RBCT Chapter 14: I felt no burden in his presence.
Chapter 14: I felt no burden in his presence.
The next day.
Pei Lanhua accompanied Rong Shu to the yoga studio.
Thinking of meeting An Qingyue here yesterday, who was also practicing here, Rong Shu felt very resistant.
An Qingyue stole her husband, but she was the one who was afraid to meet him. She didn't even dare to admit that she was the mistress. Rong Shu didn't want to see her, but the money had already been paid, so there was nothing she could do.
Fortunately, I didn't run into An Qingyue in the morning.
It was already noon when it ended.
Pei Lanhua specially prepared lunch for her: stewed beef brisket with tomatoes, a plate of stir-fried broccoli with meat, and a plate of green vegetables, a nutritious and balanced meal.
It feels really good to be valued and cared for like this.
The two arrived at a restaurant inside the mall, where Pei Lanhua ordered a fried rice.
We had lunch.
She strolled around the mall again, but seeing only nice clothes, Rong Shu had no desire to buy anything. She bought two sets of winter clothes for Pei Lanhua, as well as for her father and brother.
As the two prepared to return.
Rong Shu received a phone call from Sheng Tingze, the youngest son of Sheng Tingchen's uncle. He was 24 years old, the same age as her.
The two were in the same class from junior high to high school.
However, in her second year of high school, she fell seriously ill and had to take a year off from school. When she returned, she had gained a full thirty pounds and looked completely different.
This attracted a lot of strange looks, and even some unpleasant rumors, such as saying that the school beauty had turned into a school pig.
Hearing these words, she was completely devastated and even considered dropping out of school. Later, Sheng Tingze beat her so badly that she ended up in the hospital.
Because she was on leave of absence, she was a grade below him. Every day after class, he would loiter around her classroom, as if he were spying on her, to see if he was saying anything bad about her.
Everyone at the school knows that Sheng Tingze comes from a powerful and influential family. He is not only good-looking but also academically excellent, so basically no one at the school dares to mess with him, and the teachers all have to fawn over him.
He stood up for Rong Shu, especially after that male classmate was beaten and hospitalized. Rong Shu rarely heard any gossip anymore, and even if there was, it was always behind her back.
So during that difficult time, he encouraged himself, though his words were sometimes harsh, such as, "You like my cousin, don't you? If you don't study hard and get into a good university, he'll find that even with an IQ of 180, he won't like a stupid and clumsy pig."
She fell in love with Sheng Tingchen at first sight because in her first year of high school, when Sheng Tingchen returned to his alma mater to give a donation speech, she, as an outstanding student, presented him with flowers.
At that moment, she seemed to see a god, and wondered how there could be such a handsome man in the world.
After that, she was absent-minded, which Sheng Tingze noticed. He teased her a lot. Knowing that he was her cousin, she tried to please him by inviting him to dinner, movies, and giving him gifts.
Indeed, it was Sheng Tingze's words that inspired her, and she worked hard to get back into a study routine.
Sheng Tingze failed his college entrance exam and ended up repeating it in the same class as her.
She was the top scorer in the city's college entrance examination that year, and Sheng Tingze came in second.
The two went to the same university, but to different departments.
Later, during his sophomore year, Sheng Tingze went abroad to study.
She was also very busy with her studies, and although the two had lost touch, they would occasionally talk on the phone.
He returned to China last year, but instead of joining his family's company, he started his own game company, which is doing quite well.
Rong Shu answered the phone.
"Hello!"
"Sister-in-law, I'm in urgent need of help!" It was still that frivolous tone.
Rong Shu asked, "What's wrong?"
It turns out that he was discussing cooperation with a German development company today, and the other party was about to get off the plane, but the translator he hired had an emergency today.
So I asked Rong Shu to come and help.
Rong Shu naturally did not refuse.
Sheng Tingze immediately drove to pick her up.
Pei Lanhua waited with Rong Shu.
Pei Lanhua also knew Sheng Tingze. He had come to her house for dinner when she was in high school. He had a good relationship with Rong Shu. At the time, she thought the two of them were a good match.
But life is unpredictable, and Rong Shu became his nominal cousin-in-law.
"It's been so many years since I've seen Tingze," Pei Lanhua said with a sigh. "I wonder what he looks like now."
Sheng Tingze sped all the way here.
The journey, which originally took nearly forty minutes, was shortened to twenty minutes.
Because he was meeting with business partners, he was dressed very formally today. He was dressed in a suit and tie, which made him look more composed. At 185 cm tall, he was lean and tall with a youthful and handsome demeanor, making him an eye-catching presence in any crowd.
The men in the Sheng family are all very good-looking, but when compared, Sheng Tingchen is truly unique.
I met Pei Lanhua.
Sheng Tingze greeted her warmly, "Aunt Pei, it's been a long time!"
Pei Lanhua smiled and said, "Long time no see, Tingze has really gotten more and more handsome."
Sheng Tingze wasn't embarrassed at all by the praise, saying, "Then you'll definitely be even more handsome next time you see me."
Pei Lanhua couldn't help but chuckle. What a wonderful child!
Sheng Tingze looked at Rong Shu and teased, "Are you waiting to be weighed at the New Year?"
The two hadn't seen each other for a long time. They only met at the family banquet when she had just registered her marriage with Sheng Tingchen, and that's when Sheng Tingze found out she had married his cousin.
He was never seen at the Sheng family banquet after that, probably because the company was just starting out and he was busy with work.
Even though we haven't seen each other for a long time, we're still very close.
Rong Shu felt no pressure in front of Sheng Tingze and couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, wanting to kick him, but unfortunately it was very inconvenient at the moment.
Because we were in a hurry.
Sheng Tingze and Rong Shu said goodbye to Pei Lanhua.
Pei Lanhua invited Sheng Tingze to come to her house for dinner sometime.
"I understand, I'll definitely go."
The two got into the car.
Sheng Tingze's company is located in the Dong'an New District Science and Technology Park, which is quite far from the city center. Considering that Rong Shu was heavily pregnant, Sheng Tingze drove as slowly as possible on the way back.
"Grandma said she's having a girl."
Rong Shu stroked her belly and hummed in agreement.
"It really is a blessing from our ancestors. She was born as the only daughter in the Sheng family for several generations. She will definitely be spoiled rotten."
Whether it's their main branch or a collateral branch, the Sheng family only produces sons, resulting in a large family system.
Other families wanted to have sons, but the Sheng family only hoped to have a daughter. However, they only had sons, as if they were cursed.
I don't know if it was just good luck that she got pregnant with a daughter.
No wonder the old lady was so happy at the time and gave her a jade bracelet worth over 100 million.
As for Sheng Tingze's statement that the child would be spoiled rotten, Rong Shu could only smile bitterly to herself. Everyone was looking forward to her arrival, but her father was not.
Seeing that Rong Shu remained silent and her expression was off, he asked, "What's wrong?"
Rong Shu snapped out of her daze and shook her head. "It's nothing."
Sheng Tingze looked at her with his deep eyes.
In fact, he knew that Rong Shu was not having a good time right now because his cousin didn't like her, and his second aunt's family didn't accept her either. All the members of the Sheng family had seen this.
Everyone was indifferent to Rong Shu. No one in the Sheng family invited Rong Shu to their birthday banquets, feasts, or weddings. Only Sheng Tingchen attended, as if he were still single.
My aunt's family is holding a birthday banquet today.
Clearly, Rong Shu was unaware of this; no one had told her.
In the eyes of the Sheng family, she was still just an outsider.
He suddenly didn't know what to say to comfort her, as if saying anything would be meaningless.
Silence fell inside the car.