As night fell, Shen Mingzhi returned to the Jiang family's courtyard house. As soon as she entered, she heard Niannian's giggling laughter. Following the sound, she saw Jiang Shaozhen holding the child and spinning her around in the yard, while Zhouzhou sat in his stroller, clapping his little hands excitedly.

This scene warmed Shen Mingzhi's heart. She stood at the door, unwilling to disturb them.

Jiang Shao Chen, however, keenly sensed her presence, turned his head to look at her, and his eyes instantly filled with a smile, "You're back?"

When Niannian saw her mother, she immediately struggled to get down. Jiang Shaochen quickly picked her up and carried her to Shen Mingzhi. The two huddled together, and he showed the child to Shen Mingzhi, saying, "Don't you think her features are looking more and more like yours?"

Shen Mingzhi stared at it for a while, then couldn't help but chuckle, "How could I tell? I look at myself every day, I can't tell."

Shen Mingzhi knelt down to catch her daughter, kissing her rosy cheeks repeatedly. "Did you miss Mommy?"

Niannian was babbling in a childish voice, and it was hard to tell what she was saying, but her little hands were tightly wrapped around her neck.

Jiang Shaozhen pushed Zhouzhou over, looking at the mother and daughter with gentle eyes, "Have you eaten?"

Shen Mingzhi shook her head. "Not yet."

"Perfect timing, Aunt Wang made dumplings, I'll go heat them up." Jiang Shaozhen said, turning and going into the kitchen.

Shen Mingzhi carried Niannian and pushed Zhouzhou inside. In the kitchen, Jiang Shaozhen skillfully started the fire and heated the pot, his movements swift and efficient. She suddenly realized that this ordinary life was quite nice; after a busy day, coming home to someone cooking for her was a blessing.

"How are things going at the factory?" Jiang Shaozhen asked while busy with his work.

Shen Mingzhi sighed, "Chen Xiao admitted it and has been fired. Now we need to start developing a new product."

Jiang Shaozhen nodded. "Just let me know if you need any help."

The steaming dumplings were quickly served. Shen Mingzhi was indeed hungry and ate more than a dozen in a row. Jiang Shaozhen sat opposite her, occasionally putting food on her plate and pouring water for her, taking meticulous care of her.

"Oh, right," he suddenly remembered something, "next Wednesday is Nian Nian and Zhou Zhou's first birthday. What are your thoughts?"

Shen Mingzhi was taken aback. "She's already a year old?"

Time flies; in the blink of an eye, her two children are already so grown up. A wave of guilt washed over her; she had been so busy with work that she had missed so many of her children's growth moments.

"I think..." she hesitated for a moment, "...just a simple family dinner, just the two of us."

Jiang Shao Chen's eyes lit up. "Okay, I'll arrange it."

After dinner, Shen Mingzhi put the child to sleep and took a walk alone in the yard. The starry sky was exceptionally bright in the autumn night, which gradually calmed her chaotic thoughts.

Jiang Shao Chen walked over and handed her a cup of hot tea. "Is things at the factory bothering you?"

Shen Mingzhi accepted the teacup and thanked her softly. The two stood side by side in silence for a while.

"Jiang Shao Chen," Shen Mingzhi suddenly spoke, "If... I mean, if we started over, could you promise you wouldn't lie to me again?"

Jiang Shaozhen shuddered, nearly dropping his teacup. He turned around, grasped Shen Mingzhi's shoulders with both hands, and said in a slightly trembling voice, "I swear, I will never tell you a lie again in my life."

Shen Mingzhi looked up at him; his eyes, clear and bright in the moonlight, were brimming with sincerity and love. She nodded gently, "Okay, let's give it a try."

Jiang Shaozhen pulled her into his arms, so tightly that she could hardly breathe.

"Thank you, Zhizhi..." His voice choked with emotion, "I will cherish it dearly."

Shen Mingzhi leaned against his strong chest, listening to his powerful heartbeat, and her heart slowly softened.

Jiang Shaozhen helped her a lot, and no matter how much she pushed him away, he still didn't give up.

After observing him for a while, she felt that Jiang Shaozhen was reliable. For the sake of the two children, she decided to give it a try.

A week later, the children's first birthday party was simple yet heartwarming. Jiang Qing and Jiang Guofu held their grandchildren, beaming with joy. Shen Mingzhi and Jiang Shaozhen stood to the side, their fingers intertwined.

"Oh, right," Jiang Shaozhen suddenly remembered something and said, "Xi Nian, who went out to buy medicine, will be back soon. He's going abroad next year, so shouldn't we make some preparations?"

Shen Mingzhi nodded. "Indeed, he's been gone for quite a while. I wonder if he's learned anything while buying materials."

Speaking of which, I really miss Wang Xinian.

Jiang Shaozhen said, "It's a pity he's not in your factory... otherwise it would have been easier for him to go abroad. When he went abroad, I suspect the Song family would have tried to stop him again. But what I'm worried about now is, will there really be new policies at the beginning of the year?"

“Everything is ready, so there’s no need to worry about him interfering. Let’s see when the new year starts; it’s highly likely,” Shen Mingzhi replied.

Unless her arrival changed the course of events that were supposed to unfold.

But she also felt it was unlikely.

She is just a very insignificant person and cannot change what is already going to happen.

Meanwhile, Baoli Cosmetics also successfully developed a new color cosmetics series. This time, Shen Mingzhi learned from her previous experience and strengthened the secrecy measures, only releasing product details the day before the launch.

On the day of the new product launch, the venue was packed. Shen Mingzhi, dressed in a sharp suit, stood confidently on the stage introducing the product.

"Our 'National Beauty' series includes ten products such as foundation, eyeshadow, and lipstick, all made with imported raw materials, but priced at only one-third of foreign brands."

A round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience. Reporters eagerly asked questions, and camera flashes went off continuously.

After the press conference ended, Shen Mingzhi had just stepped off the stage when she saw Jiang Huanyu standing in a corner, his face grim. She walked over and extended her hand, "Mr. Jiang, welcome to offer your guidance."

Jiang Huanyu snorted coldly, "Comrade Shen, you've got some impressive skills. You've turned the tables so quickly."

Shen Mingzhi smiled slightly, "The business world is like a battlefield; Mr. Jiang should know this best."

Jiang Huanyu stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed. "Interesting. Comrade Shen, how about becoming the purchasing manager at our department store? Double the salary."

Before Shen Mingzhi could answer, a strong arm wrapped around her waist. Jiang Shaozhen had appeared beside her at some point, smiling but with sharp eyes as he looked at Jiang Huanyu. "Sorry, my wife is very satisfied with her current position."

Jiang Huanyu raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's a real shame." He turned to leave, then turned back to Shen Mingzhi and said, "But who can say for sure what will happen in the business world? We'll meet again."

Only after he had walked a distance did Jiang Shaozhen release his grip, frowning as he asked, "What did he mean?"

Shen Mingzhi shook her head. "Ignore him." She looked up at her husband's tense profile and couldn't help but laugh. "Jealous?"

Jiang Shao Chen's ears turned slightly red, but he stubbornly replied, "No."

Shen Mingzhi tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek. "Let's go home and take care of the children."

The two walked out of the venue hand in hand, the winter sun shining warmly on them.