It took Wang Qiqi a full day to reply to Song Ziwen's email, stating she couldn't help at all; Song Ziwen's past conduct had truly put Julina in a difficult position. This latest tender was Julina's father's decision, which Julina had also conveyed to Wang Qiqi via email. The reason was the sheer scale of Song Ziwen's activities in recent days—lobbying everyone everywhere—which had genuinely annoyed Julina. In Julina's view, if Song Ziwen had just done his job properly before, none of this would have happened. Unfortunately, he had leveraged his good relationship with Julina to act in ways that alienated people.

After sending the reply to Song Ziwen, Wang Qiqi set the matter aside, focusing instead on her company. Business had been thriving lately, compounded by the move to a new office location, signifying that the company had finally stabilized. She wouldn't consider buying land to build their own premises until the company reached an even higher tier. The staff was also growing steadily, and Wang Qiqi was busy recruiting under Kan’s direction. Some hires involved poaching talent from other companies, while others were fresh recruits, as poaching talent exclusively incurred significant costs. John even remarked that once their office environment and future prospects improved further, people would flock to them naturally, so he preferred finding capable individuals and nurturing their growth.

As for Song Ziwen, since he stopped contacting her, Wang Qiqi naturally assumed he was focusing on getting ahead and pursuing the tender. Whether he won or lost was something she didn't have time to track. Meanwhile, Song Yao urgently sought Wang Qiqi online, her anxiety startling Wang Qiqi.

When Wang Qiqi learned the reason for Song Yao’s distress, she was left speechless, sitting dumbfounded in front of her computer. Han Tao, after seeing off the plump couple who had been freeloading meals, returned to his study to find Wang Qiqi looking vacant. He walked over and glanced at the screen. He knew Song Yao had just made an international call; frankly, Song Yao’s hurried demeanor had unnerved Han Tao too. He had worried whether something serious had happened to his mother, but with the plump couple present and Song Yao calling Wang Qiqi, Han Tao felt awkward asking further. "What's wrong? What did your sister need you for?" Seeing Wang Qiqi’s expression, it didn't seem like a major crisis; it looked like the elders weren't ill, which brought Han Tao a measure of relief.

"Song Ziwen plans to transfer all his shares in the machining plant, and Yao Yao is prepared to buy them out. However, she doesn't have the immediate capital and asked Song Ziwen for some leeway. But do you know what Yang Jing said?" Wang Qiqi pulled up the chat history between her and Song Yao to show Han Tao. Honestly, she had considered the possibility that if Song Ziwen faced financial trouble, he might transfer the plant shares, but she never expected Yang Jing to behave this way.

Han Tao read the messages and could only let out a cold snort. "Is Yang Jing only seeing dollar signs? What if they wait ten days or half a month?" Who demands immediate payment when selling shares? "And she threatened to give the shares to an outsider?"

"Exactly. I even offered him a discount initially. If she weren't pushing for preferential treatment, she wouldn't have to be so coercive, right?" Wang Qiqi knew that Song Yao and her husband genuinely didn't have much spare cash right now, having bought a house in the US and invested in Old Feng’s company. Even if she had funds, they were limited, and securing a bank loan or selling assets both required time.

"Did Song Ziwen say nothing?" Han Tao recalled that Song Ziwen and his sister used to have a good relationship. He never imagined the Song siblings would turn against each other over money, especially since neither of them was poor. Yet here they were, truly coming to blows over finances.

Wang Qiqi could sense Song Yao’s fury. On the surface, this was Yang Jing’s doing, but deep down, it was surely Song Ziwen’s desire too. "He didn't commit, just said he was severely short of funds, claiming that without winning the tender, this year’s business was highly problematic."

"If business is poor, then he should transfer his shares in the cabinet factory," Han Tao thought. He knew this idea had crossed the minds of both Wang Qiqi and Song Yao. However, if they actually did that, it would likely lead to a complete falling out. But since the Song couple had already turned hostile, treating them with undue politeness, Han Tao felt, might encourage them to cause further trouble later.

"That way, the relationship will be beyond repair," Wang Qiqi countered, having avoided suggesting it precisely for that reason. "How about contacting Nana and asking if she's interested?" It wasn't that she minded the shares going to an outsider, but what if the new shareholder started interfering with the factory’s management? Yet, why would Julina be interested in such an industry? In the Zhu family's mindset, they could invest entirely on their own rather than cooperating with others. If Julina invested privately, Wang Qiqi estimated her personal funds were likely already strained, given the three side businesses she was running and the significant capital tied up in them. Wang Qiqi knew Song Yao sought her out partly hoping she could approach Julina.

While Wang Qiqi and Han Tao struggled to find a good solution, Song Yao sent a message. Upon reading it, Wang Qiqi and Han Tao exchanged glances—Song Yao was actually planning to swap shares with Song Ziwen. It seemed that while they were agonizing over options, Song Yao had been wrestling with this alternative. "A swap might work, but I doubt Song Ziwen will agree," Han Tao mused, remembering his need for cash.

"He probably will agree," Han Tao stated firmly after a moment’s thought. "If you bring in an unfamiliar shareholder, do you think it will be easy for Song Ziwen to mortgage the factory for whatever he needs later? It’s one thing when it’s just you two not interfering with management; another shareholder won't be so amenable."

Song Ziwen certainly wouldn't want that, and he probably assumed Song Yao wouldn't resort to such a move. Song Yao must be deeply hurt. Wang Qiqi watched the now-dimmed avatar, realizing Song Yao had likely retreated somewhere to compose herself. Wang Qiqi could only hope Song Ziwen would eventually see reason. "Do you think I should talk to Song Ziwen?"

Han Tao patted Wang Qiqi's shoulder. "Do you think your intervention would be effective? Just forget it. Your involvement might only make Song Ziwen hate you more. Have you forgotten that Julina was the one who started this mess?"

Wang Qiqi remained silent, deciding to stay out of it for now after careful consideration. However, she suddenly recalled a matter she hadn't discussed with Han Tao. "Do you think we should bring Mom and Dad's photos here?"

Han Tao paused, then understood. "Let's just drop it. Have my mother buy an apartment near your sister, and then we'll move all the photos there." Han Tao grasped Wang Qiqi’s meaning. "It’s fine if the house stays empty." While he had considered selling the old house, he realized it was his childhood home, and what if his mother wanted to return someday? Though that possibility seemed slim, given that the Han family knew its location and had previously ambushed Wang Qiqi there—she could have been in serious trouble if not for luck—and with his mother's health being delicate, caution was the better part.

"Okay. I remember there was a property near where my sister lives, right? We can have it renovated then," Wang Qiqi recalled. She remembered an unused apartment she bought near Song Yao's place, though it wasn't large and hadn't been furnished. She figured this was a good time to have Luo Hongjuan renovate it. Whether his mother lived there or not didn't matter; Wang Qiqi had no intention of renting it out. Her original plan was to use it as a wedding home if Luo Hongjuan remarried, to preempt opposition from the spouse's children. However, based on Song Yao’s recent inquiries, Luo Hongjuan had no intention of remarrying and hoped to come to the US to look after the children in the future. Since that was her plan, the apartment could remain vacant for now, and renovating it now served a purpose.

Han Tao agreed without objection. He found Luo Hongjuan online and explained the plan. Luo Hongjuan initially suggested she could simply stay with Song Yao and saw no need to renovate the other apartment, arguing that money shouldn't be wasted so carelessly. She also knew that her son and daughter-in-law appeared wealthy but had too many investments. However, after Han Tao explained why the house needed renovation, Luo Hongjuan could only sigh a couple of times before immediately agreeing to the renovations. She promised that once the house was ready, she would immediately return to their hometown to bring the photos to Beijing.

Following that stressful incident, Wang Qiqi made time to chat with Song Yao, no matter how busy she was. After all, they were siblings, and before Song Ziwen married, Song Yao had cared for him deeply. It was unimaginable that they would reach this point. Through Song Yao’s descriptions, Wang Qiqi learned the current state of their relationship—barely better than strangers. When Song Wenbo learned of Song Yao’s actions, he called and severely scolded her, saying that as an older sister, she only found joy in pushing her brother toward ruin. Recalling the sight of Song Yao weeping silently over the computer that day, Wang Qiqi felt utterly incapable of offering comfort. It was natural for Song Wenbo to favor his son, but could Song Yao truly be blamed? If Song Ziwen hadn't acted so outrageously first, would Song Yao have said those things?

Despite the various disheartening events, Song Yao only grew more resolute. She gradually channeled all her energy into the business. Furthermore, by securing all of Song Ziwen's shares, the expansion of the machining plant accelerated far beyond its previous pace. Gong Peixing finally acquired the imported machinery he had wanted, without any opposition, and business flourished increasingly, leading Song Yao to wish she had bought out Song Ziwen’s shares much sooner.

In contrast to Song Yao’s smooth progress, Wang Qiqi learned through Julina that Song Ziwen’s cabinet factory business was beginning to slow down. The workshops, which used to run overtime frequently, were now idle more often. The partnership with Gao Kai, having secured all necessary funding, had commenced an aggressive expansion drive in other regions. Julina mentioned that Gao Kai was indeed a man of vision, purchasing land with impressive decisiveness. Wang Qiqi remarked that owning land was excellent; even without building, holding onto it for three to five years would yield a handsome profit. Julina’s lighthearted comment spurred her to acquire significant tracts of suburban land, greatly astonishing the relatives who had mocked her, believing she was losing her mind. (To be continued)