Mr. Song, you have crossed the line.

Luo Qinghe frowned slightly when she saw the caller ID. "You two contact each other frequently?"

Rong Zheng nodded. "He often sends videos to see Tangtang. This is his right as a father. I can't interfere, and I have no right to stop him."

"That's true. You can answer it. I'll go get you a glass of water." Luo Qinghe got up and went into the kitchen.

Rong Zheng answered the video call, and Lu Peichuan appeared on the screen wearing dark gray silk pajamas. He must have just taken a shower, as he was drying his wet hair with a towel. "Is Tangtang asleep?"

"They probably haven't gone to sleep yet at this hour."

"Let me see her."

"I am not in Beijing."

Lu Peichuan paused in drying his hair, carefully examining the surroundings behind Rong Zheng before realizing it wasn't her place. "Where are you?"

"I'm going back to Jiangcheng to take care of some things."

A look of surprise appeared in Lu Peichuan's eyes. "When did you get back?"

"Arrived in the evening."

"How long will you stay?"

Rong Zheng frowned slightly. "This is my private matter. There's no need for me to explain it to you."

She had been conducting research for several days and didn't want to get too involved with Lu Peichuan.

Lu Peichuan was silent for two seconds. "...I didn't mean to pry into your private affairs. I just bought some things for Tangtang. I was planning to go to Beijing in the next few days, but now that you're back, when do you have time? Let's have a meal together and I'll give you the things."

Rong Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Let's skip the meal and just meet somewhere tomorrow."

Lu Peichuan frowned. "Zhengzheng, you promised me that we would be friends. When I went to Beijing, I ate and stayed at your place. Now that you've come to Jiangcheng, I should naturally do my best to be a good host. How can friends meet and not even have a meal together?"

I have something to do tomorrow.

"Even if something's wrong, you can't skip meals, right?"

"...Then let's do it tomorrow night."

"Okay, I'll send you the restaurant reservation once it's booked."

"Um."

Luo Qinghe only came over after Rong Zheng hung up the video call, handing her a glass of water. "Are you having dinner with Lu Peichuan tomorrow night?"

Rong Zheng took a sip of water. "Yes, he bought something for Tangtang. I'll go get it."

Luo Qinghe sat down next to Rong Zheng, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

Rong Zheng chuckled and teased, "What's wrong? Have you grown distant with me after not seeing me for a while? Why are you stammering in front of me?"

"I don't know how to tell you this." Luo Qinghe hugged a pillow to her chest and smoothed it out before speaking. "The incident of you saving Jiang Jia last time caused quite a stir online, and then people brought up your affair with Lu Peichuan again."

Rong Zheng nodded. She knew about it. At the time, she was only thinking about encouraging Jiang Jia to live, so she exposed her own private affairs and didn't expect it to involve Lu Peichuan. "Hmm, and then?"

"Lu Peichuan rushed to Beijing overnight to take care of you, which caused your affair to escalate and Lu Group's stock to fluctuate."

Then Su Qingya proposed to Lu Peichuan. If Lu Peichuan accepted Su Qingya's proposal at this time, the news of the powerful alliance between the Su Group and the Lu Group could quickly overshadow this incident.

But he refused, suppressing the news through his own means and gradually restoring Lu Group's stock to normal. However, it's said that Lu Group suffered significant losses.

Rong Zheng knew about what had happened before, but she was completely unaware of Su Qingya's marriage proposal. Rong Zheng couldn't understand it. "Is he sick? He cheated on his wife for Su Qingya, and now he's refusing her proposal?"

Luo Qinghe guessed, "I think he still likes you."

Rong Zheng's lips curled into a mocking smile. "So fond of it that you commit adultery during marriage?"

"Men are all like that; they only know how to cherish something after they've lost it. If—and I mean if—he wants to get back together with you, what are you going to do?"

"I don't go back to an old flame."

"But he is Tangtang's father after all. If he is truly remorseful, are you really not going to forgive him?"

"I won't forgive him." Rong Zheng said, revealing her true feelings. "At first, I hoped he would regret it and feel guilty, but now I just want to erase him from my life. If it weren't for Tangtang, I would never have anything to do with him again."

Luo Qinghe smiled with relief. "I'm relieved that you think that way. I really think you can't go back to the Lu family. Putting aside Lu Peichuan, his mean mother and aloof grandfather are no good either."

Rong Zheng nodded, "Let's not talk about them anymore; they've become part of my history."

"Yes, yes, come on, let's continue talking about you and Jiang Jia dancing."

Rong Zheng: "..."

Why are you so interested in her embarrassing moments?

It's been verified; they're best friends.

The next morning, Rong Zheng and Luo Qinghe went to a breakfast shop together and then parted ways.

Luo Qinghe went to work at the law firm, while Rong Zheng went to Peking Union Medical College Hospital for research.

At noon, Rong Zheng bought some toys and food and returned to the orphanage. She played with the children for a while and then accompanied Qin Zhenyun to the canteen for lunch.

After the meal, Qin Zhenyun took Rong Zheng back to his office, made her a cup of tea, and then took out the jade pendant from the drawer and handed it to her.

The jade pendant is pure white and smooth to the touch. It is a fine piece of Hetian jade. It is semi-circular, with a phoenix pattern carved with soft lines on the front and only a simple English letter S on the back.

Qin Zhenyun said, "This jade pendant is thick and of excellent quality, so it should be quite valuable. Your biological parents must be from a very wealthy family. The 'S' on the back might be your surname."

Rong Zheng gently stroked the "S" on the jade pendant. If "S" was a surname, could it be Su? Shen? Song? Sun? Shao? These were the only names she could think of for the moment.

"What are your plans? Will you continue searching for your relatives?" Qin Zhenyun asked.

Rong Zheng shook her head, "I'm not looking anymore, let fate decide."

Qin Zhenyun didn't say much. In this vast world, finding someone is indeed not easy.

The two inquired about each other's recent situations. Afterwards, Rong Zheng said she wanted to go to the nursing home to check on the renovation progress, and Qin Zhenyun said he also wanted to see where the new orphanage was and what it looked like.

The two arrived at the nursing home together. The entrance had been changed, and the words "Sunshine Orphanage" were now displayed in large gold lettering.

Construction is underway inside, making a lot of noise.

When Rong Zheng entered, the foreman learned that she was the homeowner and immediately took her on a tour.

Looking at the almost completely transformed environment, Qin Zhenyun's eyes were filled with anticipation for the future. This would be the children's home from now on, and no one would ever drive them away again.

The foreman said he knew they were in a hurry to move in, so they were working in two shifts to rush the work. It would take about another month to finish, and then there would be fire safety inspection and ventilation. They wouldn't be able to move in for another three months.

Rong Zheng asked Qin Zhenyun, "Aunt Qin, can you wait that long over there?"

"I can negotiate with the neighborhood committee about this; it shouldn't be a big problem."

Rong Zheng nodded. "If it doesn't work, tell me, and we'll figure something out together."

"Yes, you can. Don't worry."

The two looked around at all the places, discussing their future plans as they went. After they finished, Rong Zheng sent Qin Zhenyun back to the orphanage, and then went to work at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

At six o'clock in the evening, Rong Zheng arrived at the restaurant that Lu Peichuan had booked. It was an Italian-French restaurant with a quiet and elegant environment. When she entered, Lu Peichuan was already there.

He was dressed in a clean and crisp white shirt and black trousers. He had outstanding features and a gentle demeanor. When he got up to pull out a chair for Rong Zheng, many people around him cast envious glances at her.

Rong Zheng didn't like the feeling of being the center of attention. "I can do it myself."

Lu Peichuan's thin lips curved slightly. "Why are you being so polite with me?" He then returned to his seat. "This is a newly opened restaurant with a great reputation and the food is quite good."

When Rong Zheng saw Lu Peichuan about to pour wine, she quickly stopped him, saying, "I don't drink."

"Red wine, not very strong, tastes great. Just a taste, not much more," Lu Peichuan said as he poured the wine into a glass.

Just then, Rong Zheng's phone rang. She took it out and saw the words "Big Brother" displayed on the screen, and she was slightly taken aback.

Why is Song Shiyan calling her again?