After Yu Jinbu took An'an away, she did not take him home immediately.

"Your mom says you like reading. Can Grandpa take you to the bookstore to buy some books you like?"

"Grandpa, no need. Let's wait a couple of days; I haven't finished reading these yet."

Yu Jinbu ignored him, and the two arrived at the bookstore as they spoke.

"Choose for yourself, Grandpa, please."

It was a day off, and the bookstore was quite crowded. However, everyone was looking down, searching or reading. After the grandfather and grandson went inside, He Ning'an carefully looked for some books that interested him.

"Grandpa, this is enough."

"Okay, then I'll take this. Oh, by the way, Grandpa will take you to see a movie."

He Ning'an didn't really want to go, but judging from his grandfather's expression, he knew his grandfather wanted to take him away alone because he had something to say. This had never happened before. Although he didn't show it, he felt uneasy, afraid that his grandfather wanted him to go back to Xiangshi alone first.

The two made their way from the bookstore to the movie theater. Yu Jinbu had already inquired beforehand and learned that today's film was particularly moving; he had cried uncontrollably every time he watched it before. He was certain that his grandson would also shed tears.

After finding a seat, Yu Jinbu silently wiped away tears at a touching scene, completely forgetting his real purpose for coming to the theater. As the movie neared its end, he looked at his radiant grandson beside him, who showed no sign of sadness.

"An'an, aren't you touched?"

He Ning'an nodded: "I'm touched."

"You didn't cry?"

"No. Grandpa will give you a handkerchief."

Yu Jinbu took the question: "Why aren't you crying?"

"Grandpa, do you want me to cry?"

The eldest grandson was so clever that Yu Jinbu was momentarily speechless.

"No, but Grandpa wants two of your tears."

This statement is strange, Yu Jinbu knows it. Tears are useless.

Why?

"Well, it's something I can't talk about. But it's okay if you don't want to."

"Can."

Hearing his eldest grandson's unwavering answer, Yu Jinbu was overjoyed.

"Oh, Grandpa An knew you were the best! Let's go home."

But when she got home, Yu Jinbu was in trouble—her eldest grandson simply couldn't cry.

"Grandpa, please stop talking about this. I can't cry."

Seeing that her folk tales had no effect and hadn't even frightened her eldest grandson, Yu Jinbu sat helplessly on the small stone steps in the front yard, fanning herself: "An'an, think about why you cried last time?"

He Ning'an shook his head without even thinking: "Grandpa, telling me all this is less efficient than chopping an onion for me."

Yu Jinbu seemed to have been inspired: "You're right! You wait, Grandpa will go find it."

A moment later, Yu Jinbu found an onion and eagerly chopped it for her eldest grandson. The two stood in front of the cutting board, and soon even Yu Jinbu was teary-eyed from the fumes. Despite being unable to open her eyes, she forced out the jade pendant from her pocket and used it to catch An'an's tears. Then, she painfully kept her eyes open while staring at the jade pendant.

But there was nothing there. He quietly slipped the jade pendant into his pocket and took An'an out.

"Grandpa, did I fail to help you?"

Yu Jinbu composed himself, his expression shifting to his usual kind demeanor: "Alright, don't overthink it. Grandpa's just trying to see if it's possible; it's not really your business. I wanted to help your mother, but it seems it will only make things harder for her for a while longer."

Piecing together the scattered pieces of information, He Ning'an connected the two events, and felt a weight lift from her heart.

"I understand, Grandpa. I'll go read my book now."

"Okay, Grandpa will take you out for a nice meal later."

As I walked out of the kitchen, Wang Meixia returned from grocery shopping, carrying Xiao Youyou on her back.

"What happened?"

She put down her shopping basket, rushed over, and cupped An'an's face in her hands, looking her over from left to right: "What's wrong?"

"Grandma is fine, I just got some smoke in my eyes."

"It doesn't look like it to me. Did your grandfather bully you?" She turned her gaze to her husband in the kitchen.

"It's nothing. I was thinking of cooking, and I chopped some onions. My grandson and I were both bothered by the smell."

Wang Meixia went in and saw that it was true, but when she saw it, her brows furrowed tightly: "Go away, go away, you can't even chop vegetables properly, it's a mess, a waste of food."

"Come on, little Youyou, come with Grandpa. Your grandma is cooking."

And so, a secret between the grandfather and grandson was kept.

……

"How is it?"

"I think it's perfect compared to the previous ones."

Sitting in the medicine-making room, the group looked at the freshly made pills.

"However, even if we manage to make it now, we don't know the specific effects yet; it will require a long period of experimentation. At least it's definitely not going to happen this year."

This means that within the six months that the company can sustain itself, there will be no timely replacement.

The market competition is fierce; if you can't catch up in a day, the market you've built will gradually slip away. This is a serious blow to the company—at least that's the most visible impact. A whole host of messy and troublesome problems will keep popping up. Everyone, from top to bottom, will be affected.

"Please rest assured, I can handle it. Don't feel pressured. If the impact becomes too great, I will apologize first and use my husband to stabilize the situation."

Dr. Kui whispered a reminder, "Aren't you afraid of hurting your husband's feelings by being so blunt?"

Yu Lian looked towards the door: "He knows, I discussed it with him beforehand."

"You can't directly say he's taking advantage of you, that would hurt your relationship. But since he accepts you, he probably won't care if you say that."

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing, just thinking about when I first met this big boss."

Dr. Kui thought that since he could accept the emotional gap between the couple, he probably wouldn't be too bothered by saying anything unpleasant. However, he looked at Yu Lian with some concern—people can develop feelings of aversion, let alone in such a long-term unequal situation. How long would the love of this man at the door last?

Developing a new drug requires a long process, and the six months that Yu Lian managed to secure were far from enough. Having come to terms with reality, Yu Lian thanked every friend who offered help in her time of need and then began preparing for the new drug registration.

New Chinese medicine preparations need to undergo strict approval, and the sooner the better.

In late autumn, Yu Lian was busier than ever; her hectic schedule was beyond description. She frequently traveled between Xiang City and Yun City, preparing various documents to submit to the Provincial Health Department, and proactively applied for GMP certification. Although not mandatory, this demonstrated the quality awareness of the company she represented.

Finally, while she was busy, someone leaked the information. This was something Yu Lian had to face sooner or later, but she hadn't fully prepared a comprehensive public relations plan, which was tantamount to the work of a competitor.

Since the storm has arrived ahead of schedule, she can't hide in the background and remain silent. Sometimes, a sincere attitude is more effective than any public relations tactic.

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