"Feng"er has not come around for quite some time." Chu Ling said suddenly after sipping a cup of fine green tea.Zhong Tian looked up from the newspaper at his wife. She looked as beautiful as always, but the sadness in her eyes could not be concealed. He thought about the news that he had received yesterday and wondered whether he should tell her.
"He has been quite busy." He responded in perfunctory tone.
Chu Ling looked closer at his face and realised that he was concealing something. Whenever Zhong Tian hid something from her, he always looked a little too relaxed and casual.
"What do you know, Zhong Tian?" she asked sternly.
Zhong Tian cleared his throat awkwardly and put his newspaper aside.
"There is nothing to worry about, LingLing." His voice sounded even.
However, he had not used that childish nickname for a very long time. They were already old, and it was strange for him to revert to his old teasing ways. Therefore, this action reinforced his wife"s thoughts. He was definitely hiding something.
"Tell me!"
Zhong Tian though about his options before finally bowing to the pressure of his wife"s blazing eyes.
"Feng was at the hospital yesterday." He paused.
Before he could finish his thoughts, Chu Ling stood up.
"Is he alright?" She asked in a shaking voice.
When Zhong Feng had been younger, he had been in poor health for quite a long period of time. It had been a difficult time for everyone. Therefore, the possibility of him being sick brought back bad memories.
"It"s not like that. Can you please listen to the end?" Zhong Tian looked helplessly at Chu Ling.
"Do you even know how to talk? You should not pause so carelessly." She gave him another stern look before sitting down.
"It is like this. Zhong Feng brought a girl to the hospital. No one knows her ident.i.ty for sure. They consulted Doctor Shui and left together." He explained. Doctor Shui probably knew her ident.i.ty, but he was close Zhong Feng. So, he would not reveal any information.
"Oh, who is the girl? I didn"t know that he was seeing someone." She looked thoughtful. "Maybe it is that Bei Gong girl. I have seen some rumours on social media. Even though I don"t know her character, her family is not bad."
Zhong Tian sighed.
"I think my people would recognise such a prominent character. I am afraid that the truth might not be so straightforward or good." His voice sounded strained.
"What do you mean?"
"It is possible that Doctor Hu"s daughter is back." He let out the words unwillingly.
Chu Ling"s face changed and became darker.
"Are you sure?" She inquired with shaking hands.
"I am not. It is just a conjecture at this point." He had not been able to confirm it.
They both became silent as they thought about this matter. Actually, their feelings were quite complicated in relation to Hu Lei. They felt uncomfortable every time she was brought up. If possible, they would have preferred that she did not come back.
She was a reminder of their failings and their broken promises. She also symbolised their lowest moments and their desperation. At the time, they had been willing to promise anything for the sake of overcoming the crisis. The girl could not remember the past clearly because she had been quite young. But they could, and it haunted them.
When the girl was younger, they had met her several times because of her father. More importantly, she had played a pivotal role in the recovery of Feng. At that time, she had been adorable, happy and incredibly attached to the comatose Zhong Feng.
They had sworn at the time that they would treat her as their own child if there came a time when she needed anything. Their promises had been tinged by desperation to save their only son. Doctor Hu had not asked for anything undue to him in return even though he knew their worth. In fact, he had told them that they did not need to overthink things because of the treatment. If they spoke carelessly, they would regret it.
However, in those dark moments, they were not thinking rationally. They were willing to say anything to attract good karma for their dying child. They had not heeded the words of the doctor. And as he had said, they had come to have regrets.
When they felt guilty for failing to treat her as they had promised, they would convince themselves that it had been her fault for not living up to their expectations. They had done their part. Zhong Tian had convinced Feng"er to hire her into his company when she had been dest.i.tute.
It was her who did not appreciate the chance and sought more benefits. Why couldn"t she have been like her father? She had no sense of her position. She had dared to drug their son and take advantage of him in their territory.
More importantly, after convincing him to fall in love with her, she had disappeared, probably by taking his money for a luxurious trip around the world. If she was back to Supreme City, she could not be up to any good. She had probably run out of money or was now ready to settle down. Either way, their son would suffer.
Yes, they had promised to be kind to her. However, it was her own fault that she had behaved so unscrupulously. If she had not taken advantage of their son over and over again, they would have been able to live peacefully. They could have even been friends.
Zhong Tian regretted the fact that he had told Feng about Hu Lei. If he had not, he would probably not be so blind to her faults, unwilling to see the truth before him. Unfortunately, regrets could do nothing.
"What should we do?" Chu Ling asked after the drawn-out silence.
"Feng"er will not be happy if we investigate into his matters." They always had to rely on their various people to inform them of the happenings.
If they did investigate Zhong Feng, he would without a doubt find out. It seemed like he had the birds and insects in his service. At the very least, they knew that his true power did not only come from the Zhong family.
"But we can"t allow this girl to stay beside him if she is up to no good." Chu Ling lamented.
Zhong Tian contemplated the problem for a while.
"Well, we know that she left the last time for a vacation. If we pay her enough, perhaps she could extend her trip indefinitely." His eyes had a strange glint.
Zhong Tian could not be completely blamed for these thoughts. After all, it was his son who had told him that Hu Lei had gone on a vacation after her disappearance. He had not thought that further investigation into the matter was warranted.
"Let"s do that. Maybe we can find a nice girl from a good family for Zhong Feng. That child really has no one to take care of him and share his burden." Chu Ling complained lightly.