Chapter 39: A Difficult Scripture to Recite

"Who is it, and why do you need to keep them company?" Li Xiaofen, still reeling from the events surrounding Chu Feiyuan, asked without much concern.

"You wouldn't know them—a business acquaintance. I really couldn't turn them down." Chu Changyun rubbed his temples, his face etched with exhaustion. "My dear, I haven't slept well all night. I'm wiped out. I'm going upstairs to lie down for a bit."

"Mm, go ahead." Most of her attention was still fixed on her daughter, so this vague answer didn't raise any alarms. "Do you want me to run a bath for you?"

"No need. You go chat with Yuanyuan; I'll manage myself." He waved a hand and headed straight for the second floor.

Li Xiaofen stared at his retreating back, a faint sense of doubt flickering in her heart. Unable to make sense of it, she let it slide.

Meanwhile, the young master of the Rong Group, the person they had been discussing, was lounging lazily in his chair. "Why did you call me back?" On his way here, he had run into some mad girl who had stomped hard on his foot, and his mood was foul.

Though Rong Wei was over fifty, his authority remained undiminished. Seeing his son’s sloppy posture, his temper flared. "Can't you show some respect?"

"Show respect? Isn't that what I'm doing?" Rong Zhenlin’s gaze swept over the woman sitting beside his father, his eyes flashing with dark intent. He wanted him to address her?

"Where are your manners toward Aunt Geng?" It had been over a decade, yet the brat still refused to accept Zhirui. She had sacrificed so much for the Rong family, and she had never treated him poorly. Not only did he disregard her, he wouldn't even offer her a proper title. If this continued, who would be able to control him once he was gone?

"Oh~" If he wanted him to say it, he would. He couldn't care less. "Aunt Geng!"

Geng Zhirui, Rong Wei’s second wife, had been with him since she was seventeen and officially gained her status at twenty. More than a decade had passed, and she was only thirty-seven now—barely a few years older than Rong Zhenlin. Given that her initial entry into the family hadn't been under the most honorable circumstances, winning his acceptance was naturally difficult. Hearing his address, she couldn't help but dab the corners of her eyes and say softly, "Come, come, Zhenlin, let's eat, let's eat."

Rong Wei’s stern expression softened slightly. People reached a stage in life where they simply craved domestic harmony. He patted her hand, and she looked at him with a gaze filled with deep affection.

Rong Xi, who had remained silent, lowered her lashes, a hidden smile playing on her lips. The family dinner proceeded with everyone lost in their own thoughts, the hidden meanings known only to those who felt them.

After dinner, Rong Zhenlin was summoned to the study upstairs. After Geng Zhirui gave instructions to the servants, she returned to the living room with Rong Xi.

"Mom, you—" She was interrupted before she could finish.

"Xiaoxi!" Geng Zhirui smiled faintly and took her hand. "How are your studies going lately?"

"Quite well." Rong Xi paused, then smiled brightly. "Mom, don't worry, I’m doing excellently."

"You little rascal, don't just say that to make me happy." Geng Zhirui tapped the tip of her nose with a fair, delicate finger, her eyes full of doting affection.

"I wouldn't—" Downstairs was filled with warmth and harmony, but upstairs, the atmosphere was one of daggers. "How much longer do you intend to waste your life?"

"Are you not tired of saying the same things over and over?" Rong Zhenlin sat up straight, staring at him. "I've been wasting my life for more than a day or two; I've been doing it ever since the day my mother died."

"You..." Rong Wei was struck speechless, pointing a trembling finger at him. He couldn't deny that he had handled the past poorly, but he had spent years trying to make amends. He hadn't realized that Zhenlin had never let go.

"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving." He didn't want to look at that hypocritical face any longer. He shoved his chair back with force and turned to leave, showing no regard for the man behind him.