Shen Lingqing felt that time was passing too slowly for her liking. The banquet was still ongoing, and her mother chose to stay with her Aunt Feiyan, leaving her with her cousin, Ye Xingchen.

“Can’t wait to go home?” She asked her cousin.

“Hmm. I would rather be home sleeping than be here,” Ye Xingchen admitted with annoyance as they chose to step out of the banquet hall for a moment to have a break from socializing with other guests.

Shen Lingqing chuckled. “I feel the same way, but we needed to be here.”

Her mind was still on how the service was going on back at Savory Alley. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Qiao Lian, but like what Ye Xingchen said, she would rather be back at the restaurant than be here. She had never been a good conversationalist, and she had no doubt that she would only bore the people who would dare to strike a conversation with her.

They looked outside the glass window of the hotel, the lights coming from the road and the other buildings giving Shen Lingqing and Ye Xingchen a good look at the business district of the capital.-.

“In the future, we will succeed our fathers,” Shen Lingqing suddenly said, earning her cousin’s curiosity. “Xingchen, let’s make those naysayers eat their own words when we do.”

Ye Xingchen chuckled at that. Indeed, there were so many people that doubted Shen Lingqing’s and his capabilities as their fathers’ successors. It was something that Ye Xingchen had been enduring ever since he joined their family business, although he just entered university to get his bachelor’s degree.

“Did someone piss you off, Qing Jie?” Ye Xingchen asked.

“A lot of them.” Shen Lingqing downed her drink in one go and sighed. “They sure do like to talk a lot.”

“Then, you shouldn’t be bothered by their words.” He adjusted his cuff links and glanced at his cousin.

Ye Xingchen understood that the reason why some people had such opinions over Shen Lingqing was that she was a woman. It was rare to see one in a business battle, which was mostly dominated by men.

Still, it would be foolish of those people to underestimate their Qing Jie. She was one of the most resilient and hardworking persons he knew in his whole life. Ye Xingchen knew that he was incomparable to the young Shen princess when it came to business prowess, but he respected her nevertheless.

“Who said I am bothered? They wouldn’t be able to talk back once I am done with them.” Shen Lingqing smirked. “And you?”

“I’ll just do my best, Qing Jie. Dad said I didn’t need to hurry and could take my time familiarizing myself at work.”

“Then, that’s good.” Shen Lingqing nodded. “Uncle must have known the best course for you to take, knowing your personality.”

Ye Xingchen smiled at that. If people perceived Shen Lingqing to be her father, Ye Xingchen oftentimes found himself being compared to his mother, Sun Feiyan. His mother had a lot of influence on him as a child, as he basked in her love and attention when his father was busy at work and when his sister, Ye Jiewen, hadn’t been born yet.

So it only made sense that when he grew up, Ye Xingchen’s temperament was like that of his mother. Not that his father was bothered by it, but the Young Master Ye was known to be impulsive with his decisions sometimes. No wonder his father wanted to teach him about patience before he could inherit their company.

“What about Jiewen? Is she planning to join your company soon?” Shen Lingqing asked.

“I don’t think so,” Ye Xingchen replied. “Jiewen said she wanted to go pro as a tennis player, and I want to support her decision.”

“And Auntie Feiyan is okay with that?”

To allow Ye Jiewen to go pro would mean that she would need to frequently travel locally and abroad for training and tournaments. Sun Feiyan wasn’t a stage mother, but she had always been seen attending every tournament Ye Jiewen participated in.

The young man laughed next to her.

Sun Feiyan might have been strict and cold to people around her, but she was very gentle and caring when it came to her two children. She was very supportive towards her children’s decisions, so long as it wouldn’t harm them or their future.

“It’s Mom who convinced her to go pro. Jiewen had been hesitating to make a decision whether she would pursue her career as an athlete or choose her responsibility to help the company.”

Shen Lingqing nodded in understanding. “It would be a waste of talent if she didn’t. Auntie Feiyan must have known.”

Among her cousins, Ye Jiewen was the most athletic in their group. Unlike Ye Xingchen’s aloof and cold personality, Ye Jiewen was more approachable and had become a social butterfly.

“If there’s someone who’s putting her talent to waste, I assume it would be you, Qing Jie.”

Shen Lingqing scoffed at that and took a seat on the couch inside the lounge area where they were in.

“People really can’t easily move on, can they? It’s not really put to waste as I’m still involved in the food and restaurant industry.”

So what if she didn’t become a chef like her mother? They were in no position to question her about her life choices and what she wanted to be. Ever since her ability to discern dishes was made known, some had expected her to follow her mother’s path, so imagine their shock when they heard that she chose to succeed in their family’s business.

Just as the cousins thought that they would be spared from being cornered by another guest, a familiar person arrived and sought after Shen Lingqing. The demon princess lifted her gaze and saw Liu Zhongji standing awkwardly near her.

“Miss Shen, can I have a word with you? If it isn’t inconvenient, that is,” he politely requested.