Chapter 100 The paper was given to me by my girlfriend

Qin Tian saw his fair neck blushing. The last time she saw him blush was at the Da Hu family in London. That time, he blushed out of shame. What about this time? She looked away. Don't be so self-indulgent. He's going back soon. Is he going to confess his love to her before leaving? He's not such a boring person, nor is he such a sentimental person. He just wanted to make a joke, but he realized he'd gone too far. Just like last time, his face was flushed with shame.

Tong Zhongyuan waited until the blush faded before looking up at her, only to see her eating the last prawn with a normal expression. He was puzzled, but couldn't bring himself to ask her what she was thinking.

After dinner, Qin Tian thought it was time to get down to business. She had planned to buy him an Apple Watch as compensation and pick out a gift before he left. But she hadn't expected him to leave so soon, and since she'd been so busy lately, she hadn't prepared anything. She looked around, hoping to see if there was anything she could give him as a token of appreciation.

Tong Zhongyuan was putting the dishes in the sink, ready to wash them. She quickly stopped him and said there was no rush. He had already put on rubber gloves and said it was okay, just a few dishes, it would be quick.

Qin Tian glanced at him sideways while peeling an autumn pear. She had assumed he'd come over this time just like he did in London, just to have a meal and say goodbye. How did it end up being Tong Zhongyuan cooking and washing dishes at her house?

"Tong Zhongyuan, do you have any gift you want? I'll give it to you."

His hands paused as he washed the dishes. Was she planning on giving him a parting gift? He had no intention of saying goodbye to her, but there was no way he could say such an important thing while washing dishes with rubber gloves on.

"It's all right. You're welcome." He said vaguely.

"Anything is fine? What annoys me most is that anything is fine."

Qin Tian put down the fruit knife and looked at the picture frame on the wall. She had put it up after returning from Niya.

I present this jade to you, and wish you all the best.

These words were a fitting farewell gift. Last time in Niya, he had shown considerable interest in the pair of wooden tablets. It would have been more meaningful if she had carved them herself, but time was tight. She might not have had time to complete them in such a short time. These tablets carved by his mother held a special commemorative value, but she was reluctant to give them to him.

Tong Zhongyuan followed her gaze, his heart sinking for no apparent reason. Could she be planning to carve this sentence for him? He had no intention of being separated from her, sending letters by carrier pigeon.

He changed the subject and asked her, "Have you asked Uncle Qin about the Han Dynasty gilded plate? Where are you going to look for it again?"

He was almost gone, yet he was still thinking about the gilded plate. She picked up the knife again to peel the skin and said casually, "I've been so busy lately that I haven't thought about it yet. I'll talk about it when I have some free time."

"Well," he put the washed dishes in the drain basket, "then tell me if you've made up your mind, and I'll go with you."

The knife in her hand faltered, and a strip of autumn pear peel fell off. He turned back just in time. The pear itself was not very big, and after she had peeled it like that, there was not much left to eat. Wasn't she very good at seal carving? Why would she peel the fruit like this?

"Let me do it." He naturally held her hand, took the fruit knife from her hand, and peeled the skin easily.

"Tong Zhongyuan," she asked hesitantly, "Are you going back next week?"

He peeled the pear into pieces, put it in a bowl, and found two forks.

"It depends. It's not that urgent."

She was a little confused. He hadn't said that in the afternoon. He glanced at her and asked casually, "Do you want me to go back?"

"How could that be? Of course I don't want you to go back." She said without hesitation.

He didn't want to show his joy, but the smile on his lips and the upturned corners of his eyes showed his happiness written all over his face.

He forked a piece of pear and brought it to her mouth. She opened her mouth and ate it subconsciously. His smile deepened. He touched her head affectionately, stared into her eyes, and apologized gently: "I'm sorry for getting your hair dirty during the day."

Qin Tian was certain that something was wrong with Tong Zhongyuan. He was a completely different person at night than he was during the day. After he left, she washed and dried her hair until almost midnight. She tossed and turned in bed. Even before he left, he hadn't said when he would return to England, only asking her to get some rest and to have lunch together the next day.

It's not that she hasn't thought about herself. But this is the most impossible thing. She is 30 years old, not 20. She knows what she is like in the eyes of men. Stubborn, impulsive, a workaholic, no hobbies, and no way to dress up. She can roughly imagine the type of man like Tong Zhongyuan. Dazzling beauty, superior taste, interesting and charming. None of these have anything to do with her. Even if he likes her a little bit, it is an illusion caused by his current situation. He has been here for three months, without social interaction, without family, and is almost in a vacuum. The only intersection is her. With the little friendship in childhood, she has tripped him up. As long as he returns to his world, she will disappear in his morning like a dream.

Half asleep and half awake, her thoughts wandered uncontrollably. If only he could stay a little longer, if only he could continue to search for the gilded plate with her, if only he loved her in isolation, then even a false and fleeting happiness wouldn't matter.

She suddenly woke up with a start, sweat beading down her back. She kept her eyes open in the darkness. Even during the years she had secretly loved Tang Zhixu, she had never considered accepting a false relationship. Tang Zhixu had said to her, "Why don't we give it a try?" At that moment, she had completely given up on him. What if this person was Tong Zhongyuan? If Tong Zhongyuan had said to her, "Let's give it a try," what would her response be?

She turned on the bedside lamp, walked to the bookshelf, took their photo from the center position and turned it over in the corner. She returned to bed, turned off the light, and tossed and turned like a pancake until dawn before she fell asleep.

The autumn night was already a little chilly, but the journey he took back from her house was the hottest cool night he had ever experienced.

He should have been more measured, he should have thought about it a little longer. But he couldn't help but want to share his decision, to be teased. He called Eithans, and he picked up as expected.

"Don't tell me you won't be back next week." He said warily.

He held the phone, looked at the night sky and smiled: "You guessed so accurately?"

"Oh no!! Why? Is it your girlfriend who won't let you come back?"

He had indeed used this joke to mock him. But he went from hating it to wanting it to be said. He admitted it softly and stickily.

"Well, she doesn't want me to go back."

Eithans gasped. "No! Don't make me hear that. No, I think you should come back immediately. You'll only get crazier if you stay there."

"Have you argued for your thesis?" he changed the subject.

Eithans immediately became interested and forgot to laugh at him.

"I was just about to tell you that I've taken samples from several porcelain artifacts and verified this. Amazing!! I doubt even the British Museum has found this channel, and we have detailed data on all the dates! Did you know? With this data, we can reduce the error rate of the artifact's age to 10%, and even determine dates that others can't confirm. I dare say that our studio is the only one in the world with this capability. Where did you get this? No one shares their research results. Did you hack into the Shanghai Museum's computers? So you can't come back and end up in jail in China?"

"My girlfriend gave it to me."

Eithans burst into laughter. He laughed for a moment, then suddenly stopped. There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds, and then his voice came back, filled with shock and disbelief.

"Jesus, you really have a girlfriend? And your girlfriend wrote this paper??"

"She's still very beautiful and cute."

"Jesus, so you have to move the studio to Hong Kong! You found a new partner and don't need me anymore."

"She's my girlfriend, not my partner. Otherwise, I wouldn't have given you her thesis. These research results have saved you at least three years. Keep your promise and move your studio to Hong Kong."

"I complied, and you didn't. We can only start the operation if you come back. Without your presence and signature, I can't do anything."

"I'll do it as soon as possible."

"One more thing," he said seriously, "Tony, British Museum, are you really planning to resign?"

"I've resigned," he said.