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With a muffled thud, the green ball rebounded off Fu Jichen’s body and hit the ground. It bounced a few times with a “thump, thump, thump” before rolling out of bounds.
Fu Jichen winced, his vision momentarily blackening. One hand clutched his abdomen while the other gripped his racket to steady himself.
He hadn’t managed to return that counterattack, and now he looked utterly disheveled.
Yu Qing quickly ran over. Such a handsome man was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter; if he got hurt, she’d feel terrible. “President Fu, are you alright?”
Earlier, another coach had told her his surname—Fu, the president of Fu Group.
Fu Jichen slowly raised his head. After two sets, her forehead was drenched in sweat, her long lashes glistening, her cheeks flushed yet pale.
She appeared concerned, but there wasn’t a trace of nervousness in her eyes.
Instead, her gaze carried a hint of mischief—and a touch of mischief.
“It’s nothing.”
The wave of pain subsided, and he gradually straightened up.
Standing close, Yu Qing had to tilt her head slightly to look at him.
At nearly five-foot-seven, standing beside him made her feel petite again—a rare sensation of being delicate and protected.
At that moment, Secretary Pan Zheng returned to the court. Earlier, the boss had instructed him to prepare tips, so he had gone upstairs to the club’s finance department to exchange cash.
The finance department had been in a meeting, and he had waited until now.
Today, the boss had come here for business discussions and decided to play a bit afterward.
Pan Zheng was surprised to see a female coach on the court—it made sense now why the boss had asked him to prepare two envelopes of tips.
It was rare for a woman to get close to the boss. Too many women pursued him, and finding it troublesome, the boss had deliberately severed all romantic entanglements.
Aside from necessary business and social events, this was the first time the boss had privately spent time with an unfamiliar woman.
Looking at today’s coach, Pan Zheng understood—the boss was also someone who appreciated beauty.
Throughout history, few could resist the allure of a beautiful woman.
The boss was no exception.
Pan Zheng reminded Fu Jichen, “President Fu, you have a dinner engagement tonight.” It would take two hours to return to the city from the club; if they didn’t leave soon, they might be late.
Fu Jichen nodded, handed his racket to Yu Qing, gave her one last glance without saying anything, and headed upstairs to the shower with his personal belongings.
Yu Qing watched his retreating figure until he disappeared around the corner. According to rumors, Fu Jichen was still single. Whether this was true or not, she didn’t know.
Pan Zheng took out two envelopes, handing one to Yu Qing and the other to the other coach sitting on the sidelines. “Thank you both for your hard work.”
The other coach declined. “Thank you, Secretary Pan, but I didn’t play with President Fu today.”
He had injured his knee ligament and couldn’t even walk without pain. He had merely been an audience member today.
Previously, when Yu Qing played with him, he had gotten injured. But since Fu Jichen had booked him in advance, there was no choice but to let Yu Qing step in as a substitute.
Still, Pan Zheng insisted on giving the envelope to the coach, patting his shoulder before leaving.
Yu Qing grabbed a bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and sat cross-legged near the coach. She handed her envelope of tips to him. “Treat me next time.”
Not wanting to offend her, the coach reluctantly accepted.
Most people coming to this club were wealthy, and Yu Qing, dressed in the club’s uniform, had been mistaken for a coach. But she couldn’t possibly accept tips from Fu Jichen.
He felt the thickness of the two envelopes, each containing ten thousand yuan.
This was the largest tip Fu Jichen had ever given. Perhaps because of his leg injury, he wouldn’t be able to work part-time for a while. With a family to support, children to raise, and a mortgage to pay, he had generously increased the amount.
Since starting his part-time job at the club, he had been Fu Jichen’s regular coach for about five or six years. Fu Jichen didn’t talk much but occasionally sought advice on his tennis skills.
For most people, playing tennis was just a pastime, but Fu Jichen played seriously.
So did Yu Qing. Both were skilled players.
Today, they were evenly matched, though Yu Qing had the upper hand.
“You’re from Shanghai?” The atmosphere was quiet, so the coach tried to strike up a conversation.
Yu Qing had been lost in thought, but she snapped back to reality and nodded. “Are you too?” Before playing, she had received a call from her aunt, who had learned she was back in Beijing and expressed concern.
She had spoken to her aunt in the Shanghai dialect.
Coach: “My hometown is Jiaxing.” He understood the Shanghai dialect.
Before they could chat further, Yu Qing’s phone rang—it was a call from the HR department of Shuo & Law Firm. She stood up, waved to the coach, pressed the answer button, and walked toward the exit.
“Lawyer Yu, we apologize, but you don’t need to come in on Monday. The management still needs to discuss your employment. I’ll contact you regarding the specific start date.”
Yu Qing: “Thank you.”
She hung up without asking why they had suddenly changed their minds.
She didn’t need to guess—it was her father’s doing. The founder of Shuo & was a childhood friend of her father. A single call from her father, and his friend would comply without question.
Her father’s actions were a warning. If she refused to attend arranged blind dates and get married, it wouldn’t just be a delay in her employment—it would mean she’d never set foot in Shuo & again.
Yu Qing slipped her phone into her pocket and stood at the entrance for a moment.
Even at four-thirty in the afternoon, the sun still burned fiercely on her skin. Dragging her exhausted body, she walked toward the parking lot.
She knew what her father would do next—reclaim the cards, car, and house he had given her. Perhaps those black cards had already been reported lost and rendered unusable.
Most of her cards were under her father’s name.
Fortunately, she still had over two million yuan in her personal savings account—money her mother had given her, which she hadn’t spent entirely.
She made up her mind. She would move out of the family home, rent her own place, find a new job, and refuse to compromise with her father.
________________________________________
By late July, Yu Qing’s rented apartment was nearly ready. Her precious belongings had already been moved in, though the place still smelled faintly of fresh paint. She planned to stay in a hotel for a few more days.
During this time, she stayed in a five-star hotel, booking a suite on the top floor.
Every evening, she sipped red wine and admired Beijing’s night view.
Her job was also finalized—she would join the legal department of Fu Group, starting at the beginning of next month.
Since her falling out with her father, she had neither returned home nor had any contact with him.
Her phone rang—it was Yu Jingze.
“Where are you?”
Yu Qing sipped her red wine. “In the suite, enjoying the night view.”
Yu Jingze knew she wouldn’t neglect herself. With money to spare, he didn’t worry about her suffering. He called to remind her, “In two days, it’s the baby’s full moon banquet.”
Yu Qing had almost forgotten, but she didn’t plan to attend. The Qin family elders would surely be there, and she didn’t want to see Qin Moling. “How much should I give as a red envelope for the baby?”
Yu Jingze: “Not much—two million will do.”
Yu Qing: “….”
She set down her glass, choking and coughing uncontrollably.
Yu Jingze thought he had suggested too little, considering she casually spent more than that on high-end dresses and watches. “If you think it’s too little, make it six million. It’s up to you.”
Yu Qing wanted to say that times had changed, and even two million was becoming a burden.
But giving less would be unacceptable.
She wasn’t close to her sister, and even less so to her brother-in-law. If the gift for the baby was less than what she usually spent shopping, it would seem inappropriate.
She had recently rented and lavishly decorated her new place.
Now, her account balance was barely over two million. By tomorrow, after visiting her sister’s house and giving another two million for the baby, she’d only have enough left to scrape by.
Once spending money like water, she now had to live frugally.
Before hanging up, Yu Jingze asked, “Has Li Yanzhuo contacted you?”
Yu Qing, still reeling from the realization that she’d soon be living paycheck to paycheck, replied, “No. Why?”
“Nothing.” Yu Jingze was relieved. He had feared Yu Qing might leave Beijing to find Li Yanzhuo.
After hanging up, Yu Qing lost her appetite for wine. Even the dazzling night view outside, once as radiant as a galaxy, suddenly dimmed.
She downed the remaining wine in one gulp, set the glass aside, and began packing her suitcase.
Her account balance could no longer sustain such a luxurious suite. Tomorrow, she would return to her rented apartment.
________________________________________
The next day, Saturday.
Yu Qing woke up early, as she still had to visit her sister’s house. She checked out early.
The hotel wasn’t far from her rental, but after some hesitation, she decided to take a taxi despite the cost.
She suddenly reflected—she was actually learning to save money.
Back at her rental, Yu Qing called her sister to give her a heads-up.
Yu Jingxin was surprised to receive a call from her half-sister, whose number she had saved for years but never used until now.
“Sis, are you home?”
“Mhm, I am.”
“If it’s convenient, I’d like to visit the baby.” Yu Qing explained her reason. “Tomorrow is the full moon banquet, and the Qin family elders will surely attend. I won’t go—I don’t want to ruin their mood.”
Yu Jingxin had heard from their father that he wanted Yu Qing to marry Qin Moling, but judging from his tone, Yu Qing clearly didn’t want to and had even caused a disagreement.
Her own marriage was a mess, so she didn’t comment further.
“Come over. Tomorrow, I’ll tell Dad you visited.”
“Thank you, sis.”
After hanging up, Yu Jingxin sent Yu Qing the villa’s address and the housekeeper’s number: [When you arrive, call the housekeeper—they’ll come to the gate to pick you up.]
________________________________________
Yu Qing changed into an appropriate dress, grabbed her parasol, and headed out.
She had asked Yu Jingze for Yu Jingxin’s bank account number and transferred the money ahead of time. Then, she went to the mall to buy toys and clothes for the baby.
When checking out, a pang of pain shot through her heart.
Seeing her account balance nearing zero, she felt completely unmoored.
Leaving the baby store, Yu Qing mentally calculated how much she could spend daily until her salary arrived at the end of next month. Now, every penny had to be carefully accounted for.
Arriving at the entrance of her sister’s villa complex, the housekeeper was already waiting.
The housekeeper hadn’t met Yu Qing before. Over the phone, Yu Qing had said she’d arrived, so he looked around and saw only a taxi pulling up slowly.
He assumed Yu Qing hadn’t yet obtained a domestic driver’s license and couldn’t drive.
He hurried over to help carry the gifts.
It was Yu Qing’s first visit to her sister’s house. Her sister, dressed in loungewear, waited for her in the living room.
They were practically strangers, even though they had eaten together before. They rarely spoke during meals, and meeting again now felt awkward.
“Hot?” Yu Jingxin handed her a cold drink.
Yu Qing: “It’s fine.”
To avoid an awkward silence, Yu Jingxin directly led Yu Qing to the nursery. “The baby just woke up.”
On the second floor, Ji Qingyuan happened to step out of the guest room. He knew Yu Qing was coming—the housekeeper had informed him. No doubt, Yu Jingxin had asked the housekeeper to relay the message.
Yu Jingxin and Ji Qingyuan hadn’t spoken for several days, and she didn’t know what she had done to offend him.
“Brother-in-law.” Yu Qing hadn’t expected Ji Qingyuan to be home.
Ji Qingyuan nodded, exchanged a few polite words, and avoided looking at Yu Jingxin altogether before heading to the study.
Yu Qing sensed the subtle tension between her sister and brother-in-law—it seemed like they were either in a cold war or had just argued. But marital conflicts were normal, especially for a couple who had married shortly after a blind date.
Pretending not to notice, she went to see the baby in the nursery.
Yu Qing stayed until the baby fell asleep again before leaving. Yu Jingxin invited her to stay for dinner, but Yu Qing politely declined, saying she had plans with Yu Jingze.
Since it was inconvenient to hail a cab from here, the housekeeper arranged a car to send her home.
After Yu Qing left, the house fell silent again.
Yu Jingxin returned to the bedroom and sat alone on the sofa for a while. Ji Qingyuan had been sleeping separately since about ten days after the baby was born. She didn’t understand why.
Ji Qingyuan had said he came home late and didn’t want to disturb her sleep.
It sounded reasonable, but she felt he was deliberately distancing himself.
By lunchtime, the housekeeper called them downstairs to eat.
Yu Jingxin tied her hair up, washed her face with warm water, and headed down. Coincidentally, Ji Qingyuan emerged from the study. Their eyes met for a few seconds before she turned away expressionlessly.
It was the weekend, and he hadn’t gone to the office, but he had stayed in his room all day, not accompanying her at all.
Ji Qingyuan had intended to remain aloof and not speak to her, but he couldn’t bear it. During her ten months of pregnancy, he had pampered her every day, fearing she’d be unhappy.
He broke the silence first. “What time are we going to the hotel tomorrow?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yu Jingxin, what’s wrong with you?”
“We don’t need to eat. Even if we do, it’ll just upset my stomach.” Ji Qingyuan grabbed her wrist. “Let’s go to the study and talk this out. Acting like this, no one can tolerate you.”
In the study, the door slammed shut with a “bang.”
Yu Jingxin suddenly felt wronged. “Ji Qingyuan, you were the one who wanted separate rooms, and now you’re blaming me? If you can’t stand me, just leave. This house is mine.”
Ji Qingyuan: “….”
The property deed was in her name—he had bought it and gifted it to her.
Finally, he grasped the crux of the issue. Her temper tantrum stemmed from their separation.
“Didn’t I tell you? I didn’t want to disturb your sleep.”
Yu Jingxin sneered and turned to leave, but Ji Qingyuan pulled her back. Suppressing his frustration, he explained, “One night, I came home late and woke you up. You looked so unhappy.” That’s why he had moved out.
Without intimacy for months, their relationship had deteriorated rapidly.
“I’ll move back. If I wake you up, it’s your fault.”
Yu Jingxin: “….”
Ji Qingyuan released her and went to the guest room, gathering his belongings and returning to the master bedroom.
Yu Jingxin stood at the doorway, silently watching him.
He had lived in the guest room for twelve days, and she had kept count.
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