Chapter 37

The next day.

Ji Qingyu woke up without Feng Jiayuan rushing in. Feng Chengze was still sleeping soundly, which was rare because he usually woke up earlier than her. Maybe he had been busy in the study until late last night?

Thinking of this, she carefully got out of bed, not even wearing slippers, hurriedly put on her robe, tied the belt, and tiptoed out of the master bedroom like a thief.

Feng Chengze was half-awake when she pushed the door open. In the thin daylight, he watched her walk and smiled faintly.

Outside, Ji Qingyu stopped Feng Jiayuan, persuading her with reason and emotion. After agreeing to several conditions, Feng Jiayuan finally reluctantly agreed to say good morning to her father via her smartwatch today.

Feng Jiayuan, feeling she had made a huge concession, said with her hands on her hips, “I only agreed because my most beloved mommy asked me! If it were anyone else, even if Daddy asked, I would disagree!”

Ji Qingyu: “…”

Mr. Feng would never know how much she had sacrificed to let him sleep well!

Feng Chengze didn’t waste Ji Qingyu’s efforts and rested in bed for another half hour. When he finished washing up in the bathroom, Ji Qingyu hurriedly came in from outside, holding her phone between her shoulder and ear. Just as he was about to speak to her, she mouthed to him—

“Your mom.”

After saying that, regardless of whether he understood, she rummaged through the bedside table, found the invitation, and said with relief, “Yes, I know. Okay, I’ll wait for you to pick me up.”

After hanging up the phone, Feng Chengze came out of the dressing room, buttoning his shirt as he walked towards her, asking, “What’s up?”

“Nothing.”

Ji Qingyu didn’t treat Feng Chengze as an outsider. After saying those two words, she added, “…No, there is something. Yuan Bao’s grandma called me, saying she would bring a stylist to pick me up at noon. It seems that before we went abroad, we accepted an invitation to a jewelry auction. Look, it’s this one. What should I do?”

Hearing her say, “What should I do?” brought a faint smile to Feng Chengze’s face, “If you don’t want to go, just politely decline. It’s no big deal.”

He was already used to such auctions. He also understood his mother, who was always gentle and polite to everyone. If A Yu hadn’t suddenly returned and scared her, she wouldn’t have called to mention the auction.
Maybe his mother didn’t even plan to go but just wanted to use this as an excuse to bond with her daughter-in-law and reassure each other.

Ji Qingyu had to admit that Feng Chengze’s proposal was very tempting. She almost nodded in agreement but managed to hold back. She sat on the edge of the bed while he stood in front of her. When she looked up, she could see his hands buttoning his shirt, with the wedding ring on his left ring finger prominently visible. She suddenly remembered that she now had two new labels: Mrs. Feng and Feng Jiayuan’s mother.

In this world, there is no such thing as getting something for nothing. Why had her and Chu Ning’s startup been so successful? They had plenty of funds, connections, and resources, which didn’t just fall from the sky but came from her becoming this man’s wife. Now, if she refused to attend an auction, would she develop a habit of laziness over time?

There were things she didn’t want to start, so despite being very tempted, she gently shook her head and said, “I’ve already agreed to go. Even if I don’t want to, I can’t refuse at the last minute, right? Besides, your mother must have other reasons for wanting to see me…”

Seeing her frown but then quickly relax as if she had figured it out, he realized he did not need to intervene.

She opened the invitation again, her face and eyes lighting up with a smile. “It seems like it will be quite interesting.”

Feng Chengze thought she was indeed someone who could easily make herself happy.

“Let me see?” He buttoned his shirt to the top and reached out to her. He took the invitation and glanced at it.

The auction was not open to the public but was organized for charity by several prominent ladies of Jing City. He didn’t have much work this morning, so arriving half an hour late wouldn’t be a problem. He sat down next to her and introduced each person to her, and she listened attentively.

“…Yue Jingshu,” Feng Chengze pointed to the name in the middle. “She should be the main organizer. Her husband is my former classmate, Chu Minghui, the current general manager of Jiesu Plastics. Both of them are very nice. Her father is a retired diplomat, and her mother is from the Luo family, the largest shareholder of Yuanlang Group.”

From the way Feng Chengze drove her, she could tell he was very patient.
Since he wasn’t interested in other people’s messy private affairs, he only mentioned a few things briefly.

Old Luo had married several wives over the years and had three sons and four daughters, each with their own children. In short, it was a rather chaotic family.

“So many children and grandchildren?” Ji Qingyu was stunned. “Didn’t family planning policies apply to wealthy families?”

The term “family planning” made Feng Chengze pause for a few seconds. “…Don’t confuse their family with ours.”

She detected a hint of disdain in his tone, and sitting beside him on the bed, she burst into laughter. “You don’t seem to like this family very much. Tell me more. I love listening.”

“I don’t have time.” Feng Chengze: “I need to leave.”

Ji Qingyu: “Hey!!”

He showed a bit of humanity by stopping at the master bedroom door and turning back to say, “If there’s anything you can’t handle, you can call me.”

After thinking for a moment, he added, mimicking her earlier tone, “You can also ask my mom. She’s not the kind of elder who makes things difficult.”

With that, he left, leaving Ji Qingyu staring at the slightly creased invitation he had handed her. She took a deep breath. Being a wealthy wife was also a profession. Charge ahead!!

Assistant Zhang keenly noticed that his boss, Mr. Feng, had been distracted a few times today. His gaze lingered on the desk; he was lost in thought.

In the afternoon.

Feng Chengze had a meeting in the development zone, which ended after four o’clock. As the vehicle passed a certain area, he saw the familiar sign of the Youwei Convenience Store and remembered something on his “to-do list” that could be addressed soon. After confirming with Assistant Zhang that there were no urgent matters to handle, he instructed the driver to head to the apartment Ji Qingyu had mentioned.

The apartment wasn’t far from Yisheng Group and was rented mainly by young professionals.

The driver found a parking spot, and as Feng Chengze grabbed his suit jacket and stepped out of the car, Assistant Zhang quickly followed. “Mr. Feng.”

Feng Chengze paused. “You can wait in the car.”

Assistant Zhang had no choice but to comply and returned to the car. This area was bustling with life, with various shops blaring advertisements through loudspeakers. Amidst the ear-piercing calls of “Golden Pillow Durian, special price today, 19.9 per pound” from a nearby fruit store, he walked into the convenience store.

Business seemed to be good. It had been five years, and the store hadn’t moved. This area was convenient, and the rent for commercial spaces wasn’t cheap. The convenience store looked small, at least to Feng Chengze, but it was well-organized. Despite its size, it had everything one might need, and the aroma of oden filled the air.

“Welcome.” The mechanical voice greeted him.

The young clerk at the counter glanced up briefly before returning to their work. The entire store was clean and tidy. It wasn’t yet time for school to let out or for people to get off work, so there were no other customers besides Feng Chengze. He was susceptible to numbers and could quickly remember them with just a glance at the shelves. He never did such boring and meaningless things, but after five years, prices might have risen. Still, he searched and soon found a familiar number, 109. Although he wasn’t sure if it was the same, he bent down and picked up a box.

Sunlight streamed through the glass window, spreading across the clean floor. It was as if he had become that Feng Chengze, carrying a feeling that only he in the world knew, walking into this convenience store, sometimes late at night, sometimes in the evening. The chirping of students walking in and the “Welcome” at the door pulled him back to reality. He placed the box on the counter.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated.

The screen displayed a call from “Wife.” He hesitated for a moment but didn’t answer. The clerk scanned the item and smiled, “That’ll be 109. If you buy something for another 21, you can get a discount. Would you like to?”

“No, thanks.”

After his phone finally stopped vibrating, he aligned the payment code on his screen with the scanner. After several years, his phone bill once again showed an order from “Youwei Convenience Store, 109.”

“Do you need a shopping bag?” the clerk asked.

“No, thank you.”

Feng Chengze placed the box into the pocket of his suit jacket draped over his arm. As he exited the convenience store and was about to dial a number—

“Vietnamese red dragon fruit, special price today, 3.99 per pound…”
“Xinjiang Korla fragrant pears, special price today, 4.99 per pound…”

He frowned and quickened his pace to escape the noise. Only after distancing himself did he dial the number labeled “Wife.” The call was quickly answered, and Ji Qingyu’s gentle voice came through, “Husband, are you busy?”

Assistant Zhang, who had his hand on the car door, retracted it.

Through the car window, he saw Mr. Feng holding his suit jacket and standing there talking on the phone. He couldn’t tell what had happened, but it seemed as if Mr. Feng had been immobilized, standing still as if frozen.