Jiang Zhe happened to walk into the pantry at that moment and overheard the conversation.
He froze.
He and Cheng Yuan had always believed that Rong Ci wouldn’t truly be willing to leave the company.
They were convinced she would find an opportunity to stay.
Yesterday, when Xu Xuena arrived to take over her duties, they had expected Rong Ci to make a move.
After all, Xu Xuena was exceptionally beautiful and glamorous.
How could Rong Ci possibly feel at ease leaving a woman like that by Feng Tingshen’s side?
Yet, over the past two days, Rong Ci had not only accepted Xu Xuena but also gotten along with her perfectly.
And now, she was actually going to teach Xu Xuena how to brew coffee?
What on earth was going on?
Rong Ci had no idea what was going through Jiang Zhe’s mind.
She finished her work conscientiously, politely declined Xu Xuena’s invitation to dinner, and planned to go home for a quick meal before continuing her research on AI.
She had just left the office when her phone rang.
It was Feng Jingxin.
“Mommy, are you done with work?”
Rong Ci got into her car and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I want crispy pork strips and water chestnut lean pork soup.
Can you come home and make them for me?”
Rong Ci paused.
She and Feng Tingshen weren’t officially divorced yet, and he hadn’t called to demand that she move out.
If she wanted to go back and cook dinner for her daughter, she was sure Feng Tingshen wouldn’t have any objections.
But…
She was feeling a bit tired right now, and she had her own plans.
Feng Jingxin was indeed her responsibility, but she had her own life as well.
She would no longer unconditionally sacrifice her own time for her daughter.She said, “Mommy has something to do today.
Maybe next time.”
In the past, Rong Ci had always prioritized Feng Tingshen and Feng Jingxin above everything else.
She would almost never say no to them.
Today, however, she had rejected her daughter twice in a row.
Although Feng Jingxin didn’t notice this shift and simply assumed her mother was truly busy, she was so accustomed to being her mother’s top priority that she rarely faced such rejections.
Feeling wronged, she whined, “Why do you always have so much to do lately, Mommy?
I don’t care!
I want crispy pork strips and water chestnut soup!”
“Xinxin…”
Rong Ci felt a headache coming on.
Feng Jingxin let out an indignant “Hmph!” and angrily hung up the phone.
Sitting in her car, Rong Ci’s eyes reddened.
She covered her face with her hand and sat in silence for a long time before finally driving away.
When she got home, she simply had a bowl of noodles.
She had just turned on her computer when Yu Moxun called.
“There’s a banquet in a few days.
Would you accompany me?
I’d like to introduce some people to you.”
“Sure.”
Yu Moxun asked again, “When will you be done with the handover on your end?”
“Soon.
It should be ready in a few days.”
“That’s good.”
On the other side.After hanging up, Feng Jingxin expected Rong Ci to rush home immediately to coax her and cook for her.
But she waited and waited.
Over an hour passed.
It was nearly 8:00 PM, and Rong Ci still hadn’t returned.Worried that the little girl might go hungry, the housekeeper advised, “Since Madam is busy, Miss, why don’t you have something small to tide you over first?
She can cook for you when she gets back…”
Feng Jingxin pouted.
Seeing that Rong Ci hadn’t returned for so long and hadn’t even called once, she felt genuinely aggrieved.
The moment the housekeeper mentioned it, she burst into tears.
“I want to eat Mommy’s cooking—”
“But…”
Assuming Rong Ci truly had urgent business that prevented her from returning, the housekeeper had no choice.
After a moment’s thought, he called Feng Tingshen.
It took a while before Feng Tingshen answered on the other end.
“What is it?”
The housekeeper explained everything in detail.
Feng Tingshen said, “Give her the phone.”
Feng Jingxin took the phone, sobbing, “Daddy…”
“Eat first.”
Wiping her tears, Feng Jingxin stubbornly refused to speak.
Feng Tingshen remained silent as well.
Feng Jingxin cried even harder.
In a calm, indifferent tone, Feng Tingshen said, “I’ll take you out to play this weekend.
You can choose the place.”
The sound of sobbing stopped abruptly.
“Really?”
“Mhm.
Eat first.”
“Have you eaten, Daddy?”
“I’m at a business dinner.”
“Oh…”
“Go eat.”
“Okay…”
Feng Jingxin pouted, but her mood improved.
Hanging up the phone, she obediently went downstairs for dinner.After ending the call, Feng Tingshen returned to the private dining room.
Someone inside teased, “President Feng always seems to be getting phone calls.”
Taking a sip of his wine, Feng Tingshen replied, “My daughter is throwing a tantrum and refusing to eat.
I just coaxed her a bit.”
Hearing this, everyone’s expressions varied.
Over the past few years, there had been rumors that Feng Tingshen had been married years ago, but no one knew who his wife was.
Others claimed he wasn’t married at all.
They didn’t know the truth, nor did they dare to pry.
Now, hearing Feng Tingshen voluntarily mention having a daughter, many were utterly astonished.
But beyond that, they didn’t dare to ask any more questions….
After dinner, Feng Jingxin kept waiting for Rong Ci.
Waiting for her to come home.It was past 9:00 PM, and she had already taken a bath, but Rong Ci still hadn’t returned.
She kept her ears open for any sounds from outside.
Shortly after 10:00 PM, hearing the sound of a car outside, her eyes lit up.
She dashed downstairs, calling out, “Mommy—”
But before she could finish her sentence, the cheerful voice died in her throat when she saw Feng Tingshen stepping through the door.
“Daddy?”
Handing his jacket to the housekeeper, Feng Tingshen didn’t miss the disappointment on her face.
“What’s wrong?”
“I thought Mommy was back…”
Feng Tingshen wasn’t jealous over the so-called “child only has her mother in her heart, not her father.”
He paused briefly.
“She hasn’t come back yet?”
“Mhm…”
Unfazed, Feng Tingshen said, “She must be busy with something.
Didn’t she promise to take you to school tomorrow morning?
Go to bed early, and you’ll see her when you wake up.”
Hearing this, Feng Jingxin finally cheered up a bit. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“Alright.”
After going upstairs, Feng Tingshen headed to his study to handle some work.
By the time he finished, it was nearly midnight.
He had assumed Rong Ci would have returned while he was busy.
But upon returning to his room, he found that she wasn’t there.
She hadn’t come back.
It seemed the Rong family really had encountered some major issue.
Thinking this, Feng Tingshen calmly headed into the bathroom.
The next morning.Because she needed to take Feng Jingxin to school, Rong Ci got up early.
After having a light breakfast, she drove out of the residential complex.
As her car entered the familiar villa estate, Rong Ci was momentarily dazed.
She had lived here for nearly seven years.
Yet, having been away for only a little over twenty days, it felt as though she hadn’t returned in half a lifetime.
In reality, nothing about the trees or grass had changed.
Yet, Rong Ci was already beginning to feel a sense of unfamiliarity toward the place.
Spotting her, the housekeeper hurried out to greet her.
“Madam is back.”
Hesitating slightly at the housekeeper’s form of address, Rong Ci ultimately didn’t correct him.
She simply acknowledged it and asked, “Where is Xinxin?”
“She probably hasn’t woken up yet.”
It was actually about time.
If Feng Jingxin didn’t come downstairs for breakfast soon, she’d be late.
However, Rong Ci had no intention of going upstairs herself; she merely asked Aunt Liu to go up and hurry her along.
“Has Madam had breakfast?
It’s all ready.
Would you like to…”
Rong Ci offered a faint smile and shook her head.
“No need, I’ve already eaten.”
“I see.
Alright…”
Just then, Feng Tingshen came downstairs.
Rong Ci looked at him.
She didn’t say a word, merely giving a slight nod as a greeting.
Feng Tingshen’s footsteps paused.
Before he could speak, Feng Jingxin came running down from upstairs and threw herself into Rong Ci’s arms.
Holding her daughter, Rong Ci gently stroked her hair and smiled.
“It’s getting late.
Hurry up and eat breakfast.”
“Mhm!”
Sure enough, Mommy was right there as soon as she woke up!
Nuzzling against Rong Ci and breathing in her familiar, comforting scent, Feng Jingxin felt completely content.
Happily pulling Rong Ci along, she asked, “Then Mommy can eat with me.”
Rong Ci didn’t get up.
“Mommy has already eaten.
You go ahead.”
Feng Jingxin coaxed, “Then Mommy can just talk to me while I eat.”
While the mother and daughter were chatting, Feng Tingshen had already taken his seat in the dining room.
Unable to refuse her daughter, Rong Ci accompanied Feng Jingxin to the dining room and sat down directly across from Feng Tingshen.The housekeeper poured a glass of water for Rong Ci.
Sipping it quietly, she listened attentively as Feng Jingxin enthusiastically recounted everything that had happened at school the day before.
As for Feng Tingshen, she completely ignored him.
Feng Tingshen naturally noticed the shift in Rong Ci’s attitude toward him.
She had acted exactly the same way during their last visit to the old estate.
Thinking of this, Feng Tingshen frowned, his hand pausing mid-bite.