Chapter 60

Tonight’s bonfire feast will feature hot pot, bo bo ji, and grilled foods.

The crab roe and fish maw chicken broth has already been simmering, the bo bo ji is ready, and beside it, a long table is piled high with various premium, pre-prepared fresh ingredients.

The bonfire has been lit.

Qi Yuming and the others have already sat around the bonfire.

After He Zhangbai and Lin Wu returned, Lin Wu naturally sat beside Feng Tingshen.

Qi Yuming couldn’t resist and had already started eating the marinated bo bo ji; seeing everyone had arrived, he was about to officially begin eating, but then remembered Rong Ci, looked at Feng Jingxin, and said: “Jingxin, go upstairs again and call your mother. Tell her we have delicious food here and ask her to come down and eat with us.”

Although he thought Rong Ci would probably stay in her room again, like at lunch, the ritual still had to be followed.

Lin Wu understood his meaning.

After all, they had done what they were supposed to do—whether Rong Ci came down or not was her own choice.

Thinking of this, she also told Feng Jingxin: “Jingxin, go.”

Feng Jingxin frowned, reluctant to go.

Because she truly didn’t want her mother to come down and join them.

But so many people were asking her to call their mother, she couldn’t refuse.

She was just about to put down her drink when Feng Tingshen spoke: “I’ll go.”

At his words, the group fell silent.

After speaking, Feng Tingshen got up and left.

Qi Yuming snapped out of his daze and smiled: “Hmm… it’s indeed more sincere for Tingshen to go call her himself.”

Always sending children to call Rong Ci down was too dismissive.

Lin Wu also realized this.

Feng Tingshen merely wanted to satisfy the old lady—he going upstairs to call Rong Ci didn’t mean he had any feelings for her.

After all, he never had any feelings for her before, and now he certainly couldn’t have any.

Feng Jingxin listened, then pressed her lips tightly, worried.

Worried that if Feng Tingshen went to call her, Rong Ci would actually come down and join them.

After all, her mother always listened to her father.

Her mother couldn’t bear to refuse him.

On the other side.

Rong Ci returned to her room, ordered food by phone, then turned on her computer.

She had just immersed herself in work for a short while when she heard the sound of a door opening.

She paused, turned her head, and saw Feng Tingshen entering with the room key.

She thought he had come back to fetch something, glanced at him once, then returned her gaze to her screen—until Feng Tingshen spoke: “There’s a bonfire banquet downstairs, lively and bustling. Come down and sit with us for a while?”

Rong Ci froze.

Like Qi Yuming and the others, she also believed Feng Tingshen had come upstairs to call her down only to appease the old lady.

It meant nothing at all.

Besides, even if it did mean something, she no longer cared.

She said: “I have work to finish. I won’t be coming down.” As she spoke, she turned her head to look at him and added: “Don’t worry—I’ll cover for you if Grandma asks.”

Hearing this, Feng Tingshen smiled faintly, his deep, abyss-like eyes fixed unblinkingly on her.

Noticing his gaze, Rong Ci’s fingers tapping the keyboard curled slightly.

Although she had known him for years and they had been married for years, she often felt she had never truly understood him—or known what he was thinking.

In the past, she might have tried to probe the emotions in his eyes, in his heart.

But now…

Rong Ci pressed her lips, still holding firm: “Thank you for coming up to call me, but I don’t want to go down.”

Hearing this, Feng Tingshen smiled silently, then said: “Understood.”

With that, Feng Tingshen turned and left.

When he went downstairs, Qi Yuming and the others were already eating.

Seeing only him return, they were all surprised.

Like Feng Jingxin, they had assumed that if Feng Tingshen went to call her, Rong Ci wouldn’t dare refuse.

He Zhangbai asked: “Didn’t she come down?”

Feng Tingshen: “Mm.”

Then he told the staff attending them: “Prepare one portion each of the grilled food, bo bo ji, and hot pot, and send them upstairs to Madam.”

Lin Wu heard this and pressed her lips.

Rong Ci not coming down, and Feng Tingshen having food sent up to her, didn’t mean anything.

But…

She disliked how he referred to Rong Ci as “Madam.”

It sounded as if he acknowledged Rong Ci as his wife.

Still, she soon thought that the Shanzhuang staff probably didn’t even know Rong Ci’s name—he couldn’t call her anything else if he wanted them to know who to send the food to.

Upstairs.

Rong Ci was actually hungry.

When she heard the doorbell ring and saw it was the staff bringing her meal,

she went to open the door and let them wheel the cart inside.

The staff placed each dish on the table, then lifted the lids one by one, explaining what each item was.

But the moment Rong Ci saw the lids lifted, she frowned and said: “Did you deliver to the wrong room? I didn’t order these—”

The spicy broth emitted a rich aroma; the array of seafood, beef tripe, and lamb was undeniably tempting.

She did want to eat them badly.

But the problem was, she hadn’t ordered these.

“No mistake,” the staff replied respectfully. “These were ordered by General Feng for you. Your own order is nearly ready in the kitchen and will be delivered shortly.”

Rong Ci froze.

These dishes alone were more than enough for three or four people.

Not to mention adding her own order on top.

So Rong Ci ate this meal for a long time.

When their meeting was about to start, she was still eating.

Yu Moxun opened the video call early to ask Rong Ci for some documents, but when she joined, he saw her eating and said: “What are you eating? Looks delicious.”

Rong Ci rotated her camera.

The others joined the call, saw the abundance of food—all expensive dishes—and were stunned: “So much? Are you just starting?”

Rong Ci: “No, I’m almost done.”

“You ate all this by yourself?”

Rong Ci paused: “I didn’t order this.”

Yu Moxun realized: “Feng—your husband ordered this?”

Rong Ci: “He had someone send it up.”

Yu Moxun: “At least he has some conscience.”

Rong Ci didn’t want to comment, nor did she want to explain that he was just fulfilling his duty to the old lady.

With the scheduled meeting time nearly here and her stomach full, she put down her chopsticks, had the staff come to clear the table, moved her computer farther away, and resumed work with them.

They worked hard until past ten at night, yet none of them showed any sign of stopping.

Just as Rong Ci and the others were still focused, diving deeper into the next section, the door opened.

Feng Tingshen walked in.

Rong Ci’s seat was positioned so the camera could capture the doorway; as soon as she realized, she immediately turned the camera away.