Wife Takes the Reins: The Calm CEO

Chapter 36: Inner Struggle

“Then I’ll have to trouble Lao Fen,” Li Xiaowan said sheepishly. “Miss Xiaowan, you’re too kind. Breakfast is ready; please come downstairs to eat.” Housekeeper Mo seemed kind-hearted; unlike Feng Lingzheng, he didn’t often give people that oppressive feeling. “Okay, Sister Fen, I’ll be right down.” Li Xiaowan felt quite lost at the thought of how long she might have to live in this unfamiliar environment. Fortunately, even amidst Feng Lingzheng’s cold demeanor, she could still find kind-hearted people like Housekeeper Mo, which offered her a glimmer of comfort. Li Xiaowan quickly washed up and went downstairs. Normally, she’d apply just enough light makeup to get by at work, but now that she no longer worked at the Company, washing her face with cleanser, followed by a splash of toner and a bit of moisturizer, was all she needed. "Just looking at it makes me sick," Feng Lingzheng said with a look of disgust on her face. “I thought this guy had left. Why is he still here?” “Did you ask me to watch this? If you find it disgusting, just leave,” Li Xiaowan said, fearlessly. “Whether I stay or go is my business—what’s it to you?” Feng Lingzheng casually picked up a piece of sandwich, put it in her mouth, and took a light bite, her every movement exuding elegance. But in Li Xiaowan’s eyes: “It’s just a sandwich—is there really any need to put on such a show?” “Is that so? At least I can put on a show, whereas you don’t even have the chance to,” Feng Lingzheng said sarcastically. “Who says I don’t have a chance? Here’s a perfect opportunity right in front of me. I’m afraid you’re the one who won’t have a chance to put on a show later.” Without a second thought, Li Xiaowan swept all the food on the table toward herself, then ate contentedly while saying, “Well, how about it? Can you put on another show for me?” “You’re so ill-mannered,” Feng Lingzheng blurted out. “Fine, I’m ill-mannered. But since you’re so well-mannered, you shouldn’t associate yourself with someone as ill-mannered as me!” Feng Lingzheng’s words had truly hurt Li Xiaowan, though Feng Lingzheng herself was unaware of it. Meanwhile, Li Xiaowan kept telling herself in her heart to try her best not to dwell on those painful memories from the past. “Sister Fen, could you please make me another sandwich? Thanks!” Feng Lingzheng completely ignored what Li Xiaowan had said and turned to address Housekeeper Mo, who was standing nearby. “Certainly, Young Master Lingzheng. Please wait a moment.” After speaking respectfully, Housekeeper Mo headed toward the kitchen. This came as something of a surprise to Li Xiaowan. She never would have imagined that Feng Lingzheng—who was always so arrogant and domineering in her presence—could be so affable toward the servants. It was truly unbelievable. In a moment of impulse, she’d brought all the food over, only to realize now that she couldn’t possibly eat that much. But waste was shameful—what should she do? If the scene that followed had been recorded and shown to Li Xiaowan herself, she would have wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into right then and there. She wolfed down the entire meal as if she had a personal vendetta against the food, burping as she ate. Two large glasses of milk, two sandwiches, two fried eggs, and a fruit platter—Li Xiaowan polished off the whole lot all by herself. It wasn’t until she finished, however, that she realized she’d apparently eaten the very sandwich Feng Lingzheng had just taken a bite out of. “Phew, phew, phew...” Li Xiaowan reacted as if she’d bitten into something unsanitary. Housekeeper Mo hurried over and asked, “Miss Xiaowan, was the breakfast not to your liking, or is there some other reason?” “No… no, Sister Fen, I accidentally swallowed a strand of my own hair,” Li Xiaowan lied. “Well then, Miss Xiaowan, please be more careful next time,” Housekeeper Mo said gently. “Okay, thank you, Sister Fen.” Li Xiaowan looked up. What kind of expression was that on Feng Lingzheng’s face? A smirk? Schadenfreude? Or sheer disgust? The last one seemed most likely. Geez, that sandwich was clearly covered in your saliva, and I didn’t even feel gross after eating it—yet you’re the one looking down on me. Even someone with a潔癖 wouldn’t act like this. Of course, Li Xiaowan dared only to say this silently to herself. Wait, there’s one more crucial thing I haven’t asked yet. “You tied me and Qi Xin'er up—what exactly are you trying to do?” Li Xiaowan asked sternly. “Watch your language. I didn’t kidnap you—you got in the car and came along of your own free will.” Feng Lingzheng took the towel handed to her by Housekeeper Mo and wiped her hands back and forth at least three times. “If you hadn’t threatened us—saying you’d have us carried here in a palanquin—we wouldn’t have come at all,” Li Xiaowan retorted, her cheeks puffed out in anger. “Is that so? The carriage sent to pick you up was infinitely better than an eight-man palanquin—and yet you came along anyway.” Feng Lingzheng watched Li Xiaowan’s puffed-out cheeks; this woman was actually quite adorable when she got angry. “Don’t change the subject. I’m going to find Xin'er right now, and I’m going to live with her.” Only by being with Xin'er could she unburden the heavy weight on her heart—and besides, she was even more worried about Xin'er’s current situation than she was about her own. “Don’t waste your time daydreaming. But I can tell you this: your friend is doing just fine. I won’t do anything to her—she was sent to work at the United States headquarters today.” Feng Lingzheng hadn’t intended to tell Li Xiaowan any of this, but for some reason, a voice inside him compelled him to speak. It wasn’t until much later that he fully understood why. “I don’t think there’s any need for you to lie to me about this. So give me back the phone you took from my bag yesterday.” Li Xiaowan wasn’t oblivious to what had happened. Last night, she’d planned to call Qi Xin'er, but after searching through all her bags, she couldn’t find her phone. She immediately guessed it must have been taken—she just didn’t know when it had gone missing. “Sister Fen, the phone.” Feng Lingzheng didn’t answer Li Xiaowan directly; instead, she gave Housekeeper Mo a subtle nod. Housekeeper Mo caught the hint, turned, and left. In less than two minutes, he returned. “Miss Xiaowan, here’s your phone.” Housekeeper Mo respectfully handed a brand-new, top-of-the-line model to Li Xiaowan. “Sister Fen, you must have the wrong one—this isn’t my phone,” Li Xiaowan said, puzzled, thinking perhaps Housekeeper Mo had made a mistake. “Miss Xiaowan, I haven’t made a mistake. Young Master Lingzheng instructed me yesterday to buy this for you, saying your old phone was too old and long out of date,” Housekeeper Mo explained patiently. “Don’t look at me—your old phone was recycled as trash ages ago.” As soon as Feng Lingzheng caught Li Xiaowan’s gaze, he turned his face away, cutting off any chance for her to backtrack. “That phone has been with me for so many years,” Li Xiaowan said, her voice full of reluctance. “Just take it. Do you want to call your friends or not? I’ve already transferred your old SIM card to the new phone. But I have to remind you: no matter who you call or who calls you, think carefully before you speak.” Feng Lingzheng thought to herself, “Let me kindly remind her one more time!” Actually, there was no need for her to remind her over and over again—she probably already understood deep down. Let’s just say she wanted to have one more conversation with her! Often, inexplicable feelings arise in the blink of an eye, though those involved are slow to realize it. “I know that without you having to remind me.” Li Xiaowan eagerly snatched the phone from Housekeeper Mo’s hand and quickly ran toward the door. She didn’t take the phone back to her room because she was being extra cautious—she’d accidentally spotted something that looked like a speaker mounted on the wall. It might have been something Feng Lingzheng had installed specifically to eavesdrop on her, so to be on the safe side, it was better to take the call outside. Unfortunately, Li Xiaowan’s little suspicion didn’t escape Feng Lingzheng’s sharp eyes. The woman was being far too suspicious—did she really think Feng Lingzheng would go to the trouble of eavesdropping on her? What on earth was there worth listening in on? The reason she’d installed a surveillance camera in the room was mostly out of momentary curiosity, and as long as she didn’t open the control app on her phone, it wouldn’t actually function as a surveillance device. Li Xiaowan ran in one breath to a spot about six or seven hundred meters from the villa. She looked around to make sure no one was there before dialing Qi Xin'er’s number. “Xiaowan, I tried calling you last night, but your phone was turned off the whole time. You had me so worried,” Qi Xin'er said, her voice choked with tears. “Xin'er, don’t even mention it. I don’t know when that ‘jerk’ stole my phone—he’s even worse than a total jerk.” Anyway, there was no one around now, so no one would hear her badmouthing him. “I knew you hardly ever turn your phone off. Xiaowan, where are you right now? Are you okay?” As soon as Qi Xin'er thought of the instructions Feng Lingzheng had sent someone to give her last night, she began to feel anxious, afraid that she might accidentally say the wrong thing and let Xiaowan catch on to something. “I’m at the Feng Family Estate—the place we visited last time. You remember, right? Xin'er, where are you? I’ll come find you right now,” Li Xiaowan said anxiously. “I… Xiaowan, you don’t need to come find me. I’m already at the airport and about to board my flight.” Qi Xin'er’s hand holding the phone trembled uncontrollably; this was the first time she had ever lied to Li Xiaowan. “Can’t you change your flight?” The reason Li Xiaowan didn’t try to stop Qi Xin'er was that she’d heard Feng Lingzheng say Qi Xin'er had been assigned to work at the United States headquarters. She assumed there would be better career prospects there, and Li Xiaowan was genuinely happy for Qi Xin'er from the bottom of her heart. “I can’t, Xiaowan. It’s okay. As soon as I arrive in the United States, I’ll call you right away to let you know I’m safe. We can video chat after work. Once I’ve made a fortune, we’ll buy a four-bedroom, two-living-room house in the busiest part of the city. Then we’ll bring my parents over to live with us. Xiaowan, what do you think?” ” Qi Xin'er was now in tears, though Li Xiaowan couldn’t see it. She tried to wipe away all the tears from her face, but the more she wiped, the more they flowed. “Xin'er, you’ve thought of everything. I’ll wait for you to come back.” Unlike Qi Xin'er, who was holding back her emotions, Li Xiaowan began to sob openly. “Silly Xiaowan, don’t cry. Don’t they say all good things must come to an end? Besides, we’re only parting for a little while.” Although Qi Xin'er felt deeply sad inside, she didn’t forget to comfort Li Xiaowan.