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

The woman's slender arm was linked with his, her fair skin clinging to his pure black suit.

The distance is too close.

Fu Jingting silently ended the phone call.

"Thanks."

As soon as she stepped into the club's banquet hall, Xu Qingcheng quickly withdrew her arm, thanked him, and lifted one side of her skirt with one hand, her gaze not lingering on his face for even a moment.

But her arm, which had been sliding down, was suddenly grabbed by the man. "Is a simple thank you all you want?"

The momentum of her walking away clashed with the force of his sudden grab on her arm, causing Xu Qingcheng to stumble and almost crash into his arms.

She frowned slightly, her gaze fixed on his face. "Otherwise what?"

Otherwise, there are many other possibilities.

The man lightly pressed his tongue against his numb teeth, the words swirling between them layer upon layer, endless yet none willing to slip out.

He cleared his throat. "Let me think about it."

A hint of a smile flickered at the corner of his eye, and he looked quite unserious.

Xu Qingcheng scoffed inwardly, but gave a forced smile, "Take your time thinking about it."

After she finished speaking, she abruptly shook off his hand, and the slight gratitude she felt for him for bringing her in vanished instantly.

Who is this person?!

She turned around, locked onto her target in the crowd, and headed straight for it.

Fu Jingting's steps forward were halted by the crowd. He was the young master of the Ancheng Fu Group. In recent years, the next generation of the Fu family had been involved in several incidents, but unexpectedly, it was he who stepped forward to take responsibility. Clearly, he was already showing signs of becoming the next successor.

Many people try to curry favor with them.

Fu Jingting looked displeased, but he had no choice but to play along. His gaze swept through the crowd and landed on Xu Qingcheng.

She was standing in front of Rong Feng, her face beaming with a bright and cheerful smile, clearly trying to ingratiate herself.

"President Rong, you've been cooperating with Shengshi for quite some time now. If it weren't for the guarantees that dragged us down, Shengshi wouldn't be in this situation today. Even now, our operations have always been healthy. Cash settlements are indeed putting a lot of pressure on our cash flow. I implore you to reassess the situation carefully and give Shengshi another chance. Don't kill it off so easily," Xu Qingcheng earnestly pleaded.

"It's not that we don't want to extend credit terms with you. Rongtai Chemical also has its own evaluation system. Shengshi Group's rating only qualifies it as a D-level customer, so we really can't extend credit terms." Rong Feng spoke to her in a bureaucratic tone. He and Xu Shengchang were about the same age and had always worked together very well.

However, times have changed. Putting aside the fact that Ye Chengnian had informed him, it was inappropriate from a risk perspective alone, since a company is not a charity.

"I know, I understand. Isn't it just a matter of you saying a word?"

"Xiao Xu, I've known your father for quite some time now, and it breaks my heart to see you like this. Actually, if you're going to keep struggling like this, you might as well sell it and have some peace of mind. Now that Ye Chengnian has already said he's going to take over Shengshi, do you think anyone else will dare to help you?" Rong Feng sighed. "You need to be realistic; selling it would be the best option."

Xu Qingcheng's smile almost faded, and she gritted her teeth. "Uncle Rong, please reconsider."

Rong Feng shook his head, then suddenly asked, "Do you know Young Master Fu?"

"Um?"

Xu Qingcheng didn't react for a moment.

Rong Feng gestured towards the man, "I see you all came in together."

"I don't know her," Xu Qingcheng said, disclaiming any connection.

Rong Feng didn't ask any more questions.

When Fu Jingting got away from the crowd, the woman was already gone.

The man looked around but saw no one. He then looked at the man who was raising his glass to toast him. "What were you just saying?"

"Oh, Xu Qingcheng, the daughter of Xu Shengchang of Shengshi Group." Rong Feng did not hide anything.

The man's expression remained unchanged, but he lightly bit the name between his lips, and it suddenly felt so close, carrying an aura of antiquity.

"What is it?"

A restrained, nonchalant tone.

"They've come to ask for a payment period. But given Shengshi's current state, who dares to cooperate closely with them? Ye Chengnian is determined to cut off all of Shengshi's paths." Rong Feng shook his head. "This girl is stubborn. If Xu Shengchang were sober, he might not be so stubbornly insisting on letting go."

"So what if you give her payment terms? Will it cost you anything?" Fu Jingting asked casually.

No matter how you listen to this, you can't hear any fluctuation in tone. However, the Fu Group holds shares in Rongtai Chemical. Rong Feng doesn't have much dealing with this person, but when he hears him ask this question, his heart skips a beat.

There were no losses.

"Then why refuse? Do you owe Ye Chengnian?" The indifferent tone made Rong Feng break out in a cold sweat.

He chuckled dryly, "That's true."

Fu Jingting stopped talking, and Rong Feng wiped the sweat from his forehead, observing his expression, and changed the subject, "I heard that your matriarch is fond of Miss Ye and is hoping for four generations to live together. Young Master Fu, is your good fortune just around the corner?"

The man glanced over.

Rong Feng saw it clearly; there were only four words in those eyes.

none of your business!

……

That evening, Rong Feng called Xu Qingcheng again to ask if she knew Fu Jingting.

Xu Qingcheng was puzzled, but still replied that she didn't know him.

Rong Feng reminded her, "As the major shareholder of Rongtai Chemical, I can only be considered a professional manager in a strict sense."

Xu Qingcheng suddenly realized that if she wanted to talk, she should talk to the boss behind the scenes.

"Thank you, Uncle Rong." Xu Qingcheng expressed her heartfelt gratitude.

I didn't sleep a wink all night, but I still arrived at the company early in the morning.

Yu Sheng could see the weariness that her makeup couldn't hide, and knew that things hadn't been going well lately. The Ye family was putting pressure on her, and there were countless things to deal with from all sides.

Xu Qingcheng pressed her hand to her temple. "Get to the point."

"Mr. Xu, the notice for the shareholders' meeting has been sent out."

Xu Qingcheng hummed in agreement, tilted her head back, and leaned against the large office chair, wondering what her father would do if he were making the decision now.

With her jaw clenched, Xu Qingcheng raised her arm and pressed it against her eyes.

Shengshi Group doesn't need an investment of a few hundred million or tens of millions to turn its predicament around. However, there are not many people in Ancheng who can invest hundreds of millions of yuan. The Ye family's obstruction only makes things worse.

If they can't find a solution, the Xu family will lose control of Shengshi at next month's shareholders' meeting.

She's already made it this far; if she gives up now, all her past experiences will have been for nothing.

If we haven't exhausted all possible methods, how can we give up so easily?

……

"...She wants to get to know you. Would you like to meet her?"

Song Xingzhi looked at the man who was leaning over the billiard table and aiming, and asked with a smile.

The black shirt clung to his body, and the man's graceful leaning motion resembled that of a leopard aiming at its prey, his fingers serving as a pivot point for aiming the golf club.

With a bang, the ball was launched.

The man stood up, a wicked smile curving his eyebrows, seemingly quite satisfied with his performance, yet he still coldly uttered two words.

"not see."

This means they have no interest.

Song Xingzhi drew a line, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Fine, if you don't want to see me, then forget it. Ye Chengnian is determined to get rid of this mess at Shengshi; whoever gets involved will be in trouble."

Fu Jingting's shot suddenly went astray. He clicked his tongue, straightened up, and looked at Song Xingzhi, his hand on the club. "Who did you say? Shengshi?"

"Xu Qingcheng".

The man narrowed his eyes slightly, put the cue stick aside, and stared at Song Xingzhi for a long time.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not interested in men." Song Xingzhi felt his scalp tingling from the stare and immediately started cursing.

"Go to hell."

Fu Jingting laughed and cursed.

"See you. Why not see you?"

……

The most luxurious VIP rooms are lavishly decorated.

Xu Qingcheng pushed open the door, her beautiful and alluring eyes, like a cat's, swept around before locking onto the man in the middle dressed in black.

Sure enough it was him.

Xu Qingcheng sighed softly. How could such a fate not make one sigh?

If she knew she would need to find him someday, she should at least greet him with a smile at the banquet.

Song Xingzhi looked up and saw the person being bitten, choking on the smoke.

Fu Jingting looked up, his long, narrow eyes narrowing. "Did you bite your tongue with a cigarette?"

"..." Song Xingzhi's forehead twitched, and he stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray next to him. "My eye got poked."

Fu Jingting reached out and tossed out a card. "I won."

Song Xingzhi cursed, "Damn it. I got ripped off."

Fu Jingting took a cigarette from the cigarette case, but didn't light it. He just held it in his mouth loosely, a smile playing on his lips, his posture relaxed and carefree.

Xu Qingcheng moved closer to Fu Jingting, her eyes sparkling with a smile, "Young Master Fu, what a coincidence."

When it comes to being shameless, who can compare to her?

In the months since Xu Shengchang suffered his stroke, her thorns have been pulled out one by one, like bones and flesh being scraped away, leaving her numb with pain.

It's just a skeleton; you can break it and glue it back together.

Moreover, it's just a face; there's no such thing as awkwardness or not awkwardness for her anymore.

The man's cigarette twitched, and his eyes, filled with a sinister glint, fixed on her.

Xu Qingcheng inexplicably got goosebumps.

Fu Jingting is a roguish and enigmatic man, whose moods are unpredictable.

Xu Qingcheng wasn't actually confident, but if she didn't talk to him, she wouldn't have any chance at all.

Fu Jingting stood up, and Xu Qingcheng followed suit, greeting him with a smile, "Young Master Fu, do you have time to talk?"

He wore a black shirt with two buttons undone, revealing a strong collarbone. The shirt hem was tucked into his trousers, outlining the man's waistline in a firm and attractive way.

Fu Jingting's gaze fell upon her, his alluring eyes gleaming with a wicked glint. "What are you talking about?"