Chapter Twenty-Four: Brother Fu

"We clearly agreed to keep our relationship low-key at the company, not to make it public, and when we get home after work, you'd put aside your job and devote yourself to me," Fu Zhichen complained, chasing after Pei Susu in the corridor. Unable to hold back, he grabbed her hand, uttering his grievances word by word.

Pei Susu, feeling guilty, touched the tip of her nose and tried to retrieve her bag from his hand. "If you think it's heavy, just give it back to me. I can carry it myself."

"Besides, imagine how inappropriate it would look if someone saw the dignified president carrying a bag for me, the general manager."

The assistant from the news department stared wide-eyed at the two, covering her mouth as if she'd stumbled upon a startling secret. "President, Manager Pei—are you two...?!"

Pei Susu quickly moved aside, putting a meter between herself and Fu Zhichen. "We're not. We're just ordinary colleagues, nothing more than a superior-subordinate relationship."

Fu Zhichen's eyes flickered, his refined, pale face reverting to the usual indifference he wore at the office. He shifted his gaze to the assistant, a hint of displeasure in his tone. "What are you doing in the executive office area?"

The assistant screamed internally. This was it—she had interrupted the president at an important moment. Family, what should I do? I need the perfect answer, urgently.

She pressed her hand to her phone, squeezed her eyes shut, and started to retreat. "President, Manager Pei, please believe me—I didn't see anything at all."

Hearing this, Pei Susu finally let go of her anxiety, pressing her hand to her forehead in resignation. "Wait, don't leave yet."

The assistant grew even more nervous, trembling as she stopped and turned around. "Manager Pei, it was purely an accident, a misunderstanding. My work badge fell off and I came up here to look for it."

Pei Susu glanced at the spotless, reflective floor, then spotted a badge under the coffee machine. "Is this yours?" She walked over, picked up the badge, and brought it back.

In those few minutes, Fu Zhichen had already devised a solution. He tossed his car keys toward Pei Susu and spoke in the most natural tone.

"Assistant Liu went home after work to be with his wife. Manager Pei had me stay for an extra half hour to finish up, and asked Liu to send me home as a favor."

"Speaking of which, had the professor not reminded me, I would have forgotten that Manager Pei and I collaborated on an Internet+ project at university. Senior Pei even helped me earn a substantial sum."

The assistant shakily took back her badge, her eyes wandering between the two.

So the president and Manager Pei were university alumni, and Manager Pei had mentored him on a project? That explained why their relationship seemed a bit closer. They had only been chatting just now, albeit standing close; it was still within the bounds of normal interaction.

Pei Susu accepted the keys. "Assistant Liu, honestly, leaving me with those problematic financing cases while he strolls off without a care."

She picked up on the assistant's thoughts and continued along Fu Zhichen's thread. "Yes, junior Fu is just as gentlemanly as he was all those years ago."

Her jade-like finger gently tapped the assistant's forehead. "You've found your badge. Do you need to rush home? If you have time, stay and work overtime with the president and me. I’d love to learn more about the news department's philosophy."

Tears welled up immediately in the assistant's eyes as she gazed at the beautiful woman before her, shaking her head desperately. "Susu, please, I don't want to. I want to go home."

"My clothes still need to be collected, my mother’s cooked dinner and is waiting for me, and my father—yes, I need to pick up my father from work so we can all eat together. And my brother—I have to help him with his homework."

Pei Susu, amused by the assistant’s desperation, felt her own tension ease. Her beautiful eyes softened as she smiled, "Since you have so many things to handle at home, you should head back."

"Remember not to spread rumors in the company. I don’t want to be surrounded like I was at university by girls asking for junior Fu’s contact information."

The assistant nodded earnestly and dashed away as if a tiger were chasing her.

She would rather work overtime than linger!

As soon as she left, Fu Zhichen moved closer to Pei Susu. "Are you always this gentle with your subordinates, Sister?" His eyes darkened, a clear note of jealousy in his voice.

"It depends," Pei Susu replied, now cautious after her earlier experience, determined not to let Fu Zhichen cling to her again. She stepped forward and pressed the elevator button, offering a respectful, "President, please enter."

Fu Zhichen, aware of his guilt, tried to maintain a cold, distant demeanor as he entered the elevator. "Thank you, Manager Pei, for seeing me off."

The next moment, the elevator doors closed. Fu Zhichen’s icy expression dissolved, and he quietly tugged at Pei Susu’s sleeve. "Sister, please rest tonight and don’t review documents."

"You haven’t slept with me for eight days. I can’t sleep alone."

Sleep was hardly his concern; it was another activity he had in mind. Pei Susu’s cheeks flushed red as she brushed away his hand. "There are tasks I couldn’t finish during the day. I need to sort them out for tomorrow. I’ll try to wrap up before ten and keep you company."

——

After coming to an agreement with Luo Yuan, Chu Qingzhu bought an apartment near Xingye for her to stay.

Luo Yuan threw her dirty, disheveled clothes into the trash, then spent two hours scrubbing herself in the bathroom, determined to erase the stench she’d picked up under the bridge.

In the living room, Chu Qingzhu lounged on the sofa, legs crossed, confidently sliding a stack of A4 papers toward Luo Yuan. "Look over this project and draft a proposal for me."

Luo Yuan finally understood why Chu Qingzhu had brought her back. She skimmed through the papers. "It’s just a simple collaboration. You need me for this?"

She had managed projects worth billions at the Fu Corporation; small projects like the one Chu Qingzhu was showing her, worth only tens of millions, usually didn’t even catch her eye.

Chu Qingzhu was irked by Luo Yuan’s arrogance. "These are the resources I have. If you’re so capable, bring me a major deal."

"Don’t talk as if it’s so easy. We’re both in the same boat now."

Luo Yuan was silent for a long moment, then resigned herself to reality and set the documents aside to read carefully. "Did you bring a computer?"

Chu Qingzhu took a laptop from her backpack and handed it over. "Your identity needs to stay hidden. I didn’t dare have anyone else deliver it. Use mine for now; I’ll get you a new one when I have time."

Luo Yuan opened the laptop and her fingers flew across the keyboard, inputting a string of characters. After about an hour, she stopped.

"I can craft a flawless proposal for you. At Xingye, no one is more competent than me—not even your beloved Director Liang."

"But one thing: the profit from the project, whatever reaches your hands, you have to split it with me fifty-fifty."