The next day, the twenty-ninth.

Although the offices at Qin Corporation's headquarters were on holiday, the departments involved with the new pharmaceutical plant were working overtime, preparing for the next day's grand opening ceremony.

For once, Qin Qiu took the rare opportunity to sit down and have breakfast with everyone.

"Xiaoqiu, how are the preparations for tomorrow's ceremony coming along?" Luo Sulan asked.

Qin Qiu held a cup of milk, taking a gentle sip. "The Planning Department is handling it. Everything's proceeding in an orderly fashion."

"It must be grand! My side of the family will be there tomorrow, as well as some of my friends, so the more impressive, the better!" Luo Sulan instructed.

Now that the Qin Corporation was growing larger, she naturally wanted to show off in front of her relatives and friends.

Qin Qiu secretly shook her head, feeling helpless. Her preference was for simplicity; all these fancy arrangements seemed pointless to her.

"By the way, Chen Yang shouldn't go tomorrow."

Glancing at Chen Yang, Luo Sulan's tone shifted. "Tomorrow is a very important occasion. You should stay home and prepare the meals. I don't want to be ridiculed by my relatives and friends."

"Everyone knows that the Qin Family has taken in a good-for-nothing who only knows how to mooch off others. It's best you show your face as little as possible."

Qin Qiu's anger flared, and she slammed her milk down. "Mom, you're going too far!"

"Chen Yang is my husband, the son-in-law of the Qin Family. How can he not attend tomorrow?" Qin Qiu glared at Luo Sulan and said indignantly, "Besides, do you have any idea how much Chen Yang has helped me and the company recently?"

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again: as long as I don't give my consent, he is an outsider in this family! The son-in-law of the Qin Family? Is he even worthy of the title?"

Luo Sulan scoffed. "And stop giving him credit he doesn't deserve. Do you think I don't know that the one who has been solving the company's problems lately is your mysterious benefactor?"

"It's shameless to claim someone else's credit!"

"Thinking about it now, the one who brought Jin Zongquan to treat Xiaomo must have also been that mysterious benefactor!"

Luo Sulan took Qin Qiu's hand and said earnestly, "Xiaoqiu, some people have no real skills. They only know how to bewitch people with sweet talk to win them over. After all, that's the only way they can keep mooching for longer, so don't be fooled."

"What you need to do now is keep your distance from this waste of space. When that mysterious benefactor appears, you should be thanking him properly!"

"As the saying goes, 'Birds of a feather flock together.' You should know better than I do who is worth getting close to and who you should keep at a distance."

Luo Sulan's words were grave and full of hidden meaning, an attempt to appeal to both reason and emotion.

Qin Qiu snatched her hand back, staring at her mother in disbelief. "From the sound of it, are you suggesting I should offer myself to the person who has been helping me from the shadows?"

"If you want to put it that way, you can," Luo Sulan said with a smile. "Think of his capabilities! And he's willing to help you so much from behind the scenes. He must care for you deeply. For you and our entire Qin Family, associating with such a prominent figure is a step up."

"Besides, given your qualities, your future partner must naturally be the cream of the crop."

"Mom!"

Qin Qiu shot to her feet, her gaze icy. "You are getting more and more out of hand! Let me make myself clear: I, Qin Qiu, am a married woman, and I am not one to be unfaithful. I hope you'll behave with some dignity!"

With that, Qin Qiu turned and stormed out.

"Sigh..."

Qin Mo heaved a long sigh and gave Luo Sulan an odd look. "Mom, put your hand on your heart and ask yourself, are those even the words of a human being?"

Qin Mo also left, going to comfort Qin Qiu.

Luo Sulan, however, simply curled her lip, completely unconcerned. She turned her attention to Chen Yang, who had been silent the entire time. "I've said what I needed to say. If you have a shred of decency, or if you truly love Qin Qiu and want what's best for her, you should leave her."

"You know perfectly well that you aren't worthy of Qin Qiu. You're just holding her back!"

Speaking to Chen Yang with rare calmness, Luo Sulan delivered her ultimatum. "In short, I don't want to see you tomorrow. Since you have relatives in Tianque City, go back there. Never return to Lingjin City, and never set foot in the Qin Family home again."

"I've said all I'm going to say. I hope you'll act like a man and stop dragging Xiaoqiu and the Qin Family down."

Luo Sulan stood up and headed for the stairs. "I may be a woman," she said over her shoulder, "but I still have connections and means. You'd best do as I say. Otherwise, I'll have to resort to other methods."

"No one besides me is worthy of Qin Qiu," Chen Yang said calmly.

Luo Sulan didn't turn around, only shaking her head. "Put away that pitiful, laughable confidence of yours. Tomorrow is the deadline. If you don't get out, I'll have someone throw you out."

"If you get hurt or crippled, don't blame me."

Chen Yang ignored her. After finishing his steamed bun, he shook his head with a sigh. This woman truly has no bottom line.

After breakfast, Chen Yang drove away from the Qin estate, planning to buy some festival gifts for Ren Tong.

He had already told Ren Tong that he would bring his wife home for the festival. The news had delighted Ren Tong, who kept asking when he could expect to hold a grandson.

Not long after he set off, Chen Yang received a call from Zhou Yufei.

"What's up?" Chen Yang asked.

"My parents are here. They want to meet you!"

Chen Yang frowned. "Meet me?"

"Yeah, have you forgotten? Last time you came to my house with me, my parents were pushing for us to get married."

Chen Yang was speechless.

Her reminder brought it all back. When they were at the Zhou Family estate in Qingqiu Dao, her parents had indeed tried to rush them into marriage, a matter they had managed to put off until now.

His face darkened, and his head throbbed. This was a nightmare.

Sensing the silence on the line, Zhou Yufei knew exactly what he was thinking and tried to reassure him. "Don't worry, I'll explain everything to them. You just have to come over for lunch with us."

"How about I talk to them?" Chen Yang suggested, mainly because he was worried that, as a young woman, she would bear the brunt of her family's disapproval.

"No, no!" Zhou Yufei refused immediately. "I'll talk to them first. You can just bring it up lightly at the table later."

"Alright, then."

After hanging up, he saw there was still plenty of time, so Chen Yang headed to the mall to do some shopping.

「Meanwhile, at Lingjin City Station.」

Dressed in a white blouse, a black cashmere coat, blue jeans, and black high heels, with her long hair styled in a high bun, Zhou Yufei instantly became the center of attention as she appeared at the exit.

She tucked her hands into her pockets and paced back and forth, her head tilted slightly down. It was clear she was nervous.

After all, her parents were very fond of Chen Yang, but it was all a hoax. And Chen Yang was a married man. She could hardly imagine what their reaction would be once she told them the truth.

"Yufei!"

Peng Ya, Zhou Yufei's mother, shouted and waved as she emerged from the station, her eyes scanning the crowd.

Alongside Peng Ya and Zhou Yinghao was the Zhou Family Head, Zhou Jingyuan.

Zhou Yufei hurried over to them. "Grandpa, why did you come too?"

"I was idle, so I thought I'd come out for a walk," Zhou Jingyuan replied, his face beaming. He then changed the subject. "Why are you alone? Where's Chen Yang?"

"Yes, why didn't Chen Yang come?" Peng Ya echoed.

Zhou Yinghao, however, waved a dismissive hand. "Considering Chen Yang's status, how could he possibly appear so openly in a public place like this?"

"Right, right!" Peng Ya realized with a start. "If he were recognized, it would cause a huge stir."

Zhou Yufei looked down. She hesitated for a long moment before finally biting her lip. "Actually," she said, "Chen Yang and I aren't really in a relationship. Last time I came back, we were just pretending to be a couple to call off the engagement with the Sun Family."

Peng Ya was speechless.

So was Zhou Jingyuan.

Zhou Yinghao stared in disbelief.

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