The matter of bringing Ji Qinghe back to meet the Shen couple, Shen Qianzhan had considered for a long time.

First, she felt that with the crew already in Wuxi, returning home was convenient and wouldn’t require a special trip later. Second, she considered that she had already met half the Ji family population, so it was only proper reciprocity to bring Ji Qinghe home for the Shen couple to meet him. Third, she believed that Old Master Ji’s favor in lending the clocks should be thanked by the Shen couple in person to show proper respect.

Moreover, when she returned to Beijing this time, besides resigning, she needed to find new work quickly. Whether as an independent producer or joining a new company, the adaptation period of six months would be short rather than long.

Perhaps by early next year, or perhaps only after creating a hit series project that maintained “Shen Qianzhan” standards, could she be truly settled.

As for Ji Qinghe, he had spent most of his first half of the year delayed with the crew. After returning to Beijing, he would not only need to immediately return to his work position, but also complete the new product launch for the Bu Zhong Sui timepiece brand before “Key of Time” officially aired.

Time was pressing.

Neither had the luxury for romance.

Ji Qinghe was very pleased with the proposal to “meet the parents before leaving Wuxi.”

Not pressuring Shen Qianzhan was one thing; parental awareness was another.

Even if she hadn’t brought it up tonight, Ji Qinghe had already put early parental awareness on his agenda, with three specific plans—

First, to subtly appear when Shen Qianzhan was video chatting with her mother, establishing his presence.

Second, to prepare appropriate gifts before Shen’s parents’ birthdays and have Shen Qianzhan deliver them.

Third, New Year visits.

This three-part strategy could be described as gradual progression, advancing step by step.

Of course, even the most comprehensive strategy was still just strategy.

Shen Qianzhan taking the initiative to suggest meeting parents was naturally the best outcome.

The next day, Ji Qinghe began preparing gifts for the visit and consulted Ji Suimu about the proper etiquette for formally meeting a girlfriend’s parents.

When Ji Suimu saw this message that completely didn’t seem like something Ji Qinghe would ask, he was silent for several seconds before asking: “Formal? Is there also informal?”

Ji Qinghe replied: “Had dinner at her house on New Year’s Eve.”

“That was during the pursuit phase, the situation was different.”

For some reason, Ji Suimu detected a hint of smugness in those brief two sentences.

He pondered for a moment, saying: “Cater to their preferences, show sincerity.” After finishing, unable to hide his curiosity, he asked: “Planning to marry?”

Ji Qinghe: “Anytime.”

Ji Suimu stared at these two characters for a while, concluding: Seems like he hasn’t succeeded yet, just unilateral intention.

After the Penglai Eight Immortals Treasure-bringing black wood enamel carved antique clock and copper-plated Four Horses Golden Goblet enamel relief antique clock were transported away, the burden on Shen Qianzhan’s shoulders instantly lightened by half.

That evening, Shen Qianzhan video chatted with her mother.

Shen Qianzhan was busy with work and had many social obligations. Her mother rarely initiated video calls, mostly maintaining contact through WeChat voice messages.

In their chat history, three days had passed since their last contact.

Her mother had sent a photo of chilled watermelon, telling her that this hot summer, Old Shen had nothing else to do so he dug a well in the yard. This well served to raise fish and chill her watermelon.

Shen Qianzhan was calculating filming expenses at the time and only replied: “You’re getting older, don’t be greedy for cold things and ice.”

Her mother later sent several coquettish emoji packages. She smiled knowingly after seeing them but forgot to reply.

During the dozens of seconds waiting for the video to connect, Shen Qianzhan suddenly felt guilty.

Her mother was sitting on the swing in the yard. After the video connected, she couldn’t hide her happiness, asking with a smile: “What made you think of Mom today?”

“Which day don’t I think of you?” Shen Qianzhan adjusted her phone angle, returning the smile: “It’s just that today I couldn’t contain the urge and absolutely had to see you.”

Her mother was delighted by her coaxing and asked: “It’s already dark—has Deng Deng eaten dinner?”

“I’ve eaten. The crew may not excel at much else, but meal times are especially punctual.”

“Still in Wuxi?”

“Yes, things here aren’t finished yet.”

Her mother paused, asking softly: “Have you had time recently? Would it be convenient for Old Shen and me to visit you?”

“Not very convenient.” Shen Qianzhan said: “The crew is recently preparing to relocate, it’s busy and chaotic.”

Her mother slowly said “Oh,” her gaze unable to hide disappointment: “Then take care of your health. Don’t skip meals or sleep when you get busy. Your Old Shen finally managed to fatten you up a few pounds during New Year—you can’t disappoint the hair he lost for you.”

Looking at the screen, Shen Qianzhan’s smile deepened: “Old Shen’s receding hairline is hereditary, it has nothing to do with me. Don’t bully me for being easy-going by randomly assigning blame.”

The Shen couple belonged to the working class. They had lived by the rules their entire lives, working diligently, clocking in and out on time. Except for the years when her education required money and Old Shen buried himself in work for red banknotes, the rest of the time had no connection to career ambition.

After Shen Qianzhan entered the film and television industry, Old Shen sighed more than once: “Our Shen family couldn’t find anyone connected to artistic creation in several generations combined. How did Deng Deng have such a genetic mutation?”

Her mother’s ideology was traditional and conservative.

Every time Old Shen felt a little proud, she would bring up old grievances: “You’re quite happy? Deng Deng’s line of work is so hard—competition and networking. When work pressure increases, she gets insomnia. Girls need to be beautiful, but long-term hormonal imbalance affects health.”

Her plans for Shen Qianzhan’s future aligned with most parents—ideally securing a stable job, nine-to-five, working at sunrise and resting at sunset. At worst, banks, hospitals, schools—finding stable, easy work with fixed holidays and leisure time to enjoy life.

Best would be dating at twenty-five, marriage at twenty-seven, having a child before thirty. As for a second child, leave it to fate, no pressure.

But Shen Qianzhan went against her planned path. Not only did she not stay in Wuxi or remain by her side, she drifted to Beijing, working from dawn to dusk daily, busy as a dog.

Often she had no fixed residence, staying in hotels with the crew, without stable social circles or stable romantic relationships, constantly networking with reversed day-night schedules.

She didn’t understand and felt heartbroken.

During occasional verbal conflicts, Shen Qianzhan couldn’t agree with her views, nor could she convince Shen Qianzhan.

For a long period after starting work, Shen Qianzhan felt emotionally distant from family and had no sense of belonging to home. Later, as she aged, her mother gradually accepted the reality that her daughter couldn’t stay by her side. With her experience as someone who had been through it all, she urged Shen Qianzhan to actively build marital relationships.

It couldn’t be called a deteriorated relationship, but there was indeed a period when Shen Qianzhan and her mother couldn’t communicate.

During that time, separated by great distance, it was like floodwater blocking family affection.

Her mother was stubborn in her views, and Shen Qianzhan was unwilling to yield. If Comrade Old Shen hadn’t suddenly realized the mother-daughter relationship had seriously deteriorated and mediated in time, the distance might not only have failed to create beauty but also produced alienation and estrangement.

This was also why after Shen Qianzhan’s incident, she didn’t immediately turn to the Shen couple for help.

Their lack of understanding toward her, their lack of support and optimism about her work, and subjectively, she believed the Shen couple lacked the ability to solve the debt of tens of millions.

Out of guilt and responsibility as a daughter, Shen Qianzhan would rather bear everything alone than let such troubling matters disturb the Shen couple’s smooth and stable retirement life.

Su Lanyi said she was like a donkey—stubborn and bad-tempered.

Once she decided on something, unless she figured it out herself and changed, no one could influence her.

Shen Qianzhan initially disagreed, but as she aged and became more objective and peaceful in dealing with people and situations, she realized many things indeed showed that the authorities were confused while bystanders saw clearly.

Her interactions with Ji Qinghe’s family, with Old Master Ji and Madam Meng, also made her reflect from the heart on whether her years of deadlock and opposition with the Shen couple had been too foolish.

Of course, it was also possible that the only contradiction between her and her mother had disappeared, so naturally their positions no longer needed to be confrontational.

When Shen Qianzhan came back to her senses, her mother was still chattering: “Did you see the grapevines your father tied up? Calling him a fruit killer really wasn’t wronging him at all. If these grapevines can actually produce grapes, he can fish all he wants and I absolutely won’t interfere.”

Night vision was limited, and the corner where the grapevines climbed had no lighting. At a glance, Shen Qianzhan only saw darkness.

“Where’s Old Shen?” she asked.

“He went deep-sea fishing with his fishing buddies.” Her mother grumbled with some dissatisfaction: “He left yesterday and won’t be back until tomorrow. If he’d known you’d call, he probably would have come back tonight.”

She spoke carelessly, but Shen Qianzhan felt uncomfortable hearing it: “You’ve been home alone these two days?”

Seeing her concern, her mother smiled to comfort her: “During the day I play mahjong with your aunt and them. At night I swing on the swing for a while then sleep. Your father has been home this whole time, raising fish and growing vegetables. This is his first time going to sea this year.”

Shen Qianzhan flipped through the calendar beside her, asking: “Do you and Old Shen have time the day after tomorrow?”

Her mother paused, looking at her suspiciously: “Didn’t you say it wasn’t convenient for us to visit the set?”

“Visiting the set isn’t convenient.” Shen Qianzhan kept them in suspense, saying mysteriously: “But I didn’t say I couldn’t go back home.”

Her mother was stunned, then delighted.

She stopped swinging and hurried toward the house: “I’ll call your Old Shen right now. He told me last night this trip’s harvest wasn’t small.”

“Oh, where’s my phone…”

Shen Qianzhan laughed in exasperation: “Aren’t you holding it while video chatting with me?”

Her mother seemed to just realize this, feeling both angry and amused at her own stupidity. After her emotions calmed somewhat, she smiled: “Though you’re in Wuxi, we haven’t seen you since you sent your dad and me back last time. When you’re with the crew, your dad and I want to visit but fear disturbing your work. We were planning to ask again in a couple days. Now it’s good, now it’s good. What do you want to eat? Mom will prepare it in advance…”

“Mom.” Shen Qianzhan interrupted her. Her gaze was calm as she looked at her mother for a while before saying: “I’m bringing someone back to meet you.”

Her mother was completely stunned.

The Shen family’s iron tree was actually blooming?

That night, when it was somewhat late, her mother called Comrade Old Shen with trembling excitement.

The first call didn’t go through, so she made a second. The second didn’t go through, so she made a third.

After several consecutive attempts still couldn’t connect, the smile on her face flickered uncontrollably as she thought of last night’s torrential rain.

She recalled her last phone call with Old Shen.

That was before the thunderstorm. She had just finished dinner and was drawing well water to water the flowers.

With work in her hands, she hurriedly answered after the phone rang for a while. Old Shen complained about her slow response, then after reporting his safety, excitedly said this trip’s harvest wasn’t small.

Later it began raining. She worried about her precious flowers in the yard being drowned, so she hastily hung up. She hadn’t contacted Old Shen since then.

Old Shen loved fishing and had fishing buddies.

Previously when deep-sea fishing, he would also be gone three or four days.

Initially her mother worried about sea safety and demanded Old Shen immediately report safety whenever he had signal. After several years of Old Shen returning safely each time, she was no longer so nervous, only requiring him to inform her when going to sea or landing on islands to give her peace of mind, no longer keeping close tabs.

This sea trip was the same as usual.

Old Shen had reported safety before departure. Last night he should have landed on an island and specifically called during her after-dinner time. Logically, today’s call should have come long ago, but she couldn’t get through…

The more she thought, the more frightened she became, her palm holding the phone breaking out in cold sweats.

After another failed connection, she found Old Shen’s deep-sea fishing buddy’s phone number in her contacts and dialed.

Identically.

Unable to connect.

Next morning.

Shen Qianzhan was still sleeping soundly in Ji Qinghe’s arms when her bedside phone rang urgently, one call after another, with an arrogant attitude of “I won’t give up until you answer.”

Shen Qianzhan groped blindly several times with empty results, just about to open her eyes.

A slender arm from behind reached over her, accurately found her phone, and handed it to her.

On the screen, the four characters “Mother Dear” under the 8 AM phone clock struck like an alarm bell, instantly shocking her into full alertness.

Just as she was about to answer, another incoming call notification from Su Zan, along with knocking sounds, surged together.

A strong sense of unease descended abruptly in the clear morning drowsiness after their passionate night.