The sheer tidal wave crashing through Li Qian’s mind upon hearing Wang Qiqi’s account was overwhelming. Only five years had passed, and yet Han Tao and Wang Qiqi had advanced to this point—a development that truly exceeded Li Qian’s expectations. After all, they had relied entirely on themselves, and more significantly, they had managed to amass such a fortune abroad. Li Qian wondered if her own son could ever be so capable. Then again, she conceded her standards were perhaps too high; she only hoped her son would stay healthy and avoid straying into trouble or involving himself in things he shouldn't.

Regarding Han Tao and Wang Qiqi, Li Qian always knew that dedicating themselves to earning money in their freshman year, and then pursuing industries they loved, meant their future success was assured. But she never anticipated they would move this fast.

As Wang Qiqi finished speaking, Li Qian took a sip of coffee, studying her intently. “Never mind your domestic ventures for a moment, Qiqi, but your luck is truly incredible.” Where they chose to invest, and how. “When you first mentioned starting that IT company, Old Ye was worried, naturally. He feared you wouldn't succeed. But it seems you’ve truly broken through now, haven't you?” Overseas, if people are eager to throw money at you, it signals a phenomenal project. Those foreign investors rarely consider sentiment or connections; all they demand is profit, profit, profit.

Li Qian grew more animated as she spoke. “I’ve been hustling for years, and this is the little empire I’ve managed to build. Look at you—you’re so young, and you’ve already earned more than I will in a lifetime. Your shares in that IT company alone could sustain you for the rest of your life!”

“I suppose so,” Wang Qiqi admitted with a gentle smile. “Though our stake will slowly diminish over time. But it’s certainly enough for Han Tao and me to live out the rest of our days.” She quickly added, aiming to soften the blow, “Truthfully, Han Tao and I just happened to catch a truly golden period; otherwise, we wouldn't have grown so rapidly.”

“And Han Tao is certainly capable; I never imagined he had this much drive. When it came to investing in the IT company, I just thought, since Han Tao loved the idea and wanted to start his own business, I, as his girlfriend, absolutely had to support him.” Wang Qiqi wisely omitted mentioning that her investment was based on the concept being remarkably similar to a famous future website; while admitting that would showcase her foresight, it sounded far less sincere than framing it as support for Han Tao’s passion.

Just as Wang Qiqi predicted, Li Qian studied her for a long moment after hearing this, then sighed. “Your luck is truly off the charts. But I was worried you might become too domineering, and I’m surprised you were willing to go this far for Han Tao.” IT is a cash incinerator, and it burns fast. Yet Qiqi was willing to risk serious financial loss to help Han Tao launch his company. “You must love Han Tao very much.”

“Between Han Tao and me, there is much more than just love; we have been through too much together.” Wang Qiqi wasn’t sure if their journey was defined more by romance or by kinship now, but one thing she was certain of: “Han Tao would never betray me.” Even if he encountered someone who stirred his heart in the future, as a rational man, he would know how to weigh his choices. “Okay, let’s change the subject; this is getting too serious.” Wang Qiqi primarily steered away because she feared Li Qian might be reminded of her own difficult first marriage. A topic shift was definitely preferable.

Changing the subject was fine; Li Qian had no desire to dwell on marital issues either. She pivoted the conversation. “When are you heading back?”

“I just got here; why are you in such a rush to ship me off?” Wang Qiqi teased, knowing that wasn't Li Qian’s true meaning. “I was actually eager to return, but if Sister Qian needs me for something, I will certainly stay and help.”

“I don’t need anything urgently, I just thought if you were staying in China for a while, perhaps you could wait until the Wellness Center has its grand opening before you leave.”

The Wellness Center was opening already? Wang Qiqi was quite surprised. “I thought the renovations had just recently finished? Even though you used all eco-friendly materials, don’t they need time to air out?” Wang Qiqi recalled asking Song Yao, who had also mentioned a March opening. Why the sudden two-month acceleration? Wouldn't this disrupt everything? “Sister Qian, don't worry, I will absolutely fly back for it. After all, I’m a shareholder too.” Whether she would actually return at that time was uncertain, but agreeing now was the polite thing to do.

“To save you the trouble of flying back and forth and contributing to the airlines’ bottom line, I decided to move up the Wellness Center opening. I have my reasons,” Li Qian said, though she didn't elaborate on why she was advancing the date. “As for the materials, I think we’ll be fine. And for ventilation, I’ve arranged for people to stay there these past few days, ensuring 24-hour airflow, and I even bought a bunch of fans to blast it constantly.”

Good grief, twenty-four-hour surveillance at the site, running industrial fans in this cold weather—the guards must have incredible willpower. But it clearly showed Sister Qian was determined to launch the Wellness Center. “Since you’ve put it like that, Sister Qian, I have no objections. I’ll check if Manman is coming back—oh, wait, Nana is scheduled for a business trip to Europe.” That trip had already been postponed once. Zhu Lina couldn't easily push it back again, especially since this trip to Europe required navigating delicate diplomatic waters—it wasn't like dealing with domestic affairs where things could be pushed around easily. She’d have to figure something out.

“It’s fine; the opening ceremony won't be too grand. I was thinking of organizing a free clinic,” Li Qian explained her idea. “People nowadays, when they feel unwell, are conditioned to see Western doctors. We need to show them the merits of Traditional Chinese Medicine. After much thought, I settled on a free clinic event. Of course, this will cost us a fair bit of money, though we will charge for the herbs.”

A free clinic? Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Li Qian to devise such a strategy to establish the Wellness Center’s name. The idea wasn't bad. Li Qian and Song Yao had connections with some wealthy society women, and after dropping hints about TCM wellness at the beauty salon recently, a few of those affluent ladies had tried it and reported excellent results, eagerly awaiting the center’s opening to seek treatment. However, relying solely on them wasn't ideal; their visits would likely be infrequent, even if the profit margins per visit were high. A center without a steady stream of general patients might look deserted. Holding a free clinic to popularize TCM would certainly drive traffic. The downside was that it would heavily burden the senior TCM practitioners. Many of them were highly respected figures, and overworking them would be a loss they couldn’t afford. Wang Qiqi hesitated. “Sister Qian, won’t this attract a huge number of people? Even if the senior doctors are willing, it’s not right to exhaust them.”

“I never said the senior doctors would be the ones running the free clinic,” Li Qian thought, feeling a strong urge to cry at the idea that if the free clinic patients scared off the masters she had finally persuaded to join, she would be heartbroken. “Don’t they have apprentices? We’ll have their apprentices step forward. Their skill level is actually quite good; they just lack real-world experience. You know how TCM currently lags behind Western medicine; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to poach them so easily.”

Ah, so it was the apprentices. “If their skill level is good, that’s all that matters. Since it’s a free clinic, if they are too high-level, people won't believe it anyway. As long as those practitioners show competence, it will work. Since we are offering free consultations, how about we give the Chinese medicine a 20% discount?” Wang Qiqi considered it. The free clinic had a significant initial outlay, but if you factored out the money that would have been spent on a lavish opening ceremony, the cost of the free clinic wouldn't be excessive. More importantly, it would build word-of-mouth reputation. A spectacular opening ceremony meant less to the average person than the memory of a helpful free consultation. Since the consultation fee was waived, offering a discount on the herbs would encourage those who believed in TCM to purchase them immediately, helping offset some of the losses.

“Mhm, that’s a good idea too.” Li Qian had initially considered offering a discount on the herbs but hadn't brought it up because she wasn't sure if Wang Qiqi would agree to the free clinic concept in the first place. To her surprise, Qiqi not only accepted the plan but proactively brought up the very discount Li Qian had held back. “How about we call your sister tonight and discuss this matter?”

“We can turn on the internet then and have a video conference with Nana. Oh, and we should call Manman too.” Although Wang Qiqi knew the two of them would ultimately defer to her judgment—"We’ll just make the final decision anyway"—she wouldn't act unilaterally. She still needed to gauge Zhu Lina’s and Shi Man’s thoughts first.

“Perfect. Let’s do it at my place. Your Uncle Ye has been complaining that you haven't visited him since you got back to the country.” If she were hosting someone with a more casual relationship, Li Qian would opt for convenience and go out. But for Qiqi, Li Qian would never settle for just any restaurant.

Old Ye actually misses me? Wang Qiqi pinched her nose. “He should be worried I’ll completely demolish your stock of tea.”

“Don’t worry, we have plenty of tea at home,” Li Qian said with a laugh. “Someone just brought back some Oolong tea from Taiwan recently; Uncle Ye treasures it and has it hidden away. You can take some when you come over.”

Oolong tea, specifically brought over from Taiwan? Wang Qiqi immediately knew this must be high-quality stuff; otherwise, why bother shipping it across the ocean? “Then I won’t be polite! And Sister Qian, you’ll have to help me out a bit then.” While Old Ye usually indulged her, he guarded his premium teas fiercely. “Maybe we can just have a cup after dinner?” If it was truly an exquisite, rare batch, Wang Qiqi felt a single taste would suffice.

“You’re not taking any?” Li Qian remembered Wang Qiqi enjoyed Oolong and Tieguanyin teas. Why did her tone suggest she didn't want any?

Wang Qiqi shook her head. “I’ll just have a sip. I’m actually not that particular about tea; it mostly just helps me wake up.” She wasn't some elite figure who needed to insist on drinking only the highest-grade leaves.