Ye Qiu pushed the door open and saw two unfamiliar women on the sofa.
One, in her fifties, wore a qipao, heavy makeup, and lavish jewelry—a deep green jade pendant hung around her neck, exuding an air of refined wealth.
The other, in her early thirties, donned a Chanel gown, an Hermès bag by her side, and a diamond ring—at least a carat—sparkling on her finger.
He instantly clocked their affluence.
“When did Mom befriend people like this? I’ve never seen them before.”
Ye Qiu felt a twinge of unease.
Glancing over, he saw Qian Jinglan sitting stiffly by the table.
“Mom, I’m back,” he called.
A flash of delight crossed Qian Jinglan’s face. She stood quickly. “It’s not a workday today, Qiuer. Why aren’t you at work?”
She didn’t know about his Big Dragon Mountain trip.
“Took a day off,” Ye Qiu said with a smile.
“What’s that in your hand?” Qian Jinglan noticed the wooden box he carried.
“Just something I bought.” Ye Qiu didn’t mention it held the Qiankun Cauldron.
“Jinglan, this is your son, right?” the qipao-clad woman asked from the sofa.
“Qiuer, come here—I’ll introduce you.” Qian Jinglan pulled him over. “This is Cao Chunmei, your aunt.”
“Aunt?” Ye Qiu blinked.
Cao Chunmei smiled at his confusion. “I’m from your mom’s family.”
The Suzhou-Hangzhou Qian family?
Ye Qiu’s expression cooled.
“Qiuer, call her Aunt,” Qian Jinglan urged.
Reluctant but mindful of his mother, Ye Qiu muttered, “Aunt.”
Cao Chunmei beamed. “Jinglan, your son’s quite the looker! Back when you brought him home, he was just a baby. Time flies—he’s grown up so fast!”
“Yeah, time spares no one. I’m practically an old hag now,” Qian Jinglan sighed.
She was younger than Cao Chunmei, but twenty-plus years of hardship had etched wrinkles into her face and grayed her hair. Cao Chunmei, by contrast, looked far more youthful.
Cao Chunmei giggled. “Jinglan, don’t say that! I’m older than you—if you’re an old hag, what does that make me, a fossil?”
“You’re too kind, sister-in-law.” Qian Jinglan then pointed to the thirty-something woman. “Qiuer, this is Qian Rong, your cousin—Cao Chunmei’s eldest daughter.”
“Hey, cousin,” Ye Qiu said flatly.
Qian Rong gave him an arrogant glance. “You’re Ye Qiu, right?”
“Yeah, that’s me.” He set the wooden box on the floor.
“I hear from your mom you’re a doctor now?”
“Yep, I’m a doctor.”
“So young—probably not doing too well, huh? Intern, or just got permanent?”
Her tone irked Ye Qiu, but he kept his cool. “Just turned permanent.”
“Figured. My friends—Harvard, Yale grads, or at worst, Tsinghua med school—start as attending physicians. Hospitals fight over them…”
Her words dripped with superiority.
Ye Qiu already disliked the Qian family. Qian Rong’s attitude stoked his anger, but Qian Jinglan’s subtle headshake held him back.
Qian Rong pressed on. “Global economy’s tanking—competition’s fierce. I read somewhere six hundred million in China earn less than a thousand a month, tens of millions jobless, millions of top grads unemployed.”
“How’d you snag a hospital gig, Ye Qiu?”
“Bribe the higher-ups?”
If Qian Jinglan weren’t there, Ye Qiu would’ve slapped Qian Rong and told her to get lost.
But for his mom’s sake, he couldn’t. These were her kin.
Swallowing his fury, he said, “No bribes. I earned it with skill.”
Pfft—
Qian Rong laughed, her scorn palpable. “Skill? You’re barely grown—what skill?”
His face darkened. “You came from Suzhou-Hangzhou just to mock me? If so, leave. You’re not welcome here.”
Qian Rong snorted. “You think I want to be here? If not for—”
“Rong’er!” Cao Chunmei cut her off sharply, then smiled at Ye Qiu. “Sorry, she’s blunt. Don’t mind her.”
Blunt? Ye Qiu sneered inwardly. More like brainless.
Cao Chunmei, sensing his mood, scolded Qian Rong. “I don’t care how you act with outsiders, but with family, watch yourself. Apologize to your cousin.”
Qian Rong balked. “Mom, I—”
“Apologize!”
Cao Chunmei’s face hardened.
Ye Qiu eyed her, thinking, She’s sharper than her daughter—calculating.
Her words boxed him in—Qian Rong might not apologize, but his mom would step in.
Sure enough, Qian Jinglan said, “It’s fine, sister-in-law. I’m sure Rong’er didn’t mean it.”
“I’ll deal with you later,” Cao Chunmei glared at Qian Rong, then turned to Qian Jinglan. “Jinglan, raising a son alone all these years must’ve been tough.”
“We’re far off in Suzhou-Hangzhou, but your big brother often mentions you. He’s wanted to visit Jiangzhou, but the old man… sigh!”
She sighed deeply. “Jinglan, you’ve had it rough!”
Qian Jinglan’s eyes welled up. In twenty years, this was her first taste of care from her family.
Ye Qiu watched, his guard rising.
For two decades, the Qian family ignored them. Cao Chunmei and Qian Rong showing up now? Too odd.
As the saying goes, abnormality signals trouble.
What were they after?
He looked at them and cut to the chase. “Aunt, no offense—what’s your real reason for coming today?”
Cao Chunmei smiled. “It’s been over twenty years since I last saw Jinglan. I missed her, so we came to visit.”
Yeah, right, Ye Qiu thought.
“Thing is, Aunt, I’ve got an urgent errand with Mom. We can’t stay to chat.”
Cao Chunmei’s brow furrowed briefly before she smiled again. “In that case, Rong’er and I will head to the hotel. We’ll come back tonight—”
“Mom, why waste time with them?” Qian Rong interrupted, pulling a document from her Hermès bag and tossing it on the table. She stared haughtily at Qian Jinglan.
“Sign it!”
