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Psst! We're moving!
The message was withdrawn, but the damage couldn’t be taken back.
Chairman Fu knew that well—so he quickly transferred another 40,000 yuan to Fu Jichen.
In just a few minutes, he had lost 60,000 yuan.
Fu Jichen messaged:
[Didn’t I already say it? You don’t need to be so formal with me. Why transfer more money?]
Chairman Fu replied politely:
[It’s your birthday—birthday gift money.]
He stared at the chat window. The 20,000 yuan WeChat transfer from earlier still hadn’t been accepted by Fu Jichen. The 40,000 just wired through online banking probably would be sent back too.
After all, his son had just said, “No need to be so formal.”
He also believed that—family shouldn’t have to be formal with each other.
Father-son bonds shouldn’t rely on money to be maintained.
But before he could finish the thought, the chat showed: [Recipient has accepted payment.]
Chairman Fu: “…”
—
With that 60,000 yuan soothing his soul, Fu Jichen had mostly recovered. By the time he arrived at the company, the earlier incident had already been forgotten.
It was already 2:00 p.m.—working hours.
In the reception area of the CEO’s office, Feng Mai was sipping coffee, waiting for him deliberately.
This visit was about a loan. She oversaw the credit department. Normally, since the loan didn’t pass approval, there was no need for someone at her level to get involved.
But since it concerned Fu Jichen, she took the initiative to come discuss it.
Even without an appointment, Pan Zheng gave her special treatment and personally accompanied her while they waited.
Also in the reception area was Qiao Yang.
She had been responsible for the loan from the start.
Fu Jichen came in, his coat casually draped over one arm.
They all stood up in unison.
Feng Mai said, “Happy birthday, President Fu. I just found out—didn’t get the chance to prepare a gift.”
Fu Jichen nodded. “Thank you.”
They followed him to his office.
Qiao Yang couldn’t take her eyes off his back. During the morning meeting, he’d worn a dark red shirt, causing quite a stir among the company’s fangirls over lunch.
He’d been given a new label: “Seductive scholarly rogue.”
This was a title unanimously approved by the women in the administration department.
Just a few hours later, he’d changed into a white dress shirt—cufflinks simple and conservative in black.
Pan Zheng was the last to enter the office and closed the door behind him.
Qiao Yang laid out the rejected loan materials on Fu Jichen’s desk. There were no issues with the basic info—the issue was the loan interest rate proposal.
She had suggested reducing the rate by 0.5 percentage points, but Fu Jichen had insisted on a full 1-point reduction.
As a result, the loan review board had rejected it today.
“President Fu,” she said.
She circled the proposed rate with a pencil and handed over the application.
Feng Mai sat down at the desk. “President Fu, with the rate you proposed, our bank can’t approve this loan. We’ve never issued loans at such a low interest rate.”
Fu Jichen erased the pencil circle without leaving a trace and handed the form back to Qiao Yang:
“No need to change it.”
Then he looked at Feng Mai.
“If your bank insists on raising the loan rate, then I won’t consider borrowing from you.”
Feng Mai replied, “Even if we reduce it by just 0.5 percentage points, it would still be significantly lower than other banks. Even Yu Qing’s family’s bank wouldn’t offer such a low rate.”
Fu Jichen didn’t respond. Instead, he raised his wrist to glance at his watch.
Everyone present understood—it was a clear sign to wrap up and leave.
“Manager Feng, my apologies. Today is a special occasion—I’m having dinner at my girlfriend’s house tonight. I’ve got quite a bit to wrap up before leaving. Let’s continue this discussion another time.”
“…”
Pan Zheng, watching from the side, thought his boss had taken the art of subtle bragging as a dismissal tactic to new heights.
Feng Mai, recognizing the hint, politely wrapped up:
“Then I won’t hold you up. I’ll do my best to persuade senior management again. Hope we can get the loan approved soon. Take care.”
Qiao Yang gathered the materials and escorted her out.
Once the door was closed, footsteps were left outside.
Pan Zheng remained, waiting quietly for instructions.
Their boss refused to raise the interest rate, while Director Feng wasn’t willing to approve the loan at the lower rate. This stalemate couldn’t last forever.
He had no idea how his boss planned to break the deadlock.
Fu Jichen pondered and said,
“Didn’t Yu’s Bank want to lease the first three floors of our podium building as a new branch location?”
Pan Zheng nodded.
“Yes. Their current branch lease is about to expire. The landlord is willing to renew, but upper management prefers relocating to our business district.”
That would give them a competitive edge over rival banks.
Relocating also met regulatory criteria.
Their commercial podium was the only suitable spot left in the area.
Previously, Yu Bank’s leadership had approached them, but negotiations had fallen through because Fu Jichen had vetoed the deal.
Pan Zheng asked,
“Should we lease it to them now?”
Fu Jichen nodded.
“Chairman Feng always wants to hold me hostage. She’s dreaming.”
Pan Zheng understood instantly.
“I’ll get in touch with Yu Bank right away.”
—
By the time work ended, the Yu family group chat was buzzing.
Yu Shaohong announced that Fu Jichen had agreed to lease the podium building to them for a branch location. They could now submit a relocation request to upper management.
Old Master Yu saw the message and tagged Yu Qing:
[@Yu Qing: What’s your take on this?]
Yu Qing didn’t rush to reply. She shut down her computer, locked her office, and left.
Once in the car, she finally replied in the group:
[Most likely, Chairman Feng refused to approve Fu’s loan, and since he’s unwilling to accept a higher interest rate, he’s using us to pressure her. But from our side, it’s a win-win—nothing to lose.]
Old Master Yu:
[Good. You’re staying clear-headed. Don’t assume that just because you brought him home for dinner, he’s so moved he’s offering you favors.]
Yu Qing:
[But I can pretend to be moved and squeeze a little something out of him.]
Everyone else in the group: “……”
Yu Qing closed the chat and drove off to pick him up.
The skies were overcast. By 5:30 p.m., it was already completely dark.
Yu Qing arrived at the base of the Fu Group building, and Fu Jichen was already waiting for her by the steps.
Once he got into the car, Yu Qing unbuckled her seatbelt, leaned over, practically draping herself over him. She was surrounded by his cool, crisp scent.
She opened the window on his side and pointed at the annex building.
“In the future, that place will have our family’s bank sign on it.”
Cold wind crept in through the crack. Yu Qing shivered and quickly shut the window.
Fu Jichen naturally wrapped his arms around her. “You found out that fast?”
Yu Qing met his gaze, her eyes sincere. “Mm. I was touched the whole ride here.”
“What’s so touching about that?” Fu Jichen replied honestly, “The rent is so expensive. Chairman Yu is probably cursing me behind my back for setting such a high price.”
Yu Qing said, “...Money is money. After all, the property belongs to the company, not just you. But regardless, you made an exception for me. Thank you.”
“I didn’t make an exception. Renting it out to your family’s bank was a business decision.”
“I don’t believe that. You’re not that heartless.”
Fu Jichen gripped her shoulders and shook her gently. “Snap out of it. Drive! We’re going to your house.”
Yu Qing laughed, “You’re so boring! Can’t you enjoy a happy moment without making it all serious?”
Fu Jichen rested his forehead on his hand and looked sideways at her. “If I keep playing along, who knows what else you’ll try to swindle out of me. I’m not falling for it.”
Yu Qing casually said, “How do you know I’m trying to swindle you?”
Fu Jichen looked at her. “Because I love you. I know you. I can tell just from your eyes what you’re planning.”
He said this just as Yu Qing started the engine.
But all the sound from the engine was drowned out by that sentence: “I love you.”
He was still looking at her.
His gaze was deep, and slightly nervous.
Yu Qing turned on the overhead light, pulled a pair of sunglasses from her bag, and put them on. “Now can you still tell what I’m thinking?”
In the reflection of her sunglasses, Fu Jichen could see himself, but not her eyes.
Yu Qing turned the light off. The car cabin dimmed instantly.
“In this case, it’s even harder for you to guess what I’m thinking, right?” she whispered near his ear. “I want to kiss you.”
And then she kissed him—
A light kiss, but lingering. A birthday kiss that rivaled his “I love you” in how much it stirred the heart.
“Happy birthday. Three hundred and sixty months old. Happy full month.”
Fu Jichen smiled. “Thank you.”
He hugged her and did nothing else—
Just held her quietly for a moment.
Yu Qing sat up and took off her sunglasses. “Let’s go pick up our lucky cat.”
Speaking of the lucky cat, today she gave her three battery-powered waving cat statues the day off—removed their batteries, letting them rest for a day. They could get back to work tomorrow.
Their car merged into traffic, with Fu Jichen’s own car following behind. It was filled with gifts his mother had prepared for him.
It was Friday rush hour, and traffic was like waiting in line at a tourist attraction—cars crawling forward slowly, bumper to bumper.
They were the last to arrive at the old family house. The others were already there.
Yu Jingxin had brought her son along, and Ji Qingyuan was holding the child in front of the aquarium, looking at all the little fish.
Besides Grandma Yu, Fu Jichen knew everyone in the Yu family well—after all, they had been business rivals for years. His understanding of them probably rivaled that of his own relatives.
After chatting for a while, Yu Qing was called into the kitchen by her grandmother.
Fu Jichen, surprisingly patient with kids now, entertained Ji Qingyuan’s son. The boy wasn’t shy—his eyes wide open as he babbled and giggled at Fu Jichen.
In the kitchen, Grandma handed a ring box to Yu Qing.
Grandpa Yu entered as well. “Your grandma and I spent the whole afternoon picking these. We got all the sizes. Whether you give it to him is up to you. A ring doesn’t mean much on its own. But since Fu Jichen wants it, you might consider giving him one.”
Yu Qing looked at the ring box. “A ring is a promise. It’s a big deal.”
Grandpa Yu replied, “Bringing him home carries more weight than that ring.”
Yu Qing looked at her grandfather, a little dazed and puzzled.
Grandpa Yu said, “Bringing him home is giving him status in front of our family. The ring is giving him status in front of outsiders. Honestly, other people won’t care whether he wears a ring or not—he’s the only one who does. Let’s flip it around. If you made a paper ring out of rice and wore it around your friends, and Fu Jichen found out but didn’t care, how would you feel?”
Yu Qing pressed her lips together. “Grandpa, don’t be mad. What I’m about to say isn’t to argue with you. I just... don’t know how I’d feel, because I wouldn’t wear a ring.”
Grandpa Yu: “...”
He was definitely a little mad.
Yu Qing held the ring box, her expression softening.
Grandpa Yu added, “We all talked it over late into the night. Thought of everything for you. A bunch of pastry chefs worked all day to make a special cake.”
Back in the living room—
Fu Jichen and Ji Qingyuan were sitting on the couch, sipping tea and chatting casually. The baby had been taken by Yu Jingxin.
Ji Qingyuan kept glancing at his son, and occasionally, his eyes would drift over to Yu Jingxin.
Fu Jichen said, “I’ve always had a question.”
Ji Qingyuan turned his head. “What is it?” He sipped his tea.
Fu Jichen paused for two seconds and then said quietly, “Did you gain status through your kid?”
Ji Qingyuan: “...”
Cough cough!
He nearly choked.
Yu Jingxin looked over, not sure what had happened.
Her eyes met Ji Qingyuan’s for a few seconds. She quickly looked away and resumed playing with her son.
At that moment, Yu Qing came out from the kitchen pushing a cake.
“President Fu, come check out your cake.”
Fu Jichen put down his teacup and patted Ji Qingyuan on the shoulder. “Not teasing you. I’m actually kind of jealous.”
Ji Qingyuan replied, “Fu Jichen, will you die if you stop talking for one second?”
Fu Jichen chuckled and walked over to Yu Qing to look at his cake.
When he saw the cake, it felt like a dream.
It was a little mermaid cake. The mermaid was made from baked chocolate, her expression proud. One hand held a black-and-white chocolate payment QR code, the other hand cradled a ring.
Next to the ring was a price tag: One true heart.
Fu Jichen picked up the ring and slipped it on. It fit perfectly.
He leaned forward and aligned the left side of his chest—where his heart was—with the payment code. “Payment successful.”
Then he turned and gently hugged Yu Qing.
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