February 7, 2024, the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Wednesday.

Early morning, 6:30.

Shen City, China Resources Shencheng Bay Yuefu.

The sky wasn't fully bright yet, a light mist shrouded the spaces between the high-rises, blurring the city into a hazy gray-blue.

In the warm, bright bedroom, everything was tidied up neatly and cleanly.

Zhang Yan walked out of the room dragging her suitcase, then carefully checked the entire apartment once more.

After confirming that the water, electricity, windows, and doors were all closed and that no items were left behind, she finally picked up her phone.

Her finger hovered over that name in her contacts for quite a while before she finally dialed the number.

The call was answered immediately.

Liu Qingning's voice came through the receiver: "Hello? Zhang Yan?"

"Qing... Qingning." Zhang Yan gripped the phone, her voice betraying an unconcealable nervousness. "I'm all ready, I can leave anytime."

"Good." The voice on the other end was crisp and efficient. "I'll come pick you up now, I'll be there in about ten minutes."

"Mm, thank you for the trouble."

After hanging up, Zhang Yan stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, glanced down at the time.

The sky was still dark.

A direct flight from Shen City to Quancheng takes less than three hours.

It's just that direct flights from Quancheng to Shen City aren't plentiful to begin with, and there's hardly any choice regarding timing. The flight around 8 AM was already the most suitable one, landing around 11 AM.

She was used to waking up early, so she didn't find it tiring.

It's just... Jing County.

At the thought of that place, her heart still involuntarily tightened a little.

She stood there, looked at her reflection in the glass, took a deep breath, dragged her suitcase, and went downstairs.

The residential complex was very quiet in the early morning, the air carrying a hint of damp cold.

After waiting at the complex entrance for a while, a black Mercedes-Benz van slowly drove up and came to a steady stop in front of her.

The rear passenger door was pushed open, and Liu Qingning stepped down from the vehicle.

Today she wore a light gray knitted sweater paired with fitted jeans, her long hair neatly tied back, her beautiful face with light, subtle makeup. Her whole person looked fresh and sharp.

"Did you wait long?" Liu Qingning walked over with a smile, naturally taking the suitcase from Zhang Yan's hand.

"No, I just came down." Zhang Yan felt a bit embarrassed. "Thank you, and sorry for troubling you to come pick me up..."

"It's on the way, and we live close by." Liu Qingning placed the suitcase in the trunk and clapped her hands. "Let's go, get in the car, it's cold outside."

The two got into the car one after the other.

The car was quiet and warm.

Zhang Yan sat in the back holding her bag, her fingers unconsciously fiddling with the backpack zipper. She sat upright, her back ramrod straight.

From time to time, she secretly glanced sideways at Liu Qingning beside her.

Liu Qingning was looking down, scrolling through her phone, her profile clean and calm, with no hint of unfamiliarity or formality.

As if noticing her gaze.

Liu Qingning turned her head and smiled at her. "Have you seen those two pieces of news? About Su Yu."

Zhang Yan was momentarily stunned, then quickly reacted and nodded. "Ah... I saw them."

"The lyrics for that song are yours, right? I heard Su Yu mention it."

Zhang Yan's face instantly turned red, her voice growing smaller. "Yes... Sister Su Yu asked me to write them... Actually, they're not that great, she..."

"You don't need to be so modest." Liu Qingning put down her phone, her gaze bright. "I heard from your Erzhong High School alumni that you were always very good at Chinese, scored 130 on the college entrance exam Chinese section, right? That's really impressive."

Zhang Yan rested her chin on her backpack, mumbling, "I... I'm a bit slow, only subjects like Chinese are a little okay."

If there was any highlight in her life, it was probably her Chinese scores.

The year of the college entrance exam, she scored 131 in Chinese, ranking first in the entire school for that single subject.

That was also the reason she applied for Chinese Language and Literature as her major.

Of course, in front of an all-round top student like Liu Qingning, mentioning this was just asking for humiliation.

A flicker passed through Liu Qingning's eyes, her tone relaxed. "On Valentine's Day, I must listen to that song properly. We can go to KTV then, have Tang Song play guitar accompaniment."

Zhang Yan's face turned even redder. "I... I don't really know how to sing."

Liu Qingning looked at her profile and sighed inwardly.

She could now clearly understand why Zhang Yan had been able to wait for Tang Song for so many years.

To what degree must a person be lacking in self-confidence, for every sentence to pave a way for retreat, for every action to be a step backward?

She shifted her gaze and changed the subject. "You saw Su Yu's other Weibo post, right? It should be quite deeply connected to your company."

"Mm." Zhang Yan nodded softly. "I heard from colleagues that the Tangjin Cultural Fund might be involved in our company's IPO process later."

After all, she was no longer that junior copywriter now.

As a mid-level manager within the Nebula International system, she had access to many things.

Su Yu and Tang Entertainment were originally shareholders of Nebula International. Nebula International's upcoming IPO itself was meant to advance in the directions of media/entertainment, short drama content, and AI collaboration.

And the Tangjin Cultural Fund happened to be positioned right in this sector.

The two then naturally chatted about work for a bit.

From the content ecosystem, to entertainment collaborations, to the future direction of AI+ content.

The atmosphere finally gradually eased up.

Liu Qingning leaned back in her seat, her gaze on the gradually brightening sky outside the window, and said softly:

"This is just the beginning. The Tangjin Cultural Fund is the port for the Tangjin Family Office in the entertainment/AI direction, connected behind it are the resources of the entire Family Office. Entertainment, branding, capital, philanthropy, technology, overseas resources... all of these will slowly be integrated."

Zhang Yan listened quietly, nodding gently.

After a while, she asked softly, "People online are saying, has Sister Yu officially entered that Family Office? It seems Tang Jin is also a shareholder of Qingning Technology? Have you had any contact with them?"

"Mm, I have, quite familiar." Liu Qingning nodded with a smile, a flicker in her eyes.

Just last week, she had officially signed the agreement for the Moonlight Trust.

In a sense, she had already officially entered the Tangjin Family Office.

It's just that the truly deeper processes would slowly unfold after the New Year.

And Su Yu's direct official announcement this time, with such a big commotion, was essentially locking her position in place before anyone else could react.

Zhang Yan looked at her, her eyes full of curiosity. "Then you must also know Ms. Ouyang, right? And... Director Jin? Online rumors say this Family Office was jointly organized by them?"

Hearing this, Liu Qingning smiled. "I do know them, they are both very familiar with Tang Song as well. I think, in the future, you will probably get to know them too, and inevitably interact with them."

Zhang Yan quickly waved her hands, her face reddening again. "I... how could I possibly..."

She still had a very clear sense of self-awareness.

Although she had previously benefited from Tang Song's influence, been noticed by Ms. Ouyang, and been looked after by Sister Su Yu.

But ultimately, deep down, she still felt she was just a very, very ordinary little person.

Separated from them by a vast distance.

As for the legendary Director Jin, Ms. Smile, she hadn't even met her, only seen her in some magazines and books.

That was the most perfect, novel-female-lead-like persona in legend.

Liu Qingning just smiled lightly and didn't continue the topic.

......

It was still early, the roads weren't congested.

A little over twenty minutes later, the car came to a steady stop at the departure level of Bao'an International Airport.

The business class check-in and security channels had very few people.

The two quickly entered the VIP lounge.

Thick carpet covered the floor, the lighting was soft.

The sofas were wide and plush, with sufficient distance between each grouping. The air carried a faint scent of coffee and fragrance.

Zhang Yan sat down on the sofa, her back instinctively very straight, her hands properly placed on her knees, but her gaze seemed somewhat restless.

"Have some water."

Liu Qingning sat down beside her and handed over a glass of warm water.

"Thank you." Zhang Yan quickly took it and took a small sip.

Right at that moment.

"Ding ling ling—"

A phone ringtone suddenly sounded.

Zhang Yan took it out and glanced at it, her heart instantly tightening.

[Aunt]

"I'll go take this call." She immediately stood up.

"Mm, go ahead." Liu Qingning nodded to her.

Zhang Yan quickly walked to a semi-partitioned quiet rest area and answered the call.

"Hello, Aunt."

"Hey, Yanyan!" The voice on the other end was as loud as ever. "You're at the airport now, right?"

"Mm, I'm already here, waiting for the flight."

"That's good, that's good." Her aunt seemed to sigh in relief. "You know, it's been three years since you last came back, I don't even know what you look like now. Never found the time to come back for a visit..."

Zhang Yan pressed her lips together and said softly, "Work has been busy, never managed to find the time."

"Well, since you're back this time, you must stay a few more days." Her aunt added, seizing the opportunity. "Just stay with us, Hanghang has been talking about you too, saying he hasn't seen his big sister in a long time."

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

Hanghang was her aunt's son, Li Hang.

Also that younger male cousin from her childhood who would snatch her things and ruin her "Dragon Ball" manga.

When she was young and living at her aunt's house, she could at least get a narrow, partitioned space in a corner.

But now everyone had grown up, Li Hang was in college, the layout of the house had long since changed from before, and her little partitioned space was naturally long gone.

Squeezing in again would be very inconvenient.

As for her original "home".

From the sixth grade of elementary school onward, she had never truly lived there again.

Later, the house was renovated, the furniture replaced, the layout of the yard changed.

To her, that place had long been reduced to just an address, not even familiar anymore.

One very important reason she was unwilling to return to Dongzhang Village was that.

She truly had no home to return to.

In the literal sense of having no home to return to.

"Ah, alright then." Her aunt sighed over there, sounding somewhat regretful, yet also as if she had expected it. "The village uses gas wall-hung boilers now, not that warm when burning. Better you don't suffer from the cold. You've been afraid of the cold since you were little, your fingers would swell up like carrots as soon as it froze, your feet icy cold..."

As she spoke, her tone gradually softened again.

Zhang Yan held the phone, her gaze fixed.

Those fragmented memories long buried deep were suddenly pulled out.

She remembered that always damp and chilly little room, remembered the quilt that never warmed up in winter, remembered herself huddled in a corner doing homework, her fingers stiffening as she wrote.

She also remembered her aunt complaining she was troublesome, yet at night would casually slip her a glass bottle filled with hot water for her to hug while sleeping.

Many things couldn't simply be categorized as "good" or "bad."

It's just that the feeling of living under someone else's roof was too profound.

So profound that the moment she remembered it, she instinctively wanted to escape.

"...Mm, I remember." Zhang Yan said softly.

"Alright, let's not talk about this." Her aunt paused, then pulled the topic back. "Your dad knows you're coming back, he's overjoyed. He got up early this morning to make arrangements, said he wants to book a big private room at Huachen Grand Hotel for lunch, so our whole family can have a proper meal together."

Hearing this, Zhang Yan's heart suddenly tightened.

She knew, of course.

Since she told her aunt yesterday about her return, her father would find out sooner or later.

And the reason she didn't contact her father directly, but contacted her aunt first, was precisely because she simply didn't know how to face that family.

Having a familiar buffer in between always made things a little easier.

So, she was actually mentally prepared for this meeting.

Sensing her silence, her aunt sighed, her tone softening a bit.

"You're finally coming back this time, you have to let him see you, right? Your dad is still your dad, that's ultimately your roots. What happened before belongs to the past, so many years have passed, you're grown now, have your own ideas, but you can't just not meet at all, can you?"

She paused, then added, "Your dad also said he wants to drive his boss's big Mercedes to the airport to pick you up."

Zhang Yan took a deep breath, her tone firm. "I understand, Aunt. Meeting is definitely necessary, send me the private room number on WeChat. As for picking me up, forget it."

"Ah, alright then, we'll go over early and wait for you there."

"Okay."

The other end chattered a bit more, nothing more than about the cold weather, wearing more clothes, being careful on the road, before finally hanging up.

Zhang Yan stood in place, unmoving for a long time.

The timidity, nervousness, and urge to retreat in her eyes gradually dissipated, bit by bit, like the morning mist on the runway outside the window.

Some things, you can't keep avoiding forever.

You have to face them eventually.

And that stepmother she had been circling around for so many years.

10:10 AM.

The plane took off on time.

The aircraft pierced through the cloud layer, heading north.

Morning, 10 o'clock.

Quancheng, Jing County, Dongzhang Village.

In the northern winter, the sky was a cold white.

The wind blew in from the village entrance, sweeping up dust and scattered dead leaves from the ground, rustling against the courtyard walls.

Zhang Zhiqiang stood at the courtyard gate, cigarette in hand, phone pressed to his ear, his brows furrowed into a knot.

"Alright, got it, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

He perfunctorily responded a couple of times and hung up on his sister Zhang Zhifang's call.

The courtyard wasn't big.

The renovated two-story small building looked somewhat mismatched, old and new, under the grayish winter daylight.

Grain and miscellaneous items were piled by the door, a roll of plastic greenhouse sheeting leaning against the wall flapped noisily in the wind.

Inside the house wasn't particularly warm.

The air was mixed with the smells of stir-fry, cigarette smoke, and the dampness from a freshly mopped floor.

By the stove, Liu Mei was rolling up her sleeves to pick vegetables.

In her early forties, her hair permed into curls, powder on her face, fine wrinkles clearly visible at the corners of her eyes, her thin lips pressed together.

She wasn't ugly, but there was a sharp, mean look between her eyebrows.

She glanced up at Zhang Zhiqiang.

"What did Zhifang say?"

"Yanyan will arrive at the airport a little after eleven." Zhang Zhiqiang walked in while taking off his jacket and draping it over the back of a chair. "She's not coming back to the village, meeting at the restaurant first, staying at a hotel tonight."

Liu Mei threw the greens in her hand into the basin with a "smack," water splashing all over the stovetop.

"She sure puts on airs! Coming back once, not staying at home, insisting on staying outside? What, does she think our house is dirty, or are we an embarrassment to her?"

Zhang Zhiqiang's expression darkened, he said sullenly, "We'll talk about it when we meet."

Liu Mei let out a cold laugh, the anger in her tone rising. "Don't you know a lot of rich people? Since she's back this time, it's a good chance to show her some prospects again. Almost twenty-seven, if she doesn't marry soon, is she waiting to rot at home?"

"Yanyan just got back, let's stabilize her first." Zhang Zhiqiang lowered his voice.

She grew more agitated as she spoke, the vegetable leaves in her hand flung about wildly, water droplets splashing onto Zhang Zhiqiang's freshly removed jacket.

Zhang Zhiqiang's face turned pale then flushed. "Alright, alright, stop nagging about this."

"Why shouldn't I nag? If you had any capability, would I need to say all this? After following you all these years, I'm still living in this shabby house! Look at Old Four, he's already bought two apartments in the county town. What about you?"

What he cared about most was face, what he couldn't stand the most was people directly pointing out his lack of capability.

He raised his voice. "Wasn't it because you insisted on driving Yanyan out back then! Now that she won't come back, can I force her back at knifepoint? Don't you have to coax her first? And you better rein it in a bit too, don't start with the sarcastic remarks right away!"

He raised his voice. "Wasn't it because you insisted on driving Yanyan out back then! Now that she won't come back, can I force her back at knifepoint? Don't you have to coax her first? And you better tone it down a bit too, don't start with the sarcastic remarks right away!"

"Me, sarcastic?" Liu Mei exploded on the spot, her voice booming so loud the windows rattled. "Zhang Zhiqiang, I think you're just too soft! As soft as what's down below! It's been three years since graduation, has she given one cent to the family? You don't dare go bring her back, you don't dare call her back to meet a blind date. Don't you know what kind of temper she has? Could she really turn the world upside down?"

Introverted personality, timid, thin-skinned, most afraid of others giving her the cold shoulder, most afraid of making a scene.

In short, easy to manipulate.

And precisely because of that, she had been planning back then to marry Zhang off as soon as she graduated.

Good looks, finished university, honest and obedient, most suitable for finding a decent second-generation family in the county town, getting a respectable bride price, conveniently lifting up their own family's connections.

This one running off ruined all her originally calculated plans.

Actually, he knew very well in his heart.

This matter of sending Zhang Yan to live at her aunt's house when she was little.

Over the years, in the village, within the family, it hadn't been spared from gossip.

If he added a reputation of "forcing daughter to marry" or "selling daughter for gain," he would truly have no place to put his face.

So these past two years, while he kept saying he wanted to get Zhang Yan back, and indeed thought about it, he never actually went to Yangcheng to drag her back by force.

And this was also the most frequent cause of arguments between the couple these past two years.

Zhang Zhiqiang gritted his teeth, his chest heaved several times, and he irritably spat toward the doorway.

Liu Mei's face was cold, her tone sarcastic. "Which restaurant did you book?"

"Huachen."

"Zhang Zhiqiang, you're really something!" Her eyes widened, and she slapped the table. "Huachen Grand Hotel? Do you think you're some big boss?"

Huachen was the most upscale restaurant in Jing County, a standalone building with an imposing facade. A private room started at around a thousand yuan, not a place people like them would normally go.

Zhang Zhiqiang suppressed his anger, his expression ugly. "What do you know! My boss is eating there today too, and there will be quite a few notable people going over later, people who run supermarkets, factories, auto trade businesses, all second-generation folks in the county with some connections. Since Yanyan is back this time, it's a good chance to let people see her, get to know her, it's an opportunity. If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense here."

"Really?"

"Why would I lie to you." Zhang Zhiqiang couldn't be bothered to explain more, turned, and walked toward the inner room.

Actually, his current situation really wasn't great.

All these years running around outside, he didn't earn much money, but accumulated quite a bit of debt.

At this age, wanting to change to a proper career path was already difficult.

And there was still a son in middle school below.

Future schooling, buying a house, getting married—which one didn't require money?

That's why he kept turning his attention to Zhang Yan time and again.

It wasn't that he didn't know he owed her.

He just couldn't afford to care about that much.

Or rather, he had never been able to afford to care about that much.

The main room gradually quieted down.

Liu Mei stood in front of the stove, her vegetable-picking movements slowed considerably.

The anger on her face had long dissipated, replaced by a calculating, shrewd expression.

......

Jing County, East Ring Road, Binhu Mingshu.

This was the most top-tier residential area in all of Jing County, adjacent to the thousand-acre Lotus Lake Park.

French-style duplex and stacked villas lay quietly under the winter daylight, sparse and open.

They seemed like a different world compared to the slightly worn county town fabric around them.

Lin Tiantian wore a set of winter women's business attire, walking back and forth in the living room in high heels.

Her movements were crisp, her speech pace neither fast nor slow:

"Add another floor lamp in the study, the color temperature shouldn't be too cold."

"Remove the magazines on the coffee table, replace them with the latest three months of financial weekly magazines, plus two literary essays."

"Turn down the humidifier in the master bedroom on the second floor a bit more, lower the fragrance concentration one more level."

She gave instructions while her gaze rapidly swept across the entire space.

The villa's heating had been turned on full in advance, the air floating with a very light woody fragrance. The open kitchen was spotless, the wine cabinet, bookshelf, living room furnishings, bedroom linens—all rearranged to the highest standard.

This was originally Director Jin's residence in Jing County.

Not often used normally, but once activated, it had to be in the most suitable, most proper, most error-free state.

Especially this time.

Just as she was about to go upstairs to confirm the details of the bedrooms and guest rooms once more, her phone rang.

It was the local person in charge of Shengtang Security in Quancheng.

She answered the call. "Hello?"

"Assistant Lin." The voice on the other end was clear and efficient. "Ms. Liu and Ms. Zhang have landed, our people have successfully received them."

"Good." Lin Tiantian nodded lightly. "Where are they heading first?"

"According to the instructions received, the vehicle will first take Ms. Zhang to Huachen Grand Hotel, said to have a meal with relatives. Ms. Liu will return separately to the mining community."

"Separated? Relatives?" Lin Tiantian's brows furrowed slightly.

Thought of Director Jin's instructions.

She instructed in a low voice: "Like this. Group one continues to follow Ms. Zhang Yan, do not disturb. Group two goes to Huachen Grand Hotel in advance, coordinates with the hotel, sets up points on the floor where their private room is located, must ensure Ms. Zhang's safety."

"Also, book another private room next to theirs." Lin Tiantian paused, then added, "I'll go over personally in a bit."

"Received."

The call ended.

The living room grew quiet again.

Lin Tiantian stood in place, mentally reviewing every detail once more, a confident, assured smile curling at the corner of her lips.

Ever since the incident with the "520 birthday gift" displeased Director Jin last time, Shangguan Qiuyas took the opportunity to take over part of the private affairs she handled.

This trip of Director Jin's to Jing County, she absolutely had to firmly grasp it.

Handle it beautifully, flawlessly, without a single mistake.