He Changbai was indeed thinking along those lines.
Feng Tingshen picked up his tea and took a light sip. "Even though I have custody, the agreement states quite clearly that she can see the children whenever she wants. There are no restrictions."
He Changbai hadn't expected that to be the case.
Just then, the two children looked over toward them, and the men dropped the subject.
Feng Tingshen suddenly spoke up again. "I heard you've been in contact with Changmo lately?"
He Changbai paused for a moment. "Yes." He then asked, "What about you? No interest?"
"It's not decided yet," Feng Tingshen replied. "It's still early, and I'm in no rush on my end."
"I see."
...
Rong Ci's thesis was still unfinished.
After spending a day and a half writing, she went out for dinner with Chu Zilan on Sunday evening. They spent over two hours browsing the shops before she finally returned home.
With no one to disturb her, the fulfilling and peaceful weekend came to an end.
On Monday, Rong Ci went to work at Changmo as usual.
From that day forward, the people who had previously called Yu Moxun expressing interest in a partnership began visiting one after another, bringing their proposals with them.
Ren Jifeng arrived on Thursday.
Yu Moxun happened to be away on a business trip that Wednesday.
Upon receiving the news, Rong Ci set aside her current work and headed to the reception room.
When the door to the Changmo reception room was pushed open, Ren Jifeng stood up. However, his movements stiffened when he saw that Rong Ci was the only one entering.
Rong Ci extended her hand and said politely, "Hello, President Ren. My name is Rong. Moxun left on a business trip yesterday and isn't currently at the office. I am handling all of Changmo's affairs with full authority. If there is anything you wish to discuss, you can speak with me."
Full authority?
In what capacity is she handling this?
As Yu Moxun's girlfriend?
Ren Jifeng didn't know if her words were true or if she was intentionally saying this to flaunt her importance in Yu Moxun's heart.
Even if she were telling the truth, their proposal contained a significant amount of material specifications and technical terminology.
Could she even understand them?
What was truly laughable was that she knew he was here to talk business, yet she hadn't even brought a single technical staff member with her, meeting him entirely alone.
However, Yu Moxun did seem to value her quite highly.
Thinking of this, and despite his doubts about her ability to comprehend their company's proposal, Ren Jifeng chose not to simply turn around and leave to avoid unnecessary trouble. Instead, he reached out, lightly shook her hand, and said, "Then I shall trouble you, Miss Rong."
He sat back down and handed a document to her. "This is our company's proposal. Miss Rong, please have a look."
Rong Ci took it and nodded. "Alright, let me review it first."
As she finished speaking, she flipped open the document. Just as she was about to start reading, another of Yu Moxun's secretaries knocked and entered. Leaning down, the secretary whispered in her ear, "Miss Rong, there are other visitors downstairs. They say their names are Lin Lihai and Lin Wu. They're asking to be shown to your office to wait for you"
"No need," Rong Ci interrupted him, her voice quiet. "Send them away."
"Understood."
Once the secretary left, Rong Ci offered a brief apology to Ren Jifeng before officially beginning to review the proposal he had provided.
As she read through Ren Jifeng's partnership plan, she mused that while he had arrived a bit later than the others, he clearly had the confidence to do so. His proposal was detailed and almost perfectly aligned with her requirements.
Rong Ci looked incredibly focused as she read, as if she truly understood the contents.
If she wanted to pretend, he was too lazy to call her out on it.
He wasn't in a hurry, anyway.
Over half an hour later, Rong Ci set the document down. "President Ren's proposal is indeed very much in line with our company's needs. We will give it serious consideration."
Ren Jifeng didn't really want to chat further with Rong Ci, intending to wait for Yu Moxun's return to discuss the finer details.
On the surface, however, he remained very polite. "I appreciate your recognition. I look forward to the opportunity to cooperate with your company."
After saying that, he added, "I have other matters to attend to. Miss Rong, until next time."
Rong Ci had already sensed that Ren Jifeng didn't seem to like her.
Meeting now in the reception room, although he was trying his best to be civil, she could still feel the slight condescension in his attitude.
Business was business.
She was merely looking for a partner and cared about her own interests; she didn't necessarily need to befriend him.
Pretending not to notice his attitude, she smiled and said, "Alright, see you next time."
Then, she instructed Yu Moxun's secretary, "Secretary Qian, please see President Ren out."
Ren Jifeng left.
When he reached the ground floor, he spotted a familiar figure. "Miss Lin?"
Indeed, Lin Wu and Lin Lihai had not left.
Yu Moxun's secretary had sent them away using the excuse that "President Yu is away on business," but they hadn't moved.
They believed the "business trip" was just an excuse Yu Moxun was using because he didn't want to see them.
So, they sat downstairs and waited.
They intended to catch Yu Moxun when he came downstairs to have a proper talk.
They hadn't expected to see Ren Jifeng before they saw Yu Moxun.
It had been exactly half a month since Lin Wu was injured.
The wounds on her body had mostly healed.
They weren't fully gone yet, but she was basically able to return to her normal life.
Ren Jifeng hadn't seen Lin Wu when he went to Xundu last week. It was only after asking the staff there that he learned she had been injured.
Lin Wu's wounds had been quite deep, and her time in the hospital hadn't been easy, leaving her face looking somewhat haggard.
Seeing her like this, Ren Jifeng felt a pang of heartache.
However, when he remembered that she had willingly taken the injury to save Feng Tingshen, he found himself at a loss for words.
Nearby, Lin Lihai saw that Ren Jifeng carried an extraordinary air and guessed he was no ordinary person. He asked, "Wuwu, who is this?"
Lin Wu didn't miss the flicker of heartache in Ren Jifeng's eyes.
She spoke in a neutral tone. "This is President Ren Jifeng."
She then introduced her father to Ren Jifeng. "And this is my father, Lin Lihai."
Upon learning that Lin Lihai was Lin Wu's father, Ren Jifeng said politely, "So it is President Lin. A pleasure to meet you."
After the pleasantries, Lin Wu spoke up. "Is President Ren here at Changmo to discuss a partnership with President Yu as well?"
"Yes. Are you and President Lin here for the same?"
"We are," Lin Wu said. "Did you see President Yu?"
"I didn't. President Yu is away on a business trip."
Hearing this, Lin Lihai smiled. "So President Yu really is away. I thought he was just avoiding us."
Ren Jifeng paused. Seeing them sitting there, he asked, "Were you not invited upstairs?"
"No," Lin Wu replied. "President Yu's secretary said he was away and asked us to leave."
Ren Jifeng's expression darkened.
Lin Wu noticed and asked, "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"
Ren Jifeng said coldly, "President Yu is indeed away, but the person who negotiated with me was that Miss Rong we met at Xundu. She said that in his absence, she handles all of Changmo's affairs and can represent the company in partnership talks."
Regardless of whether Rong Ci was telling the truth about representing Changmo, the fact that she received him but refused to see Lin Wu was a clear, intentional slight against her!
Lin Lihai was stunned.
Lin Wu also paused for a moment before saying with apparent indifference, "Is that so?"
She then turned to Lin Lihai. "In that case, Dad, let's head back."
Thinking about how Rong Ci had treated him and his daughter, Lin Lihai pressed his lips together. But hearing Lin Wu's suggestion, he could only say, "Alright."
Ren Jifeng frowned. Before he could say anything, Rong Ci also came downstairs.
She stopped in her tracks when she saw the three of them.
Before she could speak, Lin Wu's phone suddenly rang.
She picked it up. "Tingshen?"
A smile played on Lin Wu's lips. "You've arrived? Good, I'm coming out now."
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