Wang Qiqi made it a habit, after finishing her dinner, to loop her arm through her man's as they strolled around the complex. It was a ritual for digestion, a time for sweet whispers, and—most importantly—a chance to watch the miserable Dai Lijun run laps. Right beside him, cycling tirelessly, was someone constantly shouting, "Dummy, why are you stopping?" "Did you not eat enough for dinner?"

Wang Qiqi and Han Tao always felt an urge to laugh at that question. They knew Dai Lijun's nightly meal was a meager bowl of rice (a privilege he’d begged for after repeated requests, and which he forfeited entirely if he hadn't completed his assigned tasks the day before). As for side dishes, absolutely no meat—only vegetables, and more vegetables. Honestly, Wang Qiqi admired Dai Lijun; "If it were me, I’d rather get fat. With this little food, I couldn't tolerate it even if I never exercised." The power of love was truly immense.

Wang Qiqi’s comment left Han Tao, walking beside her, speechless. Heavens, he really wanted to strangle this woman. "It's fine if you get fat, but we can't?" That logic was completely excessive.

"That's because I’m a woman," Wang Qiqi dismissed with a wave, not caring in the least. "You know, some things just require a man to exert effort, so it doesn't matter if I gain a little weight. Besides, didn't you yourself say that skinny people are uncomfortable to touch?"

Han Tao now deeply felt that what the Dummy had said about his woman’s boundaries widening recently was absolutely correct. "Qiqi, you shouldn't let the Dummy hear what you just said, or he’ll lose all motivation to lose weight." Or perhaps, he’d feel the urge to strangle her instead.

Wang Qiqi certainly knew that. "Don't worry, I am mindful. Although I eat a lot, I actually exercise quite a bit too." It wasn't just about weight loss; Wang Qiqi felt that if she spent all day sitting in class or glued to her computer translating manuscripts at home, she was essentially a massive homebody. If she continued like this, her health wouldn't hold up.

When Dai Lijun once again passed the conspicuous couple, he shot them a venomous glare. Dai Lijun was filled with regret, deep and profound regret. Why had he been so mouthy that day to provoke this couple? And they were so petty! Worst of all, someone had actually let Lu Qiaowei confiscate his money, preventing him from even running a small smuggling operation on campus—truly, the most venomous hearts belonged to women. "Is this what you call exercise?" They had promised to exercise with me! Back then, Dai Lijun thought his brother was being considerate, but now he felt they were just there to mock him, which was far more hateful than Shi Man and the others.

Han Tao grunted and waved at him. "Two more laps! Finish strong. If you exceed the time limit, you forfeit your midnight snack." Hahaha. Even though the midnight snack was only a tiny portion for the Dummy, it was his most anticipated moment and his biggest reward before sleep, especially since it affected the next day's dinner allowance.

Dai Lijun immediately shut up and sped forward. The velocity he reached made Wang Qiqi gasp. "The Dummy is a bit chubby, but his agility is truly remarkable." So agile that you couldn't tell he was an almost 180-pound man. "It just proves that human potential is limitless."

Han Tao watched as Dai Lijun accelerated until the Dummy’s figure vanished completely from sight. He was stunned. Honestly, in all the years he’d known the Dummy, he’d never seen him move this fast. His mouth hung wide open, and after a long pause, he murmured, "Did my eyes deceive me? Can the power of food really be that strong?" Han Tao sincerely hoped that this dieting phase would stick. "I hope the Dummy can maintain this exercise routine."

"There should be results. He weighed himself yesterday, and apparently, he dropped about two jin [one kilogram]," Wang Qiqi admitted, surprised by the quick progress after only a few days of dieting. But to be frank, after staring at the fat man for a while, "Two jin distributed over his whole body doesn't make much of a visible difference. Maybe he needs to drop twenty jin all at once to really show." She remembered TOP losing forty jin in forty days, transforming from chubby to handsome. Wang Qiqi wondered what a handsome version of Dai Lijun would look like if he had TOP’s willpower.

Dropping twenty jin all at once? Han Tao’s face twitched. What kind of speed was that? "He’d probably have to exercise all day without eating to reach that goal," Han Tao thought that if the Dummy overheard their conversation today, he’d likely just feign death and stop talking about dieting altogether.

"It just means his motivation isn't strong enough," Wang Qiqi sighed. "Alright, let’s finish our walk and head back. I won't go over there today." She had no overtime work scheduled, so she planned to return to her own place. While sleeping nestled against her man was nice, the problem was he often stayed up incredibly late, frequently not getting to bed until the early hours of the morning, which was really affecting Wang Qiqi's sleep quality lately.

Han Tao moved his lips, wanting desperately to hold Wang Qiqi back. Even if she wouldn’t stay up late to accompany him, for Han Tao, seeing Wang Qiqi sleeping soundly in their bed after a tiring day gave him immense motivation. But he knew that even if he tried to be quiet getting into bed, he’d likely wake her. "Don’t chat with Shi Man and the others too late tonight. She’s always exchanging emails with Feng Xuanxiang; you don’t need to keep her company." The last time Wang Qiqi stayed at his place, just one night had left her looking completely worn out.

Wang Qiqi certainly understood that. "You should sleep early too."

Shi Man was curled up on the sofa, watching TV, occasionally refreshing her screen to check for new emails. Hearing the door open, Shi Man assumed Zhu Lina was back and, without turning her head, maintained her exact posture. "There’s food in the kitchen if you’re hungry."

"Nana isn't back yet?" After changing her shoes, Wang Qiqi slowly walked into the living room and plopped down onto a seat. She took in the messy coffee table littered with several empty drink bottles and numerous snack wrappers. Wang Qiqi shook her head, retrieved the nearby trash can, and swept all the empty packaging inside. "The trash can is right there, Miss. Can you toss things in after you finish them?"

Wang Qiqi felt that life on the other side was much more pampered; Lu Qiaowei handled most of the chores. But here, Wang Qiqi had to worry about most of the cleaning. She couldn't figure out how someone’s behavior could change so much after Feng Xuanxiang went to the States. She wasn't inherently a slob, so why was the house always left in such a state? Even though it was cleaned daily, it still felt uncomfortable to look at.

"I'll clean up after I eat," Shi Man replied. She hadn't expected Wang Qiqi to return today and was quite startled. Ever since that day when she ate something and didn't clean up, she suddenly felt there was no point in cleaning every day; it was tiring work. She could use that time for other things. Moreover, Qiqi often stayed at the other place, and Nana was busy too; they wouldn't notice the changes around here, so Shi Man had been boldly leaving things out. But she hadn't expected to be caught red-handed by Wang Qiqi, leaving her only capable of giggling foolishly.

Wang Qiqi observed that while the room was a bit messy, the situation wasn't catastrophic, and she sighed, sitting back down on the sofa. She had no intention of helping clean up. She remembered cleaning up last time she came back and was determined not to do it again this time. "Ask your man how the stock market is doing lately." That was Wang Qiqi's primary concern. After all, that was the capital they needed to establish themselves in the States! Wang Qiqi had once converted their total assets and realized that in US dollars, she was practically poor. Therefore, achieving her goal meant that her man's salary and asset appreciation were major issues.

"The stock market is doing exceptionally well," Shi Man replied without looking up from the TV, let alone touching her computer.

Wang Qiqi pouted. Of course, she knew the market was good, but the point was, didn't she want to know exactly how much money they’d made? "Oh, right, how is our business doing since you went over there recently?" Today, after reminding Han Tao, Wang Qiqi suddenly realized she hadn't seen Li Qian in four months. Li Qian hadn't even picked up the gifts Wang Qiqi brought back from the US; they were passed along via a coffee shop waiter. This struck Wang Qiqi as odd; she really didn't understand what Li Qian was so busy with.

"Business is okay, much better than before. The reputation is improving," Shi Man said. She paused, considering whether she should share the news she’d heard today with Wang Qiqi. After a moment, she decided it was necessary, to prevent Wang Qiqi from being completely shocked. "I heard Li Xiangdong’s mistress is pregnant."

His mistress is pregnant? Seeing Shi Man’s conflicted expression, Wang Qiqi initially thought Li Qian had done something dramatic, but instead, it was such explosive news. Wang Qiqi jumped to her feet, fixing her gaze on Shi Man. "You didn't mishear?" No way. Li Xiangdong would be eligible to be a grandfather in a few years; his son was already studying in Europe. How could he make such a blunder so late in life? While Wang Qiqi had always known Li Xiangdong had affairs, she never thought he was someone so reckless. If he divorced now, Li Qian would certainly take away half his fortune, something Li Xiangdong would never agree to.

Shi Man shook her head. "I only found out when the coffee shop owner mentioned it to someone else. They say the couple is currently fighting for divorce and division of assets." Alas, since hearing the news, Shi Man had been utterly surprised and hadn't quite recovered. If Wang Qiqi hadn't returned today, Shi Man hadn't planned on saying anything.