Rong Ci woke up the next morning, had breakfast, and headed out to work as usual.
At noon, while she was having lunch, Feng Jingxin called her. This was the first time the girl had reached out since she had quietly slipped away from the Hot Spring Villa.
Rong Ci picked up.
"Mama..."
"Mhm," Rong Ci responded simply. "Have you eaten?"
"I just finished!"
Back at the Hot Spring Villa that morning, Jingxin had received a call from Aunt Wuwu, who told her that her father was going out to have some fun and asked if she wanted to join them. She had agreed immediately, taking advantage of a moment when Rong Ci wasn't paying attention to sneak away.
They had a wonderful time and didn't return to the city center until yesterday afternoon. However, they hadn't gone home last night.
Returning to school this morning, the thought of Rong Ci made Jingxin feel a bit guilty. Worried that her mother might be angry, she decided to call. But hearing Rong Ci proactively ask if she had eaten suggested she wasn't upset about her disappearance at all. Jingxin breathed a sigh of relief.
She knew it! Mama could never bear to be mad at her!
Still, she had noticed lately that her mother no longer called her every day like she used to, nor did she constantly grill her about her whereabouts. Jingxin found this change quite agreeable. She liked this new version of her mother! This way, she had far more freedom to do whatever she wanted.
Rong Ci indeed hadn't asked where they had been for the past two days. She simply wasn't interested.
After chatting with Feng Jingxin for a while about her studies, Rong Ci hung up.
When she returned to her office, Yu Moxun came over to see her. "The tech expo is tomorrow. Should we all gather at the company and head out together?"
"Sure," Rong Ci replied.
The following morning, Rong Ci set out in her car. She hadn't been on the road long when her vehicle suddenly stalled. The car behind her couldn't brake in time and slammed into her, triggering a chain-reaction traffic accident.
A chorus of cursing erupted from the drivers behind her. Her car was immobilized, completely obstructing traffic.
Rong Ci apologized to the drivers behind her and immediately called for assistance, waiting for help to arrive. However, processing the scene was taking a tremendous amount of time, and she was in a hurry to get to the exhibition.
"Did your car break down?"
A tall, upright figure walked over from the sidewalk.
Rong Ci looked up. It was He Changbai.
Why him?
She gave a faint "mhm," not particularly wanting to deal with him. She called Yu Moxun first to inform him of the situation, telling the team to head out without waiting for her and that she would join them once everything was handled.
"An accident like this is quite a hassle to clear up." If she waited until it was all settled, the exhibition would likely be over.
Yu Moxun said over the phone, "Hold on, I'll contact someone to help you. But it will probably take at least half an hour for them to reach you."
"It's fine. I don't mind entering a bit late." As long as she didn't miss it entirely.
After hanging up, Rong Ci was about to speak with the other drivers again when He Changbai suddenly spoke. "I'll have someone handle the situation here for you. Where are you headed? I'll drive you."
Rong Ci froze, looking up at him in surprise.
Five minutes later, she was sitting in He Changbai's car.
The two of them sat in the back seat with a noticeable gap between them, but Rong Ci still felt awkward.
"Thank you."
"It was no trouble."
No trouble...
Rong Ci frowned slightly. In the past, He Changbai had basically treated her as if she were invisible. Their last encounter at the racing track had been far from pleasant. Although he had broken his usual pattern by proactively greeting her the last time they met, still.
He Changbai was very busy. After getting into the car, he made several phone calls in a row.
This allowed Rong Ci to breathe a sigh of relief. They weren't close, and sharing such a cramped space made her feel rather uneasy.
Forty minutes later, the car pulled up at the entrance of the science and technology exhibition.
Rong Ci stepped out of the car and offered a polite "Thank you" one last time.
"Mhm," He Changbai replied.
Rong Ci gave a polite nod and turned to leave.
Shortly after she left, a high-end black sedan pulled up next to He Changbai's car. Lin Wu thought she had seen wrong, but after checking the license plate, she was certain.
She tapped on He Changbai's car door.
The window rolled down slowly, and Lin Wu leaned over to look inside. "Changbai, it really is you. What are you doing here?"
He Changbai stepped out of the car. "I was dropping off a friend."
At that moment, Lin Lihai and Lin Lilan also exited their vehicle. Upon learning of He Changbai's identity, they hurried over to greet him.
He Changbai nodded in return. "Uncle, Auntie."
After a few brief pleasantries, He Changbai received another call. Since the exhibition was about to start, Lin Wu and her relatives took their leave.
On the other side, Rong Ci met up with Yu Moxun and the others at the entrance.
Yu Moxun leaned in and whispered in her ear, "The Professor is attending the expo today."
Rong Ci was stunned, her eyes widening.
Yu Moxun arched an eyebrow and smiled. "It's a good thing you found help so quickly. If the Professor knew you were late, he'd probably..."
Rong Ci understood his meaning instantly. Their Professor didn't care about the reasons behind a delay; in his eyes, being late meant you weren't taking things seriously.
The Professor had been angry enough when Rong Ci chose to marry and have a child immediately after her undergraduate graduation. If he found her being tardy now, especially so soon after they had reconnected, she couldn't even imagine the look he would give her.
The mere thought made her skin crawl.
"So, like I said, it's a good thing you weren't late."
Rong Ci let out a long, relieved breath.
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/kleinmoretti to access 100+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).