As university students began their vacations one after another, "Manman Ocean Park" became increasingly crowded.
Indeed, the direct and blunt naming by Ye Qiu was such—since the ocean park was directly named after his daughter, he simply used his daughter's name for it.
Ye Qiu spent almost a month at the park with his wife and kids, and if it weren't for Chen Wen's clothing company urgently needing him back to deal with some decisive documents, he probably would have stayed right up until elementary school started.
Meanwhile, in the provincial city, the arrival of Ye Xiaomei's family caused complete chaos at Ye Laoer's place.
Because Liu Ping boasted over the phone about the large house Ye Qiu had bought for them and the great job Ye Xiu had, Ye Fang, who had always been glared at by her mother-in-law at home, could no longer sit still. Her husband, Zhao Haiyang, having seen the commercials on TV, had long realized just how big his eldest brother-in-law's business was, and he was very tempted.
Hence, when Ye Fang suggested going to the provincial city, Zhao Haiyang resigned from his position at the cannery without hesitation.
With the government strongly supporting private enterprises, a small cannery like theirs—with many people, little profit, and leadership not focusing on their responsibilities—had long lost the glory of past years. If there had been any better opportunities, he would have quit long ago.
Before coming to the city, he figured that he, at least, was a high school graduate and had been a leader. He should be much better than his second brother-in-law, who was just a rural fellow scrabbling in the fields. After arriving, he should at least be given a managerial position.
Unexpectedly, after the two of them came with their child, Ye Qiu's family had already gone out, directly resulting in a wasted trip; they didn't have Ye Qiu's contact number, and Chen Wen's clothing company's security wouldn't let them in easily. With no alternatives, they could only temporarily squeeze in with Ye Laoer's family.
Liu Ping and Ye Fang were not easy-going by nature. Especially after arriving, Ye Fang did nothing and bought nothing, which had built up a lot of resentment in Liu Ping.
One was her own daughter, the other was the mother of her favorite grandson. When the two started arguing, Granny Ye didn't know who to support.
Since becoming the head of security guards, Ye Xiu felt important and had always disregarded these "trivial matters" at home. However, after spending too much time in a quarrelsome environment and feeling annoyed, he simply avoided going home except to sleep.
The company had a canteen, and his subordinates flattered him. Compared with staying at home, the company was much more comfortable.
Just as the two families began arguing again, the eagerly awaited Ye Qiu finally returned to the provincial city.
The house had been arranged long ago, right across from Ye Laoer's. Listening to Zhao Haiyang's tireless self-praise, Ye Qiu thought to himself, if Zhao Haiyang was as capable as he claimed, that would be a wonder.
In a previous life, Zhao Haiyang did indeed land a position as the sales manager of his foreign trade company, but what was the outcome? Not only did he just take money without working, but his supposed cleverness also scared away numerous clients.
In the end, Ye Qiu arranged for him to be the deputy manager of the administrative department in the same company as Ye Xiu. The Political Department, to put it nicely, managed the internal affairs of the company; to put it bluntly, it was a miscellaneous role.
The position sounded like management yet within his division, there were only ten people in the Political Department, and he still had a direct supervisor above him. The true decision-making was beyond his reach.
He talked about gaining experience through hardship, but Ye Qiu had decided that unless Zhao Haiyang resigned, he would forever remain an administrative manager even if he rose to heaven.
After all, considering his capabilities, attaining this position was already reaching the sky for him.
In his previous life, although Zhao Haiyang and his wife did not participate in the plot against him, they enjoyed the wealth he provided until his dying day. They never showed gratitude and even cozied up to Ye Laoer's family when he became comatose.
In this life, let them forever yearn but never obtain, watching the boundless wealth at their fingertips that they can't enjoy for themselves.
Ye Yu, who entered a distinguished school, also did not disappoint Ye Qiu's expectations. Just starting middle school, he developed a selfish and domineering disposition due to the doting of Granny Ye and Liu Ping over the years. Having seen his uncle's large company and encouraged by Granny Ye, he believed all the assets would eventually belong to him. He thus held himself in high esteem at school, offending many.
The children who could attend this school had mostly heard of Ye Qiu and Chen Wen. They didn't dare to make things difficult for Ye Yu openly, but apart from some small-minded individuals with ulterior motives, most kept their distance from him.
With the family's flattery year after year, he always believed that it was his own ability that kept these classmates revolving around him. However, he was oblivious to the fact that once these people realized that Ye Qiu and Chen Wen's company had nothing to do with him, anyone could step forward to trample on him with more ferocity than anyone else.
This was the successor he had meticulously groomed in his former life; he supported him with all his strength, assigning nearly all shares under Ye Yu's name. But what was his end? He simply wanted to provide some wealth to his daughter, who he had let down over the years, only to face his ruthless murder.
In this life, he would let him live forever in his own fantasies, always yearning but never attaining.
All things were progressing in the direction he had planned, and time hurried by. In the blink of an eye, the world entered the new century, and his daughter Manman was about to turn eighteen.
In the meantime, two events happened; the abbess who had raised Chen Wen from a young age at the nunnery passed away, and Granny Ye was unable to withstand the ravages of time, dying at the age of seventy-four.
During this period, from the time Ye Laoer's mother-in-law was dying, he did not advance a step further in his position. However, naturally, as the company grew larger and his subordinates, including the security staff, became more numerous, everyone sought his favor. Coupled with a substantial salary, he lived quite comfortably.
Only Liu Ping was tormented. She thought that with the mother-in-law gone, she would lead a good life, but with her son attending a noble school, although Ye Qiu paid the tuition fee, she struggled without Granny Ye's under-the-table support. Ye Yu's expenses kept rising, and even though Ye Xiu's salary had increased quite a bit, they still had to live frugally, never achieving the life of a rich lady she desired with the freedom to buy whatever she wanted and be waited on by maids.
Especially after Ye Yu entered university and got a girlfriend, the money flowed like water. Her husband didn't understand, and he was home even less often, making her feel more aged than in her rural days.
As for Zhao Haiyang, after enduring so many years, he finally became an administrative manager. Although frustrated, believing his talents were underutilized, he couldn't bear to leave his job as Ye Qiu had not spoken a word, so he just stayed put.
Although Ye Fang often faced dissatisfaction from her mother-in-law and husband, her husband's family hoped to climb higher by leveraging her connection to Ye Qiu, so her life was much more comfortable than Liu Ping's.
Without comparison, there is no harm done. The two families lived door to door, which often led to arguments. When Mrs. Ye was alive, the two women showed some restraint, but since the Old Lady passed away, they had no inhibitions, resulting in multiple complaints from the property management.
Because of this, both men were even less eager to return home, often using overtime as an excuse to stay at the company. However, Ye Qiu's company was well-managed, and except for the design department, most employees stuck to regular office hours. It was a mystery what the two men were actually doing.