Ru Feng bit her lip, wondering if her second brother’s girlfriend wasn’t public yet. But she really wanted them to taste the cake.
She had worked hard at home and pestered the masters all morning to make this cake.
She placed the cake on the front desk. “Could you pass this to Situ Qifeng, saying it’s from his girlfriend?”
The receptionist hesitated but smiled, “Okay, we’ll forward it after confirmation by the security department.”
Ru Feng let out a long breath. Good.
That night, after verifications, the carefully packaged cake finally arrived at the Situ household, escorted by over ten people from the security department.
Everyone wanted to see who had become the second young master’s girlfriend without the security department knowing anything.
But facing their expectant gazes, Qi Feng didn’t glance at the cake and simply said, “Discard it.”
Everyone was speechless, frozen on the spot. Qi Feng showed no curiosity, didn’t ask who sent it, and had no interest in knowing who his girlfriend was.
There were very few things in this world that could distract his attention.
“Second Brother, haven’t you noticed that Dad’s mood has been particularly good since yesterday? He’s almost turning back into a child.”
“Hmm.” Qi Feng just responded faintly.
The butler nearby leaned in, eagerly agreeing, “Yes, yes, last night I even heard the master laughing to himself.”
Ying Feng pondered, “Could Dad have found a second spring?”
Qiu Yi, having forgotten her appointment with a cake shop employee, realized it was already two days later while on a business trip with Situ Ying Feng. His polite demeanor dampened her spirits, bringing the appointment back to mind.
“Ah!” she exclaimed in frustration. Situ Ying Feng glanced at her, seemingly displeased with the interruption. Qiu Yi attributed her bad mood to him.
She checked her phone and found it dead. “General Manager, may I borrow your phone?” she asked. Situ Ying Feng handed it over, instructing her to keep it down since he disliked endless chatter.
Qiu Yi suppressed her frustration, dialed a number Ru Feng had given her, but found the phone turned off. She hoped to try the mood-improving food the girl had mentioned. After returning the phone, it rang; it was Qi Feng calling.
Ying Feng answered, “Second Brother?”
“
Qi Feng’s voice was urgent, “Big Brother, did you just call Feng’er? Did you get through? I just tried calling her too, but her phone was off.” Disappointed countless times, he wondered if her phone had died after talking to his big brother.
“Just now?”
“Yes, ever since she sent you a text message the other day, I’ve had Uncle Quan and the others monitoring our phones around the clock. I was afraid we might miss her call! Just now, Uncle Quan said he saw you calling her. Big Brother, did you get through?”
Just now? Ying Feng’s hand trembled, preoccupied by the call log displaying that familiar number.
“Qiu Yi.” The suddenly raised tone startled her, and when she looked up, she was scared by Situ Ying Feng’s frenzied state.
Situ Ying Feng’s eyes were slightly red, “Who was the phone call you just made?”
Qiu Yi swallowed, “It was a girl from a cake shop near the company.”
“What cake shop?” He suddenly stood up, hitting the car roof, leaning forward and staring at her.
“It’s near the company, but I don’t remember the name,” Qiu Yi replied carefully. “What happened?”
“What’s her name?” His gaze was urgent.
“I, I don’t know.”
“What do you know!” Situ Ying Feng shouted.
“
Qiu Yi felt aggrieved but didn’t dare to argue, shrinking to one side. Situ Ying Feng had sat back in his original seat, instructing the driver, “Xiao Meng, return to the airport immediately, quick!” He picked up the phone, “Qi Feng, check out a girl from a cake shop near the company.” As soon as he finished, the other party hung up.
Situ Ying Feng closed his eyes to calm himself and dialed another number, “Secretary Zhang, book my fastest return ticket at any cost.”
”General Manager,” Qiu Yi finally remembered her responsibility and reminded him, “You’ve scheduled a meeting with the CEO of Stiel Group. This involves several billion, and several companies are competing. We’ve worked hard to get this meeting opportunity, and you’ve stayed up several nights preparing.”
He knew the meeting’s importance, but what could be more important than that person? Situ Ying Feng handed her the materials, “Notify the local branch manager to meet at the airport. I will briefly introduce the materials before the plane takes off; they will represent me at the meeting.”
”But, General Manager…”
Situ Ying Feng raised his hand to interrupt, “Assistant Qiu, just do as I say.” Qiu Yi said nothing more, having never seen the usually gentle Situ Ying Feng so urgent and nearly losing composure.
There was someone who could make Situ Ying Feng, who prioritized work, abandon everything and rush to her. She looked up into his eyes, seeing the joy and excitement he couldn’t hide.
Thinking of the girl’s sweet smile from the cake shop brought a pang of sourness to her heart.
“How is she? Does everything look okay?” Situ Ying Feng suddenly asked.
“Huh?” Qiu Yi, lost in thought, didn’t react for a moment.
Situ Ying Feng gazed at her with a radiant smile, different from his usual demeanor. “Is her complexion good? Is she fat or thin? How did you two meet?”
Qiu Yi replied after a long pause, lowering her head. “I only met her once when she introduced her shop’s cakes to me and left her number. She seemed fine, with a very nice smile…”
Situ Ying Feng listened intently, imagining his sister’s smile. He secretly resented that she was so friendly with a stranger yet hadn’t returned home. This little girl needed discipline—when he found her, should he lecture her or warn her?
Meanwhile, Qi Feng searched all the cake shops near the company but found no one resembling his Feng’er. He was certain there was no one.
No matter what Feng’er had become, he believed he would recognize her. But what if it wasn’t her? If it really wasn’t her, then where had Feng’er gone?
Qi Feng sat on the street, engulfed by the flowing crowd. He held his head, unable to hear or see anything. Where are you, my Feng’er?
The water stains on the ground grew larger, revealing his vulnerability. The subordinates behind him turned away, unable to bear watching the usually stoic second young master of the Si Tu family in such a fragile state.
Qi Feng had indeed gone to Ru Feng’s shop, but Ru Feng was not there. She was at her mother’s grave with her father for the death anniversary. Si Tu Ying Feng didn’t think about it because it wasn’t his mother; Qi Feng didn’t think about it because the sudden news about Ru Feng had disrupted his mood.
But there was one person who remembered: Ning Yuan.
Every year, he accompanied Ru Feng to her mother’s grave, placing a bouquet of flowers and chatting for a while. She would link arms with him, speaking with pride, “Mom, Brother Ning Yuan is here with me. He treats Feng’er very well. You must like him too, right?”
He missed Ru Feng terribly and longed to see her smile. He thought if they met, he could express that even if they couldn’t be lovers, they could still be friends. Since he visited Auntie every year, he felt he should continue.
With that thought, he went to the cemetery, having waited since dawn. He was certain she would come.
Sure enough, when the sun was high, a figure appeared. He felt panic as his brilliant eyes dimmed upon seeing that it was Si Tu Jin and a girl he had met once before, but whom he knew was not Ru Feng.
“Ning Yuan?” Si Tu Jin spoke first.
Ning Yuan replied, “Uncle, you’re here? I’m here to see Auntie too. I didn’t want to disappoint her.”
