Xiang Weilai was about to leave, but his personal matters had not been resolved yet. Ye Ling knew that this was not the time to solve his problems, especially since he had just divorced. As for Li Qingzi, Ye Ling felt that things between the two were over.

What could have been a simple matter was blown out of proportion due to Li Qingzi’s entanglement, and Xiang Weilai’s nature would definitely not accept Li Qingzi’s scheming.

So on the day Xiang Weilai left, Ye Ling and Shen Bin took leave, invited Zhao Guodong and others, and together they asked Xiang Weilai to dinner at a hotel as a send-off.

This time, everyone did not drink as much but talked a lot, especially Zhao Guodong. This separation seemed to have taught him many things, and he matured a lot.

As for the relationship between Xiang Weilai and Shen Bin, Ye Ling felt they had laughed off past grievances. Observing their interaction pattern, Ye Ling felt they might even be closer than she was.

As for father’s side, the original plan was to leave, but after Ye Qian made a scene, Ye He Ping fell ill. It wasn’t a severe illness, just a minor cold, so Ye Ling didn’t have him return but let him stay at a guesthouse for military families arranged by the Li Family, so it was free of charge.

After sending Xiang Weilai off, Ye Ling went to see her father, "Dad, you don’t need to worry about Ye Qian anymore. I heard she’s with Sun Mingjie now. She’s in a state of giving up, doing whatever she pleases, and nothing we say can change that."

"I’ve thought about it these past few days. I say I won’t care anymore, but I’m still really worried. Originally, after her divorce, I thought about retiring; as long as she was doing well, things would get better. But now she’s entangled again with the compound, and I really have no face to meet the old friends in the compound." Ye He Ping had noticeably lost weight.

Ye Ling felt a pang of pain seeing this, "No matter how much Ye Qian messes around, she at least knows to save her face. No matter how bad things get, she won’t come to you and Aunt Liu. But I’m worried about mother—she’s now back home and might be holding a grudge, waiting for you and Aunt Liu to return!"

Upon hearing this, He Ping’s face darkened, "You don’t need to worry about that. I’ve made up my mind about going back this time. If your mother knows what’s good for her, she’ll stay away. But if she comes looking for trouble, I won’t be polite anymore."

He was angry that a good daughter was spoiled by his wife.

As father and daughter spoke, Aunt Liu sat quietly nearby.

Her face was flushed, lost in thought, and whenever Ye Ling glanced at her, she would shy away nervously. Ye Ling couldn’t figure out what was going on.

Searching her father’s face with confusion, Ye He Ping blushed slightly, and Aunt Liu found an excuse to step out.

After Aunt Liu left, Ye He Ping stammered out the reason, "Your Aunt Liu is pregnant."

Ye Ling was momentarily stunned but then smiled, "That’s great news, truly wonderful! At Aunt Liu’s age, getting pregnant isn’t easy. You should take good care of her and not let her do any work."

Having lived through two lives, Ye Ling viewed things with a broader perspective and didn’t think much of it. It was really surprising, considering Aunt Liu was nearing 40. Unexpectedly, she was pregnant. The thought that she might have a younger sister or brother, much younger than her son, felt a bit strange to Ye Ling but eventually manageable.

When Aunt Liu came back in, Ye Ling took her hand generously, "Our family is about to grow, and that’s a blessing. Don’t feel embarrassed. You’ve been wronged with our family’s situation, but don’t worry—once the little brother or sister arrives, I promise to take good care of them."

Aunt Liu’s face was still flushed, but seeing Ye Ling’s openness and acceptance of the situation, she became less awkward, "Don’t worry about that. As long as your dad and I are well, we won’t burden you. I was thinking if your Little Fatty has outgrown clothes, keep some aside to save purchasing new ones."

Aunt Liu had no close relatives and had been burdened with a bad reputation, remaining unmarried for years and relying on a few rural relatives who believed in the tradition of using hand-me-downs, considering it beneficial for children’s health.

Ye Ling laughed, "That’s a minor matter, you just have to not mind, and I feared you might refuse. Now that you’ve mentioned it, I’ll make sure to set some aside."

With the two women conversing here, He Ping felt it was inappropriate to interrupt, despite one being his daughter.

Because of this, Ye Ling convinced her father and Aunt Liu to stay a while longer, fearing the impact travel might have on Aunt Liu’s health due to her pregnancy. Given the reason, Ye He Ping didn’t rush to return.

During this month, a major event occurred: the betrothal of the Sun Family and the Liu Family, specifically, Sun Mingjie and Liu Rui’s marriage.

The news spread suddenly, surprising many, but upon reflection, it made sense. Despite Liu Family’s troubles, their power remained, and the Sun Family had always been subordinate to them. Liu Rui’s divorce paved the way for the families’ logical alliance.

What seemed normal to everyone was anything but for Ye Qian. Over the past month, she had been almost daily with Sun Mingjie, who returned home at night but spent all available daytime with her, making numerous promises. Who could have guessed, though? In the blink of an eye, Sun Mingjie was set to wed Liu Rui. When Ye Qian learned of it, she was stunned.

The news first reached her through someone in the compound who, with a smiling face, told her of the engagement, clearly mocking her. Pretending not to care, Ye Qian returned angrily to her rented room, only then fully realizing the blow.

Despite over a month without mentioning their relationship, Ye Qian had sensed something was amiss but didn’t believe it due to Sun Mingjie’s lifelong affection for her. She hadn’t given it much thought, not expecting Sun Mingjie’s drastic move so suddenly.