Chapter 43: He Didn

Yu Moxun paused: “This… how coincidental?”

Feng Tingshen: “It is quite coincidental.”

Yu Moxun said: “We’re a big group—why don’t you folks go down first? We’ll wait for the next elevator.”

“Alright, see you next time.”

“Next time.”

The elevator doors closed again, leaving Rong Ci and Yu Moxun to wait for the next one.

A while later, as they entered the elevator, Rong Ci’s phone rang.

It was Feng Jingxin’s call.

After greeting the others, Rong Ci answered: “Hello.”

“Mom, are you off work? When will you be home?”

Since Rong Ci’s foot injury, Feng Jingxin called her every day; after learning her foot had healed, she asked yesterday when she’d be coming home.

Rong Ci had been busy with work these past few days and didn’t promise to return last night.

Now hearing Feng Jingxin ask again, she said: “I just finished. Mom will be home soon.”

When she hung up, the elevator had already reached the ground floor.

Director Quan asked curiously: “Miss Rong, do you have a child?”

Rong Ci: “Mm.”

“This… you really don’t look like it…”

He had assumed Rong Ci and Yu Moxun were a couple.

After all, they seemed close, and Yu Moxun treated her with special care.

Director Quan was also surprised—Rong Ci looked so young, completely unremarkable as a mother.

He casually asked: “Is your husband also in our line of work?”

Rong Ci paused, then said: “You could say so.”

Director Quan had discussed technical topics with Rong Ci before and knew her professional skills were strong.

He had assumed her husband worked in the same field and was about to ask his name, but seeing Rong Ci’s distant expression, as if she didn’t wish to elaborate, he dropped the subject.

Yu Moxun very much wanted to say: the husband you’re referring to isn’t anyone else—it’s your company’s boss, Feng Tingshen!

But Rong Ci was about to divorce him, and they’d have many more interactions with Director Quan and the others; if he revealed it, they might not know how to treat Rong Ci anymore.

Moreover, once they learned Rong Ci’s identity, someone might deliberately target her to curry favor with Lin Wu.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Yu Moxun ultimately said nothing.

After exiting the building, Rong Ci and Yu Moxun got into their cars and left separately.

When Rong Ci arrived at the villa, Feng Jingxin was already waiting downstairs; seeing her, she rushed over: “Mom!”

“Mm.” Rong Ci rubbed the top of her hair, about to ask if she was hungry, but Feng Jingxin immediately looked at her foot: “Mom, are you really better?”

Rong Ci: “Mm, I’m fine.”

“Where were you injured? Let me see?”

“No need. Mom’s already healed.”

“No, let me see!”

Rong Ci reluctantly took off her cotton shoes and pointed to her previously injured ankle.

Feng Jingxin crouched down to examine it: “There’s no wound…”

“The swelling’s gone, so it’s not visible anymore.”

“Oh… Also, Mom, you just recovered—don’t stand too long. Dinner’s already prepared. Let’s eat.”

Rong Ci: “Alright.”

Feng Jingxin happily took her hand and led her to the dining room.

Only two sets of chopsticks and bowls were set out.

Feng Tingshen’s place was empty.

Noticing her gaze, Feng Jingxin said: “Dad said he’s busy with something and won’t be home for dinner tonight. Mom, I’ll eat with you.”

Remembering how she’d just seen Feng Tingshen and Lin Wu in the elevator, Rong Ci wondered: was his “something important” dinner with Lin Wu?

She didn’t voice it.

She ate while chatting with Feng Jingxin.

Perhaps because she’d given Feng Jingxin enough freedom lately, the girl had become even closer to her than before, with no signs of impatience.

So after dinner, Feng Jingxin asked her to help with bathing, washing her hair, and blow-drying it.

Rong Ci agreed.

Feng Jingxin then asked her to take her to school tomorrow.

Rong Ci agreed again.

Since the hot spring villa, they hadn’t formally met for ten days.

So that night, Rong Ci stayed at the villa.

But she didn’t return to the master bedroom.

She planned to sleep with Feng Jingxin.

The last time Mom slept with her was when she was sick.

But this time, she wasn’t sick, and she hadn’t even asked Mom to stay with her…

Watching Rong Ci bathe and then prepare to sleep in her room, Feng Jingxin couldn’t understand why she didn’t go back to her and Dad’s room.

Still, she really liked sleeping with Rong Ci—Rong Ci smelled soft and sweet, and hugging her was wonderfully comfortable.

So she didn’t ask.

But since Mom was here, she’d have to be careful when saying goodnight to Aunt Wu—she couldn’t let Mom find out.

That night, Rong Ci fell asleep past eleven.

But Feng Tingshen hadn’t returned.

The next morning, she learned he hadn’t come home the night before.

The last time she’d seen him in the elevator, he’d left with Lin Wu.

Last night, he didn’t come home—presumably he was with Lin Wu…

Rong Ci shook off her thoughts, took Feng Jingxin to school, then returned to Changmo for work.

Feng Jingxin’s attention clearly still rested on Lin Wu; her need for Rong Ci was fleeting.

For instance, only when she hadn’t seen Rong Ci in a long time, or when Feng Tingshen was away and she felt bored, would she remember her.

Otherwise, Feng Jingxin didn’t need her.

Indeed, after this day, now that she knew Rong Ci’s foot was fully healed, Feng Jingxin no longer called daily as she had before, nor did she ask why Rong Ci didn’t come home at night.

As for Feng Tingshen, it went without saying.

He had never cared about her movements.

Recently, Changmo secured two major projects with substantial income, so on Friday, the company organized a large team-building event.

The location was decided by the staff.

In the end, everyone unanimously chose a hot spring resort.

When Rong Ci received the news, she froze, then smiled bitterly.

Yu Moxun asked: “What’s wrong? Don’t want to go to the hot springs?”

“No.”

She just remembered how, two weeks ago, she’d been abandoned by Feng Tingshen and his daughter at the hot spring villa, left alone there.

Now recalling it, it felt like yesterday.

Yet it had been nearly half a month.

Time really flies.

Though she didn’t want to go to the hot springs, this was her first major team-building since returning to the company, so she couldn’t skip it—she went with everyone.

The last hot spring resort they’d visited was the Feng family’s private property.

This time, the company chose a large hot spring resort hotel, fully equipped with entertainment facilities.

After changing into bathrobes, Rong Ci went to the hot spring pool.

There were few women in the company; when she arrived, the others hadn’t come yet. Rong Ci sat down in the women’s area and had barely soaked for a minute when she spotted a little girl, about Feng Jingxin’s age, crouching beside the pool, curiously reaching her hand into the water.

The pool here was about 1.2 meters deep.

The child looked shorter than 1.2 meters.

Rong Ci feared she might fall in and get hurt; she rose to intervene when she heard a splash.

The girl had indeed fallen into the pool.

Rong Ci stood up, hurried over, and pulled her out, holding her close.

The girl clung to Rong Ci’s neck, crying and coughing uncontrollably, her face flushed red.

Rong Ci patted her back, comforted her, asked for her family’s information, and carried her to find staff.

Just as they stepped outside, she saw He Zhangbai not far away.

Before Rong Ci could react, the girl in her arms reached out, sobbing: “Uncle… uncle…”