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The word “mom” is warm and soft.
But Yu Qing was very unfamiliar with maternal love.
Fu Jichen reassured her again, “Whether you want to get married, when you want to get married, whether you want kids or not—I’ll respect all your decisions.”
He had only one request: “Stop taking the pills. They’re really bad for your body. Every medicine has side effects.”
“I’m fine, I’m immune to poison.”
“...”
Fu Jichen pressed his forehead against hers, “Can you be serious for once?”
Yu Qing didn’t say a word and turned her head to the other side of the bed.
On the bedside table there was only a box of condoms, no pills.
Her whole body ached, exhausted and sleepy, but she insisted on getting up.
“Even though it’s already one in the morning, and your birthday has passed, I’m still willing to give in to you. You don’t have to go downstairs to get water—I’ll go myself.”
Fu Jichen pressed her shoulder and looked into her eyes for a moment.
He put on his clothes and went downstairs.
The bedroom door was half-open, his footsteps gradually faded and disappeared up the stairs.
Yu Qing sat for a while; she was sweaty from earlier exercise, then got out of bed and went to the bathroom.
This was the first time she’d been absent-minded while showering.
She didn’t check the time and didn’t know how long she stayed in the bathroom. When she came out, Fu Jichen still hadn’t returned—probably had been gone for more than half an hour.
Yu Qing blew dry her hair, and Fu Jichen came in.
He had changed into fresh pajamas, smelling of shower gel.
Looks like he showered downstairs, but he usually showered very quickly—today was seriously over time. Maybe like her, lost in thought and forgot the time.
Fu Jichen handed her the water and took out a pill from the bedside drawer, giving it to her.
His expression was indifferent the whole time.
Yu Qing stared at the pill in his palm; he was deliberately doing this. Before, whenever she took medicine, he never served her so attentively.
She pinched the pill and swallowed it in one gulp with half a glass of water.
During that, Fu Jichen stared at her without blinking.
Yu Qing put down the glass, “Mr. Fu, good night.”
“Mm.”
Yu Qing wrapped herself in a bath towel, didn’t cover herself with the quilt, set the alarm for early tomorrow, turned off the floor lamp, and lay down with her back to Fu Jichen.
Fu Jichen lay flat and reached out to switch off the light.
The bedroom plunged into darkness.
He picked up his phone and set another alarm for 4:55 a.m.
Not long after, Yu Qing fell asleep, breathing steadily.
Fu Jichen touched her back—it was cold.
He leaned in and held her, sharing half the quilt with her.
At this moment, he thought again—Ji Qingyuan was easier to deal with than her.
Yu Qing was still sleeping, when the phone vibrating by the pillow buzzed.
Her mind was tense and clearer than usual; she quickly turned off the alarm.
4:50 a.m.
They were each lying on their own pillow.
He was in a deep sleep.
Yu Qing shifted from her pillow to his side, carefully slipped into his arms, and he placed one hand on her waist.
They both had similar habits—not liking to sleep too close.
No matter how tightly they hugged the night before, even if she lay in his arms, the next morning when they woke, they would be separated.
Each had their own comfortable sleeping position.
“Buzz buzz buzz”
A muffled vibration sounded again. It wasn’t hers.
Yu Qing squinted.
Turns out he had set an alarm too, just not earlier than hers.
Fu Jichen opened his eyes and turned off his phone.
When he looked again, Yu Qing was in his arms.
He wrapped his arms around her tightly.
Yu Qing opened her eyes. In the dark, she couldn’t see anything clearly. Her nose pressed against his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat.
At five o’clock, their alarms went off simultaneously.
Fu Jichen released Yu Qing and nudged her, “Get up.”
His voice was cold, a different temperature from his warm embrace.
Given how tightly he held her just now, Yu Qing didn’t argue.
She got up to wash and put on makeup. He went to the gym downstairs.
The usual time to leave.
Today Fu Jichen drove and took Yu Qing to the law firm.
Yu Qing leaned lazily against the chair, hands behind her head, occasionally staring openly at Fu Jichen. He was focused on driving.
No response.
He was wearing a black shirt today.
Yu Qing had heard some gossip about his shirts from the tea room at Fu Corporation.
The women in administration summed up that when he was in a good mood, his shirts were bright colors—dark red, wine red, deep blue.
When his mood was average, mostly black; he even wore gray sometimes.
When his mood was neither good nor bad, or he had to attend important occasions, he mostly wore white.
According to the gossip she heard, today’s black shirt with black cufflinks meant his mood was terrible.
It was because of a small pill causing trouble.
Lost in thoughts, the car stopped in front of the law firm.
Few rooms upstairs were lit—sparse, scattered on different floors.
Fu Jichen spoke for the second time since waking up, “I’m going on a business trip tomorrow, almost a week, maybe longer.”
Yu Qing unbuckled her seatbelt, “Mm.” Then she lightly poked his arm, “Hey, you’re not going to wait until my pills expire before coming back, are you?”
Fu Jichen: “...”
Slowly calming his heart.
He turned, grabbed his coat from the back seat, and opened the car door.
Yu Qing also got out of the car.
Fu Jichen walked around the front of the car to accompany her into the law firm.
Yu Qing put her hands in her pockets and kept pace with him. “President Fu, you’re in a bit of a mood today, huh?”
Fu Jichen: “Not a bit — a big mood. Didn’t you notice?”
Yu Qing laughed. “Stop being petty, come on.”
Fu Jichen: “There has to be a reason not to be in a mood.”
Yu Qing walked close beside him, their arms brushing together. “This morning, at 4:50, I主动 went into your arms — is that reason enough?”
Saying that, she turned her face to look at him.
Fu Jichen stopped and slowly nodded. “Enough.”
They parted ways at the law firm’s entrance.
Yu Qing arrived at the office and opened the window. The car downstairs had long since left.
—
In the afternoon tea break, Chen Yan came to the law firm.
Zhao Shuqin didn’t go to the company in the afternoon but stayed home taking care of the two kids, so she used the excuse of going shopping and came directly to see Yu Fei.
Chen Yan wanted to invite Yu Fei and Yu Qing to sit at the coffee shop next door, but Yu Fei pointed to their pantry. “I’ll make you coffee — I guarantee it’s no worse than the coffee shop’s.”
The coffee shop was less private than the law firm.
Chen Yan thought about it and decided to try Yu Fei’s brewing skills.
She sat on the sofa with her arms crossed, zoning out.
Yu Qing finished her tasks, saved files, and brought some fruit and snacks over.
Yu Fei made three cups of coffee. It was the weekend, so she was a bit more relaxed; no client appointments this afternoon.
“How is it, have you thought it over?” she asked, handing a cup to Chen Yan.
“Thanks.” Chen Yan took the coffee and sighed, “I’ve been thinking about it for several days. You were right — if I get divorced now, I’ll end up with nothing.”
If she really had a falling out with Zhao Shuqin and all affection disappeared, would he still be so easy to talk to?
She wasn’t sure.
Those divorced couples who ended up as enemies and never spoke again definitely once loved each other — maybe even more deeply than ordinary couples.
Chen Yan stirred her coffee but didn’t add milk or sugar.
“I don’t know if he’s really cut off with Xiao Yilin. A few days ago, they even went together to visit a dealer. There was a traffic jam, and I lost them. Thinking about him…”
She bit her lip hard — reddening and whitening it.
Yu Fei said, “You’re not my client, so I’ll say whatever I want to poke at you.”
Chen Yan blinked, “If I were your client, you wouldn’t poke me?”
Yu Qing chimed in, “If you poke clients, and they get angry and leave, how do you earn money?”
They all laughed.
Chen Yan sat up straight and took a deep breath. “Poke me then. Better to poke me awake.”
Yu Fei asked her, “Why are you stalking Zhao Shuqin? Why spend your precious time causing yourself pain?”
Chen Yan felt pretty sad herself: “I can’t control it, I…”
Yu Qing suddenly thought of something. “When I was at Fu Corporation, I heard Zhao Shuqin had broken up with Xiao Yilin. Even if it’s true, you probably won’t believe it. Once that trust is broken, the chance to rebuild it is basically zero. Your suspicion of him will last a lifetime.”
Chen Yan didn’t deny it. “Then what should I do?”
Yu Qing: “There’s only one way — stop living life centered on him. Shift your focus to yourself and make him revolve around you.”
Chen Yan wanted to, but reality was harsh. She had zero income. How could she make him revolve around her?
She confided, “Over these years, even if he’s treated me well, I’ve never really felt secure. I’m always cautiously floating in midair.”
Yu Fei sipped her coffee. “That’s why women don’t necessarily have to build a big career, but they must have a job of their own. Working or not, the mentality is totally different. When you work, you have the motivation to get up at six, wash your hair, and put on makeup. When you don’t work, even washing your face feels like a waste of time.”
Chen Yan kept stirring the coffee without drinking it.
Yu Fei grabbed a pack of cookies from the fruit plate and offered one to Chen Yan. “New flavor — try it.”
Chen Yan didn’t feel like eating but still took it.
Yu Fei spoke earnestly, “While Zhao Shuqin’s attention is still at home, manage the money well, find a job that suits you, even if it’s just a small office job making a few thousand. You don’t have to support yourself fully right now, so it’s easier to adjust your mindset. When you do get divorced and look for a job, you’ll realize that life’s bitterness and hardships belong to you, but the sweetness won’t have anything to do with you.”
Chen Yan opened the cookie — lemon-flavored.
Sweet and sour.
She hadn’t quietly enjoyed an afternoon tea like this for a long time, eating some treats she liked.
“I’ve actually thought — if I divorce Zhao Shuqin, he’ll definitely remarry and have kids. The ones who’ll suffer are my two kids. Once he has a family, there’s no way I can get money from him anymore.”
Yu Fei nodded, “That’s why I urge you to think carefully.”
She opened another small packet of cookies.
“Reality isn’t like TV dramas. All the hardship and pain get resolved in a few episodes. Nobody knows what the main characters’ lives are like after the finale. But your own life is a daily ordeal.”
Chewing slowly, Yu Fei continued:
“Whether you divorce and live alone, remarry, become a blended family, or stay with that jerk and continue the marriage — it’s all hard. Only you live through it to know what it’s really like. Try to choose what suits you best.”
Chen Yan sipped the coffee; the bitterness spread.
Yu Fei poured herself another half cup.
Sitting back down, she continued.
“Older generations basically advise you to reconcile, to endure it for the kids. They tell you not to divorce, but they don’t tell you how to continue a marriage full of wounds after not divorcing.”
“Chen Yan, even if you don’t divorce for now, it’s not about forgiving him or making yourself suffer. It’s about how you change yourself and make him pay for his affair.”
Chen Yan nodded. She’d been looking at job listings these days.
Yu Qing ate two pieces of fruit, listening to their trivial marital troubles with a headache.
Yu Fei: “If you weren’t married yet, or just newlywed, I would definitely advise you to divorce. But now you have two kids, you’ve been out of the workforce for over ten years, your home is in another city, and your parents are older. You see…”
She sighed too.
Thinking of her own past.
But she was different from Chen Yan.
At least, she had a career.
Her parents were nearby and in good health, which was her emotional support.
She owned her own house, and her parents had theirs.
She didn’t have to worry about making ends meet.
But Chen Yan had nothing.
Yu Qing raised her coffee cup and toasted with the two of them, “Life is like bitter coffee; you have to add some sugar and milk yourself, to find joy amidst the bitterness.”
Chen Yan smiled slightly, “Thank you.”
They chatted for over half an hour before Chen Yan left.
Yu Fei took out another small bag of biscuits: “These are quite tasty.”
“Got to get back to work.”
“Mm, me too.” Yu Qing carried her coffee back to the office.
On the computer screen, the screensaver changed.
Colorful bubbles, one after another.
Yu Fei, Chen Yan, Yu Jingxin.
And many others around her.
Including her mother, her aunt.
Their marriages were a mess.
Every day they counted losses and gains, wasting their time on suffering.
So, what’s so good about getting married?
Living alone, earning money to buy perfume—doesn’t it smell just as good?
--
The following week, Yu Qing was busy every day. Only when she was free did she realize that Fu Jichen had already been on a business trip for seven days.
During this time, they hadn’t made a single call or sent a single message.
It felt like they were back to the beginning.
No reporting of whereabouts, no asking what the other was doing.
No missing, no worries about betrayal.
The Xin Jian Technology case had progressed as much as possible; the remaining difficult parts had to wait until she returned to Lemont Tech to handle.
The weekend came again.
The sky remained gloomy.
Yu Qing invited Qin Muling to play basketball, mainly to discuss the Xin Jian Technology shareholding issues.
After the New Year, she was going to resign from the law firm and work with Qin Muling.
Today was windy, so they chose an indoor court.
“Are you going to buy part of Xin Jian’s shares?” Qin Muling was surprised, almost forgetting to hand her the racket, which hovered in mid-air.
Yu Qing asked back, “Is that a problem?”
She took the racket herself.
Qin Muling poured cold water on her, “Fu Jichen won’t sell to you. Even if you’re his wife, he wouldn’t consider selling to Lemont Technology.”
Yu Qing held a small ball in her palm, “Then I won’t ask him.”
The only thing Qin Muling could think of was, “Are you going to buy from Qiao Weiming?”
Yu Qing didn’t deny it, “Why not?”
It wasn’t impossible. Qin Muling looked at her, “You do have quite the ambition.”
Yu Qing said, “It’s always been big. Have you heard of a fish flirting with a cat every day? I’m probably the only one like that.”
Qin Muling: “...”
Yu Qing took the racket and walked to her side of the court.
She always felt a prickly gaze on her.
Suddenly, she looked up.
On the second floor, Fu Jichen was quietly watching her.
So he was back from his trip.
Today he wore a dark red shirt.
Leaning on the railing, holding a wine glass with a stem.
Even from a distance, Yu Qing saw the ring on his ring finger, especially conspicuous against the red wine glass.
Fu Jichen met her gaze; she beckoned him with a finger, then casually went back to playing.
After that, she didn’t look his way again.
Fu Jichen returned to Beijing in the morning and went to play golf with Director Feng in the afternoon.
The loan approval was finalized, neither lowered by the full percentage point as he wanted nor by the half percentage point as Director Feng proposed.
Both sides compromised, reducing by 0.8 percentage points.
Golf was over; after showering and having a drink to relax, he received a notification of a consumption on his annual membership card.
He asked the front desk to check.
Unexpectedly, it was Yu Qing who used it, booking a tennis court inside the club and even bringing Qin Muling along.
Someone called him from the lounge.
Fu Jichen withdrew his gaze and went to talk business.
Near dusk, Yu Qing and Qin Muling left the club.
At the club entrance, Fu Jichen was waiting, his car blocking the road.
Qin Muling’s car couldn’t pass and slowed to a stop.
Yu Qing rolled down her window.
Fu Jichen walked over, bent down, held the back of her head, pulled her toward him, and kissed her briefly.
“I have a social engagement tonight, will be home around eleven.”
On the side, Qin Muling honked several times, “Friendly reminder: your window will go up automatically in two seconds. Watch your neck—if it gets caught, no responsibility accepted.”
Fu Jichen: “...”
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