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

Song Chang glanced at her. "You're always so stubborn, and I can't persuade you otherwise. I'll just say one thing: don't get hurt again. I was terrified the moment you fell down the stairs."

It would have been better if she hadn't said anything, because as soon as she did, Xu Qingcheng felt a dull pain in her collarbone again. She took a breath and said, "I never realized how ruthless Ye Wenhan was before. When I fell that day, she really pushed me hard, she really wanted to send me to hell. Luckily, I grabbed the railing with one hand."

Upon hearing this, Song Chang was also shaken. The spiral staircase handrail wasn't very high; if one fell directly off the railing from that height, they would be crippled or killed.

Song Chang hugged Xu Qingcheng and said, "You have to take good care of yourself, otherwise who will I talk nonsense to in the future?"

Xu Qingcheng smiled, "Yes, yes, yes."

"Don't you really want to consider marrying Fu Jingting to torment him?" Song Chang actually thought the two were quite a good match, and some of their unintentional interactions were incredibly sweet.

"Torture him? No way. I can't bear to do that. Let someone else torture him instead," Xu Qingcheng laughed.

"You told me before that your relationship with Ye Tinghong was completely innocent. So, by that logic, Fu Jingting was your first man." Song Chang looked at her. "Are you sure you can do that with other men?"

"Aren't women who have remarried after marriage, or who have broken up and found new partners, also different men?"

"No, what I meant was that your starting point is a bit too high. With someone like Fu Jingting as a comparison, and then looking at someone else who's not as good as him... it's like someone who's used to eating beef and doesn't like pork anymore, you know what I mean?"

Ms. Xu thought about it carefully, "If you turn off the lights, you won't be able to see it."

"Did you turn off the lights when you did it? Don't you want to see his expression?"

"Sometimes it's closed, sometimes it's not... Ouch, Song Chang, don't try to trick me." Miss Xu's face was flushed.

Song Chang clicked his tongue twice, then reached out and pinched her cheek. "Look how red your face is. Are you having a battle of wits with your mind? Looks like Young Master Fu is very skilled. You'll have a lingering aftertaste."

"Can we change the subject?"

"No way. As a complete novice who's never had sex, I'm very curious. As my best friend, you have to share your experience with me," Song Chang laughed at her.

Xu Qingcheng said irritably, "Let Song Xingzhi teach you."

After hearing this, Song Chang remained silent for a long time.

Xu Qingcheng nudged her shoulder. "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?! Don't..."

"It's alright. I should let him teach me."

Xu Qingcheng, "..."

"Don't talk about me. Let's talk about you. I don't think it's a good idea for you to match Ye Wenhan and Fu Jingting together. It's really not a good idea. If you don't want to get entangled with Fu Jingting, you should break things off as soon as possible. Marriages involve too many things, so you'd better not get involved."

Song Chang tried to persuade her earnestly, but he didn't know if Xu Qingcheng had listened.

That evening, Xu Qingcheng went to see Zhao Lan and brought her some small gifts.

Zhao Lan is in good spirits, and Xu Shengchang is also showing signs of improvement.

After chatting for a while, Zhao Lan asked her, "How are things between you two now?"

"It's alright." Xu Qingcheng peeled an apple. "We don't see each other very often. I'm busy and he's even busier."

"That's true." Zhao Lan thought about how she had been gone for almost a month, but what could she do? Shengshi was such a big operation, and Qingcheng needed to take charge of it.

"But this isn't good for your relationship. I see he takes good care of you, so you can put your work aside a bit. Your dad and I are done with this, we can't drag you down with us..." Zhao Lan clutched her chest. "You have a long life ahead of you, you need someone who cares for you."

Xu Qingcheng cut a piece of apple and handed it to Zhao Lan. "He's very good to me. But..."

Xu Qingcheng hesitated, thinking that she needed to send some signals now and let Zhao Lan transition a bit, otherwise it would be even more difficult for her to handle things later.

But she was also considering how to say it without upsetting Zhao Lan.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Lan asked hurriedly.

"Mom, it seems like he has someone he likes in his family."

Zhao Lan's face turned pale instantly, and her hands trembled slightly. "Why is it happening again? Qingcheng, you've been through it once, do you want to go through it again?"

Xu Qingcheng quickly put down the apple in her hand, reached out and held Zhao Lan's hand. She gritted her teeth, wanting to slap herself for coming up with such an excuse.

"Mom, don't overthink it. I've been through this once before, I won't let myself get hurt again, don't worry, I..."

"I'm worried," Zhao Lan interrupted her. "Have him come over when you have some free time. I need to talk to him."

Xu Qingcheng never expected Zhao Lan to make such a request. Back then, it was only after she begged Zhao Lan that she was taken to the Ye family to say a few words.

But that time was so unpleasant that Zhao Lan said, "Xu Qingcheng, from now on, you have to deal with these kinds of embarrassing situations yourself. Don't come to me again."

"Mom, this is a hospital, it's not appropriate. Let's wait until you're feeling better..."

"Indeed. A hospital isn't suitable." Zhao Lan thought for a moment, "Then you book a hotel, I'll go out."

"No, he's busy, and I'm busy too. It's hard to find the time together!"

"Xu Qingcheng!" Zhao Lan's voice suddenly turned stern. "Are you hiding something from me?"

"No." Xu Qingcheng was at her wit's end, and under Zhao Lan's glare, she had no choice but to compromise. "Then I'll ask him when would be a good time, and I'll let you know when we've arranged a time."

That's insane!

How did she manage to drive herself to this point?!

After leaving the hospital, Xu Qingcheng repeatedly berated herself on her way home.

Let Fu Jingting meet her mother?

Wouldn't everything be exposed the moment we met?

She couldn't possibly expect Fu Jingting to act alongside her, and he had no reason to cooperate with her.

Xu Qingcheng returned home, threw the clothes she had bought that day aside, and lay sprawled on the sofa.

After a while, she suddenly remembered something, got up, and turned her clothes inside out.

The black trench coat was simple in style, but it suited him very well.

Xu Qingcheng was confident in her judgment.

She called Fu Jingting, but the man hung up immediately.

Didn't answer?

Xu Qingcheng thought that it seemed that the two of them had not had any contact since she met Ye Chengnian.

He didn't say anything even when she moved out of the hotel.

Xu Qingcheng thought about it and realized that there was no real animosity between the two of them. The only thing that made her feel guilty was probably that she was trying to help Ye Wenhan get together with him.

They haven't even started yet, have they?

Fu Jingting naturally wouldn't know.

So nothing's wrong, are you busy or something?

Xu Qingcheng checked the time and realized it wasn't particularly late.

She simply took a picture and sent it to Fu Jingting via text message.

I bought you a shirt, but I'm not sure if it fits. Do you have time to try it on? If it doesn't, I'll go exchange it.

Fu Jingting picked up his phone to read a message, raised an eyebrow, and then put it down again.

Thinking about what Si Chen said that afternoon—that the clothes she bought weren't his size.

But looking at the messages she sent now, they seemed ingratiating.

I wonder what idea he's thinking.

Thinking that she actually agreed to stay far away from Ye Chengnian and even went to great lengths to bring him and Ye Wenhan together.

Fu Jingting harbored a rage within him and intentionally tried to give her the cold shoulder.

Let's see what tricks she's up to.