Volume 1, Chapter 27: His Baby Acknowledged Him

With a single glance from Fu Yunzhen, his employee felt a chill down her spine and rushed off to gather the others.

While waiting for Qiao Nian'an, Fu Yunzhen sent her a friend request.
[Ex-boyfriend]

As Qiao Nian'an was scanning the QR code to pay, she received a new friend request. She opened it, only to find it was a piece of harassment.
She ignored it directly.

She continued with her payment. After picking up her milk tea, another notification popped up.
[Creditor: Fu Yunzhen.]

Qiao Nian'an: “...”
Suddenly, the milk tea in her hand didn't taste as good anymore. Still, she continued to ignore Fu Yunzhen’s request.

“Nian'an, let’s head back to the company. We signed the partnership today! You know, for a woman, divorce is the beginning of good luck. You really should congratulate me! I’m going to do big things working with you and President Fu from now on!” Shen Niwu took a sip of her tea and pulled Qiao Nian'an toward the car.

“President Shen, you really know how to enjoy life. This pink G-Wagon is something else. When you parked it here earlier, how many young guys were staring at it?” Qiao Nian'an said while buckling her seatbelt.

“This is just a standard model worth over a million. Compared to the ten-million-plus Brabus G-Wagon your President Fu drives, it’s nothing,” Shen Niwu replied. “We have to drive decent cars when we go out for business, or people look down on us.”

A car worth over a million was, in Qiao Nian'an’s current financial state, a luxury. After all, she hadn't even been able to bring herself to buy a thirty-thousand-yuan Wuling Hongguang. But back in the Qiao family, she used to be chauffeured in a Rolls-Royce every day, and even the family nannies drove Porsches.

“Nian'an, you and President Fu... you two dated before, didn't you?” Shen Niwu asked, glancing at her as she drove. “A man like President Fu is deeply loyal. You can’t go wrong sticking with him. The way he looks at you—it’s full of affection and doting. He’s definitely interested in you!”

Hearing Shen Niwu’s chatter, Qiao Nian'an rubbed her temples. “We belong to two different worlds. He’s not interested in me.”

So what if they had dated? Human nature couldn't withstand the test of time. Back then, she had essentially paid him to be her boyfriend. It was a mutual arrangement: she craved his body, and he repaid her with it. Besides, when they were intimate, he was a man; he certainly hadn't been at a disadvantage.

“Is there some kind of misunderstanding between you two?” Shen Niwu asked curiously.
“Just focus on driving and stop gossiping,” Qiao Nian'an said, unwilling to revisit the past.

***

After they returned to the company, Shen Niwu was immediately summoned to the office. She paused, looking at Qiao Nian'an in confusion. Shouldn't they be calling for Qiao Nian'an? Why her? Regardless, she decided to head in and see.

Shen Niwu was still intimidated by Fu Yunzhen. This man carried an air of aloofness and untouchability that chilled the heart. He was like a flower on a high cliff—a man to be admired from afar, never approached.

“P-President Fu, did you need something?” Even though she was a workhorse, Shen Niwu maintained her professional demeanor. She knocked and asked respectfully upon entering.

“You and Qiao Nian'an went out—were you very busy?” Fu Yunzhen asked, his expression calm.
“We came back as soon as we finished. Is something wrong?” Shen Niwu replied, leaving no room for critique.
“She was too busy to check her phone?” Fu Yunzhen asked.

“P-President Fu, has some difficulty arisen? If you tell me, perhaps I can help resolve it? After all, I’ve known Director Qiao for years, and I understand her reasonably well...” Shen Niwu read the room; it was obvious Fu Yunzhen was targeting Qiao Nian'an.

Fu Yunzhen frowned. “Give me your phone.”
Shen Niwu handed it over, bewildered. Fu Yunzhen signaled for her to place it on the desk, and with a single look, Assistant Lin stepped forward to sanitize the phone.

Shen Niwu: “...” Was he afraid she was toxic, or did he just think she was dirty?

Fu Yunzhen looked at the screen, clicked on Qiao Nian'an’s profile, and tapped her avatar. He discovered that her feed was set to “Show posts from the last year only,” and he saw absolutely nothing. It seemed she hadn't posted a single update in at least a year.

“Is there any way to make Qiao Nian'an add me as a friend?” Fu Yunzhen asked suddenly.

Once Shen Niwu connected the dots, she realized why she had been called in. This was a trivial matter she could handle. She spoke up: “President Fu, you could create a group chat. Add me, and I’ll add all the company employees. You can then ask everyone to add you as a friend to report their daily progress and be ready for overtime at any moment. Since Nian'an is part of the company, even if there’s some personal history between you, she has no reason to refuse work. Nian'an is quite short on money... she wouldn't let her work suffer.”

Though, she couldn't guarantee that 100 percent. After all, that morning, Qiao Nian'an had wanted to quit and run away. Fortunately, she had stopped her in time. Having just gone through a divorce, she couldn't afford to be unemployed.

***

Fu Yunzhen frowned as he listened to her suggestion. “You’re saying that to add her as a friend, I have to add everyone in the company?”

Shen Niwu raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “That’s perfectly normal. Back in the day, when Qiao Nian'an wanted to buy you a drink, didn't she end up buying one for the entire class?”

She remembered that clearly. To ensure Fu Yunzhen ate well, Qiao Nian'an would bring massive amounts of food to school every day, distributing it to everyone so no one was left out. It was a pity that the proud Fu Yunzhen never took a single bite, which broke Qiao Nian'an’s heart. However, there was that one time after basketball practice when he picked up a bottle of water and drank it. Qiao Nian'an had seen it and looked as happy as a puppy; she even kept the empty bottle as a treasure.

Hearing Shen Niwu bring up the past, Fu Yunzhen recalled it vividly as well. How could he not have known Qiao Nian'an was interested in him? It was just that, to him, those wealthy girls were only playing with emotions. That was why he hadn't cared for her back then.

Fu Yunzhen took out his phone and added Shen Niwu as a contact on the spot. To add Qiao Nian'an, he quickly created a group and pulled Shen Niwu in, leaving her to handle the rest. Aside from the President and Assistant Lin, there were eighteen employees. She added them all, and finally, added Qiao Nian'an.

Qiao Nian'an was confused to find herself added to the “Wealthy Culture Company Work Group.” Just then, she received a message from the administrator, Assistant Lin:
[To improve management, effective immediately, everyone is required to submit a daily work report to President Fu. Please add the President as a friend.]

The employees in the group felt their hearts race after reading the announcement. Submit a trivial daily report to a man so busy he could affect the stock market just by stomping his foot?

Seeing that everyone else had added him, Qiao Nian'an felt she had no choice. She knew instantly this was a dirty trick Fu Yunzhen had cooked up just to get to her. She sighed; money was important, so she might as well just add him.

Fu Yunzhen waited for her request, his large hand gripping the phone until it was slick with sweat. When the notification finally appeared, his hands trembled with excitement.

His baby had finally added him back.