Chapter 10

Unable to withstand Auntie Zhao’s constant nagging, Ye Zhiqing obediently stayed home to recuperate over the next few days.

Her original plan to visit Huazhong Television Station and prerecord the next episode had to be temporarily postponed. With regular warm compresses and medication, the swelling in her sprained ankle gradually subsided.

As for her spine, she had already suffered from some chronic problems in that area. Since the pain wasn’t particularly severe, Ye Zhiqing simply left it alone and devoted herself to carefully preparing the script for the next program recording.

Cultural variety shows were not easy to produce. Preaching to the audience from an elevated position could easily create a sense of distance, while incorporating the format of entertainment variety shows risked losing the cultural depth, sentiment, and aesthetic beauty that the program was intended to explore.

This was precisely why the host’s cultural knowledge and refinement played such a crucial role in guiding the audience.

In the previous episode, a mysterious Egyptian merchant had unexpectedly appeared and presented a gift. Coincidentally, this year was also the Hua-Egypt Cultural Exchange Year. Combined with the media’s extensive publicity and sensational coverage, the incident had significantly boosted both the ratings and reputation of “Relics of Civilization.”

Even before this, the program’s quality had been widely recognized. Judging by its ratings and audience feedback, “Relics of Civilization” was already among the very best cultural variety shows of its kind.

The latest news the production team had given Ye Zhiqing was that they were preparing to record another episode about ancient Egyptian civilization. The mysterious Egyptian merchant who had refused to show her face in the previous episode had accepted the production team’s invitation and agreed to participate in the next recording as a special guest.

Almost unconsciously, Ye Zhiqing’s gaze drifted toward the documents An Nannan had brought over, lying at the corner of her desk.

They described the latest discovery made by an international ancient Egyptian archaeological research team: a mysterious golden mask discovered in an Egyptian pyramid.

Through imaging and analysis conducted using a three-dimensional laser scanner, the researchers had determined that the mask’s owner was a woman. The exquisitely carved Eye of Horus at the center of the golden mask silently proclaimed her status—an Egyptian pharaoh.

However, when the research team constructed a three-dimensional model based on the mask’s characteristics and compared it with the recorded features of every known female ​bailiantales.com​ruler of ancient Egypt in their database, the vast majority of its features failed to match.

Later, they even expanded their search to include all ancient Egyptian nobles recorded in the database, regardless of gender, yet still discovered nothing.

And there was something else…

Ye Zhiqing pressed her lips together, remembering the bracelet she had received.

The artistic characteristics revealed in the smallest details of this mask were actually identical to those of her bracelet.

Could it be that the ancient Egyptian civilization known to the world today actually contained a missing period in its history?

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

Just then, her phone suddenly vibrated.

She picked it up and saw an unfamiliar number. Sliding her finger across the screen, she answered the call.

“Hello?”

“It’s me. I’m outside your house.”

“Do you need…”

“Beep, beep, beep~”

The voice was easy to recognize. It was Edith.

Ye Zhiqing had just been about to ask what she wanted when the call was abruptly disconnected.

At this hour, neither Ruan Bai nor Auntie Zhao was home. Ye Zhiqing stopped working, feeling rather bewildered.

Because of her injured leg, she couldn’t walk quickly, so she could only make her way slowly outside to open the gate for Edith.

Outside the courtyard stood Edith, dressed in a flowing, flax-colored robe that trailed gracefully to the ground. The warm sunlight softened the sharpness of her features, making her appear refreshingly bright and approachable. At first glance, she was an exceptionally pleasing sight.

Out of politeness, Ye Zhiqing wore a faint smile, her voice gentle and soft.

“Edith.”

Edith’s eyes were extraordinarily deep, resembling a boundless universe filled with stars.

Whenever Ye Zhiqing met her gaze, she always seemed to sense countless complicated emotions intertwined within those depths. Yet she could never quite determine what those emotions were, making Edith impossible to read.

Edith raised the bag of medicine in her hand.

The moment she saw Ye Zhiqing, the happiness surrounding her intensified noticeably, though she concealed it well enough that Ye Zhiqing wouldn’t detect it.

“I remember you only brought home enough medicine for one course of treatment. You [bailiantales.com]should be running out by now.”

The beautiful curve of Edith’s lips lifted slightly.

Her seemingly casual words carried a cautious, tentative undertone. Her gaze remained fixed on Ye Zhiqing’s face, carefully observing every subtle change in her expression.

Remembering the message Ptah had sent her the previous night, Edith discreetly tightened her grip on the medicine bag.

[Your Majesty, according to data analysis, people in Hua Country tend to prefer partners who are strong and capable of providing a sense of security. Miss Ye is injured right now, which happens to be when she needs you most. You should appear by her side during this period, take meticulous care of her, and solve all her problems before she even has to ask. This will increase her affection for you.]

Ye Zhiqing was momentarily stunned.

The smile on her face unconsciously grew more genuine.

She had been planning to visit the hospital for more medicine in the next couple of days, or perhaps ask Su Ya to deliver it. Never had she imagined that Edith would personally bring the medicine to her.

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

“All right.”

The unpleasantness between them earlier seemed to have been tacitly forgotten.

As they gradually grew more familiar with each other, the awkwardness and uncertainty that had initially characterized their interactions slowly eased.

Ye Zhiqing couldn’t walk stolen contentquickly because of her injured leg, so Edith followed slowly beside her.

She remembered what Ptah had told her the previous night: people in Hua Country valued taking things one step at a time, and pursuing someone romantically was no exception.

The reason she had angered Ye Zhiqing before was that her actions had been far too sudden and intimate.

This time, Edith very consciously maintained a certain distance from Ye Zhiqing. She kept the hand nearest her slightly raised in a protective gesture, quietly accompanying her as they walked.

After entering the house and sitting down, Edith behaved properly in every respect.

“What would you like to drink?”

“Anything is fine.”

“The Maojian tea from Duyun is excellent.”

Ye Zhiqing brewed the tea and handed a cup to Edith. Then, almost without thinking, she added, “If you’re trying to stay alert, tea generally has fewer side effects than coffee.”

The last time they were together in the office, Edith had drunk espresso as casually as though it were water, without the slightest change in expression. The sight had left a deep impression on Ye Zhiqing.

Edith immediately detected the concern hidden in her words.

Smiling, she reached out to accept the cup. Their fingertips accidentally brushed together along its rim.

Their eyes met briefly before they both tacitly looked away.

After taking a small sip of tea, Edith took the initiative to start a conversation, asking Ye Zhiqing about commercial office buildings in the city center.

From what Edith said, she was planning to rent an entire commercial office building downtown.

Surprise appeared in Ye Zhiqing’s eyes.

The annual rent for an entire commercial building in the city center was approximately 250 to 300 million Hua yuan.

Although she had long known that Edith was extraordinarily wealthy, the scale of this investment was still astonishing.

After asking for more details, Ye Zhiqing learned that Edith intended to establish a research and development enterprise specializing in scientific instruments for archaeology and cultural relics.

For example, she wanted to develop new instruments for authenticating cultural relics by using techniques such as inductively coupled plasma spectrometry to analyze the composition of ancient metal artifacts.

Compared with other industries, the application of advanced technology in archaeological research remained relatively limited worldwide.

There was enormous untapped market demand, and with sufficient financial backing, the potential profits in the later stages could be immeasurable.

However, one thing puzzled Ye Zhiqing.

Why would Edith choose to rent a commercial building in the city center instead of establishing her business in the Imperial Capital’s Science and Technology Park?

Doing so would considerably reduce the pressure on her working capital during the initial stages.

“Because I want to be closer to you.”

Edith slowly rubbed her fingertips along the rim of her teacup, speaking as casually as though she were discussing the weather, yet with absolute certainty.

Ye Zhiqing’s beautiful eyes widened slightly.

Edith’s unusual attitude toward her was already painfully obvious. Even someone as emotionally oblivious as Ye Zhiqing could understand what she meant.

Ye Zhiqing couldn’t deny that she felt an inexplicable fondness for Edith.

That was precisely why she had repeatedly tolerated Edith’s inappropriate behavior.

But they had only known each other for a few days!

To Ye Zhiqing, what Edith had just said was utterly absurd. At the same time, it made her feel suffocated.

Ye Zhiqing had never considered herself a traditional or conservative person.

When it came to romantic relationships, she had always preferred to let things develop naturally. Whether the other person was a man or a woman had never particularly concerned her.

But the vast, profound affection revealed in Edith’s eyes couldn’t possibly be fake.

It was like a raging sea suddenly surging toward her, sweeping her into its depths and tossing her helplessly between rising and falling waves, leaving her absolutely no room to retreat.

Edith sat quietly to one side, watching Ye Zhiqing.

Flustered, Ye Zhiqing lowered her eyes.

Her throat inexplicably tightened with a painful dryness, and her trembling eyelashes betrayed the turmoil raging within her.

After carefully considering her words, Ye Zhiqing reiterated her position, her tone resolute.

“Edith, we’re only business partners, and that’s all we’ll ever be. Whatever your intentions may be, there’s no need for you to devote so much effort to me.”

Author’s Note:

Edith: That’s just how extravagantly I throw my money around.