Yina glanced at the time. "Right now?"
"Yeah, is it inconvenient?" Linda Fang said, "If it's not a good time, we can do it another day."
"It's not really inconvenient," Yina replied. "Alright, I'll head over right now."
After hanging up, Yina turned to Cherry Miller. "Winston Fan's mom invited me to dinner. Guess why?"
"Do you even need to guess? It's obviously about Winston Fan." Cherry waved her hand. "Alright, I get what you're planning. How much work have you finished? Leave the rest to me! Since you don't want things to go further with Winston Fan, it's better to refuse and explain early. With Mrs. Fan coming to you, you won't have to make a special trip to explain!"
"Cherry, you know me best!" Yina blew her a kiss. "I've sent the rest to your email!"
Cherry flashed an 'OK' sign and buried herself in work.
That's how their tacit understanding grew, little by little.
Yina drove to a wellness club at the foot of the mountain.
As soon as she walked in, someone greeted her warmly, "Miss Yin, this way please."
"Aunt Fang." Yina greeted Linda Fang from afar. "What brings you here today?"
Yulan Estates is in the southwest of the city, while the Fan Family is in the northeast—practically across all of Newport City.
It's really not a short distance.
If you drive, it takes three hours to get here.
Even by subway, it's at least an hour and a half.
Besides, Linda Fang would never take the subway, so she definitely drove.
Spending over three hours here just for a spa treatment? She must have too much time on her hands.
So the only explanation is that she's here to see Yina.
"Newport City is getting bigger and bigger," Linda Fang said, coming over with a smile and taking Yina's hand warmly. "Just a few years ago, this was all countryside—barely anything out here. Can't believe it's become the city center in less than five years. Your dad really has an eye for investment; every plot of land he bought keeps going up in value!"
"My dad's investment sense is alright," Yina said modestly. "The city's been expanding, and so has the population. I heard this year's census will give an exact number. They say fifteen million is a conservative estimate—it might even break twenty million. Aunt Fang, are you here to ask my dad for investment advice?"
"Oh, I don't bother with investments. I'm happy just being a rich housewife. Business is men's business," Linda Fang said, then added, "But I’m not old-fashioned, thinking women should just stay home and raise kids. I’m just lazy, so I don’t care about making money. I think you and your mom are great. Your mom’s Danni Cosmetics is famous internationally now, and you manage so many companies so well. If I had a daughter as capable as you, I’d be even lazier! I’m just saying, don’t laugh at me."
"Aunt Fang, what are you saying? My mom never stops working. If she's not being dragged to social events by my dad, she's running Danni Cosmetics. Even Cherry gets roped in to play manager sometimes. You're the lucky one! Mr. Fan makes money and cares for the family, and he’s famous for loving his wife. Your two sons are both talented and handsome—you don’t need to work hard at all. Just enjoy life!" Yina could be very sweet when she wanted to be.
Sure enough, Linda Fang was delighted and pulled Yina to sit with her on the sofa. "Aunt Fang just likes honest kids like you. So, how have things been between you and Winston Fan lately?"
Yina thought, here it comes—the main event!
Yina smiled and answered, "Winston Fan, Nick Ning, Andy Ding, and I started a project together. We're planning to set up a chip R&D company. We just got authorization for first and second-generation chip technology from Uncle Max, and we're preparing to develop our own smart chips. I was working on the market research report for the company on my way here."
"Aunt Fang isn’t asking about that. You’re just like Winston—always work, work, work! I want to know if Winston is good enough to be your boyfriend. If he’s done anything wrong, just tell me and I’ll set him straight!" Linda Fang really liked Yina—a genuine affection, no pretense.
It wasn’t just because of Yina’s status.
It was more about Yina’s personality, which matched Linda Fang’s own.
With someone who truly liked her, Yina didn’t want to let her down.
But there are some things you just can’t force.
Better a short pain than a long one.
"Aunt Fang." Yina shifted her posture and lowered her voice. "There's something I've been thinking about, and I feel I should tell you."
Linda Fang straightened up. "Did Winston do something to upset you? I'll deal with that rascal when I get home and make him apologize! Don't be shy—Aunt Fang is always on your side!"
Yina smiled. "No, Winston's a good guy. If he really bullied me, would I still work with him on projects? Besides, you know my fighting skills—it's not even clear who'd win!"
Linda Fang covered her mouth and giggled. "That's true. He's a man, tough enough—he can take it."
Yina grew serious again. "I've thought about it carefully. Winston and I get along well, but it's just as friends—nothing more. I'm sure he feels the same. When we're together, it's all work talk, hardly anything else. Suddenly being set up feels weird."
Linda Fang's expression turned serious. She stayed silent and listened.
"Aunt Fang, you've watched me grow up, and you're my mom's closest friend. So I won't hide anything or say polite nonsense." Yina continued, "Winston and I probably aren't meant to be. Even if I can't be your daughter-in-law, I can still be your goddaughter! My mom would totally support it. If you don't mind, make me your goddaughter!"
Linda Fang sighed. "You... that's enough, no need to say more. I'm not clueless. You're right—we've been friends for so many years, I don't care about fancy connections. Let's drop it for today. Come on, have dinner with me."
"Okay." Yina stood up right away and didn't mention it again, following Linda Fang to dinner.
During the meal, Yina picked topics Linda Fang liked and chatted a bit. When they were nearly finished, she got up to say goodbye.
As she left, Yina felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
Honestly, even without Wendy Fang, Yina had been struggling with whether or not to reject Winston Fan.
Now it was settled.
With Wendy Fang in the picture, Yina could finally convince herself.
If you don't like someone, you just don't—there's no forcing it, not even a little.
After Yina left, Linda Fang's smile faded a little. She turned to her assistant and asked, "Has Winston been seeing any other women besides Yina lately?"
The assistant was surprised. "I haven’t heard anything! Oh, wait—the secretary mentioned a young girl named Wendy Fang, who’s a junior to Young Master Fan..."
Linda Fang nodded expressionlessly. "Everything Yina said just now was out of respect for me—she didn't throw Winston under the bus. I appreciate that. If nothing had happened, Yina wouldn't have refused so bluntly. The young men living at the Yin Family villa haven't officially turned her down yet. So why did she suddenly reject Winston? She probably learned about another woman around him."
The assistant hesitated. "Should we call Young Master Fan over and ask him?"
"No need. I know my own son best. Winston probably isn’t involved with any other women. But there are always some who want to climb the social ladder and shamelessly say things to Yina that they shouldn’t," Linda Fang said coldly. "Yina is the eldest daughter of the Yin Family. There’s no way she’d lower herself to compete with women who aren’t even presentable. The Yin Family can’t afford to lose face over this."
The assistant didn’t know what to say.
"Women's matters should be handled by women," Linda Fang snorted. "I want to see what kind of woman could make Yina cut ties with me. Go find out everything about her."
"Yes, Madam." The assistant worked quickly and gathered all the information on Wendy Fang that very night, delivering it to Linda Fang.
After reading it, Linda Fang gave a cold smile. "Just as I thought. A real troublemaker."
"Madam, what do you plan to do? Should I warn her? Young Master Fan clearly has no interest in her—she’s the one clinging to him."
"It would be giving her too much credit if you went yourself," Linda Fang said, lifting her chin proudly. "Just have someone say a word to her, remind her of her place. Now that she’s working at the Yin Family, it’s not easy to kick her out—otherwise Yina would be even more embarrassed. If she can go cry to Yina, she could also go spread rumors about her. I won’t allow that to happen."
"Yes, Madam."
"Give her a warning first. If she’s smart, this will be the end of it. If not, don’t blame me for being harsh," Linda Fang said.
"Understood."
That night, before Wendy Fang could return to Yulan Estates, she received a call from an unknown number. "Miss Fang? I’m with Fan Corporation. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you in person. Are you available now?"
At first, Wendy Fang thought Winston Fan had sent them. She replied quickly, "Yes, I’m available. I’m at Winston’s place right now."
There was a pause on the other end, as if surprised Wendy Fang was living in a property under Winston Fan’s name.