chapter 04
Feng Jingxin jumped up from the bed.
“Really?!”
“Mm.”
“Then why didn’t Aunt Wu tell me just now?”
“The matter was only just confirmed, I haven’t told her yet.”
Feng Jingxin was thrilled. “Then, Daddy, don’t tell Aunt Wu about it yet. Let’s give her a surprise when we return home, okay?!”
“Alright.”
“Daddy, you’re the best! I love you so much!”
After hanging up the phone, Feng Jingxin was still so happy that she sang and danced on the bed.
After a while, she suddenly thought of Rong Ci.
These past few days, because her mother hadn’t called her, her mood had been very good.
Actually, to avoid having to talk to her mother, she had purposely left home early the other day, and after school, she’d even turned off her phone or left it far away.
After two days, she got worried that her mother might get angry if she found out, so she stopped doing that.
But to her surprise, her mother hadn’t called her even once in the days that followed.
At first, she thought her mother must have found out she’d been avoiding her calls.
But then she thought again—based on past experience, if her mother knew she’d done something wrong, she would have immediately corrected her, not ignored her and refused to call.
After all, she was the most important person in her mother’s heart. Her mother loved her the most. She didn’t believe that her mom could ever be angry enough to stop calling her!
Thinking of that, Feng Jingxin suddenly began to miss Rong Ci.
It was the first time in days she’d missed her mother.
She couldn’t help but dial Rong Ci’s number.
But just as the call went through, she suddenly thought—although she’d soon be able to see Aunt Wu after returning home, knowing her mother’s temperament, her mother would definitely try every possible way to stop her from seeing Aunt Wu.
She would no longer be able to visit Aunt Wu whenever she wanted, like she could here.
Thinking about that made her mood suddenly sink.
It was midnight back in China.
Rong Ci was already asleep.
She was woken by the sound of the phone ringing.
When she saw Feng Jingxin’s name on the screen, she was about to answer—but before she could, the call was abruptly hung up.
Although Rong Ci had written in the divorce papers with Feng Tingshen that she would give up custody of Feng Jingxin, Jingxin was still her daughter.
She still felt responsible for her.
Seeing that Jingxin had called and then hung up, she got worried that something might have happened, so she quickly called back.
When Jingxin saw the call, she turned her little face away and refused to answer.
That made Rong Ci even more anxious. She immediately called the landline at the villa.
Aunt Liu picked up quickly. After hearing what Rong Ci said, she replied, “Miss should be fine. She went to bed quite late last night and woke up late today. When I went upstairs earlier, she was still asleep. I’ll go check now and call you back in a moment.”
Hearing that, Rong Ci finally felt a bit relieved. “Alright, thank you.”
When Aunt Liu went upstairs, Feng Jingxin was already washing up in the bathroom.
After Aunt Liu asked about it, Jingxin said while brushing her teeth, “I pressed it by accident.”
Aunt Liu didn’t doubt her, and after confirming she was fine, went back downstairs to tell Rong Ci.
Seeing that, Jingxin huffed softly, her mood improving a little.
Rong Ci also relaxed after hearing Aunt Liu’s reassurance.
But since she had been startled awake, she couldn’t fall back asleep for a long time. The next morning, when she got up for work, she still felt tired and sluggish.
As for the envelope with the divorce agreement that Rong Ci had given to Feng Tingshen—after he received Lin Wu’s call that day, he hadn’t thought about it again.
On the day of his return to China, Feng Tingshen placed the last document into his briefcase, made sure nothing was missing, and then went downstairs.
“All set. Let’s go.”
The long Lincoln soon pulled out of the villa and headed for the airport.
——
Rong Ci had no idea that Feng Tingshen and the others had returned to the country.
No one told her.
It had been half a month since she moved out of the villa.
In that half month, she had gradually grown used to—and even started to enjoy—the peace and quiet of living alone.
It was the weekend. She woke up late.
After washing up, she drew open the curtains. The sunlight was beautiful outside. Stretching lazily, she watered the flowers and plants she’d been tending, and was about to make herself a simple breakfast when the doorbell rang.
It was Mrs. Fang, her neighbor across the hall.
“Miss Rong, I didn’t wake you, did I?”
Rong Ci smiled softly. “No, I’m already up.”
“That’s good.” Mrs. Fang beamed. “These are freshly steamed buns and dumplings from this morning. I brought them over for you to try.”
“Thank you, that’s so kind of you.”
“Oh, not at all! If it weren’t for you saving my Tiantian from that mad dog the other day, who knows how badly she would’ve been bitten? My husband and I have been wanting to thank you properly, but we’ve been too busy with work to find the time. We’ve felt so bad about it…”
“It was nothing, really. You’re too polite, Mrs. Fang.”
After a bit of friendly chatting, Mrs. Fang left.
Rong Ci went back inside, eating breakfast while reading through an algorithm model she’d been studying recently for an AI project.
That afternoon, a news notification about T University’s Centennial Celebration popped up on her phone.
Rong Ci froze for a second, checked the date, and realized that today really was T University’s anniversary.
She went online and found several trending hashtags about #TUniversity100Years.
The celebration was drawing huge attention—not just because T University was the country’s top university and always in the public eye, but also because this was its first-ever centennial anniversary. Many distinguished alumni had been invited back for the event.
All of them were high-profile figures in their respective industries.
Rong Ci scrolled through the pictures, and when she saw several familiar faces on camera, her hand trembled slightly.
Memories of her university days came flooding back.
Her heart grew restless.
If she hadn’t gotten married right after graduation, perhaps she too would have been among those honored alumni invited back today.
Closing her laptop, she hesitated for a long moment, then got into her car and drove toward T University.
By then, it was already afternoon.
Most of the notable guests had already left, but the campus was still crowded.
Rong Ci wandered aimlessly around until she reached the familiar lab building.
Just then, a familiar voice called out to her—
“Xiao Ci?”
——
Twenty minutes later, at a teahouse outside T University.
Yu Moxun poured her a cup of tea. “How have you been lately?”
Rong Ci held the cup, smiling faintly with her eyes downcast. “Pretty good… except that I’m getting a divorce.”
Yu Moxun hadn’t expected that and paused. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“So what will you do next? Do you plan to come back to the company?”
“I’ve thought about it, but…”
Yu Moxun didn’t know what was holding her back, but he said earnestly, “Xiao Ci, the company needs you. You’re still a part of it. I hope you’ll come back and take charge again.”
“I… I…”
Looking at Yu Moxun’s serious expression, Rong Ci felt a bitter heaviness in her heart.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to.
But the AI field was developing at an incredible speed now.
She had been away from the industry for six years. Even if she went back now, she might not be able to keep up with the pace—let alone lead the team at the forefront of innovation like she once did.
