Chapter 32

In the nanny car.

Feng Yu sat next to Feng Jiayuan. Sister Liu wanted to speak several times but didn’t know what to say. Just like the driver hinted with his eyes, they were uncle and nephew. Could she stop them from getting close?

But she felt uneasy. She knew who her employer was, so she sent the same message to both Ji Qingyu and Feng Chengze: “Yuan Bao’s uncle came to pick her up.”

Feng Jiayuan was also curious about the unfamiliar uncle, looking at him with round eyes, “Are you really my uncle?”

She knew her dad had a brother, but the uncle was far, far away. The uncle didn’t come back even for the New Year.

Feng Yu was also observing the little girl. The last time he saw her, she was still in Qingyu’s belly, round and chubby. Over the years, his parents often posted her photos and videos in their social media circles.

Life is amazing. Although her features and face shape resembled Qingyu’s more, her eyebrows, eyes, and nose were unmistakably from the Feng family. If he took her out to play, passersby would mistake him for her father.

“Absolutely.” Feng Yu restrained himself from pinching her cheek. He could see she was somewhat cautious, “Didn’t Grandpa and Grandma mention me to you?”

“They did.”

Feng Jiayuan suddenly remembered why the uncle looked familiar. She covered her mouth, eyes full of smiles, “You are my dad’s brother. You look a lot like my dad!”

Sister Liu’s heart skipped a beat. The driver also focused on the road ahead, and there were a few seconds of stillness in the car.

Feng Yu nodded with a smile, “Jiayuan is very smart.”

Feng Jiayuan was very happy, shaking her head, “So where have you been before? I haven’t seen you.”

“Abroad.” Feng Yu didn’t seem to treat her as a child but as an equal, “Work was too busy, and the way home was too far, so I never came back. But I know you. Look, my phone screen is full of your photos.”

He handed the phone to the child.

Feng Jiayuan didn’t take it, “I’ll just look for a moment. My parents said not to take other people’s phones.”

She glanced at it and laughed, “It’s me and mom at the amusement park!”

She had an excellent memory. If you asked her where she had been at three years old, she couldn’t say, but if you showed her photos and videos, she could remember. Her parents took her to this amusement park before she started the dreaded kindergarten. Her dad bought her many balloons, and her mom, afraid she couldn’t hold them all, held her with one hand and the balloons with the other, taking a photo in front of the castle. Her dad took the photo. Her mom was smiling very happily, and so was she.

Feng Yu put away his phone, “It was taken very well, so I used it as my screensaver.”
…

There was a newly opened cake shop in the mall, which was very popular. Seeing that few people were in line, Ji Qingyu joined the queue, planning to buy one to enjoy with her daughter at home. While idly playing with her phone, she suddenly received a message from Sister Liu. She was stunned for a moment, and when she realized that the “Yuan Bao’s uncle” Sister Liu mentioned was Feng Yu, her heart started pounding wildly. The person in front of her moved a few steps, leaving a gap of several centimeters, but she didn’t react.

The girl behind her gently reminded her, “Miss, please move forward a bit, or someone might cut in line.”

Ji Qingyu came back to her senses and quickly stepped forward. Without thinking, she immediately dialed Feng Chengze’s number. It was only 4:30 PM, and he hadn’t finished work yet. She rarely disturbed him during work hours, let alone called him, but now she couldn’t care less. The phone rang for a long time, but he didn’t answer. She guessed he might be in a meeting. He had told her that during meetings, he either put his phone on silent or didn’t bring it. But he would definitely reply when he saw her message.

The call automatically hung up, and Ji Qingyu took a deep breath and dialed Yuan Bao’s number.

Feng Jiayuan’s wristwatch phone vibrated while she was chatting with Feng Yu. She looked down and smiled at Feng Yu, “It’s a call from my mom!”

She answered the call, “Mom!!”

Ji Qingyu didn’t have much mind to continue queuing for the cake, but she stayed in line, her breath unsteady, and asked, “Yuan Bao, who are you with now?”

Sitting next to Feng Jiayuan, Feng Yu had a stiff expression for a few seconds. He instinctively tightened his grip on his phone.

“Sister Liu,” Feng Jiayuan said cheerfully, “Uncle Driver, and…” She paused for two seconds and then asked mysteriously, “And someone else, Mom, guess who! You definitely won’t guess it!”

Ji Qingyu tried to stay calm, “Is there also an uncle?”

“Correct~” Feng Jiayuan’s childish voice came through, “It’s Dad’s brother, my uncle~”

Children love new things, and she was very excited about the sudden appearance of an uncle she had never met.

Ji Qingyu was silent. She knew how Yuanbao’s wristwatch phone worked; everyone in the car could hear every word she said. This made her feel at a loss. Feng Yu’s return was too sudden, catching her completely off guard. She was silent, and Feng Yu didn’t speak either.

In the daytime, even the sound of breathing was covered by the bright light.

“Mom, we’re going to Grandpa and Grandma’s house now.” After chattering for a while, Feng Jiayuan smiled happily at Feng Yu, “You and Dad should come back soon, too!”

“…Mm.” Ji Qingyu hung up the phone, seemingly calm. Once she was sure the other side couldn’t hear her anymore, she couldn’t hold it in and breathed a sigh of relief. Without thinking about whether she had lost her composure, she redialed Feng Chengze’s number. She had a strong sense of unease. Actually, only she and Feng Chengze had come from five years ago. To Feng Yu, the matters between the three of them might have been long gone, old news. After a few years, with his personality, he might have already let it go. But she still felt nervous.

She couldn’t figure out the reason. Was it because she didn’t know the reason for breaking up with Feng Yu, and they were still dating a few days ago?

Maybe she was gradually adapting to her relationship with Feng Chengze, but could it be that subconsciously she still considered Feng Yu her boyfriend, which is why she felt this way?
…

Feng Chengze finished a meeting and returned to his office. The phone on his desk rang urgently.

Seeing the caller ID “Wife,” he quickly answered and asked in a determined tone, “What’s wrong?”

She had never called him proactively before. This was the first time. Judging by the time, she should have finished watching the movie not long ago. If it wasn’t something very urgent, she wouldn’t do this.

Ji Qingyu wanted to scream, but she still had her rationality. She was in a public place, still in line waiting for the freshly baked cake. She could only whisper tearfully, “Um, Feng Yu is back, and he went to pick up Yuan Bao. What should I do?!”

Feng Chengze stood in front of his desk, his eyes falling on the photo of him and Ji Qingyu. After a moment of silence, he calmly reassured her, “Sister Liu is there, the driver is there, nothing will happen.”

“That’s not what I mean…”

Ji Qingyu lowered her voice, “Didn’t you know he was back? Isn’t the celebration not started yet?”

If she remembered correctly, the Yisheng celebration was in half a month.
Of course, Feng Yu could come back whenever he wanted, but why didn’t Feng Chengze receive any news? Even if the brothers had a falling out and the younger brother didn’t want to deal with the older brother, wouldn’t he at least tell their parents?

“And Yuan Bao told me that she and Feng Yu are going back to the old house for dinner.” Ji Qingyu’s thoughts were in a mess, and she didn’t know how to express her feelings—no, she couldn’t even figure out her true thoughts right now.

Did she really want to see Feng Yu?
Was she ready?
What attitude should she take towards him?

Feng Chengze didn’t understand why she was so panicked and anxious.

A Yu just came back early. Was it really such a big deal?

He patiently reassured her, “Don’t worry, nothing will happen. The old house must have received the news. No matter why he came back early, it’s not that important. Don’t panic.”

“But…”

Ji Qingyu took another step forward, “So, should I go back today, too?”

Feng Chengze finally understood and asked, “You don’t want to go back to the old house?”

“I thought it would be at least ten days or half a month.” Ji Qingyu answered honestly, “It’s too sudden. I’m not ready at all. I’m afraid I’ll slip up. You know… I was with Feng Yu for quite a long time.”

She wasn’t a film school graduate; she couldn’t control her expressions, eyes, or tone. Previously, when she went to the Feng family, she could handle it because she wasn’t familiar with Chairman Feng and Zheng Mingyue, and Feng Chengze was by her side. But at this family dinner, there was Feng Yu, a boyfriend she used to know well. She wasn’t a machine, nor a professional actor. Why make it so difficult for her!

Feng Chengze understood her concerns. Although he thought these concerns were unnecessary, he was him, and she was her. He couldn’t force her, and deep down, he also thought it was the right decision for her not to meet A Yu for now.

However, a slight trace of displeasure still crossed his mind.

Was it because of the phrase “I was with Feng Yu for quite a long time” or “I’m not ready”? It was unclear. Perhaps he was just annoyed by the feeling of not being in control of the situation.

“Okay.” He tugged at his tie and said in a low voice, “He came back suddenly, and the family didn’t know. There’s no reason for everyone to be there. Don’t be nervous. I’ll go back and check the situation first…”

Then, it was Ji Qingyu’s turn to order. The clerk smiled and asked, “Miss, you can order now. Do you need any recommendations?”

Ji Qingyu glanced at the menu, “I’ll have an orange cheesecake and… a vanilla brownie.”

“Okay, I’ll scan the code.”

“Mm.”

Feng Chengze’s hand, which was tugging at his tie, suddenly paused, and he asked, “What are you doing now?”

Ji Qingyu took the receipt and waited for the clerk to pack her cake. She replied in a muffled voice, “I’m buying a cake. A new shop opened here, and I heard it’s really good. Do you want some, too?”

The business was too good, and she had been in line for almost twenty minutes. As she received the exquisitely packaged cake box from the clerk, she heard a very short, low laugh from the other end of the phone.