Han Tao nodded. "Yeah, that's right." Although the Fool hadn't gone into detail, he could deduce some things on his own.

Wang Qiqi pondered for a moment before realizing, "It must be that Jiang Xin wants Fatty to put in a good word for Cao Rui." Sigh, is this girl Jiang Xin truly naive or just pretending? One thing is clear, however: Comrade Cao Rui has done quite a thorough job of brainwashing. In such a short time, he's managed to make Jiang Xin so completely devoted to him. "So Fatty has been getting a lot more attention lately. Speaking of which, has Fatty met any suitable girls?"

Wang Qiqi recalled Gong Junyu mentioning that they planned to take the Fool to some mixer events. They’d said that although the girls at the mixer weren't as beautiful as Jiang Xin, their overall quality was decent. It seemed Fatty had even mentioned a few names, which finally calmed the irritable Shi Man down considerably. She stopped giving the death glare whenever Jiang Xin was around. But Wang Qiqi suspected that what Shi Man was really anticipating was the look on Jiang Xin's face the moment Fatty appeared with a high-quality girl on his arm.

Han Tao wasn't entirely clear on the details. "It's just that... Fatty has been dressing really sharp when he goes out recently. He comes back smiling every time, but if I press him, he just says there's nothing going on." Han Tao wondered if this was the reason the Fool would finally let slip why Jiang Xin had asked him out. "Does this mean he's completely moved on from Jiang Xin?" Otherwise, the proud Fool would never volunteer such information.

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected the Fool to move on from his romantic entanglement so quickly. A whirlwind of thoughts crossed her mind: happiness for the Fool, mixed with a sense that just a short while ago, he was practically dead inside from a relationship, and now someone had already adjusted his mentality. "I just wonder if he genuinely likes the other person, or if he’s just looking for a replacement." If it's the latter, then that girl is truly being done a disservice. That kind of behavior is reprehensible and needs criticism.

A replacement? Han Tao hadn't realized Wang Qiqi knew about the Fool's recent dates. His first reaction wasn't to question why the Fool hadn't made his dating life public; instead, he immediately jumped to the idea of him finding a substitute. "Didn't you think of anything else?" Han Tao pressed, staring at Wang Qiqi.

Anything else? Wang Qiqi found Han Tao's question genuinely odd. "What else should I be thinking of? Do you think Han Tao changed his mind too quickly? That he should have stayed sad for a little longer?"

Han Tao was speechless. "Didn't you think about the possibility that the Fool has a girlfriend, and you guys just don't know about it?" That was the key point he wanted to ask! How could a girlfriend’s thoughts immediately leap to something else? Shouldn't women care deeply about things like this? Why was Qiqi’s reaction so different?

Wang Qiqi paused, tilting her head to study Han Tao for a moment, making him feel slightly awkward. After shifting her position slightly, Wang Qiqi managed a terrifying smile. "Do you think you’d be happy if I constantly worried about Fatty's love life?" No way. Although the Fool and I are close, it's a bit much, isn't it, for a girl with a boyfriend to be constantly concerned about another man? As her boyfriend, wouldn't Han Tao find that a little excessive, a little abnormal? "Besides, among the three of us, Shi Man and Fatty have the closest relationship. She’s the one who should be most excited."

As Wang Qiqi said this, she suddenly recalled something crucial. "Does Manman know?" Ever since she learned that the Fool liked Jiang Xin, and Jiang Xin unceremoniously dumped the Fool for Cao Rui, Shi Man had actually been the most agitated person. If everyone hadn't clearly seen the nature of her and the Fool's relationship, Wang Qiqi and Zhu Lina would truly have believed Shi Man had a crush on the Fool. "You know, the longer this drags out, the angrier Shi Man will get. During this whole time, Manman has been thinking about how to introduce good girls to the Fool. You see..." Shi Man had been making nice with classmates just to successfully 'market' this poor Fool. Thank goodness Feng Xuanxiang was busy with company affairs right now. A daily phone call or meeting him near his office for dinner was all it took; otherwise, if Feng Xuanxiang saw his own girlfriend showing such intense concern for another man, even the most magnanimous man would feel uneasy.

Han Tao shook his head. "The Fool said he won't tell you all until the relationship is confirmed." Han Tao privately felt that if this dragged on until then, Shi Man would probably fly off the handle. She would surely have a stack of complaints and would probably berate the Fool endlessly. Thinking of this, Han Tao warned Wang Qiqi, "Don't mention this to the Fool. Just pretend you don't know."

Han Tao decided he needed to discuss this issue with the Fool as soon as he got back. He knew that if Shi Man got angry, she wouldn't argue; instead, she would turn completely cold, fixing everyone with frigid stares. As long as he was within her line of sight, there would be no escape from her omnipresent ice blades. But these were burdens the Fool should bear; the real problem was that those who knew—himself and Gong Junyu and the others—wouldn't get off easy either. Shi Man would treat them all with collective punishment.

Wang Qiqi looked at her boyfriend’s pale face and secretly suppressed a chuckle. "Are you that afraid of Manman?" Alright, having experienced Shi Man's cold gaze a few times, Wang Qiqi really didn't want to go through that again. "Don't worry, I'll pretend I know nothing. But you know some things can’t be delayed. Besides, even if that girl doesn't like the Fool and he gets rejected again, is Shi Man going to mock him for it?" She truly didn't understand why the Fool was being so cautious. "And if he had told us about liking Jiang Xin back then, wouldn't we have helped him plead his case to Jiang Xin?" Maybe then that troublesome man wouldn't even be an issue.

"Even if you intervened, Jiang Xin wouldn't have taken a liking to the Fool, considering the Fool's image?" It wasn't that Han Tao himself wasn't fashionable, but the Fool was just too disheveled. How could any girl be interested? "We've eaten enough, let's head back." There were still some procedures he needed to finalize; Han Tao was rushing to meet a deadline.

Tao basically no longer did tutoring. Firstly, it offered no challenge, and secondly, he had other sources of income besides tutoring that met his living needs while allowing him to do work he was interested in. Han Tao would definitely choose the latter. Although many parents hoped Han Tao would come out of retirement and offered him hefty sums, he politely declined. He knew the higher the pay, the higher the demands, and the children in those families were no easy bunch. It wasn't that he couldn't find ways to improve their grades, but Han Tao felt the energy he'd have to invest would be far too great.

Wang Qiqi had originally planned to stroll around the area. It had been a long time since she'd walked with Han Tao in the center of the capital. A walk in the snow now and then would be quite nice, possessing a certain romantic air. Compared to walking in the rain, Wang Qiqi preferred the snow. But she hadn't expected Han Tao to be so eager to rush back. "What, is there a beauty waiting for you at home?" Really, this was too much. He had promised to accompany her shopping and to buy his mother a new dress as a New Year's gift, along with some jewelry—an apology gift for not being able to accompany Auntie Luo for the New Year. But now he wanted to leave. Wang Qiqi worried that the task of buying the clothes and jewelry would fall to her again, and Han Tao would simply say, "Go buy the things, Qiqi, and I'll give you the money."

Han Tao hummed in response. "Yeah, someone is waiting for me, but sadly, it's not a beauty. It's a handsome guy." He paused. "And a blond, handsome guy."

"Tch." Wang Qiqi instantly knew who Han Tao was talking about. "Fine, let's go back. It's cold anyway. If I weren't accompanying you, I wouldn't even want to eat dinner out." Wang Qiqi haughtily picked up her bag and walked toward the exit. Hmph, as if she genuinely wanted to come out shopping with him. As for paying and carrying the bags, that was Han Tao's business. Wang Qiqi didn't even wait for him and marched out.

Han Tao gave a wry smile as he paid the bill at the front desk. He saw Wang Qiqi waiting for him at the street corner and hurried a few steps towards her. "Take a cab back?" Han Tao noticed Wang Qiqi seemed to be trembling from the cold, so he quickly pulled her into a hug, using one hand to check her forehead. Only when he felt no fever did he breathe a sigh of relief.

A taxi is too expensive, Wang Qiqi thought. Better save the money. Even if this boy had money, it probably wasn't that much, especially since he was thinking of buying a house in the capital and needed funds for his trip to America. "Let's take the bus, then transfer to the subway." Wang Qiqi wouldn't admit that she didn't want to part with Han Tao so quickly. Just sitting next to him made her heart feel calm, very calm—a sense of security.

Han Tao looked at Wang Qiqi’s rare pleading eyes and sighed inwardly. He really wanted to know how Li Xiangdong discussed things with Wang Qiqi. It couldn't just be about the path Qiqi was meant to take in the future. Qiqi was a strong girl; even when Uncle Wang and the others passed away suddenly, Wang Qiqi acted strong beyond her years. And now Qiqi was actually... Han Tao hummed, slipped his arm around Wang Qiqi's shoulder, and walked towards the bus stop.

The two of them carried their packed food, taking the bus, then the subway, and then another bus. The buses ran less frequently late at night. Every time an empty taxi drove past the stop, neither of them waved to hail a ride, preferring to lean against each other for warmth, talking about each other's past foolish moments and their plans for the future.

When Han Tao walked Wang Qiqi to her doorstep, she pulled out her key and opened the main door. Han Tao should have been leaving, but he suddenly wrapped his arms around her from behind. "No matter what happens between us in the future, whether we are poor or rich, Qiqi, we will definitely be together, right? We'll have two children—a girl as pretty and cute as you, and a boy as smart as me. The boy will be the older brother and protect his little sister."

Wang Qiqi fought to control her emotions, pressing her lips together. She desperately wanted to say something, but she was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she would start crying. She could only repeatedly hum in agreement with Han Tao's wishes.