Chapter 23

Feng Chengze recently realized that his work schedule had changed significantly over the past five years. Previously, weekends and weekdays were indistinguishable for him, as he often went to the office to handle business matters. His assistant would schedule his tasks without considering weekends. However, now his assistant and the secretarial team had started leaving his weekends free, giving him a fixed break like a regular employee. Today, he had no urgent work to attend to, but since he had already mentioned it, he decided to make it happen. After completing all his tasks without distraction, he still hadn’t received a message from her. Although the mall wasn’t far from the Yisheng Group, it still required crossing a pedestrian path. After some thought, he decided to drive over.

“Are you hungry now?” Ji Qingyu asked him, standing by the directory on the first floor.

She wasn’t very hungry, having just had a large cup of fruit tea at the bookstore. But since she was treating him, she prioritized his preference.

“Not really,” Feng Chengze replied, glancing at her lace-up high heels.

“You can’t drive in those.”

Plans had changed unexpectedly. Ji Qingyu hadn’t anticipated leaving Yuan Bao with her grandparents before leaving. “Should we go back? I can call Sister Sun to prepare lunch now.”

“No need for that,” he said. “Just buy a pair of flat shoes.”

Ji Qingyu had no objections. The mall had a wide range of brands. While Feng Chengze said “anything,” shopping was never “anything” in her book. Spending money requires seriousness. She was pleased to see him calmly following her instead of waiting in the rest area like other men. This made her smile warmly. Although she often criticized his manners, she had to admit he wasn’t an unpleasant man. After visiting several stores without success, he showed no signs of impatience or annoyance. Finally, she chose a pair of slippers and flat shoes. When the sales assistant asked if she would pay with WeChat or Alipay, she was about to scan the QR code when she noticed Feng Chengze’s well-tailored suit pants. An idea struck her, and she decisively said, “I’ll use a card. Is that okay?”

The sales assistant smiled, “Of course.”

Ji Qingyu believed that people should provide emotional value to each other. Feng Chengze had given her a seemingly high-limit card, which made her happy. She wanted to reciprocate by showing him that she appreciated it and would use his card to spend his money.

She handed the paper bag with the books to Feng Chengze. “Hold this for me.”

“Okay.”

She took out her wallet from her bag, which contained several cards she hadn’t had time to sort through. Feng Chengze glanced at it and paused, staring at the main card partially hidden in the card slot. After a few seconds, he looked at her with a strange expression.

Ji Qingyu pulled out the card Feng Chengze had given her and handed it to the sales assistant.

The assistant quickly processed the payment and printed the receipt, which needed to be signed. Ji Qingyu smiled and said to Feng Chengze, “You sign it.”

Since it was his card, it made sense for him to sign his name.

Feng Chengze seemed to snap out of his daze. He rarely hesitated, but this time, he took the pen slowly and signed his name, the handwriting a bit messy compared to his usual sharp strokes.

“What’s wrong?” Ji Qingyu asked softly as they left the store, noticing his furrowed brow.

“Nothing,” he replied, shaking his head hesitantly. He was just gaining a new understanding of his future self.

“Everywhere is crowded at mealtime,” Ji Qingyu said. “How about we just eat here at the mall?”

Mall restaurants were generally more casual, and she wasn’t sure if they suited Feng Chengze’s taste. She didn’t have much experience with wealthy men, but from what she knew, people like Feng Yu didn’t prefer mall restaurants due to the average environment and food quality.

“That’s fine,” Feng Chengze said, not being picky about food.

“Wait a moment!”

Ji Qingyu eagerly searched online for restaurant reviews and ratings. Feng Chengze, having nothing else to do, looked around absentmindedly. After a few minutes, she chose a restaurant on the seventh floor. The mall was quite busy, but they managed to order half a roast duck. After wiping her hands with a hot towel, she asked him naturally, “Do you eat scallions?”

Feng Chengze thought she was asking about his dietary restrictions. “No.”

She didn’t add scallions, quickly wrapping the duck and handing it to him with a smile. “Try it. The reviews are good.”

Feng Chengze was slightly surprised but accepted it graciously. He had never dined alone with a woman before. Without much hesitation, he put down his chopsticks and wrapped a piece of duck for her as well.

Ji Qingyu was amused by his actions. They had a pleasant meal, and Feng Chengze seemed to enjoy feeding her. Although he wasn’t particularly fond of roast duck, he kept wrapping pieces for her until she almost felt sick and had to stop him. He looked a bit disappointed at her refusal. For driving practice, they used Feng Chengze’s car.

Ji Qingyu was a bit nervous, worried about scratching or denting it. She wasn’t sure how many cars were in the Feng family garage, but there were four in the basement of Meijing Tiancheng: Yuan Bao’s Kuromi-themed nanny car, her own iceberry pink car, and two of his cars—a Maybach and a Bentley. She had noticed that he usually had the driver use the Maybach, but he would drive the Bentley himself. She guessed the Bentley had a better driving experience. However, she wondered if it was too bold for a novice like her to practice driving in such a car.

“Any car will do,” Feng Chengze said as he got into the driver’s seat and navigated to a quieter road. “This one is more comfortable to drive.”

“I’m just afraid of scratching it…”

Feng Chengze was indifferent. “If it gets scratched, it gets scratched. It’s just a car, not an untouchable antique.”

The best car for a beginner might not be the one from the driving school. Ji Qingyu quickly found her rhythm, and the practice from the previous night wasn’t wasted. In the afternoon, she suggested driving to the Feng residence, and Feng Chengze didn’t object. However, he soon noticed that as they reached Songjing Road, she became tense again, gripping the steering wheel tightly, even more nervous than the first night.

“This road is wide,” he reminded her. “There are only a few cars.”

Ji Qingyu grimaced. “I have a psychological shadow. Did I tell you? That day, when I was with Feng Yu, we were on our way to meet his parents, and a car suddenly crashed into us. It scared me to death.”

If she hadn’t been transported through time because of the accident, she might have been able to handle it calmly. But the key issue was that she hit the passenger seat, blacked out, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself high in the sky. She believed that anyone who experienced such an event would have a psychological shadow.

People tend to relate one thing to another. Feng Chengze had picked up his keys and walked out of his office, only to be transported five years into the future in just a second—as if he had fallen into a time tunnel in the blink of an eye. He assumed Ji Qingyu had experienced something similar.

“A car crashed into you?” he asked, frowning and speaking in a deep voice. “Tell me more details.”

Fortunately, for Ji Qingyu, this incident had happened just a few days ago, so she could still remember some details. She recounted everything she knew. “Is there something wrong?” she asked.

“The road is so wide, and there aren’t many cars,” he calmly analyzed.

“Five years ago, A Yu’s car was quite flashy. You could see it from tens of meters away. Even if the car behind was speeding, the chances of it crashing into you were low unless it was intentional.”

Ji Qingyu was stunned. “In-intentional?”

“It’s just a possibility.”

Although Feng Chengze and Feng Yu were brothers, there was an age gap, and he wasn’t sure if Feng Yu had offended anyone. However, Songjing Road led to the Feng residence. If there was a grudge, would they really choose this place to crash?

When they returned to the Feng residence, Ji Qingyu was still deep in thought. She almost missed a step on the stairs, and Feng Chengze caught her, his hand on her waist. He looked down at her, “Thinking too much won’t help. We’ll have answers soon.”

“But…”

Ji Qingyu didn’t even notice he was holding her, perhaps because she had grown accustomed to his presence over the past few days.

“No matter how big the issue, it’s already been five years.” This was Feng Chengze’s attitude. If the outcome was already determined, there was no point in constantly looking back and forgetting to move forward.

“You’re right.”

Feng Chengze’s calm and composed demeanor inexplicably made her feel at ease. Ji Qingyu wasn’t one to dwell on things, and hearing his words, she decided to let go of her worries. She lowered her eyes and softly said, “I’ll listen to you.”

Uncle Yang, the butler, was dusting the antique shelf with a feather duster. Hearing some noise at the door, he walked over and peeked outside, feeling a wave of emotions. The tall, upright man bowed his head slightly, seemingly comforting his worried wife. His face had no impatience, and he looked at her seriously. From a distance, Uncle Yang could only hear words like “Don’t think about it,” “No need,” and “It’s okay.”

This reminded Uncle Yang of events from years ago. The first time Old Master and Madam met Young Madam was not at the Feng residence but at the Ji family home. He had watched Young Master grow up and had never seen him bow his head so sincerely in front of the Old Master, expressing his request as a son.
…

Around four in the afternoon, Zheng Mingyue and Chairman Feng returned with Feng Jiayuan. The three generations were happily together, indicating they had a pleasant weekend. Feng Jiayuan was already swinging a golf club like a pro and was the club’s youngest member, where many big shots gathered, thanks to Chairman Feng paying her membership fee.

After dinner, Ji Qingyu and Feng Chengze prepared to take their daughter home.

Zheng Mingyue called out to them, “I forgot to tell you, while you were on a business trip abroad, Teacher Zhou from the Rose Class assigned a family project. She wants you to use bottles to make a castle…”

Ji Qingyu: “?”

Feng Chengze: “?”

They could only watch as Uncle Yang packed the old bottles into a cardboard box and put them in the trunk.

Zheng Mingyue gently reminded them of the deadline: “You must bring it to kindergarten first thing Tuesday morning.”

So, they only had two nights to complete it.

Ji Qingyu almost blurted out, “Wait! Why does the kindergarten have homework???”

Feng Jiayuan remembered and got excited: “Yes, yes! Teacher Zhou said we need to bring it to school on Tuesday for a display and competition. I want to win first place!”

Some people, even at four years old, are already competitive.

Back at Meijing Tiancheng, Ji Qingyu humbly asked Xu Yichuan’s mom for advice: “Have you finished the castle?”

Xu Yichuan’s mom: “We did, but we’re almost dead from it.”

Ji Qingyu: “We haven’t started yet. Do you think we could…”

Ask the teacher for more time?

Xu Yichuan’s mom: “Forget it. Last time, we had to collect some stones, and when we didn’t bring them, my kid threw a huge tantrum at home. It was a nightmare.”

Teacher Zhou is gentle. These assignments aren’t mandatory, but with so few students in the class, who can bear that if everyone else has one and your child doesn’t?

Ji Qingyu: “…”

Xu Yichuan’s mom: “Stay calm.”

After his shower, Feng Chengze asked quietly while drying his hair, “What did she say?”

Ji Qingyu shook her head, almost crying: “They all did it.”

Feng Chengze took a deep breath, looking at the various bottles piled on the living room carpet, feeling like he had become a junk collector. Both of them were stressed, and Ji Qingyu’s phone was looping tutorial videos. At this critical moment, Feng Jiayuan, wearing a onesie and barefoot, sneaked out and whispered, “Tuesday, remember!”

“Mom said Dad makes the best house in Jing City.” Feng Jiayuan cupped her face, “Dad will definitely make me a castle!”

Feng Chengze slowly looked at Ji Qingyu.

Ji Qingyu looked back innocently, thinking, “Boss Feng, it wasn’t me. I didn’t say that. It wasn’t the current me.”

Feng Chengze would rather buy his daughter a real castle than stay up late making a fake one, but this wasn’t up to him.

After Feng Jiayuan went back to her room, the living room was left with just Feng Chengze and Ji Qingyu. They divided the tasks: Feng Chengze cut the bottles, and Ji Qingyu painted them with acrylics and molded clay. Time flew by, and when she looked up, it was already midnight. Her legs were numb from sitting, so she lay down on the carpet, closing her eyes to rest for a minute or two.

Feng Chengze stretched his neck and, glancing around, noticed Ji Qingyu had fallen asleep. He put down his tools and walked over to her. After watching her for a moment, he bent down, slipped his arm under her legs, and easily lifted her, letting her lean against his shoulder as he carried her to the master bedroom.

The door to the children’s room was open. Feng Jiayuan, half-asleep and needing to use the bathroom, was being carried by Sister Liu when she unexpectedly saw her father. Her sleepy eyes brightened a bit upon seeing him. She tilted her head, softly resting on Sister Liu’s shoulder, and, still half-dreaming, smiled and mumbled, “Shy face.”

Sister Liu tried hard to suppress her laughter.

Feng Chengze’s face showed a hint of discomfort, but he didn’t speak to his daughter. He continued to carry Ji Qingyu steadily to the master bedroom. As he laid her on the soft bed, he clearly saw her eyelashes flutter slightly, realizing she was aware. He smiled silently.