L&H - 1

#Which Moment Made You Decide to Be With Him#

This was the trending topic that had just been pushed.

Yu Qing didn’t click on it.

But a picture suddenly popped into her mind—Fu Ji Chen’s tall figure clearly entering the frame.

More than two months ago, that night, there was a sudden downpour.

She had worked overtime until ten o'clock, thinking the rain would stop, but it didn’t.

On rainy days, it was hard to get a taxi.

At the company building, she encountered the group president, Fu Ji Chen.

It was their second meeting.

He still remembered her and offered to send her home.

On the way, the rain grew heavier. The driver wasn’t familiar with the route to her rental apartment and drove into a low-lying area where the water submerged the exhaust pipe, causing the car to stall.

Fu Ji Chen rolled up his pants above his knees and asked her, “Do you have a boyfriend?”

Under those circumstances, such a question was bizarre. But she still replied, “No.”

He faintly hummed in response and opened the door to get out.

She could imagine how muddy the rainwater was.

With one hand holding an umbrella, he extended the other hand to her, “Hurry up.”

Sitting on the rear seat, she stared at his hand, momentarily stunned.

After all, they weren't close, and he was her boss—it wouldn’t be appropriate to grab his hand casually.

Fu Ji Chen looked at her, “With your reaction speed, how did you manage to get hired by Fu's Legal Department?”

Without grabbing his hand, she quickly moved to the car door on his side.

He shoved the umbrella into her hands. Before she realized it, he leaned over and scooped her up in a princess carry…

“Yu Qing, are you going straight home after work?”

Her colleague Zhang Xiaochi’s voice pulled her back from her thoughts.

Yu Qing turned her head, “Mm.” If not home, she had nowhere else to go; she couldn’t afford to go out and enjoy herself right now.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Zhang Xiaochi pointed outside the window.

Yu Qing then noticed that the sky was overcast with dark clouds, as if night had fallen early.

Zhang Xiaochi looked worriedly outside—the rain was likely to be heavy.

Looking down at her newly bought shoes, she glanced outside again and made up her mind: “If the rain doesn’t stop by the time we get off work, I’ll take a taxi and give you a ride. It’s too miserable to squeeze onto the subway on a rainy day.”

As soon as she finished speaking, even the air seemed to pause.

Yu Qing: “….”

Zhang Xiaochi assumed she meant her rental apartment when she said she was going home.

But that wasn’t the case.

She used her rental apartment only to store clothes and bags.

She no longer lived there.

Her colleagues always thought she lived there. Very few people in the company knew about her relationship with Fu Ji Chen. She was always cautious, fearing their ‘affair’ would be exposed.

However, tonight Fu Ji Chen wasn’t home; he was on a business trip, so it didn’t matter which place she stayed at.

She gave Zhang Xiaochi a heart sign, “Thank you.”

Zhang Xiaochi: “Don’t be polite with me.”

She owed Yu Qing a favor.

When Yu Qing first started working, she accompanied Zhang Xiaochi for an entire night of overtime.

She remembered it well.

And so, it was settled—they would take a taxi home after work.

Yu Qing swept the small pendant on the table across her chin and sent a message to Fu Ji Chen: [I’m staying at my rented place tonight to find a professional book. Tell the chef not to prepare dinner for me.]

Fu Ji Chen was probably busy and didn’t reply.

Yu Qing placed several important contracts in the safe, hooked the keychain with her finger, picked up her cup, and went to the pantry.

Fate brought trouble her way; she ran into a new colleague from the legal department also waiting for coffee.

The female colleague was about her age, joined the company around the same time as her, but took over the position originally meant for her.

Her supervisor assigned her tedious, repetitive tasks that required little technical skill.

Yu Qing walked past this colleague without batting an eye, focusing solely on pouring her coffee, not even lifting her eyelids.

Out of the corner of her eye, the colleague sized Yu Qing up from head to toe. Those shoes were worth at most three or four hundred yuan.

Then, she noticed the keychain in Yu Qing’s hand and sneered disdainfully.

“Lawyer Yu, where did you get this keychain? It looks quite similar to the genuine article and is pretty nice.”

The colleague spoke with a smile, yet her words were sharp and sarcastic.

Small shop?

Picked up?

Looks similar to the genuine article?

Yu Qing filled her coffee, raised her eyes, and smiled at this new colleague whose name she hadn’t bothered to remember, “Let me think about where I got it.”

After a few seconds, she pretended to recall, “Oh, I got it from a Hermes flagship boutique in Paris.”

The other person choked.

Yu Qing carried her coffee and leisurely walked out of the pantry.

Fu Ji Chen replied to her message, [Go back early.]

Meaning, she should retrieve the book and return to his apartment.

Yu Qing put her phone in her pocket; she didn’t want to make the round trip on a rainy day.

Anyway, he was away on a business trip.

Back in the office, Yu Qing took out the contracts and continued working.

These were the distribution contracts for Dixin Beverage Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fu Group.

Fu Ji Chen purchased this beverage company two years ago, revamped the production line, and completely overhauled the management and operations team.

In just two years, it achieved such impressive market share.

Fu Group ventured into finance, insurance, banking, real estate, pharmaceuticals, and technology fields, and Dixin Beverage was one of its least noticeable subsidiaries.

The computer beside her buzzed twice with notifications, and she glanced at the sender's name before plugging in her earphones.

"Little Yu, let me tell you something. I’m really struggling to manage my finances, so I have no choice but to sell the apartment I rented to you."

"I mentioned to you a few days ago that I’d put it up on the real estate agency’s listing, but who would’ve thought that just one day later, a client would want to see the property today. So… sorry to trouble you."

Two voice messages came through, filled with guilt and self-reproach, the latter even carrying a sigh.

Perhaps Zhang Xiaochi had some premonition; she seemed to sense that Yu Qing would need to visit her rental place and thus offered to share a taxi home with her.

Yu Qing pulled off her earphones. Her landlord, Boss Qian, had finally decided to sell the apartment.

She had only rented this place for less than six months and hadn’t stayed there much, using it primarily to store her high-end luxury items.

One after another, more messages from Boss Qian arrived, detailing how he planned to compensate her after selling the apartment, including reimbursing her for the renovation costs.

Money wasn’t an issue for her.

What troubled her was moving her limited-edition bags, clothes, shoes, jewelry, and especially her beloved perfume collection. Moving them around was a hassle.

And she couldn’t move these things to Fu Ji Chen’s apartment. Given their current relationship status, his place felt like a temporary residence—not as stable as her rental unit.

Suddenly, a torrential downpour began, washing away the oppressive humidity of the afternoon.

Amidst the wind and rain, the office was filled with the fresh scent of rain cleansing the dust.

Yu Qing got up to close the window. Outside, the rain poured heavily, and she replied to her landlord: [What time did you schedule the viewing? I’ll head over right after work.]

Boss Qian expressed his gratitude repeatedly, confirming the viewing was set for 5:30 PM.

He added: [I’ll send my son to pick you up. It’s not easy to take the subway in this rain.]

Yu Qing initially wanted to decline, but when she saw the timing, she realized a taxi wouldn’t make it in time.

However, she had already made plans with Zhang Xiaochi: [Uncle Qian, I arranged to carpool with a colleague. Could you also give her a ride? It’s on the way.]

[No problem, no problem.]

Soon, the landlord shared his son’s WeChat contact—his name was Qian Cheng.

After adding him on WeChat, Yu Qing explained the situation to Zhang Xiaochi.

The rainstorm lasted over two hours and gradually subsided as they neared the end of the workday, with clouds dispersing.

Yu Qing received a message from Qian Cheng: [Sister Yu, I’m downstairs at your company now.]

She had met Qian Cheng once before. When the renovation plans were finalized, she asked the landlord to confirm them on-site. That time, the landlord brought his son along, and all details were approved by them before construction began.

Qian Cheng had joked back then: "Sis, why are you renting a place? Who knows how long you’ll stay here? You might get married soon and have your own place. Why spend a year’s rent on renovations? What’s the point?"

What’s the point?

For a clean, bright space that uplifted her mood. Back then, she didn’t care about the money.

If it were now, she wouldn’t even bother buying a pot or pan.

“Xiaochi, let’s go.” Yu Qing started organizing the contracts.

Zhang Xiaochi’s desk was piled high with employment contracts. She shrugged helplessly; her supervisor had just assigned her overtime. “You go ahead. Don’t delay the house viewing.”

Yu Qing shut down her computer, locked the contracts in the cabinet, cleaned her coffee cup, grabbed her bag, and headed for the elevator.

It was peak commuting time, and every elevator arriving at her floor was already full.

Out of habit, Yu Qing glanced toward the executive-only elevator at the far end. Unexpectedly, it was operational, its numbers jumping to '42,' and it quickly passed her floor.

Fu Ji Chen was on a business trip—it must be one of the president’s assistants using it.

That’s what she assumed.

After waiting three rounds, she finally squeezed into an elevator.

Outside the building, Qian Cheng was waiting for her at the bottom of the steps.

As Yu Qing approached, Qian Cheng apologized awkwardly: “My car is restricted from driving today, so I borrowed a friend’s. By the time I got here, it was rush hour, so I parked a little farther away.”

He pointed northward. “It’s parked on the road around the corner.”

The street in front of Fu Corporation was one of the most congested in the city. A four- or five-hundred-meter stretch could take half an hour to navigate.

Worried about wasting time, Qian Cheng walked over to meet her instead. “Sister, I’m really sorry.”

Yu Qing waved it off: “I’m used to walking that distance anyway when I take the subway. No problem.”

Qian Cheng was young but considerate. He reminded her, “The wind is strong today, and the temperature dropped after the rain. Aren’t you cold wearing so little? Do you have a jacket at the office? Should we go back and grab it?”

Yu Qing was wearing her work suit skirt. “It’s fine. This is how I usually dress.” She was a bit chilly, but it was tolerable.

They chatted while walking side by side.

At the building entrance, a group of women from the administrative department emerged together.

“Is that Yu Qing’s boyfriend?”

“Probably. That guy’s bag matches hers—they look like a couple’s set.”

In reality, they weren’t a matching set—it was just the same brand, similar colors, making them appear coordinated.

It was an obscure brand, costing only a few hundred yuan. Yu Qing had bought hers during a promotion at a shop near her rental place. Coincidentally, Qian Cheng had also purchased one—it was practical and durable.

“I think Yu Qing’s lifestyle isn’t bad either. She doesn’t care about owning luxury bags or whether her boyfriend picks her up in a fancy car.”

As she spoke, she glanced at the bag slung over her shoulder—a luxury item she had scrimped and saved to buy for tens of thousands of yuan.

On the sidewalk, Yu Qing and Qian Cheng had already walked far ahead, faster than the cars stuck in traffic.

Qian Cheng’s phone rang, interrupting their conversation as he answered it.

The post-rain autumn wind wasn’t as biting as winter, but it still chilled Yu Qing enough to shiver. She crossed her arms, trying to warm herself.

She had underestimated how cold the wind would be today.

Qian Cheng walked ahead, engrossed in his call, arranging for workers to deliver goods. In the middle of the conversation, he forgot Yu Qing was still beside him.

With his longer strides, he quickly left her behind.

Yu Qing jogged to catch up, using the run to warm herself.

In the blink of an eye, they were already halfway down the road.

On the main road, traffic was at a standstill, barely moving a meter in several minutes.

Despite the congestion, she couldn’t help but think how warm it would feel inside a car.

During lunch, her father—an infrequent social media user—had posted on his feed about a new sports car model unveiled at an international auto show. It was the exact model she adored.

But her financial situation was dire—she couldn’t even afford a rearview mirror.

Her father’s intentions were clear: if she surrendered and returned home, obeying his arrangements, she could have as many of those sports cars as she wanted—even a full color set.

But she would never yield to her father.

Lost in thoughts about her father’s attitude and the upcoming hassle of moving, she failed to notice a black sedan on the road. Its rear window slowly lowered, revealing a sharp, inscrutable gaze scrutinizing her.

Earlier, Qian Cheng had been too absorbed in his call to notice. Each time Yu Qing jogged to keep up with him, her movements fell under that piercing gaze.

Yu Qing’s phone vibrated—it was Fu Ji Chen calling.

When she answered, he only said three words: “Look to your left.” Then the call ended.

Yu Qing turned abruptly, locking eyes with that icy stare.

This man had said he was leaving for Shanghai at noon—why was he still in Beijing?

Fu Ji Chen rested his arm on the car window, glancing at Yu Qing’s bag, then at the man’s bag, and finally, his gaze settled on her face. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes carried a subtle warning—as if settling accounts after autumn harvest.

On the busy road, she didn’t bother explaining.

Meeting his scrutinizing gaze, the corners of her lips involuntarily curled upward into a smile.

That smile, landing in Fu Ji Chen’s eyes, looked like a taunting smirk.

And there was more.

Yu Qing tilted her chin slightly toward him, followed by a few flirtatious glances in his direction.

Fu Ji Chen was speechless, feeling as though he’d been teased.

The car window rolled up.

Qian Cheng was still on the phone, completely unaware of what had transpired behind him.

At that moment, a gust of wind swept through, sending rainwater from the leaves splattering down, drenching Yu Qing. She quickly wiped her hair and forehead with her hands.

Cold and disheveled.

After such a moment of levity, misfortune was bound to follow.

She could only imagine how smug Fu Ji Chen must be feeling.

Fu Ji Chen stared out the window for a few seconds, then sent Yu Qing a message: [Come over.]

Yu Qing studied the screen for a moment, puzzled about his intentions, but decided to go see him anyway. She figured maybe he had spare clothes in the car she could use to ward off the chill.

Fu Ji Chen watched as Yu Qing approached from the sidewalk, hunching her shoulders against the cold wind.

When Yu Qing reached the car, the window lowered before she could say anything.

After a brief silence, Fu Ji Chen removed his suit jacket, checked both pockets, found nothing, and tossed it to her. It landed over her head, covering her face.

By the time Yu Qing pulled the jacket off her head, the car window had already closed.