Feng Jingxin did not notice the coldness on Rong Ci's face. Hearing her speak this way, the girl finally felt a sense of relief.
After Rong Changsheng presented his gift to the Old Lady, Rong Ci stepped forward to offer hers as well.
The first item she presented was an embroidery painting. "This embroidery was something Tingshen's grandmother asked him to prepare specifically for you."
The Old Lady took the scroll and examined it for a long while. The gift truly resonated with her tastes, and she nodded with satisfaction. "She was very thoughtful."
Rong Ci then handed over a set of emerald jewelry. "This is from Tingshen."
The emeralds were of exceptional quality, their color deep and vibrant. The Old Lady certainly liked them, but because they were a gift from Feng Tingshen, she merely glanced at them before closing the lid and setting the box aside.
"They are very beautiful," she said indifferently. "Thank him on my behalf."
As for whether Feng Tingshen would actually show up today to celebrate her birthday, she didn't ask a single question. She was either too lazy to care or simply didn't want to know.
Rong Ci knew her grandmother didn't like Feng Tingshen. In the past, she would have certainly tried to smooth things over or speak up for him. Now, however, she said nothing more on the subject. Instead, she took out the gift she had personally prepared and presented it.
Just as Rong Ci had expected, out of all the gifts received, the one the Old Lady loved most was the set of the Four Treasures of the Study. Holding them in her hands, the Old Lady couldn't bear to put them down. In her delight, she immediately headed to her study to write a piece of calligraphy.
After the gifts were presented, the family sat down together for breakfast. It was a bustling, lively meal. The Old Lady was all smiles, and it was obvious she was having a wonderful time.
And yet... every so often, a flicker of loneliness would flash through her eyes.
Rong Ci and Rong Changsheng both understood why. To them, today was supposed to be a day of complete family reunion. But on such an important occasion, there was one person missing.
Thinking of this, Rong Ci looked away, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. To avoid ruining the atmosphere, everyone maintained a tacit understanding not to mention the name Rong Yingsheng.
By nine in the morning, a group of guests who were particularly close to the Rong family began to arrive. Later that evening, they would move to a pre-booked hotel for dinner, which was when the birthday banquet would officially commence.
While Rong Ci was busy attending to the guests, Rong Changsheng's son, Rong Yunhe, noticed Feng Jingxin sitting off to the side, looking sullen. He reached out and affectionately pinched her cheek. "What are you doing over here, Xinxin? You seem like your mind is a million miles away."
Rong Ci overheard this and knew that the girl was actually missing Lin Wu. Feng Jingxin had indeed listened to Feng Tingshen and stayed obediently at the Rong house without running off, but her heart clearly wasn't here. She had sent several messages to her Auntie Wu today, but Lin Wu seemed to be very busy and hadn't replied much.
In the afternoon, the group moved to the hotel. Around six o'clock, the guests began to arrive in waves.
As Rong Changsheng accepted a gift and led a guest to their seat, he noticed the man looking rather awkward. "I'm very sorry, President Rong, but I have another celebration to attend today. I'll have to leave after just a quick drink of water."
Rong Changsheng and Rong Ci didn't press him; since he had other business, they didn't try to make him stay. They initially thought this was just an isolated incident.
However, over the next half hour, they watched as many business partners dropped off gifts only to leave immediately. Even more had not bothered to come in person, sending their secretaries to deliver the gifts instead.
The Rongs had reserved many tables, but based on the current situation, it looked like more than half of them would remain empty tonight. On such a joyous day, after such meticulous preparation, for the banquet to turn out like this... if the Old Lady found out later, her mood would undoubtedly turn sour.
Rong Changsheng could understand that people were busy, but his expression inevitably darkened. Seeing so many people rushing off to another event, he couldn't help but pull aside President Lan, a business associate he was relatively close with.
"President Lan, many friends have said they can't stay for dinner tonight because they're heading to another celebration. If you don't mind me asking, whose event are they all rushing to?"
Could all those guests be going to the same place as President Lan? Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence?
"The Sun family," President Lan replied, before adding an explanation. "It's the family of President Feng's girlfriend's grandmother. They aren't originally from L City; they've decided to settle here in the Capital. They bought property a while back, and today is their housewarming banquet."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of both Rong Ci and Rong Changsheng shifted instantly. They had thought that once the matter of the villa was resolved, things would settle down for a while. They never expected the Sun family to have such a scheme waiting for them!
They didn't believe for a second that the Sun family's housewarming banquet being scheduled for today was a coincidence. After all, the Sun family matriarch and Lin Wu's grandmother had known each other for years; they had celebrated countless birthdays together in the past.
Could the Sun family have forgotten that today was Old Lady Rong's birthday? No. They definitely remembered. It was precisely because they remembered that they had intentionally set their housewarming for this very day!
President Lan was unaware of the long-standing grievances between the Rongs, the Suns, and the Lins. He could sympathize with Rong Changsheng's frustration at seeing his meticulously prepared banquet half-empty on such a big day.
He lowered his voice and said, "There's really nothing anyone can do. After all, the Sun family has President Feng backing them. Since the invitations were sent out... well, we aren't close to the Suns, but who would dare to not give President Feng face? Old Rong, my hands are tied here..."
If he didn't attend the Sun family's housewarming, or if he just sat for a moment without eating, the Suns would certainly think he was looking down on them. Rumor had it that Feng Tingshen might soon marry that Miss Lin.
Offending the Sun family was effectively the same as offending Miss Lin and Feng Tingshen. And Feng Tingshen was a man none of them could afford to offend.
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