Chapter 67: Qingzhou Group Holdings

“You’re right. Li Man isn’t better than Wen Yang. In fact…”

Cheng Yanyu squatted down and put the cigarette in his mouth. “I just didn’t want to admit it. Admit that I lost Wen Yang, lost someone who loved me with her whole heart, lost my first love.”

Xu Xu didn’t say anything for a while.

Back in university, the two of them had gone to different schools, but because they’d been deskmates during that one year in Nanan, they kept in touch. So he knew when Cheng Yanyu got together with Wen Yang. He’d seen them announce it on their social media, and even hung out with them a few times. During their startup days in college, Wen Yang and Cheng Yanyu had also stopped by to support.

They’d played games together for a long time.

Back then, their friend group was big, and most people were dealing with emotional baggage and weren’t dating. Only Cheng Yanyu and Wen Yang were together—sweet and enviable. Especially Wen Yang’s gentle nature—it could soothe all your rough edges.

That was when he himself was the most volatile. He wasn’t immune to feeling jealous of Cheng Yanyu at the time, but more than anything, he gave his blessings, hoping his friend would find happiness all the way through.

But today’s outcome…

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—

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Fu Xingzhou pulled her in closer, turned his phone face down, and said in a low voice, “We can sleep a little longer.”

Wen Yang nestled against his neck and murmured an “Mm.” She was still half-asleep and ready to doze off again when Fu Xingzhou stroked her hair and asked softly, “Today is Qingyang’s new product launch—do you want to go?”

Wen Yang was still groggy, but as soon as she heard “Qingyang,” she immediately nodded.

“Of course!”

Her voice was soft and sweet, and Fu Xingzhou couldn’t help but smile. He picked up his phone and messaged Jiang Yue.

Jiang Yue: Okay, Mr. Fu.

In the past, Fu Xingzhou would’ve never attended a product launch, unless it was for a top-tier product—like a new chip. He held shares in many companies but rarely got involved in operations. Some companies would send products to Qingzhou before launch, but they wouldn’t always reach Fu Xingzhou personally.

So small companies like Kangyuan weren’t on his radar at all.

But now, Qingyang was his brand.

And Wen Yang wanted to go.

Fu Xingzhou stayed in bed with her a little longer before getting up. He handled a bit of work while Jiang Yue arrived early, carrying documents and waiting by the coffee table.

Around 7:30.

Wen Yang woke up, got ready, and picked an outfit for the launch—comfortable yet stylish. A blouse paired with a fitted skirt. The blouse was a soft beige.

She tied up her hair and stepped out of the room.

Jiang Yue was already there, sitting on a single sofa. Fu Xingzhou was reading documents, wearing a dress shirt with the collar slightly undone—unusually relaxed.

Jiang Yue saw her and greeted with a smile, “Good morning, Miss Wen.”

Wen Yang beamed. “Morning! Have you had breakfast, Secretary Jiang?”

Jiang Yue nodded. “I have.”

Wen Yang smiled and turned toward the dining room.

Jiang Yue watched her retreating figure. Seeing someone so cheerful this early in the morning was indeed pleasant.

Aunt Zhong poured milk for Wen Yang. She picked it up to drink and used her chopsticks to grab a piece of fried dough stick.

She asked, “Did he eat?”

Aunt Zhong smiled. “He did. Don’t rush. He still has to talk for a while.”

Wen Yang was reassured knowing Fu Xingzhou had eaten. She sat down to eat slowly. The fried dough stick was something she had been craving. Aunt Zhong had made it specially—not the long, store-bought type, but small, soft ones with scallions. Tender, but flavorful.

Aunt Zhong stayed by the table chatting as Wen Yang ate. “These take very precise timing. One mistake and they get too hard.”

Wen Yang replied, “That’s why you’re amazing, Aunt Zhong.”

Aunt Zhong laughed heartily. “Just practice. My old man loves these.”

Wen Yang giggled. “Uncle’s got good taste. Lucky me!”

Aunt Zhong laughed again.

The two chatted while eating.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yue glanced over and saw Wen Yang and Aunt Zhong chatting so happily—it really did feel warm and rare. Fu Xingzhou signed the documents in front of him, closed the file, and Jiang Yue immediately reached out to take it.

Wen Yang finished her breakfast.

Fu Xingzhou had also wrapped up his work. He grabbed his coat and picked up her bag, walked over, and waited for her to finish the last sip of milk. Wen Yang had eaten too much fried dough and couldn’t finish the milk—she felt it was a pity.

She handed it to him.

Fu Xingzhou understood her meaning immediately, picked it up, drank it down, set the glass aside, and took her hand.

Wen Yang smiled and linked arms with him. The two of them walked out together.

Jiang Yue saw this scene before they left and found it genuinely heartwarming.

Mr. Fu didn’t often act this way.

Downstairs, the three of them got into the car. Fu Xingzhou worked inside the vehicle while Wen Yang opened her laptop to review drafts. Soon, they arrived at the launch event.

The event was held at the COCO Luxury Hall.

Qingyang’s first flagship store was also located in the COCO Center.

Jiang Yue hadn’t told Kangyuan that Fu Xingzhou was coming. He only had Zhou Shiyuan reserve VIP seats—and no media were allowed. Zhou Shiyuan understood and arranged excellent seating.

After Wen Yang and Fu Xingzhou entered, they sat right in the center.

The launch officially began.

Zhou Shiyuan had shaved his beard today, wore a full suit, and had trimmed his hair. Holding a microphone, he stepped onto the stage and glanced at the audience—immediately spotting Mr. Fu and Wen Yang.

He froze for a second. Mr. Fu actually came.

And Miss Wen was here too—she’s so beautiful.

Wen Yang met his gaze from afar and gave a small smile.

Zhou Shiyuan cleared his throat and composed himself. Holding the mic, he looked out at some of the industry people in the crowd. This event didn’t attract much attention—after all, a struggling little company launching a camera wasn’t likely to make waves. But several competitors from the lens industry had sent people to snoop around. Who knew how many other industry insiders were lurking in the audience?

Even some big camera brands had sent a few scouts to check it out.

They didn’t yet know that Qingzhou was the investor, so there wasn’t much attention on Zhou Shiyuan’s comeback.

As for the rest—

It was mostly various agents and distributors interested in the Qingyang brand.

Zhou Shiyuan held the microphone and said, “Life is a long road—one moment you’re falling, the next you’re rising. Fear not the storms. Do more good, and heaven will eventually reward your kindness. Look at me, Zhou Shiyuan. I muddled through the first half of my life, relying on one camera lens to make my way in the world. I was still overturned by the waves. But luck has once again returned to me. Like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, I’ve made a comeback.”

“Today, I stand before you with a new brand, a successfully transformed mirrorless camera: the Qingyang camera.”

“Please watch the VCR.”

The promotional video lit up behind him. The most iconic version—a deep gray paired with light pink—appeared on screen, caught mid-air by a female model who raised the camera and focused it.

A girl with loosely curled long hair ran along a path. Tree shadows danced, sunlight dazzled, and the wind lifted her hair.

—The wind is free, and so are you. Record the movements of the wind, the freedom of people.

The video cut to a couple under an umbrella in the rain, the camera focusing in.

—Love is profound, is romantic. Capture the couple in the rain, the resonance of hearts.

Then came images of architecture, vast oceans, star-filled skies, elderly people and children, and flowers in the park—each scene paired with its own tagline.

The entire promotional video—

Wen Yang watched it all, feeling completely immersed. The video had a high-end, refined tone.

When it ended, she finally came back to her senses. It evoked such a strong sense of involvement that she turned to Fu Xingzhou and said, “This video has such a great atmosphere. I really felt pulled in.”

Fu Xingzhou looked down at her, gently rubbed her hair, and smiled.

There were many subtle details in the video.

She would need to uncover them for herself.

—

Originally, Zheng Guili and Cheng Shan were supposed to return to Nan’an today, but since Cheng Shan had been worried about her last night, they didn’t manage to buy tickets in time. By the time they tried again today, only evening tickets were available.

Zhou City had lots of tour groups lately, and with the May Day holiday, tickets were bought out by those groups.

Cheng Shan glanced at Zheng Guili and only told her after hesitating a bit.

Zheng Guili sipped her water, looked at the coffee cup, and said, “A couple days later is fine. No big deal. Let’s go shopping some more.”

Seeing she was in decent spirits, Cheng Shan relaxed slightly. He said softly, “Actually, Yanyu and that woman broke up. That’s good—she wasn’t the right kind of person anyway. Better to break up early.”

Zheng Guili made a sound of agreement.

After a whole night—and maybe after seeing Wen Yang and being warmed by her gentle nature—although Zheng Guili still resented her son, the pain seemed to have eased a little.

Cheng Shan stood up to call Cheng Yanyu but happened to notice a medicine box in the trash can. He picked it up—it was stomach medicine. Both he and Zheng Guili were in decent health, eating three meals regularly without stomach problems. So who was it for?

He looked at Zheng Guili.

She also saw the medicine box but said nothing.

If it wasn’t theirs, it could only be Cheng Yanyu’s.

In just a year, he’d developed stomach issues.

Cheng Shan put the box down and dialed Cheng Yanyu, telling him they’d be staying a couple extra days.

Cheng Yanyu answered, “Okay. I’ll have someone keep an eye on things these couple of days. If necessary, I can send you back myself.”

“No need. You go on with your work. Your mom and I will take the high-speed rail. Also, remember to eat on time,” Cheng Shan reminded him.

Cheng Yanyu replied, “I will.”

After hanging up, his car arrived at the garage, and he went upstairs. Facing the two-apartment-per-floor layout, this time he didn’t use face recognition or fingerprint access—he rang the doorbell.

A few seconds later—

Li Man opened the door, looking refined and made up.

Their eyes met. Cheng Yanyu said, “I’m here to pick up my computer.”

Li Man nodded and stepped aside.

Because of work, Cheng Yanyu needed two computers—one of which was at Li Man’s place. Today, he was wearing a white T-shirt and slacks, carrying a faint smell of smoke. He casually packed the computer into his laptop bag.

Li Man leaned against the kitchen island, arms folded, watching him.

From the moment he entered until now, his eyes had barely lingered on her. Overnight, he seemed to have changed.

Li Man stared at him.

Cheng Yanyu lifted the bag and looked at her. “I’ll have someone come collect the rest of the stuff.”

Li Man smiled. “Alright.”

He turned to leave. Her makeup today was exquisite, but beneath it, her face was pale. As he stepped into the elevator, she closed the door.

The relationship that started with infidelity—between a younger man and an older woman—had ended just like that.

Ding. Both of their phones lit up with notifications.

A promotional video from a camera brand had hit the trending topics.

Li Man sat on the sofa, her long legs crossed, aimlessly opening her phone.

She saw the words Qingyang Camera.

She paused, as if a nerve had been struck. Some sixth sense led her to dig deeper into the company—and just as she was about to, a message from Qin Mu popped up.

Qin Mu: Wow, did you see that Qingyang camera video? The body design is gorgeous. My photographer friend wants to buy it immediately. But apparently, it’s really hard to get—sold out instantly on the official site.

Qin Mu: Also, I heard Qingzhou Group is a shareholder. First-round investment.

Qingzhou Group.

Qingyang.

It was obvious.

Li Man didn’t say a word.

—

The elevator slowly descended.

Cheng Yanyu opened the video too.

It was long. Initially, he wasn’t in the mood to watch it, but the back view of the first female model running reminded him faintly of Wen Yang, so he stopped to watch. When the second couple appeared…

He clenched his phone tightly.

Their faces weren’t shown, but the woman’s clothes and the man’s height subtly conveyed something unspoken.

Plus—Qingyang Camera.

He did a search.

Qingzhou Group: Majority Shareholder.

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