Chapter 53

Saturday.

When Ji Qingyu came out of the master bedroom yawning, Feng Chengze was sitting on the sofa watching cartoons with Yuan Bao. The three of them were going to the old house for a meal, so they gave Sister Sun and Sister Liu the day off. After the two sisters helped Yuan Bao wash up, get dressed, and make breakfast, they left.

“When did you get up?” Ji Qingyu asked, grabbing a cup from the dining table and drinking some juice.

She had gone to bed late last night but didn’t wake up too early today. She felt quite energetic, so she didn’t need Feng Chengze’s coffee to wake up.

Feng Chengze was flipping through a financial magazine. He had also asked Assistant Zhang to buy some for the study, and he was familiarizing himself with the economic changes year by year. Hearing her question, he looked up and said calmly, “Seven-thirty.”

“So early?” Ji Qingyu was surprised. “I must have slept too deeply to notice.”

Feng Chengze hummed in response. He didn’t mention that he wanted to wake her up, but seeing her sleep so soundly, he decided against it.

“I’m going to have breakfast.” She walked towards the dining room, still in her nightgown. As she moved, the hem of her robe fluttered, revealing her slender, fair legs.

Feng Chengze closed the magazine, looked at his daughter, whose eyes were glued to the TV screen, got up, walked past her, and calmly headed to the dining room. Ji Qingyu, who was sitting at the dining table eating breakfast, was surprised to see him sit down opposite her. “Didn’t you get up at seven-thirty? Haven’t you had breakfast yet?”

“I did.”

“Then…” She quickly understood and smiled. “Will you join me for a bit more?”

“Okay.” Feng Chengze nodded.

They chatted casually while Yuan Bao obediently watched TV on the sofa.

It was a typical morning. Ji Qingyu took half an ear of corn. At first, under his gaze, she pretended to eat it kernel by kernel, but she couldn’t keep up the act for more than a minute and started taking big bites.

Feng Chengze lowered his eyes, hiding his smile.

The twenty-minute cartoon time passed quickly, and Feng Jiayuan didn’t linger. She wasn’t the type of child to cry or throw a tantrum for more TV time or toys. She peeked into the dining room, saw her parents eating breakfast, rubbed her tummy, and ran back to her room to get her new gift!

“Mom, do you know how to play this?”

Ji Qingyu, who was being fed fruit by Feng Chengze, curiously asked, “A Rubik’s Cube?”

“Sister Liu bought it for her.”

Feng Chengze explained calmly. The two sisters, especially Sister Liu, had been with Yuan Bao since she was a month old and were very close to her. Hearing Yuan Bao say yesterday that no one gave her a gift, Sister Liu immediately ordered something online. She didn’t know what to buy since Yuan Bao already had too many toys. The page happened to suggest, “Buy this! Improve your baby’s intelligence! The strongest brain!” which deeply moved Sister Liu. The delivery was quick and arrived early in the morning.

Ji Qingyu took it and tried to solve it.

There are formulas and techniques for solving a Rubik’s Cube. During her senior year of high school, she used it to relieve stress.

Not only Feng Jiayuan but even Feng Chengze watched her intently.

“Mom, you’re amazing!!” Feng Jiayuan stomped her feet excitedly. “Dad can’t even do it!”

Ji Qingyu was as surprised as if she had discovered a new continent. She had thought he was omnipotent and omniscient. Seeing her father’s slightly uncomfortable expression, she tactfully saved his face: “Mom also took a long time to learn from others!”

Feng Chengze: “…”
…

After breakfast, the family of three went out. Feng Chengze didn’t call the driver; he drove himself, taking his wife and daughter to his parents’ house. The car drove smoothly along Songjing Road. He watched her expression and felt relieved that she wasn’t as nervous and uneasy as last time.

“If you get tired,” he suddenly said, “just let me know, and we can go home early.”

Yuan Bao was still in the car, so he couldn’t speak too bluntly, but he conveyed his meaning. If she felt even a little uncomfortable, she could tell him and didn’t have to force herself to stay at the old house to maintain the facade of family harmony. He couldn’t avoid family gatherings or do anything about them because that was his parents’ expectation.

Ji Qingyu was sitting in the back seat playing rock-paper-scissors with Feng Jiayuan. Hearing this, she asked Yuan Bao for a few minutes of pause and teased, “How should I ‘tell’ you? Send a message, tug your sleeve, or kick you?”

“Are there other options?” he asked.

Ji Qingyu laughed, “Yes, but that’s at an additional cost.”

“Tell me?”

“I have a big appetite,” she said. “How about something you’ve never done for anyone, including me?”

“What is it?”

“If you don’t know, I certainly don’t either,” she couldn’t help but laugh. “So it’s a challenge, Mr. Feng. Think about it carefully. I hope to redeem it within seven days. How about that?”

“Tell me what the option is first, and I’ll evaluate it.” A businessman wouldn’t make a losing deal.

Ji Qingyu turned to look at Feng Jiayuan, who was curiously watching them. Feng Jiayuan got the hint and covered her eyes.

“Sweetie, cover your ears.”

“…Oh!”

Ji Qingyu leaned slightly, her hand on the seat, and got closer to Feng Chengze. Her voice was light but with a slight rise in tone, “A very special two-word term of endearment.”

Feng Chengze raised his eyebrows, “Alright.”

Driving past Songjing Road and through a quiet path, they soon saw the iconic domed building of the Feng residence breaking through the lush greenery. The black car stopped in front of the main building. Uncle Yang was already waiting. After they got out, a driver would take the car to the garage.

Feng Chengze got out, walked to the back, opened the door, and first took his daughter out of the car seat, handing her to Uncle Yang.

Feng Jiayuan, holding Uncle Yang’s neck, blinked her big eyes and asked, “Grandpa Butler, am I heavier or lighter?”

Uncle Yang laughed and weighed her, “Lighter.”

Ji Qingyu was about to get out when Feng Chengze suddenly extended a hand. Without hesitation, she placed her hand in his palm. After he helped her out, he didn’t let go; their fingers interlocked. It wasn’t intentional to show affection; they just couldn’t help it. For both of them, they were in the early stages of a passionate relationship.

Holding her hand, he walked up the steps. Carrying Feng Jiayuan, Uncle Yang walked ahead, and they followed behind.

Zheng Mingyue came over, took her granddaughter from Uncle Yang, and smiled, “Have you had breakfast?”

“Yes,” Feng Jiayuan patted her round little tummy. “Filled with meat buns, milk, corn, and kiwi~”

“Let grandma listen,” Zheng Mingyue brought Feng Jiayuan to the sofa, her smile kind as she bent down to listen to the little tummy that rose and fell with each breath. “Indeed, you’ve eaten a lot.”

At this moment, voices came from the stairs. It was Chairman Feng and Feng Yu, father and son, coming down from upstairs. Chairman Feng took the stairs three at a time, his originally stern voice unconsciously carrying a smile, “Who’s here?”

As Chairman Feng walked over, his gaze swept over the excellent couple, Feng Chengze and Ji Qingyu, and he nodded, “You’re here.”

These words were directed at his daughter-in-law.

Ji Qingyu smiled and nodded, calling out, “Dad.” Meanwhile, the man on the steps, who hadn’t moved for a long time, stared at her. She could feel that focused gaze. In the past, she would have responded. She couldn’t look, nor did she want to look anymore.

Everyone was pretending that everything was fine. She thought, actually, she didn’t have to worry about becoming a clown because she was no longer on stage.

Feng Chengze glanced calmly at Feng Yu. The two brothers, separated by a distance, looked at each other without any emotion. Their facial features were somewhat similar, and at this moment, their expressions gradually became the same. Feng Yu’s gaze fell on the two hands clasped together, and for a moment, he stiffened. It seemed that no matter how much time passed, he could never adapt to or accept this scene. In the past, he had taken her to meet his elder brother, and it was he who held her hand. But now, the one holding her hand and comforting her was his elder brother.
Over the past few years, there were too many things he regretted, too many to count. Taking her to meet his elder brother was one of them. He knew his elder brother didn’t fall in love with her at first sight, but he could never forget what his elder brother said to him five years ago—
“You were luckier than me, meeting her a few months earlier. What are you still dissatisfied with?”
…

“Come sit.”

Feng Chengze turned slightly, blocking Feng Yu’s view, and said softly to Ji Qingyu.

Ji Qingyu nodded, and he wrapped his arm around her waist, leading her to sit on the double sofa. Nearby, Feng Jiayuan, who Chaiman Feng was playfully teasing with his head against her tummy, noticed Feng Yu and called out crisply, “Uncle!”

Feng Yu seemed to wake up from a dream. He lifted his leg and walked over. As he bent down, he caught a glimpse of the hem of a skirt a few steps away. He hesitated for a moment before reaching out to touch Feng Jiayuan’s head and said in a clear voice, “Jiayuan, hello.”

Feng Jiayuan looked at him with wide eyes. Compared to her grandparents, she was clearly more interested in this uncle she had only met once.

Children are very perceptive and can accurately sense whether someone has good or bad intentions or likes or dislikes them. She knew her uncle liked her, so she confidently and boldly asked him to play with her. Seeing that neither her eldest son nor daughter-in-law objected or stopped them, Zheng Mingyue felt relieved.

If an outsider who didn’t know the situation saw this scene, they would think it was a harmonious, warm, and happy family. Even Chairman Feng had a genuine smile on his face. Feng Yu didn’t refuse her. After playing for a while, she needed to use the bathroom. Zheng Mingyue took her to the restroom, and the chattering child temporarily left, plunging the living room into a strange atmosphere.

She sat quietly, very close to him, making it hard to tell if this was a dream or reality. He randomly picked up the scrambled Rubik’s Cube on the coffee table, calmed his mind, and easily restored all the sides. He then casually placed it on the play mat, blending it in with a pile of toys, making it inconspicuous.

Sitting on the sofa, Feng Chengze squeezed Ji Qingyu’s hand absentmindedly, which earned him a light slap. The sound was completely covered by the pattering footsteps of Yuan Bao running over, but Feng Yu still caught it and instinctively looked up.

Ji Qingyu thought Feng Chengze’s hand was annoying. She had done her nails in Kuromi color yesterday. Not wanting to be too flashy, she didn’t have the nail artist paint them but instead had a delicate Kuromi decoration attached to the nail. Since last night, he has wanted to pick it off whenever he sees it—of course, not on purpose. She felt the cute little decoration on her nail was a bit loose.

Ah, it made her even more annoyed. She slapped the back of his hand again.