L&H - 82

Yu Qing hadn’t eaten dinner and came home to embrace Fu Jichen. After the strenuous activity ended, she was famished, her hunger so intense it felt like her front was sticking to her back.

Fu Jichen was still kissing her, tracing the outline of her lips from one corner to the other, over and over again, as if he couldn’t get enough.

Yu Qing wrapped her arms around his back. They were already close enough, but they couldn’t press together seamlessly like before when their bodies used to fit perfectly.

Her lips had gone numb from Fu Jichen’s kisses. She turned her head slightly. “Still not enough?”

“Mm.” Fu Jichen rested his forehead against hers. “I read a toxic motivational article today.”

The sudden change in topic made Yu Qing laugh. “You actually have time to read toxic chicken soup? And then what?”

Fu Jichen: “It got to me.”

“…”

Yu Qing didn’t want to laugh at him, but she couldn’t help herself. She gave him a comforting kiss. “You knew it was toxic chicken soup, yet you still drank it. Who’s to blame?”

Fu Jichen hadn’t sought out the article intentionally. In a group chat, he’d clicked on the link after seeing the title and felt uneasy after reading it.

“It was something Qin Moling posted in the group.”

He and Qin Moling shared a common group, and all the members’ situations matched up with his own.

When Yu Qing heard that it was Qin Moling who posted the “chicken soup,” she immediately knew it was extremely toxic, specifically crafted to poison Fu Jichen.

“He just wanted to drive you crazy.”

She figured the two ‘contraceptive pills’ must have left some side effects on Qin Moling: emotional instability and intermittent attacks on others.

It wasn’t just toxic chicken soup; Qin Moling occasionally posted tips related to marriage in the group chat. This afternoon, Qin Moling, probably bored out of his mind, even took a screenshot of some text.

Fu Jichen looked at Yu Qing. “After seeing Qin Moling’s screenshot, I realized it’s not necessary to have a marriage certificate to register a child’s household registration.” He had never paid attention to such regulations before and subconsciously assumed a marriage certificate was mandatory.

He admitted honestly, “I used to think that after the child was born, you would go with me to get the certificate.”

At that moment, his hope shattered.

Yu Qing noticed the fleeting disappointment in his eyes, but he quickly composed himself, looking at her gently. No wonder he insisted tonight that she call him “husband”—he must have felt hopeless about getting the marriage certificate.

She didn’t add to his already sour mood and teased him instead. “So, you really don’t need a marriage certificate to register a child’s household?”

Fu Jichen was momentarily stunned. As a lawyer, he assumed she already knew. He massaged her brow. “Forget it. Pretend I didn’t say anything.”

Yu Qing hugged his neck. “I’m a fish. My memory doesn’t last more than seven seconds.”

Fu Jichen began kissing her, starting from her forehead and moving down to her abdomen.

This area used to be his favorite spot to kiss—flat, smooth, with defined abs.

Now, this place carried the little life they created together, making him even more affectionate.

“How many times did the baby move today?” He didn’t forget to check on Little Fish.

Yu Qing didn’t remember. When she was busy, she didn’t pay attention to these things. There was movement in the morning and afternoon, and during the roadshow, the baby moved for a while too.

Fu Jichen kissed her, then moved lower.

When his soft lips touched her, Yu Qing shuddered. The tingling sensation spread throughout her body like an electric current. Her body hadn’t fully recovered from their earlier intimacy, and she couldn’t handle being kissed again.

“Fu Jichen.” She tried to push him away but missed, her arms too short to reach him.

His kisses became gentler.

Yu Qing twirled her hair, releasing this floating-on-clouds feeling.

Fu Jichen restrained himself from taking her again, fearing her body couldn’t handle it. He got up at the right time and helped her up. “Let me help you take a bath.”

“I’m hungry.”

“We’ll eat after the bath.”

It was still early. It was only 9:30 when they finished bathing.

Their cars weren’t back yet in the courtyard parking lot.

The housekeeper hadn’t retired yet and made Yu Qing a sandwich.

Yu Qing found the dining chair uncomfortable and sat on Fu Jichen’s lap to eat her late-night snack.

Fu Jichen held her from behind. Whenever she took a bite, he would nibble a bit too.

A message came in on the phone. It was Jian Hang: [Boss Fu, are you busy now? Is it convenient to talk on the phone?]

Fu Jichen was free at the moment. He told Yu Qing, “I’ll return a call to Jian Hang from Yinlin Capital. She originally scheduled a meeting for tomorrow afternoon at Fu Group.”

When Yu Qing heard it was a business call, she intended to get up and sit aside, thinking there might be trade secrets unsuitable for her to hear.

Fu Jichen held her waist, preventing her from moving. “It doesn’t matter.”

Yu Qing still leaned forward instinctively, her body closer to the edge of the table.

The call connected. Jian Hang exchanged pleasantries briefly before getting straight to the point.

Jian Hang had previously asked her secretary to schedule a meeting with Pan Zheng for tomorrow afternoon between 2:30 and 3:30 PM.

But now, she also wanted to discuss another project with Fu Jichen and asked if he could extend the meeting time by an hour.

“Boss Fu, it will only take three minutes. I want to talk to you about SZ. I’m interested in SZ. Our Yinlin will lead the investment, and your Fu Group can follow.”

Fu Jichen asked, “What’s in it for me if I follow?” Investing in SZ would definitely make money, whether more or less, but without additional benefits, he didn’t feel particularly motivated.

Jian Hang: “For every amount you invest in SZ, I’ll invest three times that amount in Duoxin. I won’t participate in Duoxin’s operations or management.”

She analyzed Duoxin’s current situation. “Your Duoxin has spent several hundred million this year just on display cabinets, plus new product promotions, hiring endorsers—a significant expense. You definitely need substantial cash flow now. Otherwise, compared to other beverage companies, you won’t have much competitive advantage.”

Fu Jichen understood Jian Hang’s intentions. Her investment in SZ would eventually lead to its IPO.

If Fu Group also invested in SZ, when SZ went public, investors would naturally see SZ stock as promising since Fu Group was one of its shareholders.

In this way, Jian Hang would profit handsomely.

For him, it was also a win.

Another benefit was that if he invested 100 million in SZ, Jian Hang would invest 300 million in Duoxin. For Duoxin, this would be fresh blood—entirely beneficial with no harm.

Most of the time, investments were exchanges of interests.

Fu Jichen thought for a moment. “Tomorrow’s meeting time will extend until 4 PM.”

Extending from 3:30 to 4 PM gained only half an hour, but for Jian Hang, it was still an opportunity. “Thank you, Boss Fu. I won’t disturb you further.”

Fu Jichen hung up and placed his phone on the table.

Yu Qing leaned back, her whole body resting against him.

Face-to-face, intimate and inseparable.

During Fu Jichen’s call, Yu Qing didn’t hear what Jian Hang said on the other end, but from Fu Jichen’s question, “What’s in it for me if I follow,” she deduced that Jian Hang wanted to invest in SZ and pull Fu Group into the investment.

Finally, Fu Jichen agreed to extend the meeting time, indicating he was interested in the benefits Jian Hang offered. Apart from exchanging interests, Fu Jichen wouldn’t waste time on trivial favors.

Fu Jichen stared at Yu Qing sideways. She held the sandwich in both hands, absent-mindedly taking a bite every now and then. He kissed her lightly. “What are you thinking about?”

Yu Qing: “What I’m thinking about, you’ll never tell me the answer. Do you still want to ask?”

Fu Jichen didn’t hesitate for a moment. “No more questions. A wise man knows when to adapt.”

Yu Qing slapped him playfully. Fu Jichen chuckled softly, holding her hand in his palm and coaxing her. “No matter what I invest in and how much money I make, it’s all for you and Little Fish.”

Yu Qing picked up where he left off: “Then I want to go shopping right now.”

“…”

Yu Qing laughed, and Fu Jichen kissed her.

As they were being intimate, someone returned home.

Yu Qing was still sitting on Fu Jichen’s lap, but she sat upright.

Ji Qingyuan and Yu Jingxin entered. Today, Yu Jingxin had worked overtime, and Ji Qingyuan waited until now.

When they entered the house, Ji Qingyuan was originally holding Yu Jingxin’s hand. Unexpectedly, upon seeing people in the dining room, Yu Jingxin instinctively pulled away, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Ji Qingyuan understood her personality and didn’t mind. Instead, he affectionately asked, “Do you want a sandwich? I’ll make one for you too.”

Yu Jingxin nodded. “Yes, I want one.”

With her sister back, Fu Jichen instantly lost favor. Yu Qing told Fu Jichen to go upstairs or smoke in the yard while she chatted with Yu Jingxin.

Although they lived under the same roof, their biological clocks were different, and they hadn’t seen each other for three days.

Fu Jichen saw Ji Qingyuan enter the kitchen. He told Yu Qing, “I have work to do tonight. I’ll supervise Ji Qingyuan and see if he wastes water again.”

In the dining room, everyone burst into laughter.

After the joke, Yu Qing asked about Zhou Siyuan, which involved both interests and Yu Jingze’s future happiness.

“Tell me about Zhou Siyuan.”

So far, apart from Leng Wanning, the person Yu Jingxin disliked the most was Zhou Siyuan.

From childhood until now, over twenty years had passed, and she didn’t know where to begin.

“She is very jealous and possessive. Whatever I have, she must have too—even if she doesn’t, she forces herself to have it. Growing up, I haven’t met anyone else like her. She always compares herself to others and can’t stand others being better than her. She even competes with Leng Wanning—you can imagine.”

“In front of Yu Jingze, she behaves differently.”

Yu Qing nodded knowingly.

She mentioned the scene at the hotel entrance this afternoon. Anyone else in that situation would at least ask Yu Jingze first if he needed something.

Besides, if there was nothing urgent, who would wait at the hotel entrance?

Zhou Siyuan treated her like Yu Jingxin, assuming she would consider Yu Jingze’s face and tolerate her quietly, leaving her helpless.

“I didn’t give her any leeway. After much thought, I found no reason to make her happy at the expense of my own comfort.”

Yu Jingxin: “…”

She gave Yu Qing a thumbs-up.

“If I were as capable as you, she wouldn’t dare to constantly undermine me in the past.”

She didn’t see Yu Jingze’s car at home. “Didn’t he come home with you?”

Yu Qing nodded. “He came back and left again, saying he had something to discuss. He should be at the club playing with his friends.” However, once Zhou Siyuan finished the banquet, she would definitely look for Yu Jingze to confront him and demand a makeup dinner invitation.

Yu Qing stuffed the last bite of the sandwich into her mouth, wiped her hands with a wet tissue, and stood up.

Yu Jingxin watched her. “Are you going to sleep now?”

Yu Qing swallowed her food. “I need to show the fish spirit what a healthy and appropriate distance looks like. If I don’t set an example, he will remain confused and end up hurting himself and others.”

That night at the wine party and again this afternoon, she fully witnessed Zhou Siyuan’s clingy skills.

Once gossip spread, it would affect both families.

Yu Jingxin sighed softly. “It’s difficult. Just as Dad said, the bond formed from growing up together won’t be easily severed.”

“Even if Yu Jingze wants to distance himself from Zhou Siyuan, he will do so gradually. He won’t tell her outright or suddenly ignore her. He will still consider her feelings appropriately.”

There was another crucial point.

“He will certainly also consider my mom’s feelings at the Zhou family. If Zhou Siyuan goes home crying and complains that my brother ignores her and she feels wronged, my mom will likely feel awkward too.”

Yu Qing understood. “I know he has his difficulties. So, I’ll help him. I’ll be the bad guy without harming the harmony between your mom and the Zhou family.”

Dealing with Zhou Siyuan didn’t require much thought. Simply treat her with her own methods.

As long as Zhou Siyuan knew when to stop and didn’t deliberately cling to Yu Jingze all day, normal interactions were fine.

Other than that, she didn’t care.

Yu Jingxin worried. “You don’t understand Zhou Siyuan. You might get upset by her. Given your current condition, staying calm is best for the baby.”

“Who made the fish spirit my brother?” Yu Qing reassured her. “I won’t suffer any losses. You know how skilled I am at getting under people’s skin.”

She told Fu Jichen she was going to find Yu Jingze.

Fu Jichen came out of the kitchen. “Going to deal with him again?”

While sending a message to Yu Jingze, Yu Qing replied, “Sort of.”

Fu Jichen fixed her hair. “If his tone shows the slightest impatience, tell me immediately. I won’t let him off.”

--

Yu Jingze was at the club. Ten minutes ago, Zhou Siyuan arrived.

Regarding the incident at the hotel entrance in the evening, Zhou Siyuan didn’t elaborate, only saying, “Let’s go for a late-night snack later. We can chat about the SZ case. Tomorrow, I’ll need you to talk to a few shareholders.”

First, talk to Zou Lexiao.

He was playing cards and planned to leave after this round, but then Yu Qing messaged him.

There were many people in the private room, so Yu Jingze didn’t say much.

Outside the club, his car pulled up.

He told Zhou Siyuan, “Wait a few more minutes. Yu Qing said she’s hungry.”

Zhou Siyuan: “…”

She clenched the strap of her bag tightly in anger but still smiled faintly. “Don’t you have a chef at home? Is there any late-night snack he can’t make?”

Yu Jingze: “She wants me to accompany her and eat while enjoying the night view.”

“…”

After a few seconds of silence,

Zhou Siyuan got into Yu Jingze’s car first, took several deep breaths, and barely calmed down. “Let her wait for us at the restaurant. Coming over here would be a detour, wasting time.”

As soon as her words fell, Yu Jingze’s phone vibrated.

Yu Qing’s call came in. “Brother, my car broke down. Come pick me up quickly.”

Yu Jingze: “…”