Chapter 112 Didn’t she say that she would fall in love with him?
She picked up the tea and took another sip. Just when she was about to change the subject to her treating her to dinner, Tong Zhongyuan spoke again.
"So what are you going to do? Eastern Han? Luoyang. Do you want to go to Luoyang?"
Qin Tian put down his teacup. He was truly unpredictable. You'd think he wasn't interested in this topic, but he insisted on digging deeper.
"Yes. I've already booked the flight. I'll be there on Thursday and will probably be back on Sunday."
"one person?"
"And Tang Zhixu, I need his expertise."
Tong Zhongyuan picked up the teapot and filled her cup. It was a little too full, and she could hardly lift it to drink.
"You asked me to have dinner with you. Are you going to ask me about Yuan blue and white porcelain?" His voice was light.
"No," she replied. "I came to you today to apologize. I've reflected on what happened that day. I was wrong. I only thought that Yuan blue and white porcelain was a national treasure, and I didn't consider the difficulty and time it would take to restore it. You are the one who knows your career plan best, and it shouldn't be me, an outsider, who should point fingers. Besides, you came to Shanghai without any preparation and have been here for four months. But I didn't consider your situation. I want to formally apologize to you."
She raised her eyes to look him in the face, raised the almost overflowing glass, and said solemnly, "I'm sorry."
He wasn't looking at her; his gaze fell on a crude poster on the wall.
His vague uneasiness had become clear. The person left standing under the fireworks wasn't her, but him. And she was walking back.
He turned and looked at her.
"I was wrong that day. I shouldn't have lost my temper, especially throwing the gift. I regret it. I'm sorry."
Tong Zhongyuan was someone who often said "sorry," but such a formal apology surprised her. She was the one in the wrong. She was the type to never admit a mistake unless she had done it. Every word of her apology was sincere. She pulled an Apple Watch from her pocket and placed it in front of him.
"I found it, but the packaging is broken. Would you like to take it?"
Tong Zhongyuan looked at the unwrapped watch, feeling dejected. That night, in the happiest place on earth, she had retrieved his discarded gift from the trash. The things he had done and the words he had said were like sand that could not be grasped; he could never return to that night.
He raised his wrist to take off his watch, picked up the Apple Watch and put it on.
Qin Tian breathed a sigh of relief. She owed him a lot, but at least she no longer owed him this watch. She had come today to say something more important. He could stay, but not because of her. She didn't want to bear that kind of pressure, let alone harbor such fantasies.
"Tong Zhongyuan, the Yuan blue and white porcelain hasn't left the museum yet, so we can stop it. I know you don't like being a person who doesn't keep his word. I can explain this to Director Ming. He will understand."
Out of her sight, his knuckles clenched until they turned white. His heart felt like it was being gnawed by a nameless ant-beast. He had guessed what she wanted to discuss today, but hearing it with his own ears and seeing it with his own eyes shattered any glimmer of hope and temptation he had. Her answer was clear; what else could he hope for? But it was too late; he had already missed his chance to escape. Now, he had already surrendered, at her mercy.
He couldn't make the same mistake again. Now that he had made up his mind, there was no need to regret what had happened. Let's start over. Didn't she say that if they stayed together long enough, she would fall in love with him? He had been afraid of getting involved with her and had deliberately kept his distance, but now it was different. He was going to tear down the wall he had built.
"No. I want to stay a little longer. As you said, Yuan blue and white porcelain is hard to come by. Now that the opportunity has come, I don't want to miss it. Secondly..."
He stared at her and told her the story.
"I want to find the gilded plate. It means something not only to you, but to me too. I've been here since the first clue, and we even went to Niya together. I want to find it, and I enjoy the process of searching for it. I want to know where it ends. I don't want to give up halfway."
Qin Tian raised her chopsticks in surprise. This reason was something she had never expected. She'd thought about it yesterday, and she thought Tong Zhongyuan's change of heart was probably due to something she'd said that day, a hint of favoritism. Perhaps national treasures also held a certain allure for him. But she had never expected him to so seriously mention the gilded plate, emphasizing the intensity of his love for cultural relics. She recalled that their growing closeness had indeed begun with the search for the gilded plate.
He stared at her puzzled expression and continued, "Tang Zhixu has provided a new idea, and we can verify it on the ground. Theory and practice are two different things. For example, where do you plan to start when you go to Luoyang? A museum? A cultural relics market? Or perhaps your grandfather's property near Luoyang?"
Qin Tian was even more shocked. She had never told Tong Zhongyuan that his ancestral home was in Henan, and indeed, it was near Luoyang.
"How do you know?"
Tong Zhongyuan opened his phone. It was the old photos he'd found during his search for the gilded plate negatives. He'd copied them all with his phone after printing them out. He placed his phone on top of it and swiped his finger across the screen.
"The backgrounds of more than a dozen photos here are all in Henan, and four of them are near Shaolin Temple. Since he found the gilded plate at the age of 17, he was probably not old enough to travel independently. He was probably not far from home at the time. Considering his age, the historical conditions in Luoyang, and Tang Zhixu's estimated date, the gilded plate was most likely purchased in Henan. Of course, this is not where it disappeared, but human behavior has inertia. We can use the places that appear in these photos as a map to find it."
Qin Tian remembered that before she fell in love with Tong Zhongyuan, her feelings for him were admiration, almost worship. That's why she shamelessly dragged him to Niya. Only after she went to Niya did she realize she shouldn't drag him down. Unexpectedly, he didn't give up and even did so much research.
"Tong Zhongyuan," she asked uncertainly, "are you saying... you also want to go to Luoyang to look for gilded plates?"
"Yeah. I haven't been to Luoyang yet, and I'm not busy this week."
Tong Zhongyuan picked up the napkin to wipe her hands. It was worth his while talking, she finally understood.
"Also," he brought the topic back to his original intention, "exploration, adventure, and archaeology are all teamwork. You can't replace people mid-process. It would cause information confusion and lack a sense of contract."
Fang Tianyi returned from lunch. As usual, he turned on his computer and watched TV. Although he watched TV during work hours, he could watch it all at noon.
Tang Zhixu walked out of his office and glanced at him. He didn't care. Tang Zhixu was the kind of leader who didn't care about anything else as long as the job was done well. Besides, it was lunchtime.
Tang Zhixu went to get a glass of water and came back, passing by his workstation. He leaned against the partition of his workstation and drank his tea.
Fang Tianyi took off his headphones and stood up.
"You need me for something?"
"What are you busy with recently?" Tang Zhixu asked.
Fang Tianyi's expression changed.
Tang Zhixu stared at his expression without blinking, watching how Fang Tianyi avoided his sight.
Fang Tian kept complaining about his bad luck, and Tang Zhixu was obviously suspicious. He thought that Tang Zhixu would not pay attention to these details with his personality. In fact, this matter had nothing to do with him, and he didn't want to get involved. It was not him who took the initiative to curry favor with Wang Qiqing. Tang Zhixu was too talented and decisive. In the Shanghai Museum, where seniority is the key, with his ability and background, he could not compete with Tang Zhixu, even if someone supported him. However, Director Wang took the initiative to show his goodwill, and he could not help but understand. He was the one who had a difficult time dealing with it. Since Tang Zhixu was already suspicious, it would only make things worse if he continued to dodge. It was time to make a choice between the two.
"Professionally, I'm sorting and categorizing Chunhua Ge Tie, visiting publishers, and doing proofreading," he replied. "Externally, I'm mainly promoting Chunhua Ge Tie. Incidentally, I also do some liaison work assigned by Director Wang."
Tang Zhixu looked him over, surprised. He hadn't expected Fang Tianyi to be so clever. He had barely started thinking, but he had already formed a judgment. He had only known Fang Tianyi for his average business skills, but for his strong social skills. He hadn't expected him to have such a keen eye. No wonder Wang Qiqing had taken a liking to him.
Fang Tianyi waited, waiting for Tang Zhixu to ask him what his liaison job was, so he could tell him. Since his boss was asking, he had no choice but to reveal everything. Even Wang Qiqing would be speechless. Even if he hadn't asked, he would have already hinted at Wang Qiqing's intentions, but he didn't actively say anything.
"Tell me about it." Tang Zhixu lived up to his expectations.
Fang Tianyi glanced around the office. They were indeed the only two of them. Unless Tang Zhixu left the Shanghai Museum, he wouldn't be able to get past him. And Wang Qiqing, he was nearing retirement. This time, he chose Tang Zhixu.
He raised his head, surrendered, and said four words.
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