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The string in Yu Qing’s heart had not been plucked for a long time. The last time her emotions stirred was when he publicly revealed her identity at the cafeteria entrance.
His charm lay in how, even when being inappropriate, he exuded rationality, and when being rational, he reserved his only bit of sentimentality for her.
Before he made this call, she hadn’t had time to think about him. Today’s public opinion crisis—she had struck first, but it was akin to having an army at the gates.
He wouldn’t let himself be slaughtered, nor would he sit idly by.
She needed to devise a strategy.
And all because he asked her if she missed him.
Missing him surged like the tide.
Wave after wave, each higher than the last.
Yu Qing steadied herself, returning to a calm state.
“Fu Jichen.”
“What is it?”
There wasn’t much to say. “Come home early tonight.”
“Alright.”
The call ended.
Fu Jichen rested both hands on the windowsill, speculating how Yu Qing would counter Duo Xin next. Their side was busy with PR, while Yu Qing was thinking of ways to dismantle their efforts.
Behind him came hurried footsteps.
Lu Chen and Pan Zheng had come to find him. As they walked, they discussed. Lu Chen held a piece of paper densely scribbled on in blank spaces, adding more notes as he talked with Pan Zheng.
The pen tip pierced through the paper and into his palm, but he paid no mind.
Fu Jichen turned around, leaning against the windowsill. He had already considered things thoroughly on his end.
Pan Zheng reported, “The company’s statement has been issued.”
Fu Jichen nodded and looked at Lu Chen. “Wait another twenty-four hours before issuing further PR. Let Leng Wenning pour more money into this—make it as big as possible.”
He explained the public opinion effect he wanted to achieve. “Use this to restructure the company internally.” A few people were placed within the group by another director, including Zhou Yunli.
Their previous mistakes weren’t enough for dismissal, but this time, there was a justified reason.
Most importantly, “I want Yu Qing to marry me.”
Both men: “… “
They instinctively exchanged glances.
This was nothing short of a dream.
How could it be easily achieved?
Lu Chen stared at the now ‘riddled-with-holes’ paper in his hand, reviewing the PR plan over and over again. His brain hurt, yet he still couldn’t figure out how to fulfill Fu Jichen’s second request perfectly.
He decided to ask directly, “Are you planning to escalate this, affecting Fu Corporation’s stock price, making Yu Qing feel guilty, and then proposing?”
Fu Jichen countered, “Do you think she’d feel guilty?”
It seemed plausible.
Since it wasn’t a proposal and not forcing Yu Qing’s hand, Lu Chen was baffled, “Then give me a hint—how should I cooperate?”
Fu Jichen: “Let me plan it out more carefully.”
The most pressing matter now was to teach Leng Wenning a lesson. He instructed Secretary Pan, “Compile a list of all major client bosses of Leng Wenning’s company and send it to me.”
________________________________________
By the afternoon, public opinion had fully fermented. Fu Corporation had only issued a single statement, with no further actions taken since.
Because they didn’t suppress the public opinion, half of the top ten trending topics were now related to Fu Corporation.
Her friend happened to be off work today, lounging on the couch scrolling through trending topics for an entire noon, reading every comment. Her head ached and eyes blurred from it; just before she exited, she refreshed one last time.
The topic #Fu Jichen# had somehow climbed onto the trending list without anyone noticing.
Her friend sat up, wondering how netizens could have cursed Fu Jichen so that the topic got pushed up.
Based on her understanding of Leng Wenning, she knew Leng Wenning wouldn’t blatantly push Fu Jichen onto the trending list, escalating conflicts to mutual destruction.
She quickly opened the comments, and the tone was completely different from other trending topics.
Netizens always showed an almost bottomless tolerance for good looks and physique. Some even stood up for Fu Jichen: [Clearly, it’s Duo Xin’s high-level executives who are malicious, dragging Fu Jichen down.]
[Being a boss these days isn’t easy; you never know when someone beneath you will bankrupt you.]
[People can be treacherous. Take him away, we won’t date.]
[Why doesn’t he leave home and debut (starry-eyed)?]
[If he played a villain, from now on, watching dramas would only feature good guys.]
After reading through them,
She blinked.
?
She clicked through the photos netizens had gathered from somewhere.
Some were taken at industry conferences, a few at business events snapped by reporters. There were also some taken at clubs with friends.
She had only seen his mature and composed side, unaware that privately, his smile carried a flirtatious touch of mischief.
Her friend exited the topic and called Leng Wenning.
Even after the call rang out, no one answered.
Not satisfied with chatting over the phone, she changed clothes and decided to meet in person.
Leng Wenning was resting with her eyes closed, her phone on silent.
The company had nine major clients, and just half an hour ago, all of them suddenly requested contract termination and sought compensation from Wenning Planning.
No need to guess—within such a short period, the only person who could make several bosses make such hasty decisions simultaneously was Fu Jichen.
When her friend arrived at Wenning Planning, Leng Wenning was still leaning back in her chair, eyes closed.
“Didn’t sleep well last night?” Her friend fetched a blanket from the rest area and draped it over her. “Don’t catch a cold.”
Leng Wenning: “Prepare mentally. For the coming period, there might not be any orders. We’ll rely on bank savings to get by.”
Her friend paused, “What happened?”
Leng Wenning briefly explained. She had anticipated that Fu Jichen would block her orders, but she hadn’t expected him to go all out and cut off every single one.
This went against his nature as a businessman.
Reaching out to nine people meant accruing enormous favors.
Not just favors—he would ensure the clients claimed breach penalties. This money, presumably, came straight out of Fu Jichen’s pocket.
Favors and money—all spent.
Just to vent his anger?
It shouldn’t be.
But no matter how hard she racked her brain, she still couldn’t fathom his motive.
Her friend sat on the sofa, absorbing this sudden bad news for a while. “Fu Jichen is trending—is this why he suddenly got angry?”
People tend to act impulsively when enraged.
Leng Wenning frowned, “He’s trending?”
Her plan didn’t involve him.
Her friend asked her, “Do you have any strategies?” What she really wanted to ask was, haven’t you sought help from your family?
Leng Wenning: “I don’t plan to think of strategies. Being left with nothing is just fine.” Anyway, she didn’t lack this year’s profits.
When the company couldn’t sustain itself, she’d go to Ji Qingyuan, show him how wholeheartedly she helped his father-in-law’s Lemong, only to end up like this.
With nothing left, she’d ask him what to do.
________________________________________
Qin Moling also learned that all of Leng Wenning’s contracts had been severed. He went to find Yu Qing.
On Yu Qing’s desk lay several sheets of white paper. She was engrossed in drawing diagrams, one already filled with notes. She held a sandwich in her hand, taking bites when she remembered.
“What are you busy with?” Qin Moling approached.
Yu Qing absentmindedly replied, “Mind maps. Analyzing how Fu Jichen will strike next and ensuring Leng Wenning doesn’t end up utterly defeated and penniless—I’d be letting myself down.”
Qin Moling eyed the sandwich in her hand, “Didn’t eat enough for lunch?”
“I forgot whether I ate enough or not, so I’m eating. Better to eat more than less.”
“…”
To tear apart Leng Wenning, she truly neglected food and sleep.
Qin Moling relayed the situation regarding Leng Wenning. “Can you figure out what Leng Wenning plans to do next?”
Yu Qing didn’t respond. She simply switched to a red pen and wrote down her final conclusion.
After brushing away the eraser shavings from the paper, she handed the freshly completed mind map to Qin Moling. “All your questions can be answered here.”
Qin Moling started reading from the top. By the time he finished, he had goosebumps all over.
He couldn’t help but glance at Yu Qing, who was leisurely munching on a sandwich, looking like the kind of person who’d hide under a table if the sky fell—calm and unconcerned, trusting that someone taller would take the hit.
She had actually predicted that Fu Jichen would cut off all of Leng Wenning’s major clients. She further analyzed that Leng Wenning wouldn’t fight back immediately and would instead use this move by Fu Jichen to win sympathy from Ji Qingyuan.
In another subplot, she analyzed Lu Chen’s PR strategy.
Lu Chen would divert the entire PR crisis to Zhao Shuqin and Xiao Yilin’s extramarital affair. It would be framed as Zhao Shuqin’s indulgence that allowed the contract fraud to happen.
By shifting the focus, the higher-ups at Fu Corporation and Duoxin would be kept out of it.
Zhao Shuqin’s looks, paired with his current position, would definitely pique the interest of netizens.
Once public outrage targeted Zhao Shuqin and Xiao Yilin, attention would naturally shift away from Duoxin and the contract issue.
Then, when Fu Corporation announced the results of their internal investigation and punished the involved parties, they could offer a formal statement to Boss Qian. As for the contract with Zhuohua Trading, it violated public order and good customs and could therefore be rescinded.
That round of PR would essentially serve as free advertising for Duoxin and even generate goodwill.
A knock sounded. Yu Fei and Qin Yu arrived.
They had a meeting with a securities firm over lunch and had rushed over right after, grabbing some bread on the way as a quick meal.
Yu Fei glanced at Yu Qing. “You’re eating bread too?”
Qin Moling chimed in, “She forgets whether she’s full or not, can’t let her stomach suffer.”
Yu Qing didn’t want to neglect her little ‘fishy baby,’ so she finished the last two bites and moved on to discussing their next countermove.
“Have you two thought about Lu Chen’s PR approach?”
Qin Yu nodded. He and Yu Fei had discussed a few possibilities on the way over, but Lu Chen would definitely pick the cheapest and most effective one. As for the emotional toll on the people involved and their families, that wasn’t something Lu Chen would care about.
Yu Fei asked Yu Qing, “You figured it out too, didn’t you?”
Yu Qing nodded. “Xiao Yilin will definitely be fired, but Duoxin won’t let Zhao Shuqin go. He’s one of their key people—no one willingly cuts off their own arm.”
In this PR strategy, the most innocent people who’d be hurt the most were Chen Yan, her parents, and her two children.
Qin Yu asked, “So what’s your plan now?”
Yu Qing was silent for a few seconds. “Disrupt Lu Chen’s PR plan.” Since she was already in conflict with Duoxin, she wasn’t about to let Lu Chen’s plan go through easily.
Otherwise, all the money she’d spent would be wasted, and the market in the Beijing region that Duoxin had snatched would be hard to reclaim.
She didn’t do losing deals. Naturally, she’d throw a wrench into Lu Chen’s plans.
More importantly, Chen Yan had just begun to heal—she couldn’t be thrown back into hell.
“Yu Fei-jie, call Lu Chen now,” Yu Qing said. “If we can convince him early and he switches strategies in time, we’ll have less conflict with him. PR battles are expensive—I’m actually trying to save him some money.”
And save herself some, too.
Yu Fei considered it for a moment, thought of what to say, and made the call. She was also looking forward to giving Lu Chen a piece of her mind.
When the call connected, she got straight to the point. “I’m at Lemon Building.”
Lu Chen hadn’t had time to feel pleased that she called him, before being doused with cold water—it turned out they were on opposing sides.
She was ruthless—wouldn’t she go all out to crush him?
“Lawyer Yu, what can I do for you?” he asked.
Yu Fei replied, “Teach you how to be a decent human being.”
Lu Chen: “……”
He was in a meeting but stepped out into the hallway to take the call.
Yu Fei wanted to get straight to the point. “When you decided to use Zhao Shuqin and Xiao Yilin’s affair as PR, did you think about Zhao Shuqin’s wife and kids?”
Lu Chen stayed silent, waiting for her to finish.
Yu Fei couldn’t hold back. “Cheaters being exposed deserve it. But why does Chen Yan have to suffer again? She’s done nothing wrong, and she’s already in enough pain—why rip her apart all over again?”
There was a click as Lu Chen lit a cigarette.
“Chen Yan swallowed the biggest humiliation a woman can face for the sake of her kids. And now you want to play executioner, pouring salt and alcohol on her wounds—and not just that, you want to publicly humiliate her again. Lu Chen, are you even human?”
Lu Chen exhaled slowly. He understood that her accusation wasn’t just rhetorical—she really wanted to curse him out.
He knew.
He also knew she still hated him.
Still held a grudge.
“If Chen Yan wanted to go public, that’d be a different story. But if it’s not from her, no one has the right,” Yu Fei said, trying to keep her personal anger out of it.
“Don’t give me that excuse about the Zhuohua Trading contract being the result of the affair. This is about poor internal management, especially the legal department—greedy to the core!”
“When the contract was signed, Zhao Shuqin didn’t even know about it. If he’s at fault, it’s for mismanagement. He shares responsibility with the other higher-ups at Duoxin, so why is he being made the scapegoat?”
Lu Chen remained silent the whole time.
He flicked the ash from his cigarette. “Are you done?”
Yu Fei took a few seconds to calm down. “Not yet.”
“Then keep going.”
Lu Chen stared at the cigarette in his hand. It didn’t taste good anymore. He suddenly didn’t want it.
“If Duoxin wants to deal with Zhao Shuqin and Xiao Yilin, fine. But why drag their families into it?”
“Lu Chen, you’re a father yourself.”
He stubbed out the cigarette and crushed it with force.
“Have you considered how it feels for a child to see their parents publicly shamed online? To not be able to lift their head in front of classmates? To be laughed at? Have you ever thought about that?”
“And Chen Yan’s parents—they’re old. They think their daughter and son-in-law are doing well. Can they handle a blow like this?”
“Lu Chen, some money isn’t worth making.”
Yu Fei advised, “Before you go ahead with the PR campaign, you’d better discuss it with Fu Jichen. He’s a father now too.”
Lu Chen said honestly, “I actually planned to, but haven’t had time yet.”
He had taken her words seriously.
He had indeed overlooked Zhao Shuqin’s wife and kids.
“Dropping the PR plan is doable,” he said.
Then he added pointedly, “Yu Fei, I’m doing it for you.”
Yu Fei let out a cold laugh.
Lu Chen kindly warned, “I can’t guarantee Leng Wenning won’t use this to turn the tables on you.”
The call ended.
Yu Fei let out a sigh of relief, but a new concern took root. “If Leng Wenning finds out, she definitely won’t hold back.”
Yu Qing sipped warm water, lost in thought.
Qin Moling said, “Leng Wenning doesn’t have the bandwidth right now. Her own company’s enough of a mess. Besides, she doesn’t know about Chen Yan’s connection to you and Yu Qing.”
He glanced at Yu Qing. “You already know Leng Wenning will go to Ji Qingyuan next. What’s your plan?”
Yu Qing tapped her head. “I’ve been running on overload today. I’ll think about it tomorrow.”
She shut her laptop and went home.
Qin Moling could see how exhausted she was. He swallowed the words he was about to say.
On the way home, Yu Qing made a simple sign. After getting out of the car, she held it up. It read: [Currently Obsessed. Do Not Disturb.]
She was so drained she didn’t want to say another word.
Yu Jingxin wanted to bring her some milk upstairs, but Yu Jingze stopped her. “Let her sleep. Once Fu Jichen gets back, she’ll be fine.”
Yu Qing slept from six until ten-thirty. When she woke, only a dim wall lamp was on, and Fu Jichen was beside her.
It felt nice to open her eyes and see him.
Fu Jichen had returned long ago. He sat leaning against the headboard, eyes half-closed, thinking, and had stayed with her the whole time.
His hand was on her shoulder. When she moved, he opened his eyes. “Awake?”
“Mm.” Yu Qing reached out to hug him.
Fu Jichen lay down beside her and pulled her into his arms.
There weren’t many words—just a quiet, intimate exchange of kisses.
He was careful not to press on her, propping himself up on one elbow.
Before, they would have expressed their closeness more deeply.
But not now. Even their kisses had to be gentler.
Yu Qing kissed the side of his neck. “We won’t be able to be together like that for months. Maybe you should consider moving to the room across the hall—for your own good.”
Fu Jichen replied, “Thanks. But I don’t need you to be that considerate.” He could only sleep well with her in his arms.
“Hungry? Dad said you came home and went straight to bed.”
Yu Qing shook her head. She didn’t feel like eating.
The nap had refreshed her.
Fu Jichen, however, was a little hungry. He’d skipped dinner.
Yu Qing got up with him. “I’ll make you a late-night snack.”
He looked at her skeptically. “You can cook?”
Yu Qing put on a jacket. “What can’t I do? I’m great in the kitchen and the boardroom.”
Fu Jichen looked surprised and a little excited.
They went downstairs together.
Yu Qing put on an apron, looking the part.
She thought about the snacks Yu Jingze had made for her before. “I’ll make scallion oil noodles for you.”
Fu Jichen wasn’t picky. “That’s a tricky dish.” If your cooking wasn’t good, you couldn’t get the flavor right.
Yu Qing started boiling water and chopping scallions.
She spent a long time cutting a single scallion, and they came out a bit long. She gave them a few aggressive chops to shorten them.
Fu Jichen: “……”
Definitely didn’t look like someone who could cook.
“Yu Qing, I suddenly don’t feel hungry anymore.”
Yu Qing turned around. “What?”
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