Wife Takes the Reins: The Calm CEO

Chapter 48: The Stranger in the Elevator

“Aren’t you leaving yet?” Feng Lingzheng felt inexplicably irritated when she saw Li Xiaowan sitting motionless on the hospital bed like a tree stump. “I’ve wanted to leave for ages—it’s you who’s been dragging your feet.” Li Xiaowan was also seething with pent-up anger and had been looking for an outlet! Although she was gentle and kind by nature, she was a person with a strong sense of self. It wasn’t until much later that she realized that, in the eyes of others, her so-called “strong sense of self” was still as insignificant as an ant—something to be trampled upon—which ultimately led her into a situation from which there was no escape. “Don’t look at what you shouldn’t look at, and don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask. For now, just mind your own business. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” This was the first time Feng Lingzheng had truly warned Li Xiaowan. “Haha, unless I’ve lost my mind, I’d never be so bored as to meddle in other people’s business. I’m telling you, Chairman Feng, you can put your mind at ease!” Li Xiaowan was practically ready to swear to the heavens. “You’d better remember exactly what you just said, or I’ll make sure you die without a proper burial!” Feng Lingzheng’s tone carried a hint of menace; this was a critical matter, and he had to be on guard. “There’s absolutely no need to threaten someone who has absolutely no interest in your petty affairs. Besides, I’m not the type to be intimidated.” She couldn’t stand his arrogant attitude. Feng Lingzheng said nothing more, but his eyes flashed with malice as he glared fiercely at Li Xiaowan. Li Xiaowan shuddered involuntarily at the fierce glare Feng Lingzheng shot her way. But then she thought to herself, Why should I be afraid of him? I haven’t done anything wrong, and she quickly regained her composure. You have to admit, a big hospital is a big hospital—the treatment was fast. After finishing her IV, she felt much more energetic; to be precise, she was as good as new. Li Xiaowan nimbly got out of bed, put on her shoes, and was just about to leave when she sadly realized she was still wearing her hospital gown! Recalling last night’s terrifying ordeal, she decided against changing. “Let’s go!” “I have no interest in a patient on the verge of death.” Feng Lingzheng ignored Li Xiaowan and walked straight out of the ward. Who did she think she was? Good call—but just to be safe, you’d better lock the door from the inside first. Only after making sure the door was securely locked did Li Xiaowan feel confident enough to take off her hospital gown, then open the door and walk out. Feng Lingzheng, meanwhile, stood at the far end of the hospital corridor. Should she go over there? Or should she take this chance to escape? Li Xiaowan stood at the ward door, hesitating for quite a while. In the end, she decided to go over. For one thing, she had no money on her; for another, even if she managed to escape by some stroke of luck, where would she go next? Besides, given The Feng Family’s influence, she’d likely be discovered before she even stepped out of the hospital gates. If they caught her and dragged her back, who knows how much suffering she’d endure? That would simply not be worth the trouble. “I’m fine.” Li Xiaowan slowly walked over to Feng Lingzheng’s side. Feng Lingzheng didn’t say a word and walked off toward the elevator on her own. Li Xiaowan had no choice but to follow her all the way until they entered the elevator. Besides Feng Lingzheng and Li Xiaowan, there was another person standing in the elevator wearing a baseball cap. However, the brim was pulled down so low that his face was completely obscured; she could only tell from his clothing that he was a man. Standing behind Feng Lingzheng, the person swiftly slipped a crumpled piece of paper into Feng Lingzheng’s right hand while Li Xiaowan wasn’t looking. The elevator then stopped on the third floor, and the person stepped out with a calm expression. It seemed Lan’s efficiency had improved once again, and a smile involuntarily spread across Feng Lingzheng’s face. As the saying goes, “The tree wants to be still, but the wind won’t stop.” Since someone wanted to stir up trouble, she might as well play along. Feng Lingzheng and Li Xiaowan rode back in silence. As soon as they returned to the villa, Housekeeper Mo hurried out and stammered, “Young Master Lingzheng, I tried calling you earlier, but the line kept going straight to voicemail. The eldest young lady has arrived with Miss Yi Ting and says she’d like to see Miss Xiaowan.” “Mm-hmm. Handle it as you see fit. I have to step out for a bit. Also, please tell Yi Ting for me that I’ll apologize to her in person another day.” Feng Lingzheng knew Xia Yiting’s temperament well; if she didn’t see him shortly, she would surely throw a tantrum. “Master Feng Lingzheng, I understand. Please be careful.” Only after Feng Lingzheng had left did Housekeeper Mo turn to Li Xiaowan and say, “Miss Xiaowan, please follow me!” “Sister Fen, who is Yi Ting you were just talking about?” Why did she want to see her? Li Xiaowan couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. “Miss Xiaowan, are you asking about Miss Yi Ting? She’s the heiress of the Xia Group and the eldest young lady’s best friend.” ”There was one thing Housekeeper Mo didn’t mention: Xia Yiting and Feng Lingzheng had grown up together since childhood. Moreover, the First Lady, in particular, was most fond of Xia Yiting and was determined to have her as her daughter-in-law. However, she might have temporarily yielded to the Matriarch’s wishes out of concern for the Matriarch’s health; otherwise, given Li Xiaowan’s status and standing, how could she possibly agree to let her into the Feng Family? “I see. Is there any way I can avoid meeting her?” It didn’t seem like there was a valid reason to meet her! “I’m afraid not,” said Housekeeper Mo, looking troubled. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to meet her then!” It’s not like meeting her would hurt, Li Xiaowan told herself. No sooner had she stepped through the villa’s front gate than, “Sister Xiaowan, you’re finally back! We’ve been waiting for you for ages. Sister Fen told us you weren’t feeling well and that my second brother took you to the hospital. How are you feeling now? Are you feeling better?” ” Feng Yan walked over, eagerly grabbing Li Xiaowan’s arms and examining her from head to toe. Standing behind her was a girl with delicate features, wearing a black minidress, a pink wool coat draped over her shoulders, and white knee-high boots—she must be Yi Ting, the one Housekeeper Mo had mentioned! “Feng Yan, thanks for your concern. I’m fine now!” Li Xiaowan looked away. “That’s a relief—we were so worried about you. By the way, Sister Li Xiaowan, this is my best friend and confidante, Xia Yiting. She came all the way here today just to see you.” Feng Yan pulled Xia Yiting, who was standing behind her, forward and introduced her to Li Xiaowan. “Miss Xia, hello. I’m Li Xiaowan,” Li Xiaowan said, introducing herself politely. She hadn’t failed to notice the hostility hidden in Xia Yiting’s eyes. “Xiaowan, it’s truly better to meet you in person than to hear about you—you’re so much prettier than Feng Yan ever described.” Xia Yiting extended both hands and warmly grasped Li Xiaowan’s left hand. “Miss Xia, you flatter me,” Li Xiaowan replied, unsure of what to say. They were worlds apart and had absolutely nothing in common. She just wanted to end the meeting as soon as possible—rather than making small talk awkwardly, she’d much rather go back to her room and play on her phone. But Feng Yan and Xia Yiting had no intention of giving her that chance; clearly, they hadn’t yet achieved their goal. “Sister Xiaowan, don’t just stand there—let’s go talk on the couch.” Xia Yiting took Li Xiaowan’s hand and led her toward the sofa. “Miss Xia, I think I’d better not disturb you and Feng Yan. You two take your time chatting—I’ll head upstairs first!” Excessive enthusiasm never bodes well; better to find an excuse to leave! “Sister Xiaowan, I’ve been waiting and waiting—literally counting the stars and the moon—just for this chance to see you. Are you looking down on me because of the way I’m dressed? Don’t you want to talk to me?” Xia Yiting’s spoiled-rich-girl temperament began to show. “How could that be? As long as Miss Xia doesn’t look down on me, I’m already completely satisfied. I wouldn’t dare look down on Miss Xia.” Li Xiaowan could clearly sense Xia Yiting’s aggressive tone. “Is that so? Every time Feng Yan mentions you, she’s full of praise—saying how gentle and virtuous you are, Sister Xiaowan, how understanding, and how beautiful and graceful. To be perfectly honest—and please don’t get upset—before I met you, I wouldn’t have believed a word of it even if my life depended on it. But now that I’ve met you, I realize Feng Yan’s description was spot on—and even better than she made it out to be. I’ve heard your cooking is top-notch, too. “Actually, I have another favor to ask today—I’d love to try some home-cooked dishes made by Sister Xiaowan herself. Could you grant me this small request?” Xia Yiting blinked her big, lively eyes and looked at Li Xiaowan with a pitiful expression. Li Xiaowan thought to herself: Since I’ve been at The Feng Family, when have I ever cooked? Isn’t Feng Yan just blatantly lying? But since she’s gone this far, it wouldn’t be right to refuse. What if this ends up upsetting Feng Lingzheng? Wouldn’t that just be asking for trouble? As for Feng Yan, I’d better not call her out on it just yet—it might not even do any good anyway. “My cooking isn’t very good, but if Miss Xia doesn’t mind, please wait a moment.” Li Xiaowan desperately hoped that Xia Yiting was just speaking off the cuff. To her surprise, “Sister Xiaowan, you’re so kind! I don’t mind at all—I’m not a picky eater. Feng Yan and I will help you in the kitchen. Feng Yan, you aren’t thinking of slacking off, are you?” Xia Yiting beamed with childlike joy. “Yi Ting, you’re underestimating me! Just wait and see,” Feng Yan said confidently. The three of them entered the kitchen together. This was Li Xiaowan’s first time in the villa’s kitchen, and it was so spacious she could hardly believe it. It was an open-concept kitchen, but what puzzled Li Xiaowan was this: if it was open-concept, why did they always eat in the living room outside? Wasn’t that a waste of space? “Sister Xiaowan, is there anything we can help with?” Xia Yiting asked. “Miss Xia, Feng Yan, you two should go wait outside for a bit—don’t get your clothes dirty.” Xia Yiting and Feng Yan clearly looked like the kind of young ladies who had everything done for them; they certainly wouldn’t know how to do any of this, and having them standing around would just make things awkward. “Sister Xiaowan, it’s okay. We’d like to learn how to be housewives too.” Xia Yiting and Feng Yan exchanged a glance. Heh! Is this it? “All right, then I’ll have to trouble you two beauties to wash the vegetables for me.” Li Xiaowan took a tomato, two eggs, a few small green peppers, and a small piece of fresh meat out of the fridge. They didn’t look like they really wanted to eat the food they were preparing, but for the moment, she couldn’t figure out their intentions. By the time Li Xiaowan had finished cutting the meat, Xia Yiting and Feng Yan had already washed the vegetables. For people who normally wouldn’t even touch a dish, just washing some vegetables was quite an accomplishment. “Miss Xia, Feng Yan, please step back a bit. I’m about to put the meat in the pan—I don’t want the hot oil to splash and burn you,” Li Xiaowan said, deciding to give them a heads-up before she started cooking. “If we stand too far away, we won’t be able to see clearly, Sister Xiaowan. Could it be that you’re afraid we’ll steal your secret recipe?” Xia Yiting completely ignored Li Xiaowan’s warning. Feng Yan, standing nearby, seemed even more unusual—compared to her usual self, she appeared much quieter today. Seeing that neither of them was willing to step back, Li Xiaowan had no choice but to carefully lower the sliced meat into the pot. Since the fresh meat contained moisture, it sizzled and splattered the moment it hit the oil. “Sister Xiaowan, be careful not to burn yourself!” Xia Yiting kindly warned Li Xiaowan. “It’s okay, I’m used to it.” It was true—she’d long since gotten used to it; she still had scars on her hands from being scalded by hot oil. One dish of green peppers stir-fried with pork and one bowl of tomato and egg soup—the two dishes were ready in no time. “Wow, it smells so good! Sister Xiaowan, let me carry the soup out for you!” Xia Yiting reached out with both hands toward the tomato and egg soup Li Xiaowan had just finished cooking. The moment she lifted it, she exclaimed, “Whoa, it’s so hot!” No sooner had she spoken than there was a “plink”—the soup bowl hit the floor, landing right at Li Xiaowan’s feet. Since she’d changed into cotton slippers after coming in, the scalding tomato and egg soup instantly seeped through the slippers onto the top of her foot. The burn made her immediately pull her foot out of the slipper, but it was already too late. her instep was already red and swollen from the burn. In her panic, she didn’t notice that she’d stepped on the broken bowl shards, and because she stepped down too hard, several shards pierced right into the sole of her foot. The pain made sweat break out on her forehead, and blood kept oozing from the sole of her foot.