"Sister Huang, don't worry. Since Carlos has this idea, let's grant his wish."

"Beth even asked Annie to come along, which made me want to go back."

“You can’t go back. Daniel is so young, and there’s no one to take care of him at home.”

"Yes, I can't leave. There's no way around it. Hongmei might not be able to come back in the future, and I don't know if I'll ever see her again in my lifetime."

"Yes, it's really not easy for her to come out now. Shouyi didn't announce it to the outside world before, but it's really troublesome to reveal it now that Hongmei has gone back. There's nothing we can do about it."

"I wonder what will happen to Daniel after Hongmei leaves? He can't live without her, and now that she's gone, I don't know what to do."

"Then let's stay there. With Ningning by our side, things might be better."

“I’ve been away for long enough. How about Ningning comes back to stay with me? All four of you can come over.”

"No, I'm worried about the two girls left at home. Ningning can't go to nights without me either."

"We'll see when the time comes. I think Beth wants us to go back."

Annie leaned against Zhang Hongmei's chest and asked, "Mom, can I go back to China with you?"

“Annie, to be honest, the education in our country is not as good as here, otherwise I wouldn’t have come all this way. I don’t want to hold you back.”

"But what will Daniel and I do after Mom leaves?"

“Annie, what I worry about most is you. You’re so smart and so sensitive. I’m afraid you’ll be lonely on your own. But with Daniel here, I feel a little more at ease. You’re a good older sister, and you’ll definitely take good care of Daniel.”

"But we'll be lonely. Grandpa and Dad are busy with work, and Grandma has a lot of work to do to take care of us."

"So you have to stand up strong and take care of your younger brother in place of Grandma."

"Mom, I can't do it, I'm still a child."

"Annie, you can do it, Mom believes in you."

"But I don't want to take care of anyone else. I just want you to be with me."

Zhang Hongmei gently stroked Annie's back.

“Honey, you have to be strong. I will arrange for someone to send you a letter every two months. You can also write to Mom.”

Zhang Hongmei also felt very sorry for the two children, but what could she do? If they were just ordinary people, that would be fine; she could take them back home and wait a few years until they were older before they came back.

But they are the heirs of the McCann family, and I really don't have the courage to take them away, for fear of not being able to teach them well.

Anne's future ambition is to become a leader, so it would be best for her not to live abroad.

After careful consideration, I still think we should let them stay. Seeing Annie sad makes me feel bad too. How could we not have feelings for each other after spending more than two years together?

But there's really no way to explain this to a child. She might not even understand it now.

Annie ate very little for dinner. She was listless and lacked energy. Huang Meihua and Wang Xinyi both knew what was wrong; there was really no way to persuade her otherwise, even though they were also very reluctant to let her go.

I've been staying on the mountain for a week now, and I have no intention of going back. The men at home can't stand it anymore; it feels too empty, like there's no home here.

So on Saturday, Beth and his son, along with Zhao Tiancheng, came together.

Beth saw her grandson, the heir to the McCann family, sitting on Zhang Hongmei's lap, reading a book.

Zhang Hongmei was very patient, pointing to the small animals in the pictures and patiently explaining them to Daniel.

Although children can't speak, they can still point out which animal is being asked, and they can also correctly identify its color and quantity.

The father and son watched for a while, then left together.

“Carlos, let Red Plum take Daniel away. We’ll bring him back when he’s three.”

"Dad, the child is too young, I'm afraid he won't be able to get used to airplanes."

"So you've thought about this question too?"

"Yes, Daniel is so dependent on Hongmei, it's best for them to be together. Dad, you stay home and I'll go to China for two years. I'll come back when Daniel is ready to receive his education."

Beth shook her head. "I'll go back with your mother and Hongmei. It's time for you to take over the company. Besides, you're the clan leader; how can you be away for so long?"

"But I'm worried about your health."

"There's nothing to worry about. Our airline already has direct flights to X. If all else fails, we can just take a private jet."

“Dad, I need to think about it. Now that you’re all gone, it’s just me and Annie left.”

"I'll ask Annie later. She'll probably come along too."

"Um."

"I'm in charge of China's industries; I'll build a few more."

"Dad, let's discuss this with Mom tonight."

"Okay, sure. We can talk about it when we get home."

The group had lunch before leaving. Beth still didn't mention in the car that Annie was there. It wasn't that she didn't want to take care of her granddaughter, but she still felt uneasy leaving Carlos alone. With Annie with her son, they could feel at ease.

That night, the couple lay in bed. Beth recounted the plan that he and his father had discussed to Huang Meihua.

“Beth, I disagree. Daniel is too young. It’s really not safe for him to fly.”

I know Hongmei is very good at teaching children, but I absolutely refuse to go back.

Beth lay down and sighed. "If we don't want to go back, then we don't have to. Carlos will be very disappointed."

“Even if we go back, Carlos can’t. We can’t let him get any deeper into trouble.”

We can't let things go on if we know they're pointless.

“Meihua, I think we already have an heir. As for Carlos’s future life, let him handle it himself. We shouldn’t get involved.”

Huang Meihua waited a while before slowly speaking, "I won't force Carlos to remarry, but I'm afraid he'll be lonely when he gets old."

"That's the life he chose, so we can only let him be."

"But I'm afraid he'll regret it when he gets old."

"You're overthinking it. We'd all be dead by then. There's no need to worry about his future. He's a father of two now and has to take responsibility for his actions."

The next morning, Carlos had a special talk with Huang Meihua before going to work. His mother's opposition made him very upset.

He genuinely wanted to send Hongmei back to China, even if it was just to see her happy. But his mother disagreed, and looking at the increasingly gray-haired old woman, Carlos gave in.

I don't yet have the right to pursue my own dreams; I have elderly parents to care for and young children to raise.

"Dad, I'm going to Mom's house today. My little brother must miss me."

"Okay, I'll take you there now."