Not long after Wang Qiqi arrived at the private room, Song Yao and Gong Peixing walked in. "Qiqi, you really didn't invite Second Uncle?"

Wang Qiqi nodded, tossing the menu to Song Yao. "Order what you want to eat. We can take the leftovers when we go back later. By the way, didn't your in-laws invite you back for New Year's Eve dinner?" Wang Qiqi suddenly recalled that this was Song Yao's first New Year since marrying into the Gong family; the Gongs couldn't possibly have made no gesture.

"Yesterday," Song Yao replied, with Gong Peixing's help in shedding her heavy outerwear. "My brother-in-law is eating at his girlfriend's house tonight, so we had our New Year's Eve dinner yesterday."

Such rapid progress? "That's fast," Wang Qiqi exclaimed in surprise.

"They've known each other since middle school, how could it not be fast?" Song Yao sounded distinctly displeased. "I only just found out they had already promised the girl's family they would buy a ninety-square-meter apartment."

How could Song Yao not be angry? When she got married, her in-laws insisted they had no money; without help from her own family, her wedding would have been a complete joke. "I already regret promising to give five thousand."

Gong Peixing was equally annoyed. "I told Mom and Dad that the five thousand will wait until their wedding, just to avoid giving it away now." Gong Peixing knew his parents were eager for the money to cover the wedding expenses, but he deliberately stalled. He had given his parents years of his salary, yet they didn't appreciate him. Now, with his younger brother buying a house, who knew how much of that was his own hard-earned money. "Don't be angry, it’s not good for your health."

Song Yao was just venting. "My mother will be here shortly; don't mention this to her, or my mother will get upset again." Song Yao hadn't even mentioned it to Song Ziwen this time, fearing the gossip magnet would blab about it.

Wang Qiqi made a zipping motion across her lips, signaling she understood the importance of discretion. "It's natural for older siblings to give a wedding gift to a younger brother; don't be upset." Wang Qiqi could only offer Song Yao this small comfort.

Before long, Wang Damei and her husband arrived, and the New Year's Eve dinner commenced. They didn't bring up Wang Dagui again. In recent days, Wang Dagui had called Wang Damei repeatedly, asking her to intervene and speak with Wang Qiqi, attempting reconciliation. Alas, Wang Damei had turned him down every time. "The evening dinner is canceled."

Wang Qiqi froze. Canceled? "Ah, they didn't cancel it because they knew I wasn't coming, did they?" That would certainly simplify things.

Wang Damei's expression was far from pleasant. "Apparently, business was good today, and the Gao family gave the private room to someone else." What was the meaning of this? In Wang Damei's eyes, Wang Qiqi's absence was her own business, but Wang Dagui had confidently promised to treat everyone, and now, on the eve of the New Year, he canceled the dinner. Anyone would be upset.

This huge mix-up left Wang Qiqi and Song Yao exchanging stunned glances. "No way," they both exclaimed simultaneously.

Song Ziwen let out a cold scoff. "Didn't they say the Gao family was quite pleased with Wang Rui, their future daughter-in-law? How could they pull off something so embarrassing?" Even if business was booming, they shouldn't give away the future in-laws' private room for the sake of profit.

Wang Qiqi understood the Gao family’s pragmatic nature. "Consider it a warning to Wang Rui," Wang Qiqi mused; it was the only possible explanation. "By the way, did you invite Li Cuiniang's family?"

"I think we did," Wang Damei said hesitantly. "You know how they love to show off. They wouldn't miss such a good opportunity. But now look at the mess." Li Cuiniang's family wasn't known for being easy to deal with either.

Well, there was a show brewing. "Will the Li family just let this go so easily?" Song Yao was perplexed. "Then what about our New Year's Eve dinner?"

Wang Damei snapped back, "I just went to the market to buy groceries, otherwise what would we eat tonight?" Although they had some supplies at home, due to Song Wenbo’s job, they rarely ate at home during major holidays when entertaining guests. Even when they did, they preferred lighter fare.

Hearing this, Wang Qiqi knew she had to extend an offer. "Come to my place tonight for dinner; it’ll be lively."

Wang Damei waved her hand, about to refuse, but Song Yao quickly chimed in. "Great! Let's eat at Qiqi's place. I was going to pack takeout, Qiqi was going to pack takeout, and then we can just add some vegetables; our New Year's Eve dinner will be splendid." There was no need to be polite with Wang Qiqi; that girl had money.

"Sounds good. Just remember to help me clear the dishes later," Wang Qiqi agreed readily. Her parents would be so happy to see so many people gathered on New Year's Eve. "Mom and Dad will be thrilled to see I have so many companions tonight."

Wang Damei hadn't wanted to spend New Year's Eve at Wang Qiqi's house, but hearing Qiqi say that, she thought of her lively younger brother and his wife. Since they left, the Wang family truly felt scattered. "You younger ones, remember to buy some fruit later."

Song Ziwen and Song Yao acknowledged the request, though the task ultimately fell to Gong Peixing.

When Wang Damei returned inside, she immediately felt a wave of warmth. "You silly girl, just because you have money doesn't mean you have to be wasteful! How much will the air conditioning cost running this long? Besides, it’s not ventilating in here." After muttering for a moment, Wang Damei walked over to the photographs of Wang Dajun and his wife and started chatting with them as if they were present.

Wang Qiqi actually wanted to point out that when she got up around six that morning, she had already opened the windows in the kitchen and bathroom. By the time she left around eleven, the air in the house was already fresh. "Auntie, why don't you relax on the sofa for a bit? I'll go close the windows in my room and turn on the air conditioning."

After speaking at length with Wang Dajun and his wife, Wang Damei heard Wang Qiqi mention turning on the bedroom A/C. "What air conditioning? Don't waste money." Honestly, this was just burning cash.

"Auntie, it’s fine, really. Besides, we're used to having heating now; wearing thick clothes is just too uncomfortable," Song Yao interjected. If she had stayed in the south, she would have been accustomed to winter, but after spending several months in the north, Wang Qiqi deeply felt that the heating costs simply could not be saved; it was too cold.

"Exactly, Mom, don't be so frugal with Qiqi. She has the means to splurge," Song Yao said, entering the room and immediately shedding her heavy coat and padded vest, instantly feeling a sense of relief. Pregnant women cannot catch a cold; for the health of the baby in her belly, Song Yao felt she had sacrificed so much. "Mom, it’s really comfortable with the air conditioning on here. Our place..."

Wang Damei was about to say that she had gotten rich and was showing off—Qiqi had the right to splurge, but what right did they have?—when she stopped. The two younger ones thought she didn't know about the five thousand they had to contribute for the brother-in-law's wedding? Wang Damei was well aware of such a big deal, but she wouldn't quibble with her son-in-law over such a small matter. Humph, let those two biased parents be smug now. The more biased they were, the less close Gong Peixing would be to them. Wang Damei knew that the better she treated Gong Peixing, the more favorable he would be toward his in-laws.

"Mom, we'll pay for the electricity. You don't want your grandchild to freeze, do you?" Song Yao saw her mother’s expression sour and added this. "And Mom, didn't you always say you hate doing laundry in the winter? Xiao Gong and I have already agreed; we’ll go buy a fully automatic washing machine in a few days. That way, you can lighten your burden."

"How can a washing machine clean as well as hands?" Wang Damei felt a surge of happiness inside, but she still accused her daughter of extravagance.

Wang Damei felt wonderfully satisfied, thinking how much better her daughter was. Her son-in-law would help with chores at home and chat with her old man, unlike her son. He came home on time now and rarely went out with his bad company, but he truly had the airs of a young master, now half-reclining on the sofa. "Look at your sister, then look at you. I raised you this long, and I haven't gained a single bit of benefit from you." Comparing people truly killed one's spirit.

Song Ziwen hadn't expected his own mother to so quickly change targets and unleash her full firepower on him. He felt utterly wronged. Sighing, he said, "Sister is just buying you a washing machine, Sister. I was thinking, didn't you always grumble about preferring a duplex house? A colleague of mine has a shell of a house he doesn't want to finish building. I plan to go look at it after the New Year; if it works out, we’ll buy it."

What? Wang Damei was stunned her son had such intentions. To be honest, as she aged, Wang Damei felt that climbing four flights of stairs every day was quite a burden. Moreover, she worried it would be inconvenient to move up and down once her grandchild was born. But she never expected her son to have noticed all this.

"I have to make it clear: it's just the shell, or maybe not even fully built yet, that my colleague doesn't want," Song Ziwen said, feeling a bit sheepish about his colleague's plight.

Song Wenbo looked at his son's hesitant expression. "Why isn't your colleague finishing it? If the house were finished, he could rent it out. Don't your son and daughter make good monthly incomes from their properties? Did his colleague have some kind of story behind stopping construction?"

Song Ziwen really didn't want to say anything, but he couldn't withstand his parents staring at him. "My colleague accumulated gambling debts. Not only did he stop building the house, but they're threatening him at home." Song Ziwen knew the colleague; he started small too, thinking it was no big deal, but when he heard the amount owed, many people, including Song Ziwen, were shocked. This gave him a profound understanding of gambling. Song Ziwen had played cards with that colleague before; he was very good, rational, and calculated in his play. Yet, someone like that could do something so brainless. Song Ziwen thought that if someone hadn't gossiped, his colleague’s present situation could have been his own tomorrow.

Song Wenbo and Wang Damei understood why their son looked so troubled. "Gambling ruins people. Look at your Second Uncle and now your colleague. Since that's the situation, help him out if you can," Song Wenbo said after asking about the property's status. From his words, it was clear he agreed to buy the house.

《》The Counterfeit Saintess Goddess and Her Reborn Knight Stan!~ 《》The Reincarnated Great Demon and Her Interstellar Hunk Warship! 【】The Golden Core Ancestor’s Interstellar Body-Snatching Rebirth! (To be continued...)