This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

“Right, right, right, Youyou make a heart gesture towards me! Look at the camera! Wow, wonderful, wonderful.”

Qin Yiren’s speed of pressing the camera shutter was almost faster than her piano playing years ago, snapping away in rapid succession.

Even Mother Liu and Mother Qian combined couldn’t keep up with her!

But it’s no wonder, as Xu Youyou wearing a little angel costume was really extremely cute. Coupled with the realistic props and the glow of the setting sun, it truly gave people the illusion of an angel that had descended to earth.

Inside Xu Youyou’s mind, Xu Wenyin was feeling regretful that she wasn’t physically present.

She must copy all of the photos from Qin Yiren’s camera and change her phone screen every day!

Qin Yiren was thinking the same way. The brainwaves of this best friend duo were highly synchronized at this moment!

At the same time, Qin Yiren didn’t forget to complain about her own rebellious son. No matter how she begged him to change into that little devil costume, he refused. Otherwise, this kind of occasion would be perfect for an angel and devil theme!

But it was already late after all. After changing into other outfits, Qin Yiren and the others followed the resort manager’s suggestion to have an enjoyable dinner.

Anyway, there were still two days ahead and plenty of time, so there’s no need to rush at all.

The entire area was very large, but because it’s a high-end resort, the recreational facilities far outnumbered the lodgings.

However, since only Qin Yiren’s group was currently being accommodated, it was empty no matter where they went.

The manager arranged a perfectly sized private lodging for the group, neither too spacious to hinder communication nor too cramped to feel crowded.

Less than a minute after they sat down, the dishes began to be served one after another.

If it were other guests, the manager might have introduced the origins of the fish, mentioning how it was raised meticulously, and the most exquisite part of the beef from a particular breed of cattle.

But since it was Qin Yiren and her group, the manager wouldn’t bother with such details. Once the dishes were served and it was confirmed that no assistance was needed, he simply withdrew and closed the door behind him.

At the training camp, several children were capable of eating and washing dishes by themselves, so naturally, they didn’t need adults’ help when they were outside.

The self-disciplined children sat together and started chatting in their own language.

The adults’ topics were the most boring; they weren’t interested in them at all.

So besides occasionally glancing at their children, most of the time, the parents were chatting about grown-up topics.

Recently, the Liu family slowed down the pace of expanding their company, allowing Father and Mother Liu to have relatively more free time to spend with Liu Miaomiao. However, years of sharpness honed in the business world also made Father Liu notice a problem.

“There’s this guy named Zhou Weimin; it seems like he’s found some backing, and his recent actions have been quite aggressive.” The Liu family’s business was in real estate, and so was Zhou Weimin.

Moreover, Zhou Weimin had settled in Jiang City even earlier than the Liu family. However, when comparing Zhou Weimin’s company to the Liu family’s, it’s like comparing an ant to an elephant.

Jiang City was only part of the Liu family’s strategic plan for the past two years. Even if they truly suffered losses there, it would be at most a minor setback. However, for Zhou Weimin, Jiang City was the foundation of his entire company.

After canceling several projects in collaboration with the government, Father Liu didn’t just leave them unattended. He still had people keeping an eye on them. It was through this surveillance that he discovered Zhou Weimin was trying to acquire all those projects.

Upon further investigation, they found out that the Qin family had also looked into Zhou Weimin. Qin Yiren even issued a direct warning to him.

However, nobody knew the content of the warning; all they knew was that Qin Yiren had expressed displeasure.

Because the Qin family didn’t intend to conceal anything, anyone willing to investigate could find out about it. This also led to a particularly tough period for Zhou Weimin before the Spring Festival.

This was how the world works. Even if the stronger party merely showed a hint of dissatisfaction, the people below would spontaneously act to try to please them.

Who would have thought that after the Spring Festival, this person would suddenly bounce back?

If Zhou Weimin managed to successfully take on those projects in the end, his company might become the second-largest real estate company in Jiang City.

Father Liu thought it over and decided to seize a suitable opportunity to talk to Qin Yiren. Whether she already knew or not, it was better to proactively address it than to remain silent.

Since the incident involving Liu Miaomiao, Father and Mother Liu were very grateful for the help of the children. Naturally, they hoped to build good relationships with their parents as well.

Moreover, being on good terms with the Qin family seemed like they would be the ones benefiting from it!

“Zhou Weimin?” Qin Yiren paused for a moment upon hearing the name. “Sounds familiar, who is he?”

Given that Father Liu chose to bring this up on this occasion, was it related to either the Qin or the Lu family?

Father Liu: “……”

So you’ve forgotten about the person altogether? Then why issue such a clear warning in the first place?

Those people probably thought Zhou Weimin had somehow offended the Qin family!

With a hint of resignation, Father Liu could only recount the whole story to jog Qin Yiren’s memory.

“Oh, it’s that guy!”

Qin Yiren indeed didn’t remember Zhou Weimin’s name; he wasn’t an important person. However, when Father Liu mentioned the incident of her warning someone last year, she immediately recalled.

“Are you suggesting that Zhou Weimin has connections with someone higher up?”

Qin Yiren, after all, was a member of the Qin family. Even though she had no interest in business matters, she still possessed a certain level of acumen.

For businesspeople, merely focusing on their business without building good relations with the government was unlikely to lead to long-term success or significant growth. Knowing how to cultivate ties with the government and develop under the support of the state was also a skill in itself.

In the eyes of many ordinary business owners, a place like Jiang City might just appear as one with decent development over the past couple of years. There were several other cities similar to it. After all, in recent years, the entire country has been rapidly developing.

However, in the eyes of those who received some advance information, it’s considered a treasure trove.

Whoever could seize opportunities in this treasure trove could secure at least a decade of success in the future.

Otherwise, why would families like the Liu^[1]刘, Qian, and Liu^[2]柳 families, who were doing well in the capital, move their entire households over?

If it were just one or two small projects, there would be no need for such a move at all.

It’s precisely because this was a long-term battle that such significant efforts were being made.

However, those who haven’t reached their level wouldn’t pay attention to these matters, and those who have reached a certain level would naturally have their own arrangements. So overall, the arrival of several families hadn’t caused much of a stir among the general public.

Since they’ve come to Jiang City, it’s only natural for them to rebuild some of the ‘friendly relations’ they previously established in the capital.

Liu Yanzhi’s Father hosted so many parties not because he was truly overflowing with money and had nowhere else to spend it. He’s also rebuilding his network, whether it’s for power or profit. As long as he catered to their interests, he wouldn’t lack people willing to engage with him.

The problem now was that the cake in Jiang City was only so big. If one took an extra bite, naturally, there would be one less for the other person.

Father Liu doesn’t mind his abandoned projects being divided among several companies, but he does mind if all those projects fall into the hands of the same person!

He knew full well how much profit those land projects could yield for a developing city.

It’s bound to propel a seemingly ordinary company forward by leaps and bounds!

It’s just that Zhou Weimin seemed to have some involvement with the Qin family as well, which was why Father Liu made a gentle reminder.

To put it simply, ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’.

Even if a hundred Zhou Weimins couldn’t overpower the Qin family, it’s always wise to be cautious.

“That guy does have some skill.”

Qin Yiren frowned in displeasure.

Based on the things that Zhou Weimin had done before, he was exactly the kind of person Qin Yiren disliked the most.

Moreover, if Zhou Weimin gained power, who knew what kind of tricks such a cunning person might play behind the scenes?

Perhaps he wouldn’t dare to act against her with the support of the Qin and Lu families behind her back, but Xu Wenyin and her daughter……

“I’ll mention this matter to my brother.” A smile returned to Qin Yiren’s face. “Rest assured, we won’t underestimate anyone.”

The small-minded also have their own abilities, but if they become too proud and arrogant, they might end up falling flat on their faces one day.

Even if one only gets a little ‘dust’ on them, it’s still not a very pleasant thing.

“I naturally believe in CEO Qin. Maybe we can even have some small cooperation with him in the future.” Father Liu said with a hearty laugh and took a sip of…… juice.

Since it was a family gathering, and he was the only man there, he had no choice but to abstain from drinking alcohol.

“Hahaha, Old Liu, how come you’re getting tipsy from drinking juice?”

Mother Qian burst into laughter, having heard the conversation as well.

Even though the Qian family’s main business was in catering, the location of their restaurants was equally important.

Compared to Zhou Weimin, they naturally preferred to cooperate with the Liu or the Qin family. Plus, considering Qin Xiao’s special visit last time……

Mother Qian glanced discreetly at Qin Yiren. It seemed that she wasn’t aware of the specific situation, so Mother Qian didn’t pry further.

However, it was evident that the battles among the influential figures in Jiang City had reached a fever pitch. Whoever managed to stay would shape the future of Jiang City, while those who lost would slink away in defeat, determining the city’s fate.

They just hoped Qin Xiao could be effective enough to ensure that those who had allied with him could successfully stay. Otherwise, without the government’s endorsement, it wouldn’t be easy to develop in Jiang City.

After the adults finished discussing business, they started chatting about parenting topics, with the three mothers naturally taking the lead. Meanwhile, Father Liu took it upon himself to pour tea for Mother Liu.

Their previous topic was over, but not for Xu Wenyin.

As an invisible adult, when Father Liu mentioned the three name Zhou Weimin, Xu Wenyin perked up her non-existent ears.

She knew then that the guy wasn’t going to exit the stage so easily.

There’s just no way around it; ‘fate’ seemed to be on his side!

As the foster father of the female protagonist, the novel mentions that Zhou Weimin’s career would further expand, making him a well-known businessman in Jiang City. So even if he hadn’t adopted Xu Youyou, those inexplicable fortunes would still manifest in him.

Just like that cheap younger brother!

Calculating the days, Mrs. Zhou should be giving birth soon, right?

Xu Wenyin glanced at Xu Youyou who was eating obediently, and she wanted to complain again.

Zhou Weimin, who adopted Xu Youyou, became wealthy, and that cheap younger brother of hers probably sucked Xu Youyou dry of who knows how much blood. Even Lu Haoyu, who came later, narrowly escaped death several times because of Xu Youyou, and he eventually turned the Lu family into the most ‘deserving’ wealthy family in the area.

But what about Xu Youyou?!

She’s just like a sheep caught and being mercilessly sheared!

She lived a miserable life, while those who tormented her seemed to live happily ever after!      

It wasn’t mentioned whether the Zhou family received any retribution in the end, and considering Xu Youyou’s state at that time, she probably didn’t have the energy to care about them either.

They might still be living happily! After all, in the eyes of outsiders, they were the richest man’s wife’s maternal family!

The more Xu Wenyin thought about it, the angrier she got!

Even if Xu Youyou were truly a sheep, it’s still too much to just catch and shear her excessively!

Who on earth wrote this story?!

How could there be such twisted rules?!

〖Youyou!〗

Feeling the weight of her responsibilities, Xu Wenyin suddenly called out to Xu Youyou, then spoke with a particularly serious tone, 〖In the future, when choosing a man, make sure to stay far away from those surnamed Lu! The farther, the better! If by any chance you happen to encounter one, if you can fight, then give him a hard beating; if you can’t, then just run!〗

That’s right, Xu Wenyin vented her anger because of a certain Lu Haoyu, unfairly targeting an entire surname!

Suddenly being taught by Xu Wenyin, Xu Youyou was first stunned, then she nodded slightly, “I understand, Mom.”

Evidently, at that moment, both mother and daughter forgot that sitting quietly on the side while having his meal was a certain curly-haired boy surnamed Lu.

But even if they remembered, they would probably react along the lines of—

Xu Wenyin: When I say ‘Lu’, I mean Lu Haoyu. What does it have to do with Lu Chenjun?

Xu Youyou: Surnamed Lu? Who’s surnamed Lu? Isn’t Juanjuan just called Juanjuan?

Fortunately, Lu Chenjun, whose name had once again been forgotten, remained unaware. Otherwise, he would probably have another round of debate with Xu Youyou about names, just like before.

Of course, after saying those words, Xu Wenyin didn’t sit idly by.

She had long known about the so-called saying ‘destiny is hard to change’ since her time at the system school. Otherwise, what would they be there for?

So, when it came to stubborn characters like Zhou Weimin, Xu Wenyin naturally had to take the initiative to attack!

She had to strike first, catch him off guard, and hit him when he was down!

In any case, never sympathize with the enemy, or one would end up badly.

Otherwise, why did she specifically go out that day?

Even though many of the system’s abilities couldn’t be utilized, relying solely on her own intelligence was enough.

The Zhou family wouldn’t rise up, and Xu Wenyin wouldn’t allow them to either.

Zhou Weimin should hold on to that broken company of his and see his hopes rise and then shatter time and time again!

She learned this move from the TV drama villains of this era.

Xu Wenyin felt it was very appropriate and absolutely fantastic!

When it came to causing trouble, humans were still superior.

After seeing that there were no immediate issues on Xu Youyou’s side, Xu Wenyin went to check the information on the USB drive. It took her a few seconds to transfer all the data into her ‘mind’, then she selected the useful information.

In less than a minute, she had everything sorted out.

Ace, this fellow was quite handy. He managed to find some confidential information without slacking off or being lazy, which happened to be exactly what Xu Wenyin needed.

She would find an opportunity to teach him a couple more moves. It would definitely keep him occupied for quite some time.

Next, she should choose a suitable time to make good use of this information and catch the Zhou family off guard.

In the internet age, public opinion could be a terrifying force.

With a laugh that resembled that of an evil queen, Xu Wenyin eagerly continued to the next step. The fate of Xu Youyou’s six houses would depend on this moment!

———pr

Please only read this translation at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m to support the translator

In the evening, the children played crazily in the pool for a while before being taken back to their respective rooms by their parents.

Liu Yanzhi followed the Qian family, while Xu Youyou naturally followed Qin Yiren.

The resort arranged the best room for Qin Yiren, which not only was larger than the rooms in their current residence, but also boasted the most perfect scenery and amenities.

However, given Qin Yiren’s family background, she was long accustomed to such luxuries and wasn’t at all excited. Instead, when Xu Youyou changed into the set of bunny pajamas Qin Yiren had specially prepared, she repeatedly gave Xu Youyou a thumbs-up.

Cute! So cute!

It’s so nice to have a daughter. If she were Xu Wenyin, she’d wear matching clothes with Xu Youyou every day, and no one could persuade her otherwise!

“Youyou, would you like to sleep with Aunt Qin today?”

Qin Yiren lifted Xu Youyou and gently rubbed her slightly flushed cheeks.

Because she had just taken a bath, Xu Youyou’s body temperature was slightly higher than usual, making her feel comfortably warm.

“Okay~” Xu Youyou smiled brightly, revealing her teeth. “But what about Juanjuan?”

There were several rooms in this suite, so there’s definitely no shortage of beds. But it seemed a bit awkward to leave Juanjuan to sleep alone.

After that, Xu Youyou looked at Lu Chenjun and said, “Juanjuan, sleep with us~”

Anyway, the bed was very big, so three more Juanjuan wouldn’t be a problem!

Qin Yiren also thought the same way. After all, they were outside, so it was more reassuring to have the children by her side.

However! Lu Chenjun had been independent since he was very little.

He expressed his desire to have his own room and bed before he was even two years old, and since then, he refused to sleep with her again!

In fact, Qin Yiren sneaked to check on Lu Chenjun several times in the beginning, wondering if he couldn’t sleep or missed his mother. Later, she realized she was overthinking it.

The little boy slept soundly!

She wondered if the stubborn boy would agree this time.

Qin Yiren also turned her head eagerly and looked at Lu Chenjun together with Xu Youyou.

With their two pairs of big blinking eyes, anyone who didn’t know might think they were the real mother and child.

Lu Chenjun: “……Okay.”

If he didn’t agree, Xiao Lu would definitely keep insisting. Lu Chenjun was already a bit tired today, so it’s better to sleep early.

“Yay!”

Xu Youyou and Qin Yiren high-fived joyfully!

However, at Lu Chenjun’s request, the sleeping arrangement became Qin Yiren — Xu Youyou — Lu Chenjun.

There’s no need to worry about Lu Chenjun falling off; the bed was big enough, and he has always had a good sleeping posture.

Of course, Qin Yiren didn’t mind. After tucking the two little ones into bed, she turned off the main light, leaving only a small yellow lamp by the bed, and then produced a storybook from the side. “Youyou, would you like to hear a bedtime story?”

Xu Youyou exclaimed in excitement, “Can we?”

Although her mother occasionally tells her stories, it depends on whether there’s any spare time that day. Considering that Xu Wenyin had been busy with training and other matters recently, Xu Youyou hadn’t heard a bedtime story in a long time.

“Of course~” Qin Yiren gently brushed Xu Youyou’s hair. “Let Aunt Qin pick a good one for you. You can close your eyes now~”

“Mhmm, Aunt Qin, I’m closing my eyes now~”

This was the normal reaction of a child!

Qin Yiren glanced at Lu Chenjun, who had already closed his eyes. In the past, whenever she tried to tell him a bedtime story, she would often get a string of comments after just a few sentences.

For example: “This princess is so dumb, why would the prince want to save her? But the prince is also so dumb.”

Another example: “Eating food from a stranger, no wonder she got poisoned. I don’t want to hear such a dumb story anymore.”

Qin Yiren: “……”

No more stories, no more stories! How could she continue after that?!

Now, with Xu Youyou, Qin Yiren finally experienced the joy of a normal mother.

If it weren’t prohibited, she really would want to steal the child!

As Qin Yiren’s gentle and slow voice filled the air, with a faint hint of floral fragrance lingering in the air, Xu Youyou’s consciousness began to gradually blur.

In fact, she was already tired long ago, but just before she truly drifted off to sleep, Xu Youyou didn’t forget to say in her mind, “Goodnight, Mom.”

She wondered if her mom heard it or not.

After a while, Qin Yiren noticed that the two little ones beside her were already asleep, so she didn’t continue telling the story.

She completely turned off the light and slowly drifted off to sleep herself.

Even though she was in an unfamiliar environment with two additional little ones beside her, Qin Yiren didn’t feel restless at all. On the contrary, she fell asleep faster than usual.

Such peaceful and happy days were truly wonderful.

Once Lu Weizheng completely stepped away from his current job, their family would have an even better time together, right?

———pr

The next day, Qin Yiren was awakened by two burning gazes fixed on her.

As soon as she turned her head, she saw Xu Youyou and Lu Chenjun looking at her. Although no words were spoken, she could clearly read the words ‘wake up’ in their gaze.

Qin Yiren thought she might have overslept, so she quickly picked up her phone to check the time.

It was still fifteen minutes before seven o’clock.

Qin Yiren: “……”

They don’t need to wake up this early for kindergarten. Were these two little ones this excited?

Actually, it’s mainly because they developed the habit of waking up early during training camp. And yesterday, they were excited about exploring the new environment and didn’t get to do everything they wanted yet.

Xu Youyou was the first to wake up, but when she saw that Qin Yiren was still asleep, she didn’t disturb her. Instead, Xu Youyou turned around and started to look at Lu Chenjun.

Then Lu Chenjun woke up.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, exchanging who knows what with their eyes, before turning to look at Qin Yiren together.

Until Qin Yiren woke up.

“Aunt Qin, you’re awake~”

As soon as Xu Youyou saw Qin Yiren wake up, she immediately got out of bed and pulled Lu Chenjun out as well. “Let’s go have breakfast! Youyou and Miaomiao agreed to go see the peacocks today!”

That’s right, the resort also raises peacocks. Yesterday, the manager showed some photos to the children, which greatly piqued Xu Youyou’s interest!

She had only seen such beautiful animals on TV before, and being able to see them up close was even better. According to the manager, seeing a peacock spread its tail feathers symbolizes good luck.

So she definitely wanted to share that good luck with her mother!

Qin Yiren who hadn’t woken up this early in years: “……”

The children’s energy was truly remarkable!

Originally, she wanted them to relax and unwind at the resort, but now it seemed she underestimated the children.

Sure enough, when the three of them finished getting ready and went downstairs to the buffet area for breakfast, they found the Liu family, the Qian family, and Liu Yanzhi already seated there, looking like they had almost finished eating.

It turned out that they were actually quite late in getting up.

The parents exchanged glances and instantly shared a slightly rueful smile.

Both of us in misfortune go from shore to shore; meeting now, need we have known each other before^[3]Those who have the same misfortune sympathize with each other?

At that moment, Qin Yiren couldn’t have foreseen how much of a mess the adults would be in a few hours.

———pr

Two hours later, Qin Yiren sat on the grass without caring about her appearance, waving her hand to indicate that she couldn’t go on anymore.

If the difficulty of taking care of ordinary children was rated at two stars, then these kids, who have undergone training and have even more stamina, were definitely five-star level.

Mother Qian was the first to admit defeat, followed by Mother Liu, and then Father Liu. Surprisingly, the only one still holding on until now was Qin Yiren.

Luckily, she had changed into a pair of lightweight and comfortable shoes today, otherwise she wouldn’t have lasted the first hour.

Even so, she couldn’t hold on until the end and unfortunately ‘fell in battle’.

Were these kids not tired at all? It’s been over two hours straight! Without taking a break!

After seeing the peacocks, they went to see the ponies, then the flowers, and after that, they went to fly kites on the lawn. In short, they never stopped.

Originally, Qin Yiren planed to dress the kids in the outfits she designed, take some beautiful photos, and enjoy the spring breeze and nice scenery.

It’s to experience the beauty of nature and add more color to their childhood.

The result…… whether the kids learned anything new, she didn’t know, but she certainly ‘learned’ a lot herself!

Juanjuan, who used to obediently stay at home and not want to go out, was really easy to take care of!

At this moment, Qin Yiren began to envy Xu Wenyin, who was absent due to work commitments.

If given the choice, she would much rather work than take care of children!