"How is it?" In the study, Cheng Shizhang looked up from the documents at his wife.
Yu Peiyan smiled faintly: "It's all over now. That girl shouldn't be thinking about it anymore."
Cheng Shizhang rubbed his temples: "They've really grown up; they have their own ideas now."
“I told you we shouldn’t let her make friends outside the family; it will have some impact.”
"This is an internet society, how can we confine her for a lifetime? Compared to other families' daughters, she is already considered very obedient."
“It’s all thanks to my upbringing.” Yu Peiyan took a sip of water. “It’s good to loosen the reins on her now. If I show weakness occasionally, she’ll be as obedient as before.”
"Things have stabilized for now, but what about the future? As we get older, we'll have more and more ideas each year."
"Ji Yunyang is an excellent child. Sooner or later, Zhili will develop feelings for him. Even if it's not a deep love, after several years of growing up together, it will be hard to sever that bond. When he graduates from university, they can get married naturally, and our cooperation with the Ji family will not be shaken."
"It's all thanks to you. You raised Zhili to be so outstanding since she was a child. That's why the Ji family agreed so readily. Otherwise, they wouldn't have offered their only son for a marriage alliance with our Cheng family. When they first came here, so many families in City C were eyeing them covetously."
Yu Peiyan smiled proudly: "When it comes to raising a daughter, no one is better at it than me, Yu Peiyan. My daughter is also the most outstanding achievement of my life. So far, Ji Yunyang seems to be a good choice. If I meet someone better in the future, we'll see."
"Don't be greedy and want more than you have. Otherwise, you'll end up with nothing. With our family background, the Ji family is already a very good choice."
Yu Peiyan didn't care: "My daughter is confident that she is good enough for anyone. Anyway, there are still a few years left. We'll see. Who can predict the future?"
She never allowed her daughter to have any blemishes from a young age, and she made sure her daughter learned the best in everything. The Ji family was definitely not the highest peak her daughter could ever reach.
If her daughter were of the same mind as her and wanted to climb the social ladder, wouldn't she be invincible?
Unfortunately, the idea was still too naive and foolish. Freedom? Starting your own business? That's all bullshit. When you get older, you realize that the most enjoyable feeling is standing at the pinnacle of power and being flattered and envied by others.
Moreover, even if a girl works hard her whole life, it is difficult to reach the level of marrying into a wealthy family. In the future, Zhili will understand her good intentions.
Cheng Zhili had no idea that her mother, Yu Peiyan, had guessed all her thoughts and even used them to make her feel guilty, leading her step by step into the castle her mother had arranged.
Suppressing her discomfort and burdened by self-blame, she contacted Ji Yunyang every day.
Song Xia was unaware of everything that had happened to Cheng Zhili. Recently, she had been spending half her time with her daughter Wenwen and the other half investigating the Cheng family.
Cheng's is a long-established company in City C, with many vested interests involved, so it's very difficult for her to find any loopholes in Cheng's business.
She knew that if things went wrong with the Cheng family, Zhili might be heartbroken in the end, but she had no choice but to do it. The Cheng family was too selfish; they only put their own interests first and were willing to hurt their loved ones for it.
Did Cheng Shizhang and Yu Peiyan truly love Zhili? That's hard to say. What they needed was an obedient, beautiful, and outstanding daughter who could bring benefits to the Cheng family through marriage. As for who that person actually was, they didn't care.
So in their past life, even though Wenwen had their blood in her veins, they never acknowledged her as their biological daughter in public because she wasn't as outstanding as Zhili.
But will things change in their lives?
Song Xia chuckled. She was quite looking forward to it. In this life, although Wenwen was not very well-behaved, she had been raised with a rich upbringing and had developed a noble and confident demeanor. Moreover, she was also quite accomplished in academics and talents. For the Cheng family, was Wenwen just another daughter they could use for marriage alliances?
However, if they really have this intention, they will probably be disappointed. Wenwen is not someone who will let them manipulate her. She is not as foolish as Zhili, who listens to them in everything.
“Mom, I think Zhili has compromised again, and talking to her is useless. She said that the family's cooperation has reached a critical moment, and she can't cause trouble for her parents.”
Wenwen got angrier and angrier as she spoke: "What nonsense! I think her parents are just taking advantage of her sense of responsibility and kindness."
"How so?"
"If her parents truly loved her, why would they tell her about their work difficulties? She's still studying; telling her wouldn't solve anything. They've already held an engagement party, so why would they be worried about the collaboration falling apart? The Ji family invested money, so aren't they also worried about the impact? Are they really that foolish to stop such a big project for a little bit of personal affection?"
Song Xia placed the cut fruit in front of her daughter. Wenwen really sees things clearly.
She was overjoyed, because this way, no matter how many sweet words the Cheng family used in the future, she wouldn't be afraid that Wenwen would be deceived.
“If parents truly love their children, like you, Mom, they wouldn’t make me worry about these things. Mom would only try to make me happy.”
"Our Wenwen suffered so much when she was little, so naturally she should be happy for the rest of her life!"
"Mom, don't you want me to marry into a richer family like Zhili?"
"The law stipulates that citizens are free to marry, and Mom can't interfere."
Wenwen pleaded sweetly, "Oh, Mommy, please say it nicely!"
"Okay." Song Xia chuckled. "Actually, Mom also hopes that your future partner will at least be a good match in terms of social status. That way, your lifestyle, worldview, and spending habits will be more compatible, and there will be fewer conflicts in your daily life. Of course, this is just an ideal situation. No one can predict love life. Sometimes true love is more important than anything else. Mom just hopes that no matter who you end up with, the person you love the most will always be yourself."
"But I want to love my mom the most."
Song Xia tapped her nose: "You can't live with your mother forever."
"Who says it's impossible? I really can't imagine who I'll fall in love with in the future. Mom, you just need to live to be a hundred, and I'll live to be eighty. That way, I'll have Mom to love me for the rest of my life."
"Is eighty too short? How about ninety? Mom, try your best to live to one hundred and one."
"Then it's settled." Wenwen insisted on getting up and giving Song Xia a high five, her expression particularly serious.
Song Xia, however, didn't take it too seriously. She was only fifteen; how could she be sure she'd be single for life? In the future, Wenwen would have more and more people around her.
As for myself, I will try my best to care for Wenwen as she grows up and teach her how to love herself.
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