Juliana nodded. "Mm, there are so many things I need to slowly integrate into the company now. Ugh, I thought handling these matters would be enough for me to learn, but I didn't expect relatives at home to start tripping me up." This was what gave Juliana the biggest headache, yet her father insisted it was completely normal.

Wang Qiqi understood immediately. While Juliana’s parents spearheaded the company, Juliana was still young. Would those who helped Juliana's parents build their empire be happy to see her joining now? If they weren't greedy, they would probably see her joining as natural—whose else should inherit her parents' company if not their daughter? However, it seemed Juliana’s uncles and elder uncles didn't think so. They believed that since Juliana was a girl who would marry out, her parents' assets should be left to the male descendants of the Zhu family, namely their own sons.

Especially Juliana’s eldest male cousin, who had been working at the company for several years and considered it his own territory. Now, seeing that Juliana, fresh out of high school, was being brought into the company by her uncle, how could he feel? Beyond jealousy, he harbored a faint sense of threat toward Juliana. Of course, he wouldn't act openly, but would he hold back on sabotage behind the scenes?

However, such maneuvers would hardly stump the current Juliana. But would her father be oblivious to these actions? What would he think? Even if he were willing to leave the assets to his nephew, seeing his nephew treating his own daughter this way while he was still alive—no father would be happy. While he was alive, he controlled the company, which he and his wife built together. Allowing his brother to assume the inheritance was meant for his nephew would displease Juliana’s mother as well.

"The one who laughs last, laughs sweetest, wouldn't you agree?" Wang Qiqi finally grasped a bit more of why Juliana’s father said not to worry about them. In her past life, Qiqi remembered the company ultimately being managed by Juliana. Back then, Juliana had helped expand the family business overseas while studying abroad. But upon returning to China and entering the head office, her path hadn't been entirely smooth. This time, Juliana was staying in China for university; Qiqi wondered if her path would differ from her past life. Based on the current information, those relatives attacked Juliana regardless of any accomplishments she achieved. But perhaps enduring the backstabbing from these supposed relatives would cause Juliana to mature even faster.

Juliana hummed in agreement, just about to say something, when Shi Man entered with washed grapes. "Oh, I didn't bring a basin for the largest piece of fruit. Oh right, Qiqi, did you bring a fruit knife and spoons?" Shi Man held up the plastic bag of grapes.

Wang Qiqi nodded and then shook her head. "I brought the fruit knife, but I forgot the spoons." Wang Qiqi thought to herself, Don't you think I’m Doraemon, remembering to bring everything?

Shi Man’s face fell when she heard this. "No spoons? Then we have to eat them one by one? How unsightly." What Shi Man really meant was that a lot of the watermelon juice would go to waste, which was a shame.

"You can choose not to eat," Wang Qiqi retorted, picking up a grape without restraint. "Lina, stop looking at your files and eat something." Ah, even though she was a rich second generation, inheriting her father's empire was no easy task. At least Wang Qiqi knew Juliana wasn't one of those spoiled rich kids; she had her own ideas.

Shi Man was already efficiently popping five or six grapes into her mouth. "Come on, you’re just a university student. So what if they make a move against you? You’re just a newcomer right now, a super newcomer." Shi Man had been slightly envious of Juliana. In the romance novels Shi Man read, she often saw rich daughters beautifully dressed, either chasing the male lead or going on shopping sprees. But now, seeing the rich kids right beside her, Shi Man suddenly felt that being the child of an official might be better; at least there wouldn't be so many responsibilities weighing on her.

Juliana sighed. "Yes, I am a super newcomer. My mom also said that if I don't have the ability to take on my dad’s burden, she’d rather sell the company." Juliana knew her mother’s relationship with her father’s relatives wasn't great; she always felt they were like vampires. Even after the company stabilized and they joined to help, in her mother’s heart, they only jumped in because they saw the company’s bright future. If things had been difficult back then, they would have been more than happy to kick them while they were down.

Even now, her mother vividly remembered those early days of starting the business. Although her father’s expression always soured when he heard about it, he never objected when her mother spoke. Instead, he told Juliana, "Some people may share your blood, but they aren't necessarily the ones you can trust the most. It might be them who betray you the fastest." In the past, Juliana didn't fully understand this, thinking her mother was being overly nagging, repeating things incessantly. Why the need to say it over and over? Now, Juliana understood: those were her parents giving her preventative inoculation.

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Shi Man's mother to have such backbone. Few people considered things so deeply, especially once a company grew large. People often assumed it should naturally go to the children, that giving them some experience would guarantee they built a career of their own, never considering if the children actually liked inheriting their parents' work. "Your mother has guts."

"Yes. Actually, my dad quitting his civil service job to go into business was largely pushed by my mom." While many people now praised her father for having foresight in moving into commerce early and seizing opportunities to grow his business, Juliana knew her mother poured much heart into it. If her mother hadn't pushed her father to start the business, her father might still be a civil servant like Shi Man’s father—perhaps just a minor section chief or clerk, still grinding his way up.

"If your mother had been on the front lines, your family’s company would be even bigger than it is now," Wang Qiqi admitted. She wasn't fully familiar with Juliana's family affairs; even reading later interviews with Juliana online wouldn't reveal this much detail. "But Auntie chose her family, right?" Although Juliana’s mother still conducted business inspections, hiding behind Mr. Zhu might have been partly due to family considerations. If she had taken the lead, the Zhu family might not be as peaceful as it was now.

Juliana nodded. "That's why my mom often worries I might turn into an iron lady." Juliana hadn't thought too deeply about her future path. "Originally, I thought it would be fine if the company was managed by my cousin; he is a Zhu family member too. But now it seems he has his own agenda." She worried he might eventually push her out of the company—that was quite common in the country.

Wang Qiqi quietly ate grapes, knowing that Juliana likely already had a decision made. "Be yourself. Whether you become an iron lady or not depends on you and the mindset of your future partner. If he is psychologically strong enough, he definitely won't feel intimidated by your strength; he'd be insecure."

Insecure? Juliana dismissed the idea with a disdainful snort. "If he’s that kind of man, he’s not suitable for me. I won't be with him. The love I crave is like my parents'—slowly walking the path together, weathering any storm side-by-side. Even if I take the lead charge, and he stands behind me, he must watch me wholeheartedly, and when I am tired, offer me a strong embrace."

Hearing Juliana, Shi Man's first thought was that such men were rare. She had seen men who relied on women to support them, wanting to be kept, but the problem was, Juliana wouldn't look twice at that kind of garbage. "Good men are hard to find. But Lina, you're capable. I just want to find a capable man, and I’ll be his harbor." Why should a woman strive to be a powerhouse when she could live a more comfortable life?

"It looks like we'll have an iron lady, Juliana; a pampered pet, Shi Man; and I'll be somewhere in the middle," Wang Qiqi said, pointing them out. "I never thought the three of us would end up so close. Thinking back to a year ago, our relationship wasn't this good."

"That’s because you got close to someone. Speaking of which, did he find out you got into C University?" Shi Man gave Wang Qiqi a look, humming. How dare she say our relationship wasn't good a year ago? If she hadn't been so close to that scumbag back then, would I have distanced myself from her? Wang Qiqi paused, then recounted what happened that morning. "I thought Wang Rui would have told Gao Kai last night." Wasn't she Gao Kai’s little spy? For such big news, Qiqi assumed she would report it immediately, rather than waiting for Qiqi to tell Gao Kai herself.

"Maybe she's mad. Gao Kai is taking his group of rich friends to Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore." Shi Man could tell from Wang Qiqi’s expression that she didn't know about this. "Wang Rui wasn't on the list, and apparently, Wang Rui didn't even know Gao Kai was planning a trip to those places."

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Gao Kai to go to Southeast Asia. In her past life, Gao Kai had gone horseback riding on the grasslands. But thinking about it, Gao Kai's performance this time was better than in her past life; he got into Shen Da. The Gao family's rewards for him would certainly be greater. "Too bad we can't go to Southeast Asia." However, there was relief in Wang Qiqi's eyes. Shi Man and Juliana’s families had both suggested the three of them go to Southeast Asia, with their families covering the costs, but Wang Qiqi had ultimately declined. While a trip to those countries seemed like great bragging material now, traveling there was expensive and offered little free time. Visiting all three countries in just a few days was truly just a whirlwind tour. She preferred taking a leisurely, independent trip later, which would be much more enjoyable. Wang Qiqi’s idea of travel was relaxing and soaking up the local flavor, not a forced march to snap a picture at a famous landmark just to prove she’d been there—only to know nothing interesting about the place or its stories afterward.

"Yeah, we should have insisted on going with Gao Kai," Shi Man teased.

"No problem, as long as you can stomach looking at that face," Wang Qiqi retorted, unwilling to back down. She knew her dislike for Gao Kai stemmed from knowing his true nature, whereas Shi Man had no reason to hate him.