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In silence, the arrangement for the extra seat was made crystal clear.
Yu Jingze had no choice but to reluctantly take the solitary seat.
Though the two tables were only separated by a narrow aisle of just over two meters, it felt as though an invisible wall had been erected between him and the others.
Ultimately, Yu Qing couldn’t bear to see her brother sitting alone. She nudged Fu Jichen’s arm and gave him a meaningful glance.
Fu Jichen immediately understood and gestured for Ji Qingyuan to join Yu Jingze.
Ji Qingyuan didn’t mind—after all, as long as he wasn’t the only one sitting there, it was fine.
Before moving to the other table, Fu Jichen pulled Ji Qingyuan up. “Let’s go play cards.”
Ji Qingyuan: “….”
He didn’t want to get up, but Fu Jichen forcibly dragged him over.
Once seated, Ji Qingyuan glanced at Fu Jichen. “What’s going on in your mind?”
Fu Jichen didn’t answer directly. Instead, he countered, “And what’s going on in yours?”
Ji Qingyuan remained silent, feeling as though his innermost secrets had been exposed.
He waved his hand, signaling the bar counter to bring over a deck of cards.
On the table were drinks, cards, and a fruit platter—none of which sparked any interest in Yu Jingze or Ji Qingyuan.
Fu Jichen removed his cufflinks, rolled up his sleeves, and began shuffling the cards.
He often played cards, so his movements were smooth and practiced.
The crisp “shuffling” sound of the cards blended seamlessly into the low, resonant voice of the live singer.
Seeing their absentmindedness, Fu Jichen subtly peeked at each card he dealt. He kept the good ones for himself and handed the weaker ones to them.
Throughout the entire process, neither of them noticed this small maneuver.
At the adjacent table, the four of them engaged in lively conversation.
Yu Qing rested her chin in her hands, waiting for Li Yanzhuo to peel a mangosteen for her—a task Yu Jingxin had arranged with the bar staff to purchase fresh when they arrived.
She asked her cousin, “How did you and my sister meet?”
“We met at a friend’s gathering. I saw that she looked a bit like you and shared the same surname, so I asked a few more questions. To my surprise, she really was your sister.” Li Yanzhuo handed the peeled mangosteen to Zou Lexiao. “You’re the youngest, so you get the first piece.”
Zou Lexiao accepted it with both hands. “Thank you, Cousin.” She followed Yu Qing’s lead in addressing him.
Yu Jingxin reminisced about the past. “I once attended a violin concert with President Li. He helped me secure front-row tickets.”
After returning to China, she got married and lost touch with Li Yanzhuo for the most part.
Li Yanzhuo peeled another mangosteen and handed it to Yu Jingxin this time.
Only afterward did he start peeling some for Yu Qing.
Zou Lexiao sipped her drink and took a bite of the mangosteen. “This drink paired with mangosteen is heavenly.”
She knew that Li Yanzhuo owned a film company. “Cousin, my favorite celebrity is under your company. I’ll ask you for an autograph later—up-close fan interaction.”
Li Yanzhuo readily agreed. “No problem.”
He ate the segment of the fruit containing the seed himself and handed the rest, without seeds, to Yu Qing.
Yu Qing brought up the Lemongrass All-Star Concert and asked Zou Lexiao, “Do you want to attend the live performance?”
Zou Lexiao: “Of course! I’ll overcome any obstacle to be there.” With no man pursuing her now, she decided to throw herself into chasing stars and reignite her neglected career.
Yu Qing reminded Li Yanzhuo, “Brother, make sure to arrange good seats for us three fairies. The tickets should be together—I’m going to chase stars too and relive my youth.”
She turned to Yu Jingxin. “Sister, do you have a favorite actor?”
Yu Jingxin nodded. “Sort of. I don’t chase stars—I don’t have the time. But I’ve watched one of his movies five times already. I’m completely smitten.”
She paused. “He’s also an artist under President Li’s company. They collaborated last year.”
Li Yanzhuo now knew who it was. He asked Yu Qing, “Who’s your current heartthrob?”
Yu Qing: “Same as my sister’s. We collaborated with your company last year. Before that, he even got caught up in the public backlash from the controversy involving Fu Jichen and me—he ended up trending on the hot search list.”
He was also the spokesperson for a new beverage brand.
For the moment, Zou Lexiao forgot the pain of her breakup and excitedly grabbed Yu Qing’s arm. “No wonder I liked you at first sight—you and I are fans of the same idol. From now on, we’ll chase stars together, and we’ll even bring your Little Fish along.”
Hearing their conversation, Yu Jingxin chuckled and shook her head. “What a coincidence. The actor I like is the same one you two like.”
Li Yanzhuo wasn’t surprised. The idol they admired was known as the ‘National Boyfriend.’
Talented, handsome, and scandal-free.
Plus, he came from a good family.
Of course, not many people knew about that last detail.
But Yu Qing did.
Zou Lexiao took another sip of her drink, numbing her temporarily forgotten pain even further.
They chatted about their idol, completely forgetting the men at the neighboring table.
Fu Jichen placed the peeled mangosteens in front of them and teased, “Eat up. Stop staring longingly at the mangosteens in Li Yanzhuo’s hands.”
Ji Qingyuan: “….”
Yu Jingze didn’t eat. Instead, he picked up his phone to send a message to Zou Lexiao: [How many drinks have you had tonight?]
However, the message failed to send.
The glaring red circle with a white exclamation mark stood out painfully, accompanied by the gray text beneath it: ‘A period has initiated friend verification. You are not yet friends with him/her.’
She had deleted him.
Her WeChat nickname had changed from ‘Forever Unchanging’ to ‘A Period.’
The phone screen dimmed gradually, reflecting his own blurry silhouette.
Out of the corner of his eye, Yu Jingze noticed Zou Lexiao scanning Li Yanzhuo’s phone screen. Clearly, she wasn’t making a payment—it must have been adding him as a friend.
Another round of the card game began.
Yu Jingze averted his gaze, put down his phone, and started sorting his cards.
He couldn’t understand why his luck was so bad tonight; his cards were absolutely terrible.
He had already lost three ‘wild cards’ to Fu Jichen, while Ji Qingyuan had lost five to him.
These wild cards weren’t physical cards but promises.
Whenever Fu Jichen needed something, they were obligated to help without hesitation, no matter the situation. Each time they assisted him, Fu Jichen would use up one wild card until they were all gone.
This was the rule Fu Jichen introduced for their card games: whoever won each round earned a wild card.
Every single time, Fu Jichen emerged victorious.
Perhaps Fu Jichen’s luck was simply that good—his cards consistently crushed theirs.
At the end of this round, Ji Qingyuan lost again.
Fu Jichen collected another wild card and began shuffling the deck. He glanced at Ji Qingyuan. “Did Li Yanzhuo owe you money? You’ve stared at him eight hundred times tonight.”
Ji Qingyuan wasn’t in the mood for jokes. He picked up his glass and downed half of it in one gulp.
The person Yu Jingxin secretly cherished was none other than Li Yanzhuo. Before returning to China, she had dated him. Together, they attended parties and listened to music. However, the Yu family would never approve of her marrying into the Li family.
Under pressure, she broke up with Li Yanzhuo.
Then she returned to China and went through an arranged marriage.
Only in front of Li Yanzhuo did she appear gentle.
Earlier, she didn’t know what Li Yanzhuo had said, but she suddenly laughed naturally, purely, and genuinely—a smile she had never shown in front of anyone else.
After marrying Ji Qingyuan for four years, she had never accompanied him to banquets.
But she could attend parties with Li Yanzhuo.
Ji Qingyuan threw down his cards, losing all interest in playing.
He told Fu Jichen, “Consider me out.” After a brief pause, he asked Fu Jichen for help. “It’s getting late. Shouldn’t you take Yu Qing home?”
Fu Jichen knew Ji Qingyuan had been sitting on pins and needles all evening. He gathered the cards, set them aside, recorded the wild cards Ji Qingyuan and Yu Jingze owed him tonight, then stood up to find Yu Qing.
“Lawyer Yu, it’s almost eleven. Shall we head home?” Fu Jichen stood behind Yu Qing, massaging her shoulders.
Yu Qing wasn’t quite ready to leave, but for Little Fish’s sake, she decided it was time to go.
She asked Zou Lexiao, “What about you?”
Zou Lexiao didn’t want to leave. Going back would only lead to more pointless thoughts. “I’ll stay and play a little longer.”
Yu Qing was worried. “You shouldn’t be here alone. It’s not safe.”
Li Yanzhuo reassured her. “I’ll stay and keep her company.”
Yu Qing trusted Li Yanzhuo. Before leaving, she reminded him, “Don’t let her drink anymore.”
Fu Jichen picked up her bag, took her hand, and left.
Ji Qingyuan, on the other hand, tightly gripped Yu Jingxin’s wrist.
Without even having time to say goodbye to Li Yanzhuo, she was dragged away.
Yu Jingze was still sitting there, drinking the last sip from his glass.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the neighboring table. Unable to see what Zou Lexiao was doing, he set down his glass and left.
Only after his figure disappeared into the distance did Zou Lexiao turn to watch him leave.
________________________________________
“What’s going on with Zou Lexiao?”
On the way back, Fu Jichen asked Yu Qing.
He had noticed that Zou Lexiao had changed her WeChat nickname, and her profile picture was now her own photo.
Yu Qing: “She and my brother are completely over.”
Fu Jichen stared at Yu Qing for a few seconds, then nodded without saying anything further. The matter between Zou Lexiao and Yu Jingze was none of their business, even for him and Yu Qing.
He brought up Li Yanzhuo. “What did he talk to you about? You all seemed so excited, and Zou Lexiao got worked up too.”
Yu Qing frowned. “Weren’t you playing cards? Why did you have time to pay attention to us?”
It was probably because Yu Jingze and Ji Qingyuan were distracted by the neighboring table. But considering the wild cards, Fu Jichen decided to spare them a bit of dignity.
Fu Jichen explained, “Ji Qingyuan took a call in the middle. I had nothing to do, so I glanced over at your side.”
Yu Qing didn’t suspect anything and explained why they had been chatting so enthusiastically at the quiet bar. “My sister, Zou Lexiao, and I—unbelievably—we all like the same celebrity.”
No need to guess—it was definitely a male celebrity.
Otherwise, Zou Lexiao wouldn’t have been so starstruck. For that moment, she even temporarily forgot about Yu Jingze.
Fu Jichen wasn’t particularly interested in this topic and didn’t respond.
Yu Qing waved her hand in front of him. “What are you thinking about?”
Fu Jichen: “I’m wondering if I should debut as an idol.”
Yu Qing: “….”
She burst into laughter.
________________________________________
The three cars gradually entered the villa courtyard, with Yu Jingze’s car bringing up the rear.
Ji Qingyuan dragged Yu Jingxin inside first, remaining silent throughout the journey.
Yu Jingze’s phone rang—it was his mother.
It was already 11:30 PM. He wondered what urgent matter had prompted her to call so late.
Yu Jingze walked to the lakeside to answer.
“Jingze, are you still busy?”
“No. Mom, what’s the matter?”
“Nothing much. I sent you a message earlier, but you didn’t reply. I wasn’t sure if you were drunk or too busy to see it. I was worried, so I called to check.”
Ever since learning that Zou Lexiao had deleted him, he hadn’t checked his phone.
Without scrolling through, Yu Jingze directly asked his mother, “Is there something?”
Mother: “Tomorrow’s Saturday. Come home for dinner. I heard you’re dating Zou Lexiao. I’m so happy for you. Bring her along.”
Yu Jingze gazed at the deep lake. “We broke up.”
His mother was slightly surprised, though she felt it was somewhat expected. “If it’s over, then it’s over. That girl was too loud and unsuitable for you. Then come home for dinner by yourself.”
After a pause, Yu Jingze replied, “I’m busy.”
The atmosphere on the phone grew subtly tense.
Mother chuckled. “Being busy is fine. Work comes first.” She then asked, “So when are you free?”
“I don’t know.” Yu Jingze rubbed his temples. “If there’s nothing else, you should rest early. I’ll hang up now.”
“Wait, Jingze,” his mother quickly stopped him. “You know that Siyuan has been trying to acquire that SZ restaurant recently, right? I heard she’s run into some trouble. Zou Lexiao and Yu Qing hold shares too. You…”
“Mom,” Yu Jingze interrupted her. “Can you stop calling me or inviting me to the Zhou family dinners with such obvious intentions every time?”
“You ungrateful child. Are you drunk?”
“I’m not drunk. I’m clearer-headed than ever.” Yu Jingze picked up the cigarette pack from the wooden table, took out a cigarette, and lit it.
His mother’s voice came through again. “Isn’t everything I do for the betterment of you and your brother? Helping Siyuan is also helping your younger brother.”
His younger brother was the child his mother had with her current husband, still in college.
His mother continued, “To acquire the SZ restaurant, your Uncle Zhou is supporting Siyuan with half the funds—it’s essentially her dowry, just given early. But Siyuan said that when it comes to shares, she’ll give 20% to your younger brother. See how considerate Siyuan is, always thinking of her brother.”
At this point, she couldn’t resist criticizing Yu Jingxin. “Unlike Jingxin, who only thinks of herself. She has so many investments but never considers giving anything to her brother.”
Yu Jingze slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. “Mom, have you ever thought about Jingxin?”
Mother opened her mouth, then suddenly didn’t know what to say.
Yu Jingze flicked the ash off his cigarette. “Jingxin’s money comes from Grandpa and Dad. Why should she give it to someone else?”
Mother didn’t like hearing this. “What do you mean ‘someone else’? Is your younger brother just ‘someone else’ to you?”
As she spoke, her frustration built. “I don’t know what your father says to you and Jingxin every day or what rumors he spreads about me. Both you and Jingxin act as if you don’t care about your own younger brother. Now you’re unwilling to even lend a hand.”
Yu Jingze flicked the ash off his cigarette with resignation. “Dad really doesn’t have time to talk about these things.”
Mother: “I know you both always side with your father. How easy do you think it was for me to raise you and Jingxin? Now that you’ve grown up, you’ve started…”
Yu Jingze interrupted her again. “Mom, over the years, my contributions to your family have long repaid you for raising Jingxin and me. By now, I’ve likely given far more than I owe.”
Mother froze.
“Rest early,” Yu Jingze said before hanging up.
He pinched out the cigarette butt and tossed it into the ashtray.
After sitting by the lake for a while, he looked up again. In the villa, only the lights on the first floor were on. The second and third floors had already fallen silent.
________________________________________
Saturday morning, Fu Jichen prepared to head to the office for overtime as usual. He lingered at home a bit longer, waiting for Yu Qing to wake up naturally.
He didn’t know what time he’d return tonight and feared they might not see each other all day.
At seven o’clock sharp, Yu Qing’s biological clock woke her up.
“Good morning, Boss Fu.”
“Morning.” Fu Jichen leaned down and kissed her forehead. “You’re now officially a completely safe little bug.”
Yu Qing smiled and glanced at his white shirt. “Do you have a business engagement tonight?”
“Yes.” Fu Jichen reported, “I might not be back until after midnight—or even later. If you’re tired, go to bed early. Don’t wait up for me.”
Tonight’s engagement was with SZ Group’s management team—a dinner organized by Jian Hang.
Originally scheduled for next week, Jian Hang had called early this morning, saying she wanted to finalize some matters ahead of time. A day’s delay could mean more variables.
After all, Zhou Siyuan’s side was also preparing intensively.
Upon arriving at the office, Pan Secretary was already there.
“Good morning, President Fu.”
Fu Jichen nodded. “Not spending time with your child?”
“My daughter has extracurricular classes.” He followed Fu Jichen into the office.
Fu Jichen assumed Pan Secretary had come to report on work. He opened his computer and waited, but Pan Secretary remained silent. “What is it?” he finally asked.
Several times, Pan Secretary hesitated to speak.
Fu Jichen scrutinized him. “Which project went wrong?”
Pan Secretary was embarrassed. “It’s not about a project.”
Summoning his courage, he admitted, “It’s about Jian Hang’s illness. The group chat mentioned that Jian Hang isn’t just running a fever—she’s also suffering from gastroenteritis and hasn’t been discharged yet. They @’d me, asking if I’d go visit. But someone accidentally posted in the wrong group—the one Jian Hang is in—and she definitely saw the message.”
He was torn. “Should I go or not?”
Fu Jichen: “….”
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