Everyone went home to their own moms.

Of course, the biological mother of the body Su Tong now inhabited had died in childbirth while giving birth to that younger sister of hers.

So she could go find her dad in peace.

Lao Su was working from home. The company was running smoothly now, and unlike those nouveau riche types who insisted on handling every little thing themselves, he was happy to delegate tasks to his subordinates. That left him with plenty of free time.

There was no rush to buy the land.

Then Lao Su, wearing non-prescription glasses to look scholarly, heard footsteps coming from the doorway.

He looked up.

He watched his daughter change into her slippers, with the little maid following behind her. She strolled in leisurely, spotted him, and raised a hand in greeting.

“Working hard, Lao Su?”

A vein popped on Lao Su’s forehead.

“What do you mean, ‘Lao Su’?! Is that any way to address your own father? You’re old enough to know better than to be so rude!”

But Su Tong only raised an eyebrow and drawled,

“Education experts say the best relationship between parents and children is a friendship. Treating each other as equals makes it easier to communicate and even to teach them. That way, your relationship with your children can be much more harmonious, too… It’d be great for your relationship with Zhizi, Lao Su.”

“Really?!”

Lao Su’s face flushed red.

His relationship with his daughters had always been his biggest headache. He could solve business problems by all sorts of means. Relationships between adults were mostly about exchanging favors, after all—there were no eternal friends or enemies.

But getting along with his own two daughters was different.

His eldest, Su Tong, had a prickly and fiery temper. So did he. The two of them could get into an argument at the drop of a hat, yet neither was willing to swallow their pride and apologize first.

His second daughter, Su Zhizi, was quiet and submissive. Even when she was unhappy, she wouldn’t speak up. She just buried all her grievances inside, where they could build up into an explosive outburst.

Both girls were ticking time bombs, and Lao Su was a typical old-fashioned parent: stubborn, always convinced he was doing it “for their own good,” and rarely taking his daughters’ opinions into account.

They were like flint and steel. It’d be a miracle if things didn’t escalate into a third world war.

That was why Lao Su was so often troubled by the sharp conflicts in his family.

Now Su Tong had brought him a solution that might actually work. How could he not be delighted?

But he still had to maintain his dignity as a father.

So Lao Su dropped his foolish grin, straightened his back, raised a fist to his mouth, and forced out a couple of “Ahem”s to clear his throat.

“I-I see. Since you’ve put it that way, Xiao Tong, I’ll consider your suggestion… But you still have to call me Dad in front of other people, understand?”

“Understood.”

The girl nodded with a smile.

She didn’t actually mind calling Lao Su “Dad.”

It was just that… even though she’d changed completely from who she used to be and taken on a new identity as Su Tong, she still couldn’t bring herself to call the middle-aged man before her “Dad” without a second thought. Deep in the memories of both Su Tong thirty years ago and Su Tong thirty years later, there was a father so magnificent, so utterly flawless, that no one could compare.

Maybe it was also the last thing she still clung to from those forty-odd years of her past life.

Su Tong shook her head and sighed softly.

Even a life with nothing to show for it is worth remembering.

Joy and sorrow, pain and happiness—all of it is life.

…

“How are things with the land?”

“I’ve checked into it.” Lao Su tapped the table rhythmically with his index finger. “There are people who’ve heard the rumor that the city’s economic center is going to shift. But given the situation, it sounds so far-fetched—almost absurd—that hardly anyone believes it.”

“Hmm… That’s true. Shifting a city’s economic center isn’t a small matter. Usually it happens gradually, step by step. No mayor before this one has tried to move it so decisively. Is this a case of a new official lighting three fires?”

Lao Su nodded.

“That’s part of it. I looked into the mayor. She came from the coast, and she probably has plenty of resources at her disposal. That makes it easier to understand why she’s confident enough to make such a bold move.”

At that, Lao Su let out a long breath.

“Daring to make the sun and moon shine in a new sky… Now that’s guts!”

Su Tong seemed to suddenly think of something and couldn’t help teasing him.

“What, Lao Su? You’re really interested in the new mayor?”

“What would a kid like you know!”

Lao Su immediately clicked his tongue.

“I’m saying she’s got extraordinary nerve. A woman that tough is bound to earn people’s respect!”

“That’s not all. She’s not just an iron lady with guts—she’s an elegant beauty in a qipao, too.”

Su Tong whispered with a devilish relish.

“I heard the new mayor’s almost forty, but she’s still a certified beauty. She especially loves wearing qipaos. She’s refined and mysterious, a classic Eastern beauty.”

Lao Su stiffened his back awkwardly, then nervously cleared his throat. His Adam’s apple bobbed.

“So what? Maybe she’s only gentle on the surface. You said yourself she’s an iron lady who’s decisive and ruthless. Don’t be fooled by appearances—she could be the kind of ruthless person who’ll do anything to get what she wants.”

“So she’s our enemy, then?”

“Enemy?”

“Yeah.” Su Tong put on an innocent expression as she explained. “If you buy that plot in the western suburbs, you’ll definitely have to deal with her when it’s time to redevelop the area. You’ll be enemies on opposite sides of the negotiating table, trading blows with words and clashing at every turn. Right?”

“Huh?”

Lao Su was dumbfounded.

One moment he was admiring the new mayor’s iron-fisted approach; the next, he was learning that this terrifying figure would be the final boss he’d have to face. The whiplash was too much for Lao Su to handle.

Who could possibly handle that?

Seeing Lao Su’s troubled face, Su Tong grinned mischievously and offered a solution.

“Your daughter may not be much, but I do have a tried-and-true way to help you out, Lao Su.”

A pillow appeared just when he was feeling sleepy. Naturally, Lao Su was overjoyed.

“That’s my good girl… Come on, tell Dad what this brilliant idea is!”

“Why not make her part of the family?”

“Part of the… family?”

“That’s right.”

Su Tong struggled to hold back a laugh.

“You’re both unmarried. Mom’s been gone for years, and the mayor’s a desirable older bachelorette. You’re more or less a good match, so wouldn’t it make everyone happy if you got together?”

“…”

Lao Su was silent for a moment, then his face darkened.

“What a rotten idea! How can you have so much nonsense in that head of yours? Shoo, shoo! Go to your room and face the wall while you think about what you’ve done!”

Su Tong wasn’t bothered by Lao Su’s embarrassment turning into anger.

She chuckled, left him with a “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” then picked up the shoulder bag from the coffee table in the living room and headed upstairs to her room.

That left Lao Su sitting alone on the sofa.

He sat there in a daze for a moment, then took out his phone and searched for a photo of the female mayor.

The qipao-clad beauty sat calmly, holding a round fan. Her expression was elegant and serene, and her features were full of the grace of years gone by.

She really was beautiful.

Come to think of it, maybe his daughter’s suggestion wasn’t such a bad idea…

Lao Su found himself thinking.

[To be continued]