When Qiao Xin came looking for him, Su Zan was being forced to toast in turn by the burly photography crew teachers. His face was flushed red from drinking, his ears buzzing with tinnitus, yet he couldn’t refuse. The moment he saw Qiao Xin pushing through the crowd toward him, he looked like he’d seen a merciful Buddha who saves all beings, nearly moved to tears of gratitude.

He pushed away the wine glass thrust near his nose and pointed at Qiao Xin: “Sister Zhan’s special envoy is here, probably looking for me about something. Let’s drink later, we’ll drink again later.”

The crowd booed in unison, but they couldn’t really delay business. After making a token effort to keep him, they politely let him go.

Su Zan, having survived the ordeal, clutched his chest with one hand and gripped the wine bottle with the other, his legs weak as he leaned against Qiao Xin and retreated to a corner: “If you’d come any later, this young master’s legendary reputation of holding a thousand cups without getting drunk would have been completely ruined in the hands of these grandfathers.”

Qiao Xin moved to face Su Zan directly. Seeing his disheveled state, she raised her hand and patted his face: “Sober up first, I need to talk to you.” This pat produced a wine burp.

Su Zan quickly covered his mouth, his eyes staring into space for a good while. When he came to his senses, the alcohol cleared, and he finally straightened his back and stood upright.

“I’m sober, go ahead.”

“Sister Zhan is completely drunk, speaking nonsense. She won’t take the sobering soup either, and now she’s clinging to President Ji and won’t let go. President Ji sent me to find you, saying to take the group photo so he can take Sister Zhan upstairs to sober up.”

Su Zan was astonished: “Drunk?”

He naturally knew what Shen Qianzhan was like when drunk. At that moment, as if struck by a blow to the head, even his mixed alcohol sobered up considerably: “I told her she was drinking too fast, but she wouldn’t listen to me.”

Afraid of delaying matters, Qiao Xin saw him still talking big and complaining, so she pinched him: “With everyone taking turns toasting her in a swarm, she needed time to drink slowly too. Here’s the plan – I’ll get Teacher Fu and Song Yan to go on stage as pillars, and you hurry up too.”

Su Zan turned to look at the crowded venue, and a wave of despair arose within him.

Calling people wasn’t the hardest part; the difficult thing was arranging the group photo formation.

A group photo of several hundred people wouldn’t be orderly even when sober, let alone now when most were drunk and in high spirits.

Qiao Xin went back to find someone to pass Su Zan a microphone. With Fu Yang and Song Yan holding their positions, the large photography group quickly arranged themselves from tall to short.

Shen Qianzhan couldn’t stand steady, so she sat on the edge of the stage in the center. Whoever came near her, she would hug their legs.

She successively hugged Shao Chouxie and Jiang Juanshan’s legs, then unsatisfied, she simply grabbed one with each hand, and after hugging Ji Qinghe, she never let go.

Qiao Xin below couldn’t bear to watch her.

She was busy coordinating positions while rescuing one leg after another. Watching Ji Qinghe’s expression grow darker and darker, about to become as black as the bottom of a pot, the crooked and shapeless group photo was finally taken.

Qiao Xin instantly breathed a sigh of relief. She gave thanks from heaven to earth, then from the Qiao family ancestors to the Shen family ancestors. After explaining, she helped Shen Qianzhan up, preparing to retreat.

The crew was rowdy, but they still had propriety.

Seeing Shen Qianzhan drunk and unconscious, those sending care sent care, those sending pity sent pity, all sensibly watching as Qiao Xin helped Shen Qianzhan away from the flower hall.

It wasn’t until several people had gone far that the noisy venue suddenly quieted. Someone asked: “Who was that handsome guy beside Sister Zhan? Haven’t seen him before?”

The makeup crew looked around at each group and joined the gossip: “Is he some actor?”

The costume crew denied: “Not an actor, we didn’t measure his size…”

The lighting crew: “Seems to have a good relationship with our producer. Is he a friend visiting the set?”

The props crew said: “I knew you guys weren’t paying attention during the introduction. Producer Su mentioned it briefly, saying he’s a special consultant. Of the twenty people at the main table, this one was the most mysterious.”

“Special consultant?” The sound crew touched their chin, looking at the long-disappeared entrance to the flower hall, smacking their lips: “That should be the clock repair master Producer Su mentioned before. I heard he repairs palace clocks and is a disciple of the clock industry’s master, Old Mr. Ji. His background is quite significant.”

The scene was quiet for a few seconds, followed by a chorus of sighs and then exclamations.

After a long while, someone asked again: “Sister Zhan left drunk, why did he follow along…”

“Sister Xin couldn’t support her alone, probably helping out.”

“…Why am I thinking instead of Sister Zhan’s past romantic affairs, what man-killer, what younger boyfriend training… No, why are you all looking at me like that? A handsome man and beautiful woman together, not fantasizing about some romance would be wasting those two people’s looks.”

Everyone looked sideways, silently condemning with their eyes: “You’re dirty.”

“You’re dirty.”

“You’re dirty.”

“…”

Walking out of the flower hall, the moment the gazes from behind disappeared, Ji Qinghe bent down and scooped Shen Qianzhan up horizontally.

The sudden weightlessness made Shen Qianzhan’s heart suspend. She frowned, kicking her legs, struggling to get down: “I’m afraid of heights. How many floors is this? If I fall, I’ll be torn apart…”

Shen Qianzhan was light, thin as a paper cutout. Even with her kicking and wanting to “jump,” she was no more than a fish out of water, flailing uselessly.

Ji Qinghe couldn’t free his hands and scolded lowly: “Be still.”

She opened her eyes, bright and charming, squinting slightly: “You’re being mean to me.” Once spoken, it was final – whether Ji Qinghe had been mean to her or not was no longer important. She stopped making noise and stopped trying to “jump,” her hand draped over his shoulder encircled his neck, and she opened her mouth to bite.

Fortunately, Shen Qianzhan’s consciousness was unclear, her brain and limbs uncoordinated. When she caught his earlobe, it was like holding a piece of candy – initially fierce with teeth at the ready, but after biting down and smelling the familiar cold fragrance at her nose, she paused slightly and let go.

Qiao Xin watching from the side couldn’t help but cover her ears. After covering them, she felt this behavior wasn’t quite appropriate, so she awkwardly explained: “President Ji, please be understanding. Every time Sister Zhan gets drunk, her intelligence drops…”

“Intelligence drops?” Ji Qinghe cast a cold glance at Shen Qianzhan, snorting lightly through his nose.

He didn’t look like his intelligence had dropped, more like lust had gone to his brain. Lucky for her she was born female, otherwise everyone would spit “scumbag” at her until she drowned in saliva.

Qiao Xin didn’t dare respond, afraid Ji Qinghe would turn hostile and abandon Shen Qianzhan. With her small frame, she couldn’t possibly handle Shen Qianzhan alone.

There was a shortcut from the flower hall corridor directly to the hotel lobby.

Qiao Xin didn’t originally know this, but following Ji Qinghe through the corridor, when she saw the hotel lobby’s characteristic crystal chandelier in the distance, she was slightly surprised: “President Ji, you’re quite familiar with the hotel’s layout?”

She originally intended to flatter the main investor, but after speaking realized it wasn’t appropriate. The words were like spilled water – too late to take back. She silently bit her tongue, secretly regretting.

Being a rainbow fart expert really wasn’t something just anyone could do… Only her Sister Zhan could handle endless flattery without being pierced.

Fortunately, Ji Qinghe didn’t bother with her, glancing at her briefly without responding.

Seeing they were about to pass through the stone pillars into the hotel lobby, before the voices from the front hall reached their ears, Qiao Xin’s sharp eyes had already spotted something unusual.

She stopped in her tracks and hurriedly called to Ji Qinghe: “President Ji.”

“There are reporters in the lobby. Sister Zhan can’t go out like this.”

She poked her head out to look around twice, confirming the person was holding a camera and hadn’t noticed them yet. She retreated two steps behind the stone pillar: “A couple days ago when Teacher Fu came to Wuxi, they were staking out at the hotel entrance. I saw them. Today they’re probably here to photograph Teacher Fu and Song Yan too… I still need to go back to the flower hall to report, so everyone can be careful.”

Hearing this, Ji Qinghe looked around.

A few steps behind him was a restroom with a “under maintenance” sign at the entrance, looking quite deserted.

Ten meters away was an elevator area, apparently for guests’ convenience to reach the restaurant.

In just a few seconds, he made his decision and instructed: “Report my name and call the lobby manager to find me here.” He lifted his chin slightly, pointing to the nearby restroom: “Once Qianzhan leaves, the wrap party will end soon. You go back to the flower hall to report, I’ll take her to a guest room to sober up.”

Qiao Xin was stunned, looking at the secluded restroom then at Ji Qinghe, finding it difficult to decide: “This…” doesn’t seem right?

“Sister Zhan is hard to take care of when drunk.” Qiao Xin diplomatically expressed: “I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle her.”

Seeing she couldn’t convince Ji Qinghe, she cleared her throat lightly and added a strong dose: “President Ji, I’m not questioning your character, but you really don’t know – Sister Zhan when drunk is completely different from her usual image. You really can’t imagine what she might do next.”

“Just last time, last time when Director Shao and Producer Jian were both there. Sister Zhan got drunk and talked in her sleep on the way back, expressing great admiration for you. I’m afraid Sister Zhan, while drunk, doesn’t know what she’s doing and might end up offending you.”

Qiao Xin originally wanted to say “violate” but feared the charge was too heavy – Shen Qianzhan would settle accounts with her tomorrow after sobering up, so she could only go against her conscience and modify it slightly.

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Ji Qinghe not only showed no disgust but relaxed his brow and smiled: “This isn’t my first time cleaning up after her. You can rest assured about me.”

Ji Qinghe didn’t want to say more with her. He raised an eyebrow, indicating she should comply, then turned and carried Shen Qianzhan into the restroom first.

Qiao Xin opened her mouth but made no sound, only able to watch helplessly as Ji Qinghe walked away.

No…

Why couldn’t she understand a single word of what President Ji said?

She looked anxiously at the now-closed wooden door, then back at the troublesome reporters in the lobby, finally stamping her feet and running off to get help.

In the restroom.

Upon entering was a large marble countertop with black obsidian and stardust patterns, apparently for ladies’ makeup touch-ups, with a makeup mirror on each side of the stone walls.

Ji Qinghe set Shen Qianzhan down, having her lean against the stone wall.

As soon as he let go, she collapsed boneless against his chest like she had no support.

Shen Qianzhan was very dissatisfied with his hands-off attitude. She grabbed his collar, looked up at him, and said indignantly: “You have to support me. Once you let go, I’ll float away like a kite.”

Ji Qinghe asked back: “When don’t you float?”

Shen Qianzhan replied readily: “When there’s no strong wind, I don’t float.”

Ji Qinghe laughed despite himself. He cupped her chin with one hand, lifting her face that had buried itself again, examining her carefully from all angles: “Someone like you is rare.”

Shen Qianzhan was dizzy and lightheaded, only her mouth still had fighting power. Hearing this, she immediately retorted: “What’s wrong with me?” Her tone was fierce, very much like she would scratch anyone if Ji Qinghe dared say anything bad about her.

“Drinking like this yet still speaking clearly.” He lowered his head to look at her eyes.

Her eyes were moist, like a morning forest where mist had dispersed leaving dew, those eyes clear to the bottom.

He was entranced, his Adam’s apple rolling lightly up and down, unable to control his emotions. He wanted to take advantage while she was vulnerable, but felt it ungentlemanly. After thinking, he said: “That planner of yours isn’t very smart. Not as well-taught as Su Zan, doesn’t know when to advance or retreat, and doesn’t know her place.”

Shen Qianzhan grabbed his collar again: “Don’t speak ill of me.”

Ji Qinghe laughed: “When did I speak ill of you?” Two sentences, yet she caught the key point.

Shen Qianzhan didn’t answer. She found keeping her head up tiring, so she rested her forehead against his chin and closed her eyes to sleep.

Naturally, Ji Qinghe wouldn’t let her sleep now. The hand cupping her chin lifted, forcing her to raise her head. He placed one palm on the back of her neck, supporting her head, and asked: “I heard that last time you got drunk, you talked in your sleep, expressing great admiration for me?”

“I don’t think so?” Shen Qianzhan answered honestly, being particularly candid: “I just lusted after your body.”

Ji Qinghe raised an eyebrow: “How did you lust?”

“Lusted in dreams.”

Ji Qinghe pinched the back of her neck, coaxing: “How did you lust in the dream?”

Shen Qianzhan tried hard to remember, but it had been too long, she had somewhat forgotten. Her hand hesitated, exploring to his waist, then following his waistline to hang onto his waistband.

Having done this, she looked up, her eyes bright and shining, holding a smile, with ill intent: “Ask again and sister will have to take off your pants.”

Ji Qinghe was struck dumb.

His gaze passed over Shen Qianzhan to look at the mirror behind her.

From her neck to her earlobes, everything was crimson red, like delicate little flowers, clearly fragile yet trying hard to bloom.

Some bottom line seemed suddenly breached, flooding open. He stirred with desire, his voice growing lower and lower: “Even if you don’t ask, you can still take them off.”

When Qiao Xin returned to the flower hall, she just caught Fu Yang and Song Yan taking their leave in succession.

Song Yan had to return to the “Spring River” crew to prepare for scenes, and Fu Yang also had to return to the hotel to memorize his script.

Fortunately she came in time, informing them about the reporters staking out the hotel lobby. The two left the hotel at different times and routes, one after the other.

Tomorrow the crew would begin filming, so everyone had a sense of moderation in their revelry.

After Shen Qianzhan left, Fu Yang, Song Yan, and the other actors and directors also left one by one. As the scene cooled down, gradually batches of people took alcohol and snacks back to the hotel.

Qiao Xin was worried about Shen Qianzhan, so she specifically waited until most people had left, then dragged Su Zan to the guest room to pick her up.

Su Zan wasn’t stupid. When Ji Qinghe came to Wuxi last time, he felt the two had developed something. Today was a perfect opportunity – he wouldn’t seek trouble and earn resentment.

“President Ji has already met Sister Zhan’s parents. What’s there to worry about?” Su Zan reasoned earnestly: “You know that ruining someone’s marriage brings divine retribution, right? If Sister Zhan didn’t want to, ten Ji Qinghes couldn’t do anything to her. Besides, President Ji isn’t the type of petty person who forces others.”

Otherwise, following his advice, Ji Qinghe would have already pinned her to bed.

Why would he need to be so roundabout, taking such winding mountain paths?

Qiao Xin hesitated: “But…”

“No buts.” Su Zan hooked Qiao Xin’s neck, pulling her under his armpit to whisper: “You know about Sister Zhan’s business trip to Wuxi that time, right?”

Qiao Xin nodded.

“When we went, we didn’t know the situation was so urgent. Only on the second day at the crew did the water and electricity stop. You know who brought those supplies that Producer Xiao praised to the skies?”

Qiao Xin shook her head.

“It was President Ji.” Su Zan flicked her forehead with his finger, frustrated: “When will you ever be half as smart as me?”

Qiao Xin: “So we’re not going to check on Sister Zhan?”

Su Zan said: “Isn’t someone taking care of her? Taking care of her comfortably and obediently.”

Qiao Xin thought to herself: Why does this sound… so improper?

At the same time.

Ji Qinghe carried Shen Qianzhan up to the top floor business suite reserved for him.

After entering, the lobby manager left the service cart and quietly closed the door and left.

Ji Qinghe didn’t stop, carrying Shen Qianzhan into the bedroom.

The bedroom had a circle of motion sensor lights. The moment he stepped in, gentle light suddenly illuminated, spreading around both sides of the bed.

He placed Shen Qianzhan on the bed and bent down to remove her high heels. His fingers had just passed through the shoe buckle and grasped her ankle when she instinctively shrank back, half-asleep and half-awake, opening her eyes to look.

After recognizing who it was for a while, seeing it was him, she half-sat up, staring at him without blinking.

Ji Qinghe remained composed, gripping the heel to remove her shoe, then going to unfasten the buckle of the other shoe.

The bedroom only had two rows of sensor lights, the lighting was dim.

Shen Qianzhan sat there quietly, neither making noise nor fuss, letting Ji Qinghe remove her shoes for her.

When both shoes were removed and placed at the foot of the bed, she quietly looked up, the curve of her eyes like half-drooping phoenix tails, seductive and alluring.

Ji Qinghe held her ankle, lowering his head to gently kiss her instep: “Awake or drunk?”

This kiss was somewhat fatal, a certain string was stirred by his kiss. She suddenly felt the sky collapsing and earth caving in, her heart going soft, both numb and itchy.

She pulled back her foot, kneeling in front of him.

The traces of her heart’s flutter still remained. She wanted terribly, and thirsted terribly. The natural romantic spirit in her bones stirred restlessly, about to break free from its cocoon.

She touched his ear, gently pinching it like caressing a piece of fine jade, unable to let go: “Originally I was awake.”

Shen Qianzhan leaned close, like a small beast, lowering her head to gently nuzzle his neck: “Now, just got drunk.”

Her hair bun had already loosened halfway on the road. With this bow of her head, her long hair fell loose, the soft strands lightly sweeping across his neck hollow like a feather, stirring an itch to his heart’s depth, raising waves of dry heat.

Ji Qinghe pinched her long exposed neck after her hair scattered, his throat slightly tight, his voice low and hoarse: “There’s sobering medicine.”

“Don’t want to drink it.” She touched her nose tip to his rolling Adam’s apple, muttering complaints: “It tastes weird.”

“Then sleep a while, when you wake up I’ll take you back to the crew.”

“Don’t want to sleep.”

Ji Qinghe stopped.

He grasped Shen Qianzhan’s hand, looking sideways, seriously meeting her eyes for several seconds: “Since you don’t want either, let’s do something else.”

He must have smiled, the corners of his lips lifting in an extremely subtle arc. Before she could see clearly, he had already removed his glasses and lowered his head to kiss her.

Immediately after, Ji Qinghe grudged even giving her time to breathe, pressing her into the covers.

Her nose was filled with the vast cool fragrance from his body, covering her wine scent, like a cluster of cool bamboo, clean and pleasant.

This fragrance matched exactly with the light fragrance that often lingered in her dreams, the top notes light as air, the base notes building steadily, like the secret clouds atop Wushan Mountain, accumulating to a certain degree before a torrential rain poured down, soaking her through.

She was trapped in these mountains, breathing gradually difficult, her already dizzy head becoming even more dizzy.

Her mind in chaos, when the wind and rain briefly ceased, he loosened his grip slightly, his fingertip caressing her lips that had been kissed and sucked until they were delicately alluring, his voice low and hoarse, like restraining himself yet like being obsessed, the tone low and deep, swallowed into his lips before becoming clear: “Shen Qianzhan, it’s still not too late to call stop now.”

Why call stop?

She knew she wanted it desperately too.

She opened her eyes.

Under the soft light, his features were deep, like a cliff at her feet, just waiting for her to step into emptiness and sink together.

She reached out, her fingers stroking from his jaw to the corner of his eye. With this point of leverage, she had something to depend on. When she approached him, the layered shadows finally focused into the person before her eyes.

“I want to.”

As soon as she finished speaking, he pressed forward again.

Shen Qianzhan opened her lips, meeting his somewhat out-of-control kiss after several restraints and departures from taboo.

Torrential rain overhead, blazing sun and scorching day.

She thought of Xi’an in June, when her heart fluttered, when lust stirred at the sight of beauty.

That night of debauchery became her nightly spring dreams, haunting her soul.

Her earlobes were moist, her neck also covered in fine kisses.

Ji Qinghe particularly loved her appearance when struggling unbearably, lingering, watching her whimper, watching her futile efforts.

Shen Qianzhan was forced by him until her nose tip stung, her eye sockets aching so much she couldn’t even open her eyes, dimly as if separated by a layer of water mist, his features gradually blurred into a black shadow, then gradually fragmented like paper pieces.

She didn’t know she was crying, the corners of her mouth sinking unconsciously downward, unable to be pulled flat no matter what.

Ji Qinghe didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, his heart also collapsing halfway from being stained by her scalding tears. Biting her lip, he softly coaxed: “Why are you crying?”

Shen Qianzhan was too ashamed to speak, opening her mouth to bite. But she didn’t dare bite hard, afraid he would hold grudges and retaliate. After biting, she immediately released.

He was finally satisfied, bit by bit possessing her. When his fingertip wiped away the tear tracks on her face, he asked in a low voice: “When you wake up tomorrow, will you acknowledge this?”

He neither advanced nor retreated, forcing her to answer.

Shen Qianzhan felt extremely wronged: “I’ll acknowledge it.”

Ji Qinghe asked again: “Will you take responsibility?”

Shen Qianzhan shook her head: “I won’t.”

Ji Qinghe laughed despite himself, gripping her waist, lowering his head to kiss her face repeatedly, kissing her nose tip, “I’ll ask again, will you take responsibility?”

This time Shen Qianzhan really cried: “I just won’t.”

She cried intermittently, her eyes soaked, looking particularly pitiful.

His heart softened unbearably, turning his head to bite her ear.

After biting as punishment, he stopped forcing her and completely possessed her.

It wasn’t until the latter half of the night that this rain finally ceased.

Ji Qinghe carried her to bathe. She had no strength left, lying in his arms, letting him do as he pleased.

When they returned to bed it was already a quarter hour later. She was muddle-headed, so tired she only wanted to sleep. The moment she closed her eyes, her muddled brain and weary body found release together.

She curled up her legs and shrank to the side of the bed. As she was about to fall asleep, a spoon was brought to her mouth. Her chin was forcibly pinched open, soup water poured in.

Surprisingly, the soup water was warm and mixed with honey, sweet as it went down her throat.

Shen Qianzhan tasted the sweetness and obediently opened her mouth, submissively drinking an entire bowl of sobering soup.

Near dawn, Shen Qianzhan woke up again half-dreaming, half-awake, and cried upon waking.

Ji Qinghe hadn’t slept deeply all night. At her slightest movement he would open his eyes and wake. Seeing her crying with eyes closed, he kissed her brow and patiently coaxed: “Awake?”

“No.”

Last time in Xi’an, she was the same way, unable to sleep peacefully all night.

When the air conditioning got cold, when the wind rose, everything could startle her awake. She was terribly delicate.

He had experience now, kissing her repeatedly, patiently asking: “Cold? Or want some water?”

Shen Qianzhan shook her head again.

“Worried about tomorrow’s opening ceremony?”

She was in a nightmare, deep in drowsiness, yet her consciousness was clear.

Ji Qinghe saw she didn’t shake her head, so he flicked her earlobe with his finger, helplessly saying: “I’m keeping track of time.”

Shen Qianzhan was quiet for a few seconds, then whimpered: “No.”

“You didn’t use protection.”