Chapter 115 What is it that you can’t quit? Women?

Tang Zhixu was woken by the alarm clock. Tong Zhongyuan was very nervous. What if he overslept and missed the museum trip? He might tell Qin Tian in a roundabout way. He washed up with his eyes half closed, put on some clothes, and went to the restaurant for breakfast.

As soon as he entered the restaurant, he saw that Tong Zhongyuan had almost finished eating. He also saw him and waved to him. The waiter came up and asked him where to sit. He reluctantly pointed in Tong Zhongyuan's direction. Tang Zhixu never dreamed that he would have breakfast with Tong Zhongyuan in a five-star hotel, but the itinerary for the next few days had to be discussed.

He got a cup of coffee, some rolls, and put the tray on the table.

There was a small piece of bread, a piece of bacon and half a cup of milk left on Tong Zhongyuan's plate.

"You're quite self-disciplined. You've been drinking milk until now." Tang Zhixu pulled out a chair and sat down.

Tong Zhongyuan drank the milk without any concern.

"There's no need to be hard on yourself. Caffeine isn't something you can't quit."

"Oh. Then."

Tong Zhongyuan chuckled indifferently.

"If you want to talk about this today, I don't mind."

Tang Zhixu cursed inwardly. He had heard Tong Zhongyuan's approach to solving the problem yesterday. Although he was unhappy, he had to admit that his opponent was strong and mature. He had to control himself and not make childish provocations.

“Add me on WeChat.”

The two frowned, took out their phones, and added the person they least wanted to add in their lives.

Tang Zhixu sent the red-headed document from the office to Tong Zhongyuan.

"Let's go clockwise. Today we'll start in Luoyang, then Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, and Nanyang. If we can't find any of these eight museums, we'll look for secondary museums."

"Don't overthink it. Plans are meant to be changed." Tong Zhongyuan ate the last bite of bread. "Leaving in 30 minutes?"

The two of them arrived at the Luoyang Museum. Most first-tier museums in China have some connections with the Shanghai Museum, and Tang Zhixu and Qin Tian had visited many museums in their early years, making them familiar faces. Xiao Dai, secretary to the Luoyang Museum's director, greeted them.

"Why do you want this at the Shanghai Museum? This thing is all manually programmed. Where can I go to adjust it?"

Xiao Dai was familiar with Tang Zhixu and Qin Tian. He had originally been an office administrator, but unexpectedly, he had become the director's secretary in recent years. He even treated them to lunch.

Tang Zhixu suddenly had an idea. "Isn't it because it's so difficult that I'm looking for you? Well, you're pretty familiar with all the museums in Henan Province, right? I won't ask them one by one. I'll give you the documents, how about you help me distribute them? Let them prepare first, and I'll visit each one in the next few days."

"You're not treating me as the director's secretary, you're treating me as the director. Who am I to tell this to the Provincial Museum?"

"Well, please say hello for me first and open the door wide."

"How about this, you give me the document. I'll ask Director Wang to send it for you? His face should be enough."

Tang Zhixu was overjoyed and thanked him immediately. This saved him a lot of time and effort.

Xiao Dai genuinely wanted to do him a favor. Everyone knew that Tang Zhixu had been on the rise in recent years, and Qin Tian was also rising rapidly. Helping others is helping yourself. We were all part of the same system, so there would be plenty of interactions in the future.

Negative news always spreads faster and wider than positive propaganda. This is an eternal truth.

Within an hour of the news breaking, the entire museum knew Ming Yuanhang had spent a fortune on counterfeit Western Zhou Dynasty paintings. As Qin Tian walked through the museum, people were whispering and gossiping. The external relations department was ringing non-stop, and media appointments were constantly coming in. Compared to the purchase of the counterfeit, the return of the Chunhua Ge Tie was less significant.

Qin Tian placed the inscription information in front of Ming Yuanxing.

"When the tomb of Marquis Su of Jin was unearthed in Quwo County, Shanxi Province, the remains of 48 chariots and 105 war horses were found. The tomb bore clear signs of looting, including a completely plundered chamber. I suspect this set of chime bells was stolen from the tomb. So, I'm wondering if you could send a colleague from your archaeological team to Shanxi with me today to verify any signs of an empty chamber. We could also sample the soil from the chamber and compare it to the soil on the Western Zhou chime bells."

Ming Yuanxing sat at the office desk, looked at her and smiled.

"How long did you work overtime yesterday? Look at your face. How many times do I have to say this: the most important thing young people should cherish is their health."

Ming Yuanxing stood up to get the water.

"Xiao Qin, you are really capable, even more capable than your father was. But do you know where your problem lies?"

"I have a lot of problems, everywhere." Qin Tian responded, she knew herself well.

Ming Yuanxing laughed heartily. "That's not the case. In my opinion, the main problem is just one thing—suspicion. Distrust of others. Distrust of colleagues, distrust of me, and distrust of those who help you."

"How could I!" She had thought Director Ming would say she was stubborn, impulsive, and wouldn't listen. But he called her suspicious, and she didn't agree.

"Think about it. You were in Luoyang yesterday, and you came back at night to translate the inscription. Is that trusting your colleagues?"

"So they really didn't find it..." she muttered softly.

"You have to give them opportunities to grow. You've done everything, so naturally they can't do the work as well as you. If you had always asked them to look it up before, would they not be able to do it this time? In the final analysis, you've never trusted them, from the past until now."

Qin Tian was speechless.

Ming Yuanxing continued, "Why are you so anxious? Working late into the night? In your eyes, am I so inexperienced? A single piece of news would make an old man like me sick and unable to make ends meet. Don't you trust me? Now you're taking the archaeological team to Shanxi again. Why, without your leadership, the archaeological team can't find any ancient remains?"

"That's not what I meant..." Qin Tian defended weakly.

"Do you know why our Shanghai Museum archaeological team is inferior to others? It's because they haven't seen the world. They don't have any work, so naturally they can't do it. It's the same reason as your subordinates."

Qin Tian walked back to the office. Yang Yuxin and Fang Molin were busy looking up information. She had thought Yang Yuxin wouldn't come into the library this morning, but he did.

Ming Yuanxing’s words are still ringing in my ears.

"Have a good rest. Let's send an archaeological team to Shanxi. Trust them, and trust me."

She sank into her office chair, feeling a sense of emptiness. She had suddenly gone from battle readiness to sage time. Someone was translating the inscriptions, an archaeological team was working on the Jinhou Tomb, and Tong Zhongyuan and Tang Zhixu were working on the gilded plaques. Ming Yuanxing was right; all three groups were experts in their respective fields. She had always relied on herself, so she had never truly trusted anyone else.

Should she still rush over to Luoyang? Is Tong Zhongyuan okay? Has he adapted there? Tang Zhixu should be able to take good care of him. He's so incredibly strong, why does she always feel like he needs someone to take care of him? Is it also because she doesn't trust him...

Her thoughts grew heavier and heavier, and she fell into a deep sleep on the table.

The Luoyang Museum found nothing. In the afternoon, Xiao Dai gave them the donation and return lists from 82 years ago and helped them look for the gilded plate.

Tang Zhixu thanked him and immediately drove to Zhengzhou. The drive wasn't far, only about two hours. The problem was, the man in the passenger seat was Tong Zhongyuan, and the thought of having to spend three or four days with him, day and night, was making him bald. The press release had already been sent out. Normally, he would have called Qin Tian, ​​but today he couldn't. Even sending her a message would have felt surreptitious, so he simply forgot to do it.

The two of them sped along in silence, trying to listen to some music. The radio would constantly switch on the highway. Finally, Tang Zhixu lost his patience and muffled his voice, saying, "Connect CarPlay, and play some music."

Tong Zhongyuan didn't actually want his playlist to be shared; it was considered private. But Tang Zhixu was driving, and since he'd suggested it, he couldn't refuse, so he just went along with it.

The 1975's prelude sounded, and Tang Zhixu was stunned. This song, "About You," was also on his playlist. He had thought it was a niche song, but he didn't expect this guy to listen to this band.

With the music as a buffer, the atmosphere in the car was less tense. The downside was that the song made them think of the same person.

I know a place

It's somewhere I go when I need to remember your face

Tong Zhongyuan rested his elbows on the car window, supporting his head and looking out aimlessly.

"When did you and Qin Tian meet?" Tang Zhixu asked, holding the steering wheel with one hand and looking at the endless highway.

"Six?"

In the silent car, only the music echoed. The lead singer's unique and gentle voice asked over and over again, "Do you think I have otten about you?"

Tang Zhixu said, "Change the song."