The two colleagues standing beside Rong Ci stole glances at Lin Wu while hastily stepping back, pressing themselves against the wall.
Lin Wu noticed Rong Ci as well.
However, she looked away coldly almost immediately, clearly not thinking much of her. Surrounded by several managers, she stepped into the elevator.
Once the elevator doors hissed shut, Rong Ci's colleagues breathed a sigh of relief before diving excitedly into gossip.
"That must have been CEO Feng's girlfriend just now, right? My god, she's gorgeous. Everything she's wearing is designer must be incredibly expensive. She really carries that effortless poise and presence of someone born into wealth. There is a literal wall between us ordinary people and someone like her!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
As they spoke, they turned to Rong Ci and asked in hushed tones, "Rong Ci, what do you think?"
Rong Ci lowered her gaze and said softly, "Yes."
In truth, Lin Wu was her father's illegitimate daughter.
Though, calling her an "illegitimate daughter" might not be entirely accurate.
After all, when Rong Ci was eight years old, her father had insisted on divorcing her mother to marry Lin Wu's mother, all so that Lin Wu and her mother wouldn't have to suffer any more "grievances."
After the divorce, Rong Ci had lived with her grandmother and uncle, caring for her mother, who had suffered a mental breakdown.
Over the years, her uncle's business had steadily declined while the Lin family's business flourished.
She had heard that to compensate for the hardships Lin Wu faced during her childhood, her father gave her the absolute best of everything, spending a fortune to groom her.
Lin Wu had lived up to those expectations; by all accounts, she was exceptionally talented.
The once-illegitimate daughter was now a legitimate heiress of a wealthy family.
After more than a decade of living as a pampered young miss, the aura of a high-society daughter was far more prominent in Lin Wu than it had ever been in Rong Ci, even back when she was the "true" daughter.
Rong Ci had thought that after their childhood, their paths would never cross again.
Yet, Heaven seemed to have a special favor for Lin Wu.
Rong Ci and Feng Tingshen were childhood sweethearts of a sort, but no matter how hard she tried, he never had eyes for her. Instead, he had fallen hopelessly in love with Lin Wu the very first moment he saw her.
"Rong Ci, are you alright?"
Seeing that Rong Ci's face had turned pale, her colleagues looked at her with concern.
Rong Ci snapped back to reality. "I'm fine."
She and Feng Tingshen would be divorced soon. Whoever he loved would have nothing to do with her anymore.
That day, Rong Ci paid no further attention to the matters between Feng Tingshen and Lin Wu.
She worked overtime until nearly nine o'clock. Just as she was finishing up her tasks, her phone rang. It was a call from her best friend, Chu Zilan.
When Rong Ci answered, she was told that Chu Zilan was drunk and needed to be picked up from a restaurant and taken home.
Rong Ci quickly handled the remaining documents, grabbed her car keys, and left the office.
Twenty minutes later, she arrived at her destination.
As she stepped out of the car and headed toward the entrance, a little girl walked out from the parking lot on the other side.
Rong Ci's footsteps froze when she saw the girl's profile clearly.
Xinxin?
Shouldn't she be at school in Country A? Why was she... Had she returned home with Feng Tingshen?
Rong Ci's position didn't allow her access to confidential company documents, but she knew that Feng Tingshen's expansion work in Country A still required some time to be fully completed.
She had assumed Feng Tingshen was only back for a short trip to handle a few matters.
She never expected that their daughter had returned with him.
She didn't know exactly when they had arrived, but judging by the fact that she had seen Feng Tingshen that morning, they must have been back for at least a day.
Yet, from start to finish, her daughter hadn't called her once to tell her she was home.
At that thought, Rong Ci gripped her handbag tightly. Watching the small, happy figure skipping ahead, she quietly followed.
As she reached a corner in the lobby, Lin Wu and several of Feng Tingshen's friends appeared at the end of the hallway.
Rong Ci immediately stepped aside to hide. She then heard her daughter cry out happily, "Auntie Wu-Wu!" before running forward and throwing herself into Lin Wu's arms.
Rong Ci sat down on a nearby sofa with her back to them, using a large green plant and the back of the chair to shield herself from view.
"Xinxin, you came back too?"
"Because you came home, Auntie Wu-Wu! Daddy and I both missed you, so Daddy finished his work early and brought me back! We made sure to come back the day before your birthday so we wouldn't miss it!"
"This is a necklace Daddy and I made for you with our own hands. Happy Birthday, Auntie Wu-Wu!"
"Wow, Xinxin and your daddy made this themselves? That must have taken so much effort. You're amazing, Xinxin. I love it! Thank you!"
"I'm just glad you like it, Auntie Wu-Wu~"
Feng Jingxin hugged Lin Wu and acted spoiled. "I haven't seen you in a whole week, Auntie Wu-Wu. I missed you so much. If I couldn't call you every day, I wouldn't have been able to stay in Country A at all these last few days..."
"I missed Xinxin too."
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached from the side.
Rong Ci went still.
It was Feng Tingshen.
Even without seeing him, Rong Ci could tell just by the sound of his footsteps.
She was certain because, in the six or seven years of their marriage, she had spent almost every day waiting for him.
Feng Tingshen's gait was exactly like his personality steady, unhurried, and calm.
Even when dealing with his close relatives in the Feng family, he remained composed, almost indifferent, as if he wouldn't even bat an eye if the sky fell.
She had once believed that nothing and no one in this world could disturb his peace of mind.
But then Lin Wu had appeared.
And suddenly, there was an exception to that rule.
Rong Ci didn't have time to dwell on the past before she heard her daughter call out, "Daddy!"
Feng Tingshen's friends also greeted him one after another.
Feng Tingshen gave a brief acknowledgment before turning to Lin Wu. "Happy Birthday."
Lin Wu smiled. "Thank you."
"Daddy, didn't you prepare another birthday present for Auntie Wu-Wu? Hurry up and give it to her!"
The group suddenly went quiet. Then, one of Feng Tingshen's friends burst out laughing and leaned down to pinch Feng Jingxin's cheek. "That's a private gift your daddy prepared for Auntie Wu-Wu. He'll probably give it to her when they're alone. We shouldn't interfere, haha!"
The others joined in with knowing, teasing laughter.
At that moment, Feng Tingshen spoke. "I already gave it to her."
"Huh? When?" Feng Jingxin pouted. "Daddy, you went to see Auntie Wu-Wu behind my back again without taking me! Hmph!"
Feng Tingshen's friends roared with laughter.
Rong Ci, however, remembered Lin Wu's visit to the Feng Group that morning.
He must have given it to her then.
Lin Wu gave a shy smile and said, "Let's not just stand here. Let's go upstairs."
The sound of their footsteps gradually faded.
Rong Ci's mind went blank.
A sharp, stinging pain spread through her heart. It was a long time before she managed to pull herself together. She silently entered the elevator and went upstairs to help her friend.
The private booth where Chu Zilan was was actually on the same floor as Lin Wu and the others.
As Rong Ci was supporting Chu Zilan into the elevator, Feng Tingshen's friend, Qi Yuming, suddenly paused in his tracks.
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