The arrival of Song Yao signaled the start of the festivities leading up to Han Tao and Wang Qiqi's wedding. Over the next day and a bit, guests arrived from various places in Hawaii. The second wave included Luo Hongjuan, Wang Damei, Gong Peixing, and little Tao Tao. This group was the only contingent met by Wang Qiqi and Han Tao at the airport, primarily because the formidable mother-in-law was arriving, and as the daughter-in-law, Wang Qiqi absolutely had to be present.

"Mom, Aunt, Brother-in-law, Tao Tao," Wang Qiqi and Han Tao rushed over upon seeing the familiar figures emerge. Song Yao had intended to come as well, but she was busy discussing matters with Shi Man, who had just arrived, so she couldn't make it. Even though Shi Man's plan wasn't slated for implementation until the year's end or beginning of the next, Song Yao felt that preparations should commence immediately; they couldn't afford to be caught scrambling at the last minute. Shi Man was enthusiastically discussing the details with Song Yao; although everyone had approved the plan, the matter of profitability remained a concern. This investment wasn't a trivial sum, so prudence was essential.

Luo Hongjuan beamed seeing her son and daughter-in-law waiting together. Her son had never caused her any worry, whether in his studies or, now, his marriage. Many of her friends envied how relaxed she was about her son's wedding. Generally, when a son marries, the mother-in-law is usually frantic with activity, but Luo Hongjuan had enjoyed a truly leisurely time, occasionally treating herself to a facial at her beauty salon. Sometimes, she would even wake up laughing in her dreams about it.

Seeing her niece and nephew-in-law standing side-by-side, Wang Damei was instantly reminded of her unfortunate younger brother and sister-in-law, and tears welled up. However, she quickly wiped them away. "Qiqi, Xiaotao, you both are so busy, you shouldn't have come to pick us up. We wrote down the hotel address, and if all else failed, we always had Tao Tao."

Since purchasing their house in the US and beginning the immigration procedures, Song Yao's family of three had stopped their stop-and-start English lessons and now attended classes daily. They even spoke English to each other at home. Wang Qiqi found this admirable, and it was rumored that Luo Hongjuan and Wang Damei's English had also seen significant improvement. "It's nothing, Mom and Aunt are here, how could we not pick you up?"

Han Tao had already silently taken charge of the luggage. Wang Damei looked at the mature Han Tao and sighed, concluding that Qiqi indeed had excellent judgment in choosing a partner. So many people had once said Han Tao wasn't good enough for Qiqi, but the girl had persisted. Now, their lives together were harmonious and sweet; they owned property and a house in the country, and now property and a house in the US too. Wang Damei took Wang Qiqi's hand and patted it. "You have the easiest life now; live it well from here on out, and don't end up like your sister-in-law." Wang Damei wasn't disappointed or otherwise about Yang Jing anymore; it was just that occasionally a wave of sadness washed over her—as life grew easier for some, family relationships grew colder, like the distance between her and Song Wenbo, or Song Yao and Song Ziwen's sibling bond. Fortunately, Song Yao and Qiqi's relationship remained as good as ever.

"Aunt, don't worry, my brother and the others will be fine too," Wang Qiqi said, unwilling to bring up unwelcome names on such a joyous occasion. She quickly changed the subject. "Mom, Aunt, let's head back to the hotel to rest first. We'll have a wonderful dinner tonight, and tomorrow during the day, we can go out and sightsee before attending my and Han Tao's wedding banquet in the evening."

Luo Hongjuan had no intention of going sightseeing. Even though her son and daughter-in-law assured her everything was prepared and she only needed to show up, as the mother-in-law, she couldn't treat herself like a mere guest. "I'll help out tomorrow. I'm old and don't really want to go running around."

Wang Qiqi delegated this task directly to Han Tao, asking him to handle it. "Mom, you and Aunt should go out tomorrow. The hotel is nice, with a pool and a beach and all, but you can't come back and tell your friends you visited Hawaii but only hung around the hotel, right?" Honestly, there was very little preparation left for the wedding itself. If Mom stayed confined to the hotel all day tomorrow, Han Tao genuinely worried the elderly lady might suddenly conjure up an idea or a new plan that he wouldn't be able to manage.

When Luo Hongjuan heard her son say this, reinforced by her daughter-in-law's persuasion, she considered it. "Alright, I will go out for a walk with Damei. I’ve heard Hawaii is quite beautiful; people were envious when I told them my son and daughter-in-law were planning their wedding here." It wasn't easy to make this trip, and her son and daughter-in-law had spent a fortune; it wouldn't do to hide away in the hotel the whole time.

With Luo Hongjuan finally yielding, Wang Qiqi felt a wave of relief. Close to the wedding, even the simplest ceremony involved numerous details to manage, not to mention that Wang Rui and her entourage were due to arrive in Hawaii soon. Qiqi simply lacked the energy to manage Wang Rui's presence on top of maintaining emotional rapport with her mother-in-law.

Standing by the car, Song Yao murmured to Wang Qiqi, "Are you really okay handling this alone?" Song Ziwen and his group had arrived the previous night, but due to jet lag, they weren't in the best spirits, which thankfully meant no trouble. Now that they were refreshed, who knew what might erupt, especially since the others had already gone out? What if Wang Rui decided to cause a scene? Qiqi shouldn't count on Song Ziwen and Yang Jing to back her up.

"Juliana arrived late last night. What do you think Song Ziwen and his bunch will dare to do?" To deal with Song Ziwen and his wife, and that pair, Gao Kai, as long as Juliana was present, Wang Qiqi was confident they wouldn't dare stir up serious trouble. "Okay, you two go have fun. Be back early this afternoon; tonight's dinner is important." While the meals had been good these past few days, this evening's banquet was the second most significant event—it was, after all, the party marking Han Tao and her transition from single life, wasn't it? To save hassle and to welcome all the guests, Wang Qiqi and Han Tao were hosting it together.

"Got it," Song Yao replied, no longer worried about Song Ziwen’s group when she recalled Juliana’s intimidating effect on them. "You should go get a facial and a spa treatment too. Don't forget, today is your wedding eve, even if you two are already an old married couple."

Song Yao suddenly recalled something. "Wait, yesterday you weren't supposed to see Han Tao, right? Or rather, you couldn't sleep in the same bed?"

"We're just hosting a banquet," Wang Qiqi stammered, momentarily flustered. There was such a rule? She thought foreigners had similar customs, but the issue was, it had already happened—what could be done now? "Sister, you should go. If you wait any longer, Tao Tao will get restless in the car." Furthermore, Wang Qiqi worried that Song Ziwen's group might wake up soon. As for Song Wenbo, Qiqi didn't give him a second thought; he was merely her uncle-in-law, and since she hadn't caused him any trouble, he had no standing to criticize her.

The first thing Song Ziwen did upon waking was try to find Song Yao to talk, but after knocking for a long time, no one opened the door. He found this odd. Just as he was about to go downstairs to check if she was having breakfast or down at the beach, he spotted Wang Qiqi's figure. "Hey, Qiqi, you're up early."

She really was out searching early. "It's fine, Yao Yao-jie and the others went out. Brother, you should take Sister-in-law out too. There aren't any formal ceremonies, just everyone gathering for a meal." Wang Qiqi had initially planned group activities, but the sudden addition of Wang Rui made her scrap the idea; she couldn't be having a great time only to have some overly familiar person tag along. "For the next few days, Brother, you can take Sister-in-law sightseeing. Surfing is great here."

Song Ziwen sighed at Wang Qiqi's detached tone. "Um, Qiqi, Wang Rui wants to talk to you."

"What do I have to discuss with her?" Wang Qiqi replied coldly. "She's your cousin, and I am your cousin, but I have no relation to her. Also, I will instruct the hotel staff tonight; I won't allow certain people who shouldn't be here to show up." Even if it cost extra, Wang Qiqi felt it was worth it.

Song Ziwen had anticipated Wang Qiqi might get angry or curse loudly, but he hadn't expected her to be so calm, showing no sign of anger whatsoever. "But after all, she is family."

"Does what she did count as something a sister would do? I am developing my career in the US, not staying in the country, so I see no need to maintain any sort of sisterly relationship with her." Wang Qiqi gave Song Ziwen a pointed look. "Your partnership with Gao Kai is your business, but that doesn't mean Wang Rui and I have to get along. Also, Brother, the packages I booked for you are all-inclusive. I don't want anyone using my money to entertain people I dislike."

Wang Qiqi's words flushed Song Ziwen’s face. "Qiqi, what do you mean by that? Are you suggesting your brother can't afford this money?" That was incredibly rude.

"It's not about affording the money; it's that I'd rather donate it than benefit a certain person. Brother, haven't you forgotten what Wang Rui did in the past? Oh, and since you're partnering with Gao Kai, did you send a financial controller to the joint venture? And will that financial controller truly support you? Think about it. Real estate has high returns, yes, but the waters run deep." This advice should have come from Song Yao, but Wang Qiqi suddenly changed her mind. "You might think I'm sowing discord, but consider Wang Rui's character; you should know where you stand. Also, haven't Gao Kai dug pitfalls before?"

After speaking, Wang Qiqi excused herself and returned to her room. As for Song Ziwen's state of mind, Wang Qiqi didn't care. He stood staring at her retreating back, deep in thought. He knew Wang Qiqi meant well in reminding him; she certainly wanted a rift between him and Gao Kai. But the problem was, whether looking at Wang Rui or Gao Kai, both had pulled unethical tricks before. Even if he was generous enough to overlook those past incidents, this new investment involved a massive sum of money, compounded by Yang Jing's previous complaints. This made Song Ziwen seriously question whether the financial controller he sent would actually look out for his interests. But if he replaced that person, who should he send? Yang Jing? Song Ziwen lowered his head in contemplation.