Since the landlord had promised to continue renting the place to Han Tao over the winter break, and it would otherwise sit empty, Wang Qiqi didn't bother setting up a stall to sell off the kitchenware she'd purchased during those days. Instead, she thoroughly cleaned everything, packed it into plastic bags, and tucked it away in the cabinets. "I wonder if I'll be back next summer." For this place she'd called home for nearly two months, Wang Qiqi felt she had truly grown fond of it.

Han Tao finished putting everything away and walked out of the bedroom carrying his suitcase. Seeing Wang Qiqi standing wistfully on the balcony, he walked up, wrapped an arm around her, and kissed her cheek. "If you like it so much, come back during the winter break," he tempted, though he knew the possibility was slim.

Come back for winter break? Wang Qiqi shook her head. "Forget it, let's not. The round-trip tickets are too expensive." Besides, once she started studying abroad, the chances of her returning home for the break wouldn't be that high anyway. After all, she couldn't leave Han Tao all alone in the US for the New Year. "And I can't leave Auntie alone in China for the New Year either." She also wanted to spend time with her parents. Although as her path moved further and further away, the time she spent in China might become limited, perhaps even missing future New Years with her parents, she wanted to cherish these next couple of years while she could still be with them.

Han Tao thought about the return tickets and sighed. He almost wanted to say that while the tickets were a bit pricey, the cost wasn't entirely unacceptable. But Qiqi had her own considerations, like her in-laws. Even now, every year during the Qingming Festival, Qiqi insisted on returning for tomb sweeping. "It's fine, coming in the summer is the same," he murmured, thinking that Qiqi returning for the Lunar New Year was also a chance to spend time with her mother. "The New Year is better spent in China. Even if the festive atmosphere isn't as strong, at least family is present."

Wang Qiqi bid farewell to the landlord couple once more, taking the opportunity to give them some Chinese pastries she had made herself. She left the place she had stayed in for so long, taking three backward glances at every step. "Han Tao, in the future, we'll buy a house just like this one, and our bedroom will be in the attic." Wang Qiqi's affection for attics had grown immensely during this time. Sitting in the taxi, she watched the house recede further behind them. "And I want a swing set in the yard..." Wang Qiqi was likely talking so much about her vision for their new home to mask her sadness.

Han Tao nodded in agreement beside her. Wang Qiqi knew he was just comforting her. She never truly believed Han Tao wouldn't decorate their future home exactly as she wished; it wasn't that he couldn't. It was that Wang Qiqi considered herself quite changeable; what seemed like the perfect plan now might be replaced by something better in a few days, making her think that's how it should have been done.

Han Tao diligently took note of everything Wang Qiqi said. He planned to write down all her demands for the new house later. These were Qiqi's specifications, not that Han Tao didn't take them seriously, but rather because Qiqi frequently changed her mind. He hoped that by cataloging her evolving preferences, he could eventually create the home she truly desired.

"Oh, and Daly Jun emailed me saying he thinks our current living situation is good, and the rent isn't much more expensive. So, he suggested we keep renting," Han Tao mentioned. He had initially planned to rent a smaller place, maybe a one-bedroom apartment, so he and Qiqi could live together. But Daly Jun’s logic was sound; if any issues arose, living together meant they could tackle problems face-to-face immediately. Plus, having separate rooms meant that if Qiqi or Daizi’s girlfriend stayed over, there would be no awkwardness or interruption.

Wang Qiqi understood Han Tao's perspective and agreed that living near Han Tao was appealing. The real issue was figuring out how to tell the others, like Juliet, that she wanted to move out and cohabitate with Han Tao. "That sounds fine too. After all, we're used to it, and there's no need for the hassle of moving again."

Han Tao let out a breath of relief at Qiqi's answer. This was easier, as he felt quite awkward about the alternative. Still, he felt a tiny bit slighted. "Qiqi, don't you want to live with me?" In Han Tao's mind, after she learned of his plan, Qiqi should have put up a bit of a fuss. Her calm reply felt surprisingly disheartening.

Wang Qiqi rolled her eyes at him. "So fake." Hmph, clearly this person just wanted the convenience of discussing problems easily and had already decided to live with Daizi. "Alright, alright, I’ll come over and stay the night sometimes." She conceded that this arrangement was probably better than her scenario. In Wang Qiqi’s view, staying under the same roof as a male friend felt inherently strange, even if she liked Daizi. "Besides, if you want to see me, you can come stay at my place."

Han Tao inwardly shuddered at the thought of staying at Qiqi's place. He could already imagine how strange Shi Man would look at him for days afterward. Even though sleeping with Qiqi was perfectly normal in his mind, for some reason, the idea felt unsettling. "It's better if I come over. I plan to have Daizi and me take rooms on opposite ends, leaving the middle one empty," he suggested, creating a sort of buffer zone.

Wang Qiqi sighed inwardly. Men really had this inherent trait, didn't they? Could she go there, but he couldn't come to her place? Still, if Han Tao arranged the rooms as he described, it would indeed be much better than staying at her place. But Wang Qiqi felt this certain someone's thinking was flawed and resolved to correct his perspective later. "I wonder if Feng Xuanxiang will drive Shi Man to LAX." Manman could have bought a direct flight to Beijing from New York, but the girl complained she would be lonely and isolated flying such a long distance alone. That’s why she insisted on returning with Qiqi and the others. Regarding this excuse, Wang Qiqi truly wanted to say, Girl, even if we fly on the same plane, how much can we talk? Once we're on board, it’s all reading or sleeping, and mostly sleeping. Wang Qiqi suspected Shi Man mostly wanted Han Tao around as free labor so she wouldn't have to worry about logistics.

"He won't," Han Tao stated with certainty. "She mailed most of her luggage back. She only has two or three suitcases with her; she can handle it herself." Han Tao had spoken with Feng Xuanxiang earlier and knew his plans. "Also, I authorized Feng Xuanxiang to manage our stocks while we're not in the US..."

Wang Qiqi let out a soft sound. Truthfully, she already knew about this even if Han Tao hadn't mentioned it. The market was doing so well; it would be a shame not to keep trading stocks. But then Wang Qiqi suddenly remembered something: the 9/11 incident next year. That event would be a huge trauma for the overly arrogant United States. What worried Wang Qiqi now was how to pull the money out of the booming stock market. As for those ideas written in reincarnation novels about shorting index futures before 9/11—no thanks. Wang Qiqi had absolutely no intention of doing that. Trading like that before 9/11 would just make them look like easy marks handing out free money. But once 9/11 happened, intelligence agencies would sniff around like hounds. That would lead to endless trouble. If she ended up not even being able to spend the money but instead getting blacklisted from entering the US, that would be the greatest loss.

Han Tao noticed Wang Qiqi hadn't responded at all. He turned to look at her and saw her brow furrowed. "You don't want Feng Xuanxiang to keep trading?" That couldn't be right. Qiqi seemed quite satisfied with Feng Xuanxiang, and besides, he had made Han Tao a good amount of money lately. Given Qiqi's personality, she shouldn't object to continuing.

Wang Qiqi pushed Han Tao slightly and snapped back to attention. "What? What are you saying?" she asked, looking at Han Tao, completely bewildered.

Han Tao had no choice but to repeat his question, sounding helpless. "If you're not willing to..."

"Why wouldn't we let Feng Xuanxiang keep trading?" Wang Qiqi thought. They still had a year; why stop making money? Only a fool would pass up profit. "I was just thinking that with the market doing so well, I wonder if it will suddenly crash." Wang Qiqi took Han Tao's hand, fiddling with his fingers as she spoke casually.

Crash? Han Tao honestly didn't quite grasp Wang Qiqi's thought process. What he did know was, "The economy is developing so well right now; unless something huge happens, the stock market won't drop." Domestically, perhaps, the Chinese stock market might slow down after such a long period of high-speed growth—the rocket booster seemed to have reduced its velocity, and the market appeared to be entering a stable or even an ice age phase, with stock prices consistently falling. While there were upticks, it was far harder than before, when nearly anyone who bought a stock—unless incredibly unlucky—would make a profit. Feng Xuanxiang’s take was that the recent surge was due to artificial hype rather than actual performance. The US stock market, however, should be much healthier and less prone to such manipulation.

Wang Qiqi smiled. If you weren't someone who had been reborn, how could you know this? If she told anyone now that terrorists would hijack planes into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, she’d likely be sent straight to a mental institution. "Right? I hope the market stays great so we can earn more." Wang Qiqi suddenly remembered they had a driver in the car. Thankfully, she had been speaking Chinese, otherwise she worried that after 9/11, if some department started investigating, they might come looking for her. "Just about twenty more hours, and we'll finally be in Beijing. I miss everything about Beijing." Even if the air quality wasn't the best and the water quality wasn't great, Wang Qiqi deeply felt the food in Beijing was superior, and more importantly, cheaper. As a disincarnated commoner, Wang Qiqi had developed the habit of converting prices to RMB while shopping in the US, which caused her heart constant pain. However, she admitted some things were better imported, like cosmetics. It was the food ingredients needed for Chinese cooking that tended to be expensive abroad. (To be continued)