"Qiqi, Qiqi, wake up and eat lunch." Wang Qiqi was jostled awake by a rough shove while still groggy. Having already slept poorly, the push was enough to ignite her temper.

Wang Qiqi scrambled out of bed, fury surging through her, eyes snapping wide open. "Ugh, this is awful! I got back so late yesterday, and my head still hurts." Soon after entering the bar yesterday, Wang Qiqi had regretted it. She had thought, I'm young, my body can handle it, but unexpectedly—perhaps due to the excessive use of her brain this lifetime—after just an hour inside, her head started throbbing incessantly, becoming almost unbearable. The siblings she had reluctantly agreed to treat, the Song siblings, had had a fantastic time, dancing in the hall with pure glee. If Wang Qiqi hadn't insisted on leaving, who knew when the Song brother and sister would have finally dragged themselves out.

Song Yao looked at Wang Qiqi, who was glaring with her eyes shut. "Hey, didn't you go straight to sleep after coming back yesterday?" How could she still be sleeping so late? Song Yao herself had a few drinks with Gong Peixing after they returned before going to bed, and was up before nine this morning. Even this night owl hadn't caused any trouble, yet this early-to-bed, late-to-rise person was still burrowed under the covers, complaining when called.

Hearing Song Yao’s voice, Wang Qiqi momentarily worried about her earlier impolite behavior. Upon recognizing it was Song Yao, she let out a few heavy sighs. "Sister, I’m really not cut out for bars, you know? My head is still throbbing, a dull ache." Wang Qiqi rubbed her temples ceaselessly as she spoke.

Song Yao looked at Wang Qiqi’s pained expression. She really wanted to scoff, Hmph, girl, weren't you the one insisting on going to the bar yesterday, the one who wouldn't take no for an answer? Now look at you, suffering the consequences of your own actions. But seeing Wang Qiqi tap her head as if hitting a pillow, Song Yao moved closer and gently pulled Wang Qiqi's hand away. "Keep tapping like that and you’ll turn into an idiot." Song Yao gently laid Wang Qiqi back down and began a patient massage. "Still dare to go to bars in the future?" It wasn't that the place was inherently bad; Song Yao just felt it wasn't right for Qiqi. "The music is so loud, and you rely on your brain for work. How could you not feel miserable?"

The massage Song Yao was giving felt wonderful to Wang Qiqi, so soothing she felt like drifting back to sleep. As for the mumbling coming from Song Yao’s mouth, Wang Qiqi registered it as nothing more than a lullaby, completely ignoring it.

Song Yao massaged for a good while, thinking Qiqi must be mostly recovered. "Qiqi, get up and eat, then we need to go pick up some things." Han Tao couldn't return empty-handed, and Song Yao’s train left tomorrow morning, so she also needed to buy some local specialties to take back—they would make great perks for employees or nice gifts for clients.

The moment Wang Qiqi heard they had to go shopping, her face turned green. "Sister, you go shop; I still need to rest." Yesterday she was busy from morning until the early hours, then had to see her man off at the airport after dinner, expecting to get home near midnight again. Thinking of this, Wang Qiqi suddenly realized Han Tao wasn't around. "Huh? Where did Han Tao go?" Wang Qiqi recalled Han Tao saying he was exhausted and planned to sleep in today. Why was he up so early?

"It’s not early anymore, it’s almost noon," Song Yao insisted, managing to pull Wang Qiqi to her feet. "Han Tao seems to have gone with my dad to the travel agency." Song Yao was surprised Han Tao was so proactive; he’d managed to handle the elderly folks. Her parents had been quite resistant to traveling abroad right now, using excuses like the factory wasn't stable yet, so they shouldn't go sightseeing.

Go to the travel agency? Wang Qiqi, still foggy, couldn't grasp the situation. "Why go to the travel agency?"

"Aren't they planning to travel abroad? It's best to let the agency handle the visas." Song Yao hadn't realized her old man still had so many connections. "An old friend of my dad’s is a manager at a travel agency. Han Tao went with Dad to see him."

Wang Qiqi gained a fresh appreciation for Song Wenbo’s network. If I had known my uncle-in-law knew people at a travel agency... Wang Qiqi mused that perhaps she could have pursued her idea of going to Europe right after high school graduation, but alas, she hadn't known back then.

Song Yao hummed in agreement. "It's the first time I've known too. But ever since Ziweng and I started our business, I’ve realized how many connections my dad actually has; his class reunions have increased too." Song Yao's implied meaning was clear: although her dad was a workshop director, in some people's eyes, that wasn't much, especially when she and Song Ziwen were just ordinary workers. Naturally, those people didn't keep much contact with the old man. But now that she and Song Ziwen were doing well, naturally, reconnecting became necessary.

Wang Qiqi understood; so Song Wenbo hadn't mentioned it before because he hadn't had much contact with them. "That's pretty realistic."

"Tell me about it," Song Yao agreed indignantly. "But it’s normal. I don't even have much in common with many of my old friends now. Every gathering, they either talk about me with envy or debate where things are cheaper." Song Yao increasingly felt that cutting expenses was important, but generating income was even more critical. Yet, every time she hinted at this, her friends adopted expressions that suggested they wanted to, but just lacked the opportunity. They desperately wanted Song Yao to point the way for them, but the problem was, if she gave them a little guidance, would they actually follow through? Song Yao suspected it was doubtful; they'd probably just end up complaining about not having money again.

"After four years of university, I only stayed close with Bai Ge and Zhang Yan, right? But with Zhang Yan, if we hadn't studied abroad together, our friendship probably wouldn't have lasted," Wang Qiqi reflected on her college life, feeling it was somewhat a failure. Others made a whole circle of friends in college, but she only had two close ones, and quite a few she didn't get along with. Wang Qiqi genuinely couldn't tell if it was because she resisted interacting with them or if her charisma was just truly lacking.

"Having many friends isn't necessarily good; you have to connect on a deeper level." Song Yao looked at Wang Qiqi, who seemed stuck in her university memories. "Alright, get up. As a qualified wife, you need to prepare things for your man's trip, and we still have to buy gifts."

Wang Qiqi wanted to argue that foreigners didn't care for such formalities, and besides, what would they think if she just handed over gifts out of the blue? But talking to her sister might just result in hearing something like, Who would complain about having too many gifts? "Fine, fine, I’m getting up right now." She decided to pack plenty of vacuum-sealed goods; if they weren't given away, her own man could enjoy them. However, Wang Qiqi noticed that despite how busy her man was, he hadn't lost much weight. She wondered if it was from eating regular meals or consuming too much fast food.

Song Yao looked at the obedient Wang Qiqi and patted her head. "Good girl." Then, she quickly retreated before Wang Qiqi could get angry.

Wang Qiqi stared at Song Yao, who was fleeing like a thief, feeling puzzled why she left so quickly. Soon, Wang Qiqi processed it. "Hey, Song Yao, you’re too much!" Calling her good and patting her hair—it felt like she was talking to Tao Tao, treating her like a child.

No matter how Wang Qiqi called out, no one paid attention. After calling for a while to no avail, she finally hauled herself out of bed. By the time Wang Qiqi was cleaned up, half an hour had passed.

Song Yao waited for a long time until Wang Qiqi finally got dressed. "Thank goodness you don't have a habit of putting on makeup before going out, or else..." would they have had to wait an hour? "Have you decided what you want to buy?" Song Yao waved the list she held.

Wang Qiqi shrugged and rubbed her eyes. "I haven't decided; we'll see when we get there." Buy whatever she saw. "Sister, have you decided where we’re going?" Wang Qiqi didn't know what Song Yao planned to buy, but judging by the dense handwriting filling the long list, she knew today's task wouldn't be light. "We need to finish shopping early so I can repack Han Tao’s luggage when I get back." Since her older sister said she was considered part of the Han family and needed to fulfill her wifely duties, she might as well put on a good show today.

Wang Qiqi’s sudden enthusiasm impressed Song Yao. "Wow, your man will be thrilled! A wife this virtuous is hard to find." "Alright, let's go. Do you want to grab something before we leave?"

Wang Qiqi patted her still-not-hungry stomach. "We’ll see if there’s anything to eat on the road." If they didn't leave now, they’d be late. "Sister, how's Brother-in-law's business lately? Oh, where is he, anyway?" Wang Qiqi hadn't seen Gong Peixing and assumed he’d gone to see his parents, so she asked casually.

"He went to Ziweng's factory," Song Yao replied casually, unaware of Wang Qiqi's train of thought. "My mom and Aunt Luo are watching the kids at home and cooking something good on the side."

So he was at Song Ziwen's factory. "Now that's what I call a proper shareholder." Wang Qiqi habitually moved toward the passenger seat. Driving was fine, but she preferred being driven.

Song Yao stood by the passenger seat. "Go drive. You’re about to travel abroad; you need to practice more." Song Yao used to think driving was impressive, but after a few years, she found sitting comfortably much better than constantly having to watch for road hazards. Now that Qiqi was here, the driving task naturally fell to her. Hmph, if she could drive on the national highway to pick up her man, there was no reason she couldn't drive in the city.

"Sister, I just woke up," Wang Qiqi pleaded, sighing that she really didn't want to drive; it was too tiring.

"I’m tired too," Song Yao thought. How long had she slept? Her mind was still fuzzy. If Qiqi didn't drive, who would?

The reluctant Wang Qiqi could only slide into the driver's seat, start the car, and pull away. "Sister, you’re really starting to look like a boss's wife," Wang Qiqi commented without reservation.

Song Yao reclined the passenger seat all the way back and settled in comfortably, making Wang Qiqi’s teeth itch with jealousy, almost making her want to strike. Song Yao knew Qiqi wanted to strangle her, but she wasn't worried at all. "I am the boss's wife; there’s no need for 'starting to look like one.'"

Well, stuck with such a thick-skinned person, what could she do? "You win," Wang Qiqi managed to spit out.

"Thank you." Song Yao took Wang Qiqi’s retort as praise and accepted it completely.

"You, you..." Wang Qiqi was speechless. She had said that, and this person responded like that? This skin was unusually thick. "Sister, I noticed yesterday that it seemed like it wasn't Brother-in-law's first time at the bar." Although Wang Qiqi found the bar chaotic yesterday, she had observed the people around her and noticed that while Han Tao was clearly a novice, everyone else looked experienced. "Sister, be careful if Brother-in-law gets addicted to the bar environment..." In that kind of setting, which man wouldn't like it? Especially Gong Peixing, a man who had achieved something; he would definitely be the popular type.

"Don't worry, your brother-in-law just likes novelty. By the time we get to Beijing, he won't have time to think about going to bars again." Song Yao had noticed Gong Peixing’s behavior yesterday, and as his wife, how could she not? "But Han Tao behaved quite well, seeming completely out of place in that atmosphere." Song Yao wondered if it was marital resemblance. Qiqi had insisted on going to the bar, but soon after entering, she complained of a headache. The whole time, she and Han Tao had stayed huddled in their seats, just drinking a bit and eating something.

Thinking of this made Song Yao annoyed. "Besides, people go to bars to have fun; you two just sat there drinking. Honestly, if you want to drink, why not do it at home?" People went to bars to relax or perhaps look for a fling. How many were like them, just sitting still and drinking? "If all the bar patrons were like you two, the bar owner would be ecstatic." Song Yao estimated that their bill accounted for at least forty percent of the total drinks sold.

Wang Qiqi wouldn't be dense enough not to understand when she heard this. "Sister, you must have winced when you paid the bill yesterday, right?" If it were a small amount, Wang Qiqi knew Song Yao’s character meant she wouldn't complain. "How much did it cost yesterday?"

Song Yao hadn't wanted to mention it; why bring it up? Wouldn't it make her look petty? But pressed by Wang Qiqi’s relentless questioning, she finally named a figure. "After Song Ziwen paid the bill yesterday, he kept saying bars were truly exploitative, making a fortune."

Bars making money? That was a given. "My brother isn't thinking of opening a bar too, is he?" Wang Qiqi thought, Is making money in a bar really that easy? "Can my brother handle the underworld and the authorities? And the monthly 'tribute' isn't a small sum. Plus, there are always illegal elements inside, like certain prohibited items. If the police raid, even the owner goes down." Wang Qiqi reasoned that if the bar business wasn't booming, they still had to pay protection money. Once you factored in bribes, salaries, and rent, there wasn't much profit left. If the business was booming, you constantly worried about someone stabbing you in the back—and if it was a fatal stab, you’d never know how you died.

Song Yao knew Wang Qiqi was knowledgeable, but she hadn't expected her to understand the bar industry so well. She stopped lounging in her seat to tease Wang Qiqi and quickly sat upright. "Qiqi, what you just said sounds a bit terrifying. Is opening a bar really that scary?"

Terrifying? Wang Qiqi thought she hadn't even mentioned the truly horrifying things. Although she hadn't worked in a bar in her past life, a friend who had worked in bar accounting told her that while the turnover looked high, after deducting the major expenses, the owner’s net profit might not be that substantial. "Equipment needs frequent updating, and the décor must keep up with trends—those are big ticket items. And Sister, when you were running your business back home, did you have to pay off those local thugs?" Hmph, even a small shop required paying off some low-level gangsters, otherwise, if those thugs were short on cash one day, they might show up to cause trouble and scam some money, which was quite normal.

Song Yao recalled opening her shop and connected the dots. "It’s better to earn money honestly. Some money isn't meant for common folk like us to earn." Song Ziwen hadn't explicitly said he wanted to open a bar yesterday, but his constant talk about how much profit liquor brought in suggested he was tempted. However, Song Yao wouldn't confront Song Ziwen directly about this; wouldn't that give him the wrong idea, making him think she, as the spouse, was too controlling?

"My brother is getting tempted, isn't he?" Wang Qiqi knew Song Yao’s interest in opening a bar was low, but Song Ziwen was a different story. Considering the ambition and thirst for money within the entire family, Song Ziwen ranked first. Wang Qiqi felt that compared to herself, Song Ziwen was the real reborn individual; otherwise, how could he have suffered such a big loss before? "By the way, Sister, do you remember what happened before my brother went to Beijing?" Wang Qiqi suddenly remembered she hadn't heard the follow-up.

"The other party didn't approach Ziwen, and Ziwen won't go looking for trouble either." Song Yao had heard Song Wenbo mention it a few times, but what exactly happened, Song Ziwen hadn't told her. "You know Song Ziwen; he’s the typical type to share the good news but hide the bad. If his situation hadn't been dire, I doubt he would have let us see him looking so defeated back then."

Wang Qiqi conceded that point. "As long as he’s fine, that’s enough." As for whether others fell into that trap and lost how much money, Wang Qiqi didn't consider herself a saint; she had no need to save others, especially when her own life was in danger. "But this time, regarding my brother..." What happened in the past was past, but regarding this recent incident, Wang Qiqi didn't know how to bring it up. If even Song Yao couldn't speak freely about it, what could she, his cousin, say?

"We can't let him get involved." Song Yao paused. "We aren't suitable to step in directly. I'll think of a way. Maybe through Yang Jing?" Although Song Yao felt it would be better to persuade Song Ziwen through their parents, the issue was that he hadn't explicitly stated his intention to open a bar, so she couldn't tell her parents yet. "If my parents found out Song Ziwen wanted to open a bar, I can imagine how angry they’d be." Bars were not seen as respectable places by the older generation. Since convincing the parents was out, the only option was Yang Jing.

Yang Jing? Wang Qiqi nodded. That was the only way. "Should we tell her how bad the bar business is?" Being married and worrying about her husband frequenting bars was enough; if she found out her husband harbored thoughts of opening one, Wang Qiqi doubted Yang Jing could tolerate it.

That was exactly what Song Yao was thinking. She snapped her fingers. "I plan to talk to Yang Jing about this slowly. If Song Ziwen really has this idea, he has to discuss it with the family. If the parents disagree, and his wife disagrees, let's see what he does then." A venture with no family support—even if he was keen, he couldn't possibly launch it successfully. And even if he secured the funding, what position would he hold at home?

"Then this mission is yours, Sister." If someone volunteered for the role, Wang Qiqi certainly wouldn't be polite, handing this glorious and challenging task over to Song Yao. Hmph, you made me wake up and treated me like a child, and then ordered me to drive, not considering how dangerous it is to drive while my head aches and I'm sleep-deprived.

Song Yao hadn't expected this task to end up back in her lap. "Ah, I have to say it? Aren't you more suitable? I’m his older sister-in-law; if I say too much, won't Yang Jing think I'm overstepping?" How could a married elder sister interfere too much in her younger married brother's domestic affairs?

"Then as his unmarried younger sister-in-law, I’m even less appropriate to interfere," Wang Qiqi retorted. "Sister, my brother is your brother. A sister can talk to her brother, but if a younger sister constantly lectures her older brother, it might destroy his confidence. Besides, my brother’s impulse for money is largely because he sees how well you and Brother-in-law are doing now. His career is lagging far behind your husband's."

"So..." Song Yao actually understood some of Song Ziwen's inner thoughts, but she had never delved into them, always thinking she might be overthinking it. But now, the issue she had been avoiding was suddenly exposed by Wang Qiqi.

"So, I think you should take advantage of being back home to have a deep conversation with my brother." Some issues can't be solved by avoiding them or pretending not to know. If they don't address the problem when it's not too deep, once the conflict widens, Wang Qiqi didn't know how Song Ziwen might react. "Brother-in-law's factory seems to be doing quite well. Are the orders flooding in?" With clients introduced by Julina, clients introduced by Bai Ge, plus Gong Peixing supplying quality goods at reasonable prices with timely delivery, and the boss being personable—clients referring clients—Wang Qiqi figured Gong Peixing might soon start planning to build his own factory. "Brother-in-law is probably planning to build his own factory next year, right?"

Song Yao was startled by what Wang Qiqi had said. "How did you know?" As the words left her mouth, her expression soured slightly. After all, Qiqi was also a shareholder; the fact that Song Yao hadn't mentioned this earlier made her wonder what Qiqi might be thinking. "Your brother-in-law mentioned it in passing a while ago, but I figured the factory building wasn't urgent. The space we're renting now is quite large anyway; there's no need to spend that much money just yet." Song Yao knew that building her own facility would eliminate worries about landlords raising the rent, but the real issue was the substantial capital outlay required. Currently, the company's cash flow was sufficient for procuring raw materials and purchasing equipment, but launching construction would create a deficit that was far from minor.

Listening to Song Yao's cautious plan, Wang Qiqi recognized her inclination toward stability. "Building your own factory is a good thing. Right now, buying land in the distant suburbs isn't too expensive, but later on..." As property values rise, the cost of land acquisition will climb. "If you’re going through the land approval process, you might as well apply for a larger plot. If the funds aren't there now, just erect one building, and you can add more later when business picks up. Having extra space means you won't worry about expansion later, and you could always lease the unused portions out to other manufacturers." Rental income would provide a steady revenue stream; even if the factory's own profits dipped down the road, having rent coming in would certainly ease the financial pressure.