Chapter 122 His disheveled appearance is particularly attractive
The doorbell rang, and his heartbeat involuntarily jumped. He walked to the door, lowered his eyes, grasped the doorknob, steadied his breath, and opened the door. A bag of takeout came towards him, and Qin Tian smiled behind it.
"I bought some cooked food and added some for you. Let me see what you cooked?"
She forced the bag into his hands, walked in without stopping, and looked around for slippers.
"I don't have slippers, so just come in. I haven't cleaned yet. I only bought kitchen utensils today."
He put the takeout bag on the table and opened it.
"Has the administration department signed the contract? They're giving you the keys so soon?"
Qin Tian masked his discomfort by surveying the apartment. Tong Zhongyuan stood still, watching her elusive movements like a bee. He couldn't wait for the administrative procedures. He had met with the real estate agent in the morning, signed the contract at noon, and after receiving the keys, he did a quick cleanup, went to the supermarket to buy kitchenware and ingredients, and cooked dinner in time for lunch.
"Yeah. I got it today. Let's eat first."
He brought two bowls of rice and pulled out a chair for her. On the table were four dishes, a combination of meat and vegetables, a soup, and the two cooked dishes she had brought.
Qin Tian thanked him somewhat stiffly, picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and politely complimented his cooking. The situation had changed. She no longer dared to mention the idea of a good marriage, nor did she dare to ask what the Morse code he'd typed meant, or even if he was moving in this weekend. Every topic was off-limits; the very act of starting it would swerve into ambiguity. Her mind urged her to say something. They still had six months to go. She couldn't keep playing dumb in front of him.
Tong Zhongyuan picked up a piece of beef and put it in his mouth. He cooked it according to the short video. Was it a little salty? It didn't taste very good. In the past two weeks, the uncertainty, self-doubt and frustration that he rarely experienced in his life became no longer unfamiliar. The last moment he thought she was in tune with him, and the next moment, he thought he might have misunderstood. She came and sat next to him, but the distance was farther than a building. He used the flashlight to send out the Morse code, a code of hope. But she didn't want to know the answer. All the love rhythms and ambiguous signals that he thought were natural, but with her, none of them could go smoothly.
Qin Tian took three bites of beef with his chopsticks. His stir-fried beef was truly delicious. Her uneasiness had gradually subsided, and her rationality was returning. She truly had many things she wanted to ask him.
"Are there any clues about the gilded plate?"
He paused: "Didn't Tang Zhixu tell you?"
"No. He asked me to ask you."
Tong Zhongyuan was silent for a moment. He was both elegant and graceful. Since that was the case, he wouldn't be polite. For him, grace wasn't important; he only cared about the result. He omitted the tortuous process of finding the gilded plate, only recounting his conclusion and his guess.
Qin Tian guessed there was progress on the gilded plate, but he hadn't expected it to be this significant. This result meant that as long as they found Zhuang Xiangyan, they would be able to find the whereabouts of the gilded plate. Although Tong Zhongyuan didn't explain the specific process, she understood that if it weren't for him, she wouldn't have gone to a place like Xibo to look for the gilded plate.
She didn't even bother with the polite words of thanks. Her relationship with Tong Zhongyuan couldn't be expressed with just a few words of thanks. In short, if he needed any help, she would naturally do her best.
"By the way, you stay at the Shanghai Museum to work on the Yuan blue and white porcelain. What about your job at the British Museum?"
Tong Zhongyuan did not answer her immediately. He chewed the food slowly and swallowed the truth that was rolling on the tip of his tongue.
“Some are on vacation, some are on leave.”
Qin Tian was surprised. She knew there were many holidays abroad, but she didn't expect it to be this many.
"Ask for leave? Do you also have personal leave? Will there be any deductions?"
"Maybe Director Ming has already given a heads-up." He said evasively.
She nodded in understanding, feeling a strange sense of relief and loss. He was like a traveler who took a wrong turn, walking a little further, seeing unfamiliar scenery, and experiencing unique moments, but ultimately had to return to his original path.
He lowered his eyelashes. The two of them had no relationship at all now. Resigning for her would only be a huge pressure and moral kidnapping for her.
Until they finished their meal. Qin Tian never asked him what the password meant, nor did he ask when he would move. She told him about the Jin Hou Zhong, the inscription, and the process of removing Yuan blue and white porcelain from the museum. Seeing that the time was almost up, she said the last words. He stared at her gentle smile in a daze. It was only half past seven. She had only been here for an hour. He lowered his head and put down his rolled-up sleeves. The weather was getting a little cooler, and the heat that he expected when she came over was dissipating.
She stood up, put the dishes in the sink, and sorted out the kitchen waste. Tong Zhongyuan didn't buy any dishwashing liquid, so it was difficult to wash. He could only make do with it for now. She instructed, "It's cold, so soaking it in water won't make it smell. Go slow and wash it when you get some dishwashing liquid."
She lowered her head and placed the bowl under the running water to rinse it once. A soft "plop" sounded from her hair as the hair tie snapped, unraveling her ponytail. Her thick hair fell around her cheeks. She lifted her hands from the greasy water and searched for a hand towel or tissue, but found nothing.
Tong Zhongyuan walked up to her, put his arms around her, and raised his hands to push the hair on both sides of her cheeks behind her ears.
"Do you have any tissues?" She still raised her wet hands.
He held her wrist, lowered his head and pulled out the corner of his shirt to wipe the grease off her hands. Qin Tian let out a low cry, but before he could pull his hand back, it was already wrapped in his warm shirt.
"Tong Zhongyuan! If I don't have a tissue, I can just wipe the wall!"
"It's too late, I've already wiped it." He said, and wiped her other hand with his shirt.
Qin Tian was anxious and angry. His clothes were very expensive, a good shirt, and it was ruined like this. The most terrifying thing was that her face was starting to burn.
"I'm going home! There are plenty of tissues at home."
She shook his hand off, hurried to the door, and grabbed the door handle, wanting to escape before her face turned completely red.
"Qin Tian." He called her name from behind.
She prayed in her heart to stay calm and rational, and not be seen through by him like a fool. She took a breath, turned around, and said calmly, "What else?"
He didn't follow. The main light in the living room was old and dim, but it made his disheveled appearance look particularly attractive.
"I want to move in this weekend. I need your help. Is that okay?"
Qin Tian opened her mouth, but not a single word of refusal escaped her lips. She had just vowed in her heart that if he needed her help in any way, she would do her utmost. Finally, she said dryly, "Okay... then let me know tomorrow."
After she left, Tong Zhongyuan walked to the bedroom window. After a while, a warm light came on from the small window opposite. He looked at the wrinkled and oily corner of his shirt and smiled.
Their current stage was like a dance with two wrongly paced steps: one in front, the other behind, one fast, the other slow. One of them was bound to feel uncomfortable. Either she had to accept it, or he had to withdraw. He couldn't force himself, so he had to force her.
Even though it was on silent mode, Tang Zhixu's phone kept flashing. He turned the phone over and pressed it on the table in annoyance. It was not quiet on weekend nights. No wonder they say people are afraid of being famous and pigs are afraid of being fat. He hasn't even become famous yet, but he's already being remembered. His father was so excited that he insisted on setting up several tables. His mother almost wiped away her tears, saying that she didn't have any wishes now, and she just hoped that he would get married soon so that she could have grandchildren. When she said this yesterday, he thought of Qin Tian. With her temper, even if she got married, she wouldn't want children in the short term. Coincidentally, he didn't want any either.
Today, in the restoration room, the reappearance of the Jinhou Bell stunned the world. When the Chunhua Pavilion Calligraphy Exhibition opens next week, the Jinhou Bell will be the next major project. It was only then that he realized that Tong Zhongyuan had not only known about this from the beginning but had personally restored the Jinhou Bell. Restoring such a large, unwieldy bronze vessel with his skills was a waste of talent.
"...He said he doesn't mind being involved in controversy, and I think Director Ming must feel the same way." Qin Tian said.
The early winter afternoon sun shone on her hair. She rested her chin on her hand, her slender fingers circling the coffee stirrer, her gaze fixed on the ripples created by the stirrer.
His hand, gripping the coffee cup, paused in mid-air. It was a tender scene, yet a chill crawled along his fingers like the heatless thorns of an insect, reaching his heart.
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