Having received the answer she sought, Li Qian stood up, settled the bill, and departed. She was anxious; if she didn't return quickly to confer with her foolish husband on how to handle the situation, Wang Qiqi might outright ignore their future requests. Although her translation agency had grown considerably, it lacked the leverage to unilaterally blacklist Wang Qiqi.

As Li Qian prepared to leave, Wang Qiqi felt obligated to offer a token gesture of seeing her out. Yet, as she settled back down to eat, her eyes narrowed momentarily, though she quickly resumed her meal. Madam Li had ordered so much, and it would be a waste if she didn't finish it. Besides, since those people were lurking nearby, perhaps they hadn't wanted to be discovered. In that case, she might as well fill her stomach.

While Wang Qiqi sat down to eat, Shi Man was utterly terrified. After seeing Li Qian rise to leave, she had cautiously peeked over, catching sight of Wang Qiqi glancing in their direction. Though Shi Man believed she had immediately lowered her head, she couldn't be certain Qiqi hadn't noticed her.

"Eat up. Qiqi definitely saw you," Han Tao said, though he hadn't looked over. Judging by Shi Man's recent panic, Han Tao was certain that even if Qiqi hadn't noticed at first, Shi Man’s flustered reaction would have certainly drawn her attention. "If you hadn't flinched, Qiqi might not have noticed. Too bad..."

Shi Man knew her immediate reaction was wrong. If she hadn't moved, the odds of Qiqi spotting her were low, but the issue was, "If it were you, you would have flinched too." That's the instant reaction anyone has when put on the spot.

Han Tao shook his head. "No, I would have greeted Qiqi. Alright, eat quickly." Han Tao beckoned the nearest waiter to settle the bill.

"I'm here. Are you full?" Wang Qiqi glanced at the two people seated beside her without even lifting her head. "Li Qian barely touched her food; most of it was eaten by me."

Shi Man patted her stomach and picked up a set of unopened chopsticks nearby. "If I had known there was this much delicious food over here, I should have come sooner."

Han Tao watched as Shi Man joined their table and started eating a second dinner without even asking about the serious matter. He was speechless. While Shi Man and Wang Qiqi were both foodies to some extent, wasn't the point of following Wang Qiqi to find out how the situation had been resolved? "How did the discussion go?"

"It was alright. I stated my current remuneration. Li Qian couldn't make the decision and had to report back to Li Xiangdong." Wang Qiqi figured Li Xiangdong would nearly spit blood when he heard their price, but she didn't think he would easily agree to raise her compensation; he would definitely play the 'master-apprentice' card.

"Li Xiangdong won't jump straight to that high a price. He'll try to play the gratitude card or something similar. In any case, stick to your bottom line, Qiqi. Sometimes being kind gets you bullied. Since you’ve already had a falling out with Li Xiangdong, there's no need to dwell on the past. You've already repaid what you owed." Han Tao noticed the hesitation in Wang Qiqi's expression. He knew she still felt indebted due to past kindness. This trait was good, but if exploited by someone malicious, it became a major problem for Qiqi, and Li Xiangdong had tapped into that. "If you lower the price to suit his wishes, he might not thank you for it. Look at the previous price you asked for—because you didn't comply with his wishes then, he still made a move against you. People’s hearts harden as they experience more in life."

"Mmm, I understand. I'll stick to this price. If Li Xiangdong wants my translation services, fine. If not, that's his decision." Wang Qiqi thought that the rate Ye Ruizhi offered wasn't low anyway. When she had free time, she could read more books. Ever since working under Li Xiangdong, the only books she read were related to her profession or translation; she hadn't touched geography, literature, or travelogues in ages. She mused that this break might be the perfect chance to catch up on books she found truly interesting.

"But how did you guys catch up to me?" Having dealt with that issue, Wang Qiqi didn't want to dwell on it; let Li Xiangdong worry. However, she was genuinely curious how Shi Man and the others had tracked her down, considering she had waited quite a while at the community gate before flagging down a taxi. Grabbing a ride at that hour was difficult; it couldn't be a sheer coincidence that they found a car right after leaving the complex, could it?

"Good karma," Shi Man said smugly. "Although only Li Qian came out today, we weren't reassured. What if Li Xiangdong was waiting nearby too, heard your conversation, and threw a tantrum? In any case, what needed to be said has been said, what needed to be eaten has been eaten. Let's head back; I have a mountain of books waiting for me."

Good karma? Wang Qiqi was momentarily silenced by Shi Man's reply. That statement instantly neutralized all her lingering questions. What choice did she have? If others had good karma, they could hail a cab quickly and, even in heavy traffic, maintain the karma to avoid losing track of her.

Li Xiangdong was stunned after hearing Li Qian's report. He couldn't believe it. "Are you sure you heard correctly, or is Wang Qiqi just making up prices?" This price meant no profit at all; the margin was razor-thin. Li Xiangdong, accustomed to a fifty-fifty split, suddenly realized his primary source of profit was starting to push back. How could he not be anxious? "Hmph. Who would quote a price like that? No idiot would play the philanthropist."

Li Qian recalled the expression on Wang Qiqi’s face when she quoted the rate. After a moment of thought, she shook her head. "I don't think Qiqi was bluffing. She stated that number very calmly. Moreover, even if she were guessing, it shows she understands the current market rate—at least a price acceptable to both sides." However, it seemed her husband was not pleased with Wang Qiqi's quoted figure. "So, what is your decision?"

Li Xiangdong was indeed frustrated. He had to admit that Wang Qiqi's dedicated focus in her field had significantly improved her professional skill. For recent assignments, the translations Li Xiangdong assigned elsewhere, while decent, never achieved the same impact as Wang Qiqi's. Furthermore, he had to spend considerable time cross-checking those drafts, and the cost was higher than Qiqi's fee. Li Xiangdong wouldn't admit regret, but suddenly increasing the compensation so much was something he disliked. "The price I offer will be the midpoint between her quoted price and the old rate. Jumping up so much now means how will I make money if I need to raise prices again later?"

The middle ground? Li Qian had expected he might only press her price down by about ten percent, and even that ten percent would be expected to be conceded out of respect for their past relationship. She hadn't anticipated Li Xiangdong would be so aggressive, slashing the figure so deeply. "That price might not be good..."

"What's wrong with it? She sets a high starting price; it's only natural for us to counter-offer," Li Xiangdong declared, waving his hand at Li Qian. "I don't believe anyone else will offer that price. The rate I'm proposing now—I expect someone will offer something similar to Wang Qiqi. We had a good working relationship before; I imagine she'll agree to this price and continue."

Li Qian watched Li Xiangdong settle the matter so decisively; what else could she say? However, she did believe Li Xiangdong's final statement. How many translation agency owners were truly benevolent? Kind people didn't last long in the business world. Wasn't the goal of company development to strive for greater profit? "I will tell Qiqi."

Wang Qiqi's pager went off in her bag, and she retrieved it. After reading the message, she let out a cold snort, followed by a sneer. She hadn't expected Li Xiangdong's response to be so swift, though the result was certainly not favorable. After putting the pager back in her bag, Wang Qiqi leaned back in her seat and remained silent.

Han Tao, sitting in the passenger seat, noticed Wang Qiqi look at the pager and then fall silent, her expression turning sour. Could the message displayed have been bad news? "Whose message?"

Wang Qiqi leaned against the seat, silent for a long time. Shi Man, sitting next to her, thought Qiqi had dozed off, as she hadn't received a reply. Just as she was about to reach for Wang Qiqi’s pager, "Li Qian left me a message. She stated the highest price Li Xiangdong is willing to offer," Wang Qiqi said, emphasizing the word 'highest price,' and then named an amount.

Han Tao and Shi Man paused when Wang Qiqi announced the figure. Shi Man quickly calculated in her head. "It's the midpoint price." That level of counter-offering was quite skillful. "It's not far off the opening bids from the other agencies." She admitted that if Qiqi hadn't found the agency with the absolute highest offer, Wang Qiqi might have genuinely accepted Li Xiangdong's price and continued the collaboration.

Wang Qiqi gave a noncommittal hum. "He's always been very aware of the outside market; he just treats us like fools. Forget it. Since he shows so little sincerity, there's no need for us to continue working together. I won't accept any more assignments he sends after this."

When Wang Qiqi returned home, she had no impulse to call Li Qian or Li Xiangdong. She knew that even though Li Qian called it the final offer, there might still be room for negotiation, but Wang Qiqi was unwilling to endlessly haggle over such a small increase. Since they claimed it was their highest price, she would treat it as such. Wang Qiqi felt she had been perfectly honest.

In the following days, Wang Qiqi spent her time either attending classes or visiting the library to read books that interested her. Moreover, as her collaborations with Ye Ruizhi increased, she noticed the volume of work he sent her also grew. She wondered if it was because he didn't perceive her as a spy or perhaps he had learned through some channel that she had fallen out with Li Xiangdong. Regardless, having steady work was a good thing. Immersed in her own world, Wang Qiqi paid little attention to the increasingly strange atmosphere in her class, and Duan Xiaomin, assuming Wang Qiqi had her own sources of information, didn't update her on subsequent developments.