Shen Qianzhan was caught completely off guard by Ji Qinghe’s final manipulative move. The cold, elegant nobility she had cultivated when confronting Jian Xin—that “disdain for associating with such trash”—vanished completely under the mysterious, ambiguous smiles of the assembled big shots.

She forcibly maintained her persona, coquettishly chiding: “Gossip is harmless when passed around privately, but once it’s brought to the surface like this, it makes things quite difficult.”

She supported her chin, turning to meet Ji Qinghe’s gaze with graceful allure.

Shen Qianzhan’s original plan was to gently clink her red wine glass against his, and regardless of whether he drank or not, strive to perform the visual effect of “CEO Ji, you’re so mischievous.”

After the first step succeeded, for the second step she would blink her eyes playfully, electrifying Ji Qinghe until he was spellbound, then she could smoothly throw out the line “CEO Ji and I are completely innocent—who knows what mentality those rumor-spreaders have, using me to taint a gentleman like CEO Ji.”

But when she met Ji Qinghe’s gaze, the coldness in his eyes was like mountain-top frost, chilling her from head to toe.

Drinking too much really did affect one’s intelligence.

She had almost forgotten that she and Ji Qinghe weren’t innocent at all.

If she said those lines, setting aside whether it would be against her conscience, just Ji Qinghe this scumbag wouldn’t cooperate obediently. Not sabotaging her would be a blessing from heaven earned through her daily prayers and accumulated virtue.

Understanding all this, Shen Qianzhan changed faces faster than flipping pages. Her smile disappeared in a second, she put on a cold, heartless scumbag face, and quickly turned her head at light speed, acting as if nothing had happened.

Su Zan, who witnessed everything throughout, nearly laughed himself to death.

If it weren’t for him always remembering the kindness of Shen Qianzhan’s earnest teachings over these years, he would probably be laughing until he crowed.

What had he said before?

This scumbag Shen Qianzhan would get her comeuppance sooner or later. Look, retribution was sitting right beside her, waiting to brandish a golden spear and start reaping.

What a marvelous display of realistic magic in the human world.

However, watching a good show was one thing—behind closed doors, they could watch however they wanted. When something happened, Su Zan still knew the importance of pointing guns outward in unity. He cleared his throat, looking at Jian Xin with undisguised condemnation and disgust: “Malicious competition that damages someone’s reputation is quite beneath the table. What Producer Jian said here today, everyone present heard. If I hear any related rumors outside in the future, I’ll assume Producer Jian said it.”

Su Zan was usually all smiles and bootlicking, so his sudden seriousness had an unexpectedly intimidating effect.

He stopped there—saying more would be useless.

Su Zan felt his counter-attack worked well and appropriately restrained himself. Just as Shao Chouxie pretended to take a call and prepared to leave, he enthusiastically stood up to personally see him off, completely clearing himself of involvement.

Su Zan’s self-awareness was extremely accurate—he was just a tool person.

He was responsible for saying things inappropriate for Shen Qianzhan’s identity to say, and for displaying behaviors that didn’t fit Shen Qianzhan’s persona. He was a soldier carrying spear and shield. When it was time to charge into battle, he led the charge; when it was time to defend the high ground, he had to guard the crystal.

He was a rich and idle human chess piece, a little sweetheart loved by all.

——

Shen Qianzhan had something to discuss privately with Jiang Yecheng. After instructing Qiao Xin to escort Ji Qinghe to wait in her car for a while, she followed Jiang Yecheng out.

Passing through the corridor and entering the elevator, Shen Qianzhan used the motion of pressing floor buttons to stand beside Jiang Yecheng, speaking with gratitude and sincere thanks: “CEO Jiang, thank you so much. I heard from Zan Zan a couple days ago that Qianqian’s audition with Director Lei didn’t go well. It’s also our PR department’s fault—everyone holding their rice bowls but not eating properly. Qianqian has been misunderstood and smeared recently, her reputation somewhat damaged. That you could mediate for Qianqian—I’m truly grateful beyond words.”

Jiang Yecheng was confused: “When did this happen?”

His tai chi was marvelous. Shen Qianzhan had said so many things in one breath that he had no idea which sentence he was asking about.

She wasn’t ashamed to ask for clarification, continuing to probe: “Ah? Which matter are you referring to?”

Jiang Yecheng looked at her once, kindly and gently: “Qianqian is too young. Being in a high position, it’s inevitable that her spirit becomes restless and impetuous. Your Qiandeng needs to pay attention not only to cultivating artists’ character but also to their psychological issues. The more popular an artist is, the more you need to regulate their behavior.”

After spinning this seemingly relevant but actually completely off-topic tangent, like a senior caring for juniors and eagerly hoping for talent development, he slowed his tone: “A few days ago I was invited to evaluate TV dramas for key support from the Film Association. Your Qiandeng has limitless potential. I think your mindset needs settling—quickly advance the tribute drama project establishment. It can be submitted for national key support selection at the beginning of the year. If selected…” He didn’t finish, only looked at Shen Qianzhan meaningfully.

Both were old foxes in the industry, able to tell if meat was fresh just by smelling it. In just a few exchanges, their hearts were already clear as mirrors, polished to a shine.

Shen Qianzhan smiled and tactfully stopped probing about Xiang Qianqian’s topic.

After the elevator dinged and reached the lobby.

Shen Qianzhan accompanied Jiang Yecheng, discussing some unimportant project progress. Mostly things like which suitable screenwriters she had recently met, how many incompetent ones she had filtered out, how much preliminary preparation she had done, and how enormous her workload was.

When there was nothing to say, she appropriately switched to the identity of a humble junior seeking guidance, asking him for advice like: “CEO Jiang, with your extensive experience, do you have any screenwriter candidates you particularly approve of that you could recommend?”

“CEO Jiang, what do you think of Director Shao’s abilities? Is he suitable to direct our drama? Most of the A-list directors who’ve won major awards currently have no availability, and our project can’t wait.”

“I’m also considering filming locations. CEO Jiang, which places do you think have better feng shui? After all, your eye is sharp—any casual comment would benefit me immensely.”

“I think it’s still too early to decide on actors, but many actors, drawn by this project being produced by you CEO Jiang, have nearly burst my email inbox with their resumes.”

She ostensibly asked for opinions and advice while secretly flattering, making Jiang Yecheng beam with joy. Only after getting in his car did he remember he had forgotten to ask Shen Qianzhan about her collaboration with Ji Qinghe.

Shen Qianzhan was naturally doing this deliberately. Every move of Jiang Yecheng’s tai chi suppressed her, his lips sealed tighter than could be pried open, and he still wanted to get information from her?

Not a chance.

——

Shen Qianzhan’s gossip intuition was abnormally sharp. When she learned early on that Xiang Qianqian’s “nighttime meeting with financial backer” was a setup, she had already locked her targets on several big shots.

Jiang Yecheng was committed to collaborating with Ji Qinghe to get a piece of the pie, and Xiang Qianqian had privately contacted Ji Qinghe during this sensitive time—it would be difficult for her not to set her sights on Jiang Yecheng.

It was just that Jiang Yecheng’s reputation in the industry had always been positive, so Shen Qianzhan didn’t dare rashly suspect him. At tonight’s dinner, when Director Lei suddenly relented and let Su Zan bring Xiang Qianqian for a costume fitting, she didn’t believe Director Lei was just doing it for convenience in finding her for drinks after future collaborations. The implication was simple—Xiang Qianqian didn’t want to lose this resource and had asked her backing to tear it down for her.

Who this backing was became crystal clear.

Later, her deliberate probing and Jiang Yecheng’s reaction were also obvious. He avoided answering, glossed over the important points, and told her to settle her mind—this was warning her not to meddle, that no matter what she knew or how much she knew, if she was smart she should obediently keep her mouth shut.

Otherwise, she would be dragging all of Qiandeng to be buried with her for her recklessness.

——

She was so focused on thinking that she completely failed to notice she had already descended to the second basement level.

When the elevator arrived, the dizzying sensation from the stopped motion caused her brief physical discomfort.

She leaned against the elevator handrail, waiting for that wave of dizziness to pass. Just as she steadied herself and was about to exit, Ji Qinghe, who had been waiting like a hunter at the elevator entrance, stepped in first, blocking her in the underground garage elevator.

He had a coat draped over his shoulders, his features cold and profound.

Whether it was the dark main color of his suit making his skin look too pale, or whether he was naturally cold and aloof, his entire presence standing before her was like a wall of ice, emanating coldness from head to toe.

This man really looked good in a suit—so good that she wanted him to just execute her on the spot while wearing it…

Look at those gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose bridge—a complete refined scoundrel, a beast in human clothing.

Shen Qianzhan’s eyes were misty. The dizziness she had just recovered from came surging back like churning seas under the impact of such beauty.

She raised her hand, pressing the cool back of her hand to her face, innocently looking at this uninvited guest before her: “Were you waiting anxiously?”

Shen Qianzhan rarely engaged in self-reflection, but it seemed she had indeed chatted too long with Jiang Yecheng just now. Leaving such a stunning beauty as Ji Qinghe hanging was truly inexcusable.

She deserved punishment!

She decided to punish herself by looking at him more!

Seeing she couldn’t even stand steadily, Ji Qinghe reached out to support her arm, frowning with displeasure: “How much did you drink tonight?”

“Not much.” Shen Qianzhan stared at his slender, pale fingers for a while, counted, and said: “Four liang of white liquor? Plus several glasses of mixed beer and foreign alcohol.”

She sighed softly, complaining: “It really tasted awful.”

Ji Qinghe lowered his gaze, his eyes falling on her crimson lips, as if that chattering little mouth complaining away had attracted his enormous interest, staring fixedly.

Shen Qianzhan was clear in her heart that the alcohol was kicking in. She was always like this—after her spirit relaxed, she knew clearly what she was doing but completely couldn’t control it.

She burped and sighed deeply.

This sigh was truly too plaintive. Ji Qinghe slightly raised his eyebrows and asked: “So bad it made you sigh?”

“No.” Shen Qianzhan glanced at him, lowering her voice to mutter: “When I drink too much I become a chatterbox. I clearly see myself transforming but am powerless to stop it.”

She hesitated to speak, but after losing control of her body, she said whatever she thought, completely unable to interfere: “I drank alcohol for three hours and half my makeup has worn off. I originally wanted to touch up my makeup before coming down, but I was too focused on thinking and came straight down.”

Ji Qinghe couldn’t help but be amused, the coldness on him melting by half without his awareness: “You need to touch up makeup to see me?”

Shen Qianzhan shook her head: “No, even if I might encounter a dog on the road, I would tidy up my appearance for it.” After speaking, afraid Ji Qinghe would see she was deliberately cursing him under the guise of being talkative, she covered: “CEO Ji, I’m sorry. I have poor drinking behavior—I speak the truth after drinking and especially offend people.”

Ji Qinghe didn’t plan to hold it against her.

After all, Shen Qianzhan calling him a scumbag wasn’t something that had just started today.

He bent down to be at eye level with her: “Speaking truth after drinking?”

Micro-light flickered in his eyes, as if all light had rushed into the bottom of his eyes, suddenly brightening.

Shen Qianzhan belatedly realized she had dug another pit for herself, almost wanting to erect a tombstone for herself. She finally confirmed Ji Qinghe had come with ill intent and instinctively stepped back.

Ji Qinghe’s hand supporting her arm naturally swept back to embrace her waist: “Why are you running?”

Shen Qianzhan was nearly scared to death, glancing at the elevator exit. Needless to think, after being inside so long, the elevator doors had long since closed. She only saw in the elevator’s built-in beauty filter mirror her face flushed like peach blossoms, full of spring color.

This would be the death of her.

She closed her eyes, and when she reopened them, tried hard to make herself look less like a young girl in love: “CEO Ji.”

Shen Qianzhan slightly raised her chin, using her gaze to direct his attention to the surveillance camera in the upper left corner: “What happens here might not only be known to us.”

Ji Qinghe followed her sight line to glance unhurriedly, appearing quite calm: “If it’s you, I don’t particularly mind.”

Shen Qianzhan was choked by his words and fell silent.

Ji Qinghe asked: “What does that newly added clause in the contract mean?”

Shen Qianzhan’s eyes darkened. She decided to maintain her “speaking truth after drinking” persona and answered: “I don’t want to have any more emotional entanglements with you.” After a pause, she added: “You also saw tonight how treacherous my survival environment is. Getting entangled with me might just be romantic gossip material for you, but it wouldn’t be so friendly for me.”

Ji Qinghe nodded, not knowing which part of what she said he was affirming.

Shen Qianzhan continued her efforts: “CEO Ji might also have misunderstood me. I have absolutely no interest in being kept, and when you brought up that condition, it was quite insulting.” She glanced at Ji Qinghe, saw his expression was cold but he wasn’t flying into a rage from having his face slapped, then said: “Of course, the clause is just a matter of attitude. Black and white on paper is also for mutual restraint. With a good, fair foundation of aligned goals, only then can we cooperate intimately and trust each other completely in the later stages. Don’t you think… right?”

The more she spoke, the weaker her voice became, nearly defeated by Ji Qinghe’s increasingly cold gaze.

Ji Qinghe’s expression didn’t change at all. He slightly narrowed his eyes, his voice like paper that had been crumpled and then smoothed out again: “I never thought about keeping you—you misunderstood.”

Shen Qianzhan nodded. Yes, yes, yes, she wasn’t worthy.

Her expression was so perfunctory, completely not taking his words seriously.

Just a one-night stand—how much emotion could there be? It couldn’t be that Ji Qinghe, seeing her finally having a sex life at such an advanced age, felt momentary pity and wanted to take responsibility, right? How ridiculous would that be?

Even her own persistent thoughts were only because the experience felt too good, penetrating to the bone marrow. At most she could reminisce and crave his body, but truly investing much emotion was impossible.

The adult world was better kept realistic. Pursuing love was too luxurious for Shen Qianzhan.

Ji Qinghe couldn’t read what she was thinking, but her current expression of being scummy to the earth’s core was too eyesore. The hand embracing her waist tightened slightly, forcefully compelling her to meet his gaze.

Shen Qianzhan was already unsteady, and with his support and guidance at her waist, she almost threw herself into his arms like an offering. The already precarious one-line distance instantly vanished completely.

She suspected Ji Qinghe was deliberately misinterpreting her words about “intimate cooperation and mutual trust.”

Shen Qianzhan carefully reached out her hand, pressing against his chest.

Her palm was too hot. Touching his ice-cold suit jacket, she couldn’t help but shiver.

She looked up, reaching to straighten his tie: “CEO Ji, my reputation outside isn’t good. When a woman struggles alone outside, no matter how outstanding she is, there are always gossips. Those who are jealous, envious, or simply don’t like me. It’s not that I really care so much about how others see me—it’s more about respect for this profession.”

“Let me give you an example. Like Jian Xin—she’s academy-trained. Her seniors and juniors from school, classmates, senior and junior sisters from the same faction are all her network resources. But even so, if she gets slightly close to anyone, there are still malicious speculations to destroy her efforts. Of course…” She pursed her lips, seriously adding: “My speaking honestly and objectively doesn’t mean I forgive her malicious smearing. When we meet again, we’ll still be enemy camps clashing swords.”

She properly arranged his tie, pressing it down, and when withdrawing her hand, stared at Ji Qinghe, completely sober: “I care about others’ evaluations, and even more about their destruction of the work. That’s not just my achievement alone—I have no right to let all the crew members’ efforts go to waste because of my personal relationships.”

She was calm, and Ji Qinghe was even calmer.

Like a spy peering into her soul, after several seconds of silent eye contact, Ji Qinghe’s lip corners slightly curved in an ambiguous smile: “You never mix in personal feelings?”

“Then what about me? What do I count as?”