Chapter 23: What Is Your Relationship with Fu Yancheng?

Taking advantage of the moment when the two were distracted, Li Yan quietly rose from her seat and once again pretended to pass by Qiao Xi’s workstation.

“Oh dear!”

She “accidentally” knocked over a small stack of files that Qiao Xi had just arranged and placed on the corner of her desk.

Documents scattered all across the floor.

Lin Moran, suspicious that Li Yan was simply looking for trouble, instantly became furious. “Li Yan, that’s enough!”

“Sorry, Engineer Qiao, I wasn’t paying attention,” Li Yan apologized with feigned sincerity, crouching down to help pick up the scattered papers.

Amidst the confusion, she swiftly and subtly swapped the positions of two different files, her movements almost undetectable.

One was a market research report on ordinary cosmetics, which Qiao Xi intended to submit to Qin Yiren.

The other was the crucial “Youthful Complexion Project” basic data summary, which Qin Yiren was supposed to hand over to Fu Yancheng for review.

Li Yan slipped the first report into the folder Qiao Xi was preparing for Qin Yiren, and shuffled the second report into another stack of pending documents on Qiao Xi’s desk.

“Alright, here you go,” Li Yan handed over the “organized” files to Qiao Xi, her face adorned with a false smile.

“…Thank you.” Qiao Xi, suspecting nothing, took the folder and placed it in the spot reserved for submissions.

Li Yan stood, watching Qiao Xi’s unsuspecting demeanor, a triumphant smile curling at her lips.

As she turned to leave, her eyes gleamed with the thrill of revenge.

Qiao Xi, just wait.

When you present this mismatched “report” to Dr. Qin or President Fu, let’s see what happens!

–

After much inner struggle, Qiao Xi finally decided to reach out to Lu Yanzhi.

Though Fu Yancheng had warned her, and Lu Yanzhi had left her with a less than favorable impression, the obsession with finding her benefactor lingered in her heart.

She couldn’t convince herself to give up—not even if it was just to offer a word of thanks in person.

After much hesitation, she obtained Lu Yanzhi’s private WeChat from Chu Xiangxiang.

As she sent the friend request, her palms were slick with nervous sweat.

To her surprise, Lu Yanzhi accepted almost instantly!

Staring at the glowing avatar on the screen, Qiao Xi’s heart raced.

She took a deep breath and typed out her message: [President Lu, hello, I am Qiao Xi.]

[I’m sorry for any inconvenience caused last time. Regarding your sponsorship years ago, I sincerely want to thank you.]

[If you ever need my help in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask. As long as I am able, I will do my utmost.]

After sending the message, Qiao Xi held her breath, anxiously watching the screen.

A few seconds later, her phone vibrated.

Lu Yanzhi replied.

A simple smiling emoji, followed by: [Interesting.]

Qiao Xi was momentarily stunned, unable to react.

Immediately, another message popped up:

[Miss Qiao, your sense of gratitude is truly touching. But I am curious—what exactly is your relationship with Fu Yancheng?]

[For President Fu to be so tense that day, even threatening me for your sake, that’s hardly a typical superior-subordinate dynamic. Would you care to elaborate, Miss Qiao?]

Qiao Xi stared at the screen, the straightforward and probing question making her heart constrict.

Her cheeks burned, and her fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure how to respond.

Her relationship with Fu Yancheng was the very secret she most wanted to keep hidden.

How could she possibly disclose it to Lu Yanzhi?

Biting her lip, Qiao Xi hesitated for a long while.

In the end, she chose the clumsiest evasion:

[President Lu, you must be joking. President Fu and I are simply ordinary colleagues. He must have misunderstood something that day.]

[Thank you again for your help back then. If there’s nothing else, I won’t bother you further.]

After sending the message, Qiao Xi quickly locked her phone like a guilty thief, her heart still pounding wildly.

She dared not look at Lu Yanzhi’s reply, fearing he might pose an even trickier question.

Leaning back in her chair, Qiao Xi felt both relief and excitement, letting out a long sigh.

Wonderful—she had finally tracked down her great benefactor!

Meanwhile, in the president’s office of Lu Group.

Lu Yanzhi looked at his phone screen, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips.

“Colleagues?”

He repeated quietly, idly twirling an expensive pen, his sharp eyes flickering with calculation and keen interest.

“Heh…”

He replied with a meaningful emoji: [Alright, I await your ‘utmost efforts’ at any time.]

After sending, he set his phone aside and leaned back, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

This Qiao Xi was becoming more and more intriguing.

Perhaps she would prove to be the perfect leverage against Fu Yancheng?

–

On the other side, in the president’s office of Fu Corporation.

Fu Yancheng sat behind his expansive desk, his eyes resting on a budget item for the “Youth Science and Technology Innovation Support Fund,” his gaze momentarily distant.

That entry stirred memories.

Eight years ago.

Fu Yancheng had fully sponsored a university student who won first place in a particular competition.

That student was Qiao Xi.

At the time, he remembered her name, and the brilliant, striking girl it belonged to.

He’d heard she was on the verge of dropping out to work, following a sudden family crisis.

Fu Yancheng, under the alias “Mr. Anonymous,” had arranged for an anonymous donation to Qiao Xi through a trusted charitable foundation.

His only requirement: confidentiality, and that she continue her studies.

Later, he received ongoing feedback from the foundation.

The girl named Qiao Xi not only completed her university degree with excellent results, but also scored high enough to enter a top-tier master’s program in chemical engineering, and ultimately was recommended for a year-long exchange at a prestigious overseas institution.

Recalling this, Fu Yancheng couldn’t help but smile, a mix of sentiment and satisfaction lifting the corners of his mouth.

Just then—

“President Fu.”

Zhou Ze’s voice sounded at the door, breaking his reverie.

“It’s time for the meeting. The executives are all waiting for you.”

Fu Yancheng snapped back to attention.

He withdrew his gaze, stood up, straightened his suit cuffs, his voice steady: “Understood.”

Fu Yancheng strode out of the president’s office with long steps.

Inside the conference room.

Qin Yiren, full of confidence, held the file in her hands, ready to report the project’s progress to Fu Yancheng.

She hadn’t bothered to check the contents—assuming Qiao Xi had organized everything.

Fu Yancheng entered, took his seat at the head, with several core executives from the R&D department in attendance.

“President Fu, everyone…”

Qin Yiren smiled charmingly, opened the folder, her voice gentle: “Regarding the core formula of the ‘Youthful Complexion Project,’ our team has made breakthrough progress.”

“This is the latest summary and analysis of basic data…”

She began reading from the report.

However, as she continued, the atmosphere in the conference room gradually grew tense and strange.

“Market research shows… Competitor analysis indicates…”

The faster Qin Yiren read, the more beads of cold sweat appeared at her temple.

She finally realized—this was not the basic data for the “Youthful Complexion Project” at all, it was a market report!

Fu Yancheng’s frown deepened, his gaze shifting from scrutiny to icy coldness.

“Dr. Qin.”

He interrupted Qin Yiren coldly, his presence suffocating, “What report are you presenting?”

“President Fu, I…”

Qin Yiren’s face turned pale, her hands trembling as she frantically flipped through the documents.

When she saw the report’s title and contents, she was struck as if by lightning.

This… This wasn’t the file she needed—it was Qiao Xi’s market report!