No matter who hurt whom, Qian couldn’t take it.

"There’s nothing to worry about. Don’t you trust me to handle things?"

"I want to stay."

"Go back, don’t let Second Brother worry. If anything happens here, I’ll let you know."

"But—"

"Qian, does my word as a dictator still count for anything?"

Hearing Qian mock herself as a dictator, Qian felt quite uncomfortable inside.

Although Qian wasn’t the oldest, she’s been the one taking care of everyone more often. After giving so much, to be met with these three hurtful words, Qian must be feeling very upset, right? Qian was upset just hearing it, but Qian remained calm.

"Your words will always count with me, Qian. But Qian, Shi Touyu isn’t a bad person, she’s just a bit childish. Could you be more accommodating?"

"If I didn’t accommodate her, do you think she’d still be lying here in one piece? If you don’t want me to worry, go home with Second Brother, our mom is probably anxious waiting by now."

Seeing Qian still hesitant to leave, Qian placed her hand on her still-flat belly, "Alright, don’t forget you’re not alone now. Taking care of yourself is the best help for me. Don’t tell Second Brother after you go back!"

If the poker-faced Second Brother found out Qian almost fainted from anger here, that guy would definitely hit her innocent Xiaoqiang!

Shi Touyu felt like she had slept for a long time. Actually, she just lay down and replayed those hurtful words in her mind before waking up. She opened the door, intending to apologize to Qian, but saw Qian tenderly touching Qian’s belly with a gentle smile, and the thought "they’re sisters-in-law, and she’s the outsider" became clear once again in her mind.

The feelings that had just calmed down began to boil again, and the voice in her heart constantly tempted her: Go, ask Qian to lend you money, borrow money to know the human warmth and cold, and you’ll completely lose hope for this sisterhood!

With her own instinct, Shi Yu forcibly suppressed this temptation that didn’t belong to her. She forced herself to retreat, closed the door, stepped back step by step, leaned against the wall, and slid powerlessly to the ground, holding herself tightly.

Is she going crazy? Why can’t she ever control herself...

Qian saw Qian off, wanting to check on Shi Yu. Hearing footsteps, Shi Yu hurried back to bed, closed her eyes, and pretended to be asleep.

Seeing her asleep, Qian backed out, sat by the window with her notebook, working on the homework her teacher gave her, yet her mind was on Shi Yu. What exactly had happened to Shi Yu, what had caused such a change in her character? She hoped her elder brother would find out quickly. If they couldn’t find the root cause and Shi Touyu wouldn’t say anything, any treatment would be ineffective.

Qian didn’t see that after she closed the door, Shi Yu was crying, tears streaming down continuously.

Yu Minglang came back early today, he had already received Qian’s message on the way, knowing Shi Yu had come over.

Qian remained in her daze, and Yu Minglang was standing next to her without her noticing. It wasn’t until Xiaoqiang tapped her that Qian snapped back to reality.

"You’re back, why so early?"

"Shi Touyu came over. I wanted to take you all out to dinner and be a good host. What are you working on so seriously? I’ve been here for ages, and you just now noticed me?" Xiaoqiang still didn’t know about the tension between Qian and Shi Touyu, he just assumed Qian was engrossed in her schoolwork.

Qian glanced at her computer screen which was blank despite being open for a while, occupied by thoughts of Shi Yu.

"It’s a task from my teacher, a paper on hypnosis, supposedly for submission to an international journal. My teacher always feels frustrated about the low international status of our country’s psychology field."

"Hypnosis? Isn’t that something you often use? Just a few words and people are asleep." Yu Minglang knew his wife was good with hypnosis, often using it to treat people.

"Hypnosis is far more complex than you think. What I often use is only superficial. True experts are much more skilled than me... Anyway, enough about that. Let me check if Shi Touyu’s awake, then we can decide where to eat."

The three went out to eat. Qian picked Shi Touyu’s favorite restaurant. Even though the dishes and chef hadn’t changed, the meal felt different.

Without Qian having to say anything, Yu Minglang sensed something was off between the two sisters.

In the past, meals with Qian and Shi Touyu were lively, filled with endless chatter. Although Qian mostly listened, her face was always adorned with a pleasant, relaxed smile.

Now, Shi Touyu was silent, and Qian wasn’t as relaxed as before; they both seemed tense.

Xiaoqiang tried to lighten the mood with some casual talk, but it didn’t help.

He looked at Qian, who shook her head, prompting Yu Minglang to keep quiet.

During the meal, Qian’s phone rang, it was from Narcissus.

"Qian’er, didn’t you say you wanted to do some investing with me last time? I’ve got someone dealing in futures, it’s relatively stable. Want to open an account with me?" Since returning with Dadao, Narcissus was still struggling, but with Dadao’s support, she managed much better.

As Xiaoqiang said, Dadao was exceptionally capable, excelling even in new environments, adept at managing relationships and helping Narcissus strengthen her position and handle internal conflicts, thus giving Narcissus some time for investment analysis.

"Sure, let’s invest together. I’ve been wanting to save some money for a surprise for my man."

Surprise?! Yu Minglang’s ears perked up, trying to eavesdrop.

Qian’s ’stash’ was definitely healthy, with Xiaoqiang giving all his earnings to her. They weren’t short of money, but life still needed surprises.

Seeing his eager expression, Qian pushed his handsome face aside, preventing him from listening, and continued talking to Narcissus.

"How much are we buying?"

"We’re doing copper and aluminum futures this time, with a good grasp on it. Buy as you see fit."

"Alright, I’ll buy this much," Qian stated a number.

"Alright, transfer it to my account, and I’ll manage it for you." There were no barriers in conversation between Narcissus and Qian.

Xiaoqiang, the math whiz, immediately calculated mentally, estimating how much short-term profit this amount would generate, then deducing from that what surprise his wife intended for him...

"Why didn’t you ask me to invest?" Xiaoqiang was frustrated, raising his hand, indicating to his wife, ’Look here, I can earn money too~~’

Qian glanced at him with a smile, "I wanted to surprise you. If I let you do it, where’s the surprise?"

Hearing Qian talk money with others, the strange voice in Shi Yu’s head tempted again, urging her to ask Chen Xiaoqian for money, borrow money...

"Don’t bother guessing, I won’t tell you. Even if you ponder until your head bursts, I won’t say a word." Qian replied leisurely.

Xiaoqiang looked at her with longing and then sighed, "Alright, as long as you’re happy, dear."

Wahh, his wife went to others for help, not him, ugh! But since it’s a surprise for him... oh well, I’ll pick up the pieces after the tantrum.

Qian glanced at him amusingly, then turned to see Shi Touyu’s pale face, her hands clenched into fists, nails digging into her flesh.