Jing Chu played in the living room for a few hours and was tired. The aunt carried him upstairs to sleep, and Xing Zheng casually let out Jiaozi from the balcony.
Jiaozi had been on the balcony for an afternoon. After coming out, he was exceptionally excited. When Ji Tong saw Jiaozi, her eyes lit up instantly!
"What a cute Samoyed!" Ji Tong crouched down to pet Jiaozi's head.
Jiaozi was not shy and was very friendly to strangers, sticking out his tongue and grinning foolishly at Ji Tong, a sight that melted Ji Tong's heart.
Ji Tong possessed various overt traits of a young girl, one of which was her love for small pets. She adored cats and dogs equally.
Ji Tong played with Jiaozi the entire time. Jiaozi had been neglected recently, and it was rare for someone to accompany him like this. He was very excited and even more enthusiastic towards Ji Tong.
While Ji Tong was playing with Jiaozi, Feng Feng's attention was fixed on her.
At the last banquet, she hadn't spent much time with Ji Tong, and the occasion was special, so Ji Tong's demeanor hadn't been as relaxed as it was today.
It was evident that she was a very pure-hearted person, with a good personality and a lot of love. She had a childlike innocence about her, and her smile was very infectious.
Even with their existing connection, Feng Feng couldn't bring herself to dislike Ji Tong.
Objectively speaking, for a man like Shen Su, finding a woman like Ji Tong to date was ideal.
Ji Tong was more suitable for Shen Su than she was.
Ji Tong got sweaty playing with Jiaozi, so Shen Su went up with tissues to wipe her sweat. His movements were gentle, and a smile played on his lips. "Are you tired? You like Jiaozi so much."
Ji Tong replied, "Not tired, he's too cute."
"I really wanted a dog when I was a child, but my parents didn't have the time," Ji Tong began to ramble. "I love watching puppy videos online the most, they're so cute."
Shen Su's smile deepened, and he ruffled her hair. "Then let's get one too."
Ji Tong said, "Perhaps not. We're so busy with work, he'll be lonely."
Shen Su and Ji Tong's conversation was not kept private, so everyone could hear it.
Lin Mei and Lan Lan exchanged glances and then both looked at Feng Feng.
Feng Feng was looking down at her phone, and it was unclear if she was paying attention to their interaction.
Lin Mei and Lan Lan had heard about Shen Su dating a girlfriend before. Because the timing of Shen Su finding a girlfriend was rather peculiar, they had always suspected that Shen Su might have been acting out of spite, or perhaps he was trying to move on from Feng Feng by finding a girlfriend.
However, after witnessing the details of Shen Su and Ji Tong's interaction today, both of them began to doubt their previous assumptions.
Shen Su was genuinely good to Ji Tong, paying attention to every detail and willingly letting her integrate into his social circle. He openly showed affection in front of everyone and was quite generous towards Feng Feng, showing no signs of avoidance.
Perhaps they were overthinking things. They were all adults, and Shen Su was considered a master of romance; his ability to move on from a relationship would surely be faster than others imagined.
However, Lin Mei and Lan Lan both noticed that Feng Feng's spirits were not particularly high tonight. She was naturally a woman of few words, and during dinner, she had barely spoken a word and hadn't eaten much.
After dinner, Shen Su left with Ji Tong first because Ji Tong suddenly wanted to drink milk tea.
After the two of them left, Gu Song chuckled and said, "Shen Su is incredibly devoted when he's wooing a woman; Ji Tong is truly blessed."
After saying this, Gu Song specifically glanced towards Feng Feng.
In fact, he said these things partly to be heard by Feng Feng, implying that those she didn't cherish, many others would.
However, Gu Song was not surprised by Feng Feng's reaction. She was always so calm, like an emotionless robot.
Gu Song almost couldn't resist asking her if only matters concerning that old man Wen Zhouyuan could make her lose her composure.
But knowing the answer to such a question would only bring him more trouble. Anyway, Shen Su had let go and was now happily dating Ji Tong, so he decided not to pry.
Gu Song felt that Feng Feng didn't care, but in reality, he didn't understand Feng Feng well enough.
Lin Mei and Lan Lan had already noticed something was off with Feng Feng. They pulled Feng Feng to the terrace on the third floor and began to whisper.
Lan Lan, being direct as always, cut to the chase. "Did Shen Su bringing his new girlfriend over stimulate you?"
Feng Feng fell silent, her gaze fixed on the floor. After a long moment, she finally said, "It's indeed a bit uncomfortable."
The two in front of her were her close friends of many years, and there was nothing to hide from them. She didn't mind sharing her true inner thoughts with them.
Lin Mei quickly followed up, asking, "Uncomfortable in what way?"
This question also implied whether she had fallen for Shen Su.
Feng Feng understood the implied meaning and didn't shy away from the question. "It's probably similar to how I felt when I found out Wen Zhouyuan got married."
This answer carried significant weight.
After hearing this, Lin Mei's expression became somewhat complicated.
Lan Lan directly asked her, "Then what are your plans now?"
Feng Feng replied, "No ideas."
Lan Lan said, "Strike while the iron is hot. Looking at this situation, if you don't make a move, Shen Su might get married."
Feng Feng rubbed her forehead. "Ji Tong is quite nice."
Lan Lan asked, "So you plan to send your blessings?"
Feng Feng didn't answer.
Sending blessings wasn't something she was so generous about, but she couldn't bring herself to interfere at this moment. Regardless of Shen Su's reaction, she wouldn't be able to get past her own conscience.
Feng Feng was not born with a competitive nature, not because she was indifferent to fame and fortune, but because in matters of the heart, there was nothing to fight for. Even when she had pursued Wen Zhouyuan back then, she hadn't lowered herself to beg him to stay when he decided to leave.
Moreover, after he left, they truly stopped contacting each other.
Shen Su's situation was different from Wen Zhouyuan's. Shen Su was someone she herself had let go of. Now that he had a girlfriend, if she went back to him, she would look down on herself.
Lin Mei and Lan Lan understood Feng Feng's nature. However, if Shen Su were to marry Ji Tong, wouldn't that mean Feng Feng would have to go through what happened back then all over again?
Feng Feng met Lin Mei's worried gaze and smiled faintly. "Don't worry about me, I've got this under control."
Lin Mei said, "Then think about it again."
Feng Feng replied, "I will."
It was getting late. After chatting on the balcony for a while, Feng Feng and Lan Lan left together.
Before getting into the car, Lan Lan couldn't help but ask Feng Feng, "Are you really not going to give it a try?"
Feng Feng repeated, "Ji Tong is quite nice."
Lan Lan urged, "At least say something. It's his business what his reaction is, don't leave any regrets."
Feng Feng said, "I haven't made up my mind yet."
Lan Lan sighed, "Alright then, just think carefully about what I said."
Feng Feng responded with a hum, "Let's go back, drive carefully."
After returning home that night, and for the following few days, Feng Feng kept considering Lan Lan's words, but ultimately decided not to say anything.
She could see that Shen Su was making an effort to avoid any awkwardness.
If he hadn't found Ji Tong, she might have confessed her feelings to him.