Desperate Pretense At Being Poor

Chapter 91 – Fu Mingheng vs Jiang Qingxu (3)

“Oh, right.”

Fu Zhihuan seemed to remember something and turned around to lean against the railing and said in a low voice.

“Jiang Qingxu is back.”

Fu Mingheng’s movements paused for a moment and then he pulled the corners of his lips into a dry laugh without any emotions.  He lowered his head to light up the cigarette in his hand and purposely asked even though he knew the answer.

“Who?”

“I’m not someone easy to deceive.”  Fu Zhihuan sounded calm as he said slowly.

“When you were in high school, you didn’t come home and always went to the library every afternoon to nap for half an hour.  Don’t tell me that it’s merely to soak in the fragrance of books.”

The crimson tip on the cigarette seemed to illuminate Fu Mingheng’s dark pupils.  He half squinted his eyes and seemed to be recalling the past.  After staying silent for a long time, he finally gathered himself and chuckled.

“Everything is all in the past.  Why bring it up?”

“I won’t advise you either.”

Fu Zhihuan straightened up, adjusted his jacket, and walked towards the door.

""

After taking a few steps, he seemed to remember something and turned around to look at Fu Mingheng.

“Fu Mingheng, you’re different from me.”

“Huh?”

“There are some things that if you deal with it, you’ll regret for the rest of your life.”

Regret?

Fu Mingheng lifted the cigarette in his hand to his lips and then placed his arms on the balcony railing as he stared at the dots of lights sparkling like stars outside.

He already heard the news that Jiang Qingxu had returned to the country.

Jiang Qingxu has always been very powerful.

Not long after graduation, she received a lot of appointment letters.

Just like in the past, many girls were into literature and arts and most of them would often talk and pretend to be acknowledgeable.

Back then, Fu Mingheng had jokingly talked about ‘It’s Raining In Macondo’.  He had initially thought that Jiang Qingxu would be the same as the other girls.  After they turned a few pages, they would give up when they realized they could not understand the foreign magical realism literature.

But later, Fu Mingheng discovered that Jiang Qingxu read the book seriously.

Her notes were filled with excerpts and insights and even after she finished reading the book, she complied a summary page of her interpretation of the sentence.

Jiang Qingxu is never a person who acts on a whim.

There is tenacity in her bones.

So Fu Mingheng is not surprised that she can become what she is now.

After the cigarette was finished, he tilted his head and stubbed out the cigarette.  After a moment’s thought, he took out his phone, and as if led by an unforeseen force, he opened Jiang Qingxu’s circle of friends.

Actually, it was very rare for Jiang Qingxu to post on her Moments.

But perhaps she had just returned to the country and there was a rare update…….

It was a group photo of her with some foreign entrepreneurs and highly respected teachers.

In the photo, she was standing in the middle of the group but her radiance could not be overshadowed.

Fu Mingheng laughed and put away his phone.  Then he subconsciously lifted his cigarette only to find that it was no longer burning.

He lowered his head and silently turned around to go back into the room.  After taking a few steps forward, he closed his eyes slowly and as the corners of his lips twitched, he chuckled softly.

It turned out that the little girl was already so powerful back then.

 

He had just taken over the Fu Family’s business not too long ago and even as the eldest son of the Fu Family, he was still under a lot of pressure.

Especially when it was to get those old stubborn elders to accept his proposals and it took him a lot of effort.

Therefore, during this time, Fu Mingheng would live in the company and work non-stop from day to night.

Several secretaries were fired or resigned consecutively one after the other.  The reason was that they either could not keep up with his train of thought or they were too stressed and could not cope.

The personnel department also had a headache.

For a secretary’s job, education is deemed as one aspect, while the boss’s character and the tacit understanding between a secretary and a boss also play a very important part.  It usually takes a long time for both parties to get used to each other and cultivate an understanding.

It was precisely at this time that Jiang Qingxu’s resume was handed to him.

***☆☆☆***

“As far as I know, both Chen Dong and Ming Han had offered you more favorable salaries and employment terms and the jobs are more suitable for you.”

Fu Mingheng looked at Jiang Qingxu with narrowed eyes and asked word by word.

“Why do you want to be my secretary?”

“It’s not a consideration of only salary and position but also personal preference as well.”

She answered frankly and magnanimously with a smile and her pair of beautiful eyes revealed the right degree of gentleness and firmness.

“When I was in university, Mr. Fu had once helped me, so I trust Mr. Fu more than the other bosses.”

Fu Mingheng:  “You should know that I have high requirements for work.”

Jiang Qingxu lowered her eyes and said with a smiling tone.

“Then Mr. Fu should also know that I have high requirements for myself.”

Fu Mingheng looked into her eyes.

However, Jiang Qingxu did not avoid his eyes and returned the look with a smile in her eyes, magnanimous and confident.

After so many years, she had become even more outstanding in both appearance and temperament.

Something seemed to have changed but it seemed nothing has changed.

But Fu Mingheng knew that the current Jiang Qingxu no longer needed to be protected by anyone.

Her ability was indeed outstanding.

Not only was she able to adapt to Fu Mingheng’s efficient productivity but also cooperated tacitly with his work.  She was even able to handle the relationships of subordinates and colleagues with ease and helped Fu Mingheng to consolidate the loyalty of the company’s employees.

If it was in the past, once the boss’s secretary is mentioned and especially if it was a beautiful female secretary, there would certainly be some rumors being spread in the company.

But Jiang Qingxu was an exception.

She held an important position and was highly regarded but no one doubted that her achievements were due to her capabilities.

On the contrary, almost everyone believed that if Jiang Qingxu cannot stay in this position, then the whole company would not be able to find anyone who can do better than her.

She had achieved what she wished for before going abroad.

It was to stand next to Fu Mingheng, shoulder to shoulder.

But not stand behind him.

Such a Jiang Qingxu was coveted by others.

Ever since she returned to the country and started working, many people found ways to appear in front of her.  They offered her better remuneration and terms and even offered to pay for liquidated damages and legal expenses incurred if she was willing to cross over to their companies.

However, they were all rejected by Jiang Qingxu.

It was until one day, Xu Zhizhou, the young director of Chen Dong Enterprise, used the excuse of holding a talk on cooperation and invited Jiang Qingxu to a restaurant for a meeting.

After sitting down, Xu Zhihou propped up his chin and handed over a cheque with a smile.  Then he lifted his chin and the meaning was clear without any need for an explanation.

Jiang Qingxu took a look at the cheque then let out a laugh and said calmly.

“Mr. Xu,  the money for cooperation need not be paid in advance.  Specifically, we can sign the contract and then hand it over to Chairman Fu to look through before coming to a decision.”

Xu Zhihou leaned back in the chair and while tapping the tabletop with his fingers, he showed an enthusiastic expression.

“Miss Jiang is a smart person, so you should understand my meaning.”

“Mr. Xu, you should also understand my meaning.”  Jiang Qingxu’s tone still sounded light without any fluctuations.  “Today, I’m here to talk business.”

Xu Zhizhou snorted softly.

“Miss Jiang, a smart person won’t choose Fu Mingheng.  The Fu Family has two sons.  How do you know that Fu Zhihuan won’t come back later to take a share of the pie?  At that time, the internal affairs of the Fu………”

She lowered her eyes and calmly interrupted.

“Sorry, the family’s affairs of Chairman Fu are not within the scope of my knowledge.  If Mr. Xu is interested in this matter, I can pass a message to Chairman Fu on your behalf.”

It was a very appropriate speech and the slightest flaw could not be detected in her tone.  However, when Xu Zhizhou heard this, a wave of inexplicable anger rose.

Women like Jiang Qingxu are often the most difficult to deal with.

She is like an incomparably tight net where no one can find any breakthrough point or weakness.

No matter if it was violent threats or sweet temptations, she was able to handle them with little effort and did not reveal the slightest change in expression.

It was like all the generous benefits that he offered meant nothing to her.

With this thought, Xu Zhizhou felt annoyed.

“Why put on such a show of arrogance, Miss Jiang Qingxu?  With a glance, I know you have too little social experience but people who have been working for a long time would know that the terms that I offered you are much more generous than what you can get from Fu Mingheng.  If you still have any other requests, just speak up.  You don’t have to twist and turn.”

After hearing the words, Jiang Qingxu slowly lifted her eyes and the smile in her beautiful eyes disappeared.

She replied very seriously.

“Your terms are indeed generous but Mr. Xu, forgive me…….being generous is one thing but all these are of little value to me.”

“What you are saying……..”

“Mr. Xu, I don’t lack money, connections, or jobs.”  When she said this, her eyebrows curved and she smiled gently.  However, her eyes revealed that she had no intention of giving in.  “So wherever I choose to work depends entirely on my decision.”

“I’m unwilling to go over to Chen Dong.”

Although the words did not sound overly discourteous, Xu Zhihou’s heart seemed to be burning up.

He clenched his teeth, slapped the table, and was about to burst into anger when he heard someone speaking slowly from the door……..

“Mr. Xu, if you’re so short of secretaries, do you need me to introduce a few to you?”

When Xu Zhihou looked up, he saw Fu Mingheng leaning against the door frame looking lazily in his direction with a slight smile in his eyes.  However, he could not see the slightest smile on Fu Mingheng’s face instead, there seemed to be subtle anger.

Upon seeing this, Xu Zhihou was too embarrassed to say more and left in a hurry before he could finish ordering the dishes.

Jiang Qingxu stood up then looked at Fu Mingheng thoughtfully and said.

“I remember that this afternoon you don’t have……..”

“Um, I’m here to have lunch with friends.”  Fu Mingheng interrupted.

She nodded and picked up her bag.

“If that’s the case, I won’t disturb Mr. Fu.”

“Sit down.”  Fu Mingheng came nearer and pulled out a chair to sit down in front of Jiang Qingxu.  “My friend won’t be coming.  Let us have lunch together.”

She was stunned for a moment but did not ask any further questions and after putting down her bag, she sat down again.

He looked at the menu and asked casually.  “Are you truly not moved?”

She understood what he was referring to.

She pursed her lips and then the corners of her lips curved slightly.  She lowered her eyes and shook her head gently.

“Those are not important to me.”

The only thing that can move her heart is…….

Right in front of her………

***☆☆☆***

The banquet.

Jiang Qingxu attended with Fu Mingheng as his female companion.

In fact, it was not something worthy to take note of because ever since she became Fu MIngheng’s secretary, she usually accompanies him to attend various functions and deal with various situations.

Jiang Qingxu is far more reliable than all those different kinds of female companions.

She knew the appropriate words to say and can read Fu Mingheng’s eyes and catch his hints.  When it is the right time for her to speak, she would be gentle and perfect in her speech and when it is time for her to leave, she would silently retreat.

On that day, Jiang Qingxu wore a long dress with a low back.

After discussing business with an associate, Fu Mingheng subconsciously turned around to look for her.

Then with just a glance, he found Jiang Qingxu’s figure among the crowd.

Holding a glass of wine, she was chatting with an entrepreneur with a smile and her eyes were lowered.  Her manners were polite and just right.

Jiang Qingxu had long become very dazzling.

And her radiance did not exist because of anyone else.

Fu Mingheng did not disturb her.  He just put down the wine glass and leaned against the table to watch her.

His eyes seemed to be flickering with sparks of warm light and were full of tenderness.

Right at this moment, Jiang Qingxu turned her head around as if they had telepathy and looked at Fu Mingheng.

Between the both of them were people moving back and forth, the sounds of glasses clinking, the clatter of high heels stepping on the floor, the occasional bursts of laughter, and the murmurs of people chatting with each other.

However, the gazes of the two people seemed to have crossed over all the noisy waves as they looked into each other’s eyes.

A while later, Jiang Qingxu suddenly laughed and then called out in a soft voice.

“Mr. Fu.”

Then she walked towards him.

Suddenly, Fu Mingheng recalled Jiang Qingxu calling him ‘Senior’ when they were in high school.

In the university, she would be sitting at the long table in the library and when she heard footsteps, she would raise her head.  Then with curved eyebrows, her slightly high tone would drill into his ears……..

“Senior, you’re here.”

It turned out that was so long ago.

 

That night, Fu Mingheng drank quite a lot.

Instead of going home, Fu Mingheng instructed the driver to send him back to the office and also reminded the driver to send Jiang Qingxu home after dropping him off.

It was pitch black in the office.

Except for the guards at the door and the security personnel on duty, the company was deserted.

He did not turn on the lights and sat on the sofa with his head leaning back.

With eyes closed, he stretched out his hand to rub his brow bone.

The surrounding was unusually quiet.

His phone vibrated and Fu Changming’s voice sounded on the other end.

Fu Mingheng sat up with a little tiredness showing on his brows but he still replied casually.

“Um, I’ll be staying in the company tonight.”

“It’s fine.  The company is doing well.”

“I don’t want, Dad.  I’m busy with work presently, so I don’t need you to arrange a blind date for me.”

“Okay, I’m hanging up.”

Ever since Fu Zhihuan and Wen Ruan had gotten together, Fu Changming and his wife became even more worried about their eldest son’s marriage.

Almost every two to three days, they would find suitable partners for Fu Mingheng and force him to go on blind dates and it had happened several times.

In fact, Father Fu and Mother Fu did not place importance on finding a partner for their son that matches their family’s social status and wealth.

However, as soon as their child had reached the marriageable age, the parents would involuntarily start to worry.

But Fu Mingheng did not know about this.

He only knew that he and Fu Zhihuan were completely different.

Fu Zhihuan’s rebelliousness in college had long ago made the Fu Family give up on the plan to force him to return and inherit the family business.  They allowed him to do whatever he wanted according to his wishes.

But Fu Mingheng was forbidden.

He had to inherit the family business and be in charge of the company.

And perhaps upon reaching the right age, he would marry a suitable celebrity.

*Creak*

Just at this moment, the door was pushed open.

Fu Mingheng frowned and stood up quickly.  Upon seeing the person coming in, he could not help but be stunned.

Jiang Qingxu was standing at the door with a cup of tea in her hands.

She looked a little embarrassed.  So she retreated two steps back and said apologetically.

“Sorry, Mr. Fu.  I wanted to knock on the door but found that the door was not shut properly.”

“You didn’t go home?”  Fu Mingheng frowned.

“Um, I’ll take a taxi later.”

Jiang Qingxu put down the cup of sobering tea in front of him and said slowly.

“I remember that you have a meeting tomorrow morning.  Since you drank a lot, you will have a headache the next morning if you don’t deal with it now.  I was afraid you’ll forget, so I came up to make you a cup of sobering tea, and then I’ll leave.

He looked at the tea in front of him and did not move.  Instead, he asked a question.

“Did you hear everything?”

He was referring to the call just now.

Her eyes shifted but she did not deny it.  After a moment of silence, she nodded.  “I’m very sorry.”

He laughed.  “Then what is your opinion?”

“Me?”

Jiang Qingxu was stunned for a moment and then very quickly, she understood what he meant.  She lowered her eyes and after a long while, she said softly.

“If it’s me, of course, I won’t care about anything and just want to be with the person I like.”

After the words were said, a long silence descended.

Perhaps Jiang Qingxu was a little not used to the silence, so she lifted her head to speak, and coincidentally, their eyes met.

It was the first time that she saw Fu Mingheng showing such a sad and vulnerable expression.

The long eyelashes like feathers drooped down and under the dim light outside the window, the pair of dark pupils seemed to contain little flickers of light.

But they were filled with loneliness.

It was only a long while later that she heard Fu Mingheng’s husky and low voice.

“Um, me too.”

 

That night, Jiang Qingxu could not sleep.

After so many years of observing him, she could clearly see from Fu Mingheng’s face that he must have a very important person in his heart.

Although she did not know who that person is, she was a little envious.

During this time, there was a very popular saying………’Of course, I won’t attempt to pick the moon, I want the moon to come to me’.

Although it was indeed a very beautiful short sentence, Jiang Qingxu could not understand It well.

It was like she regards the person as the moon but at the same time, that person may have another moon in his heart.

In actuality, everyone was running toward others without hesitation.

And not all feelings of love would be reciprocated.

Jiang Qingxu understood this.

But she never regretted any of the decisions she made.

Only that……it was difficult for her to let go.