He didn't give it much more thought, assuming Rong Ci had likely returned to the Rong family home.
As he entered the bathroom, a memory flickered whenever Rong Ci went back to the Rong family, she always took Feng Jingxin with her. Today was a rare exception; she hadn't taken their daughter.
Had she not gone back to the Rong family after all? Or perhaps something had happened there.
Recalling what Cheng Yuan had mentioned before they left the office that afternoon, Feng Tingshen felt more certain of the latter. He paused for a moment, but ultimately decided not to interfere.
The next morning, Feng Tingshen spoke to Feng Jingxin over breakfast. "Your enrollment paperwork is finished. You'll report to school tomorrow morning."
"I know," Feng Jingxin said, wrinkling her small nose. "Dad, can you take me to school tomorrow?"
"I'm not sure if I'll be free."
"Alright then." Feng Jingxin's eyes darted around before lighting up with excitement. "I'll call Aunt Lin Wu in a bit and ask her to take me instead."
Before Feng Tingshen could respond, his phone began to ring. It was a call from the family's old residence. When he answered, the voice of Old Mrs. Feng came through the line.
"I heard you're back in the country?"
"Yes."
"Did Xinxin come back with you?"
"She did."
"I haven't seen that girl in so long; I miss her. Bring Rong Ci and Xinxin over for dinner tonight."
"Understood."
The old lady added, "Where is Rong Ci? Let me speak to her for a moment."
"She isn't here."
"Not there? At this hour?"
"She's likely back at the Rong family home."
"Likely? You're her husband; do you mean to tell me you have no idea where your own wife is?"
Feng Tingshen remained silent.
"You—"
The old lady sighed, eventually falling into a silence of her own.
Only then did Feng Tingshen's tone soften slightly, though he quickly changed the subject. "Have you eaten?"
"I'm already full from anger!"
Feng Tingshen offered a small smile, continuing his breakfast with his usual methodical pace.
Old Mrs. Feng knew her grandson had been independent and strong-willed since childhood. The current state of his marriage to Rong Ci was already a massive concession on his part. Given his temperament, she couldn't push him too hard, even if it was for his own good.
Thinking of this, she sighed again. "Forget it. This old woman has nothing left to say to you. Humph."
"Mm. See you tonight."
"You humph!"
Infuriated, the old lady hung up.
Feng Jingxin hadn't been paying much attention at first, but she caught the tail end of the conversation. Curious, she asked, "Dad, who was that?"
"Your Great-Grandmother." Remembering the request, Feng Tingshen pulled up Rong Ci's number. "She wants us to go over for dinner tonight."
Old Mrs. Feng was very good to Feng Jingxin, and the girl adored her. She chirped happily, "Great! I haven't seen her in a long time either. I miss her too."
Feng Tingshen gave a distracted "Mm" as he looked at his phone.
At that moment, Rong Ci was also having breakfast at the Rong family home. When she saw Feng Tingshen's name on the screen, she froze for a heartbeat. She no longer felt that surge of pleasant surprise or joy at his calls. After a two-second hesitation, she picked up. "Hello?"
"Grandmother wants us to go back for dinner tonight."
Rong Ci paused. "...Alright, I understand."
"Pick up the child and bring her over this evening."
Rong Ci didn't want to go back to his place. Besides, even if she went to get her daughter personally, Jingxin might not even be happy to see her. Why bother with a thankless task?
She replied, "Have the driver bring her. I'll drive there myself after work."
It would be rush hour when they finished work; her suggestion was certainly the most efficient. However, Rong Ci had always insisted on handling everything involving Feng Jingxin personally, finding joy in even the most tedious tasks.
Hearing her say this now, Feng Tingshen felt a flicker of surprise. But he didn't dwell on it; it was a minor matter, not worth overanalyzing. "Understood."
He hung up.
This time, Feng Jingxin knew exactly who had been on the other end of the line. "Was that Mom?"
"Mm."
"So, Mom is coming with us to Great-Grandmother's?"
"Mm."
Upon hearing this, Feng Jingxin's brow furrowed reflexively. It wasn't that she didn't want to see her mother, nor was it that she didn't miss her. In fact, it had been a long time since they'd met, and her mother hadn't contacted her for over half a month something that had never happened before. Deep down, she actually did miss her.
But the fact that her mother could go to the old residence tonight meant she was returning from her business trip today. Feng Jingxin had only learned her mother was away on business the morning after she had arrived back in the country.
Seeing her mother wasn't home had made her incredibly happy. She had wanted to use these days to spend more time with Aunt Lin Wu, knowing that once her mother was back, those meetings would become difficult.
She had been hoping her mother would stay away just a little longer. She hadn't expected her to return after only two days.
Now that her mother was back, she would never agree to let Aunt Lin Wu accompany her to school tomorrow. As for Aunt Lin Wu's racing competition tomorrow night, her mother would definitely forbid her from going if she found out.
Her mood soured instantly. Moreover, she had already asked Aunt Lin Wu to take her to school, and the woman had already agreed. What was she supposed to do now?
Feng Jingxin slumped, looking completely deflated. "Dad..."
Feng Tingshen looked over. "What is it?"
She could ask her father to talk to her mother about the school run, but her mother would likely end up in an argument with him... It was so annoying!
Feng Jingxin lost her appetite. Fine, she could compromise on the school trip and let her mother take her. But she absolutely had to go to Aunt Lin Wu's race tomorrow night.
She turned to Feng Tingshen with a wheedling tone. "It's just... you promised to take me to see Aunt Lin Wu's race tomorrow night. If Mom finds out, she definitely won't let me go. We have to keep it a secret. If she asks tomorrow, can you help me cover it up? Please?"
"I know."
With his assurance, Feng Jingxin finally felt a bit better. A short while later, Feng Tingshen finished his breakfast and headed out.
When Rong Ci arrived at the office today, she fortunately didn't run into Feng Tingshen.
At noon, her grandmother called and asked her to come to Yanhao to accompany her for lunch. Yanhao was located near the Feng Group, only a few minutes' walk for Rong Ci.
As she rounded the corner near the entrance of Yanhao, she overheard a voice.
"Tingshen, if it wasn't for your help, I wouldn't have been able to secure this contract, no matter how much effort I put in. I really can't thank you enough for this."
That familiar voice.
Rong Ci froze in her tracks. Peering around the corner, she saw the profile of her biological father, Lin Lihai.
Then, Feng Tingshen spoke. "You're too kind, Uncle."
Rong Ci's hands slowly curled into fists. She could tell that Feng Tingshen's tone was significantly warmer than usual. He only treated people he valued with such consideration.
But she didn't believe for a second that he valued Lin Lihai because of her. His help couldn't have been for her sake. After all, she and Lin Lihai had rarely seen each other since his divorce from her mother. The only daughter Lin Lihai acknowledged to the world now was Lin Wu.
Any father-daughter bond between them had withered away long ago.
Sure enough, Lin Lihai continued, "Lin Wu is all alone here, and her mother and I are quite worried. I'll have to trouble you to look after her more in the future."
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