The sky had turned completely dark, and the temperature in the mountains continued to drop.
Stowing his phone, He Changbai turned back and saw Rong Ci and Dandan leaning against each other, chatting and eating. He went into the tent and brought out two thick coats, one large and one small.
He handed the large one to Rong Ci.
"I'm not cold" she began.
"Just wear it." He shook out the coat and draped it over her shoulders before helping Dandan into the smaller one.
Rong Ci wasn't particularly cold, but with the thick coat blocking the mountain wind, it was indeed much warmer. She didn't refuse again.
After they finished the barbecue, the bonfire party was about to start, so they headed over. As soon as they arrived, someone couldn't help but comment, "Oh my, what a dazzling family of three."
Rong Ci stiffened and explained, "We aren't a family."
The bystanders just chuckled, clearly thinking that even if they weren't a family now, they might very well become one in the future.
After a while, Dandan went off to play with some children her own age. Most of the other campers were there with friends and family, sitting in groups of three or five to chat, play cards, build snowmen, or have snowball fights. It was incredibly lively.
Since she and He Changbai were only acquaintances, a silence fell between them once Dandan left. They truly didn't have much to talk about. Discussing family was a taboo for Rong Ci, as it inevitably involved Feng Tingshen and Lin Wu. Discussing work might bring back the unpleasant memories from Xundu.
Finally, He Changbai broke the silence. "Have you adjusted to Changmo yet?"
Rong Ci felt a bit bored, but she had no intention of having a deep conversation with him. The silence had actually suited her perfectly. When he spoke, she was idly weaving a butterfly out of dry grass.
"I have," she said tonelessly.
"Yu Moxun takes good care of you."
"Mm."
"Was your major in university related to AI?"
"Yes."
"How did you meet Yu Moxun?"
At this question, Rong Ci didn't answer. He Changbai saw that she wasn't in the mood to chat and knew she had been keeping her distance from him since the beginning. He knew why. He didn't push her further.
He took a few calls during the night. By the time he returned, it was already late. Rong Ci had woven several grass butterflies. Dandan loved them, tucking them into her pocket like precious treasures.
Watching Dandan's adoration, Rong Ci's smile faltered. Once upon a time, Jingxin had been just like Dandan, enthusiastic about everything her mother did. But those days were long gone.
That night, Dandan insisted on sleeping with Rong Ci. He Changbai looked at Rong Ci, asking for her opinion. Rong Ci agreed.
Dandan curled up happily in her arms. Though they were "sleeping together," they were merely in the same tent. They each stayed in their own sleeping bags, so Dandan's wish for a proper cuddle was out of reach this time.
Dandan's constitution was somewhat weak. The wind had been too strong the previous night, and she must have caught a chill because she woke up the next morning with a cold. Rong Ci hadn't slept well either and looked exhausted.
He Changbai decided to take Dandan to the hospital. Rong Ci originally wanted to drive herself back, but Dandan acted spoiled and begged her to come along. Seeing the child's sickly state, Rong Ci relented.
She joined them in He Changbai's car. Not long after the car started, both Rong Ci and Dandan fell asleep.
He Changbai turned his head to look at Rong Ci's fair face, partially veiled by her long hair. He instinctively reached out to brush it away but pulled his hand back when he saw her eyelashes flutter, as if she were about to wake.
Sleeping in someone else's car, Rong Ci's nap had only lasted a few minutes and was far from peaceful. She opened her eyes and saw He Changbai retracting his hand, but she didn't think much of it. She simply asked, "Are we there?"
"Almost."
Two minutes later, they arrived at the hospital entrance. He Changbai carried Dandan out. "Should I have my people drive you home?" he asked Rong Ci.
She shook her head. "No need. I can drive myself back." He didn't insist.
Once she was in her car and nearly home, her phone pinged. It was a message from Feng Tingshen: Grandmother is going to visit your grandmother later. She wants the three of us to go back to the Rong residence together.
This was a message she couldn't ignore. She picked up the phone and dialed his number. He answered almost instantly. "Hello."
"I'll head back now to pick up Jingxin," Rong Ci said. By saying this, she was implying that she didn't think Feng Tingshen would actually want to go to her family's home with her. After all, in the past, he had always made excuses to avoid it. Moreover, her family likely didn't want to see him right now.
There was a two-second silence on the other end before he said, "Alright."
Rong Ci hung up and turned her car toward Feng Tingshen's villa.
When she arrived, Jingxin was already waiting with her backpack. Seeing Rong Ci, the girl stayed huddled beside Feng Tingshen and turned her face away, refusing to look at her mother. She was still angry that Rong Ci hadn't taken her skiing the previous week.
Feng Tingshen looked up at Rong Ci and paused. "Did you not sleep well last night?"
Rong Ci was surprised by the question. Perhaps it was because she wasn't wearing makeup and her hair was a bit messy, making her lack of sleep obvious.
"Mm," she replied coldly, offering no explanation.
The housekeeper chimed in with concern, "Are you suffering from insomnia? We have some high-quality incense here that helps with sleep. I'll place some in your room later"
Rong Ci finally explained, "I usually sleep fine. I went camping yesterday, and staying overnight outdoors was a bit of an adjustment."
The housekeeper frowned. "What's the fun in camping during the dead of winter? I hope you didn't catch a cold."
Rong Ci smiled slightly. "Winter camping lets you have snowball fights by the fire, build snowmen, play hide-and-seek... the atmosphere is actually quite nice."
The other campers last night had indeed seemed to be having a wonderful time. She had actually been quite envious.
Hearing this, Feng Tingshen set down his newspaper and looked at her thoughtfully.
Jingxin, however, felt a pang of longing, which quickly turned into even greater anger. It was bad enough that her mother hadn't coaxed her after the last time she was upset, but she had gone on such a fun camping trip and didn't even bring her!
Jingxin grabbed her backpack, hopped off the sofa, let out an audible "Hmph," and ran straight upstairs.
Rong Ci frowned as she watched her go. Before she could speak, Feng Tingshen put down his paper and said in a calm voice, "Jingxin, come back."
There wasn't a hint of anger in his tone, yet Jingxin stopped in her tracks immediately. She pursed her small lips and turned around, standing still.
Feng Tingshen looked her in the eye. Jingxin lowered her head and trudged back moodily, dragging her bag. She didn't go to Rong Ci, though. Instead, she took Feng Tingshen's hand and wheedled, "Daddy, you come with us too, okay?"
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