"I'm tired. I used the excuse of delivering Fengqin to get out of here. I'll let Aunt Wang host the rest of the event. She's used to these kinds of occasions and is very comfortable in them. I think I'd better step aside." Qin Xiaoyu sat down behind her desk.

"This watermelon juice was made for you by Gang Tiantian. That girl is very thoughtful." Master Wang placed a full glass of watermelon juice in front of her.

"They've all made something of themselves." Qin Xiaoyu took a sip; it had ice and a little sugar added, making it taste even better.

The beauty school has been running for more than half a year now. Seeing her students start their own businesses one by one, she feels like a dandelion, scattering seeds and now it's time to reap the rewards. How can she not be gratified?

"Why do I feel like you have something on your mind? Did someone say something?" Master Wang, who had known Qin Xiaoyu for a long time, knew her best and asked anxiously.

"It's alright, even if something happens, it's a small matter. There's no hurdle we can't overcome. Master, haven't we encountered enough troubles to get to where we are today? Don't be afraid, I'm here for you." Qin Xiaoyu said this, but when she looked up at the Zhou family, she was still worried.

She didn't know if Bai Weiwei would do anything extreme.

The room quieted down, with only the whirring of the fan. Suddenly, the phone rang, startling Qin Xiaoyu and Master Wang.

Qin Xiaoyu rushed to put her hand on the telephone receiver before Master Wang could, and took a deep breath as she picked it up.

"Little Fish! You should be prepared, something's happened!" Commander Wang's furious voice rang out.

"What is it?" Qin Xiaoyu's voice was steady, without a trace of panic.

"Bai Weiwei publicly called you the Zhou family's daughter-in-law, and the more I tried to stop her, the more she insisted. That bitch Qing Xiaoxu, I don't know what's wrong with her, she doesn't even discipline her own child! Zhou Xing's mother looked very upset. Later, they all went upstairs together. Bai Weiwei came down by herself, but Zhou Xing's mother kept the door closed and didn't come out. I had to find an excuse to see all the guests off. Now everything is packed up, and the waiters have left on their own. My younger sister and Hanhan are here with me, and Zhou Xing's mother won't come out. What am I going to do?" Commander Wang paced anxiously.

"Aunt Wang, could you bring the child over for me?" Qin Xiaoyu said before hanging up the phone.

Now she is facing a situation that is almost like the end of the world, but Zhou Xing is not here, and she has to get through it all by herself.

She drove to the entrance of the military region and saw Commander Wang leading two children out.

"Didn't you ask me to drop you off? Why are you picking me up?" Commander Wang was very surprised.

"You should still take them. Aunt Wang, take them to school. I'll go in and talk to Aunt Zhou. It's something we'll have to face sooner or later," Qin Xiaoyu said calmly. She bent down and kissed Hanhan and her younger sister on the forehead, then patted Hanhan's shoulder. From now on, the two children will have to endure a lot, and she felt sorry for them.

Qin Xiaoyu was stopped as soon as she reached the guard post. She had no choice but to obey the Zhou family's orders. After a long while, the guard's voice came from inside, telling her to go in.

She knew that things were about to turn upside down.

Zhou Xing's mother knew she was coming and was already sitting upright on the sofa.

"Aunt Zhou," Qin Xiaoyu called softly.

"Don't call me Aunt Zhou, you don't deserve it," Zhou Xing's mother said expressionlessly.

“Okay, Mrs. Zhou.” Qin Xiaoyu cooperated. Tonight, no matter what, she had to lower her posture and do it all for Zhou Xing’s sake.

"What did you do to me?" Zhou Xing's mother didn't even look at her, letting her stand at the door as if she were about to judge her.

"I didn't do anything," Qin Xiaoyu said, raising her head with an open and honest expression.

"We treat you like family, but what have you done? How dare you lay a finger on my son? You even want to become the mistress of the Zhou family? You're not worthy! How dare you!" Zhou Xing's mother could no longer suppress her anger. She suddenly stood up, rushed to Qin Xiaoyu, and before Qin Xiaoyu could react, she slapped her across the face.

Caught off guard, Qin Xiaoyu stumbled and nearly fell. The two guards, who were hiding in the dining room, peeked out when they heard the commotion, pacing anxiously but too afraid to come out and stop them.

"Aunt Zhou, it was our fault for keeping this from you all this time. Apart from that, I'm not at fault," Qin Xiaoyu said calmly as she regained her footing.

"You did nothing wrong! You're a thief! You're stealing! And, and you return it to me! You, you're shameless! Don't you know who you are? How dare you touch Zhou Xing?" Zhou Xing's mother was already furious and raised her hand to hit him again, but this time Qin Xiaoyu was on guard and dodged the blow.

“Mrs. Zhou, I respect you for Zhou Xing’s sake, but you have no right to hit me,” Qin Xiaoyu said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"You vixen! You'll stop at nothing to get into our house, trying every trick in the book to please me. You're really something! We never saw through you! How did you seduce my son? Huh? It's right under my nose, am I blind? Take your things away!" Zhou Xing's mother suddenly remembered that the earrings were a gift from Qin Xiaoyu, so she reached out and ripped them off, throwing them in front of Qin Xiaoyu.

"He approached me, and I kept resisting, but I was eventually moved by his sincerity, so we got together." Qin Xiaoyu could only state the facts.

"Ha, don't you look in the mirror? He approached you? Who do you think you are? A penniless widow with two burdens, who do you think you are? Why would he like you!"

"You'll have to ask your son about that." Qin Xiaoyu suppressed her anger. She wanted to retaliate, but the thought of Zhou Xing, who was always in danger, prevented her from doing so.

"Ask him! What's the point of me asking him! Today you just tell me what you want. If you have any dignity left, let him go and stop bothering my son!"

“He begged me not to let him go, no matter what. If it were before, I might still hesitate, but now he's not by my side, and I don't know when he'll be back. I have to keep my promise to him, even if I have to go back on my word, I have to tell him to his face. So all I can say to you is that I love him, and I'm willing to wait for him, even for a lifetime.” Tears welled up in Qin Xiaoyu's eyes, not because of humiliation, but because she genuinely felt sorry for Zhou Xing.

"You! You're dreaming! As long as I live, you can never be with Zhou Xing. Don't even think about setting foot in the Zhou family! Take your brat and get out of here, stay far away from the Zhou family!"

The words "little brat" deeply wounded Qin Xiaoyu's heart. Her tears dried instantly. She glared at Zhou Xing's mother and turned to leave.

She heard a loud noise behind her; Zhou Xing's mother was smashing things. What did that have to do with her?

From then on, she would never bring her two children into the Zhou family's house again.

Supported by her anger, she was able to control her emotions and drive the car into the school gate. Suddenly, she deflated like a punctured balloon and collapsed completely.

She threw herself onto the steering wheel and burst into tears.