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“Jichen hasn’t spoken all evening.” Grandma sighed.
While she worried, she didn’t forget to reproach Grandpa Fu. “You’re getting senile! Why did you have to tell Jichen about your meeting with Yu Qing? Do you feel accomplished by hurting him?”
Seeing her grandson sitting silently on the sofa, she felt uneasy.
Grandpa Fu took out some glutinous rice balls from the fridge. “What do you mean I’m being unreasonable? How is it that I’m hurting him and feeling accomplished?”
The hot water in the pot was boiling, bubbling ‘gurgle gurgle.’
The steam pushed the lid of the pot, making a clattering noise.
Grandma lifted the lid, and steam rushed out.
Grandpa Fu put the glutinous rice balls into the pot. “At my age, I even disregarded my dignity to pressure and negotiate with a young woman in her twenties, not allowing her to speak. I felt so embarrassed at that moment; if word got out, how many people would laugh at me.”
Thinking about today at the café, he still felt embarrassed.
“Why did I do it? Wasn’t it all for him?”
“I tried my best to seize every opportunity, but Yu Qing just wouldn’t budge. Since that’s the case, there’s no need to waste more time, or we’ll get more entangled.”
He stirred the glutinous rice balls with a spoon.
“I’ve never cooked before, and tonight I’m making him a late-night snack. He should be grateful!”
Fu Jichen had been at his grandfather’s house for a while, lost in thought over his phone.
The late-night snack was ready, and Grandma called him to eat in the living room.
Fu Jichen looked at the snack in his bowl. “Eating glutinous rice balls at night isn’t easy to digest.”
Grandpa Fu handed him chopsticks. “Be grateful you have something to eat; don’t be picky!” He sat down next to Fu Jichen. “Did you have a thorough talk with Yu Qing?”
“Mm.”
Grandpa Fu nodded. “It’s good that you cleared things up. Don’t drag things out.”
The black sesame filling of the glutinous rice balls was fragrant, sweet, and soft. Fu Jichen ate them without much enthusiasm.
Grandpa Fu didn’t say anything more, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples with both hands. Worrying about his grandson’s marriage was mentally and physically exhausting, and he hadn’t slept well these past two days due to the stress.
He couldn’t understand Yu Qing’s thoughts, but there was no need to figure them out. It had nothing to do with him.
What he couldn’t comprehend more was how his usually rational and calm grandson, who always weighed pros and cons and never acted rashly, got tripped up by emotions.
Fu Jichen only ate two glutinous rice balls and then put down his chopsticks.
Grandma knew that they had something to discuss. Otherwise, her busy grandson wouldn’t come over late at night, and the old man wouldn’t be sitting at the dining table without leaving.
She took the dishes to the kitchen and let the household staff rest.
Grandpa Fu spoke, “Are you here to confront me?”
Fu Jichen wiped his hands. “Just came over for a free late-night snack.”
“Ho ho. Not worth the gas money for the detour. Not cost-effective.”
Grandpa Fu calmly pressed on his acupressure points rhythmically.
“Yu Qing clearly defined our boundaries tonight, and she did it with laughter. From now on, she won’t pick me up at five o’clock. If we communicate, it will only be for work.”
“She returned my car, citing high fuel consumption as the reason.”
“She took back all her belongings from my apartment, saying she has no clothes to wear recently.”
“In these few months together, she spent less than two million yuan on me. But when she hired me for a week of work, she transferred 1.9 million yuan to me, settling everything.”
“She changed my WeChat nickname to ‘President Fu.’”
“The keychain she gave me has also been taken back.”
Fu Jichen crumpled the tissue in his hand, threw it into the trash, stood up, and said, “Grandpa, you and Grandma rest early. I’m going home.”
He picked up his coat and left.
In the early morning hours, Fu Jichen returned to his apartment.
After a night of turmoil, aside from heartache, his work was still piled up.
After taking a bath, Fu Jichen went to the study to work overtime.
Next to the computer were the three books Qin Moling had given him.
“The 200 Inspirational Short Stories Every Heartbroken Man Must Read” was particularly glaring.
________________________________________
On Wednesday, Yu Qing still woke up at five o’clock.
The night was still deep.
Stepping out of the house, the cold wind pierced her skin, and her breath came out in warm puffs.
Unexpectedly, the steward was already up earlier than her, practicing boxing in the yard.
‘Beep beep,’ the car unlocked.
The steward noticed that Yu Qing was already awake. “Why are you up so early? You haven’t eaten breakfast yet.”
Yu Qing waved her hand. “No need to make breakfast for me anymore. I’ll eat at the firm.”
Under the stars and moon, the car drove out of the yard.
She had moved.
Staying at Fish Spirit’s place all the time wasn’t appropriate, so she moved back to the villa to accompany her father.
For her first commute from the new home, unsure how long the journey would take, Yu Qing recorded the time.
Twenty-one minutes later, the car entered the underground parking lot of the law firm building.
This was at just past five in the morning.
If it were during rush hour, it would probably take at least an hour and a half.
Today, she and Qin Yu were scheduled to visit New Tech to meet Qiao Weiming.
Yu Qing packed the contracts and materials she needed into her file bag. Qin Yu hadn’t arrived yet, so she opened her memo and checked Qiao Weiming’s son’s personal preferences again.
At six-thirty, Qin Yu arrived.
Yu Qing’s office door was open. He gently knocked twice and entered.
On the table, all three Maneki-neko figurines were lined up neatly, though all facing the wall with their backs to the door.
“If you place them like this, how can they bring in fortune?” Qin Yu joked.
Yu Qing turned off her computer and put on her coat. “They lack contract spirit, so they’re being punished by facing the wall in reflection.”
Qin Yu laughed. “Facing the wall isn’t enough punishment. They should write a ten-thousand-word repentance letter.”
“That’s a good idea.” Yu Qing slung her bag over her shoulder and picked up her file bag. “Let’s go. We still have to pick someone up from Fu Group.”
“Who?”
“Qiao Yang.”
Qin Yu nodded, not asking further questions.
The two left together.
While waiting for the elevator, he stared at her for a few seconds. Something had felt off earlier. He realized she wasn’t wearing her usual business suit today.
A smoke-gray pink coat.
Her hair tied into a high ponytail.
Gentle, quiet beauty.
Radiating an ethereal aura.
Without a trace of aggression.
He wasn’t used to seeing her dressed like this.
Had he not known her and her strong professional abilities, her current appearance would give the first impression of a refined, high-end decorative vase.
Yu Qing turned her face. “Attorney Qin, what do you want to say?”
Qin Yu spoke frankly. “Why did you choose such a neighborly outfit for such a serious occasion today?”
“Beauty as a weapon.”
“...”
The elevator arrived, and Yu Qing stepped in first, followed by Qin Yu.
He glanced at her coat again. “Where did you buy this coat? I want to get one for her.” Her skin was as dazzlingly white as Yu Qing’s, and she would definitely look good in it.
Yu Qing gossiped for once, a rare occasion. “Girlfriend?”
Qin Yu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Yu Qing told him the brand.
After hearing it, Qin Yu said, “Forget it. A coat costing over a hundred thousand yuan—she’d think it’s too expensive and wouldn’t wear it.”
Yu Qing suggested, “You could get it custom-made. There are many old ateliers in Paris. The price is several times higher than ready-to-wear, but most people wouldn’t recognize the label. If you need, I can recommend a few tailors.”
This idea sounded good. Qin Yu: “Once we finish this case, I’ll go over and get a few pieces custom-made for her.”
Yu Qing found it hard to imagine the usually serious and sharp-eyed Qin Yu having such a gentle side.
Upon seeing a nice piece of clothing, his first thought was to buy one for his girlfriend.
And to buy several pieces.
Qin Yu was the face of their firm. Looking across the legal world, no one could surpass his personal charm.
Whenever there were projects from the brokerage side, the women on the team always thought of Qin Yu first. His handsome looks were pleasing to the eye and helped relieve fatigue.
When he worked seriously, he mesmerized countless women.
Downstairs, the driver was already waiting.
Qin Yu asked Yu Qing, “Is there any special seating arrangement? After we pick up the person, do I need to assist you?”
Yu Qing: “You sit in the front passenger seat. When necessary, send me a message.”
She told him the time points.
Approaching Fu Group, Yu Qing sent a message to Qiao Yang, [Manager Qiao, I’ll be at your Fu Group building in ten minutes.]
Qiao Yang was in Fu Jichen’s office. Yesterday, Yu Qing called her, requesting to meet with the person in charge of the target company and to accompany her. There were some financial issues that needed her coordination.
Not knowing what time they would return, she came to ask for leave from Fu Jichen, as there was a meeting she might not make it to.
“Yu Qing invited you?”
Fu Jichen looked up.
“Mm. It’s related to that investment project.” Qiao Yang guessed, “Perhaps during the due diligence, Lawyer Yu encountered some tricky issues.”
Fu Jichen didn’t respond.
The atmosphere in the office suddenly turned cold.
Qiao Yang didn’t know what happened.
She hadn’t said anything wrong.
Going out with Yu Qing was also for work purposes.
Half a minute passed, and Fu Jichen still didn’t speak.
Qiao Yang’s gaze fell on Fu Jichen’s face, and after a few seconds, she slightly averted her eyes. His expressionless and seemingly indifferent demeanor was extremely intimidating.
Every time during meetings, if he suddenly went silent, everyone in the conference room couldn’t help but hold their breath.
After considering for a moment, Fu Jichen said, “Help me deliver something to her.”
“... Alright.” Qiao Yang didn’t know what it was, her eyes following his tall figure as he moved.
Fu Jichen picked a marker from the pen holder, walked leisurely to the fridge, took out a bottle of lemon tea, and circled a few words on it.
He glanced at his watch and began writing on the bottle.
With swift strokes, he finished quickly.
Only after leaving Fu Jichen’s office did Qiao Yang look at the bottle.
The words Fu Jichen had circled were the advertisement slogan, ‘Love at First Sight.’
On the blank space of the bottle, there was his signature and the date.
The date was specific down to the hour and minute.
Qiao Yang speculated that perhaps they had an argument.
Fu Jichen was confessing and apologizing in this manner.
Whatever the reason, he had fallen for her.
Arriving downstairs, the car was parked flamboyantly at the main entrance.
One of the rear doors opened from inside.
Qiao Yang headed straight for that side, exchanged polite words briefly, and got into the car.
The car turned onto the road.
Qiao Yang noticed the route was wrong; the headquarters of the company they were supposed to visit wasn’t in this direction.
She reminded Yu Qing, “Lawyer Yu, you’re going the wrong way.”
“Oh, no mistake.” Yu Qing smiled faintly. “I and Lawyer Qin have to visit New Tech. We’re standardizing matters concerning Fu Jichen’s undisclosed shareholder status today. I’ll trouble you to wait in the car for a while. Once we handle New Tech, we’ll visit the client.”
Qiao Yang’s expression froze momentarily, but soon she forced a smile. “So that’s how it is.” Without thinking, she blurted out, “Did President Fu tell you everything?”
Yu Qing counter-questioned, “You also know about the undisclosed shareholder matter? That President Fu is the hidden boss behind New Tech?”
Qiao Yang instinctively pursed her lips, reacting swiftly. She didn’t say whether she knew or not; otherwise, if Yu Qing asked her to testify, it would be troublesome.
She evaded the main issue, “If it’s related to President Fu, then obviously President Fu told you.”
She quickly changed the subject and handed the drink to Yu Qing, “President Fu asked me to pass this to you.”
“Thank you.”
Yu Qing took it, stared at the bottle repeatedly, and replied to Fu Jichen: [President Fu, I’ve received the water. Thank you for providing drinks during my secondment period :)]
She put the drink away in her bag.
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