Embedded Files
Psst! We're moving!
Yu Qing didn’t work overtime today. When she returned home, the place was quiet and empty.
She read for a while but couldn’t help glancing at the bag on the table beside her.
Fu Ji Chen had delivered the bag so ostentatiously to her office, likely intending for her to use it at work, replacing the one she currently carried.
Speaking of the “couple’s bag” that matched the one used by Qian Cheng, the landlord’s son—this afternoon, when she went to the pantry, several colleagues from the administrative department openly praised Qian Cheng in front of her.
They said that when it came to finding a man, one should seek someone like Qian Cheng: thoughtful and attuned to women’s hearts.
One moment they were praising Qian Cheng, and the next they shifted the conversation to Zhao Shuqun. They claimed that all of Xiao Yilin’s bags, worth tens of thousands of yuan, were gifts from Zhao Shuqun.
Every day of the week, she changed bags without repeating a single one.
Someone mentioned that Zhao Shuqun and Xiao Yilin seemed to have fallen out, as their argument in the stairwell had been overheard.
Yu Qing snapped out of her thoughts, closed her book, picked up the bag, and carefully peeled off the protective film from the hardware. She then went to the bedside drawer to pick out a pendant that matched the bag’s color scheme.
Before bed, Yu Qing received a call from Fu Ji Chen.
“What time are you getting up tomorrow?” That was his first question.
Yu Qing turned off the light and leaned against the headboard. “President Fu, why do you have to ruin the mood? I thought you called to check on me.”
Fu Ji Chen lit a cigarette. “How many glasses of water did you drink today? How many meals did you eat? Were you full? Did you work overtime? Did you miss me?”
Yu Qing guessed that he was in a good mood tonight, given his leisurely chatter.
“I drank eight glasses of water, ate two meals, wasn’t full, and didn’t work overtime.” After a brief pause, she added, “I missed you.”
The line suddenly went silent.
The sound of waves rushed in.
Fu Ji Chen was staying at a hotel by the sea. He was leaning against the wooden railing of the terrace, smoking.
The ocean, beach, and the sound of waves stretched before him.
Her sudden, earnest declaration of missing him left him unable to describe the subtle feeling bubbling up inside.
However, Yu Qing’s words weren’t finished. She continued, “Do you believe me?”
After “I missed you,” there was another half-sentence: “Do you believe me?”
Fu Ji Chen exhaled a puff of smoke, which was swallowed by the deep blue night.
He countered, “Why wouldn’t I believe you? Yu Qing, if you miss me, just say it—don’t be insincere.”
Yu Qing chuckled softly and burrowed deeper into the blanket, lying halfway down. “President Fu, considering the bag you gave me, I’ll forgive your narcissism.”
She chatted casually, “Did you go out to sea today?”
“No, Secretary Pan and Qiao Yang accompanied them fishing. I said I get seasick.”
“Haha.” Yu Qing couldn’t help but laugh.
“Lawyer Yu, what are you doing?”
“Nothing much. I’m going to sleep—I have to get up early tomorrow.”
“Mm. Good luck waking up.”
Fu Ji Chen hung up.
Yu Qing pulled the blanket up to her nose. The pleasant scent of the blanket reminded her of his presence.
If one day he found out she was the youngest daughter of the Yu family, what expression would he make?
Perhaps he’d strangle himself in bed.
Sigh.
Take it one day at a time.
Yu Qing removed the pillow behind her back, moved to Fu Ji Chen’s side, and rested her head on his pillow.
Thinking about some troubling matters, she eventually drifted off to sleep.
At 5:15 in the morning, Fu Ji Chen was already up. He called Yu Qing.
After two rings, she finally answered.
Through the phone came a groggy, muffled voice, clearly still asleep. “What do you want?” Her tone was irritable, dragging out the last syllable.
“The person who boasted about waking up at five o’clock—what, still not awake? Did your account lose almost everything?”
“…”
With over two million in her account as a safety net, Yu Qing had grown lax. Her drive to wake up early and make money wasn’t as strong anymore.
A few seconds passed.
From the receiver came a whining, reluctant-to-wake-up voice: “Fu Ji Chen, eat me. I’m a lazy worm, and you’re an early bird. Hurry up and eat me so I don’t have to wake up anymore.”
Fu Ji Chen: “….”
She probably didn’t even know what she was saying.
And she definitely didn’t realize that her pitiful, coquettish tone made others feel hot all over.
“Yu Qing, get up! Otherwise, you won’t even have the northwest wind to drink!”
Yu Qing threw off the blanket and forced herself to sit up, her eyes still squinting throughout the process.
She always had a few minutes of morning grumpiness, but it would pass soon.
“Still not up?” Fu Ji Chen asked again.
“Up! Up already!”
Her voice returned to normal, and the earlier coquetry felt like a dream.
Yu Qing opened her eyes, checked the time—it was barely 5:20. “Fu Ji Chen, can’t you just rest peacefully during your business trip?”
“How can I sleep when I have to rush to the airport?”
Yu Qing had just woken up, her mind sluggish. “Ah?”
Fu Ji Chen picked up his suitcase. “You’ll see me by noon.”
It was the fourth day of his business trip, and Yu Qing felt like it had gone by quickly.
Though in reality, it also felt quite slow.
The call ended, and Yu Qing hurried through her morning routine.
She poured a glass of water and went to Fu Ji Chen’s study to read and analyze today’s stock market trends.
At 8:30 AM, Yu Qing arrived at the office at her usual time. Only Zhang Xiaochi was there, tidying up some documents.
“Little Qincheng, good morning.”
“Morning.”
“Are you heading out?” Yu Qing asked.
Zhang Xiaochi nodded. “I have a labor contract dispute case in court this morning.” She picked up a stack of materials and waved goodbye. “See you later. By the way, I wiped your desk for you.”
Before her voice even faded, she had already reached the office area’s access control gate.
With Zhang Xiaochi gone, Yu Qing felt the office unusually empty.
At 9:00 AM, Director Zhou Yunli sent a group message in the legal department’s chat: [No morning meeting today. We’ll make it up in the afternoon if we have time.]
Later, when colleagues in the office started chatting, Yu Qing learned that Qin Moling’s Le Meng Beverage Company had filed a lawsuit against Dixin. The reason for the lawsuit was still unclear.
Zhou Yunli had gone to coordinate with the litigation legal counsel.
The Fu Corporation had so many subsidiaries and employees that disputes and lawsuits of various sizes occurred daily.
Skipping the morning meeting saved more than half an hour.
Yu Qing began filing contracts.
The internal line on her desk rang—it was Zhao Shuqun, asking her to accompany him to the headquarters of a large chain supermarket.
“Director Zhou is busy this morning and can’t make it. I’ve already scheduled a meeting with their person in charge—you come with me.”
Although relations between her and Zhao Shuqun were strained, Yu Qing always approached work-related matters rationally. “Alright, I’ll be right down.”
She stored all the paper contracts on her desk into the cabinet, turned off her computer, and before leaving, instructed a colleague, “If any superior calls looking for me, tell them I’m out discussing business with Dixin’s sales director.”
“Got it, no problem.”
She grabbed her bag and headed downstairs.
The company had assigned Zhao Shuqun a dedicated car. The driver had already brought the car to the main entrance, and Zhao Shuqun was inside, pushing open the rear door for her from within.
“Thank you.”
Yu Qing got in and closed the door.
Zhao Shuqun handed her a contract. “This is their draft contract. Every clause is stringent. Take a look and see if there’s anything we need to adjust or negotiate further.”
Yu Qing took it and nodded.
This was Dixin’s sixth collaboration with a nationwide large chain supermarket, each one personally negotiated by Zhao Shuqun.
By now, almost every supermarket and convenience store across the country carried Dixin beverages.
Much of Dixin’s success could be attributed to Zhao Shuqun.
Yet, such an outstanding director inexplicably tolerated Xiao Yilin’s unscrupulous behavior in work matters.
“Director Zhao.”
Zhao Shuqun leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes to rest. “If you’re planning to talk to me about Boss Qian and Zhuo Hua Trading, I don’t have time today.”
He gestured toward the contract in her hands. “Read it quickly.”
Yu Qing understood and said nothing further.
Zhao Shuqun personally admired Yu Qing—she was beautiful and intelligent.
Her analysis of sales and market risks aligned perfectly with his own thinking.
However, amidst the tangled web of interests, admiration became worthless.
For him, he had to consider the broader interests of Dixin. He couldn’t satisfy everyone.
There would always be gains and sacrifices.
________________________________________
At 11:00 AM, Yu Qing and Zhao Shuqun exited the headquarters of that supermarket.
The discussion had gone well—the other party showed sincerity in collaborating.
Once they were back in the car, Zhao Shuqun said sincerely, “Thank you for today.”
His gratitude was genuine.
During the earlier discussions with the other party’s legal team, Yu Qing’s eloquence and expertise clearly outshone theirs, securing favorable terms for Dixin.
In terms of professionalism, she was no less capable than Zhou Yunli—she simply lacked “life’s harsh lessons,” refusing to compromise and sticking rigidly to principles.
At this moment, traffic was heavy, and the car barely moved inch by inch.
Meanwhile…
In the legal department’s office, Xiao Yilin came looking for Yu Qing to settle accounts.
The contract with the Tianjin distributor—she had called Zhou Yunli yesterday, who assured her that she had already urged Yu Qing to process it.
But Yu Qing still held it up without stamping it.
An hour ago, she received a call from the Tianjin distributor, saying that since her side showed no intention of cooperation, he had chosen Le Meng instead, and the contract with them was already finalized.
At that moment, Xiao Yilin was so furious that her hands trembled, nearly dropping her phone.
Because Yu Qing had delayed stamping the formal contract, Xiao Yilin had lost a powerful distributor.
And it was snatched away by their competitor.
She came directly to confront Yu Qing.
To her surprise, Yu Qing wasn’t there.
Other lawyers told her that Yu Qing had gone out with Sales Director Zhao Shuqun.
Hmph.
So that’s why Yu Qing was so brazen—she must have already seduced Zhao Shuqun.
Previously, Zhao Shuqun always partnered with Zhou Yunli and never dealt with junior lawyers.
As Zhao Shuqun put it, he didn’t bother with young girls—they were too much trouble.
But apparently, he couldn’t resist Yu Qing’s charm, abandoning all his principles.
It made sense. Even as a woman, Xiao Yilin thought Yu Qing was attractive—let alone men.
Who could resist?
No wonder Zhao Shuqun broke things off with her, claiming his wife found something out at home. In reality, he just wanted a younger, prettier lover.
Suddenly, she remembered that one time when one of their regional managers’ distributors lacked proper qualifications, and Zhao Shuqun personally delivered a justification letter to Yu Qing.
At the time, she wondered why Zhao Shuqun would lower himself to give face to a junior legal specialist.
So it seemed there were signs even then.
His approach to handling women was always the same—giving bags.
She heard that the bag Yu Qing received, though not expensive, was carefully chosen. It couldn’t be bought domestically; one would have to wait at least six months to get it.
A man like that—if Yu Qing wanted Zhao Shuqun, she could take him. Xiao Yilin didn’t care.
But no one could interfere with her interests.
Just before noon, Yu Qing and Zhao Shuqun finally returned to the building.
Yu Qing got out, and Zhao Shuqun’s car drove into the underground parking lot.
Following closely behind, a Bentley slowly entered the parking lot as well.
While waiting for the elevator, Yu Qing received a message from Fu Ji Chen: [Were you sent out on assignment today?]
Instinctively, Yu Qing turned around, but no one was behind her.
She called him. “Did you just see me?”
“Mm.”
Through the phone, Yu Qing heard the sound of Fu Ji Chen closing the car door.
She finally answered his earlier question. “I went with Dixin’s sales director to negotiate a contract this morning—a large-scale procurement deal with a chain supermarket. We were on the passive side, but the discussion went well.”
“That’s good.” In the next second, his tone shifted. “That bag suits you.”
“...”
So after all that, he was just complimenting his own taste.
It seemed his mood was good, so she seized the opportunity to coax him into lunch. “President Fu.”
Her “President Fu” was clearly flirtatious.
Fu Ji Chen knew what she was up to. “No negotiation. My office isn’t going to be used for meals anymore.”
“Who said I was coming to freeload at your place? Don’t flatter yourself.” Yu Qing always had plenty of reasons to counter him. “I just meant that after not seeing you for days, I’m afraid I won’t recognize you.”
At this moment, colleagues from other departments approached, also waiting for the elevator.
Yu Qing ended the call and sent Fu Ji Chen a message: [Someone is coming over.]
Fu Ji Chen didn’t reply.
It seemed she’d have to solve lunch on her own.
It was already lunchtime, so instead of returning to the office, Yu Qing took the elevator directly to the cafeteria.
The company cafeteria occupied four floors of the podium building, with four staff dining halls and one executive dining hall.
Fu Ji Chen and the senior executives dined on the top floor, each with private rooms and a dedicated elevator stopping directly there.
They rarely saw Fu Ji Chen.
Occasionally, however, Fu Ji Chen would visit the staff cafeteria to check on their meals.
When the elevator stopped, Yu Qing got out and headed toward the direction of Restaurant No. 2, where she usually ate.
She had only walked a few steps when an angry voice called out from behind her.
“Yu Qing!”
Yu Qing turned around—it was Xiao Yilin, storming toward her.
Her phone vibrated again.
Fu Ji Chen: [I’m eating at Restaurant No. 2 today. When you arrive, take a distant look and see if you still recognize me.]
Google Sites
Report abuse