Wendy Fang quietly stretched her ankle.
Ah, I'm so tired!
Maybe I should just go sit down and take a break!
It's not like they said I couldn't sit, right?
I'm not some old-school daughter-in-law who has to be bullied by her mother-in-law.
I'm a woman of the new century—there's no way I'd put up with that!
With that thought, Wendy Fang stepped toward the sofa.
She hadn't even had time to sit down when the sound of high heels clicking against the floor echoed over.
Wendy Fang looked up and saw a middle-aged, beautiful woman walking toward her with a cold expression.
Wow, this lady is really stunning!
She looked at the woman's features—they really resembled Winston's. This must be his mother, right?
Wendy Fang quickly straightened up and greeted her, "Hello, Auntie."
Linda Fang stopped in front of Wendy, looked her up and down, and said coldly—but not too harshly, "Sit."
"Yes." Wendy sat down properly in front of Linda Fang, nervously twisting in her seat.
The butler brought over two cups of tea and stood aside.
"Miss Fang, is that right?" Linda Fang started, "I heard you've been spending a lot of time with my son lately. Can I ask, Miss Fang, what are your intentions?"
"I..." Wendy opened her mouth, already feeling Linda Fang's obvious dislike for her.
Wendy braced herself and said, "Auntie, I'm dating Winston. We really do like each other."
"Really? You like each other?" Linda Fang sneered. "Funny, I heard it's always you chasing after my son, always pestering him."
Wendy lowered her head in embarrassment and said, "Yes, I admit, I was the one who pursued Winston. But doesn't everyone have the right to chase after love? Auntie, just because you're an elder doesn't mean you can stop me from liking him."
"Besides, Winston isn't a child—doesn't he have the right to choose who he likes?" Wendy couldn't help but argue, "I know you prefer Yina Yin, the heiress of the Yin Family. But feelings aren't something parents can control at will. A lot of things can't be changed just because someone wants them to. Besides, Miss Yin doesn't even like Winston, and he doesn't really like her, either. Why force it?"
"Oh, so you know quite a bit. You even know I favor Yina Yin." Linda Fang sneered, "Did Wu Ling tell you? You're right, everyone has the right to pursue love, and I won't deny you can go after my son. That's your freedom. But I also have the freedom to choose my daughter-in-law, and whether I accept someone as my son's wife is my right. I can recognize you as my daughter-in-law—or not. That's my choice."
Wendy Fang's face turned pale. "Auntie..."
"Just call me Mrs. Fang," Linda Fang interrupted coldly. "I don't have a niece like you."
Wendy Fang's face went even paler after being cut off.
"Let me be honest with you. If you want my approval, you need to have a background, heritage, talent, ability, intelligence, and social skills that match our Fan Family. Every family matriarch needs these qualities. Miss Fang, which of these do you have? Do you think being a CEO's wife is just about eating, drinking, shopping, and buying bags? How well do you handle social occasions with other wives? Can you discuss business when you need to appear with your husband at important events? When it comes to raising the next generation, do you teach vision or management?"
Linda Fang's questions came one after another, relentless.
Wendy was left speechless by the barrage.
"At least you know your limits, that you can't compete with Yina Yin. Yes, what do you have to compare to her? Yina Yin started language and logic training at age three, is fluent in six languages, and masters chess, tea ceremony, horseback riding, boxing, fencing, business management, and negotiation. Before she was even an adult, she was running companies under the Yin Group and generating huge profits. Now at twenty-one, she's a major shareholder of the Yin Corporation, CEO and GM of several companies, her assets have doubled, and she did it all herself—no help from her family."
"And you? I've checked your background. The only thing you have going for you is getting into A University, and you picked a pretty average major. Your grades are barely passable, but compared to Yina Yin? You're not even close. What other abilities do you have?"
Linda Fang's words left Wendy Fang feeling shaken.
Only today did Wendy truly realize—the gap between her and an heiress from a wealthy family was like a huge chasm.
So that's what it's like for the children of noble families—they really are that talented?
"If Yina Yin became my daughter-in-law, she could build an empire with Wu Ling, discuss business deals, and use her own connections for social cooperation. You might say love shouldn't be so pragmatic, so let me put it another way. Since you've been to university, you must've heard this saying: 'If you rely on your looks, your beauty will fade and so will love.' Miss Fang, you are beautiful, but how long will that last? Ten years? Twenty? Do you think a marriage can survive just on two years of hormones, or on constantly depreciating looks?" Linda Fang threw out the question sharply.
"How long do you think a woman who can't do anything or doesn't understand anything can last in a wealthy household?" Linda Fang continued, "How long can freshness last if you can't stand shoulder to shoulder with your husband? I called you here today not to make things hard for you, but to make you see clearly—the gap between you and Wu Ling can't be bridged by 'liking' alone!"
Wendy Fang was silent.
She admitted—Linda Fang was right.
But she still couldn't accept it.
"I can learn," Wendy said through gritted teeth. "I'm willing to learn all those things for Winston."
Linda Fang chuckled, "You still don't get it. Do you think those noble kids learn all that out of nowhere? No. They start elite training as soon as they can walk. The intensity is no less than your college entrance exam prep. Your exam was three years—theirs is twenty, even thirty. Can you imagine? For twenty years, they've been studying nonstop: academics, business management, social skills. While others are playing games and wasting time, they're buried in books and training. Many finish school early, go abroad for further studies, and return to inherit the family business. Every day is split in two, and sometimes they only sleep four hours or less, just to finish their studies and come back to take over."
"Under that kind of pressure, do you really think you can catch up with twenty years of knowledge by cramming at the last minute? Okay, let's say you're very smart and super efficient. Then let me ask you—if you're busy learning all the time, do you have time for love, marriage, or kids? By the time you finish, how old will you be? Over forty. Do you think you'll still be able to keep up with the times then?"
"Do you think I'm exaggerating, trying to scare you?" Linda Fang waved her assistant over, took a file, and placed it on the table. "This is a business from my family—part of my dowry. It's a clothing company. This is this quarter's report. Take a look and see how much you understand."
The document lay open in front of Wendy Fang.
Wendy glanced down, immediately overwhelmed by the numbers.
The worst part was, there was a sheet of text—she couldn't understand a single word.
"As the chairman's wife, I'm not just sitting around. I have my own businesses to manage and my own career. I also attend Fan Corporation events and maintain relationships. That's my duty as a matriarch. Wu Ling is twenty-seven now. Once he's married, my husband will retire and hand everything over to Wu Ling and his wife. Do you think you can learn all this in time? When Wu Ling needs a partner at important events, can you hold your own? Can you help him with business negotiations?"
Wendy Fang's face turned pale again.
"But Yina Yin is different. She's only twenty-one and handles all of this with ease. I even heard that recently, Yina, Wu Ling, and two others started a huge project together. The total investment is over ten billion. She just decided to do it, got the authorization, and now they're building factories and labs for their own R&D."
Linda Fang couldn't help but feel emotional.
Yina Yin is really amazing!
How could her foolish son just give up on her?
"Fine, you might say Yina Yin already rejected my son. Even if she can't be my daughter-in-law, there are plenty of noble girls to choose from—why would I pick someone who can't do anything and would only hold Wu Ling back?" Linda Fang's words were harsh but realistic.
"In my social circle, there are plenty of outstanding heiresses. Maybe not as exceptional as Yina Yin, but still good—at worst, they're from generations of scholars. Those girls can help their husbands in business or raise talented children at home. I heard your family is just ordinary citizens, your mother only finished middle school, right? And you have a lot of siblings, so your family's limited resources are divided among many. Getting into college already took everything you had. With that, how could you possibly help Wu Ling?" Linda Fang chuckled.