Leaving the shop, the sunlight was dazzling. She sat on a bench in a small park near the cake shop. Opening the cake box, she took a bite, and tears uncontrollably fell.
She had just been fired.
Sniffling and taking another bite, she experienced the familiar sweet flavor, but why were her tears increasing?
“Ru Feng!”
She wiped her tears and looked up to see Jiang Shifu, still wearing the cake shop uniform.
“Jiang Shifu,” she stood up.
Jiang Shifu walked over, “I just heard you came to the shop.”
“Yes,” Ru Feng wiped her eyes again.
Jiang Shifu nodded, “Xiao Su got a raise.”
“Hmm!” Ru Feng forced a smile. “The store manager is doing quite well.”
Master Jiang continued, “I heard that when the boss came to inspect, he praised her creativity in launching a pumpkin-flavored cake; the sales are very good.”
Ru Feng stopped, struggling to respond.
Master Jiang smiled, “I just came to tell you. How you handle it is up to you. I’ll be going now.”
“Master Jiang,” Ru Feng called out as he took a few steps, bowing respectfully, “Thank you!”
He waved at her with a smile.
Ru Feng sat down, looking at the cake in her hand. “So eating this really does make one feel good!” She finished the cake bite by bite, wanting to remember its beautiful flavors.
Suddenly, someone sat beside her. Ru Feng turned her head. “How are you here?”
Qiu Chi didn’t look at her, staring straight ahead. “I’m curious why the future second mistress of the Si Tu family would be sitting here crying early in the morning!”
His company wasn’t far from here. He had planned to buy a cake from her shop but unexpectedly saw her sitting alone, crying.
“What did that pastry chef mean just now?”
“
“Nothing,” Ru Feng wiped her hands. “I was just fired.”
“Why?”
“I hadn’t finished my probation period and took many days off.”
Qiu Chi looked at her, “Do you really like that job?”
Ru Feng took a deep breath. “Do you believe this is my first real job?”
“What about the job at the hospital?”
Ru Feng smiled. “This is a job I found myself.”
Qiu Chi examined her expression, “Si Tu Qi Feng could easily provide you with a job.”
“Yes, but I don’t want to rely on them. They’ve protected me too well. I want to see the real world for myself.”
Her family had turned her into a princess in a fairy tale. Because of her health, she stayed in that world, enjoying their care.
She was grateful, but this protection also prevented her from recognizing the realities around her. If she weren’t so naive, how could she have not seen that Brother Ning Yuan didn’t actually love her?
Qiu Chi suddenly grabbed her hand and stood up. “Come with me.”
“What for?” Ru Feng asked, caught off guard.
Qiu Chi looked back, raising an eyebrow. “If you don’t want to rely on your fiancé, then rely on your ex-lover for now!”
Ru Feng shook her hand, “Just say what you want and let go of me first.”
Qiu Chi looked at her teasingly, “What will you do if I don’t let go?”
Ru Feng blinked and suddenly slapped him, causing Qiu Chi to tumble to the ground. “Woman, you’re serious!”
Ru Feng flexed her fingers, “Next time you dare to hold my hand, you’ll face consequences.”
Qiu Chi rubbed his bottom, frowning, “When did you learn this?” He had never known she had such skills.
Ru Feng snorted; she had practiced since childhood. “Who do you think you are to hold my hand?”
Qiu Chi remembered when she used to offer him her entire self. If he hadn’t been restrained, she would have been completely his by now.
“Too strong a woman is not loved by men,” he said resentfully.
“Mind your own business.” Ru Feng’s expression suddenly changed, and she turned to walk away.
Qiu Chi hurried to catch up, noticing her tightly drawn face. “Are you angry?”
“No.”
“Then why is your face so long?”
Ru Feng stopped and looked at him.
“What’s wrong?” Qiu Chi followed her gaze, seeing nothing unusual.
Ru Feng forced a smile, “I want to tell you, not just strong women are unloved; fragile women aren’t loved either.”
Qiu Chi was taken aback by the sudden sadness on her face. Something sharp seemed to pierce his heart, causing a sharp pain.
Ru Feng exhaled and turned to continue walking. Before she could finish her thought, she was embraced in a passionate hug.
Qiu Chi held her tightly from behind. “Xiao Feng, let’s start over! I missed the times you loved me before. Now, I want to make up for it.”
Ru Feng closed her eyes, “Qiu Chi.”
“You’ve only been with Si Tu Qi Feng for ten days. Can that compete with how many years you loved me? Is it possible for you to fall in love with me again?”
His eyes sparkled in the sunlight, and his hands gripped her arms firmly, trembling with anticipation.
Could this man, if he were Si Tu Ru Feng, possibly fall in love?
Ru Feng remembered another man who had asked her, “Ru Feng, if it were me, is it possible for you to fall in love with me?”
A hint of paleness emerged in her smile. She had fallen in love, but what could she do? The connection felt one-sided.
She pushed him away, “I don’t know, but at least now, I won’t.”
Qiu Chi smiled self-deprecatingly and took a deep breath, “But there’s still the future, isn’t there?”
He straightened his back, “Let’s go.”
“Where do you want to go? I’ll take you there. I can’t let a girl with swollen eyes run around the streets.”
Feng laughed; Qiu Chi was indeed not a bad person.
“I’m going to the Situ family, thank you.” She had lost her job and planned to accompany her brothers, as she hadn’t spent time with them since returning.
Qiu Chi’s hand paused but quickly resumed driving.
“Xiao Feng, shall I give you a gift tomorrow?” Qiu Chi asked before she got out of the car.
Feng hesitated, but he reassured her, “Don’t worry, it’s just a gift between ordinary friends.”
He chuckled, “You’re not going to refuse my gift now, are you?”
“I’ll accept it!” Feng glared at him, and they both laughed.
Standing at the gate, Feng sighed. She had to ring the doorbell to enter her own home.
“Hello!” came the butler’s voice.
Feng replied, “Hello, I’m Qiu Ru Feng.”
“Miss Ru Feng, please come in.” The door opened quickly; the staff had been instructed to treat her like family.
Situ Jin looked surprised to see his daughter. “Weren’t you going to work today?”
Feng pouted and lay dejectedly on the sofa. “I got fired today.”
“Why?”
“Of course because…” She swallowed her words, “Because I took too many days off.”
Situ Jin looked concerned. “Were you bullied?”
“His little daughter was so innocent that nothing could escape his notice.
Feng looked at him weakly. “Dad, don’t be so smart. Others will feel pressured.”
Situ Jin took a box of chocolates from the drawer and handed it to her. “Don’t worry. Those small people won’t do anything. Just don’t let your two brothers know.” He smiled.
Feng put a chocolate in her mouth, squinting. “It’s my favorite flavor. Dad, you shouldn’t eat too many sugary things.”
Situ Jin looked at her with a half-smile. “It’s not my charm. Your second brother placed these. Every room in the house has them.”
“Why so many?” Feng asked, eating another piece.
“Because you’re a greedy little sister.”
Feng’s cheeks were full as she ate. “Of course. Second brother loves me the most. Dad, you can’t compete with that.”
Situ Jin laughed silently and lowered his head to read.
The study was filled with the sound of Feng crunching chocolates.
After a while, feeling sleepy, Feng rubbed her eyes and stood up. “Dad, I’ll wait for second brother in his room. Tell him I’m there when he comes back!”
Situ Jin turned. “You want to sleep in second brother’s room?”
“Mm!” Feng yawned.
“Go sleep in your own room. No one has slept in Qi Feng’s room for a long time.”
Halfway through her yawn, Feng stopped, confused. “Where has second brother been sleeping?”
