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Yu Qing chose the same restaurant where they had celebrated New Year’s Eve last time, which also happened to be where Chen Yan worked.
Yu Qing and Qin Moling arrived first, while Yu Fei and Qin Yu were still stuck in traffic.
Today was Chen Yan’s day off. At 6 p.m., she came to the restaurant again.
Zhao Shuqun had returned home early today. For over a month, he had either been attending social events or working late, rarely appearing before midnight.
Every night, by the time he returned, she was already asleep—or pretending to be.
If she wasn’t asleep, she would feign it.
Early the next morning, he would rush off to work, and she would wait for him to leave before getting up.
During this period, she and Zhao Shuqun had been living under the same roof but carefully avoiding each other.
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, and he was still working overtime.
Valentine’s Day was also the busiest time at their restaurant, leaving her no time to celebrate herself.
He had sent her a message: [Still in a meeting.]
Perhaps afraid she wouldn’t believe him, he even sent a video clip.
He deliberately avoided capturing Xiao Yilin in the frame, but Chen Yan knew Xiao Yilin was there—only her shoulder appeared in the shot, likely belonging to Xiao Yilin.
Then Zhao Shuqun transferred her 214,520 yuan.
At their level, transferring amounts like 520 or 1314 wasn’t realistic, but sending her over 200,000 yuan was still within his means.
Chen Yan didn’t reply. The number “520” made her nauseous.
But she kept the money.
Money was a good thing.
Her colleagues thought Chen Yan might have been overwhelmed with work and reminded her that it was her day off.
Chen Yan quickly fabricated an excuse. “When you have two kids who both need help with homework, you’d rather come to work overtime, trust me.”
She forced a faint smile. “My husband doesn’t have any engagements tonight, so I hurried out.”
A colleague chimed in, “From what you’ve shared on social media, your two kids are adorable. Even someone like me who isn’t fond of children wants to kiss your daughter—she’s such a little beauty.”
Chen Yan replied, “When they’re not doing homework, it’s all love and harmony. But once they pick up their pens, chaos ensues.”
Several colleagues laughed.
Chen Yan joined in the laughter, though her smile carried a tinge of bitterness.
Her son and daughter were exceptionally well-behaved, considerate, and excelled academically.
Reining in her thoughts, Chen Yan prepared to change into her work uniform. Just as she took a step forward, Yu Qing emerged from the restroom area. She waved at Chen Yan.
Approaching, Yu Qing sized her up. “Are you about to start your shift or just finishing?”
Earlier, she had deliberately passed by the bar counter to see how Chen Yan was doing lately. However, the cashier station was occupied by someone else.
With colleagues nearby, Chen Yan didn’t elaborate. She was wearing her own clothes anyway. “Let’s find a quiet spot to talk for a bit—I’m not busy today.”
They found a secluded corner seat where no one would pass by.
Chen Yan said, “Zhao Shuqun is at home, and I don’t want to see him. I left him with the two kids.” With nowhere else to go, she ended up at the restaurant.
She figured she might as well enjoy the free view of Beijing’s night scenery.
And chat with younger colleagues, so she wouldn’t feel like she was merely surviving.
Yu Qing couldn’t offer much comfort—too many grand words would only sound hollow.
“What’s your next plan?”
Looking at Chen Yan, Yu Qing felt her state had improved significantly compared to New Year’s Eve.
“After giving him the silent treatment for a while longer, I’ll occasionally exchange a few words with him. Otherwise, I’m worried the kids will notice something’s wrong.” Chen Yan fiddled with her fingers.
Silence fell for a few seconds.
“Now that I’ve completely calmed down, I realize it was the right decision not to fight with him back then and not to divorce.”
She didn’t shy away from discussing this with Yu Qing. “We own two properties together, both with mortgages. If we divorced and I got one house, how would I afford the mortgage? My salary is barely enough to support myself—it can’t sustain a house. If I downsized to a smaller place farther out, the kids would suffer.”
She sighed.
“As long as life remains tolerable, I’ll endure it. This way, my two kids can enjoy the best material comforts and educational resources.”
“My son and daughter are two years apart—my son is eleven, and my daughter is nine. My daughter is smarter than my son; she skipped a grade. Now my son is worried that if she skips another grade, they’ll end up in the same class, so he’s started to take things more seriously.”
Yu Qing smiled. “Are the two kids fun to have around?”
Only when talking about her children did Chen Yan’s eyes light up slightly. “Yes, the older brother is always bullied by the younger sister, but he dotes on her.”
Unconsciously, Yu Qing touched her belly, wondering whether her little Baby Fish inside was a boy or a girl.
Would the baby resemble her or Fu Jichen?
Would it be a mischievous little soul, quick to tease and full of character?
As they chatted, Qin Moling called to say that Yu Fei and Qin Yu had arrived.
“You should go ahead,” Chen Yan said. “I’ll change into my uniform and put in a bit more work.” She picked up her bag and coat and headed to the staff area. After changing into her work uniform, she stood by the window for a moment.
The cityscape glittered with countless lights.
The elevated highways stretched like intertwined ribbons of light, dazzling and radiant, with no visible end.
These days, she zoned out less frequently.
She no longer suffered through sleepless nights like she did months ago.
Survival was enough.
________________________________________
“Did you go see Chen Yan?” Yu Fei asked.
Yu Qing nodded. “We talked for a bit—she’s doing much better than before.”
This wasn’t a pleasant topic, so they let it drop.
Yu Fei recounted her visit to Boss Qian earlier that day. The case was somewhat complicated.
When Boss Qian initially signed the contract, he hadn’t been cautious at all. Xiao Yilin had told him that the company had changed its bank account and that all contracts needed to be updated to the new version. Boss Qian believed her without question.
Later, when Boss Qian confronted Xiao Yilin, she changed her story, claiming that allowing Zhuo Hua Trading to open a separate account had been Boss Qian’s agreement.
The reason for agreeing to such a contract? Boss Qian felt inferior to Zhuo Hua Trading. Fearing that Duo Xin wouldn’t renew his distributorship after the contract expired, he compromised and gave up part of the market to Zhuo Hua Trading.
This way, when the contract expired, he might still have a chance to renew it.
Yu Qing asked, “How does Duo Xin currently divide the markets between Boss Qian and Zhuo Hua Trading?”
Yu Fei replied, “They assigned the suburban areas to Boss Qian. All the high-sales districts went to Zhuo Hua Trading. Coincidentally, Zhuo Hua’s boss has no interest in the suburban market—it doesn’t generate much profit.”
Boss Qian had sold his house to stock up on inventory.
To avoid breaching the contract, compensating, or dealing with excess inventory, Duo Xin assigned the unprofitable regions to him.
Even if they went to court, there was no valid reason to stand on.
The market that Boss Qian had painstakingly built over two to three years had, in one night, become a gift for someone else.
And that wasn’t all.
Yu Fei shared the most troubling part with Yu Qing: “Duo Xin is now turning the tables. They’ve sent a legal notice to Boss Qian. If he continues maliciously cross-selling and disrupting Duo Xin’s product pricing, they will terminate the contract early and sue him for damages.”
Yu Qing: “...”
She set down her glass of water.
Boss Qian delivering goods to his own merchants was now considered cross-selling.
It made sense—after all, the area had been reassigned to Zhuo Hua Trading and no longer belonged to him.
Selling goods in another distributor’s territory was, by definition, cross-selling.
Yu Qing pondered, “The regional division should have been clearly stated in the contract. Surely Boss Qian wouldn’t have been careless enough to sign without checking the designated areas?”
Then she reconsidered.
If the regional division had been explicitly stated in the original contract, given Zhuo Hua Trading’s boss’s personality, he would have already found an excuse to pick a fight with Boss Qian instead of engaging in a price war to seize the market.
“How did they manage to change the regional division in Boss Qian’s contract?”
Yu Fei shook her head and sighed. “As you know, Duo Xin’s regional divisions are specified in a separate table in the contract, manually filled out by each regional manager.”
When the issue first arose around New Year’s, Boss Qian confronted Xiao Yilin with the contract.
Xiao Yilin was prepared—while reviewing Boss Qian’s contract, she added subdivisions to the originally designated regions.
Boss Qian hadn’t paid attention at the time.
Only after receiving Duo Xin’s legal notice today did Boss Qian revisit the contract and discover that the regional designation had already been altered. Apart from Xiao Yilin, no one else had handled the contract.
“There are no cameras in Xiao Yilin’s office, so how can we find evidence that she altered it? The archived version of the contract at Duo Xin must also have been modified.”
Duo Xin now had a solid case:
Boss Qian lacked the capacity to compete, having sold his house to stock up on inventory. Therefore, Duo Xin planned to replace him as a distributor once the contract expired.
To secure a portion of the market, Boss Qian conceded early.
Thus, he signed what appeared to be an unfair contract.
Although Boss Qian signed the contract, he continued to violate its terms by recklessly cross-selling to his old merchants.
Out of respect for their long-term relationship, Duo Xin issued a legal warning.
If Boss Qian didn’t rein himself in, the consequences would be on him.
Xiao Yilin successfully absolved herself of blame, shifting all responsibility onto Boss Qian.
Boss Qian was now in a bitter predicament—he was eating the proverbial bitter herb in silence.
The water in Yu Qing’s glass had turned cold, so she refilled it halfway.
This kind of blatant manipulation was undoubtedly orchestrated by Zhou Yunli on Xiao Yilin’s behalf.
Yu Fei continued, “Xiao Yilin offered Zhuo Hua Trading higher rebates and promotional incentives than other distributors, aiming to compete for the Beijing market against Lemong. Currently, their unit cost is two yuan cheaper than yours.”
This was information she had gathered from Boss Qian earlier.
Qin Moling tapped the table in front of Yu Qing three times, ‘knock, knock, knock.’
Yu Qing snapped out of her thoughts and frowned. “What are you doing?”
Qin Moling: “Stop thinking about finding ways to deal with Xiao Yilin. I’ll handle the Beijing market situation with the marketing director—you focus on how to counter Leng Wenning.”
Yu Fei also knew Leng Wenning; Wenceng Planning and Lu Chen’s planning company had always been rivals.
She looked at Yu Qing. “What happened between you and Leng Wenning?”
Qin Moling briefly summarized the situation for her. “And that’s how things escalated.”
After listening, Yu Fei said, “Leng Wenning has always acted superior—it’s her nature. There’s nothing to be done about it. She was born into a well-connected family and even dated Ji Qingyuan, the eldest son of the Ji family.”
Yu Qing inquired, “Why did Leng Wenning break up with Ji Qingyuan?”
Yu Fei shook her head, unsure.
She wasn’t part of that circle and couldn’t access such information.
“I know a little,” Qin Yu interjected.
He had overheard others discussing it at a club. The breakup stemmed from an argument between Leng Wenning and Ji Qingyuan, though the exact cause of the argument remained unknown.
Later, Leng Wenning initiated the breakup, and they parted ways.
Leng Wenning hadn’t truly wanted to end things but refused to lower herself to reconcile with Ji Qingyuan. Instead, she decided to go on blind dates with others to provoke him.
Unexpectedly, Ji Qingyuan publicly announced his wedding date with Yu Jingxin.
Heartbroken, Leng Wenning impulsively got engaged and married her blind date partner.
“Leng Wenning’s wedding date coincided with your sister’s. But she divorced within six months.”
“Your sister only learned about Leng Wenning and Ji Qingyuan after her marriage. I’m not sure what happened afterward.”
“…” Yu Qing was stunned.
Yu Fei was equally shocked. She warned Yu Qing, “Be careful of Leng Wenning’s underhanded tactics. One of her remaining two big gifts might involve your sister. Having your wedding on the same day as your husband’s ex-girlfriend’s wedding—that’s more than just hurtful.”
Qin Yu handed Yu Qing the glass of red wine in front of him. “Calm down. If your conflict with Leng Wenning weren’t irreconcilable, I wouldn’t have brought this up.”
Qin Moling intercepted the glass halfway. “I’ll calm her down.”
He drained the entire glass in one gulp.
Qin Yu: “?”
Ignoring Qin Yu’s astonished expression, Qin Moling continued, “Three big gifts—one related to you, one to your sister, and the third might involve Fu Jichen.”
Pausing, he advised gently, “Think carefully tonight. Is it worth clashing with someone like her? She’s willing to gamble with her own marriage—what else wouldn’t she do?”
“That’s because her previous opponents weren’t me.”
________________________________________
Yu Qing arrived home at nearly 10 p.m.
Her father’s car was already parked in the yard—it was rare for him to return so early.
Before reaching the villa, cheerful singing drifted from inside.
Yu Shaohong was working out, belting out songs while exercising.
Though he couldn’t keep up with the rhythm, he fancied himself the original singer.
The gym door was wide open. As Yu Qing passed by, she knocked. “Dad, are you drunk?”
“Consider me drunk,” Yu Shaohong continued walking on the treadmill and waved his hand. “Go rest.”
The singing resumed.
Yu Qing went upstairs; her father must have already known she was pregnant.
At noon, she had called Yu Jingxin to ask about precautions during pregnancy. In truth, she just wanted to tell Yu Jingxin that she was expecting.
This uneasy joy left her unsure of whom to share it with.
She thought of Yu Jingxin at that moment.
Tonight, the usually quiet and somewhat cold house was filled with song. Even though the voice wasn’t particularly pleasant, Yu Qing treated it as a lullaby.
The bedtime lullaby she never heard as a child was finally being compensated for now that she was about to become a mother.
Yu Qing deliberately left her bedroom door open.
She leaned against the headboard, listening to her father’s singing while scrolling through social media. She didn’t have the habit of browsing posts before.
Her mother had updated her status again: 【Tomato Scrambled Egg】
Seeing those words, she froze.
Was this a coincidence between mother and daughter?
Below the text were two photos.
One showed Pang Linbin’s back as he cooked in the kitchen, and the other was a plate of tomato scrambled egg. It didn’t look very appetizing.
There were small, blackened chunks.
After some thought, she realized they were probably burnt scallions.
Through her mother’s lens, Pang Linbin appeared as an ordinary, homely husband.
It was hard to imagine that this man, who could manipulate the capital market with ease, would shed his cold exterior and personally cook.
Her mother seemed to have changed too.
She had become gentler.
Aside from investments and business, she could now find peace in the烟火气息 of daily life.
And yet, Leng Wenning was intent on disrupting this rare tranquility.
A soft knock sounded, ‘knock-knock.’
Yu Qing realized the singing had long stopped. She turned her head and saw Fu Jichen standing in front of her.
For a moment, she thought she was dreaming due to her drowsiness.
“How did you get here?”
“I still wanted to come see you.” Fu Jichen walked in.
Yu Qing turned off her phone screen and sat up straight.
“I won’t disturb your sleep. I’ll sit for a few minutes and then leave.”
Fu Jichen placed his hands on either side of her and locked eyes with her.
In truth, he didn’t have much to say to her, but somehow, he ended up driving here. After leaving his grandfather’s house tonight, he hadn’t let the driver follow him.
He drove alone on the ring road for a while.
The joy in his heart was like the red taillights on the elevated bridge, endlessly stretching.
Yu Qing wrapped her arms around his neck. “I don’t even want to see you, yet you dare to come.”
“I need to make a game with lofty ambitions, forcing you to log in every day.”
“...”
Yu Qing smiled, her lips curling upwards. “I won’t hit you anymore—it hurts my hands when I do.”
She reassured him. “Starting tonight, you can sleep soundly and focus on work. I will take care of our little fish and feed it on time.”
“Thank you, my Lawyer Yu.” Fu Jichen rested his forehead against hers.
There was something he decided he should tell her. “I’m not sure if Chairman Yu is drunk. I hope he isn’t.”
Yu Qing was confused—her father hadn’t been drinking tonight. When she passed by the gym earlier, she didn’t smell any alcohol.
“My dad didn’t drink tonight.” She asked Fu Jichen, “What’s wrong with my dad?”
Fu Jichen: “Before I came, I called Chairman Yu to ask the butler to let me in. When we hung up, Chairman Yu said that from now on, I shouldn’t call him ‘Uncle Yu,’ but ‘Dad.’“
“?” Yu Qing looked at him. “Are you sure you didn’t sleepwalk here?”
Fu Jichen: “...”
“I didn’t mishear. Chairman Yu said it twice.”
Yu Qing stared into his eyes. “So are you really going to call him ‘Dad’?”
“Ji Qingyuan calls him ‘Dad.’ Why shouldn’t I?”
“...”
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