After an entire night on the train, followed immediately by helping to tidy the new house and affixing wedding invitations, Wang Qiqi, having completed all these tasks, returned to Wang Damei’s home and collapsed directly into sleep, naturally in Song Yao’s ** bed.

When Wang Qiqi finally woke up, she had no idea what time it was. However, seeing the pitch black outside and hearing the lively chatter emanating from the living room—especially the smug voice of Li Cui—Wang Qiqi stifled the impulse to get up. Facing Li Cui’s gloating expression would be worse than staying in the room to sleep.

Just as Wang Qiqi rolled over, intending to face the wall and continue sleeping, she heard the door open, followed by Wang Rui’s voice, “Yaoyao, is your wedding dress rented? You should have Gong Peixing buy you one. A woman only marries once; there’s no need to be so frugal.”

“Yaoyao, what jewelry are you planning to wear tomorrow?”

“Yaoyao, how many outfits will you change into tomorrow?”

Wang Qiqi hadn't heard Song Yao speak, but she could imagine Song Yao’s face was flushed crimson by now. Still, Wang Rui was being far too materialistic. She used to address people as older sister or brother-in-law, but now she used first names directly. Wang Rui used to call Wang Qiqi ‘Older Sister Wang Qiqi’ or just ‘Sister’ depending on whether she needed a favor, but now she spoke to Song Yao so casually. It seemed that a little wealth had entirely altered her bearing, even the tone of her voice.

Wang Qiqi rolled over, propping herself up on one elbow. “We can’t compare to you, of course. You’ll be the Young Mistress of the Gao family. You’ll have a custom wedding dress made in France, take a full honeymoon across Europe, and the wedding will be held on an island, right?” Hmph, if you want to brag about being rich, I might as well lay it all out for you. “And there will be a large live band playing at the ceremony, won't there?”

Song Yao caught the drift of Wang Qiqi’s words. “Exactly, exactly. Wang Rui, you shouldn't compare yourself to poor folks like us. You should be thinking about how to invite us to a grand, romantic beach wedding where you and Gao Kai are the stars.”

Wang Qiqi picked up on Song Yao’s meaning. “Right, right. It had better be in Hainan. Remember to charter planes and book an entire five-star hotel for three or five days. We can feast and party wildly inside before flying back.”

“I’ve never been to Hainan Island. It would be nice to spend the winter there to escape the cold. Why don’t you hold your wedding there in the winter, Wang Rui?” Song Yao noticed Wang Rui’s face had taken on a distinctly unpleasant shade. She inwardly chuckled. Humph, Wang Rui, don’t get too smug yet. I wonder how your wedding will turn out. Putting aside whether you officially join the Gao family, even if you marry in, I guarantee the entire ceremony won’t go according to your wishes. “But Wang Rui, this isn't me trying to pour cold water on you, but you have a lot of work ahead if you want the wedding you desire.”

Song Yao mused internally: with your fawning attitude toward Gao Kai’s mother, do you really think they’ll respect you? And the way you climbed up to this position—outsiders might not know, but do the parents not know?

Wang Rui had intended to show off in front of Wang Qiqi and Song Yao. Unexpectedly, before she could boast much, or rather, before she could see the jealousy she expected from Wang Qiqi, she ended up being collectively mocked by the two of them. She couldn't tolerate this. If this were the old Wang Rui, she might have just offered a silly smile, but the current Wang Rui was no longer the tacky nobody she once was. She turned elegantly and left the room, not wanting to converse with Wang Qiqi and the others, though she comforted herself by thinking they were just jealous of her.

Song Yao watched Wang Rui leave so abruptly and let out a small laugh. “You’re truly formidable.” If it had been her, she might not have managed to anger Wang Rui away so easily.

Wang Qiqi motioned for Song Yao to sit down. “Why let her bother you? Getting angry will only be bad for the baby. Besides, whether their life is good or bad has nothing to do with us.”

Song Yao knew she shouldn't be angry, but she couldn't help it. “Just seeing her smug expression infuriates me. But it’s fine; I’ll see what kind of spectacle her wedding turns out to be.” Song Yao felt no regret about offending the future Young Mistress of the Gao family. “Get up now. If you don’t get up soon, the daughter-in-law of a wealthy family will have cause for complaint.”

As Wang Qiqi finished dressing and was about to reach the doorway, she heard Li Cui’s high-pitched voice, “Qiqi is back! Why hasn’t she come out yet? Honestly, we’ve been here for ages.” Li Cui had deliberately worn new clothes today, just to show Wang Qiqi that even without securing their family's wealth, her own family was living quite comfortably.

How dare she talk about herself! Wang Qiqi called out loudly, “Apologies for making the Second Aunt of the Gao family’s in-laws wait so long.” After greeting her aunt and the others, Wang Qiqi turned toward Wang Dagui’s family.

Taking them in, Wang Qiqi let out a few appreciative whistles. Damn, the whole family has cleaned up nicely, looking quite presentable. “Uncle, did you win the lottery, or is this a gift from your future son-in-law?” The clothes were decent, even somewhat stylish, but the issue was how Li Cui wore them—it was passable—yet Wang Dagui’s suit was truly ill-fitting, making him look like a child draped in adult clothes.

Wang Dagui admired his outfit with smugness. “Xiao Kai bought it. I told him not to, but he insisted. Over a thousand yuan!” This was the first time Wang Dagui had worn such expensive attire. He had intended to save it for tomorrow, but his wife and daughter insisted he wear it today to show Qiqi how well their lives were going now. But as he stood there in the suit, Wang Dagui felt rather cold.

Wang Qiqi noticed Wang Dagui shivering. Even though the house was somewhat warm, without the heating on, he was only wearing a thin sweater—hardly enough insulation. It was truly a case of valuing style over warmth. As for Li Cui and Wang Rui, they seemed to be wearing wool skirts—quite nice—but they were too tight. Moreover, deliberately to show off to Wang Qiqi, they had taken off their down coats. Well, if someone wants to flaunt their style, let them.

“Little Rui, you’ve filled out quite a bit in six months,” Wang Qiqi murmured inwardly. It really is different after being nourished by a man, like a flower blooming ahead of schedule. She had also lost weight. Could a certain type of activity really cause weight loss? But Wang Qiqi remembered Wang Rui was in her second year of high school; she couldn't possibly be running to Shencheng that often. Wang Qiqi didn't believe Gao Kai would frequently travel home; only this silly girl would deliver herself to his doorstep.

Wang Rui looked largely unchanged from six months ago—oh, wait, her expression was much more resolute than before. Even encased in a worn cotton-padded coat, she commanded attention just standing there.

Wang Rui looked at Wang Qiqi, recalling her efforts over the past few months. Although she had secured her position as Gao Kai’s girlfriend, she dared not relax for a moment. Every Saturday she would rush to Shencheng, and every Sunday, after finishing dinner, she would rush back home. As for her studies, Wang Rui had given up entirely. On weekends, many classmates were attending tutoring or discussing homework, while Wang Rui was busy keeping Gao Kai happy and pleasing him. Still, Wang Rui felt her sacrifices were worth it.

Wang Rui straightened her back. “I don’t know how it happened, but I lost weight. But Kai said it’s better if I’m a little chubbier…” Wang Rui said this rather suggestively.

Wang Qiqi and Song Yao could only shake their heads at Wang Rui’s semi-explicit comment. Well, someone thinks that’s a good thing. “That’s good then. Whether fat or thin, as long as the man likes it, that’s what matters.”

Wang Damei, listening from the side, was annoyed by the bragging about having such an accomplished son-in-law. However, she wouldn't spoil the mood now by saying anything to upset them, although a subtle reminder was warranted. “No matter what happens in the future, studying is still important. If a girl gets into a good university, it’s a calling card when marrying into a new family.”

Li Cui now saw things differently. “The in-laws said they don’t require their daughter-in-law to be particularly capable or come from a distinguished background. They only require her to be gentle and capable of managing a household well. As long as she can take good care of Xiao Kai and his elderly parents, handle all the housework, and bear them a couple of grandsons, they will be satisfied.” In Li Cui’s view, this was the Gao family’s promise, making her daughter’s academic performance irrelevant. “I plan to teach Xiao Rui how to cook and manage a home during the winter break.”

Song Yao and Wang Qiqi exchanged glances, choosing to ignore this, and began helping set the table, hoping to eat quickly and send the plague away.

Song Ziwen was completely unrestrained; he sprayed the tea right out of his mouth. “It sounds like the duties of a nanny to me. The only difference is that she gets to have children with the master of the house. But Xiao Rui, you’d better be very fortunate and give birth to a grandson. Wealthy families are extremely fond of grandsons; granddaughters are considered money-losing goods to them.”

Song Yao, fearing no chaos, chimed in, “Exactly, exactly, Auntie. I think you should look up some secret recipes for having boys and aim for immediate success.”

“That’s not right.” Wang Qiqi thought differently. “How can one man guarantee it? The Gao family has so much money; having two grandsons wouldn't be an issue. I recall there was some pill in Hong Kong—I heard that taking too much of it could result in having several children in one go.” This medicine became very famous in later years; Wang Qiqi just wasn't sure if it existed yet.

Li Cui had initially wanted to argue that these children didn't respect her as an elder, but she stopped when she heard the latter part, especially Wang Qiqi’s suggestion. That was what concerned her most. She knew how fickle Gao Kai could be, and relying on the man was unreliable. The only way was for Xiao Rui to follow the route of pleasing her in-laws—for instance, by being extra docile, and more importantly, by having several children, preferably all boys. That way, even if the Gao family looked down on Xiao Rui, they would have to accept her for the sake of the grandsons. Once Xiao Rui was established as the Young Mistress of the Gao family, Gao Kai could cause whatever trouble he wanted; as long as her daughter held her position, their future days wouldn't be a worry. Furthermore, with grandsons surrounding the elderly Gao couple, would the family fortune really go to the children born to those outside women?

Thinking of this, Li Cui looked at Wang Qiqi with an expression full of anticipation. “Qiqi, do you know what that medicine is called?”