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Zhou Siyuan asked the waiter for a glass of ice water and drank more than half of it in one go. Her mind, previously filled with anger, frustration, and sadness, slowly began to calm down.
She carefully reviewed the events of the past few days. When Yu Jingze first approached Zou Lexiao about the equity transfer, he had said that Zou Lexiao refused, unwilling to comply.
At that time, she felt something was off but couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Logically speaking, Zou Lexiao had no resistance to Yu Jingze. As long as Yu Jingze asked, Zou Lexiao wouldn’t refuse him. Why would she decline?
Based on today’s situation, it was possible that Yu Jingze hadn’t even talked to Zou Lexiao about it. As for whether Zou Lexiao was willing to transfer her shares, his attitude seemed indifferent.
Not only that, but he also started a “relationship” with Zou Lexiao.
He justified it by saying it was all for her, his sister.
If one day Leng Wanning found out that Yu Jingze was with Zou Lexiao, she might mock her to her face: “Oh, how did your brother end up with that Zou Lexiao you dislike?”
If she replied, “My brother is with Zou Lexiao just to convince her to transfer SZ’s shares to me,”
Leng Wanning would surely burst into laughter.
She would definitely think Zhou Siyuan was delusional, her brain malfunctioning.
Privately, Leng Wanning and her circle of friends would probably ridicule her endlessly.
This joke would be enough to keep them laughing for half a year.
Even Zhou Siyuan herself didn’t have the confidence to claim that Yu Jingze being with Zou Lexiao was because of her.
The president of the prestigious Yu Bank—how could he sacrifice himself for a mere billion-dollar equity transfer?
There were clearly many ways to resolve this matter. There was no reason for him to force himself into a relationship with Zou Lexiao.
If she truly held such importance in Yu Jingze’s heart that he would sacrifice his own feelings for her, he would have long taken the initiative to solve all SZ-related problems for her, instead of leaving everything for her to fight for. Moreover, SZ wouldn’t need to hold roadshows or seek other investors to compete with her.
These things might fool ordinary people, but they wouldn’t escape the sharp eyes of those in their circle.
The people in their circle were all masters at reading between the lines.
Furthermore, she couldn’t even tolerate sharing company ownership with Zou Lexiao, let alone allowing Zou Lexiao to be with Yu Jingze.
Anyone with eyes could see that Yu Jingze being with Zou Lexiao had nothing to do with her, not even a shred of consideration for her feelings.
If it were Yu Qing who disliked a woman for whatever reason, Yu Jingze would never be with that woman.
Zhou Siyuan drank the remaining half glass of iced water, her rationality slowly returning.
Since Yu Jingze claimed he did this for her, she decided to play along. “Brother, don’t do this. I feel guilty. I’ll find another way to deal with Zou Lexiao’s shares. You should break up with her quickly. I don’t want to see you torturing yourself like this.”
Yu Jingze leaned back on the sofa, looking down at his phone.
After a few seconds, he finally raised his head. “Everyone in the family already knows. It’s impossible to break up now.”
Zhou Siyuan: “….”
She hadn’t expected Yu Qing to use such a ruthless method—both occupying Yu Jingze’s time completely and thoroughly protecting Zou Lexiao’s shares.
As for her, she ended up losing both the person and the shares.
Even if she went home to ask Yu Jingze’s mother for help, it wouldn’t make a difference. After all, Yu Jingze had already stated that he was with Zou Lexiao to help her.
He had already entered the lion’s den; no one could criticize him.
The acquisition of SZ wouldn’t halt because of her. Even if the acquisition of SZ concluded, whether he convinced Zou Lexiao or not would no longer matter.
After all, Yu Qing had achieved all her goals.
“You focus on your work first. I’ll come find you when I’m free.” Zhou Siyuan left, not heading to her reserved table but walking toward the restroom.
Zou Lexiao was retouching her makeup at the sink. In the mirror, she saw Zhou Siyuan approach.
No matter how angry Zhou Siyuan was, her face always remained calm and composed.
“Do you know why my brother is with you?” Zhou Siyuan turned on the faucet next to her, rinsed her hands under the running water, applied some soap, and casually scrubbed while keeping her gaze fixed on the mirror.
Zou Lexiao had applied cherry-red lipstick today, her lips looking plump and lustrous.
She put away her lipstick and smiled. “It doesn’t matter how it started. As long as I can have him, and when you want him to accompany you, he’s by my side, that’s enough.”
Zhou Siyuan: “….”
Her hands crossed as she rubbed them forcefully. “It seems I need to learn from your self-deception.”
Zou Lexiao: “Maybe you don’t know—your brother begged me to be with him. He coaxed me for several days before I reluctantly agreed.”
Suddenly, she froze.
In the mirror, an extra figure appeared.
Yu Jingze had just messaged Zou Lexiao, asking why she hadn’t returned yet, fearing she might argue with Zhou Siyuan. When she didn’t reply, he came over to check.
And he caught her boasting.
Zhou Siyuan’s lips curved slightly. Serves her right for crashing.
Zou Lexiao: “….”
Was there anyone more unfortunate than her?
Yu Jingze looked at her. “If I hadn’t come just now, would you have gone so far as to say I knelt on the keyboard?”
Zou Lexiao couldn’t help but laugh. She took small steps toward him.
Yu Jingze glanced at her. Her makeup today was different from usual.
Without further words, they left together.
________________________________________
Her friend had been waiting for Zhou Siyuan for nearly twenty minutes when she finally arrived.
“Did you go see Yu Jingze again?”
Zhou Siyuan grunted, her spirits low.
Her friend stared at Zhou Siyuan, whose eyes lacked warmth. “What’s wrong?”
Zhou Siyuan sighed. Her chest still ached. “Yu Jingze is with Zou Lexiao now.”
“Ah?” Her friend’s almond-shaped eyes widened.
It took her a while to recover.
Zhou Siyuan briefly explained the situation, and her friend sneered. “Yu Qing is deliberately making things difficult for you.”
Her friend poured her a glass of water, sat beside her, and patted her back. “I’ve told you countless times before—not to push Yu Jingze too hard. Give him some breathing room, or he’ll eventually snap. And you still didn’t listen.”
After a pause, she added, “Yu Jingze’s mother has treated you well these years. That should be enough.”
Zhou Siyuan massaged her temples. She had almost forgotten why she clung to Yu Jingze in the first place—to upset Yu Jingxin, to take what Yu Jingxin cherished and make it her own.
When she was young, she resented her stepmother, feeling that Yu Jingxin’s mother had stolen her father’s love from her. Ever since her father remarried, his care for her was no longer the same as before.
She was unhappy, and she didn’t want Yu Jingxin to be happy either.
At first, she didn’t particularly like Yu Jingze—it was purely to spite Yu Jingxin.
Later, she realized that Yu Jingze treated her well, and she gradually enjoyed spending time with him.
Over the years, except for the years when Yu Jingze studied abroad and she couldn’t see him, once he returned to work, she had grown accustomed to monopolizing his private time.
She believed he should be her brother and only treat her well.
As for her, she still detested Yu Jingxin as much as before, and now there was also Yu Qing.
And then there was Leng Wanning, who made her sick every time she saw her.
Leng Wanning also had an older brother, who occasionally showcased how much he cared for her in front of Zhou Siyuan.
She couldn’t accept it.
Her friend asked, “So, does this mean you can’t fully acquire SZ anymore?”
Zhou Siyuan didn’t respond, looking out the window.
Troublesome.
________________________________________
The next day, Beijing was still sunny with a few white clouds scattered across the sky.
But on Yu Qing’s side, it had been overcast since morning, with occasional rain.
The forecast said there would be heavy rain today.
She pulled open the curtains to look outside, hoping the rain wouldn’t be too heavy; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to go shopping tonight.
Fu Jichen had a ribbon-cutting ceremony to attend today, with many leaders present. He took out his tie. “Yu Qing, come here.”
“What?” Yu Qing closed the curtains and stretched her body.
Fu Jichen handed her the tie. “Help me, thank you.”
“I don’t know how.”
“I’ll teach you.”
Yu Qing leaned against him, not taking it seriously at all.
But Fu Jichen patiently taught her. After three tries, she finally managed to tie it.
His schedule was packed today, and he wouldn’t return to the hotel until after ten o’clock at night.
“I’ve arranged a driver for you. You can stroll around freely.”
Yu Qing wasn’t unfamiliar with this city. She had traveled through all the cities in Jiangnan when she was a child.
“It might rain. I’ll stay in the hotel. You focus on your work. I’ll just work overtime.”
It was muggy outside today, so staying in the room was more comfortable. Fu Jichen let her decide.
When the time came, he kissed her and left with his suit.
Yu Qing had a simple breakfast and opened her laptop.
Although she had taken a few days off, she hadn’t fallen behind on her work.
She was in a video conference with Qin Moling, discussing Lemongrass’s star-studded concert.
Yu Qing wanted to invite the spokesperson for Duo Xin’s advertisements to participate in the concert. Before she even finished speaking, Qin Moling doused her with cold water. “Are you suffering from culture shock? Starting to dream wildly?”
Yu Qing leaned back into her chair. “Why can’t we invite them?”
Qin Moling countered, “What do you think?”
Yu Qing knew that Duo Xin’s spokesperson would certainly not attend events hosted by other beverage brands—the endorsement contract likely included relevant clauses.
“This can be negotiated with Duo Xin. We can have them sign a supplementary agreement with the spokesperson, allowing them to participate in our Lemongrass concert.”
She had even planned how the spokesperson would participate. “They will sing two duets with our Lemongrass spokesperson and be scheduled to perform first.”
Now that Duo Xin and Lemongrass had a couple-themed drink series, having the spokespersons sing together on stage would be the best form of endorsement and promotion.
Besides, Duo Xin wouldn’t have to spend a penny and could still ride the wave of publicity. They’d be foolish to refuse.
Qin Moling pondered for a moment and found it feasible. He could arrange a meeting with Duo Xin’s president to discuss.
He looked at Yu Qing. “Isn’t it said that pregnancy makes women dull for three years? You don’t seem to have lost any sharpness.”
Yu Qing: “Maybe I’m just too intelligent. Even if I were a little dull, it wouldn’t be noticeable.”
Qin Moling: “….”
He still wasn’t reassured. “Are you sure you’re pregnant?”
Now it was Yu Qing’s turn to be speechless. She ended the video call and switched to a voice conference.
They discussed the star-studded concert arrangements. Qin Moling brought up the SZ acquisition. “Now that Jian Hang and Zhou Siyuan are both eyeing SZ, which side do you lean towards?”
Yu Qing: “Both have their pros and cons. If Jian Hang takes over, SZ will have a longer future, but she’s not acquiring—it’s an investment. Our SZ shares will be diluted.”
If Zhou Siyuan acquired SZ, the shares wouldn’t be diluted, but SZ’s future prospects weren’t optimistic.
“Let’s wait and see. No rush. The sandpiper and clam war together and the fisherman catches both, and the fisherman benefits.”
Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound outside, with fierce winds blowing.
“Hold on, I’ll close the window. It’s pouring rain.” She stood up.
After half a minute, Qin Moling said, “Beijing is sunny.”
Yu Qing sat back down. “The forecast says it’s a heavy rainstorm, with warnings issued.”
“Then don’t wander around aimlessly. Focus on working overtime.”
“….”
The rain continued for more than two hours and stopped for a while after ten o’clock.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place during the brief pause when the rain stopped. Everything went relatively smoothly.
The project’s launch ceremony made the local news. Yu Qing scrolled through numerous photos of Fu Jichen at the event. At the ribbon-cutting scene, among the crowd, he stood out like a crane among chickens.
She still couldn’t get enough of Fu Jichen in a white shirt and black suit.
Some photos were taken from good angles, perfectly blending his mature and sexy aura. She saved them.
In the afternoon, the rain intermittently fell, sometimes heavily, sometimes lightly.
Yu Qing thought it would stop by evening and planned to check out the night scenery of the Jiangnan water towns. Unexpectedly, at seven o’clock, torrential rain began.
The sky darkened completely, and outside was pitch black.
The rain seemed to pour down from the heavens.
Standing by the window, she couldn’t see the buildings across the street.
More than three hours passed, and the rain showed no signs of abating.
Yu Qing, worried, messaged: [Boss Fu, if the rain is too heavy and there’s water accumulation on the road, don’t rush back.]
Fu Jichen: [We’re already on the way back.]
Earlier, they were in a private room, eating and chatting, without paying much attention to the outside situation. Their car was parked in the underground garage, and when they reached the surface roads, they realized the streets were flooded. However, they could still manage to drive through.
There were two cars in total. The one he was in carried Pan Secretary and Jian Hang.
On the road, they occasionally saw cars that had stalled due to water entering the engine.
Some cars were parked by the roadside, while others broke down in the middle of the road. With the heavy rain, the owners had no choice but to abandon their vehicles and seek refuge on higher ground.
“Can we still continue driving?” Jian Hang kept looking out the window. When cars passed by, the surging waves seemed about to spill into their vehicle.
The driver focused on the road. “We can’t stop.” Once stopped, they wouldn’t be able to move. They couldn’t restart the engine, or it would be ruined.
Fu Jichen gazed out the window. On the night he confirmed his relationship with Yu Qing, it was a torrential downpour like this.
On the way home, the streets were flooded, deep and murky. When they reached a low-lying area, the car stalled. Worried that her shoes and pants would get wet, he carried her all the way.
“Why are the streetlights off?” Jian Hang remarked.
Fu Jichen snapped back to reality and noticed that not only the streetlights but also the building illuminations had dimmed. All the lights were out.
Perhaps the heavy rain caused a power outage in this area.
He quickly messaged Yu Qing: [Is the hotel without power?]
Yu Qing: [No, everything’s normal.]
At the next intersection, the car turned.
They hadn’t driven 200 meters when the car stalled.
This section of the road was too deep, and many cars passing through had stalled. Cars were submerged in water, and many people were standing on the sidewalks, likely waiting for tow trucks.
The driver turned to Fu Jichen. “Boss Fu, we can’t drive anymore. The water’s too deep, and it’s still raining…”
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