L&H - 72

Regarding Ji Qingyuan’s water wastage, Yu Shaohong gave him a lecture and ordered him to write a 300-word self-criticism essay. He was to read it aloud at the next family gathering so everyone could learn from his mistake.

After meting out the punishment, Yu Shaohong asked Ji Qingyuan, “Are you unhappy about writing this self-criticism?”

Ji Qingyuan lied through his teeth: “...I’m not too happy. If fireworks weren’t banned, I’d set some off to celebrate.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Though slightly tipsy, Yu Shaohong still had his wits about him. Punishing Ji Qingyuan with a self-criticism essay was just a joke to liven up the family atmosphere.

Even though they lived under the same roof, opportunities for them to gather together for dinner and casual conversation were rare—someone was always working late or traveling for business.

In the past month, this was their first real gathering.

With this essay now on the horizon, it felt like there was something to look forward to at the next lakeside meal.

It was getting late, so the night snack session ended, and everyone went back to their rooms.

“You actually reported Brother-in-law?” Yu Qing sat on the sofa in the walk-in closet, watching Fu Jichen pack his luggage.

Fu Jichen: “Otherwise, life would be so dull. If I hadn’t reported him, would you have had the chance to see him write a handwritten self-criticism? Three hundred words!”

Yu Qing hugged her knees and laughed. “Next time, I’ll report you too.”

“Hmm, what will you report me for?” Fu Jichen placed a few shirts into the suitcase.

“I’ll report that I haven’t seen you for several days.”

“I’ll video call you every day then.” Fu Jichen walked over and handed her a tie. “Put this in the suitcase. Then it’ll be like you packed my luggage.”

Yu Qing looked at the tie in her hand—it seemed familiar.

Back when Boss Qian sold his house, Qian Cheng picked her up from her rental apartment, and she and Qian Cheng carried an entire series of bags. On the way, they ran into Fu Jichen, who was wearing this very tie.

It was late autumn, right after a heavy rain, and she got drenched by raindrops falling from the trees. He even took off his suit jacket and gave it to her.

At that time, they didn’t care about each other at all. Neither ever checked in, no matter where they went or how late they returned.

They both mentally prepared themselves, thinking that while they might be together today, tomorrow they could easily go their separate ways.

Who would have thought that just a few months later, they’d be nurturing a little life together?

________________________________________

The next afternoon, Yu Qing received a call saying that Jiashi Group had already replied to Leng Wenning. Due to her special relationship with the boss, which raised concerns about potential interest transfers, Jiashi Group decided not to invest.

“Thank you. You’ve been a great help.” Yu Qing hung up.

Jiashi Group’s response was indeed unique but also irrefutable.

Leng Wenning had received Jiashi Group’s investment department’s reply half an hour ago and still hadn’t recovered. She couldn’t believe that Ji Qingyuan had rejected her request so straightforwardly.

Her meal was only half-eaten, and the dishes on the table had long gone cold.

Her best friend had glanced at Leng Wenning more than a hundred times but still hesitated to say anything.

She knew Leng Wenning had received the call from Jiashi Group. From her expression, it was clear—the financing deal had fallen through.

Leng Wenning pulled out Ji Qingyuan’s number. Her fingers nearly touched the dial button but trembled and retreated.

His attitude was already clear—why bother embarrassing herself further?

“Wenning,” her best friend held her breath and handed her a glass of warm water.

Leng Wenning ignored her. Her mood was as bleak and desperate as when she first learned he had publicly announced his wedding date.

She knew he was upset that she had gone on blind dates with other men, disregarding his dignity and pride as a man.

After four years, she thought he no longer held a grudge against her.

She also thought that perhaps this time, if she actively sought his help, he might relent.

But he didn’t.

He said he would finance her, but then turned around and changed his mind.

She really wanted to ask him—was he still blaming her?

Bzzz bzzz bzzz , her phone vibrated.

Leng Wenning snapped out of her thoughts and quickly checked the caller ID, half expecting it to be Ji Qingyuan. To her surprise, it was a friend.

Her friend probably knew she had been rejected by Jiashi Group and called to console her.

She exhaled deeply and answered.

“I’ll get straight to the point. Ji Qingyuan called me and said he will personally invest in Wenning Media. The funds will pass through my account. Later, you’ll sign a nominee shareholder agreement and a confidentiality agreement.”

Leng Wenning suddenly felt wronged and, at the same time, inexplicably yearned for Ji Qingyuan. Her feelings were a tangled mix of contradictions.

To spare Yu Jingxin’s feelings, he had Jiashi Group outright reject her. Now, he was investing in this covert manner, requiring a confidentiality agreement.

Who knows how stringent the confidentiality agreement would be?

She had originally planned to make fun of Yu Jingxin, but now the knife had turned on herself.

Her friend sighed. “Well, don’t be sad. At least he’s still willing to help your company secure funding. He has his difficulties—you should understand.”

“What about my difficulties? Aren’t they caused by him? Yu Qing treats me this way, and he turns a blind eye!”

After the call ended, Leng Wenning’s emotions still hadn’t settled.

Not only was there a nominee shareholder agreement, but also a confidentiality agreement.

She rubbed her chest, feeling a faint ache.

Her best friend’s worries eased—any investment was better than none.

She consoled Leng Wenning. “Don’t be sad. It’s not Ji Qingyuan’s fault—it’s because Yu Qing is too strong. He can’t invest openly. Now that Yu Qing has Fu Jichen’s backing, we can’t do anything about it. Her personality won’t last long with Fu Jichen. Let’s endure a bit more.”

________________________________________

Just before the end of the workday, Yu Fei arrived at Lemong Tower to see Yu Qing.

Regarding the “Lemong All-Star Concert,” Yu Qing had tasked her with drafting a legal opinion.

Yu Fei and Qin Yu’s team had been working tirelessly for a month. After due diligence and several sleepless nights, the opinion was finally completed at noon.

Yu Qing yawned and stored the document in the safe, planning to review it in the morning when she was more alert.

Yu Fei teased her. “Do you ever have a moment in your 24-hour day when you’re not sleepy?”

Yu Qing responded seriously. “Yes, when I’m asleep.”

Yu Fei: “...”

Choked, she couldn’t help but laugh quietly.

After a tiring day, she could finally relax here.

After some idle chatter, the topic returned to the all-star concert.

Yu Fei worried. “You and Leng Wenning are at such odds. Her media company controls many media resources. Who knows what kind of black PR she’ll unleash against the stars invited by Lemong? Once someone’s scandal breaks, even if you have contingency plans, the losses could be incalculable.”

Yu Qing reassured her. “Don’t worry. After June 1st, Wenning Media won’t be solely under her control anymore.”

After June, Yu Jingxin would become Wenning Media’s second-largest natural person shareholder, with voting rights corresponding to her shares.

At that point, Leng Wenning wouldn’t be able to act unilaterally.

Yu Fei suddenly understood why Yu Qing had cut off all of Leng Wenning’s financing channels, forcing her to seek funding from Ji Qingyuan.

So, Yu Qing’s ultimate goal was to take control of Wenning Media.

This way, no matter how Leng Wenning tried to stir up trouble, she wouldn’t be able to create major waves.

By addressing the root cause, all future troubles would be eliminated.

Yu Fei remarked, “I didn’t quite understand before—how you, just to avenge your sister, went to such lengths to block Leng Wenning’s financing channels.”

In her understanding, Yu Qing shouldn’t have been so irrational.

“So, you had a plan all along.”

She sighed. “Your sister is quite rational too, choosing this method to strike at Leng Wenning.”

“Because both my sister and I understand that the Yu family’s wealth is our true backing. Only by continuously strengthening it can we truly do as we please. Over the years, Leng Wenning has earned money from our family and now wants to use it to sabotage Lemong’s concert. There aren’t that many good things in life.”

Taking control of Wenning Media would not only benefit Lemong financially but also strike at Leng Wenning. Why not?

As the workday ended, Yu Qing shut down her computer.

Yu Fei stood up too. “Leng Wenning never expected to encounter such a formidable opponent like you.” She was curious. “Have you ever encountered an opponent?”

Yu Qing: “I’ve never lost a battle.”

“Amazing.” Yu Fei gave her a thumbs-up.

Yu Qing, looking serious, said, “It’s nothing much. The reason I’ve never lost is that I immediately concede when I meet a strong opponent. No competition means no failure, right?”

“Haha.” Yu Fei couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

Yu Qing picked up her bag and left with Yu Fei.

She asked Yu Fei if she had to work overtime tonight. If not, they could go to Chen Yan’s restaurant for a feast.

Yu Fei hadn’t seen Chen Yan for a while and wondered how she was doing lately. “We’ll eat first, then go home to work overtime.”

Chen Yan had reserved a table for them. They called a bit late, so the best spots with night views were all booked.

Even the current spot was given to them as a favor by the manager.

Yu Qing and Yu Fei arrived early, and the restaurant wasn’t crowded yet.

Chen Yan put down her work and personally brought over tea, using the opportunity to chat for a bit.

Yu Fei rested her chin on her hand, staring at Chen Yan. “Hmm, you’ve gotten even more beautiful.”

Chen Yan smiled shyly. “No way.”

She shared some updates. “I passed my probation period, and it’s been almost a week since I became a full-time employee. My salary and performance bonuses have nearly doubled. My manager is nice and has always taken good care of me.”

She quickly clarified, “Our manager is female, around my age.”

Both she and her manager were married, but neither wore rings—only faint marks remained on their ring fingers.

She guessed that her manager might be in a similar situation.

But neither of them pried into each other’s privacy.

She felt quite fortunate to have friends like Yu Fei and Yu Qing and colleagues like her manager.

“However, these days we’re also worried about losing our jobs. We heard that our group plans to sell its catering division, including the national chain SZ Restaurant.”

They didn’t know who the buyer was or if layoffs would follow after the ownership change.

Yu Qing and Yu Fei exchanged glances. They hadn’t been paying attention to the catering industry recently and didn’t know that SZ Catering Company was up for sale.

SZ stood for “Shan Zhen” (mountain delicacies), the restaurant’s signature feature.

With over two hundred chain stores nationwide, SZ catered to the high-end market.

Yu Qing reassured Chen Yan. “Whether or not SZ changes ownership, employees with solid skills will definitely be retained.”

After some thought, she added, “Look at Zhao Shuqun. The public relations crisis at Fu Group was caused by his mismanagement. He was demoted but still oversees the entire sales department. If Duo Xin fired him, he’d be poached by competitors. The workplace is cruel and realistic—if you can create value for a company, they will naturally keep you.”

Chen Yan served them tea. “I’ll continue studying at home tonight.”

Wearing her work uniform, she couldn’t linger and chat for long. She made a gesture indicating she’d call later. “I’ll schedule a day off and treat you guys to a meal.”

After Chen Yan left to tend to her duties, Yu Fei and Yu Qing discussed SZ Catering Company. “From what I know, SZ’s asset structure is extremely complex, with many individual shareholders. Selling the entire package will be no easy feat.”

She mentioned one shareholder she knew. “Zou Hang’s daughter is SZ’s third-largest individual shareholder. With her impulsive nature and lack of financial pressure, she initially invested purely because she didn’t want to wait in line for reservations. If she doesn’t agree to sell her shares, what can anyone do? The acquisition will face significant hurdles.”

Yu Qing: “...”

So Zou Lexiao herself was a little rich girl.

Discussing SZ’s acquisition, Yu Fei contacted securities firms to verify the news. If true, she could try to secure participation for Shuoyu Law Firm in the project.

The more complex the project, the higher the management fees they could earn.

After hanging up, Yu Fei told Yu Qing, “SZ does have this plan. The securities firm is currently forming a project team to prepare for involvement. The company interested in SZ right now is Siyuan Holdings.”

Yu Qing wasn’t very familiar with Siyuan Holdings and asked Yu Fei to explain.

Yu Fei was surprised. “You don’t know Siyuan Holdings?”

Yu Qing was baffled. “Does it have anything to do with me?”

Yu Fei thought for a moment—it did and it didn’t.

“The boss of Siyuan Holdings is Zhou Siyuan. Though the name sounds masculine, she’s actually a beautiful woman with a gentle demeanor. She’s Yu Jingze’s half-sister, sharing no blood relation but linked legally. I thought you knew Zhou Siyuan.”

Yu Qing carefully sorted out the relationships. Half-siblings meant no blood relation, but they were legally connected.

“The child of my brother’s mother’s current husband and his ex-wife?”

“Mm.” Yu Fei smiled. “Quite complicated, isn’t it? When Yu Jingze’s mother remarried, Zhou Siyuan was very young. She gets along well with Yu Jingze but has a more distant relationship with Yu Jingxin—they hardly interact.”

Yu Qing nodded thoughtfully. She rarely discussed family matters with Yu Jingze, and he never mentioned anything about his mother’s side.

Before coming to Beijing, she barely knew Yu Jingxin, let alone Zhou Siyuan, who had no relation to her.

After dinner, Yu Qing and Yu Fei didn’t talk much longer and each went home to work overtime.

When Yu Qing got home, she didn’t see Yu Jingze. They had agreed that he would come back to keep her company, but he had stood her up.

[Got a date with a beauty?]

Several minutes passed, and Yu Jingze still hadn’t replied.

Yu Qing waited downstairs for a while but realized she wouldn’t be seeing Yu Jingze. She returned to her room.

At this time, Fu Jichen would have already been back, keeping her company.

Since he was away on a business trip, the city seemed to lack something.

Sinking into the sofa, Yu Qing calculated the time—Fu Jichen was still on the plane. [President Fu, Yu Jingze didn’t come back to keep me company. Next time, anonymously report him and show him your power.]