Mrs. Fu, please be mindful of the appropriate boundaries.

Fu Jingting gripped her hand, a roguish glint in his eyes. "What other reason do you have for me? I've thought of one."

Xu Qingcheng pulled her hand back abruptly and slapped him hard in anger.

This is terrible!

She must be crazy to think he's depressed and even want to comfort him!

Xu Qingcheng took a bite of her fried egg when her phone rang, and her driver came to pick her up.

The Shengshi Nanmen project is a local image project, and the local leaders originally intended to hold a groundbreaking ceremony. However, yesterday's chaos led to the cancellation of today's event, and the higher-ups are very dissatisfied with the current situation.

The information Zhou Qian sent back yesterday also indicated that the police don't have many options for dealing with harassment from the public. As long as their behavior isn't too extreme, it's ultimately up to the companies to handle it.

They say good things come to those who wait, but it's hard not to feel anxious.

Xu Qingcheng made an appointment with someone today to find out some information; this matter is not as simple as it seems on the surface.

She didn't have much of an appetite; she took one bite of the fried egg and then put it down.

When Fu Jingting heard her tell the driver to wait while she left, his brow furrowed. "Finish your meal before you go."

"I'm full," she said evasively. She couldn't concentrate on anything until things were settled, and her eyelids kept twitching, making her feel anxious and uneasy.

"The project at the South Gate isn't progressing smoothly," Xu Qingcheng said, her brow furrowing slightly. "We need to resolve this as soon as possible."

Otherwise, it will cause a series of adverse reactions, like dominoes, where pulling one hair affects the whole body. For Shengshi, the outcome is more likely to be bad than good. Xu Qingcheng knows Shengshi's situation better than anyone else. Her previous decision was a bit too radical. If things go well, it could take off; if things go badly, it could only hasten its demise.

But that was an internal matter of Shengshi. He had helped her this far, and she was already grateful. Xu Qingcheng didn't want to rely on him for everything.

After leaving the Fu family, he seemed to be in a bad mood. Xu Qingcheng thought that he was probably also feeling down, but she was powerless to help him. All she could do was to stop him from worrying about her.

Fu Jingting's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, some words stuck in his throat. He took her hand and gently stroked it in his palm. Xu Qingcheng pulled her hand away, laughed, and said, "What are you doing? You're acting weird. I'm fine."

She reached back to touch his face, her eyes crinkling with a smile, "Be good, wait for me to come back."

Her playful expression and tone made Fu Jingting chuckle. He reached out and pinched her cheek, then warned her, "Stay away from Ye Tinghong if you ever run into him again."

Xu Qingcheng was taken aback, tasting the sourness in his mouth. Suddenly, she laughed, feeling a strange mix of tenderness and embarrassment. She teased him, "We're having crabs tonight. We have plenty of vinegar at home; go borrow some crabs."

"How smug you are!" Fu Jingting scoffed.

The weather wasn't good today; it was raining heavily. Fu Jingting held an umbrella for her, and as he watched her disappear into the rain, the smile on his face vanished.

Fu Jingting made the call, and it was answered quickly.

"Jingting?" The woman's voice was a mix of surprise and confusion. "Why are you calling me?"

"I have something to tell you." Fu Jingting said directly, his voice low and strained.

The woman on the other end of the phone paused for a moment. Tang Kejia reached out and brushed a strand of hair from the side of her face. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she recalled what Tang Kaiji had told her before he left yesterday: Fu Pinxiu had already made his move, and the Tang family was preparing to take over the projects of the Fu and Ye families in Jincheng. This meant that things would be exceptionally turbulent within the Fu family.

Having been involved with the Fu family for so many years, how could Fu Minghui have fallen for their scheme so easily? If it were simple, Fu Pinghui and his son wouldn't have tried to win over the Tang family.

Before leaving, Tang Kaiji reprimanded her, "Ancheng is the Fu family's territory. Don't think they haven't noticed your little tricks; they just think they're harmless. Be aware of your own limitations. Don't shoot yourself in the foot. I'm happy you've set your sights on Fu Jingting; that kid is even more cunning than Fu Pinxiu. But whatever you do, it can't affect the overall situation. Otherwise, I have no objection to what you do, as long as you can win him over."

These words were a reprimand, a reminder to Tang Kejia, and also a reassurance to her.

In other words, Tang Kaiji's attitude towards her relationship with Fu Jingting was supportive.

When Fu Jingting suddenly called, his tone was accusatory, Tang Kejia felt a chill run down her spine and her mind raced.

She never fought an unprepared battle. The woman twirled a strand of hair beside her face with her fingers. "I'm sorry, Jingting, I've already made plans for the day, and business engagements are hard to cancel. Tonight, okay? I'll call you when I'm done."

After hanging up the phone, Tang Kejia called Wei Xiao over. "Ask him if anyone has investigated or inquired about anything we did in secret before. I need to know all the details."

Wei Xiao agreed and hurried out.

The rain outside the window grew heavier and heavier. Tang Kejia stood in front of the glass window, watching the rain pour down. Her face, which was not very clear, was reflected in the window. The loose, white hotel nightgown clung to her body. She reached down to the collar of the nightgown and pulled it open, revealing one shoulder. Her naked body was mostly exposed, and the rounded curve of her breasts was imprinted on the glass. Rainwater slid down the glass, as if it were water flowing onto her chest.

Her eyes then took on a masculine quality, wild and wicked. Even though the years had concealed most of his flamboyant quirks, he was still himself, the man she loved.

Tang Kejia bit her lip lightly, half-closing her eyes as she imagined the man kissing her.

She was insanely jealous, jealous of the way he held Xu Qingcheng in his arms, jealous of how he publicly humiliated her for Xu Qingcheng's sake.

But how could Tang Kejia easily give up the man she wanted to someone else?

The rain was pouring down, and it was getting heavier and heavier.

The forecast predicted light to moderate rain, which suddenly turned into heavy rain in the afternoon. The open black umbrellas were like curtains covering our heads, and the wind blew the rain straight at us, making our bodies wet.

The raindrops pounded against the umbrella, and the heavy rain cascaded down the ribs. Her ears were filled with the sounds of the world, and she had to shout to speak. Xu Qingcheng touched her face and looked at the villagers gathered in front of her. She had shouted herself hoarse, but she couldn't persuade them to leave.

The compensation from Shengshi has indeed been deposited into the treasury through proper procedures, and the funds have been allocated to the village. However, the previous village secretary was arrested for embezzlement, and some unresolved issues remain. Frankly speaking, this matter cannot be resolved by Shengshi, and there is no justice no matter where you appeal.

However, their commotion has two negative consequences: firstly, it has a bad social impact, and secondly, the losses from the construction site being shut down for even a day are enormous. Xu Qingcheng has been running around to various departments today, meeting with the top two leaders quite a bit, and has managed to push the matter away cleanly, hoping to resolve the issue by incurring some losses for the company.

To put it nicely, it's just a small loss. But is it really just a tiny loss?

They also had in-depth discussions internally, and Shengshi's idea was to resolve the issue by making concessions from both sides.

Yu Sheng leaned closer to Xu Qingcheng, "President Xu, you should go back first. They won't budge, there's no reasoning with them."

Xu Qingcheng glanced at the group, her lips pressed tightly together. She knew that continuing like this would be futile. "Alright, let's go back first. Go and investigate the situation of these leaders. See if you know anyone who can help persuade them, and also check if anyone is stirring up emotions. But one thing is crucial: this is a critical time for Shengshi. There can be no security issues."

Yu Sheng said he knew.

Xu Qingcheng turned to leave. As soon as she did, the villagers, who had previously refused to speak, suddenly became agitated. Someone rushed forward, shouting, "What? She's just running away? Abandoning us? Those evil capitalists are sucking the blood of ordinary people! We can't let her go!"

"Hey, what are you doing? Why are you fighting?"

The large black umbrella fell to the ground, and Xu Qingcheng fell to the ground as well. She pressed her hand to her ankle and, seeing the chaotic scene, shouted, "Stop! Calm down!"

The rain poured down relentlessly, stinging our faces and making it hard to open our eyes. The rain curtain swallowed up all the brightness of the sky, turning it into a frighteningly dark and gloomy scene.

A piercing sound cut through the rain, "Second Uncle! Someone's dead! Someone's dead! Call an ambulance!"

The rain poured down. Despite the excruciating pain, Xu Qingcheng stood up, and Yu Sheng ran over to help her up. "President Xu."

"Drive to the hospital." Xu Qingcheng grabbed Yu Sheng's arm with her fingers, her voice so calm that even she was afraid of herself.

Without saying a word, Yu Sheng went to make the arrangements.

The sounds of rain and voices mingled, along with the sounds of running and car wheels rolling over the ground—a chaotic and noisy cacophony.

She stood alone in the rain, letting the rain pour down from the sky envelop her.

The car drove away, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

Xu Qingcheng saw a face through the rain. A silver sports car arrogantly drove past her. The window rolled down, and Fu Hongxin's smug smile tore through her senses in the rain.

He sat in the car, raised his hand towards Xu Qingcheng, and made a gun gesture.

boom!

The man's loud laughter cut through the rain and reached Xu Qingcheng's ears along with the sound of the rain.