Joanne Chase’s parents were illiterate.

Grace Winslow helped write the letter of disownment and found witnesses for it.

When Joanne Chase left for university, she had temporarily transferred her household registration to the school’s collective one. Grace also wrote a certificate, which she had Joanne’s parents stamp with their thumbprints. After graduation, Joanne’s household registration could be directly transferred to her employer, severing all ties with the Chase family for good.

As Joanne Chase held the few pages of legal documents, tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

She never thought she would one day be able to completely break free from her family of origin and gain the freedom she so desperately wanted.

Sean York had taken Joanne’s parents to the bank to withdraw the money.

Naturally, he wouldn’t be carrying five thousand yuan on him.

Grace Winslow and Archer Rhys stayed with Joanne.

The good mood from before had all but vanished.

"Grace, am I dreaming?" Joanne asked, her eyes red as she looked at Grace.

Grace shook her head. After a moment’s thought, she asked, "About that five thousand yuan from Sean York... if you don’t like him and don’t want to marry him, I can help you pay him back first. Once you graduate, get a job, and start earning money, you can pay me back then."

Joanne’s expression froze at her words.

She was silent for a long time, seemingly hesitant.

Grace didn’t press her for an immediate decision. "You don’t have to answer me right away. Think it over carefully. After all, it’s your life, and I can’t make this choice for you."

"Sean York seems like a decent guy. If you have good feelings for him too, you could consider it."

"But you’re only a freshman, and you still have four years of university ahead of you. You’ll have internships and other experiences. The future holds many variables, so you must think clearly. Don’t throw away your entire life because of a moment of gratitude."

Joanne took a deep breath and nodded forcefully.

She did indeed have good feelings for Sean York.

From spending time with him recently, she felt he was a wonderful man. If she really did end up with him, she probably wouldn’t regret it.

But as Grace had said, the future held many variables.

She couldn’t be sure if she might meet someone better, so she would consider this matter seriously.

Sean York returned shortly after.

Joanne’s parents had already left.

Once they got the money, they rushed off to catch the train home without a moment’s delay.

They were in a hurry to find a wife for their son.

Sean York didn’t mention the money, nor did he bring up anything about Joanne repaying him. He and Archer Rhys simply escorted her back to Grace’s house.

"Grace, Joanne, we’re here. You two get some rest. I recently bought a storefront and opened a proper agency just down the street. If you ever get bored, feel free to stop by and hang out."

After seeing them to the door, Sean York left this parting remark and departed with Archer Rhys.

Joanne wore a complicated expression.

She had already planned out how she would respond if Sean York made any demands. But he didn’t mention a thing. The more he acted this way, the more uneasy she felt.

"If you have something to say to him, you should go after him and say it. Don’t keep it bottled up inside," Grace said, patting her on the shoulder.

Joanne nodded and ran after Sean York.

Grace didn’t know what Joanne and Sean York talked about.

She only knew that when Joanne returned, she had a smile on her face and seemed to be in a good mood.

She didn’t ask how the talk with Sean went, and Joanne didn’t bring it up.

The May Day holiday was three days long, and Grace and Joanne spent all three days helping out at Irene Lynch’s shop.

Business at the shop was always stable, with a regular group of customers coming in to buy things every day.

Grace had tailed them before and found they were just residents from the neighborhood. Their families seemed quite wealthy, so there was nothing suspicious. A few of them were repeat customers, but maybe they just had large families who loved these pastries.

Time flew by.

By July, Nolan Winslow, along with Brandon Winslow and his wife, had settled all their affairs back in Prospera Town.

To quickly liquidate her assets, Hayley sold off all their shops there, getting a large sum of money in return.

Since they wouldn’t be living there anymore, she couldn’t possibly manage businesses in both places. A round trip took three to four days, which was just too much of a waste of time.

In mid-July, Grace, Irene Lynch, Gregory Winslow, and Joanne went to the train station to pick up the families of Nolan and Brandon Winslow.

The moment Hayley got home, she immediately told Grace to find Sean York, insisting that she had to buy her own house.

Celestians have an almost obsessive attachment to the idea of home. Without a home of their own, they always feel like something is missing.

The very next day, Grace took her to Sean York’s agency.

The place was already starting to look like a proper business.

A sign on the door listed properties for rent and sale, complete with location, size, orientation, and price. It looked quite a bit like the real estate agencies of the future.

Inside the shop, besides Sean York and Andrew Aldridge, there were several new employees, both men and women.

When Grace and Hayley arrived, Sean York wasn’t in the shop, but Andrew Aldridge was. Seeing them, he hurried out to greet them. "Grace, Sister-in-law, what brings you here?"

"My sister-in-law wants to buy a house near ours. See if you can find a good one for her," Grace said, getting straight to the point.

Andrew was a veteran by now. With half a year of experience, his skills were sharp. He quickly selected a few suitable properties and took Hayley to see them.

After looking at four or five houses, Hayley was still not satisfied. It wasn’t until the sixth one that she finally found something she liked.

However, this house was well-preserved and also expensive. The owner was firm on the price of five thousand, refusing to come down at all. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

But since it came with some of the furniture, it wasn’t a total loss.

After much deliberation, Hayley gritted her teeth and bought it.

Her assets shrank considerably in an instant, making her wince.

Next came the task of moving in and settling down.

Grace and Joanne didn’t have much time. They helped for three days before having to return to school for classes.

Hayley still had to open her shop, which meant renovating the storefront and finding tailors, all of which took time.

On weekends when Grace and Joanne were off, they would sometimes go back and help run around town, searching for suitable tailors.

Unfortunately, such artisans weren’t easy to find. In the end, it was Archer Rhys who stepped in and found two master craftsmen. They were masters of embroidery and were skilled at making clothes and bags.

With all this hustle and bustle, time flew by until it was August.

The weather grew increasingly hot.

Grace and Joanne were both wearing new clothes, and a new wave of "shopping agent" fever swept through the school. Unfortunately, now that Hayley was in Coronet, arranging for these purchases wasn’t so easy. The person who took over her business in Prospera Town was demanding an exorbitant price, leaving too little profit. After much thought, Grace had to reluctantly give up the side business, waiting instead for Hayley’s new shop to open.

"Summer break has started. My professor arranged an internship for me, and I have to report to the Ministry of Diplomacy tomorrow."

The university was now on summer break, and most students had already left.

Because of her outstanding performance, Grace had earned an internship opportunity. She was assigned to the Ministry of Diplomacy for twenty days.

Joanne had been studying hard alongside Grace during this time, and her grades had improved significantly. Although she didn’t get an internship this time, she did earn a chance to participate in the next diplomatic event.

"I hope I can join next year. Then I can go with you," Joanne said, her face full of longing.

Ever since completely severing ties with the Chase family and no longer having to send her allowance home every month, Joanne had become visibly more cheerful.