Feng Jingxin must have been having the time of her life with Lin Wu and the others; she hadn't contacted Rong Ci once throughout Saturday and Sunday.
When Monday arrived, Rong Ci went to work at Chang Mo as usual.
Near the end of the day, Chu Zilan called, offering to take her out to dinner. When they were nearly finished with their meal, Rong Ci headed to the restroom.
On her way, she ran into He Changbai.
Rong Ci didn't slow down, walking straight past him as if he weren't there. He Changbai, however, stopped and turned his head to look at her. Rong Ci noticed, but she ignored him.
When she emerged from the restroom, she found He Changbai still standing in the same spot where they had crossed paths. He hadn't left.
Seeing her come out, he turned toward her. "Having dinner here?"
He looked as though he had been waiting specifically for her.
"Yes," she replied before adding coldly, "Does Mr. He think I'm stalking you all again?"
He Changbai paused for a moment before speaking. "That's not what I meant."
Rong Ci didn't know what he meant, nor did she care to find out. She left immediately after speaking, and He Changbai didn't try to call her back.
After leaving the restaurant, Chu Zilan wanted to buy a birthday present for her mother. Rong Ci accompanied her to a high-end jewelry store.
Chu Zilan had taken a fancy to a jade necklace and had just finished chatting with the manager when someone spoke up from the doorway. "Hello, I'm here to pick up some jewelry."
Rong Ci stiffened slightly at the sound of the voice.
"Oh, it's President Lin!" Seeing the newcomer, the shop owner immediately beamed. With an apologetic smile to Rong Ci and Chu Zilan, the owner walked toward the man. "President Lin, the custom pieces you ordered are already packed"
"Xiao Ci?" Once he was sure he hadn't mistaken her, Lin Lihai walked toward Rong Ci. "Are you here to order jewelry as well?"
Rong Ci glanced at him but said nothing.
Seeing her cold attitude, a look of sorrow crossed Lin Lihai's face. "Xiao Ci..."
Rong Ci turned her face away, ignoring him entirely as she asked Chu Zilan, "Are you sure you want this one?"
Chu Zilan had never met Lin Lihai. Seeing a man who, despite the marks of time, appeared refined and elegant, she nudged Rong Ci's waist with her elbow and whispered, "Who is this?"
Rong Ci didn't answer.
Lin Lihai didn't leave. He watched Rong Ci and asked, "Xiao Ci... have you been doing well lately?"
Rong Ci pursed her lips and finally looked at him, asking frostily, "What are you trying to say?"
"I..." Lin Lihai's voice was gentle. "Xiao Ci, must you always speak to your father with that kind of attitude?"
Rong Ci replied coldly, "And what kind of attitude do you think I should use?"
"I know I've made mistakes in the past, but you should know that you've always had a place in my heart."
Hearing this, Rong Ci laughed. "Oh, I'm sure I have. You care about me so much that you let Lin Wu get close to my husband and even told him to take good care of her. Tell me, how could I ever doubt your love?"
"Xiao Ci..." Lin Lihai frowned. "I understand your feelings, but Xiao Wu and Tingshen are truly in love. You can't force feelings. Why bother"
"Exactly. You can't force feelings, which is why you thought your affair back then was perfectly natural. Now she's just like her mother being a mistress with her head held high and acting like she's in the right, isn't she?"
Lin Lihai's face darkened. "Xiao Ci! Since when did you become so extreme?"
"I'm extreme?" Rong Ci let out a cold laugh. "I suppose if I divorced Feng Tingshen right now to make way for Lin Wu, I wouldn't be 'extreme' anymore?"
"Lihai, what's going on?"
Just then, Xiang Rufang and Sun Liyao walked in. Xiang Rufang was the first to spot Rong Ci. She immediately smiled. "Isn't this Xiao Ci? Long time no see. You really are getting prettier and prettier."
"Mom..."
Hearing Xiang Rufang praise Rong Ci made Sun Liyao unhappy. She had always known Rong Ci was beautiful, but seeing her after a few years, she found her even more stunning. Looking at Rong Ci's fair, delicate skin and her exceptional poise, she felt a deep surge of jealousy.
However, she then reminded herself: so what if she was beautiful? Her future brother-in-law didn't like her; he only had eyes for her sister, Lin Wu.
With that thought, her heart regained some balance.
Lin Lihai looked at Xiang Rufang. "Sister-in-law, why are you both here?"
"We saw that you hadn't come back for a while, so we came to check on you," Sun Liyao interjected. Noticing the silk-lined box the shop owner had opened, she looked at Rong Ci and intentionally raised her voice. "Uncle, is this the wedding anniversary gift you had custom-made for Auntie? It's beautiful!"
Lin Lihai smiled. "It is."
"Every year for your anniversary, you prepare such expensive gifts in advance to surprise her. You're so good to Auntie, Uncle!"
Lin Lihai gave a small smile.
Over on the other side, Chu Zilan had heard enough to piece together the identities of the three of them.
"So it's just a bunch of scumbags," she cursed under her breath. After settling the bill, she grabbed Rong Ci's hand and turned to leave.
"Xiao Ci," Lin Lihai called out, walking over. "Your aunt treats you with sincerity, and she's always thinking of you. You and Xiao Wu are sisters; you're family. Regarding what happened at Chang Mo this time, I hope nothing like that ever happens again"
Rong Ci laughed at the absurdity. "Are you trying to disgust me on purpose?"
"You"
"Uncle, if she's unwilling, then she's unwilling. Forget about her; even if she were willing, my sister wouldn't want her. What rank does she think she is? She thinks she's worthy of being sisters with my sister?"
As she spoke, Sun Liyao looked at Rong Ci with a slight scoff. "You're quite proud of yourself for targeting my sister and keeping her out of Chang Mo, aren't you? But what you don't know is that the more you target her, the more Brother-in-law pities her. As soon as he found out that you and the boss of Chang Mo were bullying my sister, he immediately went to stir up trouble for them.
"Even though things didn't go exactly as planned and Chang Mo wasn't touched in the end, Brother-in-law handed us a project worth hundreds of millions to compensate my sister for her grievances. And that major project just happens to be the one your uncle has been begging for lately. Haha..."
Rong Ci pursed her lips, her hands clenched into fists.
Chu Zilan was fuming now. She sneered, "Are Feng Tingshen and Lin Wu even married? Calling him 'brother-in-law' over and over when they aren't even wed how shameless!"
"You!"
"That's enough, Yaoyao." Lin Lihai pulled Sun Liyao back and sighed as he spoke to Rong Ci. "Xiao Ci, Xiao Wu is a genius in the AI field. She has important business to attend to at Chang Mo. In the future, keep your temper in check and stop targeting her."
"Are you done yet?" Rong Ci looked at him, her eyes devoid of any warmth. "Once you've finished, you can get lost."
Xiang Rufang, who had been silent until now, fanned the flames. "Xiao Ci, you really are something. How can you speak to your father like that?"
Sun Liyao chimed in, "Exactly! You have no upbringing at all!"
Rong Ci's voice was ice. "I certainly don't have an upbringing like yours scurrying to be mistresses one after another!"
"You!"
"Fine." Seeing that Rong Ci was completely unmoved, Lin Lihai spoke with deep disappointment. "Let's go."
"Hmph!"
Lin Lihai took his custom gift and quickly departed with Sun Liyao and the others.
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