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Psst! We're moving!
Yu Qing learned about Fu Ji Chen’s social media post two hours later, after she had finished discussing with Yu Fei and strategizing how to gather evidence. Only then did she have a moment to check her phone.
In their three-person fan group, there were already 92 unread messages.
One of them was tagged for her.
She assumed it was her sister and Zou Le Xiao checking in on her mood, but when she opened it, she found a screenshot of Fu Ji Chen’s social media post.
After reading it, she took a deep breath.
Perhaps because Little Yu Miao was growing bigger, she felt a bit lightheaded, as if oxygen was in short supply.
She read the screenshot twice, saved it to her favorites, and then downloaded it to her photo album.
Zou Le Xiao: [Today, I cried over what Big Brother said. Even though it has nothing to do with me, I still hope I’ll meet a man like that someday.]
Yu Jing Xin: [You will. Yu Qing may lack many things, but she has plenty of brothers—more than you can count on one hand. You still have a good chance of becoming her sister-in-law : )]
Zou Le Xiao laughed: [I hope so.]
When she gets married, she’ll send an invitation to Yu Jing Ze…
The two joked around for a while before Zou Le Xiao @’d Yu Qing: [How do you plan to handle this? It doesn’t seem simple. Do you have any idea who’s behind it?]
Yu Qing: [I’ve narrowed it down to someone. For now, no other leads. I’ve handed the case over to your mentor.]
Zou Le Xiao: [You’re going the legal route?]
Yu Qing: [Yes, it involves quite a lot.]
Zou Le Xiao voiced her thoughts: [Just guessing here, but could it be Zhou Si Yuan? That might be a clue.]
Yu Qing: [It’s very likely her. If not, we’ll figure it out later. Either way, it needs to be resolved before the concert.] There were less than thirty days until the concert.
Time was running out.
Zou Le Xiao knew Zhou Si Yuan’s circle better than anyone. All those years of rivalry, veiled hostility, and snide remarks finally came in handy.
She volunteered: [I’ll go work overtime with my mentor right away. I know where to start digging.]
A knock sounded at the study door. “Can I come in?”
Fu Ji Chen’s voice came from outside.
Instead of answering, Yu Qing asked: “Do I have any secrets from you?”
The door opened, and Fu Ji Chen walked in, carrying freshly squeezed juice for her. “All settled?”
Yu Qing wasn’t in the mood for juice. She hugged him tightly. “Thank you, husband.” Suddenly, she exclaimed in delight, “Little Yu Miao moved! He kicked me!”
Fu Ji Chen crouched down halfway and lifted her shirt. Her belly bulged slightly, like a tiny fist. He quickly leaned in to kiss it.
Yu Qing also looked down. “Little Yu Miao must know that Daddy bravely protected Mommy today.”
Each time, the bulge appeared in a different spot. Fu Ji Chen followed Little Yu Miao’s tiny fists or feet, kissing repeatedly until Little Yu Miao grew tired and quieted down.
Yu Qing cupped Fu Ji Chen’s cheeks, half-rising to plant a deep kiss on him. She felt all the love he poured into her, and it overwhelmed her heart.
________________________________________
The rumors gradually subsided after Fu Ji Chen’s explanation.
Occasionally, they became idle chatter for some people during tea breaks.
Three weeks later, in the afternoon, Yu Qing returned to her office after a meeting and received a call from Zhou Si Yuan. Unexpected, yet somehow predictable.
Zhou Si Yuan got straight to the point: “Let’s settle this privately. What are your terms?”
Yu Qing: “You already know my terms.”
Zhou Si Yuan crossed her arms, gripping her shoulder tightly.
She understood—Yu Qing’s condition was for her to publicly apologize on social media. As for compensation, Yu Qing didn’t care about it at all.
“I’ll give you a written guarantee that nothing like this will happen again.” She bit her lip. “There won’t be any trouble during Lemong’s concert either. Name your price for damages—I’ll pay whatever you ask.”
Yu Qing: “Sorry, but I refuse to settle.”
Silence fell over the phone line.
Zhou Si Yuan didn’t care about issuing a few words of apology, but once she did, Leng Wen Ning would surely mock her mercilessly, reducing her to a laughingstock.
Yu Qing had hit her sore spot, striking her Achilles’ heel.
Desperate and casting aside her pride, Zhou Si Yuan pleaded: “For Yu Jing Ze’s sake…”
Yu Qing cut her off: “It’s precisely for his sake that I agreed to a private settlement. If you can’t comply, let’s not waste time.”
Zhou Si Yuan had no other options. Despite her meticulous planning, traces had been uncovered. She had calculated everything except for Zou Le Xiao.
She had been waiting for the news to spread throughout the circle, leaving Yu Qing unable to uncover anything. Just before Lemong’s concert, she planned to release it under the guise of an insider.
If Yu Qing pursued this legally, Si Yuan Holdings would be doomed. Now, Yu Jing Ze had made it clear—he wouldn’t intervene in business matters anymore.
From now on, Si Yuan Holdings would have to rely solely on themselves. They couldn’t afford any more setbacks.
Only now did Zhou Si Yuan truly understand the helplessness Leng Wen Ning must have felt back then. As long as the company didn’t go bankrupt, issues of pride or dignity were irrelevant.
“Yu Qing, what kind of mentality drives you? Can’t stand seeing me close to Yu Jing Ze, so you scheme to drive a wedge between us. Well, now you’ve succeeded. But beware—you might face karma.”
Yu Qing: “You probably don’t know this, but before SZ was acquired, I didn’t even know who you were, nor did I care.”
She softly countered: “Shouldn’t you ask yourself what kind of mentality you have? Aside from yourself, no one has the time to constantly scrutinize what you do or don’t have. For years, you’ve lived to irritate others. Do you find that fulfilling?”
She added a few more words: “While gathering evidence this time, I stumbled upon something unexpected. If your memory serves you well, remember how Yu Jing Xin was mocked by so many after her wedding? Half of that was your doing, wasn’t it? Though time has passed and concrete evidence is impossible to find, you know exactly what you did. Shouldn’t you be the one worried about karma?”
Zhou Si Yuan’s expression stiffened.
Yu Qing didn’t waste any more words: “Dealing with someone like you is a waste of time and utterly unrewarding. The condition for settlement is simple—if you can’t comply, stop bothering me.”
She hung up the phone.
With only one week left until the concert, she had more to do than ever and no time to waste on idle talk with Zhou Si Yuan.
The next day, Zhou Si Yuan posted an apology on her social media, visible to everyone.
Leng Wen Ning deliberately commented below: [Wow, what’s with this apology? Did your account get hacked? Though the chances of that are zero. Hehe.]
________________________________________
On the day of the concert, Yu Qing had trouble sleeping and woke up just after five in the morning.
Fu Ji Chen felt her moving in his arms. He opened his eyes and gently touched her belly. “Are you feeling unwell?”
Yu Qing shook her head. “I’m awake.”
Fu Ji Chen kissed her ear. “Don’t be nervous—it’ll be even more stunning than you imagine.”
He was attending the concert as well, seated in the row behind her.
Not only Yu Qing, but Zou Le Xiao also struggled to sleep that night. For the first time in forever, she woke up naturally without the alarm. Tossing and turning in bed, unable to fall back asleep, she eventually got up.
Today, she would see Gu Heng, which made her incredibly excited.
Yes, that was it.
On her way to the law firm, snippets of group chat conversations kept popping into her mind. Yu Jing Xin: [My brother’s seat is directly behind yours.]
So what? It’s not a big deal.
She could pop balloons with her bare hands—why should a seat arrangement bother her?
Zou Le Xiao, he doesn’t love you. Even using you was half-hearted.
Wake up.
It’s just because you deleted him, and he’s unwilling to let go.
She repeated these affirmations to herself.
This subtle internal dialogue continued until evening, when she entered the stadium and sat down.
Lan Yan Zhuo arrived earlier. Though he was the boss, he left the details to his team and simply enjoyed the show.
Her seat was separated from Lan Yan Zhuo’s by two empty spots—Yu Qing and Yu Jing Xin.
“Cousin, long time no see.”
Lan Yan Zhuo turned his head and spotted her. He smiled. “Long time no see.”
With two empty seats between them, conversation felt awkward. Zou Le Xiao moved over two seats. “Thank you for getting us such great seats.”
Lan Yan Zhuo joked: “You’re welcome. After all, you paid for them.”
They chatted for a while as the audience began filing in.
Before Yu Jing Ze reached his seat, he saw Zou Le Xiao laughing and chatting with Lan Yan Zhuo. Whatever Lan Yan Zhuo said made her cheerfully wave her glow stick.
Yu Qing quickened her pace, blocking his view.
“You’re here early,” she teased, ruffling Zou Le Xiao’s hair.
“I just got here and was chatting with Cousin about Gu Heng. He’s opening tonight, performing two duets with Lemong’s spokesperson and has two solo songs,” she caught herself before finishing the number “three” and quickly corrected, “and two solo songs.”
Yu Qing: “Isn’t that already on the program? Didn’t you see it?”
“Oh, I was just too excited,” Zou Le Xiao laughed it off.
Yu Jing Xin gestured to her. “Get up. This is my seat.”
Zou Le Xiao gave her a pleading look, wanting to switch seats.
Yu Jing Xin: “Did you forget the spell for this seating arrangement?”
Zou Le Xiao remembered—the seating rule stated that sitting in the assigned seats would bring lasting happiness, while ignoring the arrangement would result in losing true love. How cruel.
Who on earth arranged these seats?
Reluctantly, she stood up and moved to her designated seat.
Four people sat in the front row, and three men sat behind them.
Ji Qing Yuan corresponded to Yu Jing Xin, Fu Ji Chen to Yu Qing, and Yu Jing Ze…
Similar complaints came from Ji Qing Yuan, as Lan Yan Zhuo’s seat was adjacent to Yu Jing Xin’s. When the tickets were distributed, Yu Qing had mentioned the seating rules in the family group.
As for who arranged it, no one knew.
Fu Ji Chen stood up and reminded Yu Qing, “When Gu Heng appears, don’t follow the crowd cheering. Stay calm.”
Yu Qing nodded obediently. “Don’t worry, I’ll remember.”
But when the countdown to the concert began, the stage rose, and familiar music filled the air, the entire venue erupted. Waves of screams echoed, each louder than the last.
Everyone around them shouted Gu Heng’s name.
His deep, magnetic voice carried from the stage, and gradually, they saw the approaching figure.
Even Zou Le Xiao couldn’t contain herself, dancing excitedly. “Gu Heng! I love you! Ahhh!” She joined in the cheers.
Yu Qing and Yu Jing Xin were also swept up by the atmosphere. Though they didn’t shout “I love you,” they screamed in excitement.
Behind them, the three men shared a similar reaction, rubbing their foreheads and silently watching the trio, puzzled by their excitement.
Two minutes later, the crowd slowly quieted down, only to erupt again as a familiar song began. Everyone sang along in unison.
They swayed their bodies to the rhythm.
Ji Qing Yuan feared Yu Jing Xin might bump into Lan Yan Zhuo, so he crouched behind her, shielding her with his arm to prevent physical contact.
However, the atmosphere was so electric that no one noticed him behind her.
When Ji Qing Yuan glanced back, Fu Ji Chen and Yu Jing Ze burst into laughter.
He: “… “
After the two duets, it was Gu Heng’s solo performance. Yu Jing Xin wasn’t familiar with this song, so she sat quietly and listened.
Only then did Ji Qing Yuan relax and return to his seat.
Yu Qing wanted to turn around to see what Fu Ji Chen was doing, but as she turned, she spotted a familiar silhouette illuminated by the lights.
To her right rear, her mother and Uncle Pang had come!
After so long, her mother looked the same as the last time they met.
Her mother sat close to Uncle Pang, who smiled and took her hand, helping her wave her glow stick enthusiastically. Her mother laughed.
This was the first time in twenty-five years that her mother had come to Beijing.
Neither her mother nor Uncle Pang had mentioned it to her, nor did they intend to meet. But she was content—her mother had come to support the concert.
For her mother, returning here required immense courage.
Lost in thought, Gu Heng finished his two songs but didn’t leave the stage. He announced there was a surprise for everyone—for all the people he loved.
When the familiar intro of a song began, Yu Qing’s eyes welled up with tears.
Instinctively, she looked toward her mother’s direction. The light board had been moved elsewhere, so she couldn’t see her mother’s expression, but she imagined her mother felt the same way she did.
This song was her memory, and her mother’s as well.
It was also her and Fu Ji Chen’s memory—from that alleyway in Shanghai, where Fu Ji Chen sang it to her a cappella.
She turned her head, and Fu Ji Chen was already crouched behind her, holding her hands.
He stayed with her, singing the song together.
“When I was little and noisy and unruly…”
Yu Qing choked up, unable to sing.
No wonder Zou Le Xiao had hastily corrected herself mid-word earlier. Everyone knew Gu Heng was singing three songs tonight—only she had been kept in the dark.
This was Fu Ji Chen’s surprise for her.
Yu Qing tried to compose herself, joining Fu Ji Chen in singing the final part, her favorite section: “Turns out Grandma’s wisdom was already sung to me. Even in the rain, I must bravely move forward.”
“I believe everything will calm down.”
“I want to go home now.”
(The End)
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