Jin Yao Tiao suddenly realized that she might not understand her parents at all, at least she had never known that her father could say such things.

She had always thought she was strong enough that she wouldn’t cry easily anymore.

But that night, she locked herself in her room and cried uncontrollably.

---

Mingzhu Mountain, Villa No. 8, the atmosphere was as cold as an ice cellar.

When Shen Qiming stepped into the house, his face was too cold.

Usually, Aunt Wang, who would have greeted him with some kind words, didn’t dare to say anything.

She took his coat and quickly disappeared with her colleague.

Not at ease, Jiang Sen followed Shen Qiming into the study, his voice heavy as he said, “I really didn’t expect that she usually keeps quiet, but when she speaks, it’s to break off the engagement. Tsk, breaking off an engagement is such a big deal. How do you think your family is going to handle this?”

Shen Qiming didn’t answer.

He sat behind the desk and thought for a moment before suddenly saying, “There’s no break-up. We’ll wait for her to calm down, and then proceed with the wedding as planned.”

Jiang Sen raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. “Are you kidding me? She returned the engagement ring, and you’re still thinking about the wedding? Dude, wake up! How can you not know what she thinks? Do you even understand women? If she’s gone this far, it’s probably because she’s not planning to come back at all!”

Shen Qiming remained silent.

Jiang Sen sighed, rolling his eyes.

After a moment, he regained his calm and relaxed into the couch. “Well, there’s no point in talking about it now. Don’t get too worked up. I’ll tell you, breaking up isn’t such a big deal. I go through it all the time. We’ll be fine in the end. It’s just the way things are. Yao Tiao is such a good wife… What a shame. Fortunately, you didn’t like her enough to be torn apart over it—”

He stopped mid-sentence when he met Shen Qiming’s gaze.

His voice froze.

A few seconds later, Jiang Sen jumped up in shock and blurted out, “No way! You really like Yao Tiao?”

Shen Qiming sat alone in the study, the dim light casting long shadows. He absentmindedly twirled a pen in his hand.

Jiang Sen’s words seemed to keep echoing.

Did he like Jin Yao Tiao?

He realized that he had never considered this question.

Or rather, he had never thought about anything related to emotions.

He didn’t even have hobbies.

Everything he did—reading, playing sports, riding horses, interacting with people—was out of necessity.

He was born to do these things, and no one had ever told him what he should like.

Among all of this, Jin Yao Tiao was a special existence.

When he first noticed her, she had always been there.

It was as though she would never disappear.

Now that this person, who seemed like she would never leave, had gone, the house he lived in every day suddenly felt empty. For a brief moment, he even didn’t want to step through the door.

But how could he know whether he liked her or not?

Shen Qiming dialed a rarely called number.

The phone rang several times before it was answered, and his father’s sharp, elderly voice came through. “What’s the matter?”

Shen Qiming paused for a second and asked, “Where’s Mom?”

“I don’t know.” His father replied, showing no interest in pleasantries. “Anyway, I was just about to go to a meeting. The overseas merger and acquisition project that Jing Mao prepared…”

Shen Qiming hung up the phone and went to Jin Yao Tiao’s room. He turned on the light, and everything was bathed in pink.

The room was neat and clean, with not a speck of dust, as if nothing was missing.

The only thing absent was the owner who should have been there.

---

Jin Jiarui had also been going through a rough time recently.

Before entering the company, he had discussed with his father many strategies for taking a management position.

But things didn’t go as planned.

The position he had set his sights on was taken by Jin Yao Tiao in a seemingly absurd manner.

On his first day, she stole the spotlight and made him feel invisible, even though they had both entered the company at the same time.

During this period, he began to subtly hint about his background in the project team, but his colleagues weren’t very interested.

After all, while his father was a member of the board, he couldn’t compare to Jin Yao Tiao, whose father was the chairman.

That wasn’t even the worst of it.

He had always thought he was superior due to his academic background, but many of his colleagues in the project team held master’s or doctoral degrees.

The few undergraduates were from well-known top universities, leagues ahead of him.

Unable to compete with Jin Yao Tiao in terms of background or with his colleagues in terms of ability, he sat in his cramped little office cubicle, feeling completely out of place.

He didn’t understand anything and wasn’t involved in any important work, which was incredibly frustrating.

He didn’t know anything, and without any advantages, he had to work hard to gain attention by chatting with people whenever he had the chance.

Despite lowering his status to appear friendly, his colleagues still treated him as just another connection, and the project team didn’t value him.

The work he was given consisted of menial tasks—filing documents, sending emails—things anyone could do.

He desperately wanted to get involved in the core work of Mingde, but even in meetings, his name was never on the list.

He complained to his father, asking him to help him get a position where he could actually contribute, but his father said that his uncle was still in charge, and it wasn’t appropriate for him to intervene too directly.

After all, the Jin family’s tradition was not to compete or fight for power, but to listen to the head of the family.

During lunch break, he glanced over at the nearby office and noticed that Jin Yao Tiao was also absent from work that day.

It made him so angry that he couldn’t even eat.

That office was supposed to be his, but the thing he had longed for was taken by Jin Yao Tiao on a whim, only to be discarded and forgotten as if it were nothing.

It was as though she had occupied the spot without any intention of doing anything with it.

---

A few management-level employees hurried by, leaving behind their discussions.

“Has everyone from the core team arrived? Let’s wrap up the meeting before lunch break ends.”

Jin Jiarui immediately caught the key phrase.

The meeting was about core personnel, and the discussion would inevitably focus on the key project content!

He was dying to break into the core circle, but sitting in this insignificant spot, he couldn’t even find a chance to prove himself.

He quickly called out to them.

The management team stopped, and when they saw him, they greeted him politely, “Jiarui, it’s you.”

The attitude was polite but not lacking in respect, after all, everyone knew he was someone with connections.

Jin Jiarui thought there was a chance and, with a shameless face, suggested, “Are you having a meeting? Could I also sit in and listen?”

He thought that with his background, he should not be refused, but the few management members exchanged looks and, without hesitation, dismissed him, saying, “This meeting is more important, and some content needs to be kept confidential. Maybe next time.”

After speaking, perhaps sensing his displeasure, one of them smiled and patted his shoulder, “Jiarui, you just joined the company, and even if you went, you wouldn’t understand. Once you’re more familiar with the company, it won’t be too late. Just focus on your work and don’t overthink it.”

Just as they were speaking, the door was pushed open, and the long-absent Jin Yaotiao stepped in, immediately attracting the attention of the staff.

“Supervisor Jin!”

“Supervisor Jin, you’re here!”

“Supervisor Jin, your shoes today are beautiful!”

Jin Yaotiao smiled at everyone, and the whole workspace seemed to brighten.

Her slightly husky voice was as smooth as silk: “You look beautiful today too. I bought several boxes of cherries, and someone will deliver them to the break room later. Make sure to grab some when you take a break.”

As soon as they heard “cherries,” the staff were instantly excited. Amidst the chorus of thanks, they whispered to each other.

“Since the princess has come to the project team, our standard of living has skyrocketed. We even have unlimited cherries now.”

“Yeah, the princess is so thoughtful, remembering to bring us benefits every time she comes.”

“If she becomes the boss in the future, we’ll be like the emperor’s loyal ministers, oh, we’ll be rich.”

Jin Yaotiao then turned to the management, shaking her phone, “Which meeting room?”

“We’re just having an internal meeting, the small meeting room on this floor will do.” The manager who had just rejected Jin Jiarui’s request suddenly changed his attitude, stepping forward with a smile to greet her. “I didn’t expect you’d come even though you’re so busy. You must be tired. We’ll try to finish as soon as possible.”

---

After the management left, Jin Jiarui, who remained behind, looked livid.

When the manager said, “Just us internal people,” even a fool could hear that Jin Yaotiao, who had joined the company at the same time as him, had smoothly been accepted into the core management circle.

What right did she have?

She had no ability, and her attitude wasn’t even proper.

She had only been at the company for a few days and barely came to work. Why could she attend the meeting he couldn’t?

And they even specially called her to attend?

They said she was tired—tired from shopping, maybe?

As a male member of the Jin family, he still punched in every day, working hard—wasn’t he a hundred times more capable than this ornamental vase?

Jin Jiarui fantasized about the various ways he would slap the management’s faces once he ascended to power, but his frustration still simmered.

Unable to hold back, he indirectly criticized Jin Yaotiao when everyone rushed to the break room for cherries: “Why did Yaotiao come to work so late today? I don’t think she came in the last two days either. It’s really not appropriate. What if she delays the project team’s progress?”

He thought his words made sense, but the colleagues who heard him looked at him strangely.

It took a while before someone, with a somewhat amused smile, spoke up: “Supervisor Jin, besides our project team, you also have to manage the Xunxiang Banquet’s anniversary event. How could you expect to punch in every day? It’s great that she even specially rushed over for the meeting.”

The Xunxiang Banquet! The Anniversary Event!

When Jin Jiarui heard these two terms, he nearly lost control.

This job was far more important than the position of project team supervisor!

Even his father couldn’t easily interfere, yet it had fallen into Jin Yaotiao’s hands!

It was simply outrageous!

When he stumbled away, everyone in the break room started gossiping.

“This Jin Jiarui must be out of his mind.

Why complain about the princess?

She’s the one who’ll inherit the throne.

Does he think everyone has time to punch in every day like him?”

“Yeah, always mentioning ‘Yaotiao,’ does he think anyone doesn’t know that he and Supervisor Jin are relatives? Did Supervisor Jin even look at him when she came to the company just now?”

---

The work at Xunxiang Banquet had always been managed by Jin’s father, and the other members of the Jin family rarely interfered.

So when Jin Yaotiao had been there for so long without any news reaching the Jin family, Jin Jiarui, enraged, went home and told his father, who immediately exploded.

“How can this be!”

Although the Xunxiang Banquet’s business wasn’t doing well, it was the foundation of Mingde.

Previously, when his son complained about the eldest daughter taking his position, Jin’s father hadn’t taken it seriously, thinking it was just a childish complaint.

But now, seeing this, he immediately realized something was off.

This wasn’t just a childish act—it was clearly a power grab!

The eldest brother’s position had been assigned by their father before his death.

Even though Jin Jiarui wasn’t happy, he had to hold it in.

After so many years of cultivating his son, it was all for the next generation to succeed.

But now, with the third branch about to rise, would they really have to take orders from a little girl in the future?

Jin Wen Zhi, his anger flaring, immediately threw his tea cup and led his son to confront the eldest brother.

---

Jin Yaotiao was baking pastries when she saw her third uncle and cousin visit.

After greeting her, they went upstairs, and her mother was somewhat confused, saying to Aunt Cen, “Why did the third brother come without even notifying us?”

Jin Yaotiao smiled and closed the oven door, “He probably came to chat.”

Since entering the kitchen of Xunxiang Banquet, she knew this day would come eventually. With her third uncle’s personality, seeing her rise would make it hard for him to stay still.

Upstairs, Jin’s father was initially pleased to see his younger brother visiting for tea.

He had even taken out some Pu-erh tea cakes, intending to show off his skills. But before he said much, the topic turned to his daughter.

“Big brother, I heard you assigned Yaotiao to handle the anniversary event at Xunxiang Banquet?”

Jin’s father, despite trusting his family, immediately sensed the intent behind his brother’s words.

His heart sank.

“She said she wanted to help me, so I let her,” he answered, laughing. “Who told you this?”

“I heard it outside.” Jin’s third brother vaguely replied, “Big brother, you’re really being reckless. The company is one thing, but Xunxiang Banquet is so important. How can you entrust it to Yaotiao? What if she makes a mess?”

Jin’s father, with a nonchalant expression, replied, “What mess could Yaotiao make? I trust her, and she’s just helping me out. Let’s not talk about this while drinking tea.”

Jin’s third brother, reassured by the explanation, still felt uneasy and subtly suggested, “I know she’s obedient, but big brother, she’s a girl, and spending so much time in the kitchen doesn’t seem right.”

Jin’s father slammed the tea cup down onto the table with a loud thud, silencing his younger brother. “That’s enough, third brother.”

The younger brother, taken aback by the sudden anger, fell silent. “Big brother?”

Jin’s father’s smile faded, and he stared into his brother’s eyes. “Your wife is also a woman, and she spends all day in the kitchen cooking for you. Do you think that’s inappropriate?”

His younger brother stammered, “Well… that’s different…”

Jin’s father shook his head and stood up. “Third brother, remember, Yaotiao is a girl, but she’s also my daughter. She’s doing things I haven’t objected to, so don’t interfere.”

He added, “And don’t forget, the one running Mingde now is me.”

A while ago, when he was diagnosed with lung cancer, he had thought about discussing it with his brothers in case something happened to him and his wife and daughter needed support.

Now, he was glad he hadn’t.

Jin’s father, looking at his brother, suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

How had he changed so much?

---

Jin’s father descended the stairs with a grim expression, and Jin Yaotiao, who had just finished baking pastries, handed him one when she saw him approach.

The freshly harvested winter bamboo shoots were so tender they almost leaked water when pinched.

Jin’s father had brought some back after work, and after defrosting, they were fresh.

Minced pork, mixed with chopped bamboo shoots and scallions, was stuffed into dough, brushed with egg yolk, and baked to a golden, tempting color.

Jin’s mother asked her husband, “What did the third brother talk to you about?”

Jin’s father, with a hundred thoughts racing through his mind, shook his head, losing his appetite. “Just some small matter.”

Jin Yaotiao, glancing at her father, understood perfectly but didn’t expose anything. Smiling, she asked, “The new filling—I think it could go on the banquet menu. How does it taste?”

Jin’s father snapped out of his thoughts and took a bite. The juice from the meat exploded out, burning his mouth, but it was so delicious he couldn’t stop eating.

He felt a sudden relief in his chest and quickly finished the rest, gesturing at his daughter with a half-smile, “I didn’t quite taste the flavor. Give me another one.”