Han Tao entered the room expecting to find Wang Qiqi furious, but instead found her calmly packing. "Earlier, that blockhead..."

"I know he didn't mean it, but he was right. I need to keep a close eye on you," Wang Qiqi said while packing. "Feng Xuanxiang is coming over soon too. Don't mention that you were planning to go earlier."

Seeing that Wang Qiqi wasn't worried at all, Han Tao turned to leave and continue his work, hurrying to finish the remaining tasks so they could enjoy themselves later. "Got it. Hey, is that place far?" he asked. "Is it getting a bit late to head over now?"

"Just take a cab. Feng Xuanxiang should arrive around four. Hurry up and finish your work," Wang Qiqi replied. She recalled Shi Man mentioning the reservation was quite far; she wasn't sure if they could make it by five. "Are you hungry? Want me to quickly cook some noodles to tide you over?"

Dai Lijun waited in the living room for a long time without hearing any shouting. He wondered if the situation had escalated worse than he thought—a barking dog seldom bites. He walked to the bedroom door, about to offer an explanation, when he heard Wang Qiqi ask about making noodles. He rubbed his stomach. Well, even if he wasn't starving, how could one refuse a hot meal when it was offered? "That would be great, Qiqi, thank you. Cook a portion for me too, while you're at it."

Wang Qiqi finished packing the clothes and other items she needed to take, putting everything, including her own things, into a rolling suitcase. Hearing someone accept her offer so readily, she huffed, "If you want to eat, cook it yourself! Humph. You bully me so much, and now you expect a meal? Don't count on it."

Although Wang Qiqi verbally refused to cook for Dai Lijun, she still got up and headed to the kitchen. "Call Manman and ask if she wants anything." She and Han Tao were eating, so she couldn't leave Shi Man out. As for Comrade Feng Xuanxiang, sorry, if you weren't present, don't expect an invitation.

Han Tao, caught between laughter and tears, walked to the kitchen doorway. "Manman said to cook an extra serving. It seems Feng Xuanxiang solved his issue and is arriving soon."

Wang Qiqi let out a long sigh. "It's really not easy to take a trip; now I have to cook as well."

The car sped out of the city. The scenery grew progressively better; at least the air felt cleaner than in the city, and traffic thinned out. "The suburbs are much better. We should come out more often when we have the chance."

"Okay, I promise to make time to accompany you in the future," Han Tao said, feeling a touch guilty. Wang Qiqi had always mentioned wanting to explore places near the capital during her university weekends, but now they were nearly done with sophomore year, and she hadn't visited many nearby scenic spots. Either Han Tao was busy with work, or Wang Qiqi was swamped taking orders to earn money, or when everyone was finally free, the weather was bad. Occasionally, Shi Man would accompany Qiqi on short excursions, but Qiqi mostly stuck to the immediate vicinity of the capital. Even though Qiqi always claimed it didn't matter, Han Tao felt a pang of sadness watching her press against the window, greedily staring at the passing landscape. Qiqi truly was a girl with modest desires, yet he hadn't even managed to fulfill this simple wish—even that blockhead took his girlfriend out occasionally.

Hearing Han Tao say that, Wang Qiqi turned to him, pleasantly surprised. "Really?" To go to a far-off place, Wang Qiqi hoped to have company. While Shi Man would go with her, Manman preferred shopping over wandering ancient towns; to her, that felt like destitution. Traveling required like-minded friends. Though Wang Qiqi constantly tried to change Manman's perspective, the effect was minimal.

Han Tao nodded firmly at Wang Qiqi. "Mmm. In the latter half of the year, I'll go with you to see the autumn leaves turn red." There was a small town past the capital with beautiful scenery that Wang Qiqi had long wanted to visit, but its remote location had kept her from going. Han Tao hoped that in the autumn of their junior year, Qiqi wouldn't have another regret.

"Okay." Even if Han Tao might not actually have the time to accompany her out, the sentiment was enough.

As the car drew closer to the resort, Wang Qiqi noticed the air improving noticeably, even catching a faint, sweet floral scent. "Spring is truly lovely. The air feels sweet." Air with a floral scent was, in Wang Qiqi's opinion, the finest air. "I must buy a house with a large courtyard in the future, and I'll plant lots of flowers in it."

Shi Man, sitting in the front, heard Wang Qiqi's remark and burst out laughing unabashedly. "By the time you get that house, you'll probably complain about the mosquitoes and make a huge fuss about how unbearable they are."

Wang Qiqi shot persistent, cold glares at the other girl for her brutally honest and mood-killing comment; she clearly lacked any sense of romance. "The view is nice. Are we staying by the lake?" Wang Qiqi looked at the emerging buildings and the lake beside them. If it were summer, they could go for a swim, though with her mediocre swimming skills, she'd likely just stay in the shallows washing her feet.

"I think so. I haven't actually been here before," Shi Man replied uncertainly, having initially been boastful to Wang Qiqi about how beautiful the scenery and delicious the food were.

Wang Qiqi watched Shi Man shrink back, her voice dropping. She turned to look out the window. Of course, this girl had never been here. If she had visited such a beautiful place, she would have shared it with Qiqi long ago.

Shi Man pinched her nose and fell silent, but her expression of grievance was fixed firmly on Feng Xuanxiang, who was driving. If he hadn't suddenly claimed he had to work overtime and couldn't come for the fun, would she have needed to say so much just to coax Qiqi into coming out? Feng Xuanxiang saw his girlfriend's mournful gaze and felt unfairly burdened. He truly couldn't have made it today, but he quickly prepared his documents, found someone to cover for him, managed everything, and borrowed a car to rush over. He hadn't expected this reception. "Um, I'm really sorry. It's all my fault. Earlier, to convince Manman to come out with me, I oversold how much fun it would be here." As a qualified boyfriend, Feng Xuanxiang couldn't let his girlfriend remain unhappy, so he stepped up to take the blame.

Han Tao immediately recognized this as an excuse. Would Shi Man need so many justifications just to go out and have fun? She was studying economics, yet she acted like a liberal arts major; Han Tao felt like his science-minded brain couldn't keep up.

Wang Qiqi covered her mouth, stifling laughter. Poor Feng Xuanxiang, shouldering this black pot just to please his girlfriend. Manman was lucky to have snagged such an outstanding man.

As Wang Qiqi got out of the car, she linked arms with Han Tao. "Let's go for a walk after dinner."

"Good," Han Tao said, easily taking the rolling suitcase and heading toward the restaurant. Behind them, Shi Man, laden with bags, stopped short. It was too much; he hadn't reminded her to use a suitcase. Earlier, Qiqi had a shoulder bag and a backpack, but now she only had a purse and a suitcase, looking visibly lighter than Shi Man.

"Let me take some," Feng Xuanxiang said, looking somewhat troubled by the four or five bags: a laptop bag, two bags for changes of clothes, and Manman had insisted on carrying a handbag and a plastic bag filled with snacks.

After the four of them had a farmhouse-style meal, they each went their own way. Shi Man cozied up to her man and headed back to the room to rest. Wang Qiqi and Han Tao exited the restaurant and immediately turned onto a tree-lined path. Though it was getting dark, the streetlights illuminated several couples and families of three strolling, and young lovers sitting on lakeside benches, leaning into each other and whispering intimate words.

"Should we find a spot to sit too?" Han Tao looked around but couldn't spot any empty benches. There were spots available if they didn't mind sharing with strangers, but Han Tao hesitated; those other couples might not welcome an intrusion.

Wang Qiqi shook her head. "No need. We sit during classes, and we sit at home. You too, you're getting a little paunch." Although Wang Qiqi didn't particularly favor muscular men or expect her partner to have a six-pack, a paunch was something she absolutely could not accept. However, before criticizing him, Wang Qiqi knew she needed to start exercising herself. While showering a few days ago, Wang Qiqi had realized with a jolt that she seemed to have developed a little tummy too.

A little tummy? Han Tao touched his stomach. "It looks flat to me."

"Exhale," Wang Qiqi instructed. Seeing his stomach visibly shrink after he stopped sucking in, she knew he was cheating. "It's normal to gain a little, but you need to be careful, or it will grow faster." Once a paunch sets in, getting rid of it isn't simple.

"You seem to have one too," Han Tao noted, glancing at Wang Qiqi's own stomach as she spoke, wondering if this girl also had one now.

Wang Qiqi nodded. "I do, which is why I insisted we go for a walk after dinner. I’ve already planned it: after eating, we'll walk for an hour. And when we get back, we’ll have dinner together, and then we’ll walk for an hour. No matter how urgent the task, walking will be more important."

What Wang Qiqi didn't tell Han Tao was that lately her shoulders had been constantly aching, and her head often felt dizzy. She’d secretly visited the hospital, and it turned out her guess was right: she had slight cervical spine issues. This worried her sick; this condition wouldn't improve. She then thought of Han Tao, always hunched over his computer, and felt she absolutely had to get him to start exercising with her. They couldn't trade health for money, could they?

Han Tao was momentarily stunned by Wang Qiqi. It was just a little paunch; why was she taking it so seriously? Still, her proposal wasn't bad—at least it meant they'd have dinner together every day. As for the walking she mentioned, Han Tao mentally noted that if a task was heavy and urgent, that could certainly be postponed. But he welcomed the daily dinner part. His main concern was how to eliminate the numerous "lightbulbs" (third wheels) in their home. Han Tao deeply felt that they absolutely had to move out in September and live together, just the two of them, so they wouldn't have to worry about making noise when they wanted to do something. (To be continued)