A Pharaoh and Her Beloved Queen: Modern Chapter - Chapter 10

Unable to withstand Auntie Zhao’s nagging, Ye Zhiqing spent the next few days obediently staying home to recover.

Her original plan to pre-record at Central China Television had to be temporarily shelved. She applied hot compresses and medication to her sprained ankle on schedule, and the swelling gradually subsided.

As for the old issues with her spine, the pain wasn’t severe, so she simply ignored it and focused on meticulously preparing the script for the next episode.

Cultural variety shows are not easy to produce; a high-and-mighty, preachy tone easily creates a sense of distance with the audience, yet if one adopts a typical entertainment variety format, it is far too easy to lose the depth, sentiment, and aesthetic atmosphere that the program seeks to explore.

Therefore, at such times, the cultural cultivation of the host plays a crucial guiding role.

Because of the sudden appearance of the mysterious Egyptian merchant’s gift in the last program—coupled with the fact that this year was the China-Egypt Cultural Exchange Year and the subsequent media hype—the viewership and reputation of Civilization Relics had significantly improved.

Prior to this, the quality of the program was already evident; in terms of ratings and public feedback, it was already a leader among cultural variety shows in the same time slot.

The latest feedback from the production team to Ye Zhiqing was that they planned to add an extra episode regarding Ancient Egyptian civilization. The Egyptian merchant, who had been unwilling to show their face in the previous episode, had accepted the invitation and agreed to participate as a special guest.

Inadvertently, Ye Zhiqing’s gaze fell upon the materials An Nannan had brought over, sitting on the corner of her desk.

It introduced the latest discovery by the International Ancient Egyptian Archaeological Research Group: a mysterious golden mask from an Egyptian pyramid.

Through 3D laser scanning and imaging analysis, the owner of this mask was determined to be female. The exquisitely carved Eye of Horus at the very center of the mask silently proclaimed her status—an Egyptian Pharaoh.

However, when the project team built a 3D model based on the mask’s features and compared it with the characteristics of all recorded female rulers of Ancient Egypt in the database, the vast majority of traits did not match.

Even later, when they compared it against all recorded Ancient Egyptian nobles regardless of gender, there were still no findings.

And…

Ye Zhiqing pursed her lips, thinking of the bracelet she had received. The artistic characteristics revealed in the fine details of this mask were identical to those of her bracelet.

Could it be that there is actually a gap in the currently known history of Ancient Egyptian civilization?

The thought was too absurd; Ye Zhiqing composed herself and forced herself to stop thinking about it.

Just then, her phone vibrated. Ye Zhiqing picked it up and saw an unknown number. She slid the screen to answer.

“Hello,”

“It’s me. I am at your front gate.”

“Do you have—”

Beep, beep, beep~

The voice was very recognizable—it was Edith. Just as Ye Zhiqing was about to ask what she wanted, the call was abruptly disconnected.

Ruan Bai and Auntie Zhao were not home at the moment. Ye Zhiqing stopped her work, feeling quite baffled. Because of her leg injury, she couldn’t walk fast and had to slowly make her way out to open the gate for Edith.

Outside the courtyard, Edith was dressed in a flax-colored long robe that trailed on the ground. The warm light softened the sharp edges of her features, making her look refreshing and bright—a very comfortable sight.

Out of politeness, Ye Zhiqing wore a faint smile and spoke in a gentle, light tone, “Edith,”

Edith’s eyes were very deep, like the boundless starry universe. Every time she met her gaze, Ye Zhiqing felt as if she could sense countless complex emotions blended within, yet it was impossible to grasp exactly what those emotions were; they were difficult to guess.

Lifting the bag of medicine in her hand, Edith saw Ye Zhiqing come out, and the aura of joy around her instantly intensified, yet it was well-restrained enough that Ye Zhiqing wouldn’t notice. “I remember you only took one course of medicine; it should be nearly finished by now.”

A curve appeared on Edith’s beautiful lips. Her seemingly casual words were drenched in a cautious, testing intent. Her gaze lingered on Ye Zhiqing’s face, observing every subtle expression.

Thinking of the message Ptah sent last night, Edith imperceptibly tightened her grip on the medicine bag.

“Your Majesty, according to data analysis, Chinese people often tend to choose partners who are powerful and can provide a sense of security. The time of Miss Ye’s injury is precisely when she needs you most. You should appear by her side at this time, take care of her meticulously, solve all her troubles one step ahead of her, and increase her favorability.”

After a slight daze, the smile on Ye Zhiqing’s face unconsciously became more sincere. She had intended to go to the hospital for medicine or have Su Ya deliver it in the next couple of days, but she never expected Edith would deliver it herself.

“Thank you. Would you like to come in and sit for a while?”

“Alright.”

The previous unpleasantness seemed to have been tactfully forgotten by both. The initial awkwardness of being at a loss for words slowly dissipated as the two gained a deeper understanding of each other.

Ye Zhiqing walked slowly due to her injury, and Edith followed slowly by her side. Thinking of what Ptah said last night—that Chinese people value gradual progress, and the same applies to pursuing someone—Edith realized the reason she had annoyed Ye Zhiqing before was that her actions were too sudden and intimate.

This time, Edith very consciously kept a certain distance from Ye Zhiqing. The hand closer to Ye Zhiqing was slightly raised in a protective posture, quietly following her.

Entering the house and sitting down, Edith’s every move was very proper.

“What would you like to drink?”

“Anything is fine.”

“The Duyun Maojian tea is quite good.”

Ye Zhiqing brewed the tea and handed it to Edith. As if possessed, she added another sentence: “If you want something refreshing, drinking tea has fewer side effects compared to coffee.”

Last time in the office, Edith had drunk Espresso like water without changing her expression, which had left a deep impression on Ye Zhiqing.

Edith keenly captured the concern in Ye Zhiqing’s words and reached out to take the cup with a smile. Their fingertips accidentally touched at the rim of the cup; they shared a brief look and then tactfully averted their gazes.

Taking a shallow sip of tea, Edith took the initiative to start a conversation, asking Ye Zhiqing about business office buildings in the city center.

Hearing that Edith intended to rent an entire business building in the city center, surprise flickered in Ye Zhiqing’s eyes. The annual rent for an entire building in the city center was approximately 250 million to 300 million RMB. Although she already knew Edith was wealthy, this scale was a bit too grand.

Upon further inquiry, it turned out Edith wanted to do research and development of scientific instruments related to archaeological relics—for example, using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) to study the composition of metal artifacts to develop new appraisal instruments.

The application of high technology in global archaeology is very scarce compared to other industries, and the market demand to be tapped is considerable. If there is enough capital support, the later profits would be immeasurable.

There was just one thing Ye Zhiqing was confused about: why would Edith choose to rent in the city center instead of the Kyoto Science and Technology Park? The pressure on initial liquid capital would be much smaller there.

“Because I want to be closer to you,” Edith said, slowly stroking the rim of the cup, her tone casual yet her manner utterly determined.

Her beautiful eyes widened slightly. Edith’s unusual attitude toward her was very obvious; even if Ye Zhiqing was slow in matters of the heart, she could perceive Edith’s meaning.

Ye Zhiqing could not deny that she had an inexplicable fondness for Edith, which was why she had repeatedly tolerated her boundary-crossing behavior. But they had only known each other for a few days?

To Ye Zhiqing, Edith’s statement today was simply too absurd; at the same time, it made her feel oppressed.

Ye Zhiqing considered herself not a traditionally conservative person; as for feelings, she had always had an attitude of letting things take their natural course and had never minded the gender of a partner.

But the vast, deep affection revealed in Edith’s eyes could not be faked; it was like a surging tide hitting her instantly, pulling her in, making her drift with no room to retreat.

Edith sat to the side, quietly watching Ye Zhiqing. In her fluster, Ye Zhiqing lowered her eyelashes. Her throat felt inexplicably dry and painful, and her trembling lashes revealed the inner turmoil she felt at this moment.

After much deliberation, Ye Zhiqing restated her position, her tone resolute: “Edith, we are only partners, and we will only ever be partners. No matter what your purpose is, you don’t need to spend so much effort on me.”

The author has something to say:

Edith: I’m just that rich and overbearing.