The earlier national travel plan had already been made, and they could continue traveling immediately.
But Sun Xiaorui stated that she wanted to move into the villa at Red Villa Bay before leaving, and Chen Feng had no choice but to go along with her.
That night, Chen Feng naturally shared a room and a bed with Sun Xiaorui.
Wu Mengting and Lin Wan, in the room opposite, were aware, but they didn’t say anything.
Meanwhile, Lin Wan relentlessly persuaded Wu Mengting to take the initiative again and reconcile with Chen Feng.
However, Wu Mengting didn’t seem convinced and remained silent.
This left Lin Wan both annoyed and helpless.
Now, Chen Feng had cooled off, and Wu Mengting seemed to have turned into a stone statue, keeping silent.
Lin Wan, the well-intentioned matchmaker, tried to mediate from both sides but ended up feeling like the Emperor was less anxious than his eunuchs, which was very frustrating for her.
Of course, her enthusiasm was not without self-interest.
Firstly, it was a very pragmatic issue— if Wu Mengting and Chen Feng genuinely broke up and estranged themselves, they obviously wouldn’t be able to stay long in this villa worth over twenty million, which she wanted to live in for free. How could that be possible?
Secondly, there was the issue of working at the store. In Lin Wan’s view, Chen Feng had closed the shop and dismissed her because of Wu Mengting. Otherwise, even for Wu Mengting’s sake, he would have found it awkward to dismiss her and would have had to adhere to his previous promises about raises and bonuses.
Both aspects were vital to her personal interests.
Thus, Lin Wan’s urgency and active mediation were understandable.
Sadly, Lin Wan’s efforts on both fronts bore no fruit. While she tried to persuade Wu Mengting, who kept her silence, her attempts to contact Chen Feng via WeChat also vanished into thin air.
How exhausting! It even caused her to sleep poorly that night.
Upon waking the next morning, both she and Wu Mengting looked haggard.
Meanwhile, Sun Xiaorui and Chen Feng appeared radiant. When they arose, the couple was sitting in the living room, watching TV and laughing together.
"You’re up. There are steamed buns and char siu bao in the rice cooker, kept warm. Just heat up some milk for yourselves."
Sun Xiaorui, assuming the role of a hostess, warmly greeted them.
Lin Wan looked at Wu Mengting with a look of quiet resentment.
Wu Mengting, in turn, looked resentfully at Chen Feng, ignoring Sun Xiaorui’s words and simply asking Chen Feng, "Did you exercise this morning?"
Chen Feng, without purposely ignoring her, nodded and answered amiably and calmly, "I went for a run."
"I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep well last night. I only dozed off when it was nearly dawn, and I got up late. Tomorrow I promise to get up early, and then we can exercise together."
Wu Mengting apologized to Chen Feng in a feeble tone.
Chen Feng shook his head and said, "No need. I will exercise and work on losing weight conscientiously. It’s okay if you wake up later."
Lin Wan, as if complementing Wu Mengting’s words, yawned and said tiredly, "Tiantian didn’t sleep well, which kept me awake too. Brother Feng, you’re a grown man. Just show some generosity and stop quarreling with her."
Suddenly, Wu Mengting said to Chen Feng in their local dialect, "I didn’t really want to break up with you last night. I just wanted to test if your love for me was genuine. I know I was wrong in doing that; it definitely made you dislike me, and I’m truly sorry. Can we make up?"
Lin Wan and Sun Xiaorui listened but were completely confused. As outsiders to Lu City, they couldn’t understand the local dialect.
Chen Feng gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and replied in their local dialect, "I’ve thought it over seriously too. I still think we’re not suitable. One obvious reason is the age gap, and another is I simply can’t break up with Little Rui. So, don’t force yourself; it really isn’t necessary."
Hearing this, tears silently streamed down Wu Mengting’s face as she continued in their local dialect with a sobbing tone, "I behaved badly yesterday. I shouldn’t have mentioned breaking up. But you must know that I have truly fallen for you. How can I bear to share you with another woman? Love is selfish, after all. Can’t you, being a grown man, just be a bit accommodating?"
Chen Feng frowned, gave a wry smile, and gestured for Lin Wan and Sun Xiaorui to leave, saying, "You two, please step aside for a moment; I need to speak with Mengting privately."
Although Sun Xiaorui and Lin Wan could not understand what was being said, they could roughly guess the conversation’s content.
The two of them agreed with differing expressions and headed upstairs together.
Chen Feng then stood up, grabbed a tissue, and handed it to Wu Mengting, speaking gently, "As we both acknowledged last time, I appreciate your feelings for me, but we really don’t suit each other. It’s not just because my fate is uncertain right now, but also because there’s a significant age difference and a generational gap in our thinking.
Furthermore, I’m in my thirties, already divorced, and emotionally wounded. I really have neither the heart nor the energy and interest to engage in a passionate love affair. To me, love is worthless and often deceptive. Science has also proven that love is merely a chemical reaction in the brain that can’t last very long.
So, you might feel strongly about me now, but in a few years, you’ll realize how naive you were."
Holding the tissue, Wu่