Morning sunlight spilled across the Wang courtyard. Maids hurried about carrying baskets of fruit, gardeners trimmed fresh blossoms, and cooks prepared enough food to feed a battalion.
"Who's coming?" Xu Ling asked as Madam Wang adjusted the table centerpiece for the third time.
"The entire Wang family," Madam Wang said, half-laughing, half-sighing. "Brothers, cousins, nieces, nephews — everyone who heard Zheng is alive and still unmarried."
Xu Ling blinked. "That's… many people."
"More than you can count. You'll get used to it."
"I'm not sure I will," Xu Ling muttered under her breath.
Madam Wang chuckled. "Just smile. Everyone will adore you."
At that moment, the front gates opened. Cars rolled in — sleek, shiny, loud. The twins pressed their faces against the window.
"Uncle!" Wen Lin shouted. "Cars!"
"Yes, trouble has arrived," Wang Yi muttered, buttoning his shirt.
Out stepped a flood of relatives:
Aunt Fang, in bright floral print, carrying perfume like a weapon; Uncle Ming, who already looked ready for a nap; Cousin Jun, tall, playful, and with a camera slung around his neck; and a crowd of younger cousins laughing too loudly.
Wang Zheng stood near the steps, composed as always. "Welcome back."
"Zheng!" Aunt Fang cried, sweeping him into a hug before he could react. "You're thinner! Are you eating at all? Oh heavens, what happened to your hair—"
"Good morning, Aunt," he said calmly.
"Don't good-morning me! You promised to visit last year!"
Madam Wang intervened before she could start crying. "He's been working."
Aunt Fang turned to Xu Ling next, eyes narrowing with curiosity. "And who is this pretty lady?"
Xu Ling hesitated, glancing at Wang Zheng.
"She's… a friend," Wang Zheng said smoothly.
Aunt Fang's brows rose. "A friend who lives here? How interesting."
Before Xu Ling could speak, Wen Lin tugged her skirt. "Mama, hungry."
Aunt Fang's mouth dropped open. "Mama?"
Silence fell. Then the aunt gasped. "You— you have children? Twins?"
"Adorable twins," Uncle Ming added, peering over his glasses.
Xu Ling smiled awkwardly. "Yes."
Wang Zheng, unfazed, said, "We'll talk inside."
Aunt Fang leaned toward Madam Wang. "Friend, he said. Did you hear that? Friend! With twins calling her Mama! The heavens are shaking!"
"Fang," Madam Wang sighed. "Please go sit down before you combust."
---
Lunch was chaos — the good kind.
Wen Kai sat beside Wang Zheng, nibbling politely on vegetables, while Wen Lin refused to eat anything but fried rice.
"Like father, like son," Wang Yi whispered, earning a glare.
Aunt Fang cooed over the twins endlessly. "Look at those eyes! So handsome! Who do they take after?"
Xu Ling only smiled faintly. "They take after themselves."
"Oh, modest too!"
The cousins exchanged knowing looks. Wang Yi smirked. "Aunt Fang's curiosity might explode today."
Meanwhile, Wang Zheng ate quietly, but his gaze often drifted to Xu Ling — the way she handled chaos with calm, the way the twins laughed at the smallest things.
For a man who built empires, this peace felt more valuable than power.
---
That night, after the relatives had settled, Wang Zheng stood on the balcony.
Wang Yi joined him, holding two cups of tea. "So, brother. Are we pretending this is normal?"
"What is?"
"You, a woman, twins, our entire family gossiping like they just found treasure."
Wang Zheng took a sip. "Let them."
"She's special," Wang Yi said, tone softening. "Different."
"She's been through enough," Wang Zheng replied. "She doesn't need our world judging her."
Wang Yi nodded slowly. "You like her."
"Don't start."
"I'm not teasing," Wang Yi said. "Just saying — maybe she's the one peace you're allowed to keep."
Wang Zheng didn't answer. His gaze fell on the lit window below, where Xu Ling's silhouette moved — bending over the twins' cribs, humming softly.
For a moment, his face softened. "Maybe," he murmured.
---
Far away, in the capital — the Li Corporation board meeting was in full swing.
Grandfather Lu tapped his cane impatiently. "Li Wei, you've been silent for ten minutes. Speak."
Li Wei's jaw tightened. "The Eastern alliance project is delayed."
Aunt Mei jumped in. "Because you refuse to focus! The Chen family, the Wangs, even the Shen Group — they're expanding. You're still chasing ghosts!"
He shot her a look. "I manage what's mine."
Lin Yue, sitting nearby, smiled sweetly. "We're all just concerned, Wei. You need stability."
"Meaning marriage," Aunt Mei said flatly. "Enough waiting — I'll organize a dinner. You'll attend."
"I won't."
"You will."
Before he could reply, Grandfather Lu raised a hand. "Enough. The board approves your aunt's dinner. You will represent the Lu family."
Li Wei's fingers clenched around his pen, but he didn't argue. Not yet.
When the meeting ended, he lingered alone in the empty hall.
His reflection stared back at him from the glass wall — sharp, cold, unreadable.
"She's out there," he whispered. "And I'll find her. No matter how far she's gone."
---
Meanwhile, in a quiet compound across the capital, the Golden Spoon Academy glowed under lantern light. Elegant women in silk dresses gathered around tables, sipping tea and trading gossip.
Madam Li, the matriarch of the Li family, smiled gracefully. "Our city thrives because of unity and refinement. The Golden Spoon must continue to uphold that."
Madam Zhao, the owner, bowed slightly. "Of course. Elegance is a discipline."
"You've traveled so far," another lady gushed. "You and your husband are icons."
Madam Zhao's eyes sparkled. "Travel teaches balance. Every woman should see the world before she settles."
Behind them, a few younger socialites whispered — gossip spreading like perfume.
"Did you hear? Madam Li's nephew might finally marry."
"To whom?"
"Lin Yue, of course. Or maybe someone new."
"The Li family is full of surprises."
And just like that, the capital buzzed again with silent speculation.
---
Far north, in a dimly lit strategy room, Chen Heo leaned over a map.
"There," he said. "An offshore account linked to a woman named Xu Ling, transferred quietly through Wang territory."
General Chen's eyes narrowed. "So she's alive."
"Most likely."
"Then we proceed in silence. We will not let the Lus touch her first."
---
Back in the Wang estate, Xu Ling sat in the courtyard, the twins asleep nearby. She gazed at the stars, fingers curled loosely around a teacup.
She didn't know three powerful families were moving again because of her.
She didn't know the peace she built was already trembling.
All she knew was that tonight, the sky looked kinder.
And for one fleeting moment, that was enough.