Learning from Ge Jian wasn’t a problem. After all, Ge Jian was younger and quick-witted, a fast learner, right? Min Xiaoju lacked confidence.

However, she knew Tang Hongen’s suggestion was for her good. As a woman with no special skills except fighting, it wasn’t easy to find a suitable path. Become a bodyguard for Hong Kong bosses? Though she heard the pay was good, Min Xiaoju knew she couldn’t tolerate that treatment. During her last visit to Pengcheng, she saw a bodyguard named Ah Hua working for a young Hong Kong master. Though Min Xiaoju could tell at a glance that Ah Hua was skilled, seeing him being ordered around in public made her think she’d rather stick with Liu Fen.

“Leader, thank you for your kind reminder. I’ll try to learn!” Min Xiaoju’s self-reference alternated freely between “I” and the more rustic “me,” depending on her mood and whether she wanted to emphasize her rural background.

Tang Hongen didn’t say more. Min Xiaoju was perceptive enough to take the thermos from his hands. She had queued for the soy milk and bought the steamed buns. On their way back, just as they were approaching home, Tang Hongen took everything into his own hands:

“Comrade Xiaoju, learning from Comrade Ge Jian starts with this first lesson.”

Being someone’s right-hand person wasn’t easy. Xia Dajun couldn’t do it, so why could Ah Hua? One needed to be clever and observant. One had to do all the work silently while giving credit to the boss.

Min Xiaoju obediently took the lesson, watching Mayor Tang use the soy milk and buns she bought to please his new wife. She muttered unclearly with her mouth full of bun, “Trying to fool me again…”

If even Mayor Tang was this type of person, this society wouldn’t be kind to honest people. After thinking it through, she decided to stay by Liu Fen’s side was truly the best option.

After Xia Xiaolan finished breakfast and got ready to drive to Xiangshan, Min Xiaoju had already rushed to open the car door: “I’ll be the driver today.”

Xia Xiaolan found it strange. Though Min Xiaoju ate a lot and was strong, she usually only moved when prodded, like a frog that only jumped when poked. Why was she so proactive today? What had changed?

Liu Fen worried, “Xiaoju, do you know the way?”

Min Xiaoju grinned, “If I don’t know, I’ll just ask. I should be the one driving anyway. From now on, leave these things to me!”

Liu Fen also noticed something different about Min Xiaoju today, but she had other concerns. They were going to meet Elder Song at Xiangshan again. Last time, not knowing Elder Song’s identity made it easier, but this time was different.

Despite Tang Hongen’s repeated assurances that Elder Song liked her, Liu Fen still felt uncertain. Whether Elder Song or the Song family liked her didn’t matter – she wasn’t counting on the Song family’s patronage for survival. But after two days of marriage to Tang Hongen, who had been incredibly attentive, Liu Fen’s heart wasn’t made of stone. How could she not consider things from Tang Hongen’s perspective?

If Elder Song disliked her, would it affect Tang Hongen? And how would the Song family members react? It didn’t matter if they looked down on her, but they couldn’t look down on her daughter.

Liu Fen’s gaze fell on her daughter Xiaolan, who was chatting with Min Xiaoju, appearing completely relaxed. Liu Fen couldn’t help but smile – what was she worried about?

While she might lack confidence in herself, she had complete faith in her daughter. If someone couldn’t appreciate Xiaolan, it could only be attributed to personal bias – her daughter excelled beyond her peers in every aspect.

Tang Hongen held her hand and patted the back of it: “We agreed last night to take it easy. Remember last time, wasn’t Elder Song easy to talk to?”

That was true. Liu Fen figured that with someone of Elder Song’s stature, she probably wouldn’t be able to detect any displeasure even if it existed. Since she couldn’t read others’ true feelings anyway, why worry?

Sitting in the passenger seat, Xia Xiaolan was both giving directions to Min Xiaoju and thinking about the Song family. She hadn’t met any of them either. If even someone like Huo Chenzhou could treat Old Tang like a “family servant,” the other Song family members must be equally arrogant.

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t afraid of such people, but with her mother involved, her radar was fully activated. They could direct their fire at her – she had thick skin. If anyone made her mother uncomfortable, Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t care about the occasion; she would make them uncomfortable too… While she deeply respected someone like Elder Song, if the Song family members were disrespectful first, Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t give a face to anyone.

Xia Xiaolan had all her defenses up, waiting to see who would try to cause trouble first.

What she didn’t know was that in Elder Song’s Xiangshan villa where he was recuperating, many Song family members were also waiting. The topic of their discussion was also the Xia Xiaolan mother-daughter pair and their upcoming meeting.

Song Minglan, daughter of Song Zhicheng from the Song family’s second branch, was talking to Huo Chenzhou. She was younger than Huo Chenzhou, about the same age as Xia Xiaolan, and had inherited her mother’s beautiful genes, making her one of the most striking among the Song family’s third generation.

Song Nanzhen was the Third Miss Song of the previous generation, while Song Minglan was of the current generation. Seeing Song Minglan always made Song Nanzhen unhappy.

When her young niece socialized using the title “Third Miss Song,” it reminded Song Nanzhen that this was now the young people’s era, and she belonged to the previous generation. She could be called Mrs. Huo or Ms. Song, but “Third Miss Song” was no longer suitable for her – time was ruthless, and social conventions even more so. A married daughter was like spilled water; even though Song Nanzhen lingered at her maiden home, she couldn’t change the fact that she was married.

She should be more aligned with the Hu family in Shanghai rather than clinging to her maiden family.

The elders had their calculations, but this didn’t affect relationships between the younger generation. Huo Chenzhou often stayed at the Song family home with his mother and had grown up playing with Song Minglan, making them quite close.

Song Minglan enjoyed talking with Huo Chenzhou – after all, among the Song family’s third generation, Huo Chenzhou was the leader in career achievement. Staying close to such a capable cousin wasn’t a waste of time.

“Cousin, have you met that woman? What is she really like, that made Mayor Tang choose her over my cousin? Cousin Xuan must be heartbroken.”

Song Minglan always felt that after all Sheng Xuan had invested, Tang Hongen owed her an explanation. A woman’s youth lasted only so long – how could it be wasted so carelessly?

Huo Chenzhou seemed somewhat distracted. He realized he hadn’t met Liu Fen.

But he had met Liu Yong and Xia Xiaolan.

Liu Yong was just a small business owner, not highly educated but extremely hardworking. In these two years of Reform and Opening Up, people like Liu Yong weren’t uncommon in the Special Economic Zone – as long as their luck wasn’t too bad, they could make some money. Liu Yong was particularly lucky – his sister got involved with Mayor Tang, who then helped Liu Yong… But what if Mayor Tang hadn’t helped? Liu Yong might have developed more slowly and made money more slowly, but he wouldn’t have failed to survive in Pengcheng.

Regardless of whose path one followed, one had to first establish oneself, and Liu Yong had never let Tang Hongen down in any of the projects he took on.

Such a person might not have great talent, but at least he didn’t drag others down!

As for Xia Xiaolan… Huo Chenzhou couldn’t help but look at his cousin Song Minglan a few more times. If Liu Fen was as quick-witted as Xia Xiaolan, it wasn’t strange that Tang Hongen chose Liu Fen over Sheng Xuan.