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

While waiting for his flight, Fu Jingting received a call from his grandfather: "Did you get involved in Zhuang Wei's affair?"

The man's hands never stopped flipping through the documents. "Tang Xun's position is just a formality; he'll be transferred when his term ends next year. The Zhuang family wants Zhuang Wei to take over the position, and the Liu family in the west is also interested. I've met Liu Rui; he's very capable, but his family can't provide much support. They want me to give him a hand. I think that's a good idea."

His words were eloquent and impeccable, showing no personal grudges, but simply stating that it was best for the family, all part of a chain of interests.

Fu Shiqing snorted coldly. He could see through this, and too lazy to expose him, he said directly, "Your dad said you're going to handle matters related to the European project?"

Fu Jingting checked the time. "Okay, I'll board the plane in a bit."

"How long will it take?"

"It's planned to take about half a month, but it depends on the specific situation of the project. I'll judge the time after I get there. If all goes well, it should be around January 10th, which won't delay the Spring Festival."

Fu Shiqing hummed in agreement, "No need to rush back, we won't miss you for the New Year's Eve dinner."

Fu Jingting, "..."

This year, the Spring Festival is early; Lunar New Year's Eve is on the 28th of January. In previous years, orders would have been issued well in advance to arrange for people to return home early. So, what the old man said this time is really strange.

Fu Jingting pondered for a long time but couldn't figure it out.

After reading the documents in his hand, Fu Jingting handed them to Duan Heng. He had just received news that the flight was delayed and they would have to wait another half hour.

He held his phone and subconsciously dialed the number.

The phone is off.

Should I shut it down at this time?

Fu Jingting raised an eyebrow and put the phone back.

He closed his eyes to rest, but his mind was filled with the image of her clinging to him that day, her pretty face and pouty lips.

"Aren't you annoying?"

She scolded him playfully, her voice melodious and sweet, even more beautiful than a nightingale's.

Fu Jingting suddenly opened his eyes, picked up his phone and dialed Xu Qingcheng's number again.

It's still switched off.

Duan Heng reminded him, "Young Master Fu, it's time to board."

……

Xu Qingcheng ran into Zhuang Wei when she came out of Tang Xun's office.

He couldn't pretend to be spirited at all; his face was bruised and swollen like a pig's head.

Xu Qingcheng heard that his work has been suspended and he is under investigation. As for his face... was he subjected to severe interrogation?

Xu Qingcheng pretended not to see him and walked past him.

Zhuang Wei deliberately walked to the steps in front of her and blocked her way. "Xu Qingcheng, you're something else. You've hooked up with Tang Xun? Tsk tsk tsk, now you're even willing to play the role of a mistress."

"My relationship with Director Tang is completely innocent. Don't judge others based on your own filthy thoughts," Xu Qingcheng said coldly. "Take a good look at yourself and see what kind of person you are!"

She turned to leave, but Zhuang Wei stepped forward to block her way, pointing to his face. "Xu Qingcheng, did you hire someone to mess with me?"

You're insane!

"Fuck you? I'd rather get my hands dirty." Xu Qingcheng scoffed and walked past him.

Zhuang Wei knew he was being targeted. Whenever he was alone, someone would put a mask over his head and beat him up. These people would specifically target his face, hitting him hard and ruthlessly, and then leave cleanly without leaving any trace.

He had someone investigate, but found nothing; those people didn't make a sound except for beating people.

At her retreating figure, the man spat, "Just you wait!" The ruthlessness in his eyes was unmistakable.

Xu Qingcheng couldn't be bothered with him. She had a ton of things to do right now and didn't have time to waste on someone as cockroach-like as Zhuang Wei.

Ye Chengnian acted swiftly and ruthlessly; the tax matters were like appetizers to him, with one wave after another following.

……

After getting off the plane, Fu Jingting turned on his phone and made another call.

Shut down.

The man held his phone in his hand, his face ashen.

Duan Heng was turning on his phone when he glanced at Fu Jingting's expression and took a step back without making a sound, afraid that Fu Jingting would use his phone as a brick.

It's okay to slap the ground, just don't slap his face.

"Duan Heng. Give me your phone."

Duan Heng was taken aback when he was suddenly called out. His phone?

Before he could react, his phone was snatched from his hand.

"Unlock." The voice was deep and cold.

Duan Heng almost always followed his orders.

Fu Jingting dialed the number.

A rhythmic ringing sound rang out, but this time it wasn't the mechanical female voice announcing "The other party's phone is switched off."

Fu Jingting's face turned cold, as if it were covered in ice crystals.

Seven days after she blocked him, his assistant called her.

Xu Qingcheng knew that he must have found out she had blocked him.

In reality, the two people don't contact each other much. Even if they've blocked each other, as long as they don't say anything, you really wouldn't notice for a while.

Yu Sheng saw that she was staring at her phone but didn't seem to be answering. The call ended, and then it came back.

"Mr. Xu..."

"You answer the phone. Just say it's my work number. You're in charge now; we can talk to you about anything work-related." Xu Qingcheng handed him the phone. "Got it?"

"Understood."

The call ended abruptly, followed by a deep, cold male voice that boomed in, "Xu Qingcheng, you blocked me?"

"Uh... Hello, Assistant Duan, this is Mr. Xu's work number..."

"Let Xu Qingcheng answer the phone." The voice was cold, and carried barely concealed anger.

"Excuse me, Mr. Xu is in a meeting. If it's business, you can talk to me. I will pass on your message."

Fu Jingting was so angry that he hung up the phone.

Yu Sheng held his breath, thinking, "Damn, Fu Jingting's assistant has a terrible temper." The pressure came directly from the other end of the phone.

Duan Heng stood there trembling with fear, watching as Young Master Fu nearly crushed his phone...

"I hung up. I'm very angry."

Yu Sheng handed the phone to Xu Qingcheng.

Men are probably all like this; when they suddenly find out that she has broken off contact with them, they get angry at her for being ungrateful.

She had deliberately approached him with ulterior motives, and now that she had made a promise to the Fu family elders, she had to sever all ties with him no matter what.

Xu Qingcheng took the phone and placed it on the table.

She rested her elbows on the table, interlaced her fingers on her forehead, and gently closed her eyes. "Finish what you were saying."

"According to your plan, 50% of the project payment should be settled with the construction team before the end of the year, and the remaining half should be settled before the first quarter. However, the construction team is inciting migrant workers to come to the group to demand their wages, and they've even taken the matter to the municipal government." After Yu Sheng finished speaking, "President Xu, the government has also issued a clear order to clear outstanding payments before the end of the year, so this matter may be difficult to handle. But we really don't have any extra funds on our books to make the payment."

Ye Chengnian was behind it all, causing trouble for the construction team. Xu Qingcheng knew this very well. Funds were already extremely tight at the end of the year, with debt collectors and bank loan repayments all piling up at once. Shengshi Group was like a sailboat sailing on a turbulent sea, with water seeping into many parts of the cabin. If it couldn't be stopped soon, it would be over.

Not only do we lack extra funds for payments, but we also have a loan to repay after the Spring Festival, and we are afraid that the bank will withdraw the loan, which would inevitably lead to the collapse of our prosperous state.

Xu Qingcheng knew all too well what Ye Chengnian was planning; he wanted to seize Shengshi without lifting a finger.

Xu Qingcheng pressed her palm on the table. "I understand. There's no better way. Notify all departments and units that no funds will be disbursed before the Lunar New Year. Try to delay it until after the Spring Festival."