At that moment, Feng Jingxin spotted Rong Ci coming out with her suitcase. "Mama?"
"Yes." Rong Ci snapped out of her thoughts, closed the door, and said, "Mama still has work to do, so I'm heading back first. You stay here with Papa and have a good time."
Feng Jingxin nodded quickly. "Okay, I understand, Mama."
Rong Ci lugged her suitcase downstairs. Just as she reached the bottom floor, she ran into Feng Tingshen, who was currently with Lin Wu.
Seeing her suitcase and her clear intent to leave, he only asked, "You're going?"
"Yes," Rong Ci replied with indifference.
"Have you called a car?"
"I have."
He didn't try to make her stay, simply saying, "Alright."
Rong Ci dragged her suitcase out the door, climbed into the car, and left.
Qi Yuming had woken up rather late today.
When he came down to have lunch with Feng Tingshen and the others, he said to him, "Tingshen, why don't you go upstairs and invite her down again?"
This "invite" naturally referred to Rong Ci.
Feng Tingshen spoke tonelessly. "No need. She's left."
Qi Yuming raised an eyebrow. "Left?"
He Changbai also paused.
"Yes," Feng Tingshen said. "She has things to handle at her company."
Qi Yuming was well aware of the situation regarding Yu Moxunhow he had gone back on his word and refused to hire Lin Wu because of Rong Ci, and how Rong Ci had gone to work at Changmo instead.
He hadn't forgotten that last night, when Feng Tingshen said Rong Ci wouldn't come down to eat with them, he had also claimed she was busy with work.
Thinking of this, he laughed. "This... she was busy yesterday, and she's busy again today? Is she really that swamped?"
With a schedule like that, an outsider might think Changmo couldn't function without her.
But Rong Ci had only gotten in through the back door. First, she didn't have much actual ability, and second, she wasn't a major shareholder of Changmo. No matter how you looked at it, saying she was "busy" seemed like a mere excuse.
It was one thing to make an excuse, but to find such a pathetic one...
Qi Yuming didn't even know what to say.
Lin Wu also understood what Qi Yuming was implying. As she lowered her head to eat, she let out a silent smile.
...
Rong Ci didn't know or care what Qi Yuming and the others were thinking.
After leaving the hot spring resort, she went straight to Changmo.
She stayed busy until well after dark.
After being swamped for two consecutive days, Rong Ci was just planning to head home early to rest when her uncle, Rong Changsheng, called her.
Half an hour later, Rong Ci returned to the Rong family home.
Rong Changsheng and his wife, along with their two children, Rong Xun and Rong Yunhe, were all at home.
When they saw her arrive, they greeted her one after another. "Cousin."
Rong Ci smiled. "Hello."
Rong Yunhe asked, "Where's Xinxin? We heard she was back in the country. Why didn't she come with you for dinner?"
"She went to a hot spring resort. She's not back yet."
"Oh..."
Realizing that Feng Jingxin was likely with Feng Tingshen, Rong Yunhe didn't ask further.
Before entering the door, Rong Ci looked at the villa opposite theirs, her footsteps faltering for a second.
When she had gone to the resort, she hadn't thought to bring the keys to that villa.
If she had brought them, she could have started arranging for someone to clear out all traces of the Sun family and begin the renovations...
Rong Changsheng and his wife were already preparing for Old Mrs. Rong's milestone birthday banquet. They had called Rong Ci back not only to get her input but also because there was one matter they needed her to handle.
"These two invitations are for the Feng family and Feng Tinglin. Xiao Ci, find some time in the next few days to deliver them."
Rong Ci paused before taking them. "Alright."
After dinner, she chatted with the old lady and Rong Changsheng's family for a while. By nine in the evening, Rong Ci prepared to leave.
Before she left, the old lady came out to see her off. Taking Rong Ci's hand, she said, "Those people in the Feng familyif they don't want to come, don't force them. Whether they show up or not, this old woman doesn't give a damn about them!"
Although Rong Changsheng had kept his voice low and avoided her when giving the invitations to Rong Ci, she was perfectly aware of the situation.
Rong Ci replied, "I understand."
Old Mrs. Rong and Old Mrs. Feng were close friends.
Logically, Old Mrs. Feng would definitely attend Old Mrs. Rong's birthday.
However, Old Mrs. Feng was older than Old Mrs. Rong. According to local customs, when an elder celebrated a birthday, relatives and friends who were older than the birthday celebrant would not attend.
In the past few years, Old Mrs. Rong's birthdays hadn't been large affairs.
They had usually just had a family reunion dinner and left it at that.
And in those years, Feng Tingshen had never once come to celebrate Old Mrs. Rong's birthday.
At first, he would make excuses, saying he had no time.
But Rong Ci knew that even when he had time, he would rather go out with friends than attend.
Even so, every year as the old lady's birthday approached, she would still hold onto a sliver of hope and ask him in advance if he had time that day, and if he could accompany her back to the Rong family to celebrate with her grandmother.
But all she ever received were disappointing results.
This year, she didn't want to ask Feng Tingshen anymore.
Yet this happened to be a milestone birthday for the old lady. Rong Changsheng had invited many of the Rong family's business partners. Setting aside the fact that she and Feng Tingshen hadn't officially divorced yet, even if they had, the friendship between the two old ladies meant that the Feng family had to be invited.
As for whether the Feng family actually came, that was their own business.
Rong Ci had originally intended to return to her own place tonight.
Thinking of this, she turned the steering wheel and headed back to Feng Tingshen's villa instead.
When she arrived, she found that Feng Tingshen and Feng Jingxin hadn't returned yet.
Old Mrs. Feng was also away, having returned to the ancestral home for a couple of days to handle some business.
Rong Ci set down her bag and went into the bathroom.
Half an hour later, just as she stepped out of the bathroom, she heard the sound of a car downstairs.
As expected, Feng Tingshen and the girl were back.
Rong Ci felt no stir of emotion as she sat down and began to blow-dry her hair.
Knowing that Rong Ci was home, Feng Jingxin was the first to run upstairs. She rushed into the master bedroom and threw herself into Rong Ci's arms. "Mama, we're back!"
She was covered in the scent of Lin Wu's perfume.
Rong Ci's expression didn't change as she gave a soft grunt of acknowledgment. She turned off the hair dryer and patted the girl's small face. "Have you bathed?"
Feng Jingxin shook her head. "Not yet."
"It's past ten. Go back to your room and wash up. you still have school tomorrow."
Just as Rong Ci finished speaking, Feng Tingshen entered the bedroom.
Their eyes met directly.
Rong Ci gave him only a brief glance before coldly looking away. At that moment, Feng Jingxin tried to pull her up from the chair, saying, "Mama, you help me bathe."
Rong Ci replied, "Alright, let Mama finish drying my hair first."
"Okay!"
Feng Jingxin happily skipped back to her room to prepare her pajamas.
Feng Tingshen looked at Rong Ci and sat down on the other side of the room. "When did you get back?"
"A little while ago," Rong Ci said, not looking at him as she continued drying her hair.
Feng Tingshen didn't ask further. He stood up and went toward the walk-in closet, preparing to shower as well.
Rong Ci suddenly remembered the important task. She clicked off the dryer, and before he could enter the bathroom, she pulled one of the invitations from her bag. Holding it out to him, she said, "My grandmother's birthday is coming up. This is the invitation for the Feng family."
As she approached him, Rong Ci noticed that the scent of Lin Wu's perfume on him was also very distinct.
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