As Wang Qiqi stood up, she habitually checked her email one last time and noticed an unexpected message from Li Qian, which struck her as odd. Li Qian almost never emailed her; she usually sent a page. This reminded Wang Qiqi that her pager had run out of battery yesterday, and she’d forgotten to recharge it.

After Wang Qiqi charged her pager, she found NN messages waiting. There were, of course, messages from Li Xiangdong, urging her to translate the document quickly. Wang Qiqi glanced at them, immediately deleted the whole thread, and pretended she’d never seen the request.

Li Qian had also paged her several times. The messages read: "Call her back." "Got time for lunch today?" "She only learned about Li Xiangdong’s recent behavior yesterday; otherwise, she wouldn't have let him do this." "Regarding Li Xiangdong’s matter, let’s all sit down and talk it over."

Wang Qiqi read Li Qian’s messages with a slight smile. In the past, she might have thought Li Qian treated her well and was genuinely unaware of these affairs. Li Xiangdong ran the translation agency, handling routine matters. But Wang Qiqi found it impossible that Li Qian, as his wife, had no clue about Li Xiangdong’s operating procedures. If she knew, why hadn't she offered a hint or two before?

Wang Qiqi admitted she was letting resentment guide her and strongly considered deleting the messages outright. However, thinking that Li Qian had generally been decent to her, Wang Qiqi paused, picked up the phone, and called her. After briefly arranging a place to meet that evening, Wang Qiqi hung up before Li Qian could say much more, simply stating she had to go to class.

After hanging up, Wang Qiqi sat on the sofa, staring at the phone, lost in thought. Then, she quickly rose, rushed back to her room, opened the email Li Xiangdong had sent, scanned it rapidly, checked the time—she still had a chance—and quickly translated the manuscript. Much of the content was boilerplate, something Wang Qiqi was practiced at, so she polished it quickly, proofread it slightly, and sent the email. She shut down her computer, grabbed her backpack, and prepared to leave for class.

When Li Qian received Wang Qiqi’s call, she had hoped to talk longer, perhaps gauge Wang Qiqi’s current feelings so she could plan how to approach the topic of Li Xiangdong that evening, followed by the discussion about compensation. But Wang Qiqi’s attitude left her completely uncertain about her next move.

Li Qian leaned back on the sofa, eyes closed, trying desperately to guess what Wang Qiqi was thinking. She felt utterly blind to Wang Qiqi’s mindset.

Li Xiangdong sat in his study, staring intently at his computer. When he refreshed his email again, he saw a new message that genuinely surprised him. "Qiqi actually emailed me?" Li Xiangdong worried it might be a business matter related to their partnership, so he hesitated before opening it, only to find the translated manuscript. Naturally, she offered no explanation for why the urgent document arrived so late. Li Xiangdong had initially planned to refuse the rush fee given the late submission, but recalling his conversation with Li Qian the day before, he sighed and decided to credit the job with the express rate anyway.

After reviewing Wang Qiqi’s submission and forwarding it to the client, Li Xiangdong walked lightly out of the room. He understood that Wang Qiqi’s sudden reply was likely prompted by her call to Li Qian just moments ago. Although he hadn't eavesdropped, he was certain Wang Qiqi had called. "Wife, you’re the best. Do you know? Qiqi just replied to my email."

Hearing Li Xiangdong's excited tone, Li Qian showed no corresponding joy, merely murmuring a soft "Mm." Her mind was consumed with why Wang Qiqi hadn't replied sooner, only doing so after receiving Li Qian’s call. What did that signify? Was she waiting for Li Qian to give her an answer? Li Qian felt she understood Wang Qiqi's intentions even less now.

Li Xiangdong noticed Li Qian's lack of elation. "Not happy?"

"Do you really think it’s good news just because Qiqi submitted the manuscript?" Li Qian thought Wang Qiqi might just be finishing the last bit of goodwill she owed them, implying future collaborations were off the table. "Haven't you heard of finishing what you start? Qiqi is just repaying that past favor." And this favor, Li Qian felt intensely awkward about it.

Li Xiangdong’s momentary happiness vanished, and he jumped up from the sofa, startled. "No way, don't scare me like that." Could it be that even after Li Qian intervened, things ended up like this?

"I wish I wasn’t scaring you," Li Qian replied, turning away from her husband. She stood up and went into their room. "I need to rest and think clearly about what to do tonight." Her mind was truly chaotic, leaving her unsure of any course of action.

Li Qian was deeply dissatisfied with her husband, Li Xiangdong, but she was also displeased with Wang Qiqi. Li Qian felt that if Wang Qiqi had any issues with Li Xiangdong’s conduct, she should have spoken up earlier. If she had, would things have escalated to this point? Li Qian knew that if Li Xiangdong hadn’t pushed things this far, Wang Qiqi wouldn't have been harboring this resentment, and the situation wouldn't have soured this way. "Also, for the dinner tonight, you are not going."

Li Xiangdong’s mouth dropped open. Why couldn’t he attend? He was a principal party involved. "I can't go?" He needed to discuss future collaboration terms and payment issues. Shouldn't the boss be the one to handle such negotiations?

"Do you think the compensation offered now is simply whatever you name your price?" Li Qian was currently worried that their competitors might not show Wang Qiqi much leniency, perhaps offering terms with little profit margin. While Wang Qiqi might offer a slight discount out of respect for future partnership possibilities or past favors, Li Qian realized the initiative was no longer in their hands.

Li Xiangdong was speechless. He watched Li Qian retreat into the bedroom. Moments later, Li Xiangdong exploded, sweeping everything off the coffee table onto the floor with a tremendous crash.

Li Qian, lying on the bed, heard the commotion from the living room, turned over, and tried to rest. Yesterday, worries and Li Xiangdong tossing and turning beside her had kept her awake. Now, while she had a brief window, she needed to restore herself to peak condition. Li Qian suspected she was heading into this negotiation at a disadvantage. Regardless, she felt she needed to convey to Wang Qiqi that her actions represented a loss to the company, though perhaps not a catastrophic one, and that when discussing future terms, rates couldn't be dictated arbitrarily.

Wang Qiqi, completely unaware of the turmoil she had caused Li Xiangdong and Li Qian, headed off to class with her backpack slung over her shoulder.

Entering the classroom, Wang Qiqi noticed that the room, which used to feel packed, was increasingly sparse. "Why isn't Bai Ge here today?" Wang Qiqi walked over and sat next to Duan Xiaomin. Although fewer people attended classes now, meaning one didn't need to rush for a seat even if late, the habit remained of people vying for the preferred six spots. Today, however, one seat remained conspicuously empty.

"Bai Ge isn't feeling well; she’s resting in the dorm," Duan Xiaomin said, waving Wang Qiqi inside. "Oh, by the way, did you know Gong Yiying is seeing someone outside?" Duan Xiaomin whispered the last part.

Wang Qiqi was not surprised by Duan Xiaomin's news. She actually found it surprising that someone had been secretly seeing someone for so long before being discovered. Unless, perhaps, Gong Yiying had intentionally let people see.

"Aren't you surprised?" Duan Xiaomin found it truly strange. She had seen it herself and was the first to tell Qiqi. It was odd that Qiqi showed no reaction, unless… unless… "You knew?"

Wang Qiqi nodded and quietly recounted what she had seen previously. "I don't know the specifics, but they seemed very odd together."

Duan Xiaomin was about to ask why Wang Qiqi hadn't shared such significant news with them earlier, but then she remembered that even if Qiqi had told them, they probably wouldn't have believed it, given the ambiguous relationship between Qiqi and Gong Yiying. "Right, I heard Deng Zhi has been trying to cozy up to your friend, Zhu Lina. You should warn your friend."

"We know about that. Thanks," Wang Qiqi replied. She had intended to chat a bit more with Duan Xiaomin, but when she saw the professor enter, she fell silent.

Although Wang Qiqi diligently took notes, appearing like a model student attentively listening, her mind wandered. The current situation was that Duan Xiaomin had discovered Gong Yiying’s affair, possibly by accident, just like last time. However, Wang Qiqi had a strong feeling that this secret wouldn't stay contained for long. (To be continued.)