20
Someone is Waiting for You to Come Back
In the car, the driver’s eyes occasionally drifted toward the two people in the back seat.
He hadn’t been working for long, but aside from that Ms. Qin from last time, this was only the second person he’d seen sitting next to Mr. Fu.
Lin Yuxi caught the driver’s glance and thought he was asking for the address, so she added, “Fenglin Campus, thank you.”
The driver immediately averted his gaze, not daring to look back again. “I understand. Mr. Fu mentioned it earlier.”
Fu Tingchuan took out his tablet and began handling business matters, his slender fingers gliding effortlessly across the screen.
“Do you like children?”
He asked abruptly, his expression unreadable, as if just making casual conversation to lighten the mood.
But to Lin Yuxi, it was clearly a probe into Haohao’s existence.
“I prefer ‘cloud parenting.’”
The atmosphere in the car grew quiet.
As everyone knew, aside from working diligently like a bee every day, Fu Tingchuan hardly ever surfed the internet.
As Feng Zixu put it, this man was a workaholic—even the smart robots of the future wouldn’t be as efficient as Fu Tingchuan.
Lin Yuxi didn’t expect him to share common interests with her either.
Fortunately, the driver was perceptive and chimed in cheerfully, “Young folks these days are all into ‘cloud parenting,’ aren’t they? No need to give birth or raise a child—just enjoy the cuteness of little ones.”
Lin Yuxi smiled faintly. “I’m not that young anymore.”
“Hey, what do you mean not young?” the driver said, as if she’d said something outrageous. “You look like you just graduated from college. Your skin is so radiant.”
“…”
That comment inadvertently offended the boss.
Lin Yuxi was only one year behind Fu Tingchuan in school, and she also had a six-year-old son.
“How should I address you?”
The driver replied, “My surname is Zhang.”
Lin Yuxi nodded. “Uncle Zhang, I think your mindset is much younger than most people’s. You even know about ‘cloud parenting.’”
Fu Tingchuan, having been subtly called old, didn’t seem angered. Instead, he asked Lin Yuxi, “What do you plan to do with the house in Songhu Bay?”
That house belonged to Lin Yuxi.
After all, when they got married, Lin Yuxi had served as a shield in front of the media—it was her rightful compensation.
Lin Yuxi thought Fu Tingchuan was asking about the division of assets. “If it can be sold, then let’s sell it.”
The existence of that marital home was a constant reminder of her failed marriage. It would be best to sell it and cash out.
A trace of anger crept into Fu Tingchuan’s tone. “What?”
Lin Yuxi frowned. Wasn’t he the one who asked how she wanted to handle the house?
Fu Tingchuan rubbed his temples. “Do you have a problem with that house?”
Lin Yuxi turned to look out the window. “Yes, I don’t like it.”
The atmosphere grew tense.
Uncle Zhang didn’t dare to speak, though he couldn’t help wondering in his heart what exactly the relationship was between Mr. Fu and this young woman.
Talking about children, then about a house—clearly, their relationship was anything but ordinary.
…
The car arrived at Fenglin Residential Area.
Uncle Zhang leaned forward, peering through the windshield as he scanned the residential building. He couldn’t resist reminding her, “Miss, it seems you forgot to turn off the lights before you left.”
Without thinking, Lin Yuxi replied, “No, I didn’t.”
But as soon as she spoke, she glanced outside and froze instantly.
At this hour of the night, with countless households lit up, every resident in the Fenglin building seemed to be home, their lights blazing brightly—not a single unit’s lights were off.
Wasn’t this equivalent to hanging a sign on her forehead, blatantly declaring that Lin Yuxi did not live alone?
The driver suddenly slapped his forehead and corrected himself, “Oh, little girl, you see, Uncle Zhang is getting old, and my brain doesn’t work as fast. There’s someone waiting for you to go home.”
“…”
What else could Lin Yuxi say? Without even glancing at Fu Tingchuan, she pretended to be composed, pushed the car door open, said a “thank you,” and left.
Inside the car, Fu Tingchuan’s phone rang. It rang several times, but he showed no intention of answering it.
Uncle Zhang gripped the steering wheel, his palms sweaty.
Had he said something wrong? Was he about to be fired? It had been so hard to find this high-paying, low-effort job…
“President Fu, I just hit it off with that young lady and chatted a bit more. If I offended you in any way, I hope you won’t take it to heart.”
Fu Tingchuan didn’t respond. Instead, he answered the call. “Speak.”
Ji Chi’s voice came through: “President Fu, the workers say the house at Songhu Bay has been vacant for years and is in disrepair. Renovating it would be a massive project.”
“No need to renovate,” Fu Tingchuan said before hanging up.
Through the rearview mirror, Uncle Zhang noticed Fu Tingchuan’s grim expression and decided not to say anything more. He silently started the car.
As soon as Lin Yuxi opened the door, a small hand grabbed hers, pulling her to the sofa and pressing her down by the shoulders.
She saw Lin Chenghao holding an ice pack, pressing it against her face.
His movements were quick, but his touch was gentle.
Lin Yuxi smiled. “It’s already almost healed. No need for more ice.”
Lin Chenghao’s little face was tense. “You need to ice it for 24 hours.”
Being bossed around by her son made Lin Yuxi feel both touched and amused. “Alright, but Mommy still needs to wash up and work. And I can’t exactly sleep with an ice pack at night, can I?”
Work?
Lin Chenghao was taken aback. “Mommy, you found a new job already?”
Lin Yuxi beamed. “No, the board at my company rehired me and fired Director Chen.”
“That’s great! Now you can focus on your algorithm research.”
“Yeah, it feels like we’ve finally made it through.”
Lin Yuxi recalled how familiar Duoduo and Haohao had seemed when she picked up her son from school earlier, and she grew curious.
“Sweetie, are you and Duoduo in the same class?”
Lin Chenghao’s hand was getting stiff from the cold, so he switched hands. “Yeah.”
Lin Yuxi took the ice pack and held it herself. “Mommy doesn’t often hear you talk about your classmates, but Duoduo seems to like you a lot.”
“She does like me a lot.”
But then, many of his classmates liked him—too many to count on both hands.
Lin Yuxi thought for a moment. “Your birthday is coming up. Should Mommy throw you a party and invite Duoduo to join?”
Lin Chenghao shook his head. “Let’s skip the party.”
Lin Yuxi knew her son never liked noisy, crowded gatherings, but she still wanted him to interact more with kids his age. She didn’t want him to grow up too serious and mature.
“Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”
Lin Chenghao studied his mother’s expression carefully. “Do you like the idea, Mommy?”
“Yeah, Mommy hasn’t really met many of your kindergarten classmates.”
“Then let’s do it.”
As always, Lin Chenghao gave in and indulged his mother.
“Great!”
Lin Yuxi laughed, wrapping her arms around him and planting several kisses on his cheeks.
The cool sensation pressed against her cheek. Lin Chenghao pursed his lips tightly, raised his arm, paused for a moment, then lowered it again.
Under her son’s watchful eye, Lin Yuxi continued the ice treatment for another half hour before finally washing up and preparing for the challenges of the next day.
Having suddenly risen to the position of director, she knew many would likely hold a grudge against her.
Downstairs in Maple Grove Estates, a luxury car returned after having left earlier.
A tall figure stepped out, long legs unfolding as he leaned against the car door. Between his slender fingers, the glow of a cigarette flickered, now bright, now dim.
All was silent, and one by one, the warm lights in the windows went out.
As the last remaining glimmer of light vanished, the ember of the cigarette burned even brighter.