send the information to Ji Qinghe.

Just as the information was sent to his email, her phone rang.

It was Ji Qinghe.

Shen Qianzhan answered the phone: “Hello?”

“You don’t need to look at the resumes. Pick whoever you like,” he said. He seemed to be busy; there was the sound of hushed conversations in the background, not clear, but a constant murmur.

She deliberately played dumb: “Pick whoever I like? What do I like?”

Ji Qinghe let out a soft “hmm” and asked: “Someone not like me?” He chuckled, and his voice was low and intoxicating: “Producer Shen, you can’t still be unaware that I’m built to be exactly your type?”

There was a collective gasp on the other end, and all the sounds in the background fell silent at once.

Ming Jue’s face was ashen: CEO Ji, do your parents know you say things like that?