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Psst! We're moving!
Zou Lexiao knew she was being foolish, but this was the only opportunity she could seize for herself. In the past, she had hoped to cast a wide net to catch him, but he hadn’t been swimming in her waters.
Even with the most advanced fishing net, all she could do was admire from afar.
Now, he was within arm’s reach. She decided to secure him first and worry about the rest later.
Fearing she might miss her chance, she reiterated her stance. “During this fake relationship, I won’t ask you to do anything. Whenever you decide to end it, I’m fine with it. I won’t cling to you. Occasionally, just spending time with me is enough.”
This outcome was completely unexpected by Yu Jingze. He had racked his brains from last night until now, unsure how to express his thoughts clearly to her.
He also worried that she might deliberately impose difficult conditions on him.
But she didn’t.
He had underestimated her.
Her current straightforwardness and generosity were a stark contrast to the person she used to be.
A moment of silence passed between them.
Zou Lexiao kept spinning her water glass. Yu Jingze still hadn’t spoken, so she looked up at him.
Yu Jingze’s gaze happened to meet hers, their eyes locking.
Within two seconds, she quickly averted her eyes.
Her heart throbbed painfully, as if suffocating.
Loving someone was both beautiful and filled with anxiety over losing them.
Yu Jingze handed her the menu, letting her order.
Zou Lexiao didn’t pay attention to the menu; all her focus was on his hands. She was a hand enthusiast, and Yu Jingze’s slender fingers perfectly matched her aesthetic.
She had fantasized about what it would feel like to hold hands with him.
She took the menu, flipped through it briefly, but nothing particularly caught her fancy.
At this moment, she missed SZ’s dishes—they suited her taste.
“Why didn’t you book a table at SZ? The environment is nice, and the view is great too.”
Yu Jingze didn’t hide it. “Zhou Siyuan might show up.”
Zou Lexiao didn’t want to mention Zhou Siyuan—it would ruin her appetite.
She only ordered one dish and handed the menu back to him.
Even now, her heart was still racing, like a deer bounding around.
Yu Jingze wasn’t the type to initiate conversation, so the atmosphere was slightly cold.
Zou Lexiao kept drinking water to mask her nervousness while secretly basking in her inner joy.
But they couldn’t let the silence linger forever.
She took the initiative to bring up the SZ equity. “If I don’t transfer it, how will you explain it to Zhou Siyuan?”
After all, Zhou Siyuan wasn’t just any friend. Regardless of the outcome, doing her best was enough.
But she was Zhou Siyuan’s stepsister, and knowing Zhou Siyuan’s relentless nature, if she couldn’t get her shares, she’d surely go home to seek help from Yu Jingze’s mother.
That would put Yu Jingze in a difficult position, stuck between Zhou Siyuan and his mother.
Yu Jingze casually flipped through the menu. “Since Yu Qing has forced me into this situation, she naturally has a full set of solutions. I’ll ask her when I get back.”
Zou Lexiao: “….”
Yu Jingze’s phone rang—it was Zhou Siyuan.
After work, Zhou Siyuan had passed by the bank building and gone upstairs to look for him, only to find he had already left. His secretary said he left right after work.
“Where are you?”
Yu Jingze: “Having dinner with Zou Lexiao.”
The only possibility Zhou Siyuan could think of was, “You’re meeting her to discuss the equity transfer?”
Yu Jingze grunted in acknowledgment, raising his eyes to glance at Zou Lexiao, who happened to be looking at him.
“How’s it going? Is she willing to transfer?”
“We haven’t started talking yet.”
“…”
Zhou Siyuan didn’t want to disturb him further since he was there for her sake, meeting Zou Lexiao, whom he had always disliked. “Then finish your meal first. I’ll contact you later.”
She hung up.
Yu Jingze logged into WeChat, opened the QR code, and held it out to Zou Lexiao. “Add me for easier communication.”
“Oh, alright.” Zou Lexiao hurriedly pulled out her phone and scanned the code with lightning speed, as if he might change his mind if she didn’t act fast.
As for dignity, she no longer needed to care about it in front of Yu Jingze. He already knew what kind of person she was.
After sending the request, Zou Lexiao noticed that the verification message was still the one she had edited a few days ago when adding friends. In her haste, she hadn’t changed it before sending.
Yu Jingze clicked on it—’Eternal Love’ requested to add him. Her profile picture showed the CBD center under a clear blue sky, and he could easily spot the Yu family’s bank building among the towering skyscrapers.
The verification message read: [Your cute Lexiao.]
He confirmed and passed the request, then looked at Zou Lexiao.
Zou Lexiao: “….”
She quickly explained, “Ignore the verification message. It was left over from the last time I added someone.”
Yu Jingze didn’t respond and began editing her nickname.
Zou Lexiao also started changing her nickname, adding an ‘A’ before his name so he would be her first contact.
Although, she never paid attention to the contacts list.
She canceled all her other pinned messages and only pinned Yu Jingze. His chat box was now at the top.
She didn’t even know what the point of this self-deception was.
But she was happy.
________________________________________
At ten o’clock, Zou Lexiao and Yu Jingze exited the restaurant.
She deliberately slowed down a few steps to walk behind him, allowing herself to freely admire his back. When she couldn’t see him before, she would visit the official website of Yu Bank to check for news and photos of his events.
In the parking lot, Yu Jingze paused. “Drive carefully.”
Zou Lexiao stood still, hesitating.
Yu Jingze looked at her. “Anything else?”
Zou Lexiao asked, “Will you contact me later, or can I contact you?”
Yu Jingze: “I’ll contact you.”
Zou Lexiao nodded, understanding that she couldn’t reach out to him freely. But she also understood—this wasn’t a real relationship. She couldn’t call him whenever she wanted.
She waved. “Goodnight.”
Yu Jingze’s car arrived, and the driver slowly stopped.
He glanced at Zou Lexiao, unsure what to say, then got in.
Zou Lexiao watched his car leave.
Once in her own car, she didn’t rush to drive off.
Leaning against the seat, she stared at the restaurant sign. Everything felt like a dream.
She forgot the taste of the dishes and even what she had eaten tonight. All she could think about was Yu Jingze.
She didn’t know how long this relationship would last.
And yet, she fantasized about it lasting forever.
After indulging in self-deception for a while, Zou Lexiao took out her phone and messaged Yu Qing: [I hit the jackpot.]
She sent another message: [Your brother asked me to pretend to be his girlfriend, and I agreed.]
[You can consider me your temporary sister-in-law (doge).]
[Happiness came faster than a tornado. My brain can’t process it. I’m afraid that by tomorrow, your brother might regret this decision. I want to reassure him that I won’t cling to him, but saying too much might sound suspicious. Can you help me come up with a poetic caption? I’ll post it as a story visible only to your brother.]
________________________________________
Yu Qing was lying in bed reading her mother’s pregnancy diary: [Today, I finally received the results of the Down syndrome screening—all normal. The heavy stone in my heart has finally lifted. My only wish is for you to be healthy and safe.]
She was so absorbed that she didn’t notice her phone vibrating several times.
Fu Jichen reminded her, “Is someone looking for you?”
The phone screen kept flashing.
Yu Qing put down her mother’s diary, paused for a moment, and then checked Zou Lexiao’s messages.
It seemed that Yu Jingze had grasped her words from last night quite thoroughly—he knew how to resolve the trouble.
She got out of bed and called Fu Jichen: “Boss Fu, lend me your fountain pen, and help me find an old piece of paper.”
Fu Jichen was working overtime in the bedroom while keeping her company. “What for?”
“To write something sentimental.” Yu Qing leaned against his back, hugging his neck.
Fu Jichen didn’t have any aged paper nearby, but the study probably did. “How can I find it if you won’t let me move?”
“Carry me.”
She kissed his cheek and released him.
They went to the study together.
Fu Jichen took a stack of documents from the top shelf of the bookcase. The edges were worn, indicating they had been there for some time.
“Will this do?”
“Whatever, as long as I can write on it.” Yu Qing sat at the desk, thinking about what to write.
Fu Jichen didn’t understand. “Why does this caption need to be written on old paper?”
He tore off a sheet and handed it to Yu Qing.
“Did you come up with another promotional slogan for Lemongrass Drinks?”
Yu Qing shook her head. “It’s for Zou Lexiao. Yu Jingze’s matter was resolved tonight, just as I expected. He went to Zou Lexiao to pretend she’s his girlfriend.”
Fu Jichen focused on one key point—overnight, Yu Jingze had a girlfriend, and it was Zou Lexiao. What if tomorrow, Yu Jingze posted their marriage certificate on social media?
Other people’s relationships progressed like rockets, while he was still pedaling a bicycle with a half-flat tire.
“How did you know Yu Jingze would go to Zou Lexiao?”
Yu Qing pressed the paper down. “Because if he went to anyone else, I wouldn’t let him off.”
“…”
Yu Qing practiced writing on the paper first. She hadn’t written with a fountain pen seriously in a long time, so her hand was out of practice.
As she wrote, she continued talking about Yu Jingze: “Among the women who pursue him, I only know Zou Lexiao, and I have a good relationship with her. Zhou Siyuan asked him to talk to Zou Lexiao about the equity transfer. No matter which side he chooses, he won’t please everyone. So, he directly asked Zou Lexiao for help, solving all his troubles.”
Fu Jichen leaned against the edge of the desk, watching her write. Her handwriting was beautiful, each stroke strong and penetrating—not inferior to his own. “Did you practice calligraphy as a child?”
“Yes.”
Yu Qing practiced a few lines, found her rhythm, and began writing the caption.
Fu Jichen placed a book under the paper as padding. Still puzzled, he asked again, “Why does it have to be written on such old paper?”
Yu Qing: “Because it looks like something copied from the internet—a motivational quote. Zou Lexiao wants to express her feelings but in a subtle way.”
Fu Jichen nodded. Relationships could be so troublesome.
She wrote earnestly, and he stood beside her silently, not disturbing her.
It took more than ten minutes to write a short paragraph.
After finishing the last word, Yu Qing shook her wrist. Writing for a long time without practice made it ache.
Fu Jichen finished reading the paragraph and stared at Yu Qing’s profile. From his angle, her lashes were curled, her nose was perky, and her lips curved upward.
Unable to resist, he leaned down and kissed her.
Yu Qing responded to his kiss.
Fu Jichen quickly straightened up, fearing he might ignite something.
They had been intimate yesterday, and another session today might be too much for her.
His gaze returned to the paragraph. “If you pursued someone, I doubt there’s anyone you couldn’t win over.”
Yu Qing tilted her head and smiled at him. “But I only like my Boss Fu.”
Fu Jichen: “Change that word.”
Yu Qing knew he was jealous—jealous of a hypothetical scenario. She indulged him: “I only love my Fu Jichen.”
That simple sentence stirred Fu Jichen’s heart.
This was already the umpteenth time she had made him lose control of his emotions.
After nearly a year of knowing each other, every day between them felt fresh—it was her who created this freshness. “Your talent for romance is wasted.”
Speaking of romantic talent, Yu Qing sighed. “Doctors cannot heal themselves, and people cannot save themselves. Fate is fair. It gave me emotional intelligence, IQ, appearance, and family background, but precisely I have no interest in men, love, or marriage. If I did, I could really stir up trouble.”
She placed the fountain pen on the paper at a deliberate angle.
Standing up, she adjusted the desk lamp’s light.
Fu Jichen: “Taking a photo?”
“Yes.” Yu Qing replied. “Sending it directly as an image to Zou Lexiao saves her the trouble of thinking. Right now, she has no brainpower left—it’s all been taken by my brother.”
After adjusting the lighting, Yu Qing took a photo using her phone’s nostalgic mode.
She took over ten shots from different angles, selected the best one, cropped it, and sent it to Zou Lexiao.
Zou Lexiao was still in the parking lot. After seeing the motivational image Yu Qing sent, she messaged: [Where did you find this? It’s tailor-made for me! You’re amazing.]
Yu Qing: [I wrote it myself—it’s specifically for you. Post it quickly. Good luck.]
Zou Lexiao directly posted the photo, setting it to be visible only to Yu Jingze:
[You are my youthful memories, but youth must eventually pass, and no one can hold onto it. Yet, I am so fortunate that, as my youth is about to fade, I had the chance to walk a part of the journey with you. I understand that this shared path has nothing to do with love—it’s just a way to close a chapter of my youth. When we part ways at the end of this road, I will have no regrets, and I can pretend that I once had you.]
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