Shi Man felt as if her legs were filled with lead; she truly couldn't walk another step. She leaned against a tree again. "Qiqi, Qiqi, how much further do we have?" Good heavens, the distance Qiqi claimed was short always seemed endless. Every time she asked, Qiqi would say they were almost there, over and over, without realizing how many times she'd already said it. This time, Shi Man resolved not to be tricked by Wang Qiqi again. She struck a pose, determined to stay put, refusing to move no matter how close they were—did Qiqi think she was still a child to be easily fooled? Hmph.

Wang Qiqi looked at Shi Man, who was clinging to the tree like a petulant child refusing to budge. She sighed. She admitted she had intended to tease Shi Man a bit, retaliating for Shi Man’s sudden dramatic entrance. However, seeing Shi Man so drenched in sweat and completely lacking in poise, she realized she might have gone a little too far. Fortunately, this time she hadn't lied; the lodging was truly just three steps to Shi Man’s right.

"We really are almost there this time," Wang Qiqi walked over to Shi Man and reiterated the statement, receiving only a cold snort in response. "Of course, I know we're close, Qiqi. Please, can you just vary your tone a little?"

Wang Qiqi pointed toward a house. "Manman, I promise I’m not kidding this time. The courtyard three steps in that direction is where we've rented."

Hearing this, Shi Man stopped arguing. She turned to look where Wang Qiqi pointed. The first thing she noticed was a large courtyard. She remembered that Feng Xuanxiang’s rental was a similar house, but it was shared, and their yard only had a bit of grass, nothing as beautifully decorated as this—complete with a swing chair and flowers and trees. "Oh my god, Qiqi, this place is gorgeous!" The garden setup was particularly elaborate and charming. "Wait, Qiqi. Didn't you say the landlords were away?" Could Qiqi have been managing this? Shi Man never suspected Qiqi possessed such a hidden talent.

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected that Shi Man, who claimed to be utterly exhausted, would suddenly burst with energy upon hearing they had reached their destination. Judging by the way she was running and jumping, Wang Qiqi understood that the prior fatigue had been entirely put on. "I’ve been tending to it. How do you like it?" In truth, she had only done some watering and a bit of weeding; Wang Qiqi hadn't exerted herself much otherwise, worried about accidentally killing the landlord's carefully nurtured flowers and plants if she overdid it.

Shi Man examined the garden closely, straightening up. "I figure you’ve just been watering." To be honest, in Shi Man's estimation, Wang Qiqi was only capable of keeping a cactus alive; any high-maintenance flowering plant would certainly perish under her care.

Wang Qiqi smiled at Shi Man's assessment. "Didn't you say you were hot and thirsty? Let’s go up. We can come back down in the evening when the sun sets." After all that exertion, Wang Qiqi felt she had done enough exercise for the day—truly two or three times her usual amount.

Shi Man nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes!" She grabbed Wang Qiqi’s hand and dashed upstairs. Frankly, she had been intensely curious about the attic Qiqi always mentioned. Shi Man imagined an attic to be a dim, suffocating space, but Qiqi had described something entirely different.

"Wow." As Wang Qiqi opened the door, she stepped aside, inviting Shi Man to explore first. Upon seeing the attic Wang Qiqi was so pleased with, Shi Man too kept letting out gasps of wonder. "Qiqi, my god, your place is so much better than ours, and it’s not even expensive!"

It had a separate kitchen and bathroom. The best part was that the rent was cheaper than what Feng Xuanxiang was paying. Shi Man was incredibly jealous. "Right, didn't you say there was a terrace?" A private terrace, too!

Wang Qiqi offered an apologetic smile to Feng Xuanxiang, who was trailing in last. "Feng Xuanxiang, help yourself to a drink from the fridge." Then she led Shi Man toward the bedrooms. "The terrace is nice, though the access is a bit awkward; you have to go through the bedroom to get there." Even though the living room had windows facing the terrace, one certainly wouldn't use that as an entrance.

As Shi Man toured the rooms, the sounds of jealous amazement never stopped. "Oh, Qiqi, you get to sleep and wake up in such a wonderful environment every day. You are living the sweet life." Shi Man returned to the living room, bypassed the fridge, and immediately grabbed the bottled water Feng Xuanxiang was holding. "The best part is that it’s quite cool inside even without air conditioning." Think of the electricity bills saved over one summer!

"On windy days, if we keep the windows open, the room stays quite cool," Wang Qiqi had discovered this by chance one time. Previously, she would only open them briefly for air before turning on the AC. Now, while it was certainly warmer than when the AC was running, it lacked that stuffy, suffocating feeling.

Wang Qiqi walked toward the kitchen area, picked up the vegetables on the counter, and started getting busy. "If it gets too hot, we can turn on the AC."

Shi Man waved her hand dismissively. "We know how to take care of ourselves." Being at Qiqi's felt just like being at home; Shi Man felt no discomfort whatsoever and was definitely enjoying the luxury. But then she noticed one thing. "Qiqi, where are we sleeping tonight?" They couldn't possibly sleep in the living room; that felt... awkward.

"You and Feng Xuanxiang can take the bedroom; Han Tao and I will take the living room." Wang Qiqi had initially considered that she and Shi Man should take the bedroom, leaving the two men in the living room. But then she worried Shi Man might think she was a poor hostess for relegating guests to the living room. Thus, she proposed this arrangement.

Shi Man agreed with the suggestion, but she felt Qiqi and Han Tao should take the bedroom tonight to make up for Qiqi's earlier teasing. Feng Xuanxiang, however, felt awkward about it. "Han Tao and I can take the living room." How could they let the women sleep in the living room? Besides, they were unexpected guests. Feng Xuanxiang’s original thought was that since everyone was renting, space was likely tight, and they shouldn't cause too much trouble.

"It's fine, you are guests, be polite," Wang Qiqi thought. Since Shi Man had walked so much today, she must be exhausted. Based on past experience sharing a bed with that person, Shi Man’s sleeping posture tonight was bound to be messy. Given that, Wang Qiqi figured it was better to just cuddle up with Han Tao. "In a couple of days, you two men can sleep outside," she added. Actually, Wang Qiqi really wanted to ask Feng Xuanxiang how long they planned to stay, but asking on the very first day felt like she was trying to kick them out. If Feng Xuanxiang hadn't been present, Wang Qiqi would have definitely blurted it out; there was no need for politeness with 'that person.'

"Mmm, let the men take the living room. Qiqi, you must cook a lot of delicious food," Shi Man said, licking her lips. She often asked Wang Qiqi online about the wonderful things she cooked to replenish Han Tao after returning home. Even though she couldn't see pictures of Qiqi's cooking, just hearing the dish names made Shi Man’s mouth water.

Really treating her like a kitchen maid, Wang Qiqi felt annoyed. Her hands paused while washing vegetables. Wang Qiqi had actually planned to let Shi Man rest today since she was tired, and then start burdening her with chores starting tomorrow—hoping Shi Man would get fed up and leave voluntarily. But now, feeling Shi Man was too pampered, she reconsidered. "Manman, come help cook. You can't tell me you don't know how to cook at all, right? You know, if nothing unexpected happens, Han Tao and I will be settled here, but you and Feng Xuanxiang will probably be staying in Boston." After all, Boston is closer to the financial hub of New York, which is Feng Xuanxiang's future goal, and as his wife, Shi Man would naturally follow. "Feng Xuanxiang, am I right? You don't want to eat foreign fast food every day, do you?"

Feng Xuanxiang hadn't expected the crossfire to land on him. He genuinely thought Qiqi was right about the issue, but looking at his wife's pitiful expression beside him, he couldn't heartlessly agree. Avoiding the topic was also difficult; no matter if he spoke or stayed silent, someone would be offended, and siding with one over the other was also problematic. Feng Xuanxiang paused, then said, "Whether Manman knows how to cook or not, she is my wife. In my eyes, she is the best."

Wang Qiqi let out a sound of disdain upon hearing this completely predictable answer. "You’ve been in state-owned enterprises too long; even your words have a bureaucratic air. Since you say that, why should I insist? I can help cook a few meals, but when your stomachs start suffering later, I'll just listen." Wang Qiqi thought that after she’d said this much, 'that person' shouldn't be able to sit still.

Shi Man had considered before that she couldn't eat out constantly, or rely on the few dishes she knew how to make. It wasn't just Feng Xuanxiang who would get tired of it; Shi Man herself thought her so-called specialties were mediocre. She had thought about learning to cook properly, not just for Feng Xuanxiang, but at least to ensure she wouldn’t starve if she went abroad for studies. But she never expected Wang Qiqi to push her to learn so quickly. "Tch, isn't that just reverse psychology? It’s not like I can’t cook. There’s no reason you can cook and I can’t," Shi Man adopted an expression that suggested she wouldn't fall for Qiqi's goading. In truth, she was secretly chuckling. Hmph, this was better; if she got bored of cooking later, she could conveniently stop, claiming it was all part of the act to provoke Qiqi. "Qiqi, I’ll start learning from you today."

Shi Man’s declaration startled both Wang Qiqi and Han Tao, especially Wang Qiqi. She hadn't expected Shi Man to agree so readily. Shi Man had claimed before that she wanted to learn, but after mastering a few simple dishes, she never stepped into the kitchen again. Moreover, Qiqi had mentioned cooking lessons many times before, and now Shi Man was agreeing so placidly. Looking at the calm expression on her face, completely devoid of reluctance, Wang Qiqi was certain something was amiss. Could Shi Man be planning to tamper with the food while pretending to help cook? But Wang Qiqi dismissed the thought, figuring Shi Man wouldn't do something so foolish, especially since Wang Qiqi herself would be eating those dishes too.