“Hey! There — it’s going, it’s going — it’s on, it’s on, it’s on!”

Before long, there was genuine movement on Daiwei’s line.

He yanked the rod up in a flash, and the front half of the rod bent all the way down under the weight. Liang Meng and Wang Zaiwu rushed over to help.

After a flurry of frantic action and general chaos, a fat fish weighing something like seven or eight pounds came flying out and landed with a smack into Daiwei’s dark-green landing net.

Still thrashing wildly.

All three of them were left drenched in sweat from the effort.

Liang Meng caught her breath: “Uncle, what’s so enjoyable about fishing? That nearly killed me from exhaustion.”

Daiwei shot her a sideways look.

Wang Zaiwu also wiped the sweat from his brow: “That’s enough! There’s a tea room over there — let’s go sit for a bit. My throat is absolutely parched.”

Daiwei gathered his fish and, though he still said little, his manner was no longer hostile. He followed Liang Meng and the others into the tea room.

The moment they sat down, Liang Meng was neither tired nor thirsty — she launched straight into pitching her “live-streaming plan” to Daiwei.

“Uncle, I was wrong! Completely wrong! The distributors are the big fish — live streaming is just the small fish. This project of mine still depends on the blood supply from the network of distributors you lead.”

Liang Meng began by lowering her head, placing Daiwei on a pedestal.

“Hmph.” Daiwei was dismissive, and poured his own tea as he fired back: “Then go find the distributors. Why come looking for me!”

Of course Liang Meng knew perfectly well — Daiwei may have worked within the sales department, but after years of entrenching himself at Longquan, the distributors still looked to him as the undisputed elder brother, and would follow his lead above all.

“If you can’t beat them, join them. Nothing shameful about it.” — Lin Qing’s favorite saying.

Liang Meng had learned it too.

“Uncle, the matter of the kickbacks — I’ve gotten to the bottom of it.” Liang Meng leaned her stool forward and moved close enough to murmur in Daiwei’s ear, “You were covering for someone underneath you, taking the blame on their behalf. A man like you — with your money — you would never care about something so small.”

Daiwei leaped to his feet: “Even if I were flat broke, starving to death, I still wouldn’t care about something that small!”

The invoice Jiang Han had given Liang Meng had originally been intended as a weapon to use against Daiwei.

But the Liang Meng of today was no longer the girl from a few years ago, who had existed only as a puppet dancing on Jiang Han’s strings.

She had stopped blindly admiring or trusting anyone without question.

After that senior management meeting, she had quietly arranged for someone to conduct an internal investigation within the group into the kickback affair.

And sure enough, she found her answer — Daiwei had indeed taken the fall for one of his long-serving subordinates.

“And that’s why, no matter what the situation, you will always be my Uncle Wei Min!”

Liang Meng affirmed Daiwei’s sense of loyalty and honor.

Daiwei pursed his lips. On the surface, he was still prickly. But having his grievance brought to light by someone who actually saw it clearly — well, that took away some of the bitterness.

Then Liang Meng launched back into her relentless pitch for the live-streaming plan: “To cut costs, anyone and everyone can be a streamer. All Uncle Daiwei has to do is say the word — get everyone on board to start selling goods, whether it’s hiring internet influencers or going live themselves. As long as they can move Longquan product, it’s a win for both sides…”

Wang Zaiwu had always had zero patience for business talk.

Liang Meng was right in the middle of a productive conversation with Daiwei when he abruptly cut in: “Liang Meng, why are you going to all this trouble talking circles around him? Driving all the way out to go fishing too! He’s your subordinate, you’re his boss — whatever you tell him to do, he does it. Simple as that!”

The conversation was derailed. Both Liang Meng and Daiwei turned their heads and stared at Wang Zaiwu, who looked perfectly confident in his logic.

Under both pairs of eyes, Wang Zaiwu began to feel a little uneasy, and carefully ventured: “Did I… say something wrong?”

Liang Meng and Daiwei each harbored their own private thoughts.

“Little brother — doesn’t know any better!”

“Kid — I’ve had an eye on you since the moment I arrived.”

“Yes, yes, yes — get out of here, quickly.”

One look from Liang Meng, and Wang Zaiwu was sent outside.

Over the rest of the afternoon, Liang Meng and Daiwei finally arrived at an understanding.

“Someone has to be the first to try the crab. Fine. For the sake of Longquan, this old face of mine — Zhang Wei Min — will take the leap!”

Daiwei even volunteered to host the very first live-streaming session.

This was exactly what Liang Meng had hoped for. Only once he moved, would the distributors all fall into line behind him.

“Then I’ll have Lin Qing coordinate directly with you,” Liang Meng said, barely able to contain her delight.

“You mean that young woman from the post-2000s generation, the one from before?” Daiwei asked.

Liang Meng smiled and nodded.

This time Daiwei didn’t object. He finished his cup of tea in silence and said nothing more.

Through the small window of the tea room, a crestfallen Wang Zaiwu and a triumphant Liang Meng locked eyes. Liang Meng gave him a wink: it worked.

After sleeping in, Lin Qing had nothing pressing to do, so she picked up some breakfast and headed across the street to the All Seasons to find Lu Zhou.

In the corridor, just as she was nearing his room, Lin Qing noticed the door was ajar. Voices were coming from inside.

“Well, that’s your problem to figure out! These are all the voided letters of intent! As for the invitational next month, the Xiamen side still hasn’t sent us an invitation as of now! This is the price of being ‘honest’!”

After those words, Lin Qing saw a middle-aged man come storming out of Lu Zhou’s room.

Their eyes met for a moment — in his, she caught a glimpse of disappointment and anxiety, with a residue of barely-contained anger.

Through the gap in the door, Lin Qing watched Lu Zhou pick up the contracts that had been thrown down, flip through them briefly, then stand — and toss the entire stack into the bin.

Lin Qing hesitated for a moment. In the end, she didn’t go in. She turned and made her way back alone, still carrying breakfast.

She genuinely didn’t know what she would even say to Lu Zhou, walking in on a scene like that.

Lin Qing wandered back to the apartment building below, breakfast in hand, and then — as though something had suddenly clicked into place — she dialed a number. One of her colleagues in Longquan’s sales and marketing department.

“Cindy, I wanted to ask — Longquan had previously expressed interest in signing Lu Zhou as a brand ambassador. Given the current situation…”

The other person had barely heard half of what Lin Qing said before cutting in impatiently: “Why are you asking about this?”

Lin Qing stiffened, and out of sheer necessity, told a small lie: “Oh — President Liang asked me to look into it.”

“President Liang, ah—” The tone on the other end shifted one hundred and eighty degrees. “Lu Zhou remains a candidate for brand ambassador. Our marketing team is still in the assessment process. The relevant colleagues will push things forward as soon as possible, and will align with the president’s office on the finer details.”

“Great. Thank you…”

“Don’t mention it.” The call ended.

The title of “the right hand of the president” still carried weight — but Lin Qing also felt a faint unease that her little move might have overstepped.

Still, whatever else was uncertain, Lu Zhou’s chances with the Longquan endorsement were still alive.

Her phone rang. Lu Zhou.

Lin Qing stood in the middle of the road, staring in the direction of the All Seasons Hotel.

She honestly couldn’t work out how, even now, Lu Zhou still had the heart to be thinking about other people.

He himself was barely keeping afloat, wasn’t he?

“No — no need, we can… look on our own.” Lin Qing politely declined.

“Why so formal with me? I’ll drive over now to pick you and your mother up. I’ve found two places in Jiuting — the specs and pricing are both pretty good.”

“Then… all right.”

Lin Qing agreed, picked up her breakfast, and quickened her step toward home.

“Mom! Lu Zhou’s coming in a bit to take us to look at apartments.”

Lin Qing called this out as she put down her things.

Lin Qing’s mother was delighted at the news, her mouth running straight ahead of her: “That Lu Zhou! Such a good young man! The more I see him, the more I like him! No, today I’m going to formally claim him as my godson!”

Lin Qing’s watchfulness kicked right back in. She knew her mother’s habit of prying into everything, and dreaded the thought of her poking at Lu Zhou’s sore spots, so she added: “Mom, don’t say anything ridiculous to Lu Zhou when he gets here! And especially — do not bring up the competition.”

“Why not?”

“He just lost a match recently.”

“Oh, oh, oh — got it, got it! Don’t worry, sweetheart!”

Her mother sounded absolutely cooperative.

But the moment Lin Qing got in the car, she could have kicked herself.

Because Lin Qing’s mother’s very first words after climbing into the front passenger seat were: “Lu Zhou! Lin Qing told me not to bring up the competition — said you just lost a match and you’re feeling low about it. Well, I’ll tell you what I think: eat, drink, and be merry regardless! Don’t let anything weigh on you! Nothing in this life matters except life and death itself. A real man can always start again from scratch!”

Lin Qing sat in the back seat with her face buried in her hands. She deserved to be under the car, not inside it.

Lu Zhou, unbothered, just smiled: “Thank you for the encouragement, Auntie. I’m really fine.”

“Of course you’re fine! Never let yourself get angry when others do — if I die of spite, who wins…” Lin Qing’s mother kept up a steady stream of chatter.

Finally they pulled up and got out, and Lin Qing’s ears could breathe again.

Then Lu Zhou came up beside her and murmured close to her ear: “Lin Qing — you really do care about me.”

Lin Qing’s face went instantly crimson. She lowered her head and sped up her steps, still stubbornly talking back: “I don’t care about you. My mom just likes to say whatever comes into her head. I always remind her before we go anywhere, and she always…”

Lu Zhou’s smile wouldn’t stop spreading across his face.

They followed the real estate agent and looked at several units.

In the end, Lin Qing and her mother lingered in a second-floor unit in an old, well-worn building.

Though it was old and modest, outside the window grew an enormous plane tree — fulfilling Lin Qing’s quiet dream of living in a home beneath a row of plane trees.

Lin Qing’s mother cared nothing about trees. She quietly pulled the real estate agent aside and asked a few questions in a low voice.

“Miss — let me ask you something. Is this place close to a cemetery? Would it be easy to visit a grave from here?”

The real estate agent was utterly thrown off by the question but managed to answer with a somewhat awkward smile: “The road to Suzhou passes through this area — so yes, it would be convenient.”

Lin Qing’s mother nodded, then asked: “What’s the total price on this one?”

The agent did a quick calculation: “Three point five million all in. If it’s your first property purchase, you’d put down a third as a deposit, plus there are various government subsidy policies that apply.”

“So the deposit would be a little over one million?” Lin Qing’s mother’s expression tightened slightly. “The thing is, right now I can only put together around nine hundred thousand…”

Between the money from selling the old house and her savings — including the death benefit she’d set aside from Lin Qing’s father’s passing over the years, everything she’d taken out — they were still short by roughly two hundred thousand.

Just then, their conversation was overheard by Lu Zhou, who happened to be nearby.

He stepped over and smiled easily, offering without a second thought: “Auntie, please don’t worry about that. I have some funds in my account. I can support Lin Qing for the time being.”

Lin Qing, hearing this, felt anything but reassured. She knew Lu Zhou was essentially in a state of semi-unemployment right now — there was no way she could accept his loan.

Lin Qing’s mother smiled on the surface: “Thank you, Lu Zhou! We’ll go home and think about it more.”

The agent, sensing the deal still had a decent chance of closing, looked at Lu Zhou and asked Lin Qing’s mother with a grin: “Is this your future son-in-law? This looks exactly like a prospective mother-in-law bringing her daughter and her boyfriend to look at their future home! What a lucky family, Auntie! And what a generous young man he is already!”

Lin Qing and Lu Zhou both immediately put their hands up: “No, no — we’re just friends.”

“Of course, I understand.” The agent gave a very knowing smile.

Just as they were about to get back in the car, Lin Qing’s mother suddenly said: “Oh! I just remembered — I need to pop back in to use the bathroom.”

“Mom, I’ll come with you!”

“No, no, no, no!” Lin Qing’s mother waved her hands vigorously. “The agent can take me. You two wait in the car!”

Lin Qing started to insist, but her mother had already walked far enough away with the agent.

A dozen or so meters out, Lin Qing’s mother turned immediately to the agent: “Miss, I need to ask you something. You just heard that young man offer to lend us money toward the apartment. If he does lend us money — would that give him any share in the property?”

“Oh, Auntie! At this point he’s practically your future son-in-law already — why talk of lending and not lending?”

The agent was beginning to understand exactly what this “bathroom break” was really about.

“Still, this kind of situation does come up quite a bit,” the agent continued. “If you buy the apartment outright for your daughter — with only your daughter’s name on the title — then it’s considered her pre-marital asset. A future husband wouldn’t be entitled to a single cent of it. But with your situation just now, it gets more complicated…”

Lin Qing’s mother nodded thoughtfully.

The agent adopted a different, more reassuring tone: “That said, it’s also not necessarily a problem! Even within a family, it pays to be careful. If you’re short on funds right now, you could have your daughter get your future son-in-law to sign a promissory note — with a clear written agreement attached, specifying that the borrowed sum used for the property purchase is to be repaid in cash only, and that the apartment purchased is entirely separate from and unrelated to any future claim from the borrower. Both parties sign, and it does carry some legal weight.”

“Good. Thank you so much.”

Lin Qing’s mother grabbed the agent’s hand and pumped it enthusiastically.