Song Yao yawned as she descended the stairs, catching the scent of cooking drifting from the kitchen. "Aunt Luo, today you..." She instinctively assumed it was Luo Hongjuan, as the group of them had chatted late into the night yesterday. Song Yao figured that after such a long flight, Qi Qi must be exhausted and deserved to sleep in. "Qi Qi, why don't you sleep a little longer?"

Wang QiQi looked entirely refreshed, which only emphasized Song Yao's fatigue. "Slept wonderfully, just got hungry, so I woke up early. I made some Chinese breakfast; is that a problem?" Even in the States, if Wang QiQi wanted to whip up a Chinese breakfast, Fatty and Han Tao would rather snooze a bit longer, opting for toast and milk over getting up early for congee. Poor Wang QiQi was forced to change her strategy and make Western-style breakfasts, though she still deeply preferred Chinese cuisine.

"Our breakfasts here are always Chinese-style. Han Tao's mother wakes up early every day to simmer congee." Song Yao felt grateful to have Aunt Luo around; otherwise, who knew what state things would be in. "Compared to my own mother, Aunt Luo is much better to me." Aunt Luo often calmed her down and helped manage the household affairs, keeping an eye on everything. "My mom now? All she cares about is clutching her money."

Song Yao truly couldn't comprehend why her own mother had changed so much. She looked at Aunt Luo, who lost her husband at such a young age yet raised Han Tao single-handedly. "If my mother were in the same situation as Aunt Luo, who knows what she would have become."

"Perhaps Auntie still thinks it's better if Uncle passed away." Wang QiQi knew how stubborn Wang Damei had always been; it would be difficult for her to truly recover. "By the way, does my aunt still go for her annual physicals?" Her children have their own careers, and she refuses to nag Song Wenbo about trivial things, bottling up all her frustration. This, in turn, is terrible for her health. "When you have time, take Auntie out for a drive, let her relax and change the scenery."

Wang QiQi understood that Wang Damei might snap at Song Yao, or even at her, but she would never take her anger out on Luo Hongjuan. "If she's unhappy, she can talk to Aunt Luo." After all, they knew each other's histories intimately. What couldn't be discussed? Luo Hongjuan was skilled at offering solace, having seen much in her years as a widow. She could offer comfort exactly where it was needed. The only question was whether Song Yao would be willing to have Wang Damei come over.

Seeing the hesitation in Wang QiQi's expression, Song Yao knew she assumed Song Yao was reluctant. "It's not like I haven't invited my mother to stay with me. My house is huge; she could come here to clear her head instead of stewing at home. Although Wang Rui visits often to console her, QiQi, you know what Wang Rui is like. She wouldn't do that without expecting some kind of benefit, and she's probably stirring up trouble behind the scenes too." Of course, Song Yao only confided this much to Wang QiQi. "I can't exactly tell Ziwen to take better care of Mom, can I? He might secretly think I'm meddling or criticizing him from the sidelines." Neither of them is idle; they both have piles of things waiting to be dealt with. "I did mention it to Ziwen before, and he said he had no objection, but Mom absolutely refuses." Song Yao felt quite wronged, seeing that even QiQi suspected her motives. Who knew what other relatives and friends thought?

Wang QiQi hadn't expected Song Ziwen to agree, nor that Song Yao was willing to invite Wang Damei to the capital. Why was the aunt herself unwilling to come to Beijing? Wang QiQi found this genuinely perplexing. "Auntie stays cooped up alone at home, and Niu Niu doesn't spend much time with her either. As for Uncle, he's either fishing or playing cards all day, or else he's out with his old colleagues. Why is she content to stay home by herself?" Wang QiQi simply couldn't fathom Wang Damei's logic. Their relationship currently seemed irreconcilable. Although they still appeared to be an affectionate couple in public, they were essentially acting. They were likely worried that a divorce would bring a bad reputation upon Song Ziwen. But in Wang QiQi's view, that was surely a more painful situation; it would be better to let each other go〖free〗. Since Song Ziwen and Song Yao were already married, their parents' marital status wouldn't significantly impact the younger generation's lives.

"The reason my mother gives is frankly hilarious." Song Yao felt like laughing remembering the things her mother said. "She says she needs to guard my father, to prevent that woman from ever having the chance to openly stand by his side; she must always remain clandestine." This reason wasn't without merit, but it pained Song Yao deeply. "What's the point of my mother living like this?"

"Then get a divorce," Wang QiQi stated calmly.

"Divorce?" Although divorce wasn't uncommon now, the issue was, "My parents are so old; what kind of example would it set for them to divorce now?" To be divorcing while already being grandparents—Song Yao couldn't imagine how she would face their relatives outside.

There was another crucial reason: "My mother is highly unwilling to even leave our hometown, let alone agree to a divorce." Song Yao understood that if her parents divorced, that other woman would have a significant opportunity to take over the main position. "As long as my mother is here, she will absolutely not allow another woman to become Mrs. Song." Even if that title seemed somewhat vacant now, her mother would never step down so easily.

"Try to analyze it calmly with Auntie; her health won't hold up if she continues like this." Wang QiQi couldn't press further. Judging by Song Yao's tone, the children preferred their parents remain married. "Sister, I won't be checking the construction site today. Aunt Qian knows I’m back and has invited Manman and me to lunch." Wang QiQi was surprised at how extensive Li Qian's network was; she had only just returned yesterday, and Li Qian had already emailed her to arrange lunch today. "It seems we need to discuss the matters concerning the hotel we co-opened with her."

Song Yao breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Wang QiQi's explanation. Honestly, QiQi had kept circling back to her parents, and Song Yao didn't know how to redirect the conversation. "Will you be back for dinner?"

"Probably." Wang QiQi wasn't entirely sure. If the discussion went smoothly, she should be back for dinner, but if things dragged on, it might be a late night.

"Call me then," Song Yao said, yawning as she headed upstairs to wake up Gong Peixing. It didn't matter if she was late or left early, but as the boss, Gong Peixing needed to be on the front lines.

Wang QiQi hadn't expected Li Qian to arrange the meeting at President Ye's new office location. She had heard that President Ye had expanded his business and moved to a larger office, and she had intended to visit the boss sometime soon anyway. Having Li Qian arrange the meeting here saved her a trip.

Shi Man followed behind Wang QiQi and was startled by the sign outside. "It looks like President Ye has made quite a bit of money lately. The company's scale has increased, and the office location is much more upscale, with nice renovations too." While the previous office was decent, this one was far superior. The key was the location—it was much classier, occupying half a floor right downtown. "I wonder if it's leased or owned. If it's owned, even if the company closes down later, renting this space out would bring in substantial annual income."

"It must be owned," Wang QiQi murmured. At that moment, she noticed the receptionist's gaze. She stopped looking around—it was too embarrassing. "Hello, is President Ye in?"

The receptionist hadn't expected two people who seemed so inexperienced to be here to see President Ye. "Do you have an appointment?" Although President Ye was in the office, he hadn't mentioned having any appointments scheduled for this time.

"No appointment, but my surname is Wang. I just returned from overseas, and I am the translator for this company." Wang QiQi could detect the receptionist's disbelief but was relieved she hadn't said anything overtly dismissive.

Coming from overseas, and being the company's translator—these two pieces of information caused the receptionist, who was moments away from trying to usher Wang QiQi away, to pause and ask Wang QiQi to wait while she contacted President Ye.

Shi Man took the opportunity while the receptionist was on the phone to whisper to Wang QiQi, "If you hadn't mentioned you were back from overseas, he probably wouldn't even have bothered contacting Old Ye." Although the receptionist masked it well, Shi Man still picked up on a subtle hint.

"Definitely. She probably thinks we're here for a job interview." Wang QiQi glanced at their attire—T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers. They looked entirely like students, especially Shi Man, who was wearing glasses, giving her the complete look of a pupil.

The receptionist was surprised to find that these two were indeed there to see President Ye. She mentally congratulated herself; if she had made up an excuse to send them away based on her initial impression, she would have been the one crying later, especially after hearing how excited President Ye sounded on the phone about the Miss Wang returning from abroad. If she didn't know President Ye was devoted to his wife, who was also in the office today, she might have genuinely thought an outside woman had come calling. "President Ye is waiting in his office."

"Has Madam Ye arrived yet?" Wang QiQi asked with concern. Seeing President Ye was secondary; the main goal was to meet Madam Ye.

"Oh, you're here to see Madam Ye?" "Madam Ye is here too."

The receptionist wondered about the background of these two. They had first asked for President Ye, and upon learning he was available, they immediately inquired about Madam Ye. "I will take you to President Ye's office."

As Wang QiQi turned, she spotted a familiar figure. "Sister Qian!" Wang QiQi hadn't expected Li Qian to come out and greet her personally. "It's so improper of me to have Madam Ye come to meet me."

Li Qian looked at Wang QiQi's teasing tone and walked over, lightly tapping her arm. "You come back without even giving a heads-up. If someone hadn't seen you return and told me, I wouldn't have known you were back. And Manman, you're just as bad; you’ve been back this long and haven't said a word."

After saying this, Li Qian turned to the receptionist. "Don't bother making tea; bring the good stuff in." The tea set aside for guests was fine, but it couldn't compare to Old Ye's private reserve.