Shi Man and Julina rushed to the agreed-upon location upon hearing that Han Tao had returned to the country. When they arrived, they realized the host, who was supposed to organize the gathering and pay the bill, hadn't shown up. Shi Man said sourly, "Hmph, someone who explicitly said they were already on their way hasn't even arrived. That's just excessive." I wonder where those two are flaunting their affection.

Julina had also gone to bed very late the previous day. If Wang Qiqi hadn't mentioned that everyone hadn't managed to gather much during the New Year, and that Han Tao was back, Julina wouldn't have bothered getting out of bed, preferring instead to continue her "date" with the mattress. "So tiring. If I had known they’d be like this, I'd have stayed asleep." Han Tao wasn't someone new to them; had a trip to America suddenly transformed him? It wasn't like he’d gone to Korea and come back looking much handsomer.

The two stood foolishly at the entrance of the mall, continuously grumbling. Finally, Shi Man huffed angrily, "Han Tao definitely didn't buy a train ticket to Jingcheng. Nana, you must not buy him a sleeper berth ticket." Hmph, let this brat be slow; I'll make him ride the hard seats all the way to Jingcheng. See if he dares to be late then, making us two great beauties wait for him in the wind.

Julina desperately wanted to roll her eyes, but having stood in the wind for so long, her face was already stiff. "Even if I wanted to buy a sleeper, I couldn't have. We snatched those train tickets." How could this kid forget his own words from back then? It was too much.

When Shi Man heard Julina say that, her mouth instantly broke into a wide, smug grin.

When Wang Qiqi and Han Tao strolled into the agreed meeting spot, they saw Shi Man and Julina standing at the mall entrance from a distance. Wang Qiqi found it quite unbelievable, and then immediately panicked, "Oh my god, Manman and Nana are going to be furious in a moment." Even though it was February, the wind still felt quite cold slapping their faces, yet these two fools weren't waiting inside the mall. Alas, is intelligence declining with age?

Seeing the two stamping their feet and holding their hands over their mouths to warm them, Han Tao found it intensely amusing. "If I took a picture of Manman doing that and sent it to Feng Xuanxiang, what do you think his reaction would be?"

Show it to Feng Xuanxiang? Wang Qiqi thought there would only be one outcome. "We’d be brutally killed, perhaps to the point of becoming mythical creatures trying to fill the East Sea." Someone certainly treated Manman well. If he knew that we knew Manman was waiting, and yet we were leisurely taking photos, that's an extra offense.

Shi Man happened to be facing the direction Wang Qiqi was approaching from. Seeing Wang Qiqi and Han Tao still walking hand-in-hand slowly as they neared the spot, she grumbled, "So childish. Are they acting like kindergarteners? Still holding hands."

Julina turned her head and saw the two smiling faces, along with the tightly clasped hands. "Weren't you just holding hands with someone when you made your grand entrance last time?" She was lecturing, yet just a while ago, after Mr. Feng successfully met the parents, his triumphant expression and actions were so over-the-top that Julina felt embarrassed to even tease him; he was just provoking us single folk.

Shi Man ignored Julina’s jab and shouted loudly toward Wang Qiqi, "Can you two hurry up? It's cold out here."

Wang Qiqi maintained her pace as she walked over. "I think you’ve gotten genuinely dull. If it’s cold outside, you wouldn't stand at the door waiting. The mall has heating inside." It was definitely warm enough to make one want to take off their coat.

Well, she hadn't managed to lecture Wang Qiqi; instead, she got called dull in return. "It’s different when you have a man backing you up. By the way, we're eating something delicious today, and we need to make the rich guy bleed!" Shi Man thought to herself that even if her sharp tongue couldn't win against Wang Qiqi, it was only a temporary advantage. The best way to make Wang Qiqi remember this day was to make her man pay dearly.

"I was prepared for that, but it doesn't matter. However sharp your knife is, we'll make someone else bleed when we get back," Wang Qiqi glanced at Shi Man, who was busy plotting how to make Han Tao spend big, and tossed out that line before greeting Julina, completely ignoring the pouting Shi Man standing nearby.

Wang Qiqi’s threat forced Shi Man to shelve her immediate plans. There was nothing she could do; her man was about to go abroad, and the funds required were substantial. Moreover, they weren't planning to sell the house; it was a potential foothold if they returned to visit or settle in the future. This left a rather significant financial gap. Shi Man knew that even if she offered to lend money to Feng Xuanxiang, he wouldn't accept it. Resignedly, Shi Man resolved to save money, regretting all those times she had needlessly spent money during past arguments with Feng Xuanxiang. "Then let’s just eat something simple."

The three eventually settled on a steakhouse. None of the four were particularly fond of Western fast food, and besides, there were too many noisy children inside. As for Chinese restaurants, Shi Man insisted on changing the cuisine; since they were out, they should try something different. "Han Tao, you must be sick of steak after being abroad, right?" Shi Man asked smugly after ordering and seeing the waiter leave. She figured after being in America for so long, Han Tao must be tired of steak. Moreover, steak wasn't cheap; one full set meal would certainly make Han Tao spend a fortune. More importantly, Wang Qiqi liked steak too. Shi Man was delighted by her own cleverness—ha! Saying she’d gotten dull was absolutely impossible. Han Tao smiled; how could he not see the smugness on Shi Man’s face? "It's alright. Although I was in the States, due to work, I actually didn't get to eat many steak dinners. I was rushing back, so I didn't have much time for shopping."

Shi Man had intended to corner Han Tao, but his reply caught her off guard, making her anxious. It didn't matter that she hadn't managed to purchase the proxy shopping items and earned a little less money, but the crucial thing was the designer bag she had specifically asked Han Tao to procure to flatter her mother. She planned to mail it back in March for her mother’s birthday, and Feng Xuanxiang was footing the bill, naturally, to ensure the elders in the family had an increasingly positive impression of him. "Work must have been quite busy. But don't worry, I took great care of your Qiqi. To keep her from feeling lonely or unhappy, I often dragged her out shopping..." To ensure she made a good impression, Shi Man touted her contributions profusely.

Immersed in her attempt to curry favor with Han Tao, Shi Man failed to notice the knowing, meaningful smiles exchanged between Han Tao and Wang Qiqi. Had she noticed, she never would have praised herself so extravagantly. It wasn't until they were saying goodbye later that afternoon that she heard Han Tao mention that the specific bag she requested had been bought. At that moment, Shi Man finally realized she had been made a fool of by Wang Qiqi and her conniving husband. Hmph, the old Han Tao wasn't like this; at least he wouldn't go along with Wang Qiqi's teasing to mess with her. People change too easily now, especially for the worse.

After seeing Wang Qiqi off, Han Tao checked the time and found it awkward. "Let's go look at children's wear." After finishing lunch, they found a place to sit and chat. Han Tao, who had drunk his fill of tea, really didn't want to sit in the tea house any longer. Although the atmosphere was nice, he worried that if he stayed put, he wouldn't be able to control his slight paunch. He distinctly remembered the flicker of disdain in Wang Qiqi's eyes when she saw his belly yesterday.

Wang Qiqi had been sitting on the sofa all afternoon and felt like her backside was about to get sore. While she often lounged on the sofa at home, at home she could be as comfortable as she liked, which was impossible in a public setting. But hearing Han Tao suggest shopping for children's clothes, she suddenly felt that even an uncomfortable sofa was far better than looking at children's wear, which she disliked the most. "You’re not planning to buy clothes for that kid, Taotao, are you?" Wang Qiqi thought that the only recipient Han Tao would consider for children's clothing was Tongtong.

Han Tao nodded. "I bought gifts for your sister and sister-in-law. There’s nothing for your brother-in-law and older brother. It’s fine if they don't get anything, but Taotao should get something, right?" Actually, he only remembered this after hearing Shi Man talk about how many things Feng Xuanxiang brought over earlier.

Wang Qiqi waved her hand dismissively. "Don't bother. I already gave Taotao a red envelope for the New Year. My sister is rich now and dresses him like a little girl; he has clothes by the set." She was clearly showing off. "And there's no need to be polite with my brother-in-law and the others either; since you gave gifts to the women, do you think they, as men, would shamelessly fight over them? Besides, you're the younger generation, the brother-in-law. If they don't give you a meeting gift, why should you be polite to them?" Tch, giving them gifts would be a waste. Furthermore, she had spent a long time listening to Wang Damei complain to her a while back about their domestic issues. Though she didn't know what Wang Damei and Song Yao discussed afterward, there hadn't been a single word since. Did she get no credit, not even for her hard work? Wang Qiqi complained inwardly, based on this reasoning, there would be no meeting gifts for anyone.

Wang Qiqi was close with Song Yao and the others, so saying that was fine for her. But Han Tao truly didn't want to do that. Although Song Yao and the others hadn't made any grand declarations about his marriage to Wang Qiqi, Han Tao still hoped to maintain good relations with them. "I wouldn't dare not build good relations with them. You said yourself that if I treat you badly, they would come after me to settle the score. Since that’s the case, I absolutely must establish a good rapport with them now so I won't be timid when I see them in the future, right?"

"Ah, so that’s your hidden motive?" Wang Qiqi became angry hearing Han Tao's words. "You little schemer, with thoughts like that, how can I let you buy gifts to suck up to my family? Otherwise, if you really bully me later, they won't help me," Wang Qiqi said, puffed up with indignation.

"How could I ever bully you?" Han Tao offered a fawning, servile smile, pouring out continuous flattery. This sight of Han Tao left the two people who had just walked in completely stunned.

. . . .(To be continued