Han Tao nodded. "Yes, that's right." Although Daizi hadn't explained the specifics, Han Tao could deduce some of the situation himself.

Wang Qiqi pondered for a moment and realized. "It must be that Jiang Xin wants Fatty to speak on Cao Rui's behalf." Sigh, whether this girl Jiang Xin is truly naive or just pretending, one thing is clear: Comrade Cao Rui has brainwashed her quite effectively. In such a short time, she has become completely devoted to him. "Fatty has been getting a lot more attention lately. By the way, has Fatty met any suitable girls?"

Wang Qiqi recalled Gong Junyu mentioning taking Daizi to some sort of mixer event. They said that although the girls there weren't as beautiful as Jiang Xin, their overall qualities were decent. Fatty had even mentioned a few names, which finally calmed the agitated Shi Man down considerably. When she saw Jiang Xin now, she wouldn't just roll her eyes, but Wang Qiqi suspected Shi Man was currently looking forward to the moment Fatty shows up with a quality girl and seeing Jiang Xin's expression then.

Han Tao wasn't entirely sure about the details. "Lately, Fatty has been going out dressed quite sharply, and he comes back all smiles every time. If I press him for details, he just refuses to say anything, insisting 'nothing happened' when forced." Han Tao wondered if this was the price Daizi would pay to reveal why Jiang Xin had asked him out— "Does this mean he has finally let go of Jiang Xin completely?" Otherwise, the proud Daizi would never volunteer such information.

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Daizi to move on from his romantic entanglement so quickly. Various thoughts flooded her mind; she felt happy for Daizi, yet also slightly bewildered that someone who seemed so lifeless over a relationship not long ago had already adjusted his mindset. "I just don't know if he genuinely likes the new person, or if he's just looking for a replacement. If it's the latter, then that's truly unfair to the other person—it's despicable behavior that warrants criticism." A replacement? Han Tao was surprised that Qiqi, upon learning Daizi had a date, didn't react by questioning why he was dating without telling anyone, but instead immediately jumped to the idea of a substitute. "Haven't you considered anything else?" Han Tao stared at Wang Qiqi and asked.

Something else? Wang Qiqi found Han Tao's question genuinely odd. "What else should I be thinking of? Do you think I'm changing my mind too quickly? That I should be sadder for a bit longer?"

Han Tao was speechless. "Haven't you considered that Daizi has a girlfriend, and you two don't know about it?" That was the main point he wanted to ask! Why was Qiqi thinking about something else entirely? Wasn't it said that women place great importance on such matters? Why was Qiqi's reaction so different?

Wang Qiqi froze for a moment, tilting her head as she looked at Han Tao until he started to feel a bit awkward and shifted his position. Then, Wang Qiqi smiled terrifyingly. "Do you think I care too much about Daizi's affairs?" No way. While she and Daizi were close, wasn't it a bit much, a bit abnormal, for a girl with a boyfriend to constantly worry about another guy? "Besides, between the three of us, Shi Man and Daizi have the closest bond; she's the one who should be most excited."

As Wang Qiqi said this, she suddenly remembered something crucial. "Does Manman know?" After all, ever since they learned Daizi liked Jiang Xin, and Jiang Xin unceremoniously ditched Daizi for Cao Rui, Shi Man had been the most outwardly affected. If everyone hadn't clearly seen the nature of her and Daizi's bond, Wang Qiqi and Zhu Lina would truly have believed Shi Man was into Daizi. "You know, the longer this drags on, the angrier Shi Man will get. During this whole time, Manman has been trying to find a nice girl for Daizi. You’re saying...?" Shi Man had even actively tried to connect with classmates just to set up the poor Daizi. It was fortunate that Feng Xuanxiang, who was busy with company matters, only called daily or met her near his office for lunch; otherwise, if Feng Xuanxiang saw his own girlfriend showing such deep concern for a friend's man, even the most tolerant man would find it unsettling.

Han Tao shook his head. "Daizi said he won't tell you guys until the relationship is certain." Han Tao inwardly felt that if it really dragged on until then, Shi Man would likely erupt. She would undoubtedly have a long list of grievances and would criticize Daizi mercilessly. Thinking of this, Han Tao earnestly warned Wang Qiqi, "Don't mention this to Daizi. Just pretend you don't know."

Han Tao resolved to discuss this issue with Daizi immediately. He knew that if Shi Man got angry, she wouldn't argue; instead, she would become utterly cold, fixing anyone she looked at with icy stares. As long as he was in her line of sight, he wouldn't escape the ubiquitous icicles. But these were things Daizi should face. The key problem was that as someone in the know, he and Gong Junyu wouldn't fare any better; Shi Man would hold everyone collectively responsible.

Wang Qiqi watched her boyfriend's face pale slightly and secretly chuckled. "Are you that afraid of Manman?" Well, Wang Qiqi had experienced that chilling feeling of Shi Man looking at you coldly a few times, and she truly never wanted to feel it again. "Don't worry, I’ll act like I know nothing. But you know some things can't be delayed. Besides, even if that girl doesn't like Daizi and he gets dumped again, will Manman really mock him?" She truly couldn't fathom why Daizi was being so cautious. "And if he had told us about liking Jiang Xin back then, wouldn't we have spoken up for him to Jiang Xin?" Perhaps then there wouldn't have been any trouble from that interfering man.

"Even if you stepped in, Jiang Xin wouldn't have gone for Daizi. It's really his image?" It wasn't that Han Tao wasn't fashionable himself, but Daizi was too unkempt. How could any girl be interested? "Are you done eating? Let's head back." He still had some procedures to finalize and needed to rush to submit the deliverables. Han Tao had largely stopped tutoring now. Firstly, it offered no challenge, and secondly, he had other sources of income besides tutoring that met his living needs while engaging in work he enjoyed. Han Tao would definitely choose the latter. Although many parents hoped Han Tao would come out of retirement, and the offers were quite high, Han Tao declined them all because he knew higher pay meant higher demands, and the children in those families were not easy cases. It wasn't that he lacked the ability to improve their grades; rather, Han Tao felt the energy he would need to invest would be significantly greater.

Wang Qiqi had originally planned to wander around nearby. It had been a while since she'd strolled through downtown Beijing with Han Tao. A walk in the snow occasionally felt quite romantic. Compared to walking in the rain, Wang Qiqi preferred the snow, but she hadn't expected Han Tao to be so eager to leave. "What, is there a beauty waiting for you at home?" Really, this was too much. He had promised to walk around with her earlier, and even mentioned buying a new outfit for his mother as a New Year's gift, along with some jewelry as an apology gift for not being able to accompany Aunt Luo for the New Year. Now he wanted to leave. Wang Qiqi worried that the shopping might end up being her task again, with Han Tao simply saying, "Qiqi, you go buy it; I'll give you the money."

Han Tao hummed in affirmation. "Yes, someone is waiting for me, but unfortunately, it's not a beauty; it's a very handsome guy." He paused. "And a blonde, very handsome guy at that."

"Hmph." Wang Qiqi instantly knew who he was referring to. "Fine, let's go back. It’s cold anyway. If I weren't accompanying you, I wouldn't even want to eat dinner out here." Wang Qiqi huffily picked up her bag and walked out. Humph, as if she actually wanted to accompany him shopping. As for paying the bill and handling the takeaway, that was Han Tao’s business. Wang Qiqi left without waiting for him.

Han Tao walked to the counter with a wry smile to pay, then saw Wang Qiqi waiting for him at the street corner. He quickly hurried a few steps toward her. "Taxi back?" Han Tao noticed Wang Qiqi seemed to be shivering slightly and immediately wrapped his arms around her, using one hand to check her forehead. Only after confirming her forehead wasn't warm did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Wang Qiqi thought about how expensive a taxi was and decided to save money. Even if this guy had money, it probably wasn't an enormous sum, especially since he was planning to buy a house in Beijing and had expenses for his trip to America. "Let's take the bus, then switch to the subway." Wang Qiqi wouldn't admit that she didn't want to part from Han Tao so quickly; just sitting next to him made her heart feel very quiet, a sense of profound peace.

Han Tao looked at Wang Qiqi's rare expression of entreaty and sighed internally. He really wanted to know how Li Xiangdong discussed matters with Wang Qiqi. It couldn't have just been about the path Qiqi would take in the future. Qiqi was such a strong girl; remember how resilient she was when Uncle Wang and the others suddenly passed away, acting far older than her years. Yet, here she was... Han Tao hummed in response, looped his arm around Wang Qiqi's shoulder, and walked toward the bus stop.

The two of them carried the packed food, taking a bus, then the subway, and then another bus. The evening bus schedule was less frequent. Whenever an empty taxi passed their stop, neither of them flagged it down, preferring to huddle together for warmth, talking about each other's silly past deeds and discussing the future.

When Han Tao brought Wang Qiqi to her doorstep, she used her key to unlock the door. Han Tao should have left then, but he embraced her from behind. "No matter what happens between us in the future, rich or poor, Qiqi, we will definitely be together, right? We should have two children—a daughter as beautiful and sweet as you, and a son as smart as me. The boy will be the older brother and protect his sister."

Wang Qiqi struggled to control her emotions, pressing her lips together. She desperately wanted to say something, but she feared that if she opened her mouth, she would start crying. She could only nod repeatedly to signal her agreement with Han Tao's vision.