After two days exploring the capital city and a nearby summer retreat, Wang Qiqi returned home, dusty from the journey.

Arriving back, Wang Qiqi first updated her parents on her trip, then laid out the treats she'd brought back. "Mom, Dad, C University is truly beautiful, far surpassing the photos..."

She naturally dedicated a significant portion of time to discussing her future residence for the next four years, detailing everything from the room designs to the community environment. When she finally looked up, an hour had vanished. Qiqi smiled wryly. "Mom, Dad, I need to rest now; we can talk more tonight." She still hadn't shared everything from her trip, but sheer exhaustion had set in. Unable to secure sleeper berths, the three of them had endured over twenty hours traveling in soft seats—not hard, but the inability to lie down was draining.

Once home, Wang Qiqi called her aunt to let her know she was back, then promptly collapsed into bed, sleeping soundly until she awoke to find food waiting in the kitchen.

"Red bean porridge with pickled vegetables—this is just what I needed." After indulging in the capital's rich cuisine, Qiqi felt her stomach needed a gentle reset. Gong Yi was thoughtful to prepare such light fare.

"Qiqi, you're back?" Han Tao had a nightly habit of glancing at the lights in Qiqi's house upon returning. Seeing them lit, he thought his eyes were playing tricks. He opened the door and found her sitting at the dining table, eating porridge. "Just got in?"

"Got back this afternoon, slept until now." Qiqi gestured for him to sit. "The gifts are in the bags on the floor; yours is clearly marked. Since there were few of us, the luggage wasn't hard to manage. I found the capital's specialties rather mediocre. Since we also went to the seaside, I brought back some seafood products."

"Thanks." Han Tao walked over to the travel bag casually left on the floor and pulled out the package marked with his name. "This is huge. You didn't buy two catties, did you?" He assumed it must be expensive.

"It was quite cheap, maybe a little more than half the price back here." Qiqi had actually intended to buy more; purchasing these goods near where they were harvested was a good choice, but she suddenly realized her own physical limits. "I wanted to buy more, but you know my strength. I only managed six catties."

Han Tao, considering he was only getting a third of it, wondered, "You're not keeping any for yourself?" Though Qiqi wasn't huge on snacks, she did eat them, and she’d mentioned that eating more seafood was good for the brain, so Han Tao expected she'd favor these.

"I kept some." Wang Qiqi thought to herself that she wouldn't part with the delicacies she'd painstakingly carried back from the north. "Two catties for you, one catty each for my uncle and aunt’s homes, one for Aunt Gong, and I kept one catty for myself. That should last me a few days."

"Then I should feel quite honored," Han Tao said, shaking the bag in his hand. "To receive such a large portion."

"They got other things too. Although I don't think they're as good as the seafood, well, it is from the capital, you understand." If she didn't bring back something from the capital, they might assume she hadn't gone, or that the things she brought back from elsewhere were better or more expensive, making her seem reluctant to share.

"But you know if they don't taste good, they'll complain," Han Tao remarked, watching Qiqi's expression of reluctant necessity. He couldn't help but think mischievously that maybe Qiqi had done this intentionally—giving them things she knew weren't great, just to provoke them.

Complain? Qiqi disagreed entirely. "I specifically inquired what local specialties are recommended for tourists visiting the capital. Everyone said these were the ones." Qiqi thought about how many people she had asked. "It’s just that I already opened one packet to try earlier."

"So..." Han Tao finally understood why her portions for her aunt and uncle were relatively small. "Your relationship with your aunt is good; you still gave her family this much?"

"The relationship is good, but my aunt-in-law will always ask what I got my aunt. If she hears her family has something hers doesn't, who knows how she’ll react." Qiqi reflected that even good relationships required careful navigation. "I brought my aunt and uncle some other things this time, but those are better given privately."

Han Tao understood; it was about balance. "Was the trip enjoyable?"

"Wonderful. I even took the time to start decorating my future home. The north-facing room is yours, though mostly intended as a guest room." Qiqi was puzzled why Juliana ultimately decided to furnish that specific room as a guest space.

Han Tao was surprised. "Didn't you mention last time, when discussing the new house setup, that one room was going to be a study?" Han Tao wondered if they had decorated a room specifically for him, which seemed... well, "Actually, I won't be staying over there often, you know."

Qiqi caught the slight embarrassment mixed with awkwardness on Han Tao's face. "It was actually Juliana's idea in case her mother visits the capital for business or to see her; then she won't need a hotel." While hotels were comfortable and required no cleaning, something felt missing.

Han Tao grasped the idea. "But the study..." He remembered a study being necessary for Juliana to handle her work.

"We'll put a large bookshelf in the living room for communal books, and professional texts will stay in their respective rooms." Qiqi knew Juliana would definitely install a bookshelf in her room, but Shi Man might not, preferring to keep books in the main living area.

"Someone came by after you left," Han Tao suddenly recalled, feeling it necessary to inform her.

"Gao Kai?" Qiqi paused, realizing it was unlikely to be anyone else looking for her.

Han Tao nodded. "Some of the older neighbors assumed..."

"Assumed I was deceiving him?" Qiqi’s mouth dropped open. "Heavens, Wang Rui didn't react?" Wait, Wang Rui would probably be thrilled by such gossip, feeling she was on the side of public opinion, perhaps suggesting that her relationship with Gao Kai only started after Qiqi had driven him away.

Han Tao crossed his arms and nodded. "Yes. Although he didn't say it outright, every time that kind of..."

"Deeply devoted, tragically lovesick look?" Qiqi tried to picture Gao Kai striking that pose toward her from their past life, but the memory simply wouldn't surface. "Let him pretend to be lovesick; which university I get into is my business. Did I promise him anything?"

"Let's change the subject." Qiqi didn't want to waste any more time on a certain person. "Are the house procedures all finalized?"

Han Tao grunted. "I didn't know you were coming back today. I’ll pay you back tomorrow. Thank you for stepping in back then." Had Qiqi not been willing to lend the money, he would have had to abandon his dream of owning that house, no matter how much he wanted it, and wouldn't have this stable income now. "My mom said she can now save up one and a half times our regular monthly income."

"Actually, buying a house after you have money is ideal. Money and time are equivalent to women..." Qiqi stopped herself mid-sentence. This saying probably hadn't surfaced yet, and secondly, she wasn't familiar enough with Han Tao to drop such a line. She worried it might make him see her as a flighty woman, one who spoke so casually about such matters with a man—it felt like overstepping.

Han Tao had been listening intently, only to notice Qiqi suddenly trail off. "Equivalent to women..."

Qiqi hadn't expected him to press her. She managed an awkward chuckle, paused for a moment, then pointed to her head. "I didn't rest well last night. Even though I slept a bit after getting home, my whole system hasn't fully woken up. My brain circuit just momentarily malfunctioned."

Though Qiqi's explanation was clumsy, Han Tao didn't press further. "My mom said she never expected a 150,000-yuan house could yield over 20,000 yuan in rent annually." Honestly, Han Tao hadn't expected it either.

"That's because your house is nicely finished. Also, very few people currently think of renting out property; most buy for self-occupancy, especially if it’s near work." Qiqi felt this rental income projection looked good for five or six years down the line, but seeing Han Tao so excited, she didn't want to dampen his mood. "Right now, many rentals are just farmer's houses without proper bathrooms or kitchens, and our complex is the only one of its kind nearby."

Han Tao, who had been happily considering buying more properties soon to recoup his principal in seven or eight years, asked, "Are you saying the rent might drop later?"

Qiqi nodded. "Not might—it definitely will. But housing prices will go up."

"Still better than keeping it in the bank, right?" To be frank, if the rental income hadn't so wildly exceeded his and his mother's expectations, Han Tao thought his chances of buying more houses later would be slim; banks paid interest, didn't they? But now he realized that perspective was flawed, though many shared it.

"People here prefer money in the bank. They get a sense of accomplishment watching the numbers tick up on their savings passbook," Qiqi commented. "Like my aunt-in-law. Could she not afford that house? No. She just doesn't want people thinking that she, who always acts like she's short on cash, suddenly pulls out so much money to buy property. But her savings aren't endless, and she'll regret missing such a great opportunity later."

Wang Qiqi could guarantee that Li Cui would endlessly complain about missing out on fantastic property investment opportunities in past years, all because the detestable Wang Qiqi didn't buy them, thereby causing her to miss a chance to get rich. (To be continued)

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