Han Tao rushed back to Juliana's place, and the moment he pushed the door open, he was hit by the thick aroma of bone broth, mingled with the sound of snatching. "Damn glasses, leave some meatballs for me!" Humph, fish balls.

Dai Lijun glanced at the fish ball on his chopsticks, then listened to Jiang Xin's complaint. He opened his large mouth and popped the fish ball in, consuming it right in front of her.

Seeing how Dai Lijun treated her, Jiang Xin instantly flared up. She was just about to slam her chopsticks onto the table to show Dai Lijun how fierce she could be, but before she could muster the anger, she heard a knock. That fatso actually ran to open the door, and in walked Han Tao. Now Jiang Xin couldn't possibly keep her temper.

Wang Qiqi watched Jiang Xin lower her head, unwilling to look at Han Tao, and covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. Han Tao, however, looked utterly bewildered. "Is there something on my face?" Otherwise, why were the other four people, excluding Jiang Xin who wouldn't look at him, staring at him with smiles that weren't normal—smiles that sent a chill down his spine, clearly indicating that something was amiss here.

Wang Qiqi shook her head. "Hot pot, want some?" Hot pot was wonderful because anyone could join in at any time; the only downside was the lingering smell in the room.

Han Tao sniffed the air. "Old mother hen soup?" Using that as a base was quite time-consuming. "Looks like I'm quite fortunate."

"Tonight’s meal is Dutch treat, remember to chip in, though Jiang Xin ate almost all the fish balls saved for you," Wang Qiqi said slowly, glancing at the shy person whose head was still bowed low.

"I wasn't the only one eating them," Jiang Xin retorted, lifting her head. "Honestly, Dai Lijun was the one who ate the last one! Ah, I’ll go buy more early tomorrow. We don't have much left when we go out, and I don't even know if they taste good." Jiang Xin was filled with regret and annoyance.

Shi Man shot a fierce glare at the regretful Jiang Xin. "You really should have bought out the entire batch, considering how many people said they were delicious." If it were her, she would have bought them all, regardless of whether they tasted bad or not; Shi Man couldn't even imagine how terrible fish balls could taste.

"They weren't delicious, someone would have accused me of wasting food," Jiang Xin thought, glaring fiercely at Dai Lijun. If he hadn't been there saying he didn't know how the food would turn out, she wouldn't have bought just that small amount.

"Alright, alright, if they’re good, buy more next time." Wang Qiqi brought a set of bowls and chopsticks out from the kitchen. Seeing the signs of another argument brewing between Jiang Xin and Dai Lijun, she quickly intervened. "Eat more. We're almost done; you take the rest of the chicken."

"Exactly, there's still half a chicken left." Shi Man rubbed her stomach, which was already quite full. Five people eating hot pot was much livelier than three, and having Jiang Xin and Dai Lijun competing to eat made Shi Man's own appetite improve considerably; her belly was visibly bulging.

Half a chicken? Han Tao looked at the plate nearby. "Your fighting power is quite impressive." Five people ate this much food, plus half a chicken, and they weren't talking about going on a diet later, were they?

"We stewed half today, half tomorrow, so hot pot again tomorrow," Wang Qiqi shot Han Tao a look. Was their fighting power really that fierce? "Oh, did you ask them?"

Han Tao had eaten two steamed buns on the way and attended a class, so he was hungry. He took two pieces of chicken to tide him over. Hearing Wang Qiqi's question, he gave an OK gesture. "I'm tutoring that kid tomorrow morning; you're coming with me." The other party was also quite busy, and tomorrow was a time slot she had specifically cleared. Of course, he also wanted to ask about the recent progress of her child and whether they could achieve good results in the mid-term exams. As for interviewing Qiqi, the other party wasn't very enthusiastic. Firstly, Qiqi was only a freshman, and secondly, she wasn't an English major, so it was only natural for them to have low expectations. Frankly, if he hadn't made the request, they wouldn't have offered Qiqi this chance at all.

Wang Qiqi hadn't received a call from Han Tao all week and thought there was no chance, as her advantages were really not obvious, and the other party might not be willing to give her a shot. She had assumed that even if they agreed, the response wouldn't come so quickly. She hadn't expected to get an answer after only a week. "Thank you so much, Han Tao." Wang Qiqi knew the other party was only offering her this opportunity because of Han Tao's sake.

Shi Man heard Wang Qiqi speaking so formally and looked at her with disdain. "Do you two really need to be so polite?" It was so fake.

Wang Qiqi pouted and smiled at her. "This isn't politeness; it's etiquette." Wang Qiqi then turned to Han Tao. "What kind of interview will it be? It won't be too hard, right?" If they gave her something too difficult, Wang Qiqi would feel immense pressure.

Han Tao recalled that after he brought up the matter, the person had only responded with an 'oh' and then set a meeting time. Furthermore, the person didn't have high expectations for Qiqi’s performance anyway. "It will probably be a text translation; it shouldn't be too hard. He knows you aren't an English major." Han Tao's last sentence was meant to comfort Wang Qiqi.

Wang Qiqi stared at Han Tao for a long time, and Han Tao dared not shift his gaze toward her. Wang Qiqi understood immediately. "Forget it; the other party doesn't think highly of me anyway. I'll just treat it as an outing to practice my English with someone."

Han Tao knew he couldn't hide it from Wang Qiqi. "It’s fine. Hope springs eternal, but disappointment follows. However, if there are no expectations, and they see how well you perform, Qiqi, they’ll definitely be surprised." Han Tao thought for a moment before coming up with this comforting line.

Although the words sounded rather hollow, it was a good strategy. "Yes, I’ll give him a huge surprise." Wang Qiqi reflected and agreed—if the other party truly valued her, it would also be an opportunity for her. "I need to rest well today and get a beautiful night's sleep. Oh, Manman, you two can just sleep in your room tonight."

Shi Man and Juliana had slightly relaxed their held breath, but upon hearing Wang Qiqi's words, they got angry. "What do you mean by that?"

"We'll stay nearby to keep you company; you won't have to be afraid."

Afraid? Wang Qiqi gave Shi Man a disdainful look. "I'm worried you're afraid to sleep alone." Shi Man was somewhat scared in a relatively unfamiliar environment.

"I'm not afraid at all," Shi Man retorted. "I just really like your room." Sigh, if she had designed her own space like this back then, she wouldn't have to share a room with Wang Qiqi. At worst, she could sleep with the lights on and an eye mask on.

"Yeah," Juliana agreed beside her. "Forget it, you sleep alone tonight." Juliana had assumed Wang Qiqi would be pulling an all-nighter working today, and if it were her, she wouldn't show her anxious side to her friends either.

Shi Man could only sigh helplessly. "Well, let's do that then. Let's sleep together, Lina." Great, Qiqi was definitely going to be nervous today; she shouldn't disturb her.

Han Tao checked the time; it was getting late. He called towards the bathroom, "Qiqi, are you ready?" This morning, the girl had claimed she wasn't nervous, but she had gone to the restroom twice in half an hour, and this time, she had gone in and hadn't emerged at all.

"Oh, coming," Wang Qiqi said to her reflection in the mirror. "It's just a job. I'm not like in my previous life; I'm not depending on this job to pay tuition and living expenses anymore. I’m purely working for interest."

Although Wang Qiqi spoke with courage to the mirror, as she turned to open the bathroom door, she could see from the reflection that her shoulders had drooped.

Han Tao didn't ask Wang Qiqi if she was nervous. He felt that if he asked, even if she wasn't nervous, she would become anxious. Han Tao spent the journey talking about things at home and school.

Wang Qiqi gradually relaxed. "Your grandmother is discharged from the hospital?"

"She is. She didn't have any serious issues to begin with; she just wanted to stay in the hospital so my mom would pay for things and could go take care of her." Han Tao felt even more contemptuous of his grandmother's actions. "My mom was feeling unwell those few days and needed care herself. How could she look after Grandma? Otherwise, the façade of filial piety would fall apart, requiring constant meal deliveries and companionship."

Wang Qiqi covered her mouth, stifling a laugh, but she quickly realized that Aunt Luo's health shouldn't be that fragile. She looked at Han Tao with suspicion. "Don't tell me Aunt Luo's illness was something you hinted at?"

When faced with Wang Qiqi's question, Han Tao simply nodded in agreement. "My mom was a little under the weather, so I suggested she see a doctor. You know how some doctors exaggerate minor ailments into major illnesses." However, the check-up revealed his mother did have some chronic issues, so it was better to treat them. If she had that time to cook and deliver food, it was better to focus on recuperation. "Besides, my cousin's issue is also resolved; they gave the girl twenty thousand, and it was all from her [the grandmother's] side."

Wang Qiqi clicked her tongue in astonishment. Heavens, when Han Tao was in college, that old woman never paid a dime, claiming she was poor and living only on a meager pension. But when her younger grandson got into trouble, she suddenly became so generous. "Is she ready for her coffin?" This old woman was now helping her younger son and grandson scheme against her elder daughter-in-law and elder grandson, prematurely claiming her coffin, with her weeping days yet to come.

"It's fine; her younger son is devoted, and her younger grandson even promised to take her traveling and let her enjoy the finer things in life," Han Tao said. He truly admired that young man. Anyone could speak pretty words, but the issue was whether they could deliver. Given his character—bad at studies, even worse at enduring hardship, spoiled rotten by his grandmother since childhood—it was questionable.

"When you become successful later, bring Aunt Luo out with you, or she'll keep scheming," Wang Qiqi thought. This must be why, after Han Tao became successful in the previous life, Aunt Luo moved away, and few people knew her whereabouts. Anyone with such a vexatious relative would do the same.

"My mom is reluctant; that's where my dad rests eternally." Even though her husband had been gone for so long, her mother's affection for him hadn't faded. "We'll see when the time comes."