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Psst! We're moving!
Fu Jichen’s clever move made him the biggest winner of the night.
Apart from Feng Mai, the other two women took pictures of Fu Jichen’s ring.
They weren’t using it for themselves but said they wanted to teach their sons some romantic tricks.
At this point in the private room, only President Zou remained somewhat calm while others began making their own rings, saying that no matter how drunk they got tonight, their wives would forgive them.
The middle-aged man who had a short circuit in his brain and liked to tease Fu Jichen transferred five yuan to Fu Jichen with the note: tuition fee.
“Jichen, let me take another look at your ring. I want to see how you drew the fish.”
Fu Jichen didn’t give it to him. “You can’t draw a fish. The fish is Yu Qing.”
The man hesitated for two seconds. “Then I’ll draw a tiger.”
President Zou chimed in, “You’d better not risk your life challenging your wife, or there will be a vacancy in our bank’s executive position tomorrow. I’ll have to recruit someone new.”
“...”
Everyone burst into laughter.
After ten o’clock, the dinner was over.
President Zou and Fu Jichen walked ahead, while the others deliberately kept their distance, taking different elevators downstairs.
President Zou had drunk quite a bit tonight but remained sober.
“You, what can I say about you.”
Fu Jichen looked at the ring. “If it weren’t for your dinner arrangement tonight, do you think I would have come? If the loan isn’t approved soon, I’ll withdraw my loan application.”
President Zou and Chairman Fu were close friends, and he never held back when lecturing Fu Jichen. “Tsk tsk, growing some backbone, starting to threaten me now?”
“I wouldn’t dare to threaten. I’m thinking, why shouldn’t I let Yu Qing’s bank earn the interest? Even if their rates are higher, I don’t mind paying the extra interest. What do you think?”
The elevator arrived.
Fu Jichen said, “If the loan review meeting next week doesn’t approve it, even if Chairman Feng begs me, I won’t lend this loan.”
President Zou’s car arrived, but Fu Jichen’s car hadn’t come yet.
“Where’s your car?” President Zou asked.
Fu Jichen pointed to parking area A.
President Zou understood and got into his car to leave.
Fu Jichen walked to the parking lot, not rushing to get in the car, and lit a cigarette by the trash can.
Feng Mai was the last one to come out of the hotel, and her car was also in parking area A.
From afar, she saw Fu Jichen.
His expression was cold.
The humor he displayed in the private room had long disappeared.
He stood there with one hand in his pocket, straight as an arrow, white smoke swirling around.
As the footsteps approached, Fu Jichen didn’t turn around.
“Waiting here especially for me?” Feng Mai stopped.
Fu Jichen flicked the ash off his cigarette. “Business matters should not be taken lightly. Given that you’re a lady, I’ll give you face this time, but there won’t be a next time.”
Feng Mai put her hands in her pockets, looking at rows of cars, all exuding a cold metallic feel. “If Qin Moling made a ring for me tonight in public, I’d marry him right away. But he’s just like Yu Qing, ungrateful. They match well in that aspect.”
Fu Jichen glanced sideways. “If you want to scold Qin Moling, go ahead, no one will stop you. Don’t drag Yu Qing into it; you’re not in a position to judge her.”
“Ho ho.”
Feng Mai sneered.
She then discussed business. “Rest assured, I still know how to separate work from personal matters. Tonight’s dinner wasn’t meant to make things difficult for you regarding the loan. I just wanted to tell you that if your relationship with Yu Qing ends one day and you want to get married, you can consider me. I have someone I like, so even if we get married, you won’t need to spend time dealing with me. We can each live our own lives. We could even be a couple in name only.”
“President Fu, excuse me.”
She slightly bowed and started to walk away.
Fu Jichen extinguished his cigarette and headed towards his car.
On the way back, Fu Jichen checked his phone twice. Yu Qing hadn’t sent him any messages or called.
He opened the calendar and almost forgot—it was only two days until his birthday.
Yu Qing probably didn’t know which day was his birthday; she never cared about such things.
As the car turned onto the road leading to the residential area, Fu Jichen instinctively looked towards the sidewalk.
More than once, he had encountered Yu Qing coming out of the subway station here, slowly walking towards their home.
Fu Jichen instructed the driver, “Go to Director Yu’s place first.”
“Alright, President Fu.”
The car passed by the residential area and turned at the next intersection.
The road wasn’t congested, and they arrived in less than twenty minutes.
Without access control, they could only park at the entrance of the villa area.
Fu Jichen sent a location to Yu Qing. This was the fastest response he had ever received from her; she also sent back a location—the entrance of his residential area.
Just as he passed by earlier, he didn’t recognize her newly changed car and missed it.
Fu Jichen dialed her number. “Why didn’t you tell me in advance?”
Yu Qing leaned back in her seat. “You would naturally come home after the social gathering. Why should I rush you?”
Fu Jichen felt deeply touched. She actually went to see him on her own initiative. “Drive back, I’ll wait for you.”
Yu Qing hummed in response and hung up the phone.
Fu Jichen got out of the car and walked to the roadside to wait for her.
The temperature was low at night, and the hot breath he exhaled was clearly visible.
He watched cars passing by one after another.
Finally, Yu Qing’s car arrived, and she lowered the window.
“Why aren’t you in the car?”
“Afraid you might miss seeing me due to poor eyesight.”
Yu Qing found a spot to park without obstructing anyone, and Fu Jichen sat in the passenger seat.
The car engine stopped, the lights went out, and the surroundings became completely silent.
Fu Jichen asked, “How long have you been waiting for me?”
“About half an hour.” Yu Qing unbuckled her seatbelt.
Fu Jichen handed her a set of all the community access cards. The set she had left behind in the apartment when they broke up.
He reached out his hand, “Come sit here.”
Yu Qing grabbed his hand and crossed from the driver’s seat onto his lap. Fu Jichen pulled her into his arms.
He had a faint scent of red wine on him, along with a trace of tobacco that was almost imperceptible. She moved closer to his lips; the taste of mint candy lingered, and she kissed him.
“Not going to ask me how the blind date with Feng Mai went tonight?”
“Not asking. Planning to suffocate you.”
“...”
Fu Jichen held her cheek with one hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss.
Their kiss was intense and passionate, leaving them disoriented.
It wasn’t until Yu Qing felt paper scraping against her face that her curiosity got the better of her, and the kiss finally stopped.
“What’s on your finger? Is it broken?”
“No.”
Yu Qing turned on the car’s overhead light and took his hand.
She saw a small fish drawn on it, looking proud.
She smiled.
“Claiming your rightful place?”
“Mm. In a few days, the financial system will know that you’re my girlfriend.”
Fu Jichen looked at the ring. “In a few more days, when you’ve calmed down enough, move back in. Otherwise, commuting back and forth is troublesome and a waste of time.”
“I’m not angry. I just can’t swallow the disrespect others have shown me.”
“...”
Fu Jichen reflected on himself too. He shouldn’t have pulled her out of the cloakroom by her hand.
“I accept my punishment for that. What do you want me to do?”
Yu Qing picked up his right hand and slapped it a few times.
It was the same hand that had firmly gripped her wrist when he wanted to send her home.
“You thought this hand of yours was pretty strong, huh? I bought three Maneki-neko figurines and made them wave every day. I also stuck a note in their palms.”
“What does it say?”
“I shouldn’t have been so handsy, Yu Qing. I was wrong, I’m sorry—Confession from Fu Jichen.”
Fu Jichen chuckled and hugged her tightly.
He nuzzled her cheek. “I’m sorry. That day, I was afraid you’d really leave, and if you left, you might never come back. I pulled you out because I wanted to leave your luggage behind.”
Yu Qing retorted, “Who said I was leaving? I just wanted to put on a bit of an act, didn’t I?”
“Then come back. From now on, I’ll wake you up at five every morning.” Fu Jichen gently kissed her earlobe.
Once, twice.
Yu Qing returned the kiss. “I might not move back in for now. It’s not because I’m mad at you. I’ll visit you on the weekend.”
Fu Jichen asked, “What’s going on?”
It was related to her father.
Yu Qing: “Didn’t I decide to move back home to keep my dad company? He was so happy that he adjusted his schedule for coming home in the evening. Before, when he was alone, it didn’t matter what time he came home. Now he comes home early and waits for me. If I move out, don’t you think he’d be disappointed?”
A few seconds of silence.
Fu Jichen decided, “Then visit me on weekends and stay home during weekdays. We still have a lifetime ahead of us; it doesn’t matter if we wait a year or half a year.”
He also had a request: “Pick me up every morning.”
Yu Qing: “Alright, but here’s a question for you. If you answer correctly, I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.”
“Deal.” Fu Jichen glanced at the time; it was late. “Go back. Send me the question once you’ve written it, and I’ll figure it out on the way.”
Yu Qing found a piece of paper and pen and wrote something for him. “Something I like. You have ten minutes. If you can’t answer, it’s fine.”
She tore off the sticky note and handed it to him. “Good luck, Mr. Fu.”
Fu Jichen looked at the words and was baffled; he couldn’t understand them at all.
He got out of the car and watched her enter the residential area.
On the way back, Fu Jichen kept pondering those words: 【Special wheat beans with aji】
At first, he thought it was a dialect, but no matter how he looked at it, it didn’t seem to be from the Shanghai area.
Yu Qing sent him a message: 【Two minutes left. Good luck!】
Fu Jichen stared at that line, still without any ideas.
It must be a dialect, one he wasn’t familiar with.
He watched the seconds tick by on his watch.
Suddenly, it hit him.
【tomato scrambled egg】
【Scrambled eggs with tomatoes】
Yu Qing laughed. 【This is the only dish my dad knows how to make, and he even calls himself a master chef. If you can cook two dishes, you’ll surpass him. Good night.】
Fu Jichen let out a sigh of relief. Even during his graduation defense, he hadn’t felt this nervous.
When he got home, Fu Jichen put the ring away in the drawer she often used.
That night, Fu Jichen finally slept soundly.
No dreams until five o’clock.
Today was the second day of their relationship, and there was only one day left until his birthday.
Right on time at 5:45, Fu Jichen arrived downstairs. He didn’t see the car Yu Qing drove yesterday, nor was his own car there.
He sent Yu Qing a message: 【Not here yet or haven’t woken up?】
Yu Qing had already arrived. She had switched cars and was less than five meters away from Fu Jichen. She replied: 【Already up. What’s up?】
Fu Jichen: 【Coming to pick me up, forgot?】
Yu Qing gently opened the door and got out, replying: 【Sorry, fish have short memories. Kisses. This side suggests providing chat records or recordings.】
Fu Jichen: “...” He turned his head in frustration.
Behind him, a familiar laugh rang out.
Fu Jichen turned around. Yu Qing: “Hi, my first love boyfriend, good morning!”
Her casual sweet talk always managed to hit him right where it hurt, leaving him utterly defeated.
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