“Stand still, don’t move!” Fu Sinian ordered. “There’s foam all over the floor—it’s slippery and dangerous.”
Lin Qing remembered she was pregnant and didn’t dare move around. She waited where she was for Fu Sinian.
With his phone flashlight turned on, he picked up a bath towel from the rack, walked over, and wrapped it fully around Lin Qing’s neck and body.
The long towel covered all her important parts, and Lin Qing finally let out a breath of relief.
In the darkness, a pair of strong arms circled her shoulders, guiding her out.
She couldn’t see his face clearly, but she could smell that faint, crisp scent of cedar on him.
“Step carefully,” Fu Sinian said softly, reminding her.
Lin Qing nodded, “Okay.”
Fu Sinian held her with one arm while using his phone in the other hand to light the way.
The floor was slippery.
They moved cautiously.
One step. Two steps. Three steps.
Every step felt like it landed right on Lin Qing’s heart.
She could feel the firm pressure of his hand on her shoulder, her body leaning into his chest. Lin Qing’s heartbeat started to race.
She gripped the towel tightly, afraid it might slip.
Since she wasn’t familiar with the layout of the room yet, she had no choice but to let Fu Sinian guide her out of the bathroom.
He led her to the edge of the bed, sat her down on the sofa, then went back to grab her phone from the bathroom.
Lin Qing grumbled, “How does your luxury mansion still get power outages? Honestly, your Jinmao Residence isn’t even as good as my Xinyue Bay.”
Fu Sinian replied, “It might’ve been a blown fuse. Wait here—I’ll go check the power.”
“Alright.”
Fu Sinian left the room and headed downstairs.
Five minutes later—ding!—the power came back on.
The whole room lit up.
Lin Qing’s vision suddenly cleared.
Fu Sinian walked back into the room.
She looked up and immediately saw the man standing by her feet. A few drops of water trailed down from behind his ear, sliding slowly along his neck to his chest. The front of his white shirt was soaked—clearly from the water dripping off her hair earlier.
The air went still for a moment.
Fu Sinian’s gaze swept over her, eyes narrowing slightly.
Thinking about how she’d just been completely naked in front of him, Lin Qing felt like she’d been taken advantage of. She bit her lower lip and huffed, “You totally took advantage of me just now!”
Fu Sinian froze for a second, then two seconds later, realized what she meant.
The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile, his tone teasing, “Well… do you want to look back and get even?”
As he said it, his slender fingers moved to the buttons on his shirt.
Click—he undid one.
“Ah! No!” Lin Qing’s ears turned red. She jumped up, pushed him away, and ran into the walk-in closet.
Fu Sinian looked at her retreating figure and burst into laughter.
This girl looked all serious and proper,
but she clearly couldn’t handle a bit of flirting.
…..
Lin Qing hid in the walk-in closet, covering her face.
After being teased like that, her cheeks felt warm.
She stomped her foot in frustration, feeling totally unconvinced and indignant.
Then she changed into a clean set of pajamas, stayed hidden in the closet for a little while, and finally stepped out.
Fu Sinian was no longer in the room.
Lin Qing let out a sigh of relief.
Good—he’s gone.
She used a towel to dry her hair, then opened her laptop and began reviewing the due diligence report again. She wasn’t satisfied with some parts, so she deleted and rewrote them from scratch.
Three hours passed.
She checked the time—it was already 11 p.m.
Time to sleep.
Lin Qing went downstairs and poured herself a glass of water from the kitchen water dispenser.
The entire villa was silent, not a sound in earshot.
She tiptoed upstairs.
She thought Fu Sinian must’ve gone to bed already, but as she passed the second floor and glanced out through the glass window, she saw—
The lights in the third-floor study were still on.
The curtains weren’t fully drawn.
Lin Qing looked up and could clearly see the man’s silhouette.
He sat at a solid wood desk, hand on the computer mouse, occasionally taking a sip from a glass cup.
In the glass…
Was coffee.
Lin Qing paused, stunned.
She stood there quietly, just watching him.
And suddenly, she remembered what she’d said to him that afternoon.
She said—
She didn’t have the same gift for studying that he had.
For the past ten years, she had hated Fu Sinian—so much so that her friends couldn’t even mention his name around her. Her hatred had even turned him into a recurring nightmare.
That hatred had tormented her for a long, long time.
But in this moment, she suddenly realized—
His success wasn’t just talent. She’d spent over ten years working hard just to catch up to him, but hadn’t he also done the same?
From another perspective, he really was exceptional, with a powerful background and all the advantages one could imagine.
All those years of resentment…
Maybe they hadn’t been necessary.
Lin Qing stood at the second-floor stairwell, quietly watching him from the corner.
A while later, she finally returned to her room.
She lay on the bed — the bedding was all brand new, a soft sky-blue color with embroidered bamboo patterns on the pillowcases and duvet. The fabric felt high-quality to the touch.
Lying in this unfamiliar room, Lin Qing felt like everything was a little unreal.
Two people who once hated each other were now about to become husband and wife, and soon they would even have a child bound to them by blood.
If someone had told her this ten years ago, she wouldn’t have dared to imagine it.
Fate… really is strange.
____
The next day, early morning, the sky began to lighten with the pale glow of dawn.
Lin Qing was jolted awake by the sourness in her stomach. Clutching her mouth, she ran to the bathroom and started vomiting violently.
“Ugh—”
She dry heaved several times.
Nothing came out, and Lin Qing felt so uncomfortable that her eyes began to sting with tears.
She held her chest and closed her eyes, breathing deeply.
“Here, drink this.”
A warm, deep voice came from nearby.
Lin Qing opened her eyes slightly.
A glass was held to her lips — the familiar scent of lemon water.
She took it, sipped a few times.
The nausea eased quite a bit.
Lin Qing looked at the man standing beside her and murmured a thank you.
He was still in a bathrobe, his hair damp — clearly just out of the shower, his face flushed, obviously having come back from a workout.
Lin Qing glanced out the window.
The sky was only just starting to brighten.
“You really do wake up earlier than the roosters.”
Fu Sinian crouched down, opened the cabinet under the sink, took out a hairdryer, plugged it in, and began to dry his hair.
Lin Qing’s mouth twitched. He sure wasn’t shy about anything.
Standing beside her, Fu Sinian asked, “Do you throw up every morning?”
Lin Qing gave a quiet “mm.”
Right after answering, the nausea came again, and she turned back toward the toilet and gagged a couple more times.
Afterward, she was drained, her eyes red.
She turned her head to glare at the man leisurely blow-drying his hair and complained,
“Hmph, you men just have your fun and leave the rest to us. You get a free wife and a child, while we women have to suffer through the pain of pregnancy. It’s so unfair! If men could give birth too, maybe you’d finally understand how hard it is!”
Sleep-deprived and nauseated, Lin Qing began ranting early in the morning.
Fu Sinian listened to her chatter and sighed with a helpless smile.
“Once you give birth, I’ll book you the best postpartum care center, make sure you get the best recovery treatment, and I promise you won’t lose your figure.”
He paused, turned off the dryer, and looked at Lin Qing.
“We’ll just have this one child.”
The bathroom fell quiet again.
His words echoed gently in her ears.
Just one child.
Fu Sinian’s tone was soft, almost coaxing.
He had just showered, the white bathrobe loosely tied around him. Water still clung to the ends of his hair. From where she stood, Lin Qing could see his lean frame, broad shoulders and narrow waist, his healthy bronzed skin.
She stared at him.
Fu Sinian unplugged the dryer, put it away, then stood up straight.
Noticing Lin Qing’s gaze, he met her eyes and chuckled, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Caught staring.
Lin Qing’s ears flushed red. She quickly looked away and hurried off.
“I wasn’t looking at you! Don’t flatter yourself.”
She rushed back to bed and pulled the covers over her head.
Fu Sinian glanced at the time and frowned.
“Lin Qing, it’s almost seven. Doesn’t your law firm start at eight sharp?”
“Ugh, I’m exhausted,” she mumbled, trying to shoo him away.
“Even ten more minutes of sleep counts. Go away!”
Fu Sinian had no choice but to say, “Alright, alright.”
___________
Forty minutes later, Lin Qing woke up.
She went to the walk-in closet to change into a dress, washed up, and headed downstairs with her briefcase.
Fu Sinian was sitting in the living room reading the newspaper.
Hearing footsteps, he put the paper down and said,
“You’re up. Come have breakfast.”
Breakfast was already prepared.
Lin Qing glanced at the clock — it was almost 8 o’clock.
She said, “I don’t have time to eat, I’ll take it to the firm.”
“Do we have any thermal lunch boxes at home?”
“Yes.”
Fu Sinian went to the kitchen, took out a thermal container and a bag, and packed the prepared sandwich and fruit inside.
Lin Qing grabbed the items and was about to leave when Fu Sinian called out to her,
“Wait.”
“What is it?”
“Take this — if you feel nauseous at work, you can eat some to ease the sickness.”
Fu Sinian handed her a small bag.
Lin Qing opened it and saw various dried fruits inside —
dried plums, dried tangerine peel, dried cranberries, dried mango, and more. The packaging was delicate, and each small pack was generously portioned.
Lin Qing smiled and took it. “Thanks.”
“I really can’t stall any longer,” she said as she changed shoes and rushed out the door.
Fu Sinian called after her loudly,
“Drive safely!”
“Got it!”
…..
9:00 AM.
Huading Law Firm.
Lin Qing sat at the center of a round table, with Shen Xiao, Li Yue, and Ji He gathered around it.
Holding a pen in her hand, Lin Qing spoke in a serious tone:
“Shen Xiao’s section is done quite well, but you’ve collected too many case examples for the contract section — remove one. Ji He, your part on business tax qualifications and licenses doesn’t have enough content. Flesh it out more — add another 2,000 words.
Li Yue, your section is the worst. It’s too formulaic, the data is incorrect, and President Fu was very dissatisfied with it last time. Take it back and rewrite it. You have five days to submit the second draft to me.”
Shen Xiao responded, “Okay.”
Ji He replied, “Understood, Attorney Lin.”
Li Yue, who had been criticized, had red-rimmed eyes and lowered her head, softly answering, “Okay.”
Lin Qing noticed Li Yue’s reaction and felt an inexplicable irritation in her chest.
She pinched the space between her eyebrows and softened her tone:
“This project was originally intended as a training opportunity for you. Using a major company’s project to train two interns — I’m probably the only one who’d do that. Since you both intend to become non-litigation lawyers, dealing with clients is a must. No matter what, the client comes first.
I’m strict with you for your own good. Just a few days ago, President Fu also gave me a hard time. But look at me — I’m still here.
So put in real effort these next few days. Everyone makes mistakes — what matters is correcting them.”
Li Yue knew Lin Qing’s words were meant for her. She sniffled and said,
“Attorney Lin, I won’t make any more mistakes going forward.”
Lin Qing smiled. “Good. That’s all for today’s meeting. Hand in your revised drafts within five days, and then we’ll move on to the next stage.”
The three all responded with agreement, gathered their documents, and left the meeting room.
Not long after, Su Yi came in from outside carrying her briefcase.
“Ugh, I’m exhausted — my mouth is so dry from all the talking.”
She returned to her office, poured herself a large glass of water, and gulped it down.
Su Yi looked at Lin Qing, who was writing a report, and asked,
“I just saw Li Yue with red eyes, like she’d been crying. Did you criticize her?”
Lin Qing looked up from her draft, sounding a bit helpless.
“I didn’t say much, just pointed out her problems and told her to revise it. She cried. Today’s graduates aren’t like us back then — they can’t handle pressure.”
If she had known this batch of interns had such poor stress tolerance, she would’ve chosen young, full-time lawyers to build the team instead.
Su Yi said,
“Well, you’re the bold one — insisting on using interns for trial runs. Was there something wrong with your due diligence?”
“It’s all Fu Sinian’s fault. I gave him the report to review, and he flipped out, scolding me for using interns to form the team. He’s the client, I’m the service provider — no matter what, I’m in the wrong.”
Su Yi laughed,
“You two, honestly — he hires you and still has to pay you, and he dares to complain? Doesn’t he owe you an apology at night?”
Just thinking about Lin Qing and Fu Sinian’s relationship made Su Yi burst into laughter.
The client becoming your husband — too dramatic.
“We’re not a couple! We haven’t even gotten the marriage certificate yet.”
“That’s just a matter of time. What are you denying for?”
Lin Qing sighed.
“I haven’t even met his family yet. I don’t know how he convinced his parents — borrowing money to help my family and marrying me on top of that. His family must’ve gone ballistic.”
“You’re already pregnant. Does he think his dad could actually stop you from marrying into the family?”
“Shhh—”
Lin Qing quickly covered Su Yi’s mouth.
“Keep your voice down. I haven’t even reached three months yet. Don’t go telling people.”
She was quite superstitious.
Su Yi realized and lowered her voice, “Oh, right. Got it.”
“He said we’re going to meet his family tonight. I haven’t even bought anything yet. Are you free this afternoon? Come shopping with me.”
Su Yi stretched her sore neck and said,
“I had court this morning, but now that it’s over, I can go with you this afternoon.”
Lin Qing noticed a red mark below Su Yi’s ear and frowned,
“Did you run into another difficult family member?”
Su Yi chuckled,
“Not a divorce case this time — a property dispute. An elderly person passed away, and their three children took it to court. In the end, they were unhappy with the judgment and started fighting. I stepped in to break it up and got hit by accident.”
“How much was the inheritance?”
“Not much. House and car — just over 300,000 yuan.”
“What? 300,000?”
Lin Qing couldn’t understand — fighting over such a small amount?
“People get greedy. When you’re broke, family ties mean nothing.”
Su Yi gave her a warning,
“You better be careful. The Fu family isn’t easy to deal with. You’re helping Fu Sinian with the Dongxin acquisition right now. If his uncle gets desperate and turns on you, it could get ugly.”
She looked seriously concerned for Lin Qing’s safety.
“Is it really that serious? Don’t scare me.”
“There’s no shortage of dirty secrets in wealthy families. Your family’s simple — your grandpa only had your dad, so your company inheritance was straightforward. You’ve never developed a sense of danger. But the Fu family? It’s complicated. Just stay alert — it won’t hurt.”
Lin Qing nodded and agreed.
She continued writing the due diligence report, but halfway through, she started to feel exhausted.
Craving coffee but unable to drink it while pregnant, she snacked on the dried fruits Fu Sinian had bought her instead.
Her eyelids grew heavy, her whole body ached and felt weak.
She’d never been pregnant before, and now she realized how hard it really was. Barely over a month in and already having severe morning sickness, no appetite, and constantly sleepy.
Looking at the mountain of paperwork in front of her, the more she thought about it, the more unfair it seemed.
Having Fu Sinian’s child while still helping him draft agreements and write project plans?
What was she — a beast of burden?
Then a sudden idea struck her.
Fu Sinian majored in finance — he could write financial analyses and reports just fine.
She’d drag him into helping tonight.
It was time to turn the client into her free labor.
…..
At 4 p.m., Lin Qing and Su Yi finished their work and left the law firm early.
A light rain was falling from the sky, washing away much of the early summer heat.
They drove to a shopping mall located in the center of Nancheng.
The mall had over a dozen floors, filled with clothing stores, jewelry stores, restaurants—everything you could want.
The first place Lin Qing headed to was a jewelry store.
They entered the LV flagship store, and Lin Qing picked out a crystal necklace.
“Is it pretty?” she asked.
Su Yi replied, “It’s beautiful. Are you planning to spend big to bribe your future mother-in-law?”
“I have to prepare a proper meeting gift, don’t I? I’m definitely not her ideal daughter-in-law. If I don’t at least get the etiquette right, there’ll be no end to mother-in-law drama in the future.”
Whenever she watched TV dramas, Lin Qing always hated seeing mothers- and daughters-in-law scheming and fighting—it was exhausting.
If spending money could smooth things over, she’d be more than happy to do it.
“I’ll take this one. And that bottle of perfume too.”
“Alright, miss. This way to checkout,” the salesperson said.
Lin Qing paid, then walked out of the flagship store, linking arms with Su Yi.
They passed a Gu Ming bubble tea shop.
“Want some bubble tea?” Su Yi asked.
Lin Qing, still dealing with bad morning sickness, didn’t have much of an appetite.
“You go ahead. I’ll skip it.”
“Okay.”
Su Yi got in line for the drinks, while Lin Qing waited not far from the shop.
She checked her phone—Fu Sinian had sent her a message:
[Remember to come back to Jinxiu Manor by 5:30 tonight.]
She replied with a simple: [OK]
Su Yi returned with the drinks, and the two continued shopping as they sipped their tea.
They bought some tea leaves and then stopped by an antique shop where they picked up a set of Chinese chess.
As they left the antique shop, they passed a western-style restaurant.
A familiar figure walked by in the distance.
“Isn’t that Lawyer Jiang?” Su Yi exclaimed.
“Hey, Lin Qing, look.”
Lin Qing looked up from her phone and followed Su Yi’s gaze.
The next second, Zhao Ningzhou came into view—along with several familiar lawyers.
They were all partners from Huading and Yuanhe Law Firm.
“Why is Zhao Ningzhou dining with Lawyer Jiang and Yuanhe’s partners? Isn’t he working at Yuntian Law Firm in West City?” Lin Qing asked, still staring through the glass window, where she clearly recognized both Zhao Ningzhou and Jiang Muhong standing beside him.
A sudden sense of unease rose in her chest.
Su Yi muttered, “Don’t tell me he’s transferring to Nancheng?”
Zhao Ningzhou was the third son of the Zhao family.
Since his mother was the second wife of Old Master Zhao, and not the birth mother of the eldest two sons, he had no claim to the family business and had chosen to become a lawyer instead.
Just hearing the words “transferring to Nancheng” made Lin Qing’s face darken.
“No way. Don’t scare me.”
Having him as a coworker would be a total nightmare—horrifying.
“Come on, let’s go. Don’t overthink it.”
Lin Qing tugged Su Yi toward the elevator.
Su Yi, ever the gossip, said,
“If he really is transferring to Nancheng, it must mean he broke up with Jiang Wanyin. That mistress thought she could marry into the Zhao family—what a joke. My dad said Old Master Zhao was a war veteran. The family is deeply rooted in traditional values. No way they’d let an actress from the entertainment industry in.”
“Fine, let them break up. As long as he doesn’t show up to torment me.”
At the school anniversary the other day, Zhao Ningzhou’s demeanor had already seemed off.
Lin Qing had guessed then that he’d probably broken up with her.
Now, she silently prayed: please, please don’t let Zhao Ningzhou come to work in Nancheng.
She couldn’t handle it.
The two of them walked out of the mall arm in arm.
Su Yi drove home, while Lin Qing headed back to Jinxiu Manor.
…..
Half an hour later, at the gate of Jinxiu Manor.
Lin Qing and Fu Sinian successfully met up.
Fu Sinian rolled down the car window and said,
“Let’s go to your place first. I have a few things to discuss with your dad.”
Lin Qing knew that Fu Sinian had already agreed to help the Lin family through their financial troubles,
so he wouldn’t go back on his word easily.
He was more experienced with business matters than she was, so she agreed.
The two of them drove to the gate of the Lin family villa.
Lin Qing got out of her car and walked over to Fu Sinian’s.
He got out too and opened the trunk—inside were a dazzling array of gifts.
Lin Qing said, “Isn’t this a bit much?”
“It’s my first official visit. Of course I need to be formal.”
It had started raining. Fu Sinian held an umbrella in one hand and carried the gifts with the other.
Lin Qing said,
“My family doesn’t know I’m pregnant yet, so don’t say anything. We’ll act a bit later and say it was you who pursued me, got it?”
Fu Sinian nodded. “Got it.”