The Heartless, Cheating Scumbag Woman in a Female-Dominated World (Fourteen)
When Rong Feng left home, he went straight to Jiang Xuefu's company instead of going anywhere else.
In a café downstairs from the company.
The spoon Jiang Xuefu was stirring her coffee with came to an abrupt stop. She looked up at the man across from her, her voice tinged with shock. "What did you say?"
The woman's cheeks were fair and delicate, glowing with the warm luster of mutton-fat jade. Beneath her curved brows, her clear, bright eyes were slightly widened as she looked at him.
Staring at her face, Rong Feng, who had already prepared himself in countless ways before coming, still couldn't help lowering his eyes shyly as he repeated what he had just said.
"I said, I like you."
What was it like to have your ex-husband's older brother confess his feelings to you?
Jiang Xuefu thought it was pretty exciting.
For the first time, she took a careful look at Rong Feng, a man she had known for years but had very, very little contact with.
In all fairness, with a younger brother like Rong Chao, the older brother's looks naturally couldn't be far behind.
He sat by the café window, sunlight slanting over him. His neat, short black hair gleamed, and his face had sharply defined contours, with swordlike brows and starry eyes. Beneath his high-bridged nose, his thin lips were pressed lightly together.
The cuffs of his white shirt were casually rolled up, revealing hints of the firm muscles in his forearms. His crisply pressed dark trousers set off his long thighs. Every movement was mature and elegant, and he was so handsome that it was hard to look away.
He was exactly Jiang Xuefu's type.
So, alone together and both willing, the two of them ended up in bed, just as one might expect.
When Rong Feng returned to the Rong Family home, he was no longer the quiet, taciturn man he had been before. His whole person had come to life, as though something had nourished him.
The experienced Mother Rong knew what had happened at a glance. She let out a bitter sigh, regretting once again that she had lost her head and let Xiao Chao marry Jiang Xuefu.
At the dinner table, Rong Chao looked at Rong Feng across from him, a cheerful smile in his eyes as he glanced at his phone from time to time, and suddenly asked, "Brother, have you started dating someone recently?"
Rong Feng's hand paused as he was replying to a message. Just then, a message from Jiang Xuefu appeared in the chat.
[Jiang Xuefu: Baby, then I'll see you at the hotel tomorrow. Love you~]
He replied as if nothing were amiss, the corners of his thin lips lifting slightly. Clearly in a good mood, he said, "Mm, we only started dating recently."
Mother Rong coughed, signaling to Rong Feng with her eyes not to say any more.
What if Jiang Xuefu came up and Rong Chao accidentally remembered?
"Really? What's she like? Do you have a photo?" Over the past few days, Rong Chao had learned that his brother was thirty and had never dated or married, so he was very interested to hear all of a sudden that he had a girlfriend.
The table fell silent for a few seconds. Rong Feng's smile didn't change as he placed his phone face down on the table. "You'll find out later. There's no rush."
"That's right, Xiao Chao. Enough about your brother. What about you? What do you think of Xu Zhu?" Afraid he would give himself away, Father Rong hurriedly changed the subject.
"She's great. I really like having her as a friend."
"Just a friend? You don't have any other feelings for her?" Father Rong asked, beating around the bush. He genuinely liked Xu Zhu and hoped the two of them would eventually bring their relationship to fruition.
"Feelings? What feelings? Should I have any?" Rong Chao asked softly, a trace of barely perceptible confusion in his voice.
If he asked that, it generally meant he didn't, Father Rong thought in disappointment. But he refused to give up and immediately pressed on.
"Xiao Chao, Xu Zhu obviously likes you. What about you? Do you like her?"
Like her?
Rong Chao lowered his eyes slightly. His thick, long lashes cast shadows over his eyelids, trembling gently as he blinked.
"I don't know."
His heart was in complete turmoil. Whenever he thought of the words "like her," his heart ached for no apparent reason, leaving his thoughts in disarray.
"You don't know? If you don't know, that means you like her!" Father Rong laughed with genuine delight, taking his uncertainty as nothing more than a man's shyness.
Father Rong said, "Xiao Chao, spend some more time together. If you think Xu Zhu is a good match, Dad will make the decision and arrange your marriage."
They had to hurry with this sort of thing. Otherwise, they would be finished the moment Xiao Chao recovered his memories.
Without giving him a choice, he declared on Rong Chao's behalf that he liked Xu Zhu. Rong Chao didn't even get a chance to interrupt.
The next day, when Xu Zhu came to the Rong Family home again, Father Rong took her aside and told her about it.
Enormous delight burst forth in Xu Zhu's usually composed eyes. "Uncle, thank you for trusting me. I'll be sure to treat Xiao Chao well. If we get married, I'm willing to give all my property to Xiao Chao of my own free will."
Father Rong was so delighted he couldn't stop smiling. "Good child, I knew I wasn't wrong about you. For now, just spend time with Xiao Chao the way you always have. I'll persuade him."
Father Rong told Mother Rong about it, and naturally, the couple were both delighted.
Rong Chao refused at first, but after his mother and father persuaded him day and night, and with Xu Zhu taking care of him, he finally relented and agreed.
However, what he agreed to was getting engaged first and discussing marriage later.
With both families pushing things along, the engagement ceremony was held very quickly. Afraid that a long night would bring bad dreams, Xu Zhu wished she could hold the wedding tomorrow and take him home as her husband.
Unfortunately, while an engagement could be rushed, a wedding couldn't be hurried even if she wanted to. The preparations alone would take a long time.
During this period, Father Rong was busy arranging the engagement and wedding, Mother Rong had to go to work every day, and Rong Feng was hardly ever seen, day or night. As a result, Rong Chao often stayed alone in the villa, except when Xu Zhu occasionally came over with things to keep him entertained.
That day, Rong Feng finally came home after several days away. He was carrying a bouquet of flowers, and his handsome features were filled with the happiness of someone whose life had been showered with love.
"Brother, did she give you those?" Rong Chao glanced at the carefully wrapped roses, envy in his eyes that even he hadn't noticed.
"Mm. Are they pretty?"
Holding a pair of scissors, Rong Feng cut the rose stems at an angle. The smile on his lips never faded.
"They're pretty." Rong Chao propped up his head and watched for a while before asking, "Brother, do you think I really should marry Xu Zhu?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I don't know, but Mom and Dad both really want me to marry her, and Xu Zhu treats me very well too."
"Then do you want to marry her? Don't worry about anyone else. Ask yourself."
"I... I don't know." Rong Chao's gaze grew distant. He stared blankly at the bouquet of roses and murmured.
Rong Feng put down the scissors and let out an almost imperceptible sigh.
I'll give Xiao Chao one chance.
He opened his phone, found a photo of himself and Jiang Xuefu taken in the past two days, and showed it to Rong Chao. "Weren't you interested in seeing a photo of my girlfriend? We happened to take this one recently."
In the photo, the two were sweetly wrapped in each other's arms, cheek pressed to cheek, their bodies held close together. Even just looking at the photo, one could feel the depth of their love.
Rong Feng watched Rong Chao's face intently, not missing the slightest expression.
Yet, whether he should have been happy or sad, Rong Chao merely stared at the photo for a few seconds, his eyes showing nothing but unfamiliarity with Jiang Xuefu.
He said, "My sister-in-law is really beautiful."