Once they had walked a bit further away, President Fan finally asked, "Is there some misunderstanding between you and President Lin's family?"
Yu Moxun and Rong Ci exchanged a brief look before Rong Ci replied, "No."
Because it wasn't a misunderstanding.
President Fan, however, misread her meaning, assuming there truly was no conflict between her and the Lin family.
"It's good that there's no misunderstanding then," he said earnestly, clearly thinking highly of Changmo. "Given how much Feng Tingshen values Miss Lin, the Lin family is set to soar to the heavens. Most people can't afford to offend the Feng family or Feng Tingshen himself. So, even if you don't become close with the Lins, it's best not to make an enemy of them."
Hearing this, Rong Ci let out a faint smile, though it felt bitter and ironic.
To be cautioned to stay on good terms with a mistress and warned not to offend her because her own husband cared for the woman so muchRong Ci figured she was likely the only person in the world in such a position.
Yu Moxun couldn't stand to hear such talk either.
"Our Changmo isn't afraid of Feng Tingshen," he declared.
Because of the cuap project, their company had always enjoyed government protection.
Feng Tingshen hadn't been able to touch Changmo for some time now, and if Yu Moxun wasn't mistaken, the project they were currently working on would soon receive significant government support as well.
This time, the scale of their company was set to grow substantially within the next year.
When that happened, it would be even harder for Feng Tingshen to move against Changmo.
Therefore, when he said the company didn't fear Feng Tingshen, it wasn't just talk born of anger.
This was the backbone Rong Ci had earned for herself!
Old Madam Rong's birthday was on Saturday.
Whether Feng Tingshen attended the birthday celebration or not had become a matter of indifference to Rong Ci.
However, Feng Jingxin had to be there.
To prevent the girl from sneaking off to find Lin Wu that day and making herself impossible to find, Rong Ci took the initiative to call Jingxin on Thursday morning.
This was the first time she had reached out to the girl since returning from Country A on her own birthday.
Jingxin was currently eating breakfast.
Feng Tingshen was there as well.
When Jingxin saw the incoming call from Rong Ci, she was still very happy.
She immediately set down her utensils and picked up the phone. "Mom!"
"Mhm." Hearing that her mouth was full, Rong Ci asked casually, "Are you having breakfast?"
"Yeah! Have you eaten, Mom?"
"I've eaten," Rong Ci replied before getting straight to the point. "I'm calling to tell you that this Saturday is your grandmother's birthday. You aren't to run off anywhere that day. You're going to Grandmother's house with me to celebrate her birthday, understood?"
"Ah..."
Jingxin hadn't expected the call to be about this.
She hadn't been able to play with Auntie Wu last weekend and thought she could make up for it this week.
Hearing Rong Ci say this now made her feel a bit reluctant.
However, she couldn't completely ignore her mother's words.
Rong Ci could easily hear the hesitation in her voice.
She knew exactly what the girl was thinking.
Tightening her grip on her phone, she asked, "Is your father there?"
"Dad? Yeah, he's here." As she spoke, Jingxin looked at Feng Tingshen sitting across from her. She asked Rong Ci, "Mom, do you want to talk to Dad?"
"Mhm. Give the phone to your father. I have something to say to him."
"Okay." Jingxin handed the phone to Feng Tingshen. "Dad, Mom is looking for you."
Feng Tingshen stopped eating and took the phone. "What is it?"
"My grandmother's birthday is the day after tomorrow. I hope you can tell Jingxin that she is to come back to the Rong house with me that day and is forbidden from running off for the entire day."
Hearing this, Feng Tingshen replied, "Understood." He then asked, "Is there anything else?"
"I'll pick her up Friday night to take her back to the Rong house."
"Fine."
Having received his answer, Rong Ci felt at ease. After a second of silence, she said, "Thank you."
Feng Tingshen gave a simple, "Mhm."
Regarding whether he was free on Saturday, she hadn't asked when she gave him the invitation previously.
It was the same this time.
Moreover, since he had handed over the item he bought at the auction to her, his intention was for her to present the gift to her grandmother on his behalf.
In other words, he would not be attending.
Why should she bother asking?
Rong Ci didn't say another word and immediately hung up.
Feng Tingshen didn't seem to notice either. In previous years, Rong Ci would always ask if he could accompany her back to the Rong family to celebrate the Old Madam's birthday. This year, she hadn't asked at all.
After Rong Ci hung up, he handed the phone back to Jingxin while saying, "Your mother is coming to pick you up tomorrow evening to take you to your grandmother's house. On Saturday, you must listen to your mother and not run off anywhere."
Jingxin pursed her small lips. "But"
Feng Tingshen didn't speak, merely looking at her with a neutral gaze.
Seeing this, Jingxin understood there was no room for negotiation. She could only say reluctantly, "I know..."
Feng Tingshen gave a nod of approval. "Good girl."
Jingxin pouted, unable to resist bargaining. "Then I want to play with Auntie Wu on Sunday, and you have to come with her to play with me."
Feng Tingshen smiled slightly. "Alright."
On Friday evening, Rong Ci returned to Feng Tingshen's villa after work.
Upon entering, she was surprised to find that Feng Tingshen was actually home.
It was quite rare for him to be home at this time.
Feng Tingshen was busy on a call. He glanced at her when he heard her footsteps, then turned away to continue his conversation.
The butler already knew that Rong Ci was taking Jingxin back to the Rong house tonight.
He had prepared ingredients ahead of time, intending for them to eat dinner before leaving.
But Rong Ci wanted to eat at the Rong house.
"No, thank you," she said.
"This..." The butler looked toward Feng Tingshen, wondering what his take was.
Feng Tingshen hadn't finished his call, but he had likely overheard the conversation. He pulled the phone away slightly, looked over, and said, "Listen to the Madam."
Having said that, he turned back to his call.
Seeing this, Rong Ci said to Jingxin, "Jingxin, let's go."
"Okay." Jingxin waved to her father. "Bye, Dad, we're leaving now."
Feng Tingshen turned slightly and waved back. "Goodbye."
Rong Ci didn't speak a single word to Feng Tingshen from beginning to end as she led Jingxin away.
Feng Tingshen acted the same; after saying goodbye to Jingxin, he watched them leave while still on the phone.
This birthday banquet for the Old Madam was a grand affair. After arriving at the Rong house and eating, Rong Ci helped with some of the preparations.
By the time they finished, it was already past eleven at night.
She woke up early the next morning.
After getting up and before having breakfast, Rong Ci, Rong Changsheng, and the others gathered around the Old Madam to offer their congratulations and present the gifts they had prepared one by one.
Watching the gift-giving process, Jingxin was stunned. she tugged gently at Rong Ci's sleeve.
Rong Ci leaned down to listen. "What is it?"
Jingxin looked embarrassed and whispered, "Mom, I didn't prepare a gift..."
She had only just thought of it.
After saying it, she couldn't help but add reproachfully, "Mom, why didn't you remind me?"
Rong Ci replied calmly, "Your father, your great-grandmother, and I have all prepared gifts. You're a child, so it doesn't matter if you didn't prepare one. However, if you want to show your heart, just remember to have one ready for Grandmother's next birthday."
Rong Ci spoke the words.
But her expression remained somewhat cold.
She hadn't reminded the girl to prepare a birthday gift, that much was true.
But if Jingxin really had the heart, she should have thought of a gift the moment she learned it was the Old Madam's birthday.
The gift wouldn't have needed to be expensive or elaborate; a drawing would have sufficed, or she could have asked to go buy something when Rong Ci picked her up yesterday.
Yet, she hadn't thought of the gift once throughout the entire process.
But she wasn't like this with Lin Wu.
For Lin Wu, she not only took the trouble to remember the date but even counted down the days as they approached.
It was because Rong Ci saw her daughter's lack of care that she hadn't bothered to remind her.
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