Wife Takes the Reins: The Calm CEO

Chapter 5: Keeping the Appointment

Meanwhile, inside the Feng Family Mansion, “Achoo…” The sound rang out several times in quick succession. “Second Young Master, have you caught a cold? Please wait a moment; I’ll have the kitchen prepare some ginger tea for you right away,” said Lin Ci, the butler of the Feng Family Mansion, speaking with great respect to Feng Lingzheng, the Feng Family’s Second Young Master. Although Lin Ci was over fifty, she looked only in her early forties. Not only was she sharp and capable, but she was also extremely loyal to the Feng Family. “Thank you, Aunt Lin, but I don’t have a cold. It’s probably just someone talking behind my back. Don’t worry about me—go back to your duties!” Feng Lingzheng said, half-jokingly, half-seriously. “Very well, Second Young Master. Please do take good care of yourself. I’ll go handle my duties now,” Lin Ci said with concern, then turned and headed upstairs. “Go ahead, Aunt Lin!” Feng Lingzheng said indifferently, then leaned back heavily against the sofa. Why was it that, even after so many years, the image of “her”—the one who had hurt him the most back then—still flashed so clearly in his mind? That nightmare-like experience seemed to be sweeping over him once more, accompanied by an invisible gale. He had thought he’d long since buried that painful past in the river of time, but to his surprise, ever since encountering that girl yesterday afternoon, those long-forgotten memories had been flooding back one after another. Yet the once-sworn vows and searing emotions had long since faded away, replaced by deep wounds and a heart full of hatred. And that girl—whether in appearance or demeanor—bore a striking resemblance to “her” in his memory. Especially in that split second when their eyes met, he even had the illusion that “she”—the one who had once callously abandoned him—had reappeared before him. At that moment, his heart ached so intensely he could barely breathe. Back then, “she” had left so suddenly and decisively, and afterward, it was as if she had vanished into thin air. Now, heaven had sent someone resembling “her” into his life—was it to make up for what he had once lost? Hah! If that’s the case, then don’t blame him. He’s never been one to treat women with tenderness—except for “her”—but “she” ultimately betrayed him. And that girl who looked like “her” would probably keep her promise tonight, wouldn’t she? But whether she came or not, in the end, she wouldn’t be able to escape his grasp. “Xiaowan, stop complaining already. You’d better start thinking about what to do tonight!” Qi Xin'er said helplessly. She knew Feng Lingzheng wouldn’t have called Li Xiaowan to the hotel for no reason. She wasn’t even sure herself whether she should劝 Xiaowan to go or not. “Let’s just go with it! Now that you mention it, you’ve actually piqued my curiosity. I’m curious to see what he can do to me. After all, I’ve got no money, but I do have my life.” Li Xiaowan was convinced that Feng Lingzheng simply wanted to toy with her. Someone so busy with important matters—who would have the time to bother with someone who was a nobody and had nothing to her name? Even if she’d damaged his car, based on the news stories she’d read online, he wouldn’t go so far as to force her to pay for it. Ha! She’d better try to reassure herself for now! “Xiaowan, I just have a feeling this trip is going to end badly for you. Why don’t we just skip it? It doesn’t really matter anyway—worst-case scenario, you’ll lose your job. If you lose it, you can just find another one.” Qi Xin'er said indignantly. She truly had Li Xiaowan’s best interests at heart; for Xiaowan’s sake, she wouldn’t even bat an eye if it cost her her own life. To her, Xiaowan was no different from a blood sister. “Beautiful Qi, don’t worry about me. Not only am I going, but I’m going to dress up all nice and pretty. Otherwise, I’m afraid the people at the hotel entrance will look down on me and not let me in—and then I won’t be able to have any fun.” ” As Li Xiaowan said this, her words didn’t quite match her true feelings—deep down, she was reluctant. But the thought that Qi Xin'er might actually be telling the truth—and that she’d end up dragging Qi Xin'er down with her—was something she absolutely would not allow to happen. “Xiaowan, you can’t go!” Qi Xin'er became even more resolute in her conviction. “It’s okay, Xin'er. You know me—once I’ve made up my mind, it’s very hard to change it,” Li Xiaowan said, knowing Qi Xin'er meant well. “All right, but I have one condition: you must let me go with you. Otherwise, there’s no way I’ll let you go,” Qi Xin'er said firmly. “Fine, I’ll accept your condition. Let’s go out for a nice meal at lunchtime today—to build up our energy for tonight’s battle,” Li Xiaowan said, beaming. Whenever food was mentioned, she couldn’t contain her excitement—a true foodie through and through. A “foodie” and a “love-struck girl”—the fact that they’d come together to become best friends who could talk about anything made them a perfect match. “Sounds good, Xiaowan. I’ll just go change and touch up my makeup.” Qi Xin'er always liked to dress up and look her best. “Okay, go ahead. I’ll pack the evening gowns we wore last night into a bag and take them to the dry cleaner,” Li Xiaowan said casually, though she didn’t tell Qi Xin'er that she planned to return the gowns—and that she intended to contribute the refund toward their living expenses. “Thanks for your trouble, Xiaowan. Actually, I’m starting to regret dragging you along to buy those gowns. The two of them cost us half of our respective savings each. It might sound a bit exaggerated, but for us, that’s the reality. Xiaowan, I’m sorry—I’ve dragged you into this.” At this point, Qi Xin'er’s face was filled with guilt. “Don’t say that, Xin'er. You don’t know me at all. I did this willingly—it’s not like you dragged me into this. It’s okay; things will work out. Think about it—we’ve worn cheap clothes costing just a few dozen yuan our whole lives. I never imagined our first time buying such expensive clothes would be such a huge leap. It actually feels pretty thrilling. Honestly, I’m fine—one person eating their fill means the whole family is fed—but you, on the other hand, worked multiple part-time jobs just to pay for your sister’s college tuition.” Li Xiaowan both envied Qi Xin'er for having a complete family and felt deeply moved by her selfless, uncomplaining dedication. Before her younger sister graduated from college, Qi Xin'er had worked part-time jobs day and night, until she was eventually diagnosed with breast cancer. Left with no other choice, she had to have one breast removed and now wears a prosthesis—leaving her feeling, to some extent, incomplete. Fortunately, she was very optimistic, and even better, after her sister graduated, she found a job that, while not paying a high salary, was enough to support herself. Moreover, Qi Xin'er had never asked for anything—this was the first time she was truly treating herself. “Thank you, Xiaowan.” Qi Xin'er understood that Li Xiaowan had chosen to go on the date for her sake, and the only thing she could do now was to do her best to ensure Li Xiaowan wouldn’t get hurt. During her workdays, time didn’t seem to pass particularly quickly, but once she had a day off, it felt like a shooting star streaking across the sky—whoosh—gone in the blink of an eye, and before she knew it, evening was approaching. “Xiaowan, did you grab your business card?” Qi Xin'er reminded her at just the right moment. “Oh, right—business cards! I almost forgot. They’re still in yesterday’s purse,” Li Xiaowan said, quickly pulling her right foot back just as it had crossed the threshold. “I knew you’d forget. By the way, didn’t you say you were going to dress up nicely? So what’s with this outfit—a knit sweater, a T-shirt, jeans, and a pair of sneakers? You won’t even wear the outfit I picked out for you.” Qi Xin'er glanced at Li Xiaowan’s outfit and shook her head. “What’s the big deal? I look fine like this. It’s comfortable—this is called a casual look.” Li Xiaowan held the business card she’d just taken out of her bag. “Fine, I know I can’t change your mind. Make sure to put your phone and business card away safely—I’m only in charge of the wallet and keys,” Qi Xin'er instructed earnestly. “Got it, Ms. Qi,” Li Xiaowan replied. She casually slipped the business card into her jeans pocket, held her phone loosely in her hand, and then pushed Qi Xin'er out the door. There happened to be a bus stop just about 300 meters from the Nifusia Hotel. After getting off the bus, the two walked straight to the main entrance of the Nifusia Hotel. “The Nifusia Grand Hotel is even more impressive than I imagined. Xiaowan, I’ve heard that the guests here are either high-ranking officials, tycoons, or big-name celebrities. Do you think we might actually run into a celebrity? Hopefully, it’ll be my favorite—Yang Yang,” Qi Xin'er said, growing more and more excited as she spoke. “Look, isn’t that him right there!” Li Xiaowan casually pointed at someone’s back and said. Qi Xin'er actually thought it was true, but upon looking more closely, she exclaimed, “You little rascal, Xiaowan! You’re teasing me again. I’m going to strangle you… *squeeze squeeze squeeze*…” “Ahem… be a lady… be a lady…” Who would’ve thought that Qi Xin'er would actually follow through on her words? But the moment Li Xiaowan said “be a lady,” Qi Xin'er stopped immediately. Haha! It seems her image is more important after all. Li Xiaowan and Qi Xin'er were so caught up in their playful scuffle that they didn’t notice someone in the hotel lobby watching them through the panoramic glass windows. A sinister, devilish smile played on that person’s face before they turned and walked straight into the Super VIP elevator. “Welcome to Nifusia. How may I assist you, ladies?” one of the front desk clerks asked warmly. “Hello, beautiful! We’re here to find someone,” Li Xiaowan said, pulling a business card from her pocket and handing it to the receptionist. The receptionist took the business card and glanced at it; her expression immediately became awkward, but she quickly regained her composure and said, “Please follow me, ladies.” However, a distinct blush was now visible on her face. The receptionist led Li Xiaowan and Qi Xin'er to the entrance of the Super VIP elevator, then pressed the up button. In about two seconds, the elevator doors opened. “Please step right in, ladies. This elevator goes straight to the top floor. Once you exit, someone will be there to meet you and escort you to your destination.” She then gave Li Xiaowan and Qi Xin'er a polite bow before walking away. “It’s really thanks to that ‘uncivilized’ person that we get to ride such a high-end elevator—though, when it comes down to it, it’s just a piece of machinery that goes up and down,” Li Xiaowan said sarcastically. Qi Xin'er caught the sarcasm, but she was curious about what Li Xiaowan meant by “uncivilized.” “Xiaowan, you just said it was thanks to the ‘uncivilized’ guy. What did you mean by that?” “‘No Class’ is the nickname I gave that guy in the luxury car yesterday. Hmph! It’s his own fault for being so uncivilized,” Li Xiaowan said, smiling smugly. “Xiaowan, you’re really good at coming up with nicknames. So does that mean ‘luxury car guy’ is another nickname you came up with? Hahaha...” Qi Xin'er laughed heartily. “I guess you could say that!” Li Xiaowan replied with a straight face. Little did they know that every word they spoke and every move they made hadn’t escaped the eyes and ears of a certain someone. “Just you wait!” That person had already fixed his gaze firmly on the girl in casual attire on the big screen. With a “ding,” the elevator doors opened. Waiting beside the elevator was a tall, handsome man in a suit, though his expression was stiff and his words lacked any hint of emotion. “Ladies, please follow me!” “Thank you!” Li Xiaowan said softly. The atmosphere remained rather oppressive throughout the walk. After about a minute, the three of them arrived at a door adorned with a relief carving. Before they could even press the doorbell, a cold voice came over the intercom: “Ye, only let ‘Airport’ in.” Then, the relief-carved door opened automatically. “Miss, please come in!” the handsome man named Ye said to Li Xiaowan. Though the smile on his face lasted only a split second, it didn’t escape Li Xiaowan’s keen eyes. “Did ‘Airport’ mean me? And why can’t my friend come in with me?” Li Xiaowan felt a surge of anger welling up inside her. “I’m sorry, that’s not up to me. Please go ahead,” the handsome man said expressionlessly. “Xiaowan, don’t worry about me. Make sure you’re polite once you’re inside. If anything happens, be sure to call me right away—I’ll be waiting for you right outside the door.” ” Qi Xin'er said tactfully, though she was also quite worried about Li Xiaowan. Li Xiaowan was outspoken and blunt, which made it easy for her to offend people—especially now that she knew nothing about the situation inside and wasn’t even sure if it was Feng Lingzheng, the Feng Family’s second young master. Just hearing his voice alone sent a chill down her spine. “Xin'er, don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I’ve been through all kinds of trials and tribulations since I was a child,” Li Xiaowan said earnestly and fearlessly. Although she was exaggerating a bit, she had indeed been through quite a lot. “All right…” Qi Xin'er still couldn’t help but worry, her face full of concern. “It’s fine. I’ll go in first.” With that, Li Xiaowan strode confidently inside. The room was so large it was beyond Li Xiaowan’s imagination. This wasn’t a hotel room at all—it was practically a private mansion. The interior decor caught Li Xiaowan completely off guard: everything was a uniform, blinding white that nearly made her unable to keep her eyes open. She couldn’t help but think to herself: What kind of idiot designed this? Even for a hotel, there’s no need to use nothing but white—it’s downright creepy.