The second night after returning home, because Grandma was also there, Lu Nan didn’t bring up the idea of letting her mother go to Hailin City to work in import and export again. 

Mother Lu secretly breathed a sigh of relief—then immediately thought something was wrong: I’m the mother! Why should I be afraid of her? 

While her daughter was taking a bath, she took advantage of Grandma’s poor hearing and whispered to her son, “Tell me, don’t you think your sister is being unrealistic? She got lucky, made some money, and now she’s acting all high and mighty! If I go to Hailin, what about you?” 

Lu Yang replied calmly, “I’ll still stay in the dorm. It doesn’t really affect me.” 

“You’re just a kid, you don’t understand.” Mother Lu realized her son was useless in this matter—he was obviously siding with his sister—so she resorted to her usual phrase. 

Lu Yang lowered his head to do his homework, feeling utterly speechless: If you think I don’t understand, then why ask me? I’m telling my sister about this later. 

But he never got the chance. 

Because his bedroom door was shut. 

Yesterday, Lu Nan had shocked Mother Lu so much that she had focused on talking about money and work, completely forgetting her usual priority: harshly criticizing the heartless man. 

Today, with her son locked in his room doing homework, the only ones left were her and her daughter. Without outsiders around, she didn’t need to keep up appearances. She started with a cold snort: “You only have one father, but your father doesn’t only have you and Lu Yang anymore. What do you think about that?” 

What did Lu Nan think? 

Emotionally, rationally, and legally, a couple who had been divorced for over five years had no right to interfere in each other’s love lives. 

But she couldn’t say that. 

Because this was a trap. 

If she dared say that, she would be labeled cold-hearted again. 

After a brief silence, Lu Nan said, “We live in a society governed by law. It’s not like we can just get rid of the mistress and her child. And besides—if we were really going to do something, we couldn’t let my dad off the hook either.” 

In Mother Lu’s eyes, this answer was complete nonsense and utterly useless. 

She said, “I had someone check. Your dad and that mistress aren’t even legally married.” 

In fact, even eight or ten years later, they still weren’t legally married. 

Lu Nan pretended to have just found out and nodded. 

“But!” Mother Lu continued, “The law states that the child of a mistress has the same inheritance rights as you two! How are you so dense that you haven’t even considered this?! Your dad’s assets were built by both of us together. They should belong to you and your brother. Why should that woman’s child get a share?” 

Grandma chimed in with a fair point, “Xiao Lu isn’t even fifty yet, right? It’s a bit early for Nan Nan to be thinking about inheritance.” 

For years, Grandma had always called her son-in-law “Xiao Lu.” Even now that he was her ex-son-in-law, he was already old enough to be “Lao Lu,” but she still hadn’t managed to change the habit. 

Mother Lu lashed out indiscriminately at Grandma: “What do you know? You’re getting senile! You even greeted him when you ran into him on the street! Hmph, greeting him?” After sneering at her own mother, Mother Lu turned to Lu Nan and said, “That’s why I’m telling you, quit that so-called job of yours. If you don’t want a nine-to-five job or don’t want to be a teacher, then just go work at your dad’s company.” The more she thought about it, the better she felt about the idea. “If you say you want to go, he won’t dare refuse. If he does, it means he’s guilty. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he let his own daughter work at his company?” 

Ah, here we go again! 

Lu Nan had already been irritated when she heard this last night. Hearing it again today only worsened her mood. She glanced at Grandma, who had been innocently dragged into this and was smiling awkwardly. Lu Nan’s expression instantly turned cold. 

She asked her mother flatly, “If I work at his company, what would I do?” 

“Of course in finance. You need to understand all his cash flow, transactions, profits… only then can you have the grounds to ask him for money to buy a house,” Mother Lu said as if it were obvious. 

Lu Nan continued, “And then, while I’m at it, I can also use my position to send money to you and Lu Yang for living expenses, right?” 

Mother Lu paused for a moment, then said, “Exactly! Isn’t that what you should do? Once you work there, I won’t have to look at your dad’s face every month to get ten thousand yuan anymore. You’re already an adult—you should think more about me and your brother.” 

The same old argument again. 

“Then rest assured. I’ll never work at his company in this lifetime.” Lu Nan threw out the words and got up to leave the living room. “It’s just ten thousand yuan a month. Mom, if you come to Hailin yourself, you could earn that easily. You wouldn’t have to depend on him anymore. Wouldn’t that be better?” 

“What are you doing? You get impatient the moment I criticize you. Who spoiled your temper?” Mother Lu reached out to grab her. 

Lu Nan turned back expressionlessly. “I’m going to the bathroom.” 

She went to the restroom and splashed her face with cold water. Looking at herself in the mirror, she thought: Come on, haven’t I already expected these challenges? Keep going! 

Neither mother nor daughter could convince the other, and the conversation ended on a sour note. 

That night, Grandma slept in the same room as Lu Nan. She patted Lu Nan’s blanket and said, “Your mom is just too impatient. Give it a few days, and she’ll calm down.” 

Lu Nan knew that unless someone gave in, her mother would never “calm down.” 

In the past, she had been the one to compromise. 

This time, it definitely won’t happen again. 

However, she didn’t want to worry Grandma, so she simply responded with a soft “mm.” 

… 

The next day, Lu Nan took Lu Yang to school first. That way, she could also show Grandma around her younger brother’s school. 

Grandma was illiterate, so she had a special reverence for places of learning. From the moment they entered the school gates, she kept marveling in amazement. 

Lu Nan parked the car in the lot near the boys’ dormitory and soon heard someone greeting her younger brother. 

It was a cheerful, chubby boy who even greeted the people in the car, saying, “Hello, Grandma! Hello, Auntie! Hello, Sister!” 

“Come on, let’s head up together. Mom said she’s here to help you change your bedsheets and quilt cover.” Lu Nan ruffled her little brother’s hair—it was best to do it now, in another year or two when he got taller, she wouldn’t be able to reach him anymore. 

Inside the dorm, Grandma looked around the four-person room with lofted beds and desks underneath, nodding in approval. “Looks quite clean.” 

Lu Nan’s mother was changing the bedsheets. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but seeing that her son’s dormmates were present, she held back. 

Once they finished setting up the bed, Lu Nan took Grandma for a brief tour of the campus before leaving with her and her mother. As she left, she gestured to her brother to call if anything came up. 

After getting into the car, Lu Nan’s mother said irritably, “Of course the conditions are good. The tuition is over twenty thousand a semester.” 

“So expensive…” Grandma clicked her tongue in surprise. 

Lu Nan could only rub her forehead. 

After dropping Grandma off at home, just as she was about to leave, Grandma repeatedly asked, “Will you come back for New Year’s? Or are you only coming back for the Spring Festival?” 

Lu Nan apologized, “I’m not sure about New Year’s, but I’ll definitely come back for the Spring Festival. And when I do, I’ll stay at your place, Grandma.” 

Even after Lu Nan drove away, Grandma still stood by the courtyard gate, watching. 

Then, she took her mother back to the entrance of her apartment complex. Before getting out of the car, her mother said stiffly through the window, “Drive carefully on your way back.” 

Lu Nan nodded. “Mom, think carefully about when you want to come to Hailin.” 

“What is there to think about?” Her mother had thought this topic was over, but her daughter brought it up again before leaving. Annoyed but not truly angry, she countered, “And you should quit that job selling alcohol, do you hear me?” 

Neither mother nor daughter managed to convince the other. 

As Lu Nan drove away, she glanced in the rearview mirror. Her mother was still standing there. 

Three hours later, Lu Nan arrived at the Xinguang Yipin residential area. After parking, she took out her phone, sent her mom a message saying she had arrived safely, and called Grandma to tell her the same. 

After hanging up, just as she was getting out of the car, she heard someone call her name. 

Lu Nan turned around and saw Xiang Feifei. 

“You bought a car?” Xiang Feifei looked surprised. 

“Yeah, just got it,” Lu Nan replied, motioning toward the temporary license plate. 

Xiang Feifei teased, “Wow, who would’ve thought we had a hidden rich kid in our dorm all along?” 

Lu Nan didn’t bother explaining where the money for the car came from—there was no need. 

She simply waved her hand and said, slightly embarrassed, “I still have to make the loan payments. I have to cover them myself every month.” 

After that, whether commuting to work or visiting dealerships, Lu Nan drove everywhere. 

The news of Lu Nan buying a car quickly spread around the office. Yi Wei, acting as if he had foreseen it all along, privately commented in the boys’ dormitory, “See? I told you Lu Nan’s family must be well-off. And yet, some people were spreading rumors that she was being kept… Girls really have such small minds.” 

As he said this, Yan Kai had just come out of the restroom. He glanced at Yi Wei, making him shiver. Yi Wei immediately raised his hand and swore, “I wasn’t badmouthing Lu Nan.” 

Yan Kai gave him another look but didn’t respond, simply returning to his room. 

Yi Wei then turned to Sun Bo and asked, “Lu Nan’s car isn’t more expensive than yours, right?” A few days ago, Sun Bo had also bought a car—an Audi Q5. 

It would be a lie to say Yi Wei wasn’t envious, but he was the type to keep his envy to himself. He had never once suggested hitching a ride to run errands or anything of the sort. 

Sun Bo chuckled, a bit sheepishly. “Maybe there’s just a slight price difference.” Then, using the restroom as an excuse, he quickly left. 

Yi Wei nudged Zhou Lei with his elbow. “Hey, why hasn’t Dong Hui come looking for you lately?” 

Zhou Lei replied indifferently, “She’s been busy with work.” 

… 

But Dong Hui wasn’t the only one who got busy after leaving Yuan Chuan. 

Manager Wang from the municipal office was also busy. 

Lately, he had been feeling a mix of pain and joy—though, to be honest, the pain outweighed the joy. 

His direct superior, General Director Xiang, had gotten into trouble. 

At first, Mang Wang didn’t even notice. After all, Director Xiang had a habit of using work trips as a cover for personal time off. No one could ever tell if he was away on business or just taking a break. 

It wasn’t until Wednesday that headquarters issued an official internal notice: 

A certain distributor had been fined a substantial performance bond for unauthorized sales. The next line detailed the disciplinary action against Director Xiang, the provincial manager of Qianjiang Province—he was fined, dismissed, and blacklisted within the industry. 

Director Xiang? Dismissed? 

It was already November. At such a critical time, losing the provincial manager of Qianjiang Province—how was work supposed to continue? 

Manager Wang was stunned. Who was he supposed to report upcoming projects to? Who would approve budgets? 

Then, he received a call from Director Tong, the regional director. Director Tong instructed him to temporarily take over the provincial manager’s duties and mentioned that he would visit Hailin City in the coming days to stabilize the office and reassure city managers. He also wanted to ease tensions with provincial distributors—especially Green Trading—since the provincial office needed to reaffirm its stance and win them over again. 

Temporarily in charge. 

If he did well, a promotion would naturally follow. 

Manager Wang knew this was an opportunity that Director Tong was giving him. 

At this moment, he felt a sense of pride. No matter how close Chen Xiao was to Director Tong, Director Tong couldn’t just promote him directly—he hadn’t been with the company long enough, and he was too young. The position of provincial manager required someone experienced and steady. 

Manager Wang’s frustration came from the sudden departure of Director Xiang, leaving behind a mess that needed cleaning up. It was a troublesome situation for him. 

On the other hand, his joy stemmed from the fact that with Director Xiang gone, there was no one suppressing him anymore. On top of that, there seemed to be indications from above that he might get promoted. 

… 

Director Xiang, together with external distributors, had been smuggling goods and disrupting the Harmony market in Qianjiang Province. In theory, only city manager-level and above personnel had seen the brief internal notification in the system. 

But in reality… 

“So, there’s a good chance that Manager Wang will get promoted, right?” Even Pan Sasha, who was far away in Fengyun, had caught wind of the situation. It just went to show that no secret could be kept forever. 

Lu Nan shrugged. “Who knows? Why, do you want your dad to pull some strings?” 

“Hahaha, you know me too well, Nan Nan.” Sasha laughed heartily. “That large-scale tasting event hosted by Feixiang was a huge success. Old Pan is envious, and so am I.” 

“Then why don’t you ask Brother Xiao? He’s the head of the Classic Liquor Brand Department.” 

Sasha shook her head. “You know how Chen Xiao operates. To put it bluntly… when it comes to budget control, he’s extremely strict. Given the current contract value Old Pan holds, getting financial support from him for a grand tasting event? One word: impossible.” 

That was true. Lu Nan nodded. Chen Xiao was known for sticking to principles. 

But Lu Nan also remembered that the new provincial general manager was being transferred in directly from headquarters. That was something she couldn’t share with Sasha. 

Luckily, Sasha wasn’t planning to invest too much effort into Wang Xinglong either, so it was best to just let things play out naturally. 

… 

During the afternoon’s weekly meeting, Lu Nan could visibly see that Manager Wang was in high spirits. 

He outlined the upcoming priorities for the city office: shipments and payment collection. 

Maximize all efforts to collect payments. 

On this front, Lu Nan had performed exceptionally well, and Manager Wang didn’t hesitate to commend her in the meeting. 

Aside from shipments and payment collection, the group purchasing department had another important task, which was also a long-standing tradition in Yuan Chuan. 

Just like visiting the military on August 1st for Army Day, the company aimed to secure alcohol sponsorship spots during the city’s Two Conferences.

Manager Wang scanned the room, assigned tasks, and then said, “The contact information for last year’s sponsorship liaison is with the provincial group purchasing manager. Manager Li will distribute the materials to you shortly.” 

Lu Nan was assigned to coordinate with the city’s People’s Congress and Political Consultative Conference. The others, like Chen Lu and Xiang Feifei, were responsible for similar tasks in different counties and districts, while Pan Saasha naturally took charge of the Fengyun County area. 

After the weekly meeting, Li Li indeed gathered the group purchasing managers for another discussion. 

Looking at the now-experienced managers, she solemnly reminded them, “When dealing with the People’s Congress and Political Consultative Conference leaders, you must be mindful of proper etiquette. National Liquor and other competitors will also be actively vying for sponsorship opportunities, so we need to act quickly and efficiently.” 

The managers all agreed seriously, as this was their first time handling such client interactions independently. 

Seeing their enthusiasm, Lu Nan, however, didn’t feel optimistic. 

Since mid-year, the central government had been tightening its anti-corruption and integrity policies. 

Just looking at the toned-down reception during the half-yearly conference in Wanghai City and the downsized Army Day liquor sponsorship, it was clear that this time, the push for integrity wasn’t just for show. 

That meant the sponsorship deal for the Two Conferences was never going to happen. 

With prior knowledge and careful judgment, Lu Nan was certain of it. 

She glanced at the name and contact details of Director Chen from the city’s People’s Congress in her hand and sighed. 

Even knowing it was a futile effort, she still had to go through the motions of visiting at least once or twice. 

Sigh…