Embedded Files
Psst! We're moving!
Fu Jichen was often stirred by a single word from Yu Qing, forgetting where he was.
He wanted to believe it was genuine.
But more often than not, reality slapped him in the face without mercy.
If she truly liked him, she wouldn’t have shown so little response to his feelings.
Suddenly recalling something, Fu Jichen asked with concern, “Has your period come yet?” It had been four days since she stopped taking the pills; it should have arrived by now.
Yu Qing was too absorbed in admiring the perfume bottle and absentmindedly shook her head.
Fu Jichen rubbed her head. “It’s your own body—can you take it seriously? Are you feeling unwell anywhere? This can’t go on.”
Yu Qing did feel a bit uncomfortable, but she had only been on this new brand for one cycle. “I’ll just endure it for now. Once I get used to it, it’ll be fine.”
Fu Jichen looked at her helplessly. “I’ll find time to take you to see a doctor. If the doctor says you’re not suited to continue taking contraceptive pills, you must stop. After that, you’re not allowed to take them again.”
Yu Qing didn’t respond, still engrossed in examining the perfume.
After much deliberation, Fu Jichen said, “Yu Qing, can you give me a serious answer to one question? If it’s difficult, you don’t have to say anything—I’ll understand what you mean.”
Yu Qing placed the perfume on his other shoulder, her soft cheek brushing against his neck, leaving a tingling sensation on his skin.
“When have I ever not been serious?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “There are times when I choose not to tell the truth, but with you…” She paused. “Apart from hiding my identity from you before, I don’t think I’ve ever lied to you.”
“I always thought you understood me quite well.”
Most of the time, Fu Jichen could grasp her points, but when it came to matters of the heart, as the person involved, he couldn’t fully analyze her thoughts with complete rationality.
Yu Qing rubbed the perfume bottle against his cheek and tilted her head to look at him. “Since you’re determined to feel guilty, I think I must oblige you.”
“You already knew who I was back then, and you knew I was at odds with my family, yet you still insisted on exposing my little cover-up. You had your reasons, and I understood.”
“But from my perspective, you might have intended to part ways with me.”
As she spoke, she used the perfume bottle to obscure one of her eyes.
One eye saw the perfume.
The other saw him.
“That night in the study, I waited for you for a while, but you still didn’t come. I wondered if you were giving me time to pack my things and leave on my own—or what.”
“I couldn’t be certain of your intentions, so I started packing.”
“I filled up the suitcase. You know, I have no shortage of clothes, but those were the ones you bought me. I thought, the more I take, the better. Because I wasn’t sure if I’d ever meet someone as fun as you, someone I’d willingly play along with.”
“I packed a whole suitcase of clothes, and you still didn’t come.”
“Regardless, even if we were to separate, I wanted it to be a dignified parting. I even planned to give you a hug to thank you for meeting me.”
Fu Jichen listened quietly without interrupting.
Yu Qing shifted the perfume bottle to block the other eye.
Still, half of her gaze was on the perfume, and the other half on him.
“I am Yu Qing, but I’m also a woman, and above all, a person.”
“A woman and a person—every flaw and weakness that exists, I possess. But most of the time, I don’t care. I’m not that delicate. As long as my bottom line isn’t crossed, I can brush it off with a joke.”
“That night, if you had apologized and consoled me a little, everything would have been fine. I’ve always been generous, but you directly dragged me out and insisted on sending me away.”
“So be it.”
“Fu Jichen, it’s only because it’s you. If it were anyone else, I’d never associate with them for the rest of my life.”
“You know, after Grandma passed away, I no longer had a home. Even the rented apartment was sold by the landlord.”
A brief silence.
“I worry about what you worry about, think about what you think about, and bring you home. No matter how ruthless you are in business, I’ve never caused trouble for you privately. So, Fu Jichen, what more do you want from me?”
“I don’t want to get married, and I don’t want children, and you think you’re the one suffering. By that logic, am I not suffering too? If you truly love me, why can’t you consider my feelings? Why can’t you let go of the idea of marriage and children and just walk this path of fate with me happily?”
After speaking, Yu Qing carefully placed the perfume back into her bag. She took out two cartoon band-aids. “Here, put these on your chest to prevent a broken heart.”
Fu Jichen took the two band-aids and noticed they were adorned with cartoon kittens.
This was their first heartfelt conversation.
Afterward, all he felt was guilt.
There was still one more bottle of perfume in the fridge, a surprise he had prepared for her the next morning.
Fu Jichen opened the fridge and handed it to her.
The surprise caught her off guard. Yu Qing hugged him and playfully bit him. “Thank you, dear.”
The next moment, she pushed him away and joyfully went off to play with her two bottles of perfume.
Fu Jichen didn’t disturb her further. He gazed out the window on his side.
He reflected on her words.
In their relationship, her compromises and concessions seemed to outweigh his.
The Yu family pressured her with their superficial kindness to make her do things she didn’t want to do.
She clearly preferred her career as a lawyer.
And him?
He used his love to bind her.
Greed was like a bottomless pit—it could never be filled.
________________________________________
Three days passed, and Yu Qing’s period still hadn’t arrived.
Fu Jichen grew uneasy and decided to take her to the hospital.
Yu Qing thought he was overreacting. “It’s fine. It’s only been a week since I stopped taking the pills. It might come in a few days.”
“Amenorrhea is never a good thing,” Fu Jichen said, feeling regretful. He feared the new brand of contraceptive pills he had switched her to might cause irreversible harm to her body.
Though the pills had minimal side effects, reactions varied from person to person.
Under special circumstances, Fu Jichen didn’t call the Fu family’s private doctor.
He also didn’t let Secretary Pan make an appointment. Instead, he found an afternoon when Yu Qing didn’t have meetings and personally drove her to the hospital.
He handled the registration and queuing himself.
Meanwhile, Yu Qing was busy with work the entire time, her phone ringing nonstop.
“There’s no room for negotiation. Our annual advertising budget at Lemong reaches one billion yuan. I don’t know exactly how much she made, but it must be substantial. And yet, she still dares to be perfunctory?”
Fu Jichen glanced at Yu Qing, her expressionless face seemingly masking her anger.
The promotional planning for Lemong products and the advertisements across various channels were all handled by Wenceng Company, whose boss, Leng Wenning, came from a well-connected family.
After securing the projects, Leng Wenning would subcontract most of the work to other advertising and planning companies, rarely bothering to oversee the details herself.
Yu Qing crossed one arm over her chest. “Our competitor’s new product ads are already everywhere, while her final shooting plan isn’t even confirmed yet, nor is the celebrity’s schedule for the endorsement shoot. Does she really have the nerve to take our money? I didn’t file a claim against her, and that’s already giving her face.”
A few seconds passed.
“We spend billions every year. Am I not even qualified to demand what the main color tone of the promotional poster should be? Are we supposed to just accept whatever they design without question? Who spoiled her like this?”
“Tell them it’s my decision—the design proposal isn’t acceptable. If they want to work, fine. If not, terminate the contract early.”
She asked, “When does the contract with Wenceng Planning expire?”
Marketing Director: “Mid-March.”
“Mm. We’ll hold a bidding process then.”
The marketing director reminded Yu Qing again, “Leng Wenning’s family background is no ordinary matter.” Over the years of working with Leng Wenning, he had endured a great deal of frustration.
After all, she operated through high-level connections—someone he, as a small-time figure, couldn’t afford to offend.
As the representative of a major client, he was supposed to play the role of “God,” yet he still had to flatter her with words. It was demeaning, truly humiliating.
Yu Qing wasn’t interested in Leng Wenning’s family background and didn’t care to inquire. All she needed to know was, “Can Fu Jichen’s family background overpower hers?”
She added, “Fu Jichen’s maternal grandfather’s family, the Ye family.”
Marketing Director: “Yes. Leng Wenning’s family can’t compare with the Ye family.”
Yu Qing: “Then what do I have to fear from her?”
Marketing Director: “...”
Fu Jichen also looked at her, and she grinned mischievously back.
After exchanging a few more words, the call ended.
The ticket machine called out another number. Fu Jichen glanced at the registration slip—they were three numbers away from Yu Qing’s turn.
Seeing her hang up the phone, he asked, “You clashed with Leng Wenning again?”
“What do you mean by ‘clash’? She affected my interests, showed no self-reflection, and still acted arrogantly, accusing me of nitpicking over the poster design.”
Yu Qing put her phone away and leaned against Fu Jichen.
His presence calmed her.
Fu Jichen teased her, “If you didn’t know me, were you planning to compromise with Leng Wenning?”
“That scenario doesn’t exist—it’s impossible.” Yu Qing slipped both hands into his coat pockets. “If I didn’t know you, I wouldn’t have stayed in Beijing, wouldn’t have joined Lemong, and naturally none of this would have happened. I wouldn’t even know who Leng Wenning is, let alone compromise with her.”
Fu Jichen caught a key point in her statement—she stayed in Beijing because of him.
As for Leng Wenning, her family background was indeed impressive, but compared to the Yu family’s financial power, it fell far short. In the financial world, the Yu family commanded respect from everyone.
In business, harmony generated wealth.
The Yu family had no reason to make enemies with Leng Wenning.
Leng Wenning, well aware of the Yu family’s stance, had grown accustomed to taking a high-handed approach in her years of cooperation with Lemong.
But with Yu Qing now in charge, everything was full of uncertainty.
When their number was finally called, Fu Jichen accompanied her inside.
After understanding the situation, the doctor issued a prescription for tests.
It took several hours to complete all the examinations.
By the time they returned to the outpatient clinic to see the doctor, it was almost closing time.
The doctor reviewed all the test reports and found no major issues. However, she advised Yu Qing to stop taking short-term contraceptive pills as she was sensitive to them.
Yu Qing asked, “Is it just this brand I can’t take, or all of them?”
Fu Jischen quickly interjected, “The doctor said not to take any short-term contraceptive pills—it has nothing to do with the brand. From now on, you’re forbidden from taking them. They harm your body.”
The doctor glanced at Fu Jichen, then at Yu Qing—a handsome and beautiful couple. Not wanting to affect their relationship, she refrained from saying more and suggested alternative contraceptive methods.
After leaving the doctor’s office, Yu Qing nudged Fu Jichen with her elbow.
Once, twice, thrice.
From the outpatient building all the way to the parking lot, she kept nudging him, silently counting how many times she had done so in her mind.
She would no longer take contraceptive pills. No matter how much she tried to provoke him, Fu Jichen endured it.
Whether or not she wanted children was entirely up to her—but her body shouldn’t be mistreated.
If one day she grew tired of being with him, found their life together monotonous, and decided to part ways, he hoped that when they met again years later, she would still be healthy.
And still sexy and beautiful.
Night fell, and during rush hour, they went straight home without returning to the office.
Knowing she was upset, Fu Jichen pulled a bottle of perfume from his pocket and waved it in front of her.
Yu Qing’s head shot up instantly, her face lighting up with unhidden joy.
Every bottle she had received in recent days was a classic.
“How embarrassing.”
Even so, she quickly grabbed it, afraid he might take it back.
Perfume cured all ailments.
Yu Qing started by taking a photo. “Fu Jichen, how long can you keep sending me perfume every day?”
“A lifetime.”
Yu Qing glanced at him thoughtfully. “Once this year’s dividends come in, I’m planning to buy a private jet.”
Fu Jichen: “For me?”
“Half-gift, half-not.” Her expression was serious. “I’ll provide the plane and accommodation, making it convenient for you to hunt for perfumes.”
“...”
With the perfume in hand, Yu Qing remained cheerful all the way home.
Upon arriving, Fu Jichen went to the study.
As he flipped through the documents, he suddenly remembered something, closed the folder, and went downstairs.
Yu Qing was working in the living room, the coffee table covered with various materials, two laptops open.
Hearing footsteps, Yu Qing turned around. Seeing Fu Jichen wearing his coat and holding his access card, she asked, “Going out?”
“Mm.” Fu Jichen didn’t mention where he was going or when he’d return. He changed his shoes and left.
Yu Qing was too busy to ask further.
Twenty minutes later, the door opened, and Fu Jichen returned.
Yu Qing glanced at him briefly before resuming her work, assuming he had gone to the car to fetch something.
Fu Jichen had just returned from the pharmacy, where he bought a bottle of contraceptive pills.
He emptied the contents of the bottle, didn’t throw it away, and took it to the kitchen. He washed it repeatedly, disinfected it thoroughly, ensuring there was no trace of smell, then let it dry.
“What are you doing?” Yu Qing, seeing him busy for nearly an hour, was puzzled.
Fu Jichen poured vitamin C into the bottle. “You’re used to taking it every day, right? If you don’t take it, you feel uneasy. I’ll put vitamin C in here so you can trick yourself into thinking it’s the real thing.”
Yu Qing rested her chin on her hand and stared at him for a long while.
________________________________________
For over a month, Yu Qing carried this fake contraceptive pill bottle to work every day.
At first, she felt uneasy and took one pill daily.
Over time, Fu Jichen always used protection.
Gradually, she stopped taking them.
Occasionally, out of boredom, she would pop one in her mouth.
It was sour.
Just like life.
In mid-February, Valentine’s Day arrived.
Their new product advertisement was released simultaneously.
After watching the short film, Yu Qing found it just satisfactory.
There were no glaring flaws, but also no creativity.
The contract with Wenceng Planning had one more month before expiration. Finding a suitable planning company through bidding was becoming urgent.
On Wenceng’s side, they were confident that she wouldn’t dare switch to another company. Leng Wenning dismissed Yu Qing’s bidding process with disdain, not even bothering to take it seriously.
At the end of today’s meeting, Yu Qing dropped a few words: “March 1st, bidding.”
Everyone exchanged glances.
It seemed the two young ladies were about to clash head-on.
Returning to her office, Yu Qing zoned out in front of her computer for a while.
She wasn’t sure whether to inform Yu Jingxin, but since today was Valentine’s Day, and Leng Wenning was a thorn in her sister’s side, she decided against it.
No need to add to her troubles.
Yu Qing dialed Yu Jingze’s number. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Are you calling to ask for a gift?”
“...”
Yu Jingze glanced at his watch. “Speak quickly, I’m in a meeting.” He stepped out upon seeing it was her number.
“So why did you answer?”
“In case it was urgent.”
Yu Qing got straight to the point. “I’m planning to replace Wenceng’s planning company. I want to hear your opinion.”
Yu Jingze took this moment to light a cigarette.
Silence on the line.
He was pondering.
Yu Qing didn’t disturb him, remaining quiet.
She knew it involved many factors and had thought it through carefully, but she still valued Yu Jingze’s input.
Yu Jingze flicked the ash off his cigarette. “Since you’ve decided to replace them, control costs, and Leng Wenning has upset you. In that case, there’s no reason not to change.”
Yu Qing hadn’t expected Yu Jingze’s full support. “Thank you, Brother. I’ll let you get back to your meeting.”
Hanging up, she rested her head on the desk for a moment.
Her thoughts ran wild like untamed horses.
She thought of her sister, Ji Qingyuan, and Leng Wenning.
Knock knock , the sound of knocking interrupted her.
Yu Qing didn’t hear it.
After more than ten knocks, she frowned, sat up, realizing she had dozed off again.
The knocking continued, and she quickly grabbed her makeup mirror to tidy her hair. “Come in.”
Qin Moling pushed the door open, looking at her. “Fell asleep again?” He closed the door. “Why are you so sleepy lately?”
Yu Qing forcefully suppressed the rising thought, stretching lazily. “A person who wakes up at five in the morning isn’t allowed to be tired?”
“You’re not waking up at five for the first time.”
“It’s springtime; spring fatigue.”
Yu Qing changed the subject. “What do you need?”
Qin Moling hadn’t attended the previous meeting. He had just returned from an appointment and heard about her insistence on replacing the planning company.
Regardless of Leng Wenning’s previous attitude, at least her team had worked overnight to produce a design proposal. Since they showed goodwill, under the premise of maintaining the network of relationships, “Shouldn’t we give her a way out?”
Qin Moling continued, “But I respect you. If you insist on bidding, then bid.”
“Every penny must be spent wisely. Changing the cooperation company might allow us to achieve the advertising effect of spending eight billion instead of ten billion with Wenceng.”
Yu Qing asked, “Are you itching to spend that extra two billion? Or do you want to spend ten billion to worship an ancestor?”
She unscrewed the pill bottle, popping two vitamin C tablets into her mouth.
“Working overnight on the design proposal is their duty; I don’t need to feel grateful.”
Thinking of the previous incident, she was still angry.
“I requested the promotional poster’s main color to be apple green, and Leng Wenning wasn’t pleased, trying to intimidate me. Why should I give her a way out?”
Qin Moling didn’t comment further on the matter between women. He extended his hand. “You owe me two pills from before, remember?”
Yu Qing: “...”
Unable to refute.
She handed him two pills.
Qin Moling swallowed them. “You and Leng Wenning are at odds. If she finds out you’re insisting on replacing her company and holding a public bid, who knows what trouble will arise.”
Yu Qing screwed the cap back on, set the bottle aside, and turned on her computer. “You may leave now. I’m busy.”
Qin Moling accidentally glanced at the label on the bottle. His face suddenly changed. “Yu Qing, what did you just make me eat! You actually gave me contraceptive pills!”
He clutched his neck.
It was too late; the pills were already swallowed.
Yu Qing: “...”
She burst out laughing.
Qin Moling didn’t think Yu Qing did it intentionally, assuming she mistakenly took contraceptive pills for vitamin C. He took out his phone. “I must go to the hospital to have my stomach pumped. When I return, I’ll settle accounts with you!”
Seeing this, Yu Qing told him the truth.
Qin Moling, for the first time ever, shot her a cold, expressionless glare and returned to his office.
After drinking two large glasses of water, he still felt uneasy.
He opened his phone and began searching: [What are the side effects if a man mistakenly takes contraceptive pills?]
Google Sites
Report abuse