"Voice identification complete. Welcome to number 1109." The 'unopened' door opens.
"Come with me."
Keeping her excitement carefully conceals, Jian Qingshan nods.
Inside the mysterious room was old-fashion toolbox, and some sort of weird gears. The room couldn't be more dissimilar to the man's living room.
There were lots of random, childish knickknacks, but the thick pile of technical books and manuals undercuts the space's whimsical vibe.
It's only the lone WGTC brand computer that marks the place as Wang Zhixin's room.
"Zhixin, what in the world?"
"This is very precise work. Don't talk to me for a while." And with that, the man turns to face the watch.
Handling clearly well-used tools with ease, he disassembled the watch in no time.
His eyes were like those of a child. Jian Qingshan had never seen the man like this before.
Even Wang Zhixin has a passion. He was so focused on what he's doing that she could start looking for Code Z right now and he wouldn't even notice. Not that she'll do something that reckless without a plan.
She walks around in order to records videos of the room when she found a family picture on the shelf. There was a man and a woman who appears to be his parents, and a very intelligent-looking little boy. Although there's a cherubic fullness to the young boy's cheeks, he was clearly Zhixin.
It was a sweet looking family photo. And another boy was standing next to him was probably his brother.
"Nianzhen."
"Uh-huh?"
"It was definitely moisture that did this watch in. The rust is bad."
"Yea, the watchmaker told me the same thing."
"Will you let me try and fix it? It'll take come time, but I'll see what I can do."
"You're really going to fix it?"
"I'll do my best." His voice flat, emotionless monotone. However, it brought her great comfort. "Nianzhen?"
"Oh, uh—thank you so much. I thought it was broken for good."
"You're getting ahead of yourself. I haven't fixed it yet."
"Still though, thanks for giving me hope. It's an antique, so the maintenance is kind of a pain. I'm always having to wind it to make sure it's showing the right time. It was never the most practical watch in the world."
But she still couldn't let it go. It means that much to her.
"Thank you so much for offering to fix it. I really appreciate what you're doing."
"I didn't know you could smile like that."
"Did I make a weird face?"
"No, it wasn't bad."
Jian Qingshan thought his version of compliment was a little odd. Swallowing her emotions, she looks up. In that instant, the family picture on the shelf happens to catch her eyes.
"That's a lovely photo. It makes me think about my own family. I've got a little brother and sister."
"Mm-hm."
To Jian Qingshan, it seems hard for the man to talk about his family. It must be true that his parents must have really passed away. However, anything she learns about his family could help her with her mission.
Wang Zhixin looks up from the watch he promised to fix and sighs.
"Is this an album? I'd love to see some pictures of you as a kid. Can I take a look?"
"Do what you want. You're the one who asked. Why are you acting surprised?"
"Never mind then, I'll take a look."
A little surprised by his reaction, she reaches for the album. Still facing the bookshelf, she carefully opens the album. There she sees a young Zhixin, too little to even be in elementary school.
Yet, looking at the pictures, it was hard to think of him as Wang Zhixin. The boy seems more like Xinxin. His cheeks were so big and squishy.
Every time she turns the page, Zhixin grows. There were photos of birthday parties and sports festivals. It looks like a very normal, but stunningly happy life.
Before she turns the page again, she realizes the pictures were cut off.
"The last one is from your ninth birthday party."
"There aren't any more pages. That's the end."
Wang Zhixin takes the album out of her hands from behind, promptly returning it to its shelf.
"That's too bad. I wanted to see more, but—" She turns to face him as se speaks and ends up trailing off.
Still standing as he was when he returned the album to the shelf, Wang Zhixin turns just his head to look at her.
His gaze wanders, traveling back and forth from her eyes to her lips, and her gaze does the same.
In terms of time, the moment probably only lasts a couple seconds. But that's all it takes for her pulse to quicken.
Wang Zhixin has brought her over to his place so suddenly that it didn't occur to her, but now that she's standing so close to him, she couldn't help but think about their almost-kiss last night.
Annoyed with herself for being so awkward, she forces her brain to look at the situation from another perspective. She needs to search the place, and she obviously need to start with the computer. It was the main piece of electronic equipment in the room. Too conspicuous to ignore.
"This room has a very different vibe from the rest of your place."
"Vibe?"
"It's eclectic, you know? Because you have so many different things in here. It that a toy? Did you make it yourself?"
"Just to kill time. It's nothing special. The others are old tools I fixed."
"It's all surprisingly old school. Retro, even. But it makes sense that this is what you're into. Nowadays, you're the face of your company, but I heard you started off as an engineer. Did you get into this line of work because you like mechanics?"
"You could say that, I guess."
"Then this is like your hobby room, right? It feels like you work in here too, though." She gestures the desktop next to them, and he narrows his eyes.
"I don't have much of a choice. A CEO who does nothing but mess with machines isn't worth much of anything."
"But you've got to do more than work. This is your happy place, huh?
"My what?"
"There's a family memorabilia, and you can tinker with machines like you've always loved to do. All of your favorite things are here. Everyone has a place or think that's like that for them."
"…"
"Take my watch, for instance."
"I see what you mean."
Jian Qingshan had thought Wang Zhixin was a cruel man, lacking even a drop of humanity. But he's human enough after all. Even the man has things he loves.
"Don't go thinking you're going to find out all sorts of irrelevant details about me."
"Why not though? I'm your future fiancée, right?"
"My fiancée dressed in jeans and a hoodie?"
"No fair bringing that up now. And you're the one who brought me here on my day off, anyway."
"True enough." After chuckling for a few seconds, he suddenly goes quiet. "Do you have one too?"
"What?"
"A place like this. A place where you can be yourself."
"Maybe, maybe not. I'm not telling."
"Now you're just being obnoxious." However, his words are betrayed by the way his lips crook up into a smile. She smiles back at him, and softly reaches out for her. "You and I are a lot alike."
"Because of the way we feel about our family? Or it is the way neither of us can come out of our shell and be ourselves in unfamiliar environments?"
"Both."
Wang Zhixin was closing the distance between them again. He gives her an unmistakable look, and she instantly knows what he has in mind.
"If you don't have a place where you feel like you can be yourself. Why don't we find one for you together?"
As their conversation grows increasingly stilted, his gaze and hers allude to what's to come. Unable to move or even make a sound, they continue to gaze into each other's eyes, and their lips silently part.
Jian Qingshan felt a sensation she has experiences before. His eyes have a cold charm. Once again, the words 'dry ice' pops into her mind.
"Nianzhen—"
It has been this way ever since that night. Every time Wang Zhixin touches her. Her skin burns, aching under his fingers.
"You're not going to push me away today?"
"Well, I don't want to break my watch all over again."
"You're not wearing it right now."
"That's right…"
She hears the man laughs at her bravado. But, at this point, she has no way of seeing that smile.
At first, he simply presses his lips into hers. There's a pause, and he proceeds to ravish her lips again and again.
The quiet sounds of their kisses send a heat wave down her spine. It makes her feel like she's melting from inside out.
Wang Zhixin was a cold man, but for some reason, he inspires burning passion in her. Their lips are gradually getting hotter.
Why was she doing this? A part of her has always knew that this was going to happen.
The nostalgic room, like a little boy's box of treasures, feels out of place in the ultra-modern place.
At some point, standing in the place, a room he keeps hidden in the depths of his heart the both of them overcome with needs for each other's kiss.
"Nianzhen…"
"Mm…"
Although that wasn't her real name. Yet, responding to his call, she pulls his body to hers. Neither he nor her have any intentions of telling the other the truth. Neither of them was playing fair.
But the heat that she felt when his lips touches hers is real. Right now, she was not going to think about anything else.
Turning off her brain, she allows herself to be swept away by the sounds of the moans escaping their lips.
"Zhixin—"
"—don't speak."
"Mm."
The woman whose heart was feeling distressed today was probably Jian Qingshan, not Wu Nianzhen. Still, the emotions smoldering deep within her chest remains nothing more than undefined wisps of smokes.