Chapter 23: Fu Xingzhou’s House

Wen Yang smiled and pointed to the bag on the table. “Take a look, is this the one you wanted?”

Yu Qing picked up the bag, flipping through it as she said, “A few years ago, when I earned my first design fee at Yunran, I bought a bag from this brand as a reward for myself.”

She then placed the bag on Wen Yang’s lap and said, “This one is for you, as a reward for securing the deal with Fu Xingzhou.”

Wen Yang was stunned and quickly picked up the bag to push it back to Yu Qing. “I don’t need it. It’s not like I don’t already have bags.”

“Just take it.”

Yu Qing shot her a look. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to open this studio. And back then, when I had my heart attack, you were the one by my side. Wen Yang, you saved me.”

Wen Yang shook her head. “There was also a worker there who alerted us—it wasn’t just me. No need to be so formal with me.”

“Exactly! No need to be formal between us. Yet, you won’t accept a gift from me? I know you have bags, but what’s wrong with me wanting to give you one?” Yu Qing rolled her eyes, leaving Wen Yang helpless.

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Rd vbl lde, Eld Zydt bye ds nbsknl cwv vs ynnlrv kv. Fbl rknjle wr vbl cyt yde lmyxkdle kv.

Zw Ckdt nbwnjzle. “Ps usw zkjl kv?”

Eld Zydt dseele. “Ls osdela—R oyp osdelakdt obu usw nbspl vbkp nszsa.”

Zw Ckdt zywtble blyavkzu. Mbld pbl ypjle, “Ebyv ycswv vbl alpv sq swa pvwqq? Fsxl vbkdtp nswzed’v tlv vbaswtb nwpvsxp, aktbv? Tso eke usw bydezl kv?”

Eld Zydt rwv vbl cyt yoyu yde vbld alnswdvle lhlauvbkdt vbyv bye byrrldle shla vbl rypv vball eyup, kdnzwekdt vbl pbsrrkdt nbysp yv vbl lde.

Zw Ckdt oyp pwarakple. “Eykv, usw’al pyukdt Flnalvyau Kkydt okzz elzkhla vbl alxykdkdt kvlxp vs wp zyvla?”

Eld Zydt dseele.

Zw Ckdt nswze byaezu clzklhl kv. “Ww Dkdtgbsw kp clkdt oyu vss dknl!”

Wen Yang thought so too.

She nodded.

He had made that decision on the spot—it was clear he was someone used to making executive decisions. When he had helped her pick up her things, his tall figure and refined demeanor stood out. Wen Yang was someone who knew how to capture a scene; if she were a painter, she might have tried to sketch that moment.

Yu Qing rested her chin on her hand, playing with the bag’s chain. “From what you’re saying, Fu Xingzhou and even his friends seem like decent people. What’s that guy with the surname Lu called?”

“Lu Zhan.”

“That name sounds familiar… Oh! The owner of an eSports club! Yes, that’s him—Lu Zhan. Figures that the big shots all move in the same circles. I just didn’t expect them to be so approachable.”

Wen Yang smiled. “That’s true.”

Yu Qing smirked at her. “So your trip to Hong Kong wasn’t all that lonely—you even scored a free meal.”

Wen Yang nodded.

“Shandong cuisine is delicious, though a bit pricey. But next time, I can make it for you.”

Yu Qing’s eyes lit up. “I’ll hold you to that!”

Wen Yang chuckled and playfully shoved her.

Yu Qing, her arm covered in dust from the push, nudged her back and then got up to wash her hands in the restroom.

—

After their fun, Wen Yang focused on work. Her main tasks included handling Fu Xingzhou’s new residence, setting up an account, and posting job recruitment ads.

She had taken a lot of photos in Hong Kong, which needed sorting and editing. She had an old photography account where she could sell her images, though she hadn’t uploaded much in the past two years since she hadn’t really needed extra income. But now, she wanted an additional revenue stream, so as she edited her photos, she gradually started uploading them to the site.

This platform didn’t require much active management—if someone liked an image, they could purchase it directly, making the transaction simple.

She kept quite a few photos for herself, all taken in Hong Kong.

That night, after showering, Wen Yang lay in bed, still editing photos. Her hair, freshly dried, cascaded over her shoulders with a faint floral scent.

After finishing her edits, she thought the pictures looked great.

“Might as well share them.”

So, she posted a nine-image collage on her social media, along with a ☀️ emoji.

—

Qingzhou Group, Hong Kong

In the top-floor office, a stack of documents sat on the desk. Fu Xingzhou, sleeves rolled up, lowered his gaze as he signed each one.

Jiang Yue stood by the desk, waiting, taking each signed document as it was completed—contracts from a renowned Hong Kong entertainment company, real estate deals, and more.

Once done, Fu Xingzhou capped his pen and spoke in Cantonese. “Tell them not to wait. Move the meeting to tomorrow morning.”

Jiang Yue nodded. “Understood.”

He then picked up the documents and left. Once the door closed, Fu Xingzhou glanced at the stock chart on his computer.

Just then, his phone buzzed—it was a call from Fu Bin, but he hung up quickly.

Fu Xingzhou glanced at the screen but couldn’t be bothered to call back. Just as he was about to put his phone down, he noticed a new post on his social media feed.

It was from Wen Yang.

A nine-image collage.

Her profile picture was easy to recognize—a silhouette under a maple tree.

Through her lens, Hong Kong wasn’t depicted with the usual heavy, dramatic colors. Instead, she used muted gray tones, capturing the resilience of a city that had weathered countless storms over the years.

The financial crisis of 1998—his father’s most exhausting year.

Fu Xingzhou examined all nine photos.

—

Ding.

Wen Yang was still editing the last few photos when her phone vibrated.

A WeChat message.

From Fu Xingzhou.

She opened it.

Fu Xingzhou: Did you take any photos of Kennedy Town?

Wen Yang was taken aback.

She switched back to her editing app—she was actually working on those photos at that moment.

She replied:

Wen Yang: President Fu, I did. Please hold on a moment.

She went back to the app, finished editing the remaining photo, and sent it to Fu Xingzhou’s chat.

He hadn’t responded earlier.

One minute after she sent the picture—

Fu Xingzhou: Do you mind if I keep this photo?

Wen Yang immediately replied:

Wen Yang: I don’t mind, President Fu. If you like it, you can keep it. Are there any other photos you’d like? I can send them to you.

Fu Xingzhou: This one is enough.

Wen Yang: Okay.

—

Yu Qing was lying on her pillow, half asleep. When she rubbed her face, she noticed Wen Yang hiding behind her phone, still awake. She propped herself up and peeked over. “Why aren’t you asleep yet? Staying up late, Wen Yang?”

The sudden voice startled Wen Yang. Her heart pounded, and she instinctively exited the chat window. Turning to Yu Qing, she complained, “You scared me to death! I was just editing photos.”

“Do it tomorrow.”

Yu Qing pulled her down to sleep.

Wen Yang struggled free and set her phone on the bedside table. However, she unconsciously opened Fu Xingzhou’s chat again.

Leaving it open, she replied to Yu Qing, “I can’t edit them tomorrow. I have to start work.”

“Then do it in your free time. You don’t need the money from a few pictures that badly.”

Wen Yang had no choice but to sleep.

---

The Next Day

Wen Yang went to Qingzhou Tower to pick up the keys for Washington house, then headed there to take measurements. Yu Qing tagged along.

Stepping into the house, Yu Qing clicked her tongue in amazement.

“I knew this place was big, but seeing it in person—wow. This L-shaped balcony is insane. If a homeowner loves gardening, they could turn this into a lush green paradise.”

Wen Yang took photos and sent them to Jiang Yue.

Wen Yang: Secretary Jiang, we’ve started measuring the house.

Jiang Yue: Got it. Later, you can communicate directly with President Fu.

Wen Yang: Understood.

After reporting to Jiang Yue, Wen Yang and Yu Qing started taking measurements. Yu Qing had more experience, so Wen Yang took the opportunity to learn.

One recorded, the other measured. Yu Qing also gave Wen Yang plenty of advice, which she diligently noted down.

But the house was huge. Measuring it took a lot of time. To ensure accuracy, they double-checked several times, working up a sweat in the process. Stepping out onto the balcony, Yu Qing leaned against the railing to cool down.

“The weather in South City is ridiculous. It’s almost November, and it’s still this hot.”

Wen Yang held her notebook, standing beside her in the breeze while reviewing their notes. “It’s supposed to get freezing next week.”

“No way! Don’t scare me. This weather is crazy—boiling one minute, freezing the next. So annoying.”

Wen Yang chuckled.

Yu Qing rested her chin on the balcony railing, admiring the view. “No wonder this is the most expensive neighborhood. The view is stunning. So open and refreshing. And the best unit doesn’t even have building gaps blocking the scenery.”

Wen Yang lifted her gaze.

Above was the clear blue sky and drifting white clouds. Below was a panoramic view of the rolling mountains and the distant river. The tranquility was striking—there wasn’t a hint of city noise.

The scenery was breathtaking.

Yu Qing found herself momentarily lost in the view, then scoffed internally. Li Man must’ve been out of her mind to cheat on a man like this. I wonder if she’ll regret it in the future.

What a trashy woman.

Damn it.

The thought irritated her again.

---

After Measuring the House

Wen Yang and Yu Qing left Washington house. Before leaving, Wen Yang carefully locked the door. Though the building had excellent security and a dedicated concierge, she still wanted to be cautious. After all, she had the key. She wouldn’t want anything to go wrong inside, not even an uninvited footprint.

Yu Qing glanced at her and laughed. “Yang Yang, having a designer like you is amazing—you’re so responsible.”

Walking down the stairs with her, Wen Yang replied, “Isn’t this just basic professionalism?”

“It is, but very few people actually do it so well. That’s why most homeowners personally come for measurements. Someone like Fu Xingzhou, who hands everything over to a studio and fully trusts them, is rare.”

“Why do you say that?”

Yu Qing explained.

A while back, Liu Yu had a client—a duplex apartment that was still unfinished. The owner was overseas and trusted Liu Yu enough to leave her the keys and let her handle the measurements.

But Liu Yu didn’t do the measurements herself. She assigned them to her assistant.

Thinking an unfinished unit wouldn’t be accessed by anyone else, the assistant left the door half-open.

Workers from the neighboring unit, who were doing renovations, saw that the place was empty and started sleeping there.

Not only that, but since it was inconvenient for them to go outside at night, they began using the unfinished bathroom—leaving behind a horrific stench.

Two weeks later, when the owner returned to review the design drafts and check the house, they were furious. They immediately canceled the contract with Liu Yu, even forfeiting their deposit.

To make things worse, they exposed the incident online, causing Liu Yu to face a major PR crisis. Some of Yu Qing’s clients nearly terminated their contracts because of it.

Only then did Liu Yu tighten her studio’s regulations.

After hearing this, Wen Yang said, “Our studio should strictly uphold this rule.”

Yu Qing chuckled. “Of course.”

---

After completing the measurements, Wen Yang officially entered the design phase. Since the initial draft had already established the style, the second and third drafts focused on refining details.

A layout designed with proper measurements was significantly different from one without. Even minor variations in room dimensions could affect the entire plan.

Fortunately, Washington house’s layouts were relatively uniform—one apartment per floor. The only real difference was the floor level.

Fu Xingzhou’s apartment didn’t have lighting issues. However, since it had abundant natural light, balancing privacy while maintaining brightness required extra effort. Thus, Wen Yang entered a phase of staying up late to work on drawings.

However, no matter how late she worked, Yu Qing never let her stay up past a certain point. Besides, Fu Xingzhou wasn’t in a rush for this project, unlike some of the previous clients who constantly pushed for progress.

During the drafting process, there were some discrepancies, new ideas, and changes that Wen Yang couldn’t decide on alone—she had to inform the owner.

That night, Wen Yang, wearing oversized glasses, adjusted her frames and picked up her phone to draft a message. She wanted to suggest changing the position of the wine cabinet and ask for Fu Xingzhou’s opinion.

After editing the message, she realized it was quite late. It didn’t seem appropriate to disturb him at this hour.

So, she put her phone down. However, she was in a creative flow, staring at the computer screen, imagining how the changes would turn out.

Leaning back in her chair, she relaxed, stretching her arms behind her. But as she did, she accidentally touched her phone, and the drafted message was sent.

Wen Yang froze for a few seconds.

She quickly picked up her phone, adjusted her glasses, and started typing: “Sorry to bother you so late, President Fu…”

Before she could finish, Fu Xingzhou replied: “Go ahead with this arrangement.”

Wen Yang stared at the screen, stunned for a moment.

She hadn’t expected him to still be awake.

Out of courtesy, she asked: “President Fu, you’re still up? Sorry, I originally planned to send the message tomorrow, but I accidentally hit send just now.”

Fu Xingzhou: “Still at the office.”

Wen Yang was surprised. So busy? she thought.

Since the conversation had already started, she felt the need to wrap it up properly.

She typed: “It’s really late. President Fu, you should rest early.”

Fu Xingzhou didn’t reply for a long time.

About ten minutes later, he finally responded.

Fu Xingzhou: “Alright, you too.”

---

Thanks for visiting. If you like this story, then I’m shamelessly asking you to visit NovelUpdates and give a 5⭐ review. (人❛ᴗ❛)♪тнайк　чоц♪(❛ᴗ❛*人)

You can also check out my other translations Here