Feng Kexin had left, but her fingers remained pressed against Shen Qi's hand.
Three seconds of silence passed.
Shen Qi couldn't help but speak up: "Was it worth falling out with her for me? I'm just..."
"No one in this life has ever dared to threaten me. She's even less qualified." He Yining withdrew his fingers calmly, the lingering warmth on his fingertips stirring an unexpected reluctance to let go.
"But the He family and the Feng family are business partners after all." Shen Qi still felt uneasy.
"So what? You don't think the He family relies on the Feng family, do you?" He Yining suddenly laughed, reaching out to ruffle Shen Qi's hair. "What a silly girl."
No wonder Brother Mo loved ruffling her hair so much—it felt this good!
He Yining instantly felt he might grow fond of this sensation.
Shen Qi still looked bewildered: "Huh?"
"Do you think the He family is inferior to the Feng family?" He Yining raised an eyebrow, a smile hidden in his phoenix eyes. "So I have to appease Feng Kexin?"
Though Shen Qi said nothing, her expression clearly conveyed that thought.
After all, Feng Kexin's family was the top family in H Province!
Otherwise, how could Feng Kexin be the top socialite of H Province?
The four chief assistants standing nearby all wore faint smiles.
It seemed the CEO was too low-key, leaving outsiders unaware of the He family's true depth.
He Yining didn't elaborate further. He said to Shen Qi, "Alright, don't worry. In this country, no one dares to challenge me. Even ten Feng families combined wouldn't be enough. Let's eat."
Shen Qi was about to bring her fork to her mouth when she suddenly paused, looking up at He Yining: "Are you comforting me?"
He Yining let out a soft laugh, his gaze gentle: "Something like that."
Seeing this shift in He Yining's demeanor, Shen Qi felt a twinge of unease.
Had she done something today?
To actually get the usually unreasonable He Yining to comfort her on his own?
Had her own demeanor changed?
Not daring to linger outside too long, Shen Qi quickly finished her dinner and prepared to leave.
Before she could speak, He Yining said, "Let Xiaochun take you back."
Though said calmly, it brooked no argument.
Shen Qi bit her lip, not daring to object.
Xiaochun stepped forward, offering Shen Qi a slight smile: "Miss Shen, please."
"Thank you." Shen Qi said sincerely to Xiaochun.
After Shen Qi left, He Yining's warmth vanished instantly. He turned to ask Xiaoxia: "After Feng Kexin left, who did she meet?"
Xiaoxia immediately stepped forward and said in a low voice: "You're amazing, CEO! After Miss Feng left, she called Young Master Wen for a meeting."
"Yibo? Hah, as expected." He Yining snorted coldly. "Tell Fan Sheng and Fan Li that I'll be there shortly."
"Yes, CEO." Xiaoxia promptly acknowledged the order.
Elsewhere, Feng Kexin fumed to Wen Yibo: "What's so good about that woman? She made Yining slap my face in public! I'm the top socialite of H Province! What is she?"
Wen Yibo sighed: "You called me out just to tell me this?"
Feng Kexin's expression stiffened, then she said, "Yibo, you weren't this cold to me before."
"But you've already chosen Yining." Wen Yibo replied calmly.
"So what? The bond we've shared since childhood remains unchanged. You're still important to me." Feng Kexin lowered her voice. "Yibo, didn't you say that no matter what, whenever I need you, you'd help me?"
"So what do you want me to do now?" Wen Yibo looked down at Feng Kexin, a bitter smile hidden in his flirtatious eyes.
"Yining will be deceived by that woman. Yibo, you're so good with women—why don't you help me... take Shen Qi away from Yining?" Feng Kexin grabbed Wen Yibo's wrist. "Yibo, help me just this once."
"You want me to pursue Shen Qi?" Wen Yibo raised an eyebrow at Feng Kexin.
"You've chased plenty of girls anyway. One more or less doesn't matter. I've seen plenty of women like her—they just covet the He family's wealth and Yining's looks. Your conditions aren't worse than Yining's, and you're eloquent. If you make a move, Shen Qi definitely won't escape your grasp." Feng Kexin looked at Wen Yibo expectantly. "Yibo, you've known me for years. You know I really love Yining. I won't marry anyone but him."
Wen Yibo stared fixedly into Feng Kexin's eyes: "And what about me? Can I just be sacrificed? Since Yining is willing to protect her, it means she's on his radar, marked as his. If I make a move to take her, how can Yining and I still get along? I've helped you before! When you hit her at Fan Sheng and Fan Li's place, I stopped people for you. Otherwise, do you think that slap would have landed?"
Feng Kexin stomped her foot in frustration: "So your promise to take care of me for life was a lie?"
Wen Yibo shook his head helplessly: "Kexin, feelings can't be forced. Back then, you gave up on me and chose Yining, and I didn't complain. Why can't you see clearly when it's your own situation?"
"You're you, I'm me. Don't lump us together." Feng Kexin shot Wen Yibo a cold glance. "Fine, even without you, I can find someone else to help! There are plenty of young masters in H Province. Any one of them is enough to give a little stylist a hard time! Alright, I'm done here. I'm leaving."
With that, Feng Kexin didn't spare Wen Yibo another look and walked away.
Watching her retreating figure, Wen Yibo sighed, shook his head in resignation, and left as well.
When Shen Qi got home, the nanny told her that Shen Lu had already gone to sleep.
Shen Qi then said to the nanny, "Uncle Wei, I'm really sorry for troubling you these past few days. Always making you work overtime—I feel terrible. I heard you've been renting a place outside. I have a suggestion I'd like to discuss with you. I'll add a thousand yuan more. Would you be willing to be my brother's full-time nanny?"
Wei Wei rubbed his hands together, looking a bit embarrassed: "Sure, more money is always welcome. Miss Shen, rest assured, I'll treat Shen Lu like my own son. You focus on your work—I'll handle things at home. Nothing will go wrong."
Hearing this, Shen Qi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you so much." Shen Qi said. "I'll clean out a room tomorrow. Once it's ready, you can move in directly."
After renegotiating the monthly salary and seeing Wei Wei off, Shen Qi finally fully relaxed.