His latter half of the sentence suddenly softened in tone, piercing straight to the heart.

Shen Qianzhan instantly couldn’t say anything at all.

No one knew better than her how much effort Ji Qinghe had put into softening her sharp edges and smoothing her rough corners.

These were just what he had spoken of—there were many more he hadn’t mentioned, such as: resolving the difficulties she encountered at business dinners, sparing her from the bloody storms of crisis public relations.

Each and every one, she remembered.

All these years, everyone could only see her power and voice. Beneath the halo of “gold medal producer,” what Shen Qianzhan carried was the pressure and burden of everyone thinking she was omnipotent.

She couldn’t make mistakes, couldn’t fail to accomplish things, couldn’t be unable to solve problems.

The weak could make mistakes, could be powerless, could give up at any time. Their failures could easily gain understanding, pity, and tolerance—only she couldn’t.

If she took one wrong step or made one mistake, she’d face ridicule and curses from ten thousand people.

Opposition parties with interests conflicting with hers would use her so-called dark history to attack wantonly and seek benefits.

Those in her same camp would only regret that she had been caught by the handle, ordering her to solve it without fail and not to endanger the project.

Behind her glory was a fate manipulated like an ant.

There were plenty of people waiting for her to fall back into the valley, ready to step on her hard again, watching her suffer eternal damnation, struggling to survive.

No one knew that she didn’t like drinking.

For business entertainment, she had to adapt to drinking table culture, keeping investors happy. Day by day, drinking became a habit, and even she herself forgot that she had once so detested alcohol.

No one knew either that she hadn’t originally been her current personality.

Her heart housed a literary-minded little girl who didn’t talk much but had many dreams. Full of love for life and yearning for the world, but when she truly embraced this world, she learned that human hearts were fearsome, and not every corner had sunlight shining upon it.

Before meeting Ji Qinghe, she lived like duckweed on the sea, having to protect herself wisely while balancing relationships among three parties.

Capital withdrawal, commercial transactions, capital conflicts—in these situations beyond her control, she alone donned armor and took up shield, unable to show the slightest trace of cowardice.

But only after meeting him did Shen Qianzhan realize that she too could be protected.

She didn’t need to be especially strong. No matter how difficult the road, even when reaching the end of cliffs and abysses, she still had a way back, one that could protect her and allow her to retreat unharmed from the hail of bullets and arrows.

Shen Qianzhan’s heart suddenly became completely soft.

She gazed at Ji Qinghe, the light in her eyes gradually brightening, like lanterns hanging at a ferry crossing, making the vast expanse of water shimmer with rippling waves: “Fine, I stirred up trouble myself, so I’ll take responsibility myself.”

Ji Qinghe didn’t respond.

His Adam’s apple rolled lightly, as if he could no longer suppress his desire for her, and he lowered his head to kiss her.

This time legitimately and justifiably, he deliberately started a fire, no longer concerned about the pleasure of fusion, using utmost patience to entangle with her.

In an instant, Shen Qianzhan felt as if she had returned to that night in Xi’an last year.

The process from deciding to have relations to actually having them was quite brief. She went to the wine cabinet to get alcohol for atmosphere.

To bolster her courage, Shen Qianzhan deliberately opened a bottle of strong liquor.

Without even using a wine cup, after opening the bottle, she directly put her lips to the bottle mouth and took a swig. The wine’s aroma was rich, like incense lit somewhere, permeating with a faint pear fragrance.

When she handed the bottle to Ji Qinghe, he smoothly grasped her wrist, captured her lips, and transferred a mouthful of liquor from her mouth.

It seemed from that moment, she was drunk.

Drunk to the point where she didn’t want to wake from the dream, only wanting to rush toward passion with him.

That night was also like now—his dominance made her seem as small as something in his palm, at his beck and call.

Her body still remembered the sensations from that time—she trembled beneath him.

From the moment of intimate contact, she couldn’t help but feel feverish all over.

All her senses concentrated on one place in an instant. In the darkness of the room, she could only see the storm in his eyes that seemed ready to devour cities and crush dust to pieces.

Yet he was in no hurry to breach the gates, making her like fish on a cutting board, watching helplessly as the blade hung over her head, not knowing when it would finally fall.

If only Shen Qianzhan knew nothing about what was to come next, but she knew what was going to happen. Before the blade completely fell, she repeatedly imagined the ecstasy of the moment when the city would be breached.

The sensation from her body was him positioned between her legs, sharpening his weapon again and again.

Several times approaching the critical moment, he would wickedly retreat, leaving her heart suspended again and again, hanging in mid-air, never giving her relief.

Later she finally got her wish. He was surprised that it was her first time.

After she adapted, he carried her from the desk to the bed, no longer displaying his earlier rashness, expanding territory with utmost patience bit by bit.

From beginning to end, Shen Qianzhan didn’t feel much pain. Only the suppressed storms in his eyes, after her ups and downs, suddenly erupted, grabbing her ankles and dragging her along into the abyss to sink together.

Tonight’s time also seemed infinitely stretched.

He kissed her lips, sucking and lightly biting. Hearing her breathing gradually quicken, his eyes contained profound amusement as he watched intently as she was guided by him step by step, deeply trapped in the whirlpool.

And he was right in that whirlpool, stirring up wind and clouds.

——

After one scene ended, Shen Qianzhan was exhausted.

Earlier on the desk, her back had been rubbed numb and painful. Now she could only lie on the bed like a limp shrimp, trying to calm her violent heartbeat.

The sound of trickling water came from the bathroom.

Shortly after, the water stopped, and Ji Qinghe emerged barefoot with a bath towel around his waist.

Only one desk lamp was lit in the bedroom, making the bedside dim.

He sat down beside the bed and gave her a sip of warm water: “Does your back still hurt?”

Shen Qianzhan was too embarrassed to answer. Her fragrant shoulder shrugged slightly, revealing half of her fair back for him to see himself.

He turned on the light. Under the overhead lighting, the skin from her shoulder blades to her entire back was rubbed red, shocking to see.

He couldn’t bear to look and lowered his head to kiss her shoulder blade: “I’ll get some medicine.”

Shen Qianzhan couldn’t see her own back. Hearing this, she half-propped herself up and turned her head to look. This posture fully displayed the curve of her waist dimples, her uniquely feminine body lines flowing smoothly like artwork of rolling distant mountains.

Ji Qinghe’s eyes darkened. Without showing any emotion, he pressed the blanket back over her shoulders and went downstairs to find ointment.

After applying the medicine, the burning pain in her back finally eased. Shen Qianzhan lay in his arms and suddenly muttered: “Don’t they say that after twenty-five, men’s performance generally declines? How is it that this saying doesn’t apply to you at all?”

Ji Qinghe looked down at her and tucked in the corner of her blanket: “Would you prefer my performance to decline?”

Not really.

She was just being smug after getting a good deal.

She didn’t respond, and Ji Qinghe didn’t pursue it further.

Neither said anything.

The bedroom suddenly became quiet, with only the sound of howling wind outside the window, as if brewing a thunderstorm.

He took a strand of her long hair and wound it around his fingertip to play with, incidentally bringing up tomorrow’s return to Wuxi: “Tomorrow’s flight is at 2 PM. We’ll arrive in Wuxi just at dusk. Ming Jue will travel with us this trip.”

Shen Qianzhan hummed in acknowledgment, nuzzling in the hollow of his neck, finding a comfortable position: “There’s something I want to discuss with you.”

Ji Qinghe guessed what she wanted to say and asked first: “Want to hide our relationship for now?”

His tone was calm, as if he had long guessed her intention.

Shen Qianzhan didn’t hear any emotion in his words, but figured he must have some opinion about it in his heart. After thinking, she phrased it tactfully: “The word ‘hide’ is a bit excessive. I was thinking that before ‘Time’ wraps, we should keep as low a profile as possible to avoid affecting the work enthusiasm of the crew staff.”

“Work enthusiasm?” Ji Qinghe lifted her chin and met her eyes: “The work enthusiasm of those on your admirers list?”

Shen Qianzhan: “…”

What admirers list did she have?

As if seeing through what she was thinking, Ji Qinghe released that strand of hair and held her waist, pulling her up a bit: “I heard that half the male actors in the group were selected by you according to your personal preferences?”

Shen Qianzhan took advantage of this to half-prop herself up, looking down at him from above: “What, jealous?”

With one sentence, she went on the offensive, blocking back all his unspoken words.

Ji Qinghe raised an eyebrow. After their eyes fought for several seconds, his right hand reached under the blanket, sliding from her shoulder and back, and firmly patted her buttocks once.

He didn’t use much force, but this move was beyond Shen Qianzhan’s expectations. She was stunned for a few seconds, her face flushing completely red.

“I get very jealous.” After patting, he rubbed the spot, his voice low, seeming both a warning and casual talk: “When I lose control, I easily lose my sense of proportion. Only when you have eyes and heart only for me can there be world peace and stable days.”

“Remember that?”

Remember my foot.

Shen Qianzhan supported herself with her elbow on his chest and had a sudden whim: “Hypothetically, if one day you heard from others that men visited my room every night, what would you do?”

Ji Qinghe asked back: “Need to hear it from others? Just from what I’ve seen myself, there have been quite a few times. Which night has your room been empty?”

Shen Qianzhan laughed.

Looking at Ji Qinghe, she liked him more and more, so much that she couldn’t help lowering her head to kiss him: “Be serious, it’s a simulation scenario. You just said that tonight you’d answer anything I asked.”

Ji Qinghe thought for a moment, not considering too long, and said: “I wouldn’t learn about you from others. If you say there’s nothing, then there’s nothing.”

Shen Qianzhan laughed again and continued asking: “Then… what if someone in the crew pursues me, the persistent kind?”

“From what I know of you, this matter would be nipped in the bud when it showed signs.” After answering, he pinched her buttocks again and said: “Isn’t that what you did to me?”

Shen Qianzhan gave a guilty dry laugh twice. She just hadn’t thought there would be today.

Moreover, if she hadn’t experienced all this, how could she have seen his true heart? Even if she had agreed early on, their relationship might not have been smooth sailing.

“Have you ever thought that if you had originally used investment as a condition to keep me, it might have backfired? Maybe we would have grown further apart because of suspicion, uncertainty, or my pride.”

Ji Qinghe glanced at her and corrected: “I never thought of keeping you. You misunderstood my meaning.”

From the beginning, he had wanted to start with an equal romantic relationship. It was just that at the time, apart from their one-night stand, their feelings were so thin they weren’t even worth a cup of plain water. He had no way to explain and was deeply afraid of saying too much and making mistakes, so he simply sought other methods.

“It wouldn’t have come to that either.” He turned over, pressing her beneath him, and repeated: “I wouldn’t have let it come to that.”

But he didn’t say the reason. Until this night came to an end, Ji Qinghe never revealed another word.

Shen Qianzhan wasn’t someone who got to the bottom of things. She knew well that even the most intimate relationships needed space, let alone these hypothetical questions.

Perhaps because they were both mature adults, they no longer cared about the formality of “I love you” or “I like you.” They didn’t even need to explicitly state their relationship status word by word. I know you like me, you also know I like you, so let’s date.

Tacit understanding.

——

The next day, the three returned to Wuxi.

Su Zan sent a driver to pick them up.

Seeing Shen Qianzhan and Ji Qinghe walking and talking from afar, their aura of acting as if no one else existed seemed capable of silently tearing apart even one additional third party.

He clicked his tongue twice, once again sighing—his blessed mouth was nine times out of ten accurate again.

He strode forward to meet them, wanting to take the luggage with practiced familiarity.

After extending his hand, seeing that Shen Qianzhan’s suitcase was being carried by Ji Qinghe, he quietly retracted it and scratched the back of his head: “Sister Zhan, Mr. Ji, Assistant Ming.”

Shen Qianzhan was much more natural than Su Zan. Upon meeting, she first asked about the crew: “Nothing went wrong these past few days?”

“How could there be?” Su Zan looked proud, his eyebrows dancing with joy: “I put in 120% effort, handling everything personally. Even if something had happened, I would have told you long ago. I wouldn’t falsely report military intelligence. You can be completely at ease.”

Shen Qianzhan was just asking casually.

Qiao Xin had followed her for many years and knew the producer’s work inside and out. Even if Su Zan were careless, Qiao Xin was reliable. She figured that in just these few days, nothing major could go wrong.

Reaching the car, she got in first.

Su Zan followed closely, sitting in the back row, leaving the empty seat next to Shen Qianzhan for Ji Qinghe: “Sister Zhan, this trip should have gone smoothly for you too?”

Shen Qianzhan glanced at Ji Qinghe and nodded very reservedly.

Smooth? How could it not be smooth?

She got both the watch and the person. This trip to the Ji family, she had claimed all of Old Master Ji’s treasures.

“What about Song Yan?” she asked.

Su Zan said: “Teacher Song has recovered pretty well. She returned to the crew yesterday. If nothing unexpected happens, she can join the shoot this weekend.”

Shen Qianzhan was somewhat surprised: “Her wound didn’t look like it could recover this quickly.”

Su Zan sighed: “I heard she used invisible patches to cover it. If we really waited for her wound to heal completely, it would take at least another half month. How could Xiao Sheng possibly be willing to wait?”

A crew’s daily shutdown costs were in the tens of thousands. No crew could afford delays, especially ‘Spring River,’ which had already suffered heavy losses from the snowstorm.

Shen Qianzhan frowned and said nothing.

Seeing her lost in thought, Su Zan also tactfully closed his mouth.

——

When they arrived at the hotel, it was already an hour later.

Just at dusk.

The car stopped at the hotel’s main entrance. When Shen Qianzhan got out, Qiao Xin was already waiting anxiously at the door, having become a “Zhan-waiting stone.”

She hurriedly trotted over in small steps, nodded to Ji Qinghe, and very quickly gave her a piece of news: “Producer Xiao has been waiting here for you since this afternoon.”

Shen Qianzhan didn’t hear clearly: “Who?”

“Xiao Sheng, Producer Xiao.” Qiao Xin looked back to make sure Xiao Sheng wasn’t behind her, reminding her: “Before you went on your business trip, didn’t Producer Xiao want to take you to dinner to apologize? I said you went on a business trip, he asked about the timing, and he’s been waiting here since this afternoon. It’s like you were deliberately avoiding him…”

As soon as she finished speaking, a tall figure walked out through the revolving door.

Xiao Sheng glanced at the tattletale Qiao Xin, smiled, walked up to Shen Qianzhan, and offered her a cigarette: “It’s really not easy to see Producer Shen.”

Shen Qianzhan looked down at the cigarette and suddenly felt a burning gaze from behind staring at her neck until it felt hot.

Her smile stiffened slightly. The hand she had extended quietly retracted, not daring to take it: “I quit smoking. Haven’t smoked in a long time.”

Her family member was watching right beside her—even if she hadn’t quit, she wouldn’t dare take it.