Song Yao rushed back from the capital within a few days again, this time over the loan issue. “I really shouldn’t have gone back; I should have just stayed home with Tao Tao.” As soon as Wang Qiqi picked up Song Yao, she heard her immediately complaining, “Home is better, you don’t have to worry about anything.” No need to think about how to communicate with clients or how to win over customers. “People say being a boss is easy, but that’s for bosses with powerful backers. Being a boss like your brother-in-law and me is anything but easy.”

“Even with a backer, you still worry about what happens if that backer falls,” Wang Qiqi carefully steered the car away from the station. In this world, there was no backing that didn't eventually fail. “The power struggles above are more intense than we imagine. Relying entirely on connections and influence means if they can’t even look after themselves, you won't even have a way to survive.”

Song Yao wasn't naive anymore. Even from the tidbits carelessly let slip by certain clients, she could piece things together. Song Yao had initially planned to use some connections to drum up business for the factory, but she no longer held those ideas. While expanding the factory would bring in more money, Qiqi was right: money is only good if you live long enough to spend it. “We’ll just keep managing the factory the way your brother and I have been.” Although we lack external clout, the benefit is that if a powerful ally falls, we have nothing to worry about. “By the way, Qiqi, you really think the location Ziwen chose for the shop is good?”

Song Yao knew Song Ziwen was buying property in a very remote area. She had searched for news reports, and although they spoke of infinite development potential, Song Yao felt that proposition was shaky. Still, she reasoned that this location was a prominent marker; neither the developer nor the local government would want to see that marker collapse. But she still needed to ask. Not for any other reason than she had some private savings tucked away. Keeping it in the bank yielded interest that felt pitifully small, but investing in the capital city meant Gong Peixing would find out—and then it wouldn't be her private money anymore. So, she’d hatched a small scheme; she was prepared for this trip back.

Wang Qiqi didn't think much of it, assuming Song Yao was concerned about the factory's growth. She repeated what she, Song Ziwen, and Song Wenbo had discussed. “Sister, whether the development there will be good, and how good, I truly can’t guarantee. But for the factory to develop, we definitely need a physical distribution center, one that allows customers to…”

Listening to Wang Qiqi, Song Yao felt a headache brewing. “Qiqi, stop right there. I don't want to hear that stuff.” She wasn't ignorant of this information. Qiqi said it, Ziwen said it, and her own husband said it too. Of course, her own mother was furious about buying the shop—complaining that she didn't even have a say at home. If it were about anything else, Song Yao might have listened to her mother’s advice, but in this matter, she truly didn't rate her mother’s judgment highly.

Wang Qiqi stopped her monologue when Song Yao cut her off, noticing the strange expression on Song Yao’s face. “What did Auntie say to you?” Wang Qiqi wondered if Wang Damei had called Song Yao with some complaints. Otherwise, Song Yao wouldn’t be acting this way. Qiqi knew Song Yao was quite enthusiastic about buying real estate, so why the strange reaction now? And knowing Wang Damei, if she wasn't stirring things up behind the scenes, it wouldn't be the Wang Damei she knew.

“She was still complaining about how you all don't listen to her advice.” If Song Ziwen had asked, Song Yao might have concealed things slightly, but not with Wang Qiqi. “I have some money on hand right now. Putting it in the bank isn't ideal. What do you think?” Song Yao then revealed the exact amount of her secret stash.

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Song Yao to have this much money; she nearly stalled the car. Calming herself, Wang Qiqi pulled over to an empty spot. “Sister, didn’t you say you put all your private money into the factory?” When they first opened the factory and needed money for equipment, Song Yao hadn't touched this sum. Based on this large amount, Wang Qiqi knew it had been saved for a long time. She suspected that if bank interest rates weren't so low, Song Yao might not have even told her.

Seeing the disbelieving Wang Qiqi, Song Yao burst out laughing and tapped Qiqi’s head. “You silly girl, are you very surprised?” Not just outsiders, but even her own parents and siblings thought Gong Peixing treated her well, that she controlled all the family finances, and he never questioned her spending. It seemed she had no need to save a private fund, but Song Yao had her reservations.

“Ever since his parents saw how well we were doing, they started causing trouble, constantly urging your brother-in-law to come back. I started keeping an eye out, often inflating the account books and setting money aside. Later, after we started the business, the stash kept growing…” Song Yao explained when she began accumulating the 'little treasury.' “What I took out for the factory was only a portion, the part your brother-in-law knew about.” Song Yao thought that even without a degree in finance, she managed this aspect better than her silly younger sister. “Always keep an eye on men, Qiqi. In this world, you are ultimately the only person who truly looks out for you.” Although this sounded harsh, it was the truth.

It was true that only you were truly best for yourself. “So, Sister, what are you planning?” Wang Qiqi wondered if Song Yao trusted her too much. Did she intend to put this property in Qiqi’s name? Although Song Yao and her husband had done this before, the housing prices then were nothing compared to now, and it was a rural home managed entirely by Gong Peixing and his wife. But this time…

“Yes, it will be in your name.” Compared to her own parents and brothers, Song Yao trusted Qiqi more. “Who else can I trust but you?” In the face of money, many people change. Song Yao figured if even Qiqi changed, she’d be cursed for being unlucky. “What do you say?”

Wang Qiqi stared at Song Yao for a long time. “Sister, are you truly comfortable putting the property purchased with this much money in my name?” Only she and Song Yao knew the cost of this property. “How about we draw up a notarized agreement?”

Song Yao shook her head. “No need. It’s unnecessary.” A notarization could prove the house belonged to her, but what then? It would still cause trouble down the line. “Aren’t you tempted to buy one too?”

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Song Yao to be so bold as to refuse notarization. Since someone else was at ease, she felt even more at ease. “Fine, no notarization then. As for the shop, I don’t have the money.” Alas, all the money she had was with Feng Xuanxiang. That boy was quite capable when it came to investments, so the money Qiqi was earning in the US wasn't coming back now. Along with Han Tao’s money, after covering living expenses and loan repayments, the rest was given to Feng Xuanxiang for investments. So, she really didn’t have much cash left. “Besides, Sister, aren't you the one buying?” If she took out a loan for a shop now, Wang Damei and the others wouldn't think much of it, but if she suddenly produced the money for two properties, Wang Qiqi worried Wang Damei might get suspicious. “Song Ziwen has to take out a loan for the shop he’s buying this time.”

Song Yao understood. Even if Qiqi didn't have the idea, she wouldn't buy one anyway. “I get it. I’m taking advantage of you this time, Sister.” Regardless of whether Qiqi genuinely chose not to buy a shop, Song Yao knew Qiqi had helped her out.

Wang Damei assumed Song Yao returned to support her side, but to her surprise, Song Yao signed the stack of documents without any objections. “Aren’t you going to reconsider?” Wang Damei sat on the sofa with her arms crossed, clearly displeased.

Song Wenbo glared at Wang Damei pointedly. “Isn’t our daughter coming back proof that she agrees? If she disagreed, would she be here?” Song Wenbo thought Wang Damei wasn't satisfied with working behind the scenes and was now being overt. “Relax, it’s just one shop. If business is bad, we can just sell it at a small loss.” Song Wenbo sounded utterly helpless.

Song Ziwen became anxious hearing this. “Dad, why would you say that? Don’t you want to see the business thrive?” If business over there failed, Song Ziwen genuinely worried about the cabinet factory’s trade. “Whether it’s the shop or the factory, things are getting better day by day; orders are piling up.”

“Exactly, Mom and Dad, what do you mean by that?” Song Yao was also annoyed. If they couldn't speak nicely, they shouldn't speak at all. How could they curse their son and daughter’s factory with bad business?

Wang Qiqi didn’t chime in to express her view, but the look on her face showed she felt the same way. Qiqi thought it was disheartening that the first step in the factory's sales expansion was met with such pessimism from the boss’s parents. She found the atmosphere a bit of a downer.

Song Wenbo and Wang Damei realized that what they had said was indeed inappropriate. “It’s all…” Song Wenbo glared at Wang Damei, implicitly blaming her. If she hadn’t kept dwelling on the shop issue, would he have spoken that way? And would the children feel disheartened?

Wang Damei, of course, wasn't going to accept the man’s silent accusation. “I just think we are taking too big a leap too fast; we should stabilize things first. Old Song, you sometimes don't watch what you say.” Hmph, she wasn't going to let him imply she was the one at fault when he was the one who made the initial mistake. “Relax, son. Didn’t the Master say the factory business will definitely improve? It’s good we bought the shop now, otherwise, if business booms later, people will get jealous…”

Song Wenbo listened as Wang Damei’s previous complaints vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced only by words expressing satisfaction with the shop. He mused that he had just played the villain for a moment. “Alright, let’s drop this topic. When will the loan be approved?”

“Soon.” After deciding on the loan, Song Ziwen had already prepared all the necessary documents and sent them to the bank. Only these last few papers remained. Given his good credit rating and adequate connections, the loan amount wasn't huge, and there was collateral. “It should be approved by next week at the latest.”

Wang Qiqi was surprised the loan process was moving so fast. On second thought, banks were awash with money these days. Since the stock market hadn't been doing well, many people had returned to the habit of keeping their money in the bank for interest. Still, getting the loan approved this quickly was impressive. “Brother, you’re amazing.” Wang Qiqi gave Song Ziwen a thumbs-up.

“Naturally.” Song Ziwen accepted Wang Qiqi’s praise completely. He smoothed his heavily gelled hair. “This is the convenience of developing in our hometown.” In a small city, if you used a little influence, you’d find that the person you needed might be a friend of a friend of your classmate or a relative. Relationships were built that way. “Besides, I worked as a real estate agent; of course, I had to maintain good relations with the banks. Who knew we’d benefit from that when opening the factory?”

“Are you planning to buy a shop for yourself privately?” Song Yao pressed. Qiqi had previously hinted she was looking to buy a small shop—one to keep a low profile, and since she wasn't taking a loan, she could only afford something small with her savings.

Song Ziwen couldn't deny being tempted by the shops over there, but the problem was he was genuinely broke. “I’m not Qiqi.” Qiqi’s investments were usually minor shares, and her income was all cash, earning a lot, so buying a shop wasn't a major strain for her. “Even she is only buying small shops; I can forget about it.”

Hearing the slight tinge of sourness in his voice, Wang Qiqi felt a bit unfairly burdened by taking the blame for Song Yao this time. Hmph, perhaps she needed to make someone loosen their purse strings a bit. “This is the only large sum of savings I have, by the way. And this shop I’m buying is with my private money.” Wang Qiqi had no intention of telling Han Tao about the shop purchase; she didn't want him to overthink things or create unnecessary complications.

When Wang Qiqi announced the shop was bought with private money, Wang Damei’s expression toward her softened. “That’s more like it.” That was one of their Wang family members. No one in the Wang family didn't keep a private fund, except, perhaps, Qiqi’s father. She had worried that since Qiqi leaned so heavily toward that Han boy, she might be like her dad and not hide anything, but it seemed Qiqi had inherited the Wang family’s fine tradition. “People always need to stash some private money away. Your Uncle still hides his.”

Song Ziwen and the others certainly knew their father hid private funds; they just never exposed it. Now, their mother was airing grievances about their father, shamelessly betraying Comrade Song Wenbo in front of everyone.

Seeing the way the younger generation looked at him, Song Wenbo became agitated. “Hey, Wang Damei, why aren't you mindful of the occasion when you speak? How can you bring this up in front of the children?” What was wrong with hiding a private fund? Song Wenbo felt wronged. “Everyone sitting here hides private money, including you, Wang Damei, hmph! We hide it for ourselves or for our children. But you? You’ve been funneling your private money to that good-for-nothing younger brother of yours!” Well, since the topic was now about secret money, Song Wenbo saw no reason to hold back. He hadn’t brought this up before, and it wasn't right to speak ill of his wife when she initiated it, but now that she started with him, he couldn't be blamed for retaliating.

Before this, Song Yao and the other two were enjoying the spectacle, but when they heard Song Wenbo’s retort, they realized the situation was spiraling out of control. The topic had not only veered off course but was heading in a very negative direction.

“Qiqi, I’m a little tired. Take me to rest,” Song Yao spoke first. This kind of scene was absolutely not suitable for her to stay and listen to. Naturally, Qiqi shouldn’t stay either, so she might as well take Qiqi with her.

Song Ziwen hadn’t expected his sister to only look out for herself and Qiqi, completely forgetting the poor soul stranded beside them. “Since all the documents are ready, I’ll rush this last one in. Once this is done, the loan will be fully secured.” Although the bank had given a date for approval, it was conditional on his sister signing the final documents and submitting them. Since the crucial step was complete, Song Ziwen wanted to rush it to the bank immediately; there was always a chance the loan could be approved earlier.

The three of them quickly made their exit, leaving the space to the remaining two. “Oh, Dad, Niuniu is still sleeping,” Song Ziwen called back as he reached the front door, turning to address the two whose atmosphere had become tense. In truth, Song Ziwen wanted to carry his daughter out, worrying that if the argument escalated violently, it might frighten his precious girl into tears. But if he went in now to get his daughter, what if the war broke out then?

Song Wenbo and Wang Damei both took a deep breath after hearing Song Ziwen’s reminder. “Take Niuniu over to Qiqi’s place.” They knew that since this topic had been brought up, avoiding it now would leave a festering resentment, causing doubts and dissatisfaction to grow. It was better to resolve the issue now, even if it meant arguing loudly. Song Wenbo felt he absolutely needed to have a serious talk with Wang Damei about the private money issue. He genuinely thought that after what happened during the Spring Festival, if he hadn’t seen what he saw that day, he would have kept it buried deep inside.

Their words completely stunned Song Ziwen, and they also froze Wang Qiqi and Song Yao, who were just opening the door. They exchanged glances. They had assumed that since Song Ziwen had said that, Song Wenbo and his wife wouldn't let the argument escalate, and they would swallow the topic as they had before, only fighting when they were alone later. They never expected them not to do so this time.

Song Yao dared not move her body, nor did she dare turn to look at her parents’ expressions. “What’s gotten into Dad this time?” She couldn’t hear Wang Damei’s voice and assumed her own mother also wanted to avoid breaking the surface of this topic.

Wang Qiqi also found it strange. “Didn’t Auntie used to give money to Wang Rui’s family? Why is Uncle kicking up a fuss now?” Wang Qiqi truly couldn't figure out why Song Wenbo was dredging up old issues; it didn't fit his personality. While Song Wenbo wasn't generous, he wasn't usually this stingy.

Hearing this turn of events, Song Ziwen immediately ran into the room and picked up his sleeping daughter. Wang Qiqi and Song Yao carefully placed Niuniu on the bed and then returned to the living room, sitting restlessly. “What is wrong with Dad today?” In the past, when Mom threw a small tantrum, their father never reacted like this. A sudden thought flashed through Song Yao’s mind. “Could it be that Dad…”

“What’s wrong with Dad?” Song Ziwen paced back and forth in the room. He desperately wanted to crouch by the front door and listen to his parents argue, but what would people think if they saw him acting that way? “What’s wrong with Dad?” Song Ziwen hated it when people spoke in riddles. Did they want him to play the game of telepathy? Please, he only played that game with his own wife.

“Could Dad have someone else outside? I noticed Dad is dressing up more than before,” Song Yao stammered hesitantly.

“Dad has someone else?” Song Ziwen was dumbfounded. “How could Dad?” Song Ziwen felt the volume of news today was a bit too much; he felt his brain might not be catching up. “I hope Dad isn’t that senile.” If Dad really did that, Song Ziwen thought it would surely lead to an international incident.

Wang Qiqi stayed silent on the side, sunk into the sofa. She remembered that in her previous life, after Wang Damei was diagnosed with cancer, Song Wenbo had a mistress. But in this life, because Wang Damei was very healthy and kept a tight rein on Song Wenbo, Wang Qiqi hadn't considered this angle. Recalling the timeline, around this time in her past life, hadn't Song Wenbo remarried that woman? Were things developing the same way as before? Even if some things were avoided, were others still destined to happen?

Wang Qiqi looked lost in thought on the sofa, which looked different to the Song siblings. “Qiqi, do you know something?”

“Yeah, Qiqi, you didn't see my Dad out shopping with that person, did you?”

“How could I possibly see that?” Wang Qiqi immediately retorted. She couldn't very well tell them about her past life, or she’d surely be sent to some institution for research. “I’m just thinking your line of reasoning is flawed. I wonder if Auntie has been giving money to Wang Dagui’s family again recently?” She needed to change the subject. In case Song Wenbo and his wife finished arguing and came back to hear them discussing this, Wang Damei might cause a bigger scene.

Whether the siblings thought her hypothesis had issues or for some other reason, the topic shifted by Wang Qiqi’s intervention back to the main issue: Wang Damei’s private money.

“I think Mom has truly gone senile,” Song Yao concluded after considering that the only thing that could provoke the old man was if Wang Dagui had recently been crying poor, and their mother had felt soft-hearted again. “Sigh, I think it’s a blessing Mom isn't in charge; otherwise, the money she digs out would be even more.”

“My mother, she…” Song Ziwen was speechless. “Sister, give Mom less money in the future. She has money already.” Song Ziwen thought that if everyone stopped giving her money out of filial duty, she would have to rely on her retirement pension, and then she wouldn't be able to subsidize Wang Dagui.

“Oh.” Even knowing the scolding she’d receive from Wang Damei for being unfilial, Song Yao still couldn't bring herself to hand over the money she’d worked so hard to earn to Wang Dagui. “By the way, how are things going with Wang Rui and that man from Hong Kong?” Someone who wouldn’t even come home for the Lunar New Year—how could she spend the entire summer back in their hometown? Wasn't she worried that the Hong Kong man would be hooking up with someone else while she was away? “Did they break up again?” Song Yao was exasperated with Wang Rui. If this was another relationship, it would be her fourth man. Song Yao inwardly conceded that Wang Rui certainly had a knack for attracting men, but the problem was her terrible judgment; of all the men she chased after, not a single one was any good.