Wife Takes the Reins: The Calm CEO

Chapter 42: The Bracelet from Grandma

Everyone present understood exactly what the Old Lady was implying without her saying it outright. They had originally feared she might dwell on the past and be unable to accept Li Xiaowan openly, but to everyone’s surprise—especially Feng Yan’s—she was actually very pleased. “Grandma, you’ve worried so much about your grandson these past few years. Just look at you—your hair has turned much grayer, and your face looks so haggard.” Feng Lingzheng felt deeply saddened at that moment, but he didn’t want to show it openly, fearing that the elderly lady would share his sorrow, which would only hinder her recovery. “Zheng Er, why are you so tactless? Didn’t you see that your grandfather dyed my hair himself before I came here? There’s no gray hair at all. And Grandma is so excited to meet her future granddaughter-in-law—how could I possibly look haggard? You deserve a spanking.” The old lady took Feng Lingzheng’s hand and gave it two gentle taps. Everyone present felt a pang of sorrow when they thought of the old lady’s condition, but they had all agreed not to show it, no matter how distressed they felt. “Xiaowan, sit next to Grandma so she can get a good look at you. Zheng Er, sit between me and your grandfather.” The Old Lady held Feng Lingzheng’s hand in one hand and Li Xiaowan’s in the other, pressing their hands tightly together. Li Xiaowan desperately wanted to pull her hand away, but when she thought that if what Feng Lingzheng said was true—that the Old Lady didn’t have much time left—why not pretend to go along with it for a while and fulfill one of her final wishes? With that thought, her heart softened. “Zheng Er, you must treat Xiaowan well from now on, or else, even if I go to heaven, I won’t let you off easily,” the Old Lady said, feigning anger. “Grandma, what are you saying! You’re sure to live to be a hundred years old,” Feng Lingzheng said, struggling to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes. “Yes, Grandma, please rest assured. Feng Dong has always been very kind to me,” Li Xiaowan said, though she didn’t mean a word of it. Still, she’d successfully caught Feng Lingzheng’s attention—this woman certainly knew how to play her cards. “That’s good. But from now on, don’t call him ‘Feng Dong,’ okay? It makes it seem like you two are keeping your distance. As long as you two are happily married, I’ll have peace of mind! Here’s a small token of my affection, Li Xiaowan—don’t mind it, okay?” The Old Lady removed a jade bracelet from her left wrist and reached out to slip it onto Li Xiaowan’s. “Madam… no, Grandma, this gift is too valuable. I can’t possibly accept it.” Just by looking at it, she could tell the jade bracelet was worth a fortune. Even though she didn’t know much about jade, she’d at least seen the real thing before. Plus, since it belonged to the Matriarch of the Feng Family, it was bound to be top-notch. “Xiaowan, listen to Grandma—you simply must accept it. Let Grandma put it on for you herself!” Without waiting for a reply, the Old Lady slipped the jade bracelet onto Li Xiaowan’s left wrist. “This jade bracelet is truly meant for you. It fits perfectly, doesn’t it, Zheng Er? Look.” The Matriarch raised Li Xiaowan’s left hand for Feng Lingzheng to see. “It does fit perfectly. Are you a fortune-teller, Grandma? How did you know this jade bracelet would be just right for her?” Feng Lingzheng said, half-jokingly, half-seriously. “Zheng Er, since when did you start teasing Grandma?” The Old Lady feigned annoyance. “No, I wouldn’t dare,” Feng Lingzheng replied immediately in a coy, childlike tone. “Zheng Er, seeing how well you and Xiaowan suit each other, your grandmother and I can return to the United States with peace of mind. “This time, we came back partly to meet our granddaughter-in-law, and partly to see all of you—Yu’er, Ye, Xiao Tong, and Lan’er. You are all exceptional individuals with boundless futures ahead. The only thing that keeps us worried is your safety in the days to come. But no matter what the circumstances, your top priority must be to stay alive—only then can you worry about anything else. ‘As long as you’re alive, you’ll never run out of firewood,’I’m sure you understand this even better than I do.” The old man gazed at the group as he spoke these words—which Li Xiaowan seemed to half-understand—his expression grave. “Grandpa, we all understand,” they replied in unison. “Since you all understand, let Grandma give each of you a small gift. I’m not playing favorites, mind you—strictly speaking, this gift is for your future wives.” The old lady took several exquisite pieces of jewelry from a jewelry box nearby and handed them out to the group; these pieces were certainly no less valuable than the bracelet given to Li Xiaowan. “Thank you, Grandma!” Although what they held in their hands were valuable items, in their eyes, they were priceless treasures. “Grandma, you said you weren’t playing favorites—why didn’t I get one?” Feng Yan asked, pouting. “How could I possibly leave out my precious granddaughter? Here—this bracelet was originally a pair with Xiaowan’s, but Grandma wanted you two—as sister-in-law and niece—to get along harmoniously, so I split them in two and gave one to each of you. What do you think? Do you like it?” The Old Lady slipped the bracelet onto Feng Yan’s right wrist. “I love anything Grandma gives me,” Feng Yan said, her heart brimming with joy, though out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of the bracelet on Li Xiaowan’s left wrist. “I’m glad you like it. Grandma’s feeling a bit tired. Let your grandfather keep me company. It’s rare for you young people to get together—go downstairs and have some fun!” The old lady’s face showed a hint of weariness. “All right, Grandma. Please take good care of yourself. We won’t disturb you any longer,” Feng Lingzheng said. “Grandma, thank you for giving me such a precious gift. I don’t have anything of value to give you in return, but I’d like to take this opportunity to sincerely wish you and Grandpa good health, happiness, and a long, healthy life,” Li Xiaowan said as she was leaving, bowing deeply and sincerely to the elderly couple. “What a good child. We don’t want your gifts; we just want you and Zheng Er to be happy,” the old lady said, struggling to her feet and supporting Li Xiaowan. “Xiaowan, let’s go. We shouldn’t disturb Grandma’s rest.” Feng Lingzheng affectionately took Li Xiaowan’s hand and led her downstairs, followed by the others. Once they were out of the old lady’s sight, Feng Lingzheng abruptly shook off Li Xiaowan’s hand, and Li Xiaowan nearly lost her balance and fell to the ground. “Li Xiaowan, are you okay?” Feng Tianyu, walking beside her, quickly caught her and asked gently. Was this really the same eldest brother whom everyone saw as cold and unfeeling, just like his second brother? The group exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison. “Brother Tianyu, I’m fine,” Li Xiaowan replied politely. To her surprise, she actually saw a glimmer of sincerity in Feng Tianyu’s eyes. “All right, there’s still a little while before lunch, so let’s just chat casually for now!” As the eldest among them, Feng Tianyu naturally spoke up first. “Big Brother, why don’t you sit down too? Tell us how you and Lan managed to escape this time,” said Xiao Tong, who, being the youngest, was naturally the most curious. “Yeah, I want to know too,” Ye asked, unable to resist his curiosity. “Well, that’s a secret. Someday when I’m in the right mood, I’ll find some time to tell you all about it,” Feng Tianyu said diplomatically, trusting that they would understand. Ye and Xiao Tong understood, but Feng Yan didn’t—or perhaps she was just playing dumb. She said unhappily, “Big Brother, could it be that you’re not telling us because two girls—me and Xiaowan—are here, and you feel it’s inappropriate? I’m not afraid of anything, you know! Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom—and all of you—you’re all looking down on me, keeping me out of things, saying what you do isn’t something a girl should do. But what about Ying? What about Xiao Fei? And what about the others I don’t even know about? Why are they all allowed to do it, but I’m not!” The more Feng Yan spoke, the redder her face grew, yet even so, she couldn’t hide the air of a young lady that radiated from her every pore; there was no denying that she was truly a standout among beauties. “Silly girl, aren’t we all just looking out for your safety?” Feng Tianyu was the first to speak up. “Hmph, everyone says it’s for my own good—especially Brother Lan. Didn’t you promise me clearly before that you’d bring me into the Company to be your assistant? But in the end, you’d rather have Xiaowan be your assistant than give me a chance.” Feng Yan grew angrier as she spoke. “Yan'er, when did I ever promise that? And even if I had, wasn’t keeping you out of the Company for your own good—I was worried you’d work yourself too hard,” Yu Feilan said helplessly; Feng Yan always loved to make things up out of thin air. “Fine… fine… You’re all right, and I’m the only one who’s wrong. Even an outsider can catch your eye, while I now feel I’m not even as good as an outsider.” Feng Yan began speaking without holding back. “Yan'er, don’t let this get out of hand. Don’t you know how much you mean to us?” Feng Tianyu reminded her promptly. Everyone knew who the “outsider” she was referring to was, and Li Xiaowan knew all too well that she didn’t belong in their circle to begin with; forcing herself into it naturally made her feel like a fish out of water. “Big Brother’s right, Yan'er. Just keep your comments to yourself!” Ye added. “You’re all ganging up on me, aren’t you? Well, this lady isn’t going to put up with this. You guys go have fun on your own!” Feng Yan stormed out of the mansion in a rage. “Lan, I’m going to have to trouble you again,” Feng Lingzheng, who had remained silent the whole time, suddenly said. “Zheng, there’s no need to be so formal between us.” As Yu Feilan was leaving, she didn’t forget to cast a comforting glance at Li Xiaowan. Unlike Yu Feilan, however, Feng Lingzheng’s gaze toward Li Xiaowan held more resentment. “Why does the atmosphere become so tense whenever you’re around?” Feng Lingzheng’s displeasure was plain to see. “How can you blame me for that?” Just how much karma did I accumulate in my past life that I had to run into such an unreasonable, eccentric person as Feng Lingzheng in this one? Li Xiaowan looked up to the heavens in silence, but the heavens offered no answer. “Zheng, weren’t you the one who asked Xiaowan to come over? You can’t just jump to conclusions without hearing both sides.” For the first time in front of an outsider, Feng Tianyu rebuked Feng Lingzheng. “Brother, are you scolding me? Ye, Xiao Tong, which one of you wants to go for a spin with me?” Feng Lingzheng shot a hawk-like glare at Ye and Xiao Tong. Startled, the two quickly replied in unison, “We’d both love to.” Then, they followed Feng Lingzheng as she strode out of the mansion. Now only Feng Tianyu and Li Xiaowan remained. Li Xiaowan suddenly felt a bit awkward. “Xiaowan, don’t be self-conscious. Make yourself at home. Zheng is just like Yan'er—she has a childlike nature and speaks her mind. I hope you don’t take it to heart.” Feng Tianyu could tell at a glance that Li Xiaowan was uncomfortable.