Chapter 106 Want to be responsible for me?
He raised his eyes, a vague sense of unease. That night, she had desperately held onto him, tried to keep him, and apologized to him. In his rage, he had lost his mind. He had only heard her hurtful words, but hadn't seen her concern for him, her care for him. Only a day and a half had passed, and now, facing him, she wasn't nervous anymore.
"Don't bother looking for him. I'll fix it."
This answer took her by surprise. There was no trace of unhappiness in his deep eyes, and his tone was as gentle as ever. It was as if the anger from the night before was just a figment of her imagination.
"So...are you in time?" she asked cautiously.
"There's still time."
He stood there, calm and composed, as if nothing had happened. She finally believed he was no longer angry. She breathed a sigh of relief; it meant they had reconciled. Yet, deep down, she felt a vague sense of disappointment. She'd assumed he'd be angry for a while longer, that she'd overestimated her influence over him. But one day, they reconciled, and just as she'd hoped, he'd retreated to a safer position, less prone to anger.
"Well, then I won't tell Dai Lihua."
"Um."
She walked out of the restoration room. He looked at her back, his mind wandering.
Song Suiyang had just finished two pan-fried dumplings and was about to try some scallion pancakes when the table was empty and a slender hand reached out and took away her breakfast.
"Damn!" Song Suiyang raised her head. Tong Zhongyuan had already taken her breakfast away.
"Teacher Tong, haven't you eaten yet..." she stammered.
"I'm hungry again."
Tong Zhongyuan sat back in his chair and took a bite of the scallion pancake. He raised his eyebrows and looked at the scallion pancake in his hand with some surprise.
Song Suiyang was on the verge of tears. From his expression, she knew that the scallion pancake was super delicious. If she had known earlier, she should have finished the scallion pancake first.
Qin Tian returned to the office, closed the door, and stood there for a while. She took out the watch from her bag. She would give it to him at a suitable time. He wouldn't throw it away now.
Around noon, Tang Zhixu sent her a message.
"Come to the cafeteria for dinner."
She was wondering why she hadn't seen him all morning. Yesterday, she'd told him about her search for the Han Dynasty gilded plate. He sighed, "You didn't even come to me? There were no paintings before the Tang Dynasty; murals and panel paintings were just paintings. Tell me, have you found it on your own?"
She sighed, "Why didn't I think of this? This is your specialty!"
She pushed the file bag in front of him.
"Take it back and study it. Tell me if you find any clues."
He raised his eyebrows and smiled, pointed at the file bag with his finger, and took it.
Tang Zhixu was an impatient person. She guessed that he would have read all the information last night and come to discuss it with her today. However, there was no news all morning.
She checked the time; it was still early. It wasn't lunchtime yet, so she figured he was late again, so she decided to just eat. She arrived at the cafeteria and looked around but couldn't see anyone. Someone stood up in the corner and waved, then jerked his head back and grimaced in pain. She then noticed he was wearing a collar.
"What's wrong with you? You were fine when you went back yesterday."
He adjusted his neck brace: "I fell in the shower."
"You..." Qin Tian was speechless. A grown man would still fall while taking a shower. "Why don't you install a flap in the bathroom so you can sit down and shower."
Tang Zhixu knew she was mocking him, but he had nothing to say. He had gone home yesterday to research information on Han Dynasty gilded plates, and didn't work until after four in the morning when he drowsily went to take a shower and tripped over the threshold of the bathroom.
"Help me serve the food. I haven't had breakfast."
She sighed and went to the food window to get her food. Sometimes she had the illusion that Tang Zhixu was like her son. She never knew when he would give her a "surprise." People like him should get married soon, find someone who is willing to devote themselves to him and take care of his life.
Tang Zhixu stood up and went to the tableware to get chopsticks, spoons and paper towels. Qin Tian brought the plate over. Tang Zhixu's phone on the table lit up, and a WeChat message popped up on the screen. She subconsciously glanced at it, and the content of the WeChat message popped up. She then remembered that last time he asked her to help with a reimbursement process on the mobile office APP, and for convenience, he asked her to record a facial recognition on her phone. Unexpectedly, he never deleted it.
Ann (the girl I was dating): "Are you done with your weekend work? Are you free these evenings? I promised to treat you to dinner last time. I'll make a reservation for whatever you want."
She was stunned. So he was on a blind date, she thought... What a close call, she almost got carried away again. From the looks of it, it seemed to be going pretty well. This guy actually marked people as blind date girls. Why didn't he add numbers? Blind date girl number 1, blind date girl number 2.
Tang Zhixu returned with his cutlery. He struggled to eat, unable to lower his head, pushing his plate away. Each bite was like an artificial, unintelligent robot. Ten minutes ago, she would have watched from the sidelines to keep her distance, but now that she knew he was on a blind date, she felt a sense of relief. When he put down his spoon, she placed the next bite on it. Like an assembly line, she helped him eat.
"Do you want to go to Henan to look for clues?" Tang Zhixu asked while eating.
"Why do you say that?" She hadn't told him her plan.
"This Qing dynasty model imitates the Eastern Han dynasty sacrificial paintings. Since they are imitations of the Eastern Han dynasty, most of them were found in Luoyang."
She put down her chopsticks and looked him in the face. However, he couldn't see her because he could only see the top of her head.
"Why is it the Eastern Han Dynasty, and not the end of the Western Han Dynasty?" she asked.
"The designs on the carriage windows on the gilded plate come from the coin 'Daquan Wu Shi'. Daquan Wu Shi was minted after Wang Mang's Xin Dynasty, and it only lasted for thirteen years. According to regulations, this mural should belong to the Eastern Han Dynasty." He answered fluently.
"What time did you go to bed last night?" she suddenly asked an irrelevant question.
He craned his neck and looked down into her eyes: "You haven't answered me yet, are you planning to go to Henan?"
"I'm trying to decipher an inscription soon. After I finish that, I want to go to Henan. What time do you go to bed?"
"Five o'clock. How long will it take to decipher the inscription?"
"It's hard to say. If everything goes well, it could take a week. If not, it could take several months. What time did you fall?"
"Half past four."
Qin Tian's heart sank. As expected, it was just as she thought. She made him fall. She put a piece of braised pork on the spoon and stuffed it directly into his mouth.
“That’s how I take charge.”
He chewed the meat slowly and laughed heartily.
"Ask the retired staff in your department to translate this inscription for you. They're all spoiled."
She remained silent. She was indeed terrible at management, and the only person she could use was Yuan Junruo.
"After the inscription is translated, I will go to Henan with you." Tang Zhixu said.
She nodded. She only knew him as an expert in calligraphy and painting, but she hadn't expected him to be so expert in mural painting as well. He saw her nod from the corner of his eye, and a flower blossomed in his heart. It had been so long since he'd been on a business trip alone with her. He missed her, but he also looked forward to it.
Song Suiyang sent her a message asking her to have lunch together. She said she was already in the cafeteria. Song Suiyang replied, "Wait for me, I'll be there soon."
She thought Song Suiyang had a really good appetite. After eating so much breakfast in the morning, he was able to eat lunch after such a short while.
Tang Zhixu finally finished eating. When he heard that she wanted to wait for Song Suiyang, he immediately stood up to take the plate. If Song Suiyang saw him like this, he would definitely laugh at him. He pushed the chair away and walked out. Qin Tian saw that the laces of his sneakers were undone.
She was furious. She knew that her vision was poor and her mobility was limited with the neck brace, yet she still wore shoes that needed laces. If she stepped on the laces, she would fall and end up in the hospital.
She said angrily, "Put the plate down and tie your shoes first. You haven't fallen enough."
Tang Zhixu obediently put down the tray and slowly squatted down. He was only halfway down when Qin Tian, who was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, looked at him with an expression that said, "I'm in pain, but I won't say anything."
"Get up, I'll do it." She whispered.
His fall was indirectly caused by her, so she is responsible.
She put down her plate and bent down to help him tie his shoelaces. Her fingers had just touched the hem of his trousers when someone grabbed her arm and yanked her up. She was dragged back a step, her back bumping into the man's arms, a familiar scent lingering in her.
Tang Zhixu tilted his head and looked behind her with a smile, but his eyes were cold. She turned around hastily, but before she could see clearly, she had been pulled behind him by the man.
Tong Zhongyuan stood straight, only slightly lowering his eyes to glance at Tang Zhixu's loose shoelaces, and then looked at his neck brace coldly.
Song Suiyang was carrying a plate and chatting and laughing with Chen Yun. Chen Yun asked in surprise, "Teacher Tong is here too?"
"where?"
Song Suiyang followed her gaze and saw Tong Zhongyuan and Tang Zhixu standing together, not knowing what they were talking about. There was another person standing behind Tong Zhongyuan, and although he was completely blocked, she could still recognize it as Qin Tian.
"They are all here, so let's go over and eat."
She took two quick steps with the plate in hand, but before she reached them, Tong Zhongyuan slowly squatted down and picked up Tang Zhixu's shoelaces.
Song Suiyang's brain froze, and he cried out, "Ouch!" He took a step back, bumping into Chen Yun's plate. Chen Yun was also in a state of shock. The plate fell to the ground with a clang, spilling food everywhere. The noise was so loud that it attracted the attention of the entire restaurant.
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