20
Knocked Out
Chapter 20: Knocked Out
“You need coaxing,” Jiang You answered his own question. “You’ll always be treasured when you’re with me.”
Fu Jing remained silent for a moment. “Jiang You, I’ve never understood—why do you like me?”
Why wasn’t it Zhang San or Li Si, but him?
Jiang You leaned back, lowering his gaze. “You’ve already abandoned me. What’s the point in telling you now?”
Fu Jing pressed his lips into a thin line. “Jiang You, don’t make it sound like I’m the one who played with your feelings and cast you aside. From the very beginning, you were never my ideal marriage partner. You forced yourself into my hands.”
Jiang You was silent for a moment. “Even if I forced my way in, I still ended up in your hands. In the end, you’re the one who didn’t want me.”
…
The next day, the company held a general meeting regarding the leaked bidding price.
According to company regulations, those responsible would certainly face some form of punishment.
Although Jiang You was protective of his own, matters had to be handled properly; otherwise, it would be difficult to maintain authority in the future.
Conference room.
Today, Jiang You looked more like himself.
Full makeup + a handsome, sharp hairstyle—though not exceptionally good-looking, he appeared spirited. Fu Jing found it much more pleasing.
The kind of look that made scolding or hitting him feel satisfying.
“Deduct all of Fu Jing’s bonuses for this year. Fu Jing will continue handling the projects he’s currently working on, but any pending tasks will be reassigned to others,” Jiang You announced.
“Any objections, Fu Jing?” he asked, turning to him.
“If I have objections, may I refute you, President Jiang?” Fu Jing asked in a joking tone.
“Not here. We’ll discuss it at home,” Jiang You replied softly, his tone clearly indulgent. His gaze was clear and gentle, like a small stream.
The colleagues present couldn’t help but laugh.
It was the first time they had seen such affectionate interaction between the two, suddenly making them feel that the rumors about their strained relationship might not be entirely true.
Fu Jing had only meant it as a casual joke and hadn’t expected Jiang You to respond so seriously yet playfully.
“Understood, President Jiang,” Fu Jing replied smoothly, flashing a polite and appropriate smile.
Suddenly, Jiang You felt a warmth in his nasal cavity. Just as he raised his hand to touch it, a female colleague exclaimed in alarm, “Oh no, President Jiang, your nose is bleeding!”
Immediately after, a drop of bright red blood fell onto Jiang You’s white shirt.
Jiang You touched his nose—his fingers came away stained with a glaring red.
Zhao Linsheng quickly grabbed tissues to help stem the bleeding. “Are you feeling unwell? Does your head hurt?” Zhao Linsheng asked in a low voice, frowning.
Jiang You shook his head.
A tense atmosphere filled the conference room as someone rushed out to fetch an ice pack.
“Lean your head forward,” Fu Jing said, coming over to support the back of his neck.
Jiang You glanced sideways at Fu Jing, then collected himself and grabbed more tissues to plug his nose.
He stood up from his chair. “Let’s end the meeting here for today. Fu Jing, hand over your tasks to Zhang Qingyan.”
Zhang Qingyan looked surprised.
Normally, if Fu Jing couldn’t handle the work, it would be prioritized to be assigned to a Jiang family executive at Jiang Corporation, such as Jiang Yong.
Jiang Yong was the son of his third uncle and one of the more capable members of the Jiang family—the only one who had made it to the executive level.
However, Jiang You didn’t like him. In fact, very few members of the Jiang family met his standards.
The capable ones were scheming, and the incapable ones were even more scheming.
Zhang Qingyan was competent and had always left a good impression on Jiang You.
Jiang You’s nose was still bleeding. He needed to tend to it, or he feared he might collapse on the spot.
“If you have any issues, come find me privately, Zhang Qingyan.”
After speaking, Jiang You hurriedly exited the conference room.
Jiang Yong stood up furiously, his chair sliding over a meter behind him and crashing into the wall with a loud bang.
Zhang Qingyan exchanged an awkward glance with him before sheepishly looking away.
Fu Jing paused for two seconds before also leaving the conference room.
…
Jiang You was absent the entire day. Even when Fu Jing returned home in the evening, there was no sign of him. Without having eaten, Fu Jing circled through the house briefly before leaving again.
Inside a private room at a five-star hotel.
“Did you go persuade Jiang You and Fu Jing when Jiang You was hospitalized like I asked?”
“Ugh, don’t even mention it. Jiang You is just stubborn, completely under Fu Jing’s spell. Nothing anyone says gets through to him.”
“Seems like it won’t be so easy to tarnish Fu Jing’s reputation.”
“…”
When Jiang You pushed the door open, the chattering in the room abruptly stopped as if paused.
He scanned the room—nearly all the Jiang family members were present: his uncles, their wives, and children.
“Second Uncle, you didn’t mention this was a family gathering,” Jiang You remarked with a faint, ambiguous smile.
“Ah…” Second Uncle’s face broke into an ingratiating grin. “We thought since you finally had time to come home for a meal, it’d be nice for the whole family to get together.”
The other Jiang family members chimed in agreement.
“Second Uncle, did you invite me today because of Brother Yuan’s situation?” Jiang You casually took an empty seat and cut straight to the point.
Jiang Yuan, who had apparently started drinking at some point, already had a face as red as a monkey’s rear.
He sat in the corner, glaring at Jiang You with murderous eyes.
“Not entirely…” Second Uncle began, but was interrupted by a sudden, urgent buzzing vibration.
It was Jiang You’s phone. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen—the caller ID read “Fu Jing.”
Instantly, Jiang You’s expression softened. He answered the call.
“Hello.”
“Where are you?” Fu Jing’s pleasant voice came through the phone.
Jiang You replied softly, “I have some matters to attend to. I’ll be back later. Is something wrong?”
Fu Jing tightened his grip on the phone. The way Jiang You said it made it sound like they couldn’t call each other unless there was a problem. Then again, upon reflection, that did seem to be the case.
“Does you staying out overnight count as a problem?” Fu Jing retorted in a low voice.
Jiang You glanced around the room and whispered, “I’m not staying out. I’ll be back soon.”
“…” Fu Jing was silent for a moment. “Do you need me to pick you up?”
Jiang You was taken aback. Had Fu Jing taken the wrong medicine today?
A smile tugged at his lips as he replied cheerfully, “Thanks, but I drove here. No need to pick me up.”
Fu Jing’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but he said nothing more.
They hung up shortly after.
Zhao Linsheng had contacted Fu Jing earlier, informing him that Jiang You’s second uncle had invited Jiang You to dinner.
Undoubtedly, it was about Jiang Yuan being dismissed.
Zhao Linsheng was worried the Jiang family might cause trouble for Jiang You and wanted Fu Jing to attend their family dinner to keep an eye on things.
Ultimately, since the incident stemmed from him, Fu Jing wouldn’t leave Jiang You to handle it alone.
But it seemed Jiang You didn’t need his help.
It was clear Zhao Linsheng cared deeply about Jiang You, but Jiang You had never been one to hide behind others or seek protection.
Receiving Fu Jing’s call made Jiang You happy. He was now eager to return home and see Fu Jing as soon as possible.
He tucked his phone away and addressed Second Uncle, “If Brother Yuan still wants to work at Jiang Corporation, I can arrange a position for him at a subsidiary branch with the same treatment. Think it over and contact me anytime if you’re interested.”
With that, Jiang You stood up and prepared to leave.
Jiang Yuan stormed over in large strides and immediately threw a punch at his temple, shouting, “Do you think you’re dealing with a dog?”
Jiang You instantly saw black and collapsed to the ground without a response.