 Chapter 01
** She Should Wake Up Now**
It was already past 9 PM when Rong Ci arrived at the airport in Country A.
Today was her birthday.
When she turned on her phone, she received a flood of birthday wishes.
They were all from colleagues and friends.
But from Feng Tingshen â there was nothing at all.
Rong Ciâs smile faded.
By the time she reached the villa, it was past 10 PM.
Auntie Liu saw her and froze for a moment: âMadam⌠you⌠why are you here?â
âWhere are Tingshen and Xinxin?â
âThe master hasnât returned yet. The young miss is playing in her room.â
Rong Ci handed her the luggage. When she went upstairs, she found her daughter wearing little pajamas, sitting attentively at a small table. She seemed deeply focused on something, so much so that she didnât even notice someone entering the room.
âXinxin?â
Feng Jingxin looked up and called out happily, âMommy!â
Then she turned back to what she was doing.
Rong Ci went over and hugged her. But as soon as she kissed her, her daughter pushed her away: âMommy, Iâm busy.â
Rong Ci hadnât seen her daughter in two months. She missed her terribly and could never hug or kiss her enough. She also wanted to talk to her.
Seeing how focused she was, she didnât want to spoil her fun: âXinxin, are you making a shell necklace?â
âYes!â Feng Jingxin brightened with interest. âIn one week, itâs Aunt Wu Wuâs birthday. This is the birthday gift Daddy and I are preparing for her! Daddy and I carefully polished all these shells with tools. Arenât they pretty?â
Rong Ciâs throat tightened. Before she could respond, her daughter added cheerfully, without turning around, âDaddy also ordered other gifts for Aunt Wu Wu â tomorrow ââ
Rong Ciâs chest constricted. She couldnât hold back any longer: âXinxin⌠do you remember Mommyâs birthday?â
âHuh? What?â Feng Jingxin glanced up at her, then immediately looked back down at the beads in her hands, complaining, âMommy, donât talk to me. Youâve messed up the order of the beadsââ
Rong Ci let go of her daughter and said nothing more.
She stood there for a long time. When she saw that her daughter never once looked up at her again, Rong Ci pressed her lips together and finally left the room in silence.
When Auntie Liu saw her, she said, âMadam, I just called the master. He said he has something to attend to tonight and asked you to rest first.â
âI see.â
Rong Ci acknowledged it. Then, remembering what her daughter had said, she hesitated for a moment before dialing Feng Tingshenâs number.
It took a while before he picked up. His voice was very cold: âIâm busy. Iâll talk to you tomorrowââ
âTingshen, whoâs calling at this hour?â
It was Lin Wuâs voice.
Rong Ciâs grip on her phone tightened.
âNo one important.â
Before Rong Ci could say anything, Feng Tingshen had already hung up.
They hadnât seen each other in two or three months. She had made the trip all the way to Country A just to see him, but he couldnât even be bothered to come home and see her. Even on the phone, he had no patience to listen to her finish speaking.
Throughout their marriage, he had always been like this â cold, distant, impatient.
She was used to it.
In the past, she would have called him again, patiently asking where he was and if he could come back.
But perhaps she was too tired today. She simply couldnât muster the energy to do so.
When she woke up the next morning, she thought it over and decided to call Feng Tingshen again.
There was a seventeen- or eighteen-hour time difference between Country A and home. Here in Country A, today was actually her birthday.
The reason she had come to Country A this time was not only because she missed her daughter and Feng Tingshen terribly, but also because she wanted the three of them to have a nice meal together on this special day.
That was her birthday wish this year.
Feng Tingshen didnât answer her call.
A long while later, he sent a message.
[What is it?]
Rong Ci: [Do you have time at noon? Could you bring Xinxin, and the three of us have lunch together?]
[Fine. Send me the address once itâs set.]
Rong Ci: [Okay.]
After that, Feng Tingshen sent no further messages.
He hadnât remembered that today was her birthday.
Even though Rong Ci had been mentally prepared, she still couldnât help feeling disappointed.
While washing up and getting ready to go downstairs, she overheard her daughter and Auntie Liu talking.
âIsnât Madamâs arrival a happy thing for you, young miss?â
âBut Daddy and I already promised to go to the beach with Aunt Wu Wu tomorrow. If Mommy suddenly shows up and wants to come with us, itâll be so awkward.â
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âAnd Mommy is so mean. Sheâs always yelling at Aunt Wu Wuââ
âYoung miss, your mother is your mother. You mustnât say things like that. Do you know that would break her heart?â
âI know, but Daddy and I both like Aunt Wu Wu so much more. Canât Aunt Wu Wu be my mommy instead?â
ââŚâŚâ
Rong Ci couldnât hear what Auntie Liu said next.
She had raised her daughter with her own hands. Over the past two years, as father and daughter spent more time together, her daughter had grown closer to Feng Tingshen. Last year, when he came to Country A to expand the market, their daughter insisted on coming along.
Rong Ci hadnât wanted her to go. Of course, she had hoped her daughter would stay by her side.
But she couldnât bear to break her daughterâs heart, so she agreed.
She never expected this.
Rong Ci stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning, her face pale. She didnât move for a long time.
The reason she had turned down work to come to Country A was to spend more time with her daughter.
Now, it seemed there was no need for that.
Rong Ci went back to her room and put all the gifts she had brought from home back into her suitcase.
A while later, Auntie Liu called to say she had taken the child out to play and to contact her if anything came up.
Rong Ci sat on the bed, feeling empty and lost.
She had set aside her work and traveled all this way, only to find that no one actually needed her.
Her arrival had been nothing short of a joke.
After a long time, she went out.
She wandered aimlessly through this strange yet familiar country.
As noon approached, she remembered that she had arranged to have lunch with Feng Tingshen.
Then she recalled what she had heard that morning. Just as she was hesitating whether to go home and pick up her daughter, she received a message from Feng Tingshen.
[Something came up at noon. Lunch is canceled.]
Rong Ci stared at the message. She wasnât surprised at all.
Because she was used to it.
In Feng Tingshenâs heart â whether it was work or social gatherings â everything came before her, his wife.
Whenever he made plans with her, he would cancel them at will, without ever considering her feelings.
Was she disappointed?
Maybe once.
Now she was numb. She couldnât feel it anymore.
Rong Ci felt even more lost.
She had come here with such high hopes, only to be met with coldness from both her husband and her daughter.
Before she knew it, she had driven to a restaurant she had visited many times before with Feng Tingshen.
Just as she was about to enter, she saw Feng Tingshen, Lin Wu, and Feng Jingxin all sitting inside.
Lin Wu was sitting affectionately on the same side as her daughter.
As she spoke to Feng Tingshen, she also played with the little girl.
Her daughter was swinging her legs happily, playfully messing around with Lin Wu, leaning over to eat a pastry that Lin Wu had already bitten into.
Feng Tingshen, meanwhile, was smiling as he served food to both of them. But his gaze never left Lin Wu, who sat across from him. It was as if she was the only one he could see.
So this was the “something came up” that Feng Tingshen had mentioned.
And this was the daughter she had carried for ten months and nearly lost her life giving birth to.
Rong Ci laughed.
She stood there watching.
After a long moment, she looked away and turned to leave.
Back at the villa, Rong Ci prepared a divorce agreement.
He had been the dream of her youth, yet he had never truly seen her.
If it hadnât been for the accident that night and the pressure from the family patriarch, he never would have married her.
In the past, she had naively believed that as long as she worked hard, one day he would finally notice her.
But reality had dealt her a brutal slap.
Almost seven years.
It was time she woke up.
She placed the divorce agreement in an envelope, instructed Auntie Liu to give it to Feng Tingshen, then dragged her suitcase to the car and told the driver: âTo the airport.â
