Han Tao certainly had no objection; to be honest, he was quite worried about Dai Lijun and the others, given how significant this leap he was taking felt. The way Dai Lijun and the others had looked at him these past few days told Han Tao, with absolute certainty, that they were jealous. Although a hint of envy remained in their eyes now, it was overshadowed by a genuine happiness for him. "Yes, I'll definitely bring back lots of books. Remember what we said? We all must go to America to study hard."

"Well, we just never expected it would be you, you rascal, going first," Ni Guangxin adjusted his glasses, voicing his thoughts. When this kid was first introduced to their circle by Dai Lijun, he was a complete blank slate, knowing very little. Despite his talent, Ni Guangxin hadn't anticipated such rapid progress. He knew Han Tao's current achievements hadn't come easily; he’d paid a high price. Here was a guy with a girlfriend, yet the two of them acted like absolute workaholics, each consumed by their respective careers. Or perhaps it was Wang Qiqi, the woman behind Han Tao, who, while earning money for herself, was also working diligently to earn for Han Tao—that was likely why he could intern in the States without any financial burdens. Truly, he envied Han Tao for having such fortunate luck with her.

"It's fine, I'll go scout the path first, brothers. Maybe I'll even come out to meet you when you all head over later," Han Tao joked lightly, though he was only speaking in jest. Regardless of what he said, Han Tao had firmly decided to finish his university degree in China first. Only after securing that diploma would he consider going abroad. That way, he could accumulate more wealth over these three years, establishing a solid financial foundation so that when he did reach America, he wouldn't have to worry about money.

"You can bear to leave your girlfriend?" Gong Junyu countered, clearly tinged with jealousy. "You lucky dog, to have met such a great girlfriend." Perhaps at school, most people only knew Wang Qiqi as a translator who earned money from translation drafts. Coupled with her good looks, she was considered a talent in the Finance Department. But if they knew this supposed 'talent' was also skilled at stock market investing, how many men would be chasing after this financial prodigy, begging to keep her?

"Brother Gong," Han Tao smiled faintly, "is that a touch of jealousy in your voice?" Although their tone was light and joking, he knew exactly what they were feeling inside. If he were in any of their shoes, he probably would sound similarly envious. "A man needs to have his own career. I hope Qiqi can pursue whatever she truly loves doing in the future."

At the very least, Han Tao knew that alongside her love for money, Wang Qiqi cherished freedom. She had never once considered getting a conventional job. Even her current stable source of income—translation—wasn't something Qiqi truly enjoyed. She always said that doing it occasionally as a hobby was fine... but making it a steady career bored her, especially since so many jobs were last-minute rushes. This irritated her immensely; every time, she'd vow not to take such demanding jobs, yet every time, she’d only talk the talk before completing the assignment.

"Being a translator is quite nice, at least she can take care of the home," Shi Zhengwei thought to himself. Why would Qiqi, a finance major, choose to be a translator? Perhaps initially, it was to earn tuition, but later, when they found out Wang Qiqi and the others were learning to trade stocks, Shi Zhengwei genuinely couldn't comprehend it. After all, the returns in the stock market were undoubtedly faster and likely much greater than translating fees. Yet, why wasn't Qiqi diving deeper into financial matters like stock trading, instead spending her spare time reading English books for translation work? This baffled Shi Zhengwei... though his misunderstanding was rooted in the assumption that Wang Qiqi aimed to be a homemaker, someone who could support Han Tao from the background. Weren't those elite financiers on TV constantly up late studying the markets, from domestic to international stocks, analyzing global policies? That demanded enormous time commitment, leaving little for family life. Translation, conversely, meant that even if she stopped, the loss wasn't significant.

Regarding Shi Zhengwei’s interpretation of why Qiqi chose translation, Han Tao didn't bother to explain. He just smiled; some things simply didn't require sharing with everyone.

Wang Qiqi noticed Han Tao and the others approaching and waved them over, treating them as if they were already at home. They, in turn, casually picked up teacups to brew tea or started making coffee. "The freshly ground coffee smells best," Dai Lijun had previously been a casual coffee drinker, relying only on instant mixes. Hearing Han Tao mention that Juliana and the others had brought back a set of coffee paraphernalia from France during the break, he’d felt quite tempted. He assumed freshly ground coffee just tasted slightly better than instant. But when he stepped into the room, he was immediately enveloped by a rich, heady aroma, prompting an immediate exclamation.

"The skill isn't perfect; on the streets of France, you can smell an even more fragrant coffee scent," Shi Man, seeing someone appreciate the brew, smugly poured Dai Lijun a cup. Although none of them were coffee experts capable of discussing nuance, they were kindred spirits, so Shi Man had to show off a bit. Of course, what she was truly thinking was: this coffee, so delicious and fragrant, would be hard for Dai Lijun to get regularly if it was only at her place. He couldn't possibly keep running over here just for a cup, could he? Thus, Shi Man goaded him relentlessly.

Dai Lijun chuckled, scratching his head. He knew Shi Man was teasing him, but he had no choice; he couldn't refuse to drink it, could he? Besides, if he didn't drink the coffee, would someone else stop teasing him? So, let the jabs come. After taking a sip, he admitted, "It tastes good. Much better than the instant stuff." ... In truth, the best praise for any consumable wasn't a lengthy critique, but simply "delicious" or "good."

"If the technique were better, the coffee would be even more delicious." ... Although the coffee brewed by their current skill level was decent, having tasted so many cups in France, Juliana’s palate had become discerning. She felt something was lacking, and after studying the process, she concluded it was purely a matter of experience. While different ratios of coffee grounds could yield different flavors, the three of them were still novices, and this kind of advanced tweaking was something Juliana and the others weren't ready to attempt.

Seeing Dai Lijun drinking the coffee with such satisfaction, Shi Man leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Tastes good, doesn't it? Too bad you can't have it all the time." Shi Man felt an immense smugness; this was payback for him criticizing her before, for picking on her. Now she’d finally gotten the last laugh. She thought triumphantly, if an old saying suggested revenge should wait ten years, she felt waiting one year was too long, but revenge was sweet regardless.

Everyone was accustomed to Dai Lijun and Shi Man constantly bickering. Initially, Gong Junyu and the others worried that such relentless arguing would damage their relationship, so they tried to mediate. But no matter who intervened, the pair would turn their guns outward and unite against the mediator. Once everyone else was dealt with, they would resume their quarrel. After several failed attempts, everyone stopped interfering—let them argue, let them make noise. Gong Junyu and the others had all assumed Dai Lijun and Shi Man would eventually become a couple, but unexpectedly, a guy named Feng Xuanxiang swooped in and snagged her.

What surprised them even more was that the person they expected to be dejected instead seemed enthusiastically engaged in interviewing this man. As the concerned 'family,' they fired off a series of questions. Gong Junyu and the others initially thought she was just putting on a brave face, but as time passed, they realized she genuinely treated him like an older brother—a dynamic that eliminated a lot of their entertainment value, though it certainly put Feng Xuanxiang more at ease, knowing Shi Man had Dai Lijun as a shield at school.

Dai Lijun finished his coffee in one gulp and handed the cup back to Shi Man. "Pour me another one, thanks, little sister. But honestly, I was thinking of occasionally dropping by for a couple of cups. Now I see that was a mistake. Are you all still planning to go abroad?" Dai Lijun then abruptly turned to Han Tao. "Aren't you going to America during the winter break... Could you bring me back a set of equipment?" Dai Lijun came from a good background; don't let his perpetually casual appearance fool you—his clothes were often designer brands. He just poured all his focus into computers and didn't pay much attention to other things, but that didn't stop him from developing an interest in something specific, like the coffee maker he now coveted.

A set of coffee equipment? Han Tao could only roll his eyes. He hadn't even left yet; in fact, he was still more than five months away from his trip. The items he needed to bring back could already fill three or four suitcases. He hadn't expected Dai Lijun to suddenly request a coffee machine. But he couldn't refuse; that would be truly unbrotherly. Yet, bringing it back meant he had no extra hands to carry it, and checked baggage fees were expensive.

Although Dai Lijun had never flown, he knew a thing or two about regulations. He rolled his own eyes. "I refuse to believe you're going to America without anything to bring back." Humph. First, Wang Qiqi and the others would certainly ask Dai Lijun to carry things back. "If you have too many things, can't you just mail them back?" What an idiot. Does he think that for relatives abroad, all exchanges happen via airplane cargo? He seemed like a smart guy, yet he was fixated on a dimension a simpleton would consider.

Gong Junyu and the others had been hesitant about asking Han Tao to carry too many things, but hearing Dai Lijun’s words, they realized the logic. They slapped Han Tao on the shoulder one by one. "Keep an eye on your email, and if we need you to bring something last minute, we'll email you. Of course, we'll cover the shipping costs." Gong Junyu felt it was already too much to ask Han Tao to take the time to buy things; the poor guy shouldn't have to provide labor and pay for freight.

Han Tao rejected Gong Junyu’s suggestion. "We're buddies. As long as the items aren't excessively bulky, I'll cover the shipping." Are you kidding? These guys had taught him—a complete novice—everything they knew without ever demanding tuition fees. Han Tao knew that if he hadn't lived with them for half a year, he wouldn't have had this opportunity to go abroad.

(To be continued)