Yan Han, who had been unable to get a word in edgewise, suddenly blurted out something reckless.

"Is the ring you designed acceptable?"

Madam Yan immediately glared at him, but Zhu Qianying was not annoyed and just smiled and replied.

"So, didn't I already tell Auntie? I'll design a few rings first and send the renderings to her. If Auntie feels anything is unsuitable or doesn't like it, she can let me know."

Zhu Qianying was able to become the chief designer of Ying Jewelry at the age of twenty-three, not because of her mentor or Cheng Ye, but because of her outstanding works and abilities.

As for magnanimity, she has never lacked it.

From the day she became the designer of Ying Jewelry at the age of eighteen, she has faced countless doubts, but she has always let her work speak for itself.

As for pointless arguments, she never bothered to say them, nor did she care to.

Even though her clients are Old Madam Yan and the picky and fastidious Young Master Yan in front of her, her thoughts are still the same.

Those who understand will understand, and for those who don't, no amount of explanation will help.

That's how she thinks about her own work. And probably, about everything else as well.

As for Yan Han's words, they were nothing more than making conversation to assert his presence.

Since returning, has Zhu Qianying ever glanced at him even once?

But Zhu Qianying responded with a smile, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

He never considered himself a clumsy speaker, but when facing Shangzhu Qianying, he often found himself at a loss for words.

Zhu Qianying calmly withdrew her gaze from his face, only to hear Old Madam Yan ask, "How is your mother's health now?"

"She's doing great. Her mindset is much better than before. She used to work as a food consultant at a Chinese restaurant in the US, working two or three hours a day. The rest of the time, she helped me take care of my son. She had a very fulfilling life."

When Chen Jinggang arrived in the United States with Zhu Qianying, Cheng Ye introduced her to a very famous local Chinese restaurant as a head chef.

Her culinary skills quickly won the approval and favor of the boss and diners.

Later, when Zhu Qianying became pregnant and took leave, she quit her job to focus on taking care of Zhu Qianying and her grandson at home.

The restaurant owner tried every means to retain her, and in the end, the other party made many concessions. Chen Jing was then hired as the restaurant's food consultant with a generous salary and flexible working hours.

Hearing Zhu Qianying mention these things, Old Madam Yan couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

"Your mom seems like a completely different person now, doesn't she?"

Like Chen Jing, who lives a carefree and unrestrained life after leaving that scumbag Zhu Zhizhou.

Therefore, women should treat themselves well. If they insist on putting all their eggs in one basket with a man, they will only waste their own talents and lives.

"She's so cheerful now. She told me the other day that someone was pursuing her, and I said that Xiaoyu and I wouldn't mind having a foreign dad!"

When talking about her mother, Zhu Qianying looked very relaxed and at ease.

Madam Yan gave her son a wink, signaling him to learn from her conversational skills and not to jump straight to the point. The key point was that his tone and the way he asked questions were not right.

"It's rare to see you and Xiaoyu so open-minded. However, daughters are naturally more tolerant and understanding of their mothers, after all, they have also given birth and understand the hardships of being a mother."

Actually, what Madam Yan wanted to say was, "You and I are both women, so I understand all your suffering."

But she dared not say these words outright, for fear of scaring away Zhu Qianying, who was as easily frightened as a bird startled by a bow.

"Yes, I only understood the hardships of being a mother after I became one myself."

As Zhu Qianying chatted, she naturally became less guarded.

"You must have suffered a lot while you were pregnant with Zizai, right?"

Madam Yan naturally turned the conversation to Zizai. She wanted her son to know about Zhu Qianying and Zizai's experiences, and she wanted to know about them herself as well.

After all, you absolutely can't get this kind of information from the little guy.

"It's alright, he was actually quite well-behaved before he was born."

Zhu Qianying was unwilling to say more about this matter.

After all, her current status in the Yan family is quite delicate.

Ever since she wrote that letter and left that pile of things five years ago to sever all ties, she has always considered herself an outsider unrelated to the Yan family.

But it wasn't until her conversation with Yan Han at the coffee shop that she realized that the Yan family members all took it for granted that she was still their daughter-in-law.

If she were to recount how difficult things were back then, the Yan family might perceive her as merely seeking sympathy.

Furthermore, what she said was the truth.

She initially thought it was just a case of hormonal imbalance caused by a change in environment, so she didn't pay much attention to it. By the time she found out she was pregnant, the baby in her belly was already almost four months along.

She didn't experience any morning sickness or nausea during the early stages of pregnancy. With her mother's meticulous care after she found out, she didn't start her maternity leave until close to her due date. Then, three months after her son was born, she gradually returned to work.

And thanks to Cheng Ye's care and understanding, she has been able to balance work and family life all these years.

But she didn't need to tell the Yan family any of this, nor did she want to.

When Madam Yan saw that she was unwilling to say more, she knew that she was treating the Yan family as outsiders.

Even if you know it, there's nothing you can do about it.

After all, it was her own son who wronged Zhu Qianying first, so no matter how bad her attitude was, it wasn't excessive.

What's more, her attitude right now couldn't be better!

Was Zizai born naturally?

After testing Zhu Qianying a few times, Madam Yan probably figured out what her bottom line and concerns were, so she tried to steer the conversation toward Zizai.

"Yes!"

"No wonder! They say babies born naturally are especially smart! Was he a big, chubby boy when he was born? Xiaohan weighed over eight pounds at birth, so Zizai shouldn't be any smaller than him."

This was a question that Old Madam Yan had been curious about for a long time.

"Yes, it weighed over eight pounds, and it was fair-skinned and chubby when it was born."

When talking about Zizai, Zhu Qianying suddenly seemed to remember something, took out her iPad from her backpack, opened a folder, and handed it to Madam Yan.

"Auntie, take a look. There are many photos here, categorized by date. Feel free to look at them and make a copy if you like."

Madam Yan looked at her and asked, "You can look around as you please?"

Zhu Qianying nodded, "Of course, there are no trade secrets here."

Zhu Qianying deliberately misinterpreted Madam Yan's words, and upon hearing this answer, Madam Yan couldn't help but smile.

Since she can look at things freely, does that mean this girl has never had any romantic feelings for a boyfriend?

But soon, Madam Yan realized that she had been too happy. Yan Han, who had come over to look at the photos with her, also went through a similar emotional journey.

However, Yan Han's was even more intense than hers.