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The night grew deep.
The wind carried a biting chill.
Fu Jichen got up to close the window in the study, then continued working overtime.
He was reviewing the latest financing proposal when Yu Qing’s card and her words inexplicably popped into his mind.
An unpredictable financial crisis?
He closed the proposal, turned off the computer, and returned to the bedroom.
Yu Qing lay on his pillow, uncovered by a blanket, wrapped only in a bath towel.
Sated and content, she slept soundly.
Fu Jichen lay down and pulled her into his arms.
Monday morning—the painful ordeal of waking up early had arrived once again.
This time, Yu Qing didn’t grumble or whine as she usually did; she got up rather quickly.
Downstairs, the air carried a biting cold.
There were only a few days left until December.
Surprisingly, quite a few people were already awake, with lights on in several households across every building.
“President Fu.”
“What is it?”
“I woke up early, so technically, you owe me wages. After all, you now have someone keeping you company at five in the morning.”
Fu Jichen thought this was the first sensible thing she’d said—though, of course, only if you ignored the first part of her statement.
He looked at her. “Alright, I’ll pay your wages monthly. But tell me, how much are you planning to pay me for helping you transform from a worm into a bird?”
Yu Qing: “Even so, I’m still a defective little bird. Not suing you for damages is already giving you face.”
Fu Jichen scrutinized her up and down. “Where exactly are you defective?”
“My eyes—they lack night vision, so I can’t see worms.”
“...”
When they arrived at the company, Yu Qing stayed in Fu Jichen’s office until 8:30, eating breakfast before heading back to the legal department.
In the legal office area, only Zhang Xiaochi had arrived. She was wiping down the tables near the windows.
Soft sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting streaks of light across her body.
“Little Qingcheng, good morning.”
“Good morning.”
A faint layer of moisture clung to Yu Qing’s desk, and a few droplets of water hung from the potted plants at the corners of her desk. Zhang Xiaochi had already wiped her desk and watered the plants.
“Thank you.”
“Why are you being so polite? When you come early, don’t you also help me clean my desk?”
Yu Qing set down her bag and phone, then moved the potted plants to the windowsill to bask in the sun.
This serene and beautiful moment was shattered by the sharp sound of high heels echoing from the entrance of the office area, accompanied by an indignant voice.
“I was doing perfectly fine in my position. Why should I be replaced?! Just because…”
“Enough, stop talking.”
The latter voice belonged to Zhou Yunli.
“I can’t swallow this insult! It’s all because of Yu…”
The person entering caught sight of Zhang Xiaochi and Yu Qing, swallowing their words mid-sentence.
“Director, good morning.”
Zhang Xiaochi greeted them.
“Good morning.”
Zhou Yunli nodded slightly and headed straight for her office.
Yuan Wenwen followed her but turned back to glance at Yu Qing. Her lips curled in disdain, her eyes filled with contempt.
Yuan Wenwen was the one who had initially taken Yu Qing’s position.
After the door closed, Zhou Yunli rubbed her temples in frustration.
This Yuan Wenwen was used to being spoiled and domineering at home, and she carried that behavior into the workplace.
Yuan Wenwen was still fuming. “I’ve already been assigned a position. Why do I have to change roles again?”
Zhou Yunli massaged her nose bridge. “The position you’re in originally belonged to Yu Qing. Besides, how many times have important project legal documents been revised by Yu Qing for you?”
Yuan Wenwen opened her mouth to retort but stopped herself.
She had no counterargument.
Zhou Yunli took a deep breath, turned on her computer, and gestured to Yuan Wenwen. “Stop standing here. Go do your work, organize what you need to hand over, and make sure you complete the transition with Yu Qing as soon as possible.”
Yuan Wenwen sighed inwardly. “After the transfer, do you know how many people will laugh at me behind my back?”
Zhou Yunli sighed. “What can I do about it? The transfer is for your own good. Remember this: don’t confront Yu Qing directly in the future.”
Yuan Wenwen forced a smile.
During the morning meeting, Zhou Yunli announced the role adjustment between Yu Qing and Yuan Wenwen—of course, clarifying that it was just a temporary rotation, after which they would return to their original positions.
Many colleagues couldn’t help but glance at Yuan Wenwen.
Yuan Wenwen could already feel the amused and schadenfreude-filled gazes directed at her.
Her walls hadn’t even collapsed yet.
And they were already preparing to push them down.
Hmph.
Let them push. Even if they knock her down, she’s still richer than them!
One of her bags costs more than six months of their salaries combined.
Yuan Wenwen rolled up her sleeves, propped her chin on her hand, and flaunted her newly purchased watch.
Others: “...”
The corners of Yuan Wenwen’s lips curved upward. She was deliberately making them envious, jealous, and resentful.
Suddenly, she felt a surge of gratitude toward her nouveau riche father, who let her buy whatever she wanted.
Zhou Yunli continued emphasizing the issues from last week’s work, noticing their small gestures. She cleared her throat, and they quickly snapped back to attention.
Zhang Xiaochi glanced at the conference table. Only Yu Qing remained focused, oblivious to the distractions, diligently taking notes.
Zhou Yunli reminded Yu Qing, “Keep a close eye on the Lemeng case. Coordinate well with the legal consultants, and provide whatever we need to prepare immediately.”
Yu Qing nodded. “Got it.”
Seeing the words “Lemeng,” she felt a headache coming on.
She hadn’t expected that her father would increase his stake in Lemeng, making him the third-largest shareholder.
After the meeting, Yu Qing stared at the words “Lemeng” for a moment longer before snapping the folder shut with a loud clap.
Just as she stepped out of the conference room, her phone rang.
The caller ID wasn’t saved, but the last digits were consecutive numbers.
Yu Qing walked to the window at the end of the corridor—it was quiet there, with no one passing by.
The ringing ended.
Then it started again.
She swiped to answer.
“It’s me.”
Qin Moling’s deep voice came through the receiver.
Yu Qing couldn’t immediately discern the purpose of his call.
“Lawyer Yu’s number isn’t easy to reach, is it?”
“Perhaps it’s due to Fu Jichen’s interference signals, which aren’t very friendly to your network.”
“...”
Yu Qing didn’t have time to waste bantering. “Mr. Qin, what is this about?”
“Duo Xin has infringed on Lemeng’s trademark. Have you heard about it?”
Yu Qing glanced at the scorching document in her hand. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Qin Moling was deliberately stirring trouble, placing her in a difficult position.
Silence on the line.
Qin Moling’s voice came again. “Yu Qing, whether you admit it or not, some of your expenses over the years have come from Lemeng’s dividends.”
“Why go work anywhere else when you could’ve joined Shuo & Partners? Quit Fu Group and come back.”
“I’ll ensure you get into Shuo & Partners.”
Yu Qing chuckled, countering each point.
“Mr. Qin, such narrow-minded thinking. Don’t big bosses like you often invest in two competing companies? By your logic, spending dividends from Company A means betraying Company B?”
“Work is also about fate. It just so happens that I have a connection with Fu Group.”
“Fu Jichen wouldn’t let me resign. Even if I did, he’d snatch me back.”
“I have no plans to join Shuo & Partners for now. Fu Jichen mentioned it to me, but I declined.”
“Mr. Qin, anything else?”
A few seconds of silence.
Qin Moling said, “Let me review some materials. I’ll visit you in a couple of days.”
Yu Qing: “?”
“What do you mean?”
The call had already been disconnected.
Yu Qing blocked Qin Moling’s number, hesitated for a few seconds, and then unblocked it.
Knowing Qin Moling’s personality, if he really wanted to find her, he’d just call from another number.
Yu Qing still had a meeting in the morning—a signing session with Duo Xin.
This was probably her last interaction with Zhao Shuqun and Xiao Yilin before her job transfer.
She returned to her office to prepare the contract for the signing.
Just as she sat down, a notification popped up in the group chat: today’s signing was canceled. President Fu had an urgent meeting, and Qiao Yang was required to attend.
________________________________________
Qiao Yang thought it was because her latest financing proposal wasn’t up to par, but to her surprise, Fu Jichen decided to abandon the bidding for the second plot of land.
The entire conference room was stunned. Everyone looked at Fu Jichen in disbelief.
What could have happened over the short weekend to make the boss make such a difficult decision?
It was called difficult because Fu Jichen never went back on his own decisions.
Qiao Yang asked cautiously, “President Fu, has there been a change in the land transfer policy?”
“No changes.”
“Then…?” Qiao Yang couldn’t think of any other reason for him to give up. When the decision to bid on both plots was made, not everyone in upper management agreed.
However, Fu Jichen insisted.
The risk department had evaluated it—though the risks were significant, if handled properly, the profits would be substantial.
Moreover, the funds for this land acquisition didn’t come from their existing cash flow; Fu Jichen personally arranged the financing through connections.
She had also analyzed it—the future returns on these two plots far exceeded the financing interest rates.
Using borrowed money to make money without having to worry about it was something shareholders would be happy to see.
Under the temptation of enormous profits, the initial opposition gradually faded into silence.
In truth, even if someone opposed, it wouldn’t have mattered.
Once Fu Jichen made a decision, it was like an arrow released from a bow—there was no turning back.
Fu Jichen didn’t elaborate on why he suddenly decided to abandon the bidding for one of the plots. He only said, “The real estate company’s expansion pace will follow the original plan. Moving too fast can lead to stumbling. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
After the meeting, Qiao Yang followed Fu Jichen to his office.
She was still utterly baffled. “Was it because several shareholders ganged up to pressure you?”
Fu Jichen countered, “Do you think they could pressure me?”
“Then… was there a change on the bank’s side?”
“No.”
Qiao Yang was even more confused. She patiently waited for Fu Jichen to explain.
Fu Jichen signed a few documents and handed them to her. “From now on, focus all your energy on that prime plot.”
“Alright.” She accepted the documents.
She didn’t leave immediately, flipping through the files while waiting for Fu Jichen to explain why he abandoned the bidding.
Two minutes passed.
The sound of Fu Jichen typing on his keyboard didn’t stop, nor did he show any intention of speaking.
“President Fu, you’re busy.”
“Mm.”
Qiao Yang took the hint and left with the documents.
Pan entered shortly after Qiao Yang left.
He came to report on work and didn’t ask about the matter discussed earlier in the meeting.
However, Fu Jichen brought it up himself. “Yu Qing reminded me of something.” From the moment he received her bank card last night until just before the morning meeting today, he had been deliberating.
After careful consideration, he made the decision.
Pan had already guessed it was Yu Qing. Only Yu Qing could make the boss reflect on his decisions.
________________________________________
The afternoon slipped away unnoticed.
Zhang Xiaochi stretched lazily. “Little Qingcheng, what have you been busy with? You haven’t raised your head since noon.” She hadn’t even gone to the break room.
“Handing over responsibilities.”
“So soon? I thought it would take two or three weeks.”
Yu Qing didn’t respond but subtly tilted her chin toward Director Zhou Yunli’s office.
Zhang Xiaochi instantly understood. Yu Qing’s presence in this position was irritating to many, especially those in Duo Xin’s sales department.
The job transfer might seem like favoritism toward Yu Qing, but in reality, it was to avoid seeing her.
Even if she were to become the future mistress of the company, she couldn’t do whatever she wanted.
And for the sake of the bigger picture, the boss always had to balance the interests of all parties.
After all, Fu Group wasn’t solely owned by the Fu family—it had other shareholders.
Yu Qing had organized everything that needed to be handed over. Ten minutes ago, she received a message from Zhou Yunli instructing her to hand over responsibilities to Yuan Wenwen tomorrow under her supervision.
The speed of the transfer was like riding a rocket.
She still had several important economic contracts to deliver to Secretary Pan and to coordinate the handover of related tasks with him.
She scheduled a meeting with Secretary Pan, who asked her to come half an hour before the end of the workday.
When the time was right, Yu Qing headed to the president’s office with a folder of documents.
Seeing Yu Qing arrive, Secretary Pan brought along his assistant. “We’ll need to go to the conference room. There are too many contracts—they won’t fit on my desk.”
Yu Qing apologized, “Sorry, Secretary Pan. I might delay your departure. My handover is quite urgent.”
Secretary Pan understood perfectly. “No problem. I’ve never left on time anyway. The roads are always congested.”
In the conference room, Yu Qing spread out the contracts one by one, explaining key points to Secretary Pan while his assistant diligently took notes.
By the time the workday ended, they still weren’t finished.
Yu Qing’s phone vibrated—a WeChat voice call came in.
Her phone was placed next to a pile of contracts. Secretary Pan instinctively glanced at it, thinking it was his own phone vibrating, only to see a familiar WeChat profile picture.
It was unmistakably the boss’s WeChat account.
The nickname displayed on the screen was surreal.
Yu Qing: “….”
She quickly grabbed her phone.
An awkward smile appeared on her face.
Secretary Pan rubbed his forehead. So this was how the boss appeared in Yu Qing’s eyes.
Unable to hold back, he silently chuckled.
Fu Jichen’s voice call was meant to ask her what time she’d finish work.
Yu Qing didn’t answer. She hung up and sent him a message: [I’m busy. Leave a message if you have something to say; otherwise, head home first.]
This woman was truly an emotionless robot.
Fu Jichen shut down his computer and left for the day.
Passing by the conference room in the secretary’s office area, the familiar silhouette facing away from the door caught his eye.
Fu Jichen paused briefly, then walked over.
Hearing footsteps, everyone turned their heads. “President Fu.”
Fu Jichen nodded and gestured for them to continue working without standing up.
He found a seat across the conference table and waited for Yu Qing to finish so they could head home together.
As soon as Secretary Pan saw Fu Jichen, the nickname Yu Qing used for the boss in WeChat flashed in his mind. He tried to maintain a serious demeanor but failed once again.
When Fu Jichen looked up, he noticed Secretary Pan smiling—an amused smile that seemed to infect every cell on his face with joy.
He leaned back in his chair.
Looking again, Secretary Pan’s smile hadn’t faded.
“Secretary Pan, is there some good news at home?”
Secretary Pan: “….”
“Oh, nothing major. My daughter’s diary was praised today. She wrote about ‘My Father.’”
Yu Qing pretended not to know anything and focused on giving detailed instructions to the assistant.
Fu Jichen had never interacted with children before and couldn’t understand how a simple diary entry could make a father so happy.
He casually asked, “Do kindergartens require writing diaries now?”
Secretary Pan: “…Yes.”
He continued lying, “They just started learning pinyin this semester. To reinforce their understanding of pinyin, the teacher asked the children to write diaries using pinyin.”
Fu Jichen nodded. “That’s a good teaching method.”
Secretary Pan: “….”
It was all made up.
Only Yu Qing knew that Secretary Pan had been laughing about the nickname earlier.
If Fu Jichen kept asking questions, Secretary Pan would have to wrack his brain to come up with more lies.
She looked up. “Fu Jichen, stop fooling around. Go wait outside and don’t disturb our work.”
The conference room fell silent.
However, Yu Qing addressed him as Fu Jichen, not President Fu, so it wasn’t entirely disrespectful.
Fu Jichen didn’t leave but stayed quiet, refraining from chatting with Secretary Pan and instead scrolling through his phone.
Secretary Pan breathed a sigh of relief. He was worried that if the boss kept talking, he might accidentally reveal something.
When they finished, Secretary Pan and his assistant tactfully excused themselves from the conference room first.
Yu Qing packed up the folder. “Thank you, my President Fu, for waiting for me.”
Fu Jichen stood up and walked over to her, studying her. “You were harsh just now, and now you’re being so sweet.”
Yu Qing replied earnestly, “You were chatting with Secretary Pan earlier, which affected our work. I just wanted to finish quickly and leave early with you.”
After packing up, Yu Qing and Fu Jichen left together.
As soon as they passed the first security checkpoint, an ordinary elevator arrived. Out walked the young receptionist from the lobby, holding a courier package.
“President Fu, your private delivery just arrived.”
“Thank you.” Fu Jichen took the package.
“Did you order something online?” Yu Qing leaned over to take a look.
“I don’t shop online.” Fu Jichen didn’t know who sent the package either. The note indicated it was books, shipped from a bookstore in Beijing.
He frowned. He had never bought anything from this bookstore before.
The books he usually read were purchased by Secretary Pan on his behalf.
Yu Qing reached out to feel the package. Inside were three books of varying sizes and thicknesses. “Open it. It might be someone who bought it and sent it directly to you.”
“I’ll open it for you in case there’s a threatening letter inside.”
“No need. All deliveries are sent under real names now.” Fu Jichen opened the package. On top was a handwritten note:
[To President Fu: Hello. The other day, while browsing the bookstore, I found a few good books that you’ll likely find useful soon. I took the liberty of buying them for you. No need to thank me—it was a small gesture. —Qin Moling]
Fu Jichen looked at the books. There were three in total:
The Secrets to Healing from Heartbreak
Becoming a Better Version of Yourself After a Breakup
200 Inspirational Stories Every Heartbroken Man Must Read
Fu Jichen: “…”
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