Song Yao turned and hugged Wang Qiqi. “Take good care of yourself. Don't let work consume you entirely. Remember to eat on time, and since you're living alone, be careful about the house—always check around thoroughly before you go in.” Since Shi Man and the others had decided to go sightseeing, Wang Qiqi was the only one staying behind at that house, which worried Song Yao. It was a small comfort that Qiqi usually stayed at the studio.

Wang Qiqi nodded. In reality, she was just waiting for the final tasks to wrap up. After all, she had persevered this far; if she asked to leave now, she wouldn't get her share of the money, which was an unforgivable prospect for Wang Qiqi. "Sister, don't worry. When the beauty salon opens, I’ll definitely fly back for the opening ceremony." Truthfully, they weren't planning a grand ceremony for the salon's opening; it was just meant to be a lively gathering for everyone.

"Fine. Once things are mostly settled, we'll hold an online meeting to discuss how to get the beauty salon up and running." This trip abroad had certainly broadened Song Yao's perspective. She had initially thought the money earned was decent enough to finally relax a bit, but that thought was instantly crushed. Hearing Wang Qiqi mention that they had also invested in some sort of internet company reignited her sense of urgency.

"Okay. As for the property, Sister, you and Nana can figure it out." She certainly had no intention of being online constantly, listening to Song Yao detail which location was best for the new building.

"But, Sister, you should find a place with a nearby parking lot. As more people start buying cars, they’ll drive to the salon. If there’s no parking, it’ll be a **nuisance." Wang Qiqi brought up a crucial point. They shouldn't secure a great location only to find the nearest parking lot is a ten-minute walk away. Considering how cold the Beijing winter is and how hot the summer gets, would those wealthy clients really tolerate such an inconvenience? It should ideally be resolved within a few steps. "If necessary, it’s fine if the commercial space is larger than needed. We can rent out the unused parts for now and renovate them later when business booms." Since they were buying multiple properties anyway, they wouldn't lack options. Even if the space wasn't used for the business, renting it out was a good income stream, and they could always recoup their initial investment by selling the shop down the line.

"Don't worry, your sister knows this." Song Yao had already learned this lesson the hard way once. Thankfully, it was early in their venture, and while there were losses, they weren't catastrophic; otherwise, she would have cried her eyes out. She wouldn't make the same mistake when organizing the beauty salon. Bank loans weren't difficult these days anyway, so she might as well expand the operation ambitiously.

Song Yao chatted with Wang Qiqi for a while and noticed Luo Hongjuan was still intensely briefing Han Tao about something. She leaned in and whispered, "Look how much she dotes on him; you still can't compare to Han Tao." Although she had cautioned Qiqi about being careful, Luo Hongjuan had only said a few words to her before latching onto Han Tao and talking endlessly—truly, blatantly biased.

Wang Qiqi wasn't as visibly agitated by Luo Hongjuan’s lengthy instructions to Han Tao as Song Yao was; after all, they were mother and son. "I don't have high expectations for my future mother-in-law. Just don't be as biased as your mother-in-law, and certainly don't be as nagging as your aunt. She’s not my birth mother, how high can my demands be?"

Song Yao had intended to offer Qiqi some friendly advice, but she hadn't expected the girl to turn the subject back onto her own family. She felt like she had shot herself in the foot. "Do you even know how to speak, girl? But your brother-in-law is busy making money now, and he's completely given up on his parents. Let them fuss if they want; we’ve already sold all but that one house back home, so they can stay as long as they like. If they want to spread rumors outside about us being unfilial, let them. We don’t care."

Song Yao had learned her lesson now, too. The money she sent for filial piety was always done via post office, never through direct bank transfers. On holidays, she had Song Ziwen deliver the gifts around ten in the morning on a weekend, making sure to greet anyone they saw and mention the gift-giving. While it smelled faintly of staging, it at least ensured people knew they were showing proper respect regularly, unlike before, when they’d give a paltry amount of things and then a large sum as a holiday bonus. The elderly couple would accept the money and then boast outside that their son was getting rich, complaining that the small gifts they received throughout the year didn't match his fortune.

Before, Song Yao would still show anger when discussing her in-laws, but now she spoke of them as if they were strangers—she clearly didn't care beyond finding a bit of dark amusement in their antics. That was for the best, preventing her husband from being caught in the middle. "Sister, listen carefully to what Manman tells you, and try out the products extensively. Don't just take their word for it, especially since these things go directly on the face." The worst thing in the beauty business is encountering substandard products that cause adverse reactions in clients; that’s a massive problem.

Song Yao looked at Wang Qiqi, who was still lecturing nonstop with a worried expression. A dark line formed on Song Yao's forehead. She reflected that she hadn't done anything truly unreliable; everything she had done was generally excellent. Why was Qiqi still so uneasy? "Relax. Your sister also uses cosmetics and understands the importance of quality." I’m not some uninformed village girl. Besides not knowing foreign languages, I understand everything else. If my language skills were up to par, Song Yao was confident she could converse directly with foreigners.

Seeing Luo Hongjuan still tightly holding Han Tao, briefing him on this and that, Song Yao frowned slightly. Though she hadn't seen Han Tao for a long time, Han Tao hadn't seen Qiqi in a while either. In Song Yao's eyes, this couple was quite pitiable, having spent years with little time together. If they weren't both workaholics, even the deepest affection would have withered by now. It was better to let them use this time together to communicate their feelings properly. "Aunt Luo, let's go inside."

Luo Hongjuan murmured an affirmation, grabbed a few more precious seconds to instruct Han Tao, and then walked over to Wang Qiqi, who was waiting quietly nearby, embracing her. "Remember to take good care of yourself. Don't push yourself too hard; health is the capital of all undertakings. And be safe. If you hear any strange noises, don't play the hero; remember to call the police."

Wang Qiqi nodded and kissed Aunt Luo on the cheek. "Auntie, once you arrive in France, have a wonderful time. Go wherever you want to go, buy whatever you want to buy, and let my sister foot the bill. You’re on a business trip; your boss should be generous this time." Wang Qiqi and Song Yao had actually agreed that whatever Luo Hongjuan liked, Song Yao would buy, and Qiqi would settle up with Song Yao later. "If my sister refuses to pay, I will."

"Forget it, you girls don't earn your money easily." Luo Hongjuan understood perfectly that if Song Yao paid, it would ultimately be Qiqi footing the bill. If they were financially comfortable, it would be fine, but Luo Hongjuan knew their finances must be tight after learning her son had started an internet company. As for the money Qiqi used to handle the property sale when she returned in February, Luo Hongjuan finally understood. At first, she had worried they had picked up some bad habits, necessitating the sale of property. Her son was starting a company, and she couldn't help him financially, so she certainly shouldn't be spending their money. "Mom has money here. You are both successful now; I don't need to save much. Don't worry."

Luo Hongjuan patted Wang Qiqi’s hand reassuringly and said goodbye to them before proceeding to check-in for her flight. "Let's go; we’ll find somewhere to sit for a while." Han Tao walked up to Wang Qiqi's side, looped an arm around her shoulder, and headed toward a spot to grab coffee and relax. His flight wasn't for another four hours.

Wang Qiqi obediently followed Han Tao, ready to find a seat. Standing for so long had been tough on her, especially in heels. After only a couple of steps, she internally cursed her bad luck for running into them. One was enough to sour her mood considerably, but running into both of them face-to-face was overwhelming. Wang Qiqi couldn't even turn away and pretend not to see them, let alone consider the inevitable accusations of being rude or arrogant if she did.

Wang Qiqi forced a strained smile. "Ruirui, Yingying, hello. What are you two doing here...?" Indeed, Wang Qiqi had bumped into Shi Hongrui and Gong Yiying. They were pulling suitcases, clearly prepared to board a flight, which wasn't the most surprising thing for Qiqi. What shocked her was that they were together, and not just as casual friends; they were conversing happily, their smiles radiant. When they saw Wang Qiqi, their expressions shifted to one of surprise as well. Wang Qiqi felt there was something fundamentally odd about them being together.

"Hello, Qiqi. Hello, Han Tao." Gong Yiying hadn't expected to run into Wang Qiqi at the airport. Wasn't Qiqi supposed to be finishing up the closing work at the studio? Why was she at the airport? Was she seeing Han Tao off? They had just attended the graduation ceremony yesterday; why was he leaving today? What was the timeline here? It was summer vacation now. Han Tao’s work was programming; he could do it anywhere with a computer and internet access. There was no need to rush back so soon. If Gong Yiying had known she’d run into them at the airport, she definitely would have chosen a different flight time.

"Hello, Qiqi. Hello, Qiqi's man," Shi Hongrui greeted them curtly. "We're rushing to catch our flight, gotta go. Bye." Shi Hongrui thought this day was unlucky; why did she have to run into them? But what was up with Wang Qiqi's man? Hadn't he just graduated? Why the immediate departure? Was he rushing back because he’d found a lover in the States?

"Goodbye." Wang Qiqi was quite happy to avoid interacting with them for long. Dealing with them required constant vigilance; saying the wrong thing could lead to disaster.

Wang Qiqi watched Shi Hongrui and Gong Yiying swiftly enter the security line with their luggage. A sudden thought struck her: were they also heading to France? If so, were they on the same plane? Wang Qiqi wondered what kind of expression Shi Man would have if she saw them. With that thought, Wang Qiqi pulled out her phone and called Shi Man. She prayed Shi Man hadn't turned her phone off yet. Fortunately, she connected. Wang Qiqi rapidly explained running into Shi Hongrui and Gong Yiying, urged her to be a little careful, and quickly hung up.

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