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

His calm, smiling introduction, as indifferent as a blank sheet of paper, easily left a scar on her heart.

The word "ex-wife" clearly caught Director Dong off guard. He turned to look at Xu Qingcheng, "You two know each other, why do I need to introduce you?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that the president of FUC... was him." Xu Qingcheng explained, her vocal cords sounding cracked, making it difficult for her to speak. Her voice was hoarse and very unpleasant.

But she tried her best to control it, to keep her voice from trembling.

The shock was like a thunderbolt striking her head, leaving her completely stunned and devoid of all five senses.

"Anyway, now that we know each other, we can talk things out." Politicians are good at setting the mood, and he quickly adjusted the situation, letting Xu Qingcheng sit down. "I was originally going to tell you about President Fu's legendary story, but it seems I don't need to say it, Miss Xu is probably already aware of it."

Resurrected from the dead?

What is a legendary story in the eyes of outsiders is a painful one in the eyes of the person involved. No one knows what it feels like to walk the road to the underworld and return to the world of the living on the verge of death.

The old man ordered all information to be blocked, for fear of any unforeseen complications.

The Fu family neither deliberately spread the news of the death nor stopped it; all the rumors circulating outside were merely a cover.

Fu Pingxiu knew Fu Hongxin's methods well. Jing Ting had caught him by the tail and held evidence of Fu Hongxin's crimes. He had to be careful. However, this matter was intertwined with the incident involving Jingshan Capital. Even though Zhou Qian had made arrangements in advance, there was still a lapse in his plans.

The person was rescued immediately after the accident, so there was no trace of Fu Jingting at the scene. Once the person is gone, there's no need to worry about them anymore.

Only then were the rumors allowed to spread.

Xu Qingcheng sat down, her lips slightly pursed. "We haven't been in touch for many years, and I really don't know President Fu's legendary story."

He suddenly sat perfectly fine in front of her, appearing so abruptly and without warning.

The calmer her expression, the more frantic her heart became.

Every cell in my body was trembling with excitement and joy, but I had to suppress it all and dare not show the slightest emotion.

His aloof gaze drew a deep chasm between them, making her dare not cross it easily.

Fu Jingting suddenly laughed, his voice low and contemptuous, light and sarcastic, "A legend? Just not dead."

A few words were enough to freeze her in place.

A slight chill seeped into my bones.

She could hear the hatred hidden in his nonchalant tone.

Even if she did it unintentionally, she was still the culprit.

When Qingyao was released from prison, she returned and encountered Tang Jinchao while taking Qingyao to the bank.

Without going into details, Tang Jinchao simply looked at her sarcastically, "Miss Xu, do you think you've got everything planned out? Do you really think Fu Jingting didn't anticipate your thoughts? He could have retreated cleanly, but he didn't. That's what gave you the chance to send him to meet the King of Hell."

Xu Qingcheng looked at his ambiguous smile. The scar between his eyebrows was like a malicious scratch on a finely crafted work of art; one more inch and his entire eye would be ruined.

She felt cold and afraid; a flood of emotions overwhelmed her, and she could no longer discern what her true feelings were.

It's all a mess, but it all boils down to one fact: he's still alive, and that's good.

She had thought about it countless times: what if he was alright? What if they met again...?

Even if it was just a dream, she kept rehearsing the scene in her mind of him standing vividly in front of her.

She had so much to say to him, so much.

This scenario finally became a reality, but when you actually meet them, you realize that there are too many things you can only think about, and you never have the chance to say them.

Fu Jingting didn't look at her much, and the conversation was steered toward business.

Xu Qingcheng was a little dazed and couldn't think straight. Director Dong called her several times before she came back to her senses.

I was a little out of control of my emotions, and I could barely hold back my tears.

Xu Qingcheng quickly stood up. "Excuse me, I need to go to the restroom first."

There was a private restroom in the private room. Xu Qingcheng grabbed her handbag and hurried inside. The moment the door closed, she couldn't hold back her tears any longer.

She grabbed a tissue from the sink, tilted her head back, and used the tissue to dab at the tears in the corners of her eyes to avoid ruining her makeup, but it was no use.

The tears were flowing so hard that Xu Qingcheng covered her mouth to stop her sobs from getting too loud.

After the initial shock, the remaining feeling was mostly joy, like sunshine suddenly appearing in a gray sky, dispelling all the gloom.

Even so, he did not forgive her.

She still felt, "It's so good, so good."

I want to tell Yuanyuan that she has a father, a real, living father.

Later, later... I should have the chance to call him "Dad" someday.

Xu Qingcheng washed her face again, put on makeup, and applied eyeshadow. The beautiful sunset color perfectly concealed her red, tear-stained eyes.

During the business discussions at the banquet, Xu Qingcheng's mind was a bit off. Her eyes kept wandering, staring at his face. She knew she wasn't in the right state to talk about anything. She couldn't organize her thoughts well when Wang Kai asked her several questions about Shengshi Industry.

Fu Jingting's face was gloomy and he was clearly very displeased. His sharp eyes were fixed on Xu Qingcheng. "If Miss Xu is not sincere in talking, then let's call it a day."

"No. I'm very sincere." Xu Qingcheng remained silent for a long time before finally speaking amidst his impatience. "Although Shengshi's industries are traditional, they benefit from a large enough market. With scale comes profit. I've looked at FUC's other cases, and none of them involve traditional industries. So I want to know your true thoughts. Do you just want to sell it as an investment, or do you want to raise funds through a private placement to bring in a suitable team to manage it? I want to know if there's any room for cooperation between us."

She finished speaking in one breath, her chest aching as she held her breath to keep her voice from trembling.

After listening, Fu Jingting only gave her one sentence: "Fuc has its own plans. It's possible that it will be sold off or that it will absorb a shareholder team, depending on the profits. As for the possibility of cooperation, to be honest, there isn't one."

The refusal was very straightforward.

Compared to her nervousness and excitement, he was calm and indifferent.

Xu Qingcheng didn't say anything more; she didn't know what else to say.

All the arguments she had prepared beforehand had vanished; she couldn't think of any reasons to persuade him now.

The atmosphere during the meal was so strange that it ended very quickly.

Wang Kai escorted Director Dong back home.

Fu Jingting's driver had already arrived, but he didn't even glance at Xu Qingcheng again before opening the car door to get in.

Xu Qingcheng suddenly grabbed his arm, "Fu Jingting."

The man turned to look at her, then his gaze fell on the fingers of her gripping his arm. His calm and indifferent gaze was incredibly powerful, making her unconsciously want to let go.

But Xu Qingcheng didn't want to let go. She felt like she was at the boundary between dreams and reality. She seemed to have seen the scar on his eyebrow in a dream.

But she was also certain that apart from that remarkably similar back view that day, she had not heard a single word about him in the past two years.

The news of her death kept repeating itself in her ears.

Her only wish was to hang a wind chime at No. 1 Jingshan Park.

She hoped the sound would lead him home.

Ghosts or whatever, don't let them linger outside.

Xu Qingcheng's hand slid down, and she took his hand in her own, her fingers trembling. Her palm was cold and sweaty with nervousness, a stark contrast to the warmth of his. She intertwined her fingers with his, "You really are, aren't you?"

Fu Jingting's face was gloomy. The two of them intertwined their fingers, and this inexplicable intimacy made his chest feel as if it had been ripped open again.

He grabbed her wrist, ignoring her tightly clenched fingers, and forcefully pulled it open. A wicked smile curled at the corner of the man's mouth. "Miss Xu, your methods have remained unchanged over the years."

The warmth between his fingers vanished, and he flung his wrist away.

His tone and voice were very unserious, full of mockery and banter.

Thinking back to the distant past.

After going around in circles, the story returned to its starting point.

Xu Qingcheng lowered his head, then suddenly smiled. The tears welling up in his eyes were shattered by the neon lights, and his palms were warm.

He is back.

Peace and safety.

His car drove away, and Xu Qingcheng stood there letting the evening breeze tousle her long hair. Unlike in the past, no driver came to pick her up.