Chapter 18: She Gave Up Even Feng Tingshen

When Feng Tingshen and the others returned home after celebrating with Lin Wu, it was nearly one in the morning.

The butler, seeing Feng Tingshen carry Feng Jingxin back so late, asked with concern: “Why so late?”

Feng Tingshen grunted, saying nothing more.

After putting Feng Jingxin to bed, Feng Tingshen returned to his room, turned on the light, and didn’t see Rong Ci. He asked the butler: “Didn’t she come home tonight?”

“Lady? No.”

Feng Tingshen was slightly surprised.

Rong Ci had barely come home these past few days.

Such frequent overnight stays were unusual.

Had something serious really happened in the Rong family?

The next day.

Feng Jingxin had been having a wonderful time playing with Lin Wu lately.

When she woke up, her face was lit with a smile, utterly content, and she remembered Rong Ci. Joyfully, she grabbed her stuffed doll and ran toward the master bedroom: “Mom! Mom!”

The master bedroom door was open, but no one was there.

Feng Jingxin’s face fell. At that moment, Feng Tingshen stepped out of the walk-in closet, dressed.

She hurriedly asked: “Dad, where’s Mom?”

Feng Tingshen slowly fastened his tie and replied coolly: “She’s not home.”

“Not home? Why?”

“Find out for yourself.”

“Okay.”

Feng Jingxin picked up her phone and called Rong Ci.

Rong Ci had just finished running and saw the call. She answered casually, but before she could speak, Feng Jingxin blurted out: “Mom! Where are you?”

Rong Ci didn’t answer. Instead, she asked: “What’s wrong, Xinxin? Do you need something?”

No one except Chu Zilian knew her current address.

She was enjoying her solitary life and didn’t want to be disturbed.

So she had no intention of telling Feng Jingxin where she was staying now.

Feng Jingxin had the speaker on, lying on the bed she shared with Rong Ci and Feng Tingshen, pouting: “I miss you, Mom. Can you pick me up for school today?”

Rong Ci said: “It’s too far from here. I won’t make it back in time to take you to school. Next time.”

“Okay.” Feng Jingxin felt a little disappointed, then demanded as if it were obvious: “Then you have to pick me up tomorrow morning, Mom.”

Rong Ci hesitated, not answering right away.

She didn’t really want to go back there.

Rong Ci stayed silent. Feng Jingxin found it strange: “Mom?”

With the speaker on, Feng Tingshen naturally heard their conversation.

He noticed Rong Ci’s hesitation.

He was surprised.

After all, even if the Rong family had many problems, given Rong Ci’s past devotion to their daughter, he assumed she’d have agreed without hesitation to such a simple wish.

Rong Ci said: “How about letting Dad take you?”

Feng Jingxin truly missed Rong Ci.

Her request unfulfilled, she felt wronged, her eyes turning red: “No, I want you to take me. Mom, you haven’t taken me to school since yesterday—you haven’t done it in so long—”

Since she insisted, Rong Ci said: “Fine, I understand. I promise.”

She agreed not because she pitied Feng Jingxin.

But because she had given birth to Feng Jingxin, she owed her responsibility.

Feng Jingxin’s face lit up again with a smile.

Feng Tingshen fastened his watch and, seeing his daughter still chatting, reminded her: “If you don’t come down for breakfast now, you’ll be late.”

Feng Jingxin gasped: “Aaaah, I haven’t brushed my teeth or washed my face yet! Mom, I’ll go do that now, gotta go!”

Without waiting for Rong Ci to reply, she hung up hurriedly.

Rong Ci put down her phone, had breakfast, then left for Feng Corporation.

There was a major meeting in the morning.

Feng Tingshen would attend too.

When Rong Ci and the others had been seated in the conference room for over ten minutes, Feng Tingshen finally arrived.

The moment he appeared, Xu Xuena sucked in a breath, her eyes gleaming as she stared at him, unable to look away.

Moments later, as the meeting began, she snapped back to reality and tugged Rong Ci’s sleeve: “Director Feng is so handsome!”

Rong Ci had only glanced up once when Feng Tingshen entered.

Hearing this, she didn’t even lift her head, murmuring a distracted “Mm.”

Seeing Rong Ci seemed utterly uninterested in Feng Tingshen, Xu Xuena was surprised—but then remembered Rong Ci was married and had a child old enough, so she thought it made sense.

Throughout the meeting, Xu Xuena’s heart raced uncontrollably as she kept staring at Feng Tingshen, not hearing a word of what was said.

Rong Ci, meanwhile, focused intently on typing notes on her laptop.

After the meeting, Feng Tingshen left first; the others followed one by one.

Xu Xuena’s heart kept fluttering until Jiang Zhe came to collect the notes Rong Ci had taken, at which point she finally pulled herself together.

Jiang Zhe flipped through Rong Ci’s notes and couldn’t help saying: “Good job. Thanks.”

Rong Ci: “It’s my duty.”

After Jiang Zhe left, Xu Xuena suddenly realized she hadn’t heard a thing from the meeting. She quickly asked Rong Ci to send her the notes—but within moments, her head began to ache: “Rong Jie, weren’t you trained in architecture?”

Rong Ci: “No.”

“Then how do you know so many industry-specific terms…?”

“I studied them myself, but only the basics.”

Feng Corporation invested in countless projects. To do her job well, she’d spent years learning the fundamentals of every field.

“Wait—you’ve read books on the medical industry too?”

“Mm.”

Xu Xuena: “...”

After two days of working with Rong Ci, Xu Xuena realized Rong Ci’s youth and position as head of the secretary team were no accident—she truly had real ability.

“What books did you read? Send me the list later—I’ll find time to read them too.”

“Sure. I’ll send it to you later.”

At noon, Rong Ci selected a few books that were both useful and easy for Xu Xuena to start with, and sent them over.

Xu Xuena stared at the long list—forty or fifty books—and was stunned.

At three in the afternoon, Feng Tingshen had a visitor. Jiang Zhe instructed Rong Ci to brew several cups of coffee; he’d come by to pick them up.

Only then did Xu Xuena learn that Feng Tingshen’s coffee was brewed by Rong Ci.

But…

When Rong Ci finished brewing, Jiang Zhe didn’t let her deliver it herself—he went to get it himself. Xu Xuena assumed this was Feng Tingshen’s way of preventing subordinates from using the excuse to get close to him.

She ventured cautiously: “Rong Jie, have you never personally delivered coffee to Director Feng?”

“Not never. Sometimes when Jiang Zhe and the others are busy, they ask me to take it.”

Xu Xuena loved coffee but had no intention of learning how to make it.

Now, hearing Rong Ci say this, her eyes lit up: “Rong Jie, how do you brew coffee to suit Director Feng’s taste? Can you teach me?”

Even if the chance was rare, she wanted to seize it.

Rong Ci saw exactly what Xu Xuena was after.

She said: “Sure.”

She had already given up on Feng Tingshen—what was there to keep secret about this one skill he liked?