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Regarding the additional part of the self-criticism, it had to be completed on the spot.
Ji Qingyuan found a pen and began writing on the back of the original self-criticism document.
Yu Jingxin remained silent, happily munching on barbecue while occasionally tilting her head to sneak a glance at him, checking if he was slacking off.
They were sitting close together. When Ji Qingyuan turned, her chin lightly brushed against his shoulder—a level of intimacy she had never shown in front of her family before.
Ji Qingyuan hadn’t expected her to also be in the mood for watching the spectacle, much less enjoying it so thoroughly.
Since she was interested and seemed happy about it, he decided to write carefully, treating it as another gift for her.
By now, Yu Qing had finished eating. She leaned against Fu Jichen, and the two whispered quietly.
The baby had fallen asleep, and Yu Shaohong handed the child over to the housekeeper.
There were still some ingredients left to grill, so he went back to work.
Yu Jingze set down his wine glass and went over to help.
Yu Shaohong mentioned his eldest daughter and Ji Qingyuan: “They’re actually starting to write seriously.”
Yu Jingze: “Do you really expect them to be like Yu Qing and Fu Jichen?”
Yu Shaohong nodded. “You’re right.”
If it were Fu Jichen being reported by Ji Qingyuan, given Yu Qing’s mischievous nature, she would surely twist the facts and make the whistleblower, Ji Qingyuan, write the self-criticism while Fu Jichen stayed out of it.
Of course, Ji Qingyuan wouldn’t report Fu Jichen either. If he had the same personality as Fu Jichen, he and Jingxin wouldn’t have been stuck in their awkward state until now.
He couldn’t control everything—whatever suited them was fine.
As for Yu Qing and Fu Jichen, they no longer needed his concern.
Yu Shaohong glanced at his son. “What about you?”
Yu Jingze pretended not to understand. “I’m right here—I didn’t go invisible. Can’t you see me?”
Yu Shaohong was speechless. “...Don’t change the subject. You know what I mean.”
Yu Jingze: “If I could guess what you want to say or what you’re thinking, I’d have already PK’d you and become chairman myself.”
“...”
Yu Jingze handed the grilled meat to his father and headed toward the lakeside.
Yu Qing was still in the same position, lazily leaning against Fu Jichen. The gentle breeze carried his scent, wrapping around her nose.
Fu Jichen fed Yu Qing juice while handling emails. He needed to reply to overseas matters before 10 PM, so as not to delay the early meeting decisions at the overseas branch a few hours later.
“The cooperation with Yinlin Capital is finalized,” he casually informed Yu Qing.
Yinlin Asset Management Company, founded by Pang Linbin, was a globally renowned venture capital firm, ranking among the top in the industry.
Speaking of Yinlin Capital, Fu Jichen’s email inbox just received a message from Jian Hang, the senior vice president of Yinlin Capital’s Beijing branch. It was about confirming equity and voting rights after Yinlin Capital took control of NewTech.
Yu Qing didn’t know Fu Jichen was reading emails and thought he was browsing the news. She leaned over to take a look. “What hot news are you so engrossed in?”
As she spoke, she noticed the sender’s email suffix.
It turned out to be an executive from Yinlin—Jian Hang.
Yu Qing knew Jian Hang. She had met her once abroad, though they hadn’t interacted much.
Jian Hang had climbed to her current position entirely through her own abilities. At just thirty years old this year, her annual income was close to ten million yuan. She was a beautiful woman whose intelligence and emotional quotient crushed most men.
Of course, there were plenty of rumors about Jian Hang.
These were things Yu Qing had heard during her time at the law firm abroad, where colleagues occasionally gossiped about the capital circle. Those stories were as dramatic as any soap opera.
After all, where money gathers, purity ceases to exist.
So many wolves with ambition, and not a few heartless ones.
Yu Qing hadn’t paid attention to Yinlin Capital for a long time. “Did Jian Hang get promoted?”
After replying to the email, Fu Jichen responded to her. “No. She was transferred to the Beijing branch. Yinlin’s cooperation with NewTech will be entirely under her charge going forward.”
He had only dealt with Jian Hang once—at Yinlin Capital’s headquarters during his negotiation meeting with Pang Linbin. She was part of the Yinlin team.
Yu Qing nodded. “Which areas are they planning to focus on?”
It wasn’t exactly confidential, so Fu Jichen explained in detail. “Mainly smart parking lots and electronic coupon platforms.”
In recent years, cities of all sizes faced parking difficulties, especially near large shopping malls. Finding a parking spot was incredibly challenging.
NewTech’s complexes also struggled with parking space shortages—the existing capacity simply couldn’t meet customer demand.
Even for something as simple as watching a movie, the time spent traveling and searching for parking often exceeded the length of the movie itself.
NewTech was about to launch comprehensive online parking services.
After hearing this, Yu Qing remarked, “Zou Lexiao has something to look forward to. She started taking the subway because she was afraid of being late for client appointments.” Travel time on the subway was predictable—even accounting for peak congestion, one could estimate arrival times.
But finding a parking spot? That was anyone’s guess.
Previously, Yu Fei had complained about how hard it was to find parking. Once, when she dropped her son off for an extracurricular class, her son had already finished the class, but she was still driving around looking for a parking spot...
Fu Jichen suddenly turned his head. His focus was on something else: “Is Zou Lexiao bothering you again?”
“What do you mean by ‘bothering’?” Yu Qing rested her chin on his shoulder. “I enjoy being bothered by her. She’s so fun—it’s like bullying a baby in front of you, all cute and clueless.”
Fu Jichen: “...”
Their faces were almost touching. Yu Qing raised her hand to block their closeness and kissed him.
Fu Jichen momentarily forgot what he wanted to say, even forgetting to complain about Zou Lexiao.
At the other end of the long table, Ji Qingyuan still hadn’t finished writing. He realized that even filling space with fluff, three hundred words weren’t easy to come by.
Yu Shaohong finished grilling all the ingredients and brought the plates over. He gestured to Ji Qingyuan: “Write it inside later. Let’s eat first—the barbecue will taste bad if it gets cold.”
The self-criticism issue was temporarily shelved, and they began drinking.
At home, no one brought up work matters. Although they had collaborations, there was inevitable competition between the invested companies. Bringing it up would hurt profits.
Yu Qing suddenly remembered the toy set in her car trunk that she hadn’t taken out for the baby.
She went inside to grab her car keys and retrieved the gift for Yu Jingxin. “This is Zou Lexiao’s Children’s Day gift for the baby. I almost forgot.”
Upon hearing Zou Lexiao’s name, Yu Jingze abruptly looked up at Yu Qing.
Yu Jingxin knew of Zou Lexiao but wasn’t familiar with her. “Why did she think to give the baby a gift?”
Yu Qing thought inwardly: For your dear brother.
She quickly made up an excuse. “She asked me for advice on a case, which took up my entire afternoon. While I was buying clothes for the baby, she conveniently bought something for him too.”
Yu Jingxin believed her completely. “Please thank her for me.” It was a drone that could record the baby playing with it.
Regarding Zou Lexiao’s name, Yu Qing had always thought it was pronounced “le” before. “Turns out it’s pronounced ‘yue.’“
Fu Jichen knew the origin of the name. “Xiao refers to a musical instrument.”
Yu Shaohong commented: “The name is nice. Is she from the Zou family?”
Fu Jichen nodded. “Yes.”
Yu Qing picked up her phone and sent a private message to her father: [Dad, Zou Lexiao likes my brother. What do you think—are they likely to succeed? After all, you know your son best :).]
Yu Shaohong saw the message and raised his eyebrows.
Yu Qing lifted her chin, and father and daughter exchanged a knowing glance.
He still couldn’t believe it. Zou Xing was nearly ten years younger than him—his daughter should have just graduated from college.
[Are you sure you’re not lying?]
Yu Qing: [Could I joke about something like this? Otherwise, why would that proud young lady bother to cozy up to me? And she even bought a gift for the baby. What kind of relationship does Fu Jichen have with her? He’s never treated me this way.]
Yu Shaohong promised: [Although we’re rivals with the neighboring bank, I won’t stand in the way of true love. I’ll only add fuel to the fire.]
Yu Qing: [Dad, you’re so impressive. You used three idioms in one sentence—you must be very learned. But isn’t your train of thought a bit off? I’m not asking for your opinion. I want to know if there’s any chance between my brother and Zou Lexiao.]
Yu Shaohong: “...”
At this moment, Yu Jingze’s phone rang.
In the quiet lakeside setting, the ringtone was particularly jarring.
Yu Jingze glanced at the screen, hesitated for a moment, and then answered.
“Is your family gathering over?”
Yu Jingze intended to get up and move aside to respond, but Yu Qing grabbed his arm and held him back. He didn’t dare move, fearing he might hurt her.
“Not yet.”
Zhou Siyuan: “No rush. I just finished working overtime and booked a table at SZ—the spot with the best night view. When you’re done over there, aren’t you going to celebrate Children’s Day with your little sister? My childhood had more regrets than your two sisters combined. You better not play favorites, alright? Bye.”
Yu Jingze ended the call and put his phone on silent.
Yu Qing guessed who it was but deliberately asked, “Who was that?”
Yu Jingze didn’t hide it—it wasn’t like he could anyway. “Zhou Siyuan. She wants me to go have dinner with her.”
When Yu Shaohong heard Zhou Siyuan’s name, he paused thoughtfully. Taking advantage of the brief lull while Yu Qing and Yu Jingze were talking, he picked up his phone, created a small group chat, and added Fu Jichen and Ji Qingyuan.
Fu Jichen and Ji Qingyuan exchanged glances, sensing unease.
They didn’t need this three-person group.
Ji Qingyuan privately messaged Fu Jichen: [It’s easy to join this group, but getting kicked out will be hard. We’ll have to watch our words carefully.]
That wasn’t even the worst part. [If one day Dad kicks us out of the group, we’re basically cut off from the family. Every morning, we’d have to check if we’re still safely in the group.]
Fu Jichen: [You’re more likely to get kicked out because you often upset his daughter. I’m different from you.]
In the small group chat, Yu Shaohong sent a message: [I need both of you to help me out. Later, play along with me—I need to teach Yu Jingze a lesson. If this keeps up, something bad is bound to happen sooner or later.]
Then he sent each of them a 200-yuan red envelope.
Yu Shaohong set his phone down and tapped his fingers on the table, signaling for them to hold their comments for now.
He’d wanted to talk to Yu Jingze about Zhou Siyuan for a long time but hadn’t found the right opportunity—today was perfect.
“You and Zhou Siyuan are no longer kids or teenagers. Back then, you could hang out without worrying about anything. But now, you’re both adults,” he said bluntly, “You and Zhou Siyuan don’t share blood relations. Being so close isn’t appropriate.”
Everyone fell completely silent, realizing Yu Shaohong wasn’t joking.
Yu Shaohong turned to Yu Jingze. “Since Yu Qing came back, how many times have you actually stayed at home?”
Yu Jingze hesitated, unsure. He hadn’t counted, but it was definitely very few.
Yu Qing looked at her father—this level of seriousness was rare for him.
This commanding presence was usually reserved for the office.
When he was with his children, he treated them like friends. No matter what they said, he remained casual, and he never got angry when they joked around with him.
Yu Shaohong looked at Yu Jingze: “And what about you and Zhou Siyuan?”
“Even biological siblings wouldn’t go out to eat together this often, let alone people who aren’t related.”
“Maybe I’m just old-fashioned, but I’ve never seen any siblings in their adult years—living separately—spend almost every day eating out together.”
“Even parents need some personal space with their grown-up children, don’t they?”
Yu Jingze crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, remaining silent.
He held his phone, tapping it absentmindedly against his palm.
His father’s words made him reflect seriously.
Ever since Yu Qing returned to Beijing, he realized he hadn’t eaten with her many times. It was only after moving back home that they began seeing each other daily.
As for his time spent with Zhou Siyuan, he thought about it and realized they really did meet several times a week. Zhou Siyuan’s company was close to the headquarters of Yu Bank—no need to cross the road, just a few minutes’ walk.
Sometimes she even came to have lunch with him during noon breaks.
He had gotten used to it.
Seeing his son remain silent, Yu Shaohong softened his approach: “I know you two got along well as kids. Every weekend, your mom would take you and Jingxin to meet up with Zhou Siyuan. Playing together as children naturally builds bonds.”
He emphasized, “But there’s a limit.”
Some things were inappropriate for him, as a father, to say.
And in front of his sons-in-law, as an elder, he shouldn’t appear too harsh.
But the truth was, Zhou Siyuan always played the victim, always positioning herself as someone pitiful. Both families were divorced and remarried, but Jingxin wasn’t much better off than her.
And Jingxin’s mother wasn’t exactly a wicked stepmother—where could she possibly feel so wronged?
These thoughts, he held back from saying.
In the past, he never interfered in his three children’s friendships or career choices. They had their own social lives and ideas, and he rarely meddled.
But Yu Jingze was crossing some boundaries, and he couldn’t ignore it anymore.
Yu Shaohong spoke honestly: “I consider myself fairly open-minded, but sometimes, I’m not as broad-minded as I wish I were. I’m just an ordinary person—I can’t treat other people’s kids like my own.”
“I let Yu Qing, Li Bing, and Pang Linbin get along well because Pang Linbin treated Yu Qing kindly and never put on fake pretenses.”
He mentioned Yu Qing’s graduation ceremony. “At the time, you and I were busy reporting to the financial authorities and couldn’t make it to Yu Qing’s school. But Pang Linbin took the time to attend. By then, he and Li Bing were already divorced, and he had no obligation to do so. I’ve always been grateful for that. At least Yu Qing’s parent seat wasn’t empty that day.”
As for Zhou’s family, he didn’t mention them.
Some things, he hinted at enough.
Saying too much or spelling it out would ruin the subtlety.
“And another thing—how is any girl supposed to marry you if you keep spending all your time with Zhou Siyuan?”
Yu Jingze finally spoke: “I don’t plan on getting married. What’s the point of wasting time and money on a wedding just to get divorced later? Why spend money to invite trouble?”
Yu Shaohong: “...”
Wasn’t this a jab at him?
After all, his wedding with Li Bing had cost millions.
In their generation, it was considered a luxurious, once-in-a-century wedding.
Yet it ended in divorce within two years.
Yu Jingxin noticed his father’s silence and realized the slip. “Dad, please don’t take it personally.”
Yu Shaohong: “...You’ve made it so obvious. If I don’t respond, it’ll seem like I’m guilty. Next time, just call me out directly.”
Yu Qing and Yu Jingxin couldn’t help but laugh. Bringing up their parents’ marriage again made Yu Qing feel like she’d finally let go.
Ji Qingyuan and Fu Jichen wanted to laugh but didn’t dare—they had just received 200-yuan red envelopes from Yu Shaohong, so they had to show some respect.
Yu Shaohong got back to the point. “Regardless of why you’re so close to Zhou Siyuan—whether it’s childhood bonds or current collaborations—starting today, stay in your lane. It’s fine to keep in touch, but don’t meet up for meals every other day.”
Yu Jingze gave a faint “Mm” and replied to Zhou Siyuan: [Family dinner might go late into the night. Cancel the reservation—I won’t be coming.]
Zhou Siyuan: [No problem, I’ll eat alone.]
Yu Jingze’s fingers hovered over his phone for a few seconds before typing: [Eat early and go home.]
Yu Shaohong assigned him a task: “If you’re really bored and feel like you have nothing to do after work, spend more time taking care of Yu Qing and Jingxin. Pick them up from work and practice being patient with your future girlfriend.”
Yu Jingze naturally didn’t want to spend all his free time stuck at home: “They both have their own families now. If I interfere too much, it’ll affect their marriages. Ji Qingyuan and Fu Jichen wouldn’t agree with this approach either.”
Yu Shaohong took over: “Ji Qingyuan and Fu Jichen will definitely agree.”
Yu Jingze tried to signal to them with his eyes, but Fu Jichen and Ji Qingyuan seemed to have coordinated beforehand—they avoided looking at him, automatically blocking his signals.
They must have taken Dad’s money.
Yu Qing raised her hand. “Dad, I’m willing to let my brother pick me up.”
Yu Jingxin, whose overtime schedule was unpredictable, suggested: “Let him pick up Yu Qing. It’s a special time for her now, and it’d be nice for her to have someone to talk to.”
Yu Shaohong blocked Yu Jingze’s only escape route: “If you don’t plan on finding a girlfriend, then spend more time with Yu Qing. Her reputation in the financial circle strikes fear into people’s hearts—doesn’t that carry more weight than Zhou Siyuan’s name?”
Everyone: “…………”
Yu Qing burst out laughing at the phrase “strikes fear into people’s hearts.” “Dad!”
And just like that, Yu Jingze’s private time was neatly planned out for him.
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