Chapter 129 If You Lose, Call Me Sister for a Week
The road at night looked a little unfamiliar. He had driven this road hundreds of times since leaving Qin Tian's house, but never before had he felt this way.
This is not a well-prepared and perfect confession, nor is it a natural and heart-to-heart connection. It is just a last-ditch struggle with all one gamble.
Qin Tian's face was blank. She tried to open her mouth several times, but nothing came out. She turned her eyes away from his face. He knew her answer.
He spoke before she could, "You don't need to answer me now. I've been preparing this sentence for three years. Don't answer me in three minutes."
She looked at him with complicated eyes, and finally asked, "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat?"
They dined as usual. He said he wanted to buy winter clothes, and she didn't object. She went shopping with him, buying him a down jacket. He asked if she wanted anything, and she shook her head. She talked even more than usual that evening, bringing up countless topics just to ensure there wasn't a single moment of silence between them. Neither of them mentioned what they had said on the terrace at dusk.
He walked her home. She didn't walk away without looking back, as usual. Instead, she stood aside and waved to him. He had a misconception that this wasn't the Qin Tian he knew at first, the cautious Qin Tian who was afraid of offending him.
He went upstairs, took the Nüshu materials she had compiled, and ate the fruit she had cut for him. Just like usual.
The past is unattainable. The present is unattainable. The future is unattainable. But his past has never passed the test. He still thinks of that year, 365 days, the more than 300 days when Qin Tian loved him. If only he had responded for a moment, what would happen to them now?
When he came out, Qin Tian followed him out, and her sincere voice echoed in the stairwell.
"Tang Zhixu. I will seriously consider it. No matter what the result is, we are still friends, right?"
The elevator clattered up, stopped, and opened its doors. He stepped into the elevator, facing her, and answered.
"No. I can't do that."
He pressed the close button. The elevator door slowly closed, and her fluffy hair, moist eyes, and tightly pursed lips were gradually blocked out, becoming narrower and narrower until they were no longer visible.
The elevator door closed. Qin Tian stood there in silence. The sensor light went out. She quietly returned to the room in the darkness, closed the door, and leaned against it.
"You don't need to answer me now. I've been preparing this sentence for three years. Don't answer me in three minutes."
Tang Zhixu, her best friend, her most trusted work partner, and her former secret crush, confessed his love to her on the terrace of his home, at dusk when the clouds were drifting across the sky.
Three years? Why did she only realize this now? Why did she take his kindness for granted? She had promised him she would seriously consider it, but what did serious consideration even mean? How long had it been since she'd considered whether she still had any lingering attachment to him? When did she realize his heart had stopped beating? The pain she once thought was incurable, the longing she once thought was insurmountable, had long since been smoothed over by the gentle hand of time.
The moment he said, "Can we go together?", she seemed to wake up from a dream.
Her future, the person she would spend it with, was no longer him.
On a weekday morning, Qin Tian dragged herself to work. When the alarm went off, she felt like she had only slept for a moment. Unexpectedly, after all these years, Tang Zhixu would once again cause her insomnia.
Qin Tian bought a cup of coffee as soon as she arrived at the office. She felt a little more alert. At this hour, Tong Zhongyuan was probably the only one working in the restoration department. It would be easier to talk when there weren't many people around. With her coffee in hand, she went to the restoration room to find him.
Her guess was correct. Tong Zhongyuan was the only one in the restoration room. He wasn't at the restoration table, but sitting in front of the computer.
"Good morning!" she greeted.
He heard the voice and turned around. Seeing that it was her, he turned back, turned his back to her, and continued to look at the computer. He said lightly, "Good morning."
She was stunned for a moment. Didn't he get enough rest? He looked a bit listless. She walked around to him. There was a hint of blue under his eyes.
"Did you sleep too late last night?" she asked.
He didn't look at her, still looking at the computer, holding the mouse: "What do you want to talk to me about?"
Qin Tian felt something was odd, but she couldn't put her finger on it. He'd messaged her yesterday, so he must have known she'd tidied up the apartment. But now he seemed angry. Did he think she was meddling? What if what she was about to say was going to annoy him even more? She hesitated for a moment, but then, forget it, regardless of what he thought, she was doing this for herself, not for him. It was just to make herself feel better.
"What are your plans regarding Yuan blue and white porcelain?"
"I haven't found a way yet. If it doesn't work, forget it."
What does "forget it" mean? Are we not going to make up for it anymore? If he really doesn't want to make up for it, should she still tell him? She really didn't expect that. She ran around all day yesterday, thinking she could help him. But today's atmosphere was completely different from what she expected.
Tong Zhongyuan was upset. Talking to her like that made him feel contemptuous of himself. But he couldn't bring himself to chat with her as casually as before. Qin Tian was free to date whomever she wanted and bring home; he had no right to lose his temper. He understood the reason clearly, but he couldn't help but treat her like this. What exactly did he want? If she slammed the door and left now, would he be happier? Or would he be even more upset?
Qin Tian looked at him for a moment, unsure how to continue the conversation. She fumbled with her phone, smoothed her hair, and walked over to him. On his computer screen was an enlarged photo of what appeared to be a Southern Song Dynasty cup, which caught her attention. She leaned closer to the screen.
The warm scent of her body, blended with her sweater, drifted through the small space, silently invading his lips, nose, and breath. He wanted to step back, to let her take the screen. But in reality, he remained motionless, letting her face approach. The tip of her nose tilted slightly, her breath rose and fell, her lips parted; though there was still some distance, he could feel the warmth of the down covering her face gently touching his, tingling and itchy.
"Can you make it a little louder? There." Her voice came with her breath and fell on his lips.
She waited a moment, but nothing happened. She looked at him suspiciously. His eyes were half-closed, his long lashes obscuring his vision. She decided to help herself and reached for the mouse. It wasn't until her hand touched his grip that he came to his senses and clicked.
Qin Tian looked at the photo and asked softly, "How could this be an imitation of the Southern Song Dynasty? The Southern Song Dynasty was all about Ge Kiln."
This sentence completely sobered Tong Zhongyuan. This was a cultural relic sent by Eithans last night, a client's request for appraisal. Eithans had already performed a thermoluminescence analysis, and the characteristics were consistent with those of the Southern Song Dynasty, confirming its authenticity. Just in case, they sent him a photo. He hadn't been in the mood to examine it last night, and just as he was starting to look at it this morning, she arrived. From the naked eye, this cup also matched the characteristics of the Southern Song Dynasty Ge Kiln.
"Why do you say it's a replica? This cup has been thermoluminescent treated. It's from the Southern Song Dynasty."
She was very sure that Qin Tian had left the screen.
"That means there was an error in the thermoluminescence testing process. This cup is a replica."
Tong Zhongyuan glanced at her and opened a data report from his computer.
"This is thermoluminescence data. Is there an error?"
Qin Tian pulled a chair and sat next to him, took possession of the mouse, and examined it carefully. After a few minutes, she said, "Nothing's wrong. The thermoluminescence is fine."
She let go of the mouse and sat back down. "But the cup is a replica. I think there's something wrong with where the sample was taken."
Tong Zhongyuan laughed. He knew Eithans's strength, otherwise he wouldn't have chosen him as a partner. He might seem unfocused, but he was actually extremely cautious. After all, a private organization like theirs had a reputation to protect, and there was no room for error.
"Impossible. Taking samples from the wrong area is a simple mistake. My partner wouldn't do that."
Qin Tian also looked at him with a smile: "I'm not saying that your partner made a mistake. I believe that from a procedural point of view, his operation is correct. His problem is that he is not Chinese and he doesn't understand the characteristics of Chinese porcelain. Even if it is just sampling, he has to make subjective adjustments based on the porcelain sent by different people from different eras. He must have taken the wrong sampling point for this cup."
Tong Zhongyuan was wondering last night why he had fallen into Qin Tian's hands. There were many reasons, but it was undeniable that her professional confidence was a big part of what attracted him. But now he felt that she was a little too confident.
"Qin Tian, I know you're very capable. But you're prejudiced against foreign people and institutions. Britain's historical passion for porcelain has made it a porcelain powerhouse no less than China. My partner is quite knowledgeable about Chinese porcelain. He may not be as good as you in bronzes, but he's second to none when it comes to porcelain."
Qin Tian's face still had that confident smile that made him intoxicated and jealous.
"Want to make a bet?"
"What's the bet?"
She tilted her head and thought about it. Actually, there wasn't anything she particularly wanted.
"I can't think of it at the moment. Or..."
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