Upon opening the door, Wang Qiqi immediately spotted the brilliant blue sea through the floor-to-ceiling living room window, which sent her rushing onto the balcony in sheer delight. “Wow, what a view.” While staring at the ocean might eventually become tedious, owning a seaside villa—that life must be wonderful. Work hard, that kind of life isn't far off for us now, Wang Qiqi clenched her fist, offering herself encouragement.

After Han Tao dismissed the server with a tip, he didn't immediately unpack. He walked behind Wang Qiqi and wrapped his arms around her waist. “The scenery is beautiful.”

“Mmm,” Wang Qiqi leaned against Han Tao, quietly gazing out at the sea until their feet grew numb. “How about we go down and take a look?” Looking at the scenery from inside is nice, but merely watching it, no matter how stunning, loses its appeal eventually.

Wang Qiqi yawned and shook her head. “Forget it, let’s just sleep. Wake me up when it’s time for dinner.” Wang Qiqi felt utterly exhausted lately. If her period hadn't just arrived, she might have suspected pregnancy. Too bad it wasn't the case; otherwise, she could have transitioned to working from home soon enough.

Han Tao murmured an acknowledgment. “You rest. I’ll check online to see if anything’s come up at the company.” Since Qiqi planned to rest, Han Tao figured he could catch up on any pressing business matters.

Seeing her man working so diligently, Wang Qiqi could only pout slightly. This guy was definitely a model employee. Even when he wasn't technically working overtime, he was still preoccupied with work once they got home. It was work disguised as leisure time. If she didn't live there too, Wang Qiqi might have suggested Han Tao go clock in overtime at the office; at least then she wouldn’t have to cook dinner at home and they could save a bit on electricity and water bills.

Once fully refreshed, Wang Qiqi and Han Tao dove back into finalizing the wedding itinerary. Since Qiqi wasn't Christian, many of the formalities were eliminated, which was a relief to her. “It seems straightforward. Should we organize a bonfire party in the evening?” Han Tao suddenly suggested.

A bonfire party? Wang Qiqi considered it. “Let’s skip it. With the kids around, what if something goes wrong?” While it was simpler, her requirement was for simplicity. “As long as the food and drinks are high-end, that should be enough. No need to overdo the setup.”

“This place isn't far from the mall. My sister and her group can get SPA treatments, or go swimming, or even charter a boat for fishing,” Wang Qiqi reflected, deciding the current wedding plan was quite good. What other couple hosted their guests like this?

“Exactly, this is perfect.” Song Yao’s voice suddenly cut in, startling Wang Qiqi. “Sister, how did you get here early?” Wang Qiqi remembered Song Yao was supposed to arrive tomorrow. How had she arrived ahead of schedule? Noticing Song Yao was already carrying luggage and that Tao Tao wasn't in sight behind her, Wang Qiqi felt a strange apprehension. Could Tao Tao not have come? But wasn't it summer vacation? Why wouldn't the little guy come? Last time they video-chatted, he’d complained about why the wedding wasn’t held at Disneyland; he’d said then he could have taken his friends there to play.

Song Yao pulled Wang Qiqi close and scrutinized her face. “I changed my flight. Your brother-in-law and the others are on the original flight.” How could Song Yao not be anxious? She hadn't imagined Yang Jing could be so thoughtless. Setting aside whether Yang Jing was truly innocent or if Wang Rui’s attendance at Qiqi’s wedding was connected to her, at the very least, Wang Qiqi’s wedding news had definitely been disseminated by her—otherwise, how would Wang Rui have known? “I gave Song Ziwen a thorough dressing-down.”

Given Song Yao’s unexpected arrival, Han Tao picked up the luggage. “I’ll go book a room for Sister; you two chat.” Although Wang Qiqi hadn't made a fuss about Wang Rui’s impending arrival these past two days, acting as if it were normal, Han Tao felt a pang of worry. It would be one thing if Qiqi vented her frustration, but bottling it up like this was concerning. Now that Song Yao was here, Han Tao felt less anxious and decided to give the sisters some space.

Once Han Tao left, Song Yao led Wang Qiqi toward the beach. “The environment here is excellent; it’s great for hosting a wedding.” The sky was remarkably blue, the air lacked that acrid sting, and the sea didn't wash up unsightly garbage. It was genuinely much better than the beaches in HN.

“The place is nice, but the guests are annoying,” Wang Qiqi replied, understanding that Song Yao had likely rushed over specifically to comfort her. “Sister, I’m fine. If Wang Rui wants to come, let her. I’m not covering her expenses anyway. Just treat it as her coincidentally vacationing in the US.”

Song Yao had spent the journey rehearsing how to console Wang Qiqi, never expecting the girl to speak of her plans so calmly. If Qiqi genuinely felt this way, Song Yao would be relieved. However, this girl often kept things bottled up inside. “I know you’re unhappy. Just say it out loud, and we can figure something out together.”

“I was furious at first, wishing Yang Jing didn’t come at all. I’ve never encountered such a troublesome relative. Haven't I helped them over the years? Yet, in the end, they still criticize everything I do, treating me like an idiot. If she finds me so disagreeable, then we simply won't interact. I genuinely don't care either way.” Wang Qiqi had done a lot of thinking these last two days. “Who benefits most from my anger? Isn't it Wang Rui and the others? If that’s the case, why fall for their trap? I’ll just ignore them and pretend I don't know them.”

Watching Wang Qiqi’s calm expression, Song Yao sighed internally. Ignoring them probably extended beyond Wang Rui; perhaps it included Song Ziwen and Yang Jing too. Yang Jing and company had truly overstepped this time. Even though Qiqi’s wedding might be slightly scaled back now, they had been looking forward to it. How many people would remain cheerful seeing such bothersome relatives show up? “Song Ziwen—he wouldn’t do this. I suspect it’s Yang Jing’s doing.” Marrying a wife should mean marrying a virtuous one. She used to think Yang Jing was quite decent, coming from an educated family, seemingly so much better than both her and Qiqi. But Yang Jing’s behavior was becoming increasingly egregious; Song Yao couldn't fathom what she was thinking now.

“Can I really blame Yang Jing? If Song Ziwen could remain firm, what options would Yang Jing have? Ultimately, it’s Song Ziwen’s problem.” Don’t mistake Han Tao’s compliance with Wang Qiqi’s wishes for a lack of conviction. There were issues Han Tao stood firm on, like how to deal with Luo Hongjuan. “Does he still call Auntie frequently these days?”

“He’s busy with work,” Song Yao sighed. Since her mother came to the capital, Song Ziwen’s calls had dwindled. “The last time he called frequently was because he thought I had been too excessive in my actions and wanted Mom to discipline me. Fortunately, my mother isn't as muddled as my father.” Song Yao recalled that call from Song Wenbo with irritation. “Dad kept insisting I was ungrateful and had forgotten the help they provided back then. Yes, but why doesn’t he mention what Song Ziwen is up to now? He’s getting more foolish as he ages. Ugh, never mind, talking about it just makes me angry. By the way, what are you doing about that house back home? Since Song Ziwen moved into the villa, he’s probably looking to sell that old property too.”

Song Ziwen hadn't mentioned the house, but Song Yao still had friends in their hometown who had informed her. “Remember how many properties the three of us owned back home? We were practically landed gentry. Now, I probably only have one left. I only have two properties in our hometown now, and Song Ziwen is better off with just the one villa under his name.”

“Don’t you have the properties in other cities?” Ever since Song Ziwen stopped collaborating with Zhu Lina, the cabinet factory business hadn’t been doing spectacularly. Although he was working with Gao Kai now, Gao Kai’s payments weren't as prompt as Zhu Lina’s family's were. Even if Gao Kai and Song Ziwen were partners, what choice did Song Ziwen have but to sell off assets to keep the business afloat? “And isn’t Yang Jing’s shop doing quite well?” Even with more people entering that line of business now, didn't Yang Jing have extensive connections? She knew plenty of people and certainly made a respectable income.

“She’s poured all her energy into the cabinet factory now. With us not interfering between them, how could she not supervise it? The shop is probably being run by her cousin now; I didn’t ask for specifics. Oh, she kept the commercial unit, though.” Song Yao suddenly added, “But Song Ziwen went to the capital a while ago, and he didn’t mention it. I only found out later when he let it slip. I suspect he might have gone to Beijing to sell a property. Sigh, business owners are always so strapped for cash flow.”

Yang Jing is supervising the cabinet factory? Wang Qiqi paused, then suddenly recalled something. “What’s the point of her watching the cabinet factory? If she has to watch something, she should be watching the real estate company. That’s Gao Kai’s territory. If they’re investing money there, aren't they worried Gao Kai might pull something behind their backs?” Wang Qiqi suggested this partly because she knew Yang Jing was often idle and looking for ways to cause trouble; if she sent Yang Jing there, she’d have no time to bother them. Of course, Wang Qiqi also felt that if Gao Kai ran into problems, Song Ziwen would notice before things became irremediable.

Sending Yang Jing to the real estate company? “Song Ziwen should have appointed a financial controller there already.” Song Yao, however, was considering that Yang Jing was already colluding with Wang Rui, likely causing significant trouble. If Yang Jing were sent to the real estate side as well, wouldn't that only strengthen the bond between the two of them, leading to even more complications?

“How can an outsider be as trustworthy as someone close to you? Besides, Yang Jing and Wang Rui only lack a direct financial stake. Given Yang Jing’s personality, do you think she wouldn’t keep an eye on the purse strings? And which side do you think Wang Rui would stand on?” Wang Qiqi saw from Song Yao’s expression that she was reluctant about the idea, so she laid out her reasoning. Regardless, both she and Song Yao shared the same stance: they wanted to live their own lives peacefully and avoid further drama from Yang Jing. Everyone was busy making money and didn't want to constantly guard against betrayal from behind.

Song Yao understood; so, the idea was to make them fight amongst themselves, “Fine, I get it. I’ll find an opportunity to talk to Song Ziwen about it, though I doubt he’ll be willing to listen.”

“Whether he listens is his business; stating our position is ours. If he runs into trouble later, we can at least say we offered a warning.” The choice rested entirely with Song Ziwen, but Wang Qiqi was certain he would take it to heart. Even if he didn't act on it immediately upon returning, it was bound to happen eventually, wasn't it?