Old Madame Feng naturally noticed that Rong Ci was no longer as proactive toward Feng Tingshen as she used to be.
When this topic came up, she couldn't help but sigh, casting a sharp side-eye at Feng Tingshen. "It's all Tingshen's fault!" she declared.
The girl had been proactive for so long without any response from him; wouldn't any girl feel her heart go cold and eventually retreat?
Feng Tingshen only offered a faint smile in response, remaining silent.
As for Rong Ci, her current policy was to speak as little as possible. Hearing this, she merely continued picking at her food in silence, having no intention of opening her mouth.
Before the meal could even finish, Feng Tingshen's phone began to ring. He glanced at the screen, stood up, and stepped away to take the call.
He returned quickly, however. Once the meal was over, he addressed Old Madame Feng. "I have things to attend to. I'll be going now."
Feng Jingxin was a clever child; she likely guessed that the call had come from Lin Wu's side. Wanting to visit the hospital as well, she chimed in, "Papa, I want to go too."
"Alright," Feng Tingshen agreed.
Old Madame Feng added, "Take Rong Ci along as well. Tomorrow is Saturday; it would be good for you all to go out and clear your heads together."
Rong Ci finally spoke up. "Grandmother, I have to meet a friend in a little while."
"…Very well then," Old Madame Feng replied, sounding a bit disappointed.
Feng Jingxin had been worried that Rong Ci might follow them, but hearing those words, her heart settled. As she got into the car to leave, she said to Rong Ci, "Goodbye, Mama."
"Alright, goodbye," Rong Ci replied.
The car door shut, and Feng Tingshen's car soon drove away.
Rong Ci also drove off immediately. Once she was clear of the Ancestral Residence's grounds, she placed a call to Yu Moxun. As soon as he picked up, she got straight to the point. "I'm divorcing Feng Tingshen. He just gave me a settlement agreement with some assets. I want to find a lawyer to see if there are any legal loopholes."
Yu Moxun was currently having dinner with someone. Hearing this, he was overjoyed. "I'll contact a reliable lawyer for you right away!"
Rong Ci smiled. "Thanks."
After hanging up, she drove home.
Meanwhile, at the hospital.
Feng Jingxin and Feng Tingshen were still in the ward speaking with Lin Wu. Qi Yuming, however, had stepped out into the corridor to make a phone call.
"Tingshen is preparing to divorce Rong Ci," he told He Changbai.
He Changbai was currently out of town on business. Upon hearing the news, his footsteps came to a dead halt. "What?" After a moment of processing, he asked, "Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure. I was right there on the scene. How could I be mistaken?" Qi Yuming continued. "What's more, Tingshen didn't give her custody of Jingxin."
He Changbai tightened his grip on his phone.
"However" Qi Yuming began, but He Changbai cut him off.
"I have something to do. I need to make a call first." Without waiting for a response, he hung up.
Qi Yuming stared at his phone. "What's the rush?"
While Qi Yuming was muttering to himself, He Changbai had already found Rong Ci's number. He hesitated for a few seconds before finally dialing.
Rong Ci had just arrived home. Seeing his incoming call, she answered casually. "Mr. He, is something the matter?"
"You…"
He found it difficult to ask about her and Feng Tingshen. The words "Are you okay?" felt inappropriate given his current status.
Rong Ci, however, assumed he was calling to arrange a meeting with Dandan. Seeing his hesitation, she said, "If it's about seeing Dandan, I have things to handle tomorrow and likely won't be free. Would the day after or next week work?"
Yu Moxun had just called her back to say he had already made an appointment with a lawyer for her tomorrow morning. She wanted to finalize the divorce as soon as possible.
He Changbai realized she had misunderstood, but he didn't correct her. "Alright," he said simply.
Rong Ci thought that was the end of it, but since he didn't hang up, she asked curiously, "President He, is there anything else?"
He Changbai could tell that her voice was calm. She didn't sound as if she was in pain, grieving, or on the verge of a breakdown as he had expected. But was that really the case? Or was she simply suppressing it?
When he didn't respond for several seconds, Rong Ci prompted, "President He? Are you still there?"
He Changbai snapped back to reality. "I'm here."
"Anything else?" she asked directly. "I have other matters to attend to. If there's nothing else, shall we leave it at that?"
"Alright," He Changbai could only reply.
Rong Ci said no more and ended the call.
Her teacher was very fond of the concept she had developed a while back. Two days ago, Nan Zhizhi had sent her a message asking her to organize the content so he could review it. Once confirmed, he wanted her to submit it to an authoritative journal.
She had been busy with Xundu and Changmo for the past few days, and progress on this front had been slow. Now that she had some spare time, she wanted to get it done quickly. With that in mind, she set her phone aside and opened her laptop.
After hanging up, He Changbai called Qi Yuming back. "Tingshen wants a divorce and wants custody of Xinxin? Surely she won't agree to that. Are they preparing for a legal battle?"
This was exactly what Qi Yuming had wanted to tell him. "No! She agreed! She had no objections to the divorce or the custody. She just signed the papers so calmly, it was like I'd seen a ghost!"
He Changbai was equally astonished. He felt this wasn't something Rong Ci would do. Like Qi Yuming, he found it hard to believe she would give up custody of Feng Jingxin so easily. It defied logic.
"So, why do you think she did it?" Qi Yuming asked. Before He Changbai could answer, he added, "Could she be trying to win Tingshen's favor by making him feel guilty?"
He Changbai had no answer. He couldn't deny that, given Rong Ci's feelings for Feng Tingshen, it was a possibility.
After a moment of silence, he asked, "How did Tingshen react?"
"He was definitely surprised. When we were eating at the Ancestral Residence today, I noticed he was paying much more attention to her than usual. Damn, if my guess is right, Rong Ci really has some tricks up her sleeve. We can't underestimate her!"
He Changbai said tonelessly, "Or maybe... she really just wants the divorce?"
Qi Yuming froze. "You mean Rong Ci?" He let out a scoff. "How is that possible? She's liked Tingshen since she was a teenager. After all these years, there's no way she'd be willing to leave him."
"People change," He Changbai said, his words holding a double meaning.
Qi Yuming stood by his opinion. "Anyway, I think it's impossible." He continued, "Whatever the case, this is a good thing for Tingshen. Once you're back from your business trip and Lin Wu's injuries have healed a bit, we should find time to celebrate."
It was only then that Qi Yuming realized He Changbai had gone quiet.
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