Chapter 14

Feng Chengze found it hard to get used to. He was four years older than Feng Yu, and their brotherly bond had always been strong. Unlike him, who had high expectations placed on him, Feng Yu had been frail as a child, so the family didn’t pressure him much. In the wealthy Feng family, Feng Yu was raised with more freedom. He was carefree and had a reliable older brother to lean on, allowing him to do as he pleased without restraint.

Old Mr. Feng was a typical strict father, rarely showing his true emotions in front of his sons. Zheng Mingyue wasn’t exactly a nurturing mother either. As the eldest daughter of the Zheng family, she was often busy with Yisheng Group’s charitable activities and managing her own businesses. As a result, the relationships between fathers and sons and mothers and sons weren’t particularly close. As a child, Feng Yu loved to follow his most admired older brother. Even in his twenties, he sought his brother’s advice on important matters.

Feng Chengze looked at the distant and cold words in the email, paused for a few seconds, and then closed it.

Ji Qingyu and Feng Jiayuan entered the office.

“Daddy!”

Feng Jiayuan, wearing her kindergarten uniform—a comfortable shirt paired with a pretty pleated skirt and black shoes—ran over excitedly.

“Mommy and I decided to pick you up from work!” she announced proudly. Her innocent and adorable words lifted Feng Chengze’s spirits. He reached out to ruffle her hair. But she quickly dodged, protecting her double buns with her hands. “Daddy, you always mess up my hair!”

Feng Chengze chuckled and patted her cheek. “Alright, you and Mommy sit for a while. Daddy has a bit more work to finish.”

He finally looked up at Ji Qingyu. “Keep her company.”

Feng Jiayuan, understanding when necessary, quickly returned to her mother’s side.

Ji Qingyu, not bothering to take in the office surroundings, sat on the sofa with her daughter and whispered, “We need to be quiet.”

Feng Jiayuan nodded seriously. Being a frequent visitor, she skillfully found her drawing board and pens in the cabinet and started drawing on the coffee table. Ji Qingyu, feeling awkward about using her phone, rested her chin in her hand and watched her daughter’s childish strokes. She noticed something amusing: Yuan Bao could now write her own name, but the characters were so large that they looked more like “冫马力口氵元” instead of “冯嘉沅.” It seemed the character “嘉” was a bit challenging for a child not yet four years old. So, Yuan Bao had unilaterally given herself the name Feng Jiayuan (加沅). Ji Qingyu let out a soft laugh. She didn’t notice that Feng Chengze, who was signing documents, glanced at her a few times.

T/N: Both names have the same pronunciation.
…

The phone rang.

Feng Jiayuan, seemingly used to it, didn’t pause her drawing, completely immersed in her own fairytale world. Ji Qingyu instinctively looked up and unexpectedly met Feng Chengze’s gaze. He calmly picked up the phone, responded briefly, and continued his work as if that brief eye contact had been Ji Qingyu’s imagination.

Five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Feng Chengze pressed a button. In such a large office, he couldn’t shout “come in” whenever someone knocked, especially since the door was thick and soundproof. If he had to shout loudly enough for people outside to hear, his voice would be hoarse by the end of the day. Ji Qingyu’s mind wandered with these amusing thoughts, almost making her laugh.

The next moment, her smile faded. Because the person who entered was her former supervisor, the strict and demanding Manager Zhao.

Manager Zhao wasn’t the type to joke with subordinates or even eat with them. She was known for her strictness, but not unfairly so. Coming from a remote village, she had worked hard to get into a good university and cherished her job. She was a distant supervisor and very serious about work, which made some senior employees resent her.

As an intern, Ji Qingyu always felt nervous around Manager Zhao, and this time was no different. She instinctively stood up, catching Feng Chengze’s attention.

Their eyes met.

Ji Qingyu’s eyes showed a hint of helplessness: “…”

Feng Chengze quickly understood. He hadn’t seen her at the company but had heard from Feng Yu that she interned at Yisheng during her senior year, which was how they met.

Zhao Wen was also stunned. She remembered Ji Qingyu, now Mrs. Feng, who had interned in her department a few years ago. Outgoing and always smiling, Ji Qingyu had done her tasks well. It was surprising that a few months after her internship ended, before the first snow in Jing City, she had married Mr. Feng.

Over the years, Zhao Wen occasionally ran into Mrs. Feng, sometimes in the parking lot, sometimes in Mr. Feng’s office, and sometimes seeing her with the child in the company cafeteria. Every time they met, Mrs. Feng would nod and smile at her.

Feng Chengze asked softly, “Cold?”

Ji Qingyu knew he was giving her an out. She quickly snapped back to reality and nodded, “A little.”

“Alright.” Feng Chengze stood up and handed her the suit jacket draped over his chair.

She carefully walked over to take it, almost saying thank you, but she knew the situation and that others were present. She returned to the sofa and draped the jacket, which smelled of cedar, over her legs.

Feng Chengze might have a talent for acting.

Once she was seated, he turned to Zhao Wen and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Zhao Wen handed over a stack of documents, “Mr. Feng, the invitations for the celebration have been sent out. We’ve also tallied the numbers. Mr. Jiang and Mr. Liu have signed off, and we need your final confirmation.”

Feng Chengze took the documents, “Alright.”

Zhao Wen left with another unfamiliar middle-aged man. Before leaving, she glanced at Ji Qingyu, who smiled back.

After Zhao Wen left, Ji Qingyu stood up, walked to Feng Chengze’s desk with the jacket, and whispered, “Manager Zhao was my supervisor before. I just didn’t react in time. It wasn’t intentional. It won’t happen again.”

“Alright, but let me correct you,” Feng Chengze said. “She’s been promoted to manager.”

Ji Qingyu was slightly surprised. It had nothing to do with her, but she felt a bit happy, “Really? That’s great.”

Feng Chengze said calmly, “No need to be nervous about such small things.”

People aren’t machines. Even he almost made a few mistakes today. With a five-year gap, they both needed time to adapt and get used to things.
Even the best actors have NG moments when they get the script.
So far, he thought they were doing well. They hadn’t broken down and had accepted the situation quickly. Given that, he didn’t need to be too harsh on her, who had just graduated and had little social experience.

“Daddy and Mommy are whispering again!” Feng Jiayuan, having just finished a masterpiece, turned her head, ready to ask for praise and hugs, only to find her mother wasn’t there. She looked up and saw her mother had somehow gone over to Daddy again! It was just like before when Mommy told her not to make noise and disturb Daddy’s work. She obediently went to sleep, only to wake up and find Mommy sitting on Daddy’s lap. They said she was dreaming, that it wasn’t real, that she had seen it wrong. She couldn’t remember if it was a dream. But this time, it was definitely real!

Ji Qingyu and Feng Chengze were both startled by her.

Feng Chengze awkwardly said, “Dad asked Mom to help organize the documents. We weren’t whispering.”

As he spoke, he gave Ji Qingyu a look, and she immediately understood. She lowered her head and pretended to sort through the stack of documents Zhao Wen had placed on the desk. Suddenly, she inadvertently saw a very familiar name.

Feng Yu.

Yisheng Group has many businesses, including real estate, hotels, finance, and energy, and it also has investment projects abroad. Now, behind Feng Yu’s name was a string of titles and a prominent place name: Mexico City.

So, he is now in Mexico.

Ji Qingyu lowered her eyelids, suppressing the ripple in her heart, and calmly put the documents away.
…

Feng Chengze said he would get off work at six, and he did shut down his computer and leave on time at six.

“Mom said today we would do everything my way!” Feng Jiayuan had already arranged everything. Although she was only four years old this year, the family had intentionally cultivated her awareness early on. Now, they started with small things, like letting her decide what to wear and how to style her hair on days she didn’t have to go to school. When they went to a restaurant, they would give her the menu and let her choose a few dishes.

“…I did say that.” Ji Qingyu whispered to Feng Chengze, “I said something inappropriate when picking her up from school. This is my way of apologizing.”

Feng Chengze: “…”

For a moment, it was hard to tell who the adult was and who the child was, or maybe both of them were children. In his world, parents often meant authority. Since he hadn’t yet decided what kind of father he wanted to be, he could only turn a blind eye for now.

Mom had no objections, and Dad had no objections. So today, Feng Jiayuan was the boss. She didn’t want to eat at home, so the family of three went to the rooftop restaurant near Yisheng. Below was a hotel, also part of Yisheng’s properties. After returning to China, Feng Chengze had lived in a hotel suite for a long time because it was close and could significantly reduce the time spent on the road each day. The rooftop restaurant was also a major feature, famous for its excellent views. Not only was the environment romantic, but it was also great for taking photos.

Ji Qingyu had been here a few times before and had a deep impression of the place. As she held Feng Jiayuan’s hand and followed the restaurant manager across the terrace, she felt something was off. She looked back carefully and realized that the telescope on the terrace was gone.

“What’s wrong?” Feng Chengze noticed her gaze and glanced at the terrace.

Ji Qingyu whispered, “It’s nothing. It’s just that there used to be a telescope here, right?”

Feng Chengze frowned, “Was there?”

“…Yes, there was.” Ji Qingyu was sure she hadn’t remembered wrong because the first time she came here with Feng Yu, she had excitedly tried to use it and saw a beautiful nebula.

But five years had passed, and it was normal for the restaurant’s layout to change. She quickly put the small matter behind her and, after arriving at Feng Chengze’s private room, began studying the menu with Feng Jiayuan.

Feng Chengze looked thoughtful as he pushed open the glass door and stepped onto the terrace.

The weather in Jingcheng in May was a bit stuffy, but it was very comfortable here. The manager saw him standing there and felt a pang of anxiety, thinking something might be wrong that Feng Chengze had noticed. He mustered up the courage to move behind him and cautiously called out, “Mr. Feng.”

After some thought, Feng Chengze said casually, as if making small talk, “My wife said something seems to be missing here.”

The manager shivered. Of course, he knew what Mrs. Feng was referring to, but could he talk about this?

There used to be a telescope here, which Second Master Feng had put some effort into bringing in. A few years ago, this same Mr. Feng, with a cold face, had gone to even greater lengths to have it removed and taken far away. Now, what was this all about?

The manager boldly speculated and said, “So, Mr. Feng, do you want to bring the telescope back again?”

Feng Chengze listened nonchalantly and suddenly paused. What did he mean by “again,” and “he want”?