After Breaking Off the Engagement, The Young Lady Deeply Regretted It - Chapter 12

A row of words recorded Jing Xiao’s childish yet pure emotional changes. She had clumsily written down the details of their past few days together, ending right at the last line with: “Like.”

At first, Fan Qingyu was stunned. The mist in her eyes slowly dissipated, and the huge stone hanging in her heart finally fell. Yet she still didn’t quite understand the meaning behind Jing Xiao’s keeping such notes.

In the end, Fan Qingyu decided to believe Jing Xiao unconditionally. She put the phone back in place, wrapped her arms around Jing Xiao from behind, and fell asleep.

A dreamless night.

The next morning, Jing Xiao didn’t wake up until eight. Still half-asleep, she reached out, but the familiar warmth beside her was already gone—it seemed Fan Qingyu had gotten up very early.

Turning over, she checked the time and thought she couldn’t stay in the lounge forever. After a quick wash, she changed into a shirt and flared pants. Afraid Fan Qingyu might be talking about something important, she even pressed her ear against the door to listen.

“President Fan, your breakfast has been delivered. I also bought one for the madam, as you requested. Is this the right one?” Sarah’s tone was filled with uncertainty.

Fan Qingyu’s soft, sweet voice drifted over: “Yes, she likes this.”

Jing Xiao’s stomach growled on cue. Curious what Fan Qingyu had prepared for her, she pushed the door open.

Sarah tactfully left. Fan Qingyu had just set the food on the table and looked over when she heard the door.

Jing Xiao’s face was rosy, clearly from a good night’s sleep. “Wife, what did you get me?”

“You’re awake?” Fan Qingyu took a slow bite of her sandwich, chewing as she pointed to the greasy bag on the opposite side. “Your breakfast.”

Jing Xiao glanced at the food in front of Fan Qingyu: a cheese bagel, avocado-egg sandwich, and iced Americano—the typical refined office-worker set. And what Fan Qingyu had prepared for her was…

A deluxe egg pancake and a cup of sweet soy milk.

Not exactly elegant, but Fan Qingyu was right—she did prefer egg pancakes, especially stuffed with pork floss, spicy sticks, and sausage.

In fact, Fan Qingyu hadn’t let her eat those before, and she’d sulked for days.

Jing Xiao picked up the egg pancake, the thin crisp layers crunching audibly. Suddenly, Fan Qingyu’s sandwich felt tasteless. Half-full, she set aside her sandwich and turned to her coffee to start working.

Jing Xiao asked, “Wife, aren’t you eating the bagel?”

“I’ll save it for a snack. I don’t want to get sleepy from eating too much.” Fan Qingyu took a large sip of coffee and answered a call. After hearing the report, she nearly spat out her coffee in shock. “What? He’s serious?”

Judging from her reaction, it must have been something outrageous. Jing Xiao quietly observed, not interrupting.

Fan Qingyu accidentally put the call on speaker.

“It’s true. Keke insists on Gao Qiao’s endorsement, or he’ll refuse to cooperate with us.”

Gao Qiao was an old anchor of the Fan Group, joining when they first ventured into e-commerce. Over the years, she had brought in significant profits. With a huge fan base and a righteous character, she had left her old company after seeing upper management mistreat employees.

Now, Fan Group was expanding into the beauty industry, where “Keke” held top influence. Whether they could secure him would determine the success of their entry into this field.

Both sides were important, but it was clear Keke was being deliberate. Fan Qingyu rubbed her temples. “What do you think we should do?”

“President Fan, my suggestion is to give Gao Qiao’s endorsement to Keke, and I’ll find something else for Gao Qiao.”

“Nonsense.” Fan Qingyu’s tone was sharp, afraid he might act rashly. “The news about Gao Qiao’s endorsement is already public, and her expectations are high. She’s a long-time employee. I can’t do something so disheartening.”

Silence on the other end. “Then what do you plan to do?”

Biting her lip, Fan Qingyu made a painful but firm decision: “Isn’t there still the subsidiary’s endorsement? Negotiate with Keke. If not, we’ll have to find someone else.”

The person clearly hated giving up Keke, trying to persuade her: “President Fan, the profits Keke brings won’t be any less than Gao Qiao’s.”

“You know the kind of person I am.” Fan Qingyu let out a long sigh, her tone resolute. “My decision is final.”

The call ended. Fan Qingyu wiped her face roughly, then quickly began drafting new plans and looking for alternative partners to minimize losses.

Jing Xiao, who had heard everything, quietly walked up behind her, massaging her shoulders. “You’ll figure something out.”

Leaning back against Jing Xiao’s stomach, Fan Qingyu redialed the number. “Old Jiang, tell all departments they must finish the data analysis within three days. We need a new partner before next month’s launch event.”

The other party agreed immediately. Fan Qingyu squeezed Jing Xiao’s hand and, instead of continuing the stressful talk, asked, “What do you want for lunch?”

Jing Xiao didn’t want to dwell on the unpleasant matter either. After a moment of thought, she tilted her head closer. “There’s a new barbecue buffet nearby. I want to try it. Would that be okay?”

The last words were tentative. A buffet was far from a high-class restaurant, and Fan Qingyu usually had no second option when it came to food. But Jing Xiao genuinely wanted to go, and sometimes a bit of everyday comfort food was better than fine dining.

Fan Qingyu’s temple twitched. Meeting Jing Xiao’s bright eyes, she agreed without hesitation.

Jing Xiao pulled over a chair, a little upset she couldn’t help more. Still, she thought speaking out might help lighten Fan Qingyu’s burden. “Xiao Yu, some people just aren’t meant for cooperation.”

“This kind of thing is common. Maybe it’s different from the tech projects you’re used to.” Fan Qingyu gave a weary smile, speaking to her like a child. “Alright, don’t worry. I can handle it. Why don’t you go ahead and book us a table?”

Jing Xiao’s heart tightened. Fan Qingyu, bare-faced and haggard from overwork, looked almost like a tragic heroine. Since their last visit to the Fan family estate, she had stopped being willful and was like a completely different person. Jing Xiao realized she actually missed her playful, dependent side more.

That change left her heart feeling strangely hollow.

“Xiao Xiao? Xiao Xiao?” Snapping back to focus, Jing Xiao scratched her head apologetically. “Sorry, did you say make a reservation?”

Fan Qingyu chuckled, squeezing her hand warmly. “No need to book the whole place, and it’s too late anyway. Just reserve us a table.”

Later, with an important meeting ahead, Fan Qingyu left Jing Xiao in the office. Jing Xiao scrolled through videos for a while, then, realizing it was nearly lunch, grabbed the car keys and waited outside the meeting room.

The walls weren’t glass, so she couldn’t see inside. Bored, she kept refreshing the buffet’s coupons.

“Madam, why are you here?” Sarah’s curious voice sounded.

Jing Xiao couldn’t resist blushing at “madam.” She waved it off. “Just call me Miss Jing.”

“Alright, Miss Jing.” Since Bella was inside with Fan Qingyu, Sarah sat beside her. With nothing to talk about, they sat in silence until Sarah asked, “Miss Jing, do you like egg pancakes?”

Jing Xiao nodded.

The silence became even more awkward.

Suddenly, Fan Qingyu’s furious voice thundered from inside the meeting room, echoing down the hallway. A bad feeling crept over Jing Xiao as she waited nervously for the meeting to end.

When it did, Sarah and Jing Xiao both hurried up. Fan Qingyu had already calmed down. She told Sarah, “I’ll be having lunch with Miss Jing today. No need to buy mine.”

“Understood.”

Bella gathered the documents. Jing Xiao helped carry Fan Qingyu’s bag, shaking the car keys playfully. “I’ll drive today. You should rest.”

“What happened? You were so angry.” Jing Xiao handed her a bottle of iced tea from the vending machine as she started the car.

“The quarterly report was a mess,” Fan Qingyu replied curtly.

Jing Xiao focused on driving, leaving no room for chatter. Fan Qingyu leaned against her hand, gazing out the window as sunlight streamed in, lighting up her hair.

The barbecue place was close to the office. Within minutes, they arrived. After the opening-week discounts ended, the crowds had thinned, leaving the large space somewhat empty.

“Hello, table for two?” the waitress asked.

“Yes.”

They were seated by the window. Fan Qingyu frowned at the greasy table, poured out the chrysanthemum tea, and carefully wiped it down with tissues before sitting.

“What do you want to eat?” Jing Xiao asked.

Fan Qingyu glanced at the raw, bloody meats laid out on display and felt a wave of nausea. She settled for a bowl of sweet soup from the snack section. “No appetite.”

Jing Xiao fetched her some small cakes. “I’ll grill. You just eat later.”

Fan Qingyu said nothing, slipping on disposable gloves to accompany her. Jing Xiao picked out several plates of meat. Passing by the seafood section, she asked, “Xiao Yu, want some shrimp?”

Fan Qingyu slowly used the tongs to add shrimp to her plate. Jing Xiao circled back, deciding they had enough, and returned to Fan Qingyu’s side.

Fan Qingyu held up the plate. “This much enough?”

“Plenty.”

“Who’s this~?” A drawn-out, mocking female voice suddenly cut in. Both of them turned to see Pei Lü smiling at them.

Jing Xiao’s face darkened. “What are you doing here?”

“Why can’t I be here?” Pei Lü shrugged, striding over as if it were her own place. “Don’t tell me you think I followed you just for little Yu.”

She hit the sore spot—Pei Lü had indeed done that before. Jing Xiao arched a brow, taking a step back. “Wouldn’t put it past you.”

Unfazed, Pei Lü sneered, “Jing Xiao, you’re so rude.”

Jing Xiao shot back, “Right back at you.”

The air grew tense. Rivals meeting, eyes blazing.

Fan Qingyu didn’t know how to mediate. She tugged Jing Xiao’s hand. “I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

“Ah Lü, what’s going on?”

Both Jing Xiao and Fan Qingyu froze, staring in shock at the newcomer.

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