Today was the Winter Solstice, and the Royal Family had a small family gathering.
After the meal, Phoenix returned to her own Phoenix Pavilion.
She picked up the Bichon Frise ball, Little Fatty, that pounced on her and gently stroked him, then activated the phone on her wrist, ignoring countless holiday greetings, and directly searched for the message Tang Fei sent her. After hesitating for a moment, she said to the dog in her arms, "Little Fatty, a very important person invited me out to play, should I go?"
"Woof!" Little Fatty raised his little face and barked at Phoenix.
"Oh, you mean I should go, right?"
"Woof woof woof woof..."
"Stop barking, I get what you mean." Phoenix patted Little Fatty on the head and said, "Okay okay okay, shall I go now?"
"Little Fatty, such a good boy." Phoenix put Little Fatty down on the ground and then went to the dressing room to change her clothes.
"Miss, are you going out?" the Maid followed and asked.
"Mhm, I have some things to take care of," Phoenix said, searching her wardrobe for something suitable to wear tonight.
She couldn’t go the sexy route because she couldn’t compete with Sheng Xinhua.
Every time Sheng Xinhua went to a bar, she dressed extremely hot. Phoenix felt on fire just looking at her. She was always the center of attention and likely attracted many people’s notice.
So, Phoenix had to defeat her in her own game.
"Miss, you’ve just been discharged from the hospital, and your body has not fully recovered... How about not going out tonight?" the Maid suggested.
Phoenix turned to look at the Maid and said, "What? Did someone tell you to watch me?"
"We wouldn’t dare watch over Miss," the Maid quickly apologized and explained, "Manager Chen said that Miss had encountered a very dangerous situation before, and nearly... nearly didn’t make it back. He asked us to protect you at all costs and to prevent you from falling into such a precarious situation again."
"It’s already so late, Miss, what if something dangerous happens when you go out now? If Miss’s body gets hurt, both our lives won’t be spared..."
"Our lives are insignificant, but Miss... Miss, with your noble status, should not take such risks..."
"So you mean to say... I can’t go out tonight?"
"Manager Chen also said if Miss insists on going out, to let him know, and he would arrange for the guard to ensure Miss’s safety..."
"What if I must go out?"
Both Maids called out anxiously and knelt down with a thud.
Their faces filled with worry, they still didn’t know what to do.
Phoenix sighed and said, "Get up. I know this is difficult for you as well..."
"Also, you don’t have to kneel at every turn... There’s no need to always kneel in my presence..."
"We only plead with Miss..."
"Enough, get up," Phoenix waved her hands and spoke.
The two Maids got up, still looking nervously at Phoenix, fearing she would go back on her word and leave.
Phoenix knew Chen Fenglei wouldn’t limit her freedom. He wouldn’t dare.
It was father’s intention, and he was just an executor.
So, approaching Chen Fenglei would not solve the problem.
Would her father agree to her going out if she asked him directly?
He had been quite protective of her recently...
After the assassination attempt by Ling Yunxiao, she had been staying in the Imperial Maritime Hospital. Even after her recovery, she was not allowed to return to school.
Later, because of her older brother’s case, she was called back and her personal freedom was restricted once again.
Just as Phoenix was undecided, her phone rang.
Phoenix glanced at the caller ID and immediately answered, smiling as she said, "Dad, why are you calling at this time? Didn’t I just leave your place?"
"All the guests have gone, and I’m here with nothing to do, so I thought of having my darling daughter come and play a few games of chess with me... You wouldn’t have the heart to let your dad be lonely by himself, would you?"
"What about Big Brother and Second Brother?"
"They all have their own matters to attend to. Boys will be boys, I don’t even bother with them... A daughter is closer to her father’s heart."
Phoenix couldn’t refuse and said, "Alright then, I’ll be right there."
"I knew my daughter wouldn’t say no to her dad," Zhong Daolong said cheerfully, "Alright, hurry over, I’ll set up the chessboard."
"Okay, see you in a bit," Phoenix said.
After hanging up, Phoenix was silent for a moment, then sent a message to Tang Fei, "Have fun without me, I can’t make it."
Tang Fei saw Sheng Xinhua coldly turn down the drinks offered by others and laughed, saying, "Such good liquor, just like that turned down?"
"What? You want to drink? That bottle of Dragon’s Son costs over 80,000 star coins, enough to buy a vehicle for commuting... I can’t afford it. If you’re willing to pay, though, I could definitely enjoy it with you."
"Where would I get the money?" Tang Fei immediately cried poor, saying, "You know, Little Fatty and I came from the Old Land and we don’t have much in the way of earning money..."
"To save money, the dumplings we had tonight were all made by us. How could we afford to drink liquor that costs over 80,000 a bottle?"
Sheng Xinhua, holding her drink, glanced sidelong at Tang Fei and said, "You guys came from the Old Land and truly don’t have many ways to make money... but you have a wealthy friend, don’t you?"