Wife Takes the Reins: The Calm CEO

Chapter 26: A Call from the Devil

Just as Yu Feilan was about to speak, Feng Lingzheng beat her to it. “Why bother telling her all that? It’s like playing the zither to a cow.” “Feng Dong, if you don’t like me, you’re perfectly free to fire me from the Company and get me out of your sight. But now that you’re constantly being sarcastic and snide, what exactly are you trying to say? As I see it—and if I’m not mistaken—you were once hurt by a girl, and the one who hurt you must have looked quite similar to me. That’s why you keep making things difficult for me and tormenting me, isn’t it? But let me tell you this, Feng Dong: even if two people bear some resemblance, that doesn’t mean they should be treated as the same person. Everyone is an independent individual. If you insist on confusing the two, it only proves that you have a dark and twisted mind—you should go see a psychiatrist or get a thorough checkup at a neurology department right away.” ” Li Xiaowan shoved her chair back and shouted at Feng Lingzheng, completely ignoring the looks of contempt and anger directed her way. “Xiaowan, please stop. This is a French restaurant,” Qi Xin'er said, startled by Li Xiaowan’s sudden outburst. Fortunately, she had at least a smidgen of understanding of French culture—or, to be precise, she’d heard others mention it before—and knew that loud talking was strictly prohibited in upscale restaurants. Yu Feilan, sitting across from her, kept giving Li Xiaowan meaningful glances, as she had noticed Feng Lingzheng’s expression growing increasingly sour. Li Xiaowan wasn’t the type to throw tantrums for no reason. The reason she’d lost control of her emotions just now was that she simply couldn’t take it anymore, so she’d vented her frustration without holding back. Once she’d let all her pent-up emotions out, Li Xiaowan felt an indescribable sense of relief wash over her. It wasn’t that she hadn’t noticed Feng Lingzheng’s gaze, sharp as a drawn sword—she had simply chosen to ignore it. She, too, needed to find an appropriate occasion to vent all the pent-up frustration that had built up in her heart over the past period; however, this was not the right time or place. “Are you done? If so, sit down quietly!” Although Feng Lingzheng’s expression was exceptionally grim, his tone was gentler than ever before. What? Wasn’t he supposed to be flying into a rage? Or drag her out by force? What on earth did this attitude mean? Faced with the ever-changing Feng Lingzheng, Li Xiaowan simply couldn’t figure him out. But given the current situation, not only did Li Xiaowan feel completely baffled, even Yu Feilan—Feng Lingzheng’s close friend—couldn’t fathom the deeper meaning behind it all. Still, since everyone seemed to be getting along for the time being, they might as well sit down and eat. It was Li Xiaowan and Qi Xin'er’s first time in such a high-end restaurant, so they naturally found it a bit novel—and they were especially eager to taste the legendary top-grade foie gras for themselves. The mere thought of fine dining instantly made Li Xiaowan forget her earlier displeasure. And so, the four of them finally finished their French feast in peace. One can only imagine how awkward and flustered Li Xiaowan and Qi Xin'er looked while eating—but when faced with such delicacies, both of them displayed remarkable composure. They completely ignored the strange glances from those around them and simply went about eating in whatever way they found most convenient and natural. “Xin'er, do you think it’s good?” Li Xiaowan whispered into Qi Xin'er’s ear. “It’s okay! What do you think?” Qi Xin'er asked in return; she actually thought it was pretty good. “I really think it’s no match for grilled brain at the night market,” Li Xiaowan said, showing no appreciation whatsoever for such an exquisite dish—though she still forced herself to finish it. “How embarrassing!” Feng Lingzheng, in a complete reversal of her earlier attitude, said with utter disdain, then stood up and left the restaurant without looking back. Meanwhile, Yu Feilan simply informed Li Xiaowan and Qi Xin'er that she had already paid the bill and told them they didn’t have to work that afternoon, then hurried off in the direction Feng Lingzheng had gone. “Xin'er, did I hear that right? Did President Yu say we don’t have to work this afternoon?” Li Xiaowan wondered if she’d been hearing things because she’d been so worked up earlier. “Xiaowan, you didn’t hear wrong. President Yu just said it very clearly—we don’t have to go to work this afternoon!” Qi Xin'er said excitedly. For most office workers, an unexpected day off is undoubtedly the most delightful surprise. Half a day off—though it wasn’t exactly a full vacation—was more than enough to make Li Xiaowan and Qi Xin'er absolutely thrilled. “I thought I must have misheard it. Xin'er, should we go straight home, or should we go window-shop a bit first before heading back?” Li Xiaowan had completely forgotten her earlier frustration. “Of course we’ll go window-shop for a bit first! It’s been ages since we’ve been out shopping. Even if we can’t afford anything, we can at least feast our eyes!” Qi Xin'er said as she tugged Li Xiaowan toward the restaurant exit. “Alright, there’s nothing to do if we go home too early anyway.” Li Xiaowan let Qi Xin'er lead her forward. They shopped for about four hours before reluctantly boarding the bus home. Meanwhile, at the Feng Family Mansion, Feng Yan was bustling about in the kitchen with fiery enthusiasm, making early preparations to welcome Yu Feilan’s arrival. “Aunt Lin, could you please bring me the seasonings I prepared earlier? Thank you!” Feng Yan’s sweet voice drifted out of the kitchen from time to time. “Miss, why won’t you let Aunt Lin help you cook? Why do you insist on doing it yourself? Do you think Aunt Lin’s cooking is bad?” The housekeeper, Lin Ci, said, feigning great hurt. “Auntie Lin, heaven and earth are my witnesses—that’s not what I meant at all. You know my intentions better than anyone!” Feng Yan flashed Lin Ci a big smile. It was clear that Lin Ci held a pivotal position in the hearts of the Feng Family’s young master and young lady. “All right, I’ll take your word for it. Miss, please be careful. I’ll go tend to my duties now,” Lin Ci said, looking at Feng Yan with great respect. She had watched Feng Yan grow up, and having spent most of her life with The Feng Family, she had long since come to regard the Feng mansion and everyone in the family as her own kin. Although she had a son and a daughter of her own, she felt she hadn’t given them much maternal love; instead, she had lavished more of that love on The Feng Family’s young master and young lady. Fortunately, her own children understood her choices and were both exceptionally talented. As a result, Feng Lingzheng had arranged for them to work at the Company’s headquarters in the United States, where they not only enjoyed generous compensation but also had bright futures ahead of them. “Aunt Lin, go ahead. Just remember to remind me the moment Brother Lan steps through the gates of the Feng Family Mansion!” Feng Yan wanted to give Yu Feilan a huge surprise. “Miss, you’ve already told me five times. Aunt Lin isn’t so old that she’s senile—don’t worry, I’ll definitely remember,” Aunt Lin said with a look of affection in her eyes. “I trust you, Aunt Lin. Go ahead and get back to work!” Feng Yan said, then went back to preparing the food. “Xiaowan, your phone’s ringing—come answer it!” Upon returning home, Qi Xin'er—perhaps due to exhaustion—had flopped down on the living room sofa to leisurely watch a TV drama, while Li Xiaowan had buried herself in a new book she’d just bought. “Coming! Who is it?” Li Xiaowan asked. “It’s an unknown number. Should I answer it?” Qi Xin'er picked up Li Xiaowan’s phone, took a look, and asked. “If it’s an unknown number, it’s probably just a sales call or something. No need to answer it!” Upon hearing it was an unknown number, Li Xiaowan sat back down in her chair. “Okay.” Qi Xin'er put Li Xiaowan’s phone back where it belonged and plugged it in to let it continue charging. “Without you by my side, I feel so lonely. My heart is in turmoil, filled with fear...” The phone rang again. “Xiaowan, it’s ringing again—it’s the same number.” Qi Xin'er had been engrossed in watching TV, but Li Xiaowan’s ringtone instantly ruined her mood. She really wanted to press the answer button and give the caller a piece of her mind. “Xin'er, why don’t you answer it for me?” Li Xiaowan really didn’t feel like getting up. “Alright, I’ll take it!” Qi Xin'er said, pressing the answer button. However, she didn’t speak first; instead, she waited for the other person to speak. After about ten seconds, a sexy male voice came through the phone: “Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you trying to avoid me?” “Who are you? What do you mean, ‘avoiding you’? You must have dialed the wrong number!” ” Although Qi Xin'er really liked the sound of his voice, she couldn’t help but recall news reports she’d seen about scammers who specifically used charming male voices to deceive people obsessed with voices, luring them deeper into the conversation until they were eventually swindled out of money or taken advantage of. Society today is just too complicated; one must always stay vigilant to prevent scammers from taking advantage of you. “Are you Qi Xin'er?” She had to admit, that slightly magnetic male voice was truly captivating—it was easy to feel completely spellbound by it. Qi Xin'er had intended to hang up immediately, but when she realized the caller knew her name, she actually became curious about who it was. “Yes, and who is this?” Qi Xin'er asked, maintaining a polite tone. “Feng Lingzheng. I’m looking for Li Xiaowan.” Feng Lingzheng stated his identity directly; he didn’t want Qi Xin'er to keep questioning him, nor did he want to waste any more of his precious time and energy. Had he not mentioned it, everything would have been fine, but the moment he did, Qi Xin'er nearly dropped the phone on the floor as her hand slipped. “All right, Feng Dong, I’ll go get her right away.” Although Qi Xin'er was deeply dissatisfied with Feng Lingzheng, her instinctive reaction as a subordinate made her, despite feeling vastly outmatched, choose to obey his orders without question. “Xiaowan, it’s Feng Dong calling.” Qi Xin'er set her phone down in the living room and, without even putting on her shoes, rushed straight to Li Xiaowan’s bedroom, speaking anxiously as a look of concern once again crossed her face. Li Xiaowan immediately snapped out of her reading and said, “Why is it him again? I wonder if he’s come up with some new way to torment me.” “Li Xiaowan, why don’t you just ignore it? I’ll tell him you were so exhausted from shopping this afternoon that you fell asleep the moment you got home, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t wake you up,” Qi Xin'er suggested. Li Xiaowan lowered her head and pondered for a moment. After thinking it over, she decided against it—she figured it would be nearly impossible to escape his clutches no matter what she did. More than anything, she didn’t want to be dragged out of bed in the dead of night; given Feng Lingzheng’s domineering personality, he was certainly capable of doing just that.