Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside the door.
Feng Tingshen had returned.
"Papa!"
"Mm." Feng Tingshen entered the room and walked toward the bedside.
Seeing him approach, Rong Ci tried to set Feng Jingxin down to make room for him, but the girl refused to let go. Clinging to her mother's embrace, she reached out her small hands toward Feng Tingshen.
Feng Tingshen leaned in and scooped Feng Jingxin up into his arms.
As he held the child, he stood very close. Rong Ci could smell the familiar scent of his masculine cologne.
However, alongside that familiar scent, a subtle, elegant note of women's perfume drifted into her nose.
It was a fragrance she had just smelled on Lin Wu at the banquet earlier that evening.
Rong Ci turned her face away and stood up, putting distance between herself and Feng Tingshen until the scent finally faded.
Feng Tingshen, his hand adorned with an exquisite wristwatch, lightly pressed his palm against Feng Jingxin's fair forehead. He then looked at Rong Ci. "What is her temperature now? Has the fever subsided at all?"
Rong Ci could only repeat the doctor's assessment. "It has gone from a high fever to a low-grade one, but it's still unstable. There is still a chance the fever might spike again."
"Mm."
Feng Tingshen sat on the edge of the bed while holding Feng Jingxin. The little girl clung to him, unwilling to get down, but then she furrowed her brow. "Papa, your jacket is so hard..."
Feng Tingshen took off his suit jacket and handed it to Rong Ci. She took it out of reflex and held it against her chest. It wasn't until she clearly caught the scent of those two intermingling perfumes on the fabric that she suddenly remembered she and Feng Tingshen were about to get a divorce.
In the past, she would have felt a sense of happiness just holding his jacket in her arms, a warmth so precious she would have been loath to let it go.
But now, she casually tossed the jacket aside and said to Feng Jingxin, "I'm going downstairs to make some congee."
With both Feng Tingshen and Rong Ci home, Feng Jingxin's spirits had improved considerably. Hearing Rong Ci's words, she nodded obediently. "Mm, thank you, Mama."
Rong Ci offered a small smile and turned to leave the room.
Watching her retreating back, Feng Tingshen's gaze lingered for a moment on the suit jacket she had draped over the back of a chair.
After starting the congee, Rong Ci began preparing the other ingredients.
By the time she finished washing her hands and stepped out of the kitchen, twenty minutes had passed.
Rong Ci hesitated for a moment before heading back upstairs.
As she reached the second floor and turned the corner, she saw Feng Tingshen standing by the window at the end of the hallway, talking on the phone. "The fever has broken. Don't worry."
Was he talking to Lin Wu?
Was Lin Wu truly worried about Feng Jingxin?
Rong Ci retracted her gaze and entered Feng Jingxin's room.
Feng Jingxin had finished her IV drip and was fast asleep.
The child had worked up quite a sweat, and Auntie Liu was carefully wiping her brow.
Seeing Rong Ci enter, Auntie Liu quickly moved aside and tried to hand her the towel she assumed Rong Ci would want to care for Feng Jingxin personally.
After all, Rong Ci had always been like that in the past.
When it came to anything regarding Feng Jingxin or Feng Tingshen, she had always insisted on doing everything herself.
Rong Ci shook her head.
Auntie Liu was momentarily stunned but didn't dwell on it. She quietly and gently changed Feng Jingxin into dry clothes.
Rong Ci sat down on the sofa in the room. Once Auntie Liu was finished, she asked, "Has the doctor left?"
"Yes."
"What did he say? Is there still a risk of the fever returning?"
She was debating whether she should stay the night.
"The doctor said it shouldn't happen again."
"That's good then."
Since Feng Jingxin was no longer in any serious danger, there was likely no need for her to stay overnight.
The congee was still simmering on the stove. After sitting for a while, Rong Ci headed back downstairs. Auntie Liu was already in the kitchen and said, "I'll keep an eye on the stove, Ma'am. You must be exhausted; why don't you go sit down and rest?"
Leaving the kitchen, Rong Ci saw Feng Tingshen sitting on the living room sofa, reading a newspaper.
Noticing her, Feng Tingshen glanced up briefly before returning his attention to the paper.
Rong Ci's footsteps paused.
In the past, she certainly would have sat down beside him, trying to steal a few moments of his company without disturbing him.
But now...
They had nothing left to talk about.
With that thought, she turned to head back upstairs. Feng Tingshen didn't call out to stop her.
Rong Ci felt a flicker of confusion in her heart.
She had assumed he would definitely come to hold her accountable for how she and Yu Moxun had "bullied" Lin Wu earlier.
Yet, he hadn't said a single word...
Rong Ci had just reached the top of the stairs when Feng Jingxin woke up. Looking pale and listless, the girl stepped out of her room to find her. "Mama, I'm hungry. Is the congee ready?"
"Almost." Rong Ci turned to ask Auntie Liu, "Does she still have a fever?"
Auntie Liu smiled. "No more fever."
Relieved, Rong Ci turned back into the kitchen. Five or six minutes later, she poked her head out and called to the child, "Xinxin, the congee is ready."
Rong Ci dished out a bowl and looked toward the door, only to find Feng Tingshen following them in.
Feng Jingxin asked, "Mama, why is there only one bowl? Papa is eating with us."
Rong Ci hadn't known Feng Tingshen intended to eat. Before she could speak, Auntie Liu smiled and said, "I'll go get more bowls."
Rong Ci hadn't planned on eating herself, but she was in the habit of making extra. Feng Jingxin didn't eat much, so there was enough for both her and Feng Tingshen to have a portion.
Once the congee was served, Rong Ci sat down and ate in silence.
Feng Tingshen had already removed his wristwatch. His long, slender fingers gripped the spoon, stirring the congee with elegant, graceful movements that were quite a sight to behold.
After taking a bite, Feng Jingxin narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. "I haven't had this in so long. It smells so good."
Auntie Liu chuckled. "Now that you've returned to the country, you can eat it whenever you like."
"Mm!"
Hearing that, Rong Ci paused for a moment but said nothing.
Feng Tingshen sat across from her, equally silent.
Feng Jingxin, however, was very happy. As if struck by a thought, she acted spoiled toward Rong Ci. "Mama, will you sleep with me tonight?"
Rong Ci was about to refuse, but seeing how pale and bloodless the girl's face still was, she relented. "Alright."
Feng Jingxin only managed one bowl, and Feng Tingshen didn't eat much either. The pot was still half-full when they left the dining room.
Feng Jingxin was a child who loved cleanliness; even with a cold, she insisted on bathing.
Worried she might catch a chill, Rong Ci had no choice but to go in and supervise her.
After Feng Jingxin finished her bath, Rong Ci hesitated before turning toward the master bedroom.
Feng Tingshen wasn't there.
Rong Ci had assumed her belongings would have been cleared out by his staff by now.
But as she stepped inside, she realized the bedroom looked exactly as it had when she left.
Her daily necessities her slippers, hand cream, face cream, and water cup were all still in their usual spots, unchanged.
It was as if she had never left.
Rong Ci entered the walk-in closet and slid the door open, only to find that none of her clothes were missing either.
Perhaps, because the divorce wasn't official yet, Feng Tingshen hadn't touched her things to avoid alarming Old Madame Feng.
Pushing those thoughts aside, she grabbed a set of pajamas and a towel, left the master bedroom, and returned to Feng Jingxin's room.
Feng Jingxin was sitting on the bed playing on her tablet. Seeing the clothes in Rong Ci's hand, she looked curious. "Mama, are you going to shower in my room?"
Rong Ci replied, "Mm."
Not long after she entered the bathroom, Feng Tingshen walked into Feng Jingxin's room.
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