Daili Jun spotted Wang Qiqi and the other two through the window, then turned to Lu Qiaowei. “Qiqi, they’re here. I’ll set out the bowls and chopsticks, and grab the drinks.” Daili Jun scrambled into action, as if being late in his duties would earn him a reprimand from the arrivals.

The more rushed he was, the more likely errors were to occur. Daili Jun, trying to speed things up, grabbed too many bowls at once. But he was slightly unsteady, and the stack of bowls crashed onto the floor with a loud clatter. “Shattered bowls mean peace, shattered bowls mean peace.” Daili Jun jumped back, startled by the noise, but Lu Qiaowei, who was busy plating the food, wasn't startled by the breaking sound; rather, she was shocked by his rather adorable reaction.

Wang Qiqi and the others had just pushed the door open when they heard the sharp sound. “It better not be that clumsy oaf causing trouble again,” Shi Man said bluntly before even seeing the kitchen situation. “The one heading to the States in six months—how can he not even handle such a small task? I genuinely don't know how he’ll manage over there.”

Hearing Shi Man, Daili Jun’s face instantly paled. He wondered if Wang Qiqi had said something to Shi Man to provoke such a comment, but he certainly couldn't ask Qiqi in front of all the girls why she was setting him up.

At that moment, Daili Jun deeply regretted choosing to chat with Lu Qiaowei earlier instead of listening to her and setting out the dishes first. If he had done that, he probably wouldn't be in such a mess now. Too late for regrets; foresight is priceless.

Wang Qiqi chuckled inwardly. She wondered if the dummy was currently agonizing over whether she had told Shi Man to say those things. Heaven knew, Wang Qiqi had only meant to tease the dummy that afternoon; she certainly didn't want to be the bad guy. Besides, she felt that lecturing or whipping him into shape about this was useless, just like when she first asked Shi Man to learn cooking—she felt it was unnecessary. Yet, after being in the States for two months, the guy actively requested to learn, and the results were quite good. But she hadn't expected the dummy to bring trouble upon himself this way. Poor thing, Wang Qiqi silently wished him luck.

Shi Man was unaware of what Daili Jun and Wang Qiqi were thinking after her words. She darted to the kitchen doorway, saw Daili Jun’s antics, and pointed at him, laughing heartily. “Tell me, dummy, how old are you? You broke bowls, you didn't spill boiling water or something. The way you’re hopping around, you really look like a monkey. And aren't you worried about slipping?” Ah, he was so well-protected by his mother growing up, and then he found such a capable girlfriend, that the dummy was practically being spoiled rotten. “You truly have no common sense; such a dense fool.”

Daili Jun grinned sheepishly, squatted down, and swept the broken shards into the trash can. Lu Qiaowei watched Daili Jun work efficiently, then greeted Wang Qiqi, whom she was seeing for the first time since the Lunar New Year. “Happy New Year.”

Wang Qiqi waved back at Lu Qiaowei, but also spared a glance for Daili Jun. She could sense his turmoil just from his intense desire to perform well today. Once a person’s mind is scattered, anything can happen. “Happy New Year. I heard you visited the dummy’s place after the New Year?”

Lu Qiaowei nodded. “Mmm.” Although she had visited his home during the summer break with Daili Jun, this visit was during the Spring Festival. The feeling was different; this time, she met many of the Dai family relatives. “The dummy said he wants to get engaged during the summer, so he can leave for the States with peace of mind.” In Lu Qiaowei’s view, whether they were engaged or not wasn't that important; didn't many married couples still divorce? As long as their feelings were good, a formal engagement contract wasn't crucial.

“Congratulations,” Wang Qiqi said, recognizing that this was Daili Jun’s way of comforting Lu Qiaowei’s anxiety. However, if it were Wang Qiqi, she wouldn't have accepted an engagement. If marriage can end in divorce, what protection does an engagement—unprotected by law—really offer? “By the way, you must invite us when the time comes.”

Daili Jun hastily looked up and nodded at them. “Absolutely. I might not invite others, but you two must be there. Oh, Manman, will your man be back during the summer?”

Shi Man shook her head. “Basically no. He’s doing really well mixing it up in the States now.” Before Feng Xuanxiang left for the States, he had many worries—this and that—but after six months there, despite various forms of discrimination, Feng Xuanxiang felt the overall environment was better than back home, and his professor held him in high regard. “Maybe next semester the professor will let him take on paying projects.”

Wang Qiqi looked at Shi Man with pleasant surprise. “Ah, your man really gets to work with the professor and earn money?” Good heavens, Feng Xuanxiang was quite fortunate. She had thought the professor he admired most and wanted to study under most was already full, but one of the accepted students had to take a two-year leave for some reason, and this massive opportunity somehow landed on Feng Xuanxiang’s lap. Wang Qiqi felt like he had hit the jackpot.

“Mmm, so he’s expected to be very busy during the summer.” Shi Man said proudly. “It’s just a shame that I’ll be completely free during the summer. Sigh.” She heard he might be traveling around for work, and Shi Man was contemplating whether she should go to the States or, if she did, perhaps drag Wang Qiqi around with her. Last time they were in the States, they had planned to travel from the East Coast all the way to the West Coast, but it didn't work out for various reasons. However, that brief trip gave Wang Qiqi and Shi Man a more personal feel for the US. “Qiqi, are you interested in us traveling around then?”

“Sounds good,” Wang Qiqi agreed instantly. As for Han Tao, sorry, Wang Qiqi thought, as a workaholic, Han Tao probably wouldn't care much whether she was home or not. “But I can’t travel for two whole months; you know that.”

“Understood.” How could Shi Man not understand? A woman with a family is different from a single person like her.

“You should also try to keep an eye on Feng Xuanxiang. You know, finance guys are quite sought after, especially those with some money. I hear men like that are quite popular abroad,” Wang Qiqi kindly reminded her. Although Shi Man and Feng Xuanxiang seemed to have a good relationship currently, the issue was that Shi Man wouldn't be heading over until next year; a year and more could bring many changes.

Shi Man had intended to gloat, thinking she had found Wang Qiqi’s weak spot, but she didn't expect Qiqi to counterattack so quickly. However, she knew Qiqi was telling the truth; men could sometimes be unreliable. “I get it, I know.”

“Um, when you go to the States, could you take Lu Qiaowei along? She might want to take a trip to the US then,” Daili Jun mumbled while carefully picking up bowl fragments. He figured if Lu Qiaowei could go abroad during the summer, then maybe next summer, Weiwei could travel overseas too, and they could reunite in the States. Daili Jun thought this idea was excellent, and his good mood made him start humming a tune.

Taking Lu Qiaowei out? Wang Qiqi felt a headache coming on. Going abroad wasn't easy now. The first time she went to France, it was only because Juliana used her family’s company to secure the visa. After several return trips, when she went to the States again, she had an invitation letter and a good travel record, so the embassy agreed to let her out. Still, the process was grueling and couldn't be sorted in one go. Lu Qiaowei had never traveled abroad before, and to go to the US without studying there first—the difficulty was significant. But Wang Qiqi couldn't tell Daili Jun this reality, as it would make him feel like she was looking down on Lu Qiaowei. Difficult, difficult.

Lu Qiaowei was also startled by Daili Jun’s suggestion to go to the States. She never imagined having such a wonderful opportunity before graduation. However, even amidst her surprise, she noticed that Wang Qiqi and the others looked less than thrilled. She recalled Wang Qiqi and the others making numerous trips to the embassy last year. “Um…” Lu Qiaowei was about to say forget it. After all, Wang Qiqi and the others smoothly got their visas partly because they had prior international travel and good records, whereas she didn't even have a passport yet. How could she ask Qiqi for such a huge favor?

“Ow, ow, it hurts so much!” Daili Jun, who had been showing off moments before, cut his hand, and the gash was quite deep. Blood flowed alarmingly fast. Seeing the bright red blood, Daili Jun immediately felt dizzy. “I’m dizzy, no, no, I can’t handle this.” Daili Jun immediately closed his eyes, feeling that if he didn't, the problem would only get worse.

Lu Qiaowei heard her man and looked down to see him sitting on the floor with his eyes shut, leaning against the cabinet. She panicked. “Dummy, dummy, are you alright?”

Wang Qiqi and Shi Man were also startled by the dummy’s reaction, and Juliana, peering through the gap, saw Daili Jun collapse with his eyes closed, looking like he was in serious trouble. She immediately yelled to call 120. Lately, the dummy had been losing weight through exercise and staying up late programming; he had gotten quite thin. Juliana worried about a serious underlying issue, especially after hearing him cry out in pain.

As Wang Qiqi and Shi Man moved to help Lu Qiaowei lift him out of the kitchen, they noticed the wound. The two women exchanged a speechless glance, then addressed Juliana, who was running toward the phone. “Nana, don’t call 120. It’ll just be embarrassing if you do.” Ugh, for a grown man to be this afraid of blood, he was quite something else.

Juliana, holding the phone, looked puzzled. “Someone is probably just faint from the sight of blood,” Wang Qiqi said helplessly. “If you call 120, he’ll be mortified.”

Juliana put the phone down, caught between laughter and tears. “He faints at the sight of blood? How is he going to be in the delivery room when Weiwei gives birth? You know, when foreigners give birth, the husband is supposed to be inside accompanying them.”

“That will be double the trouble,” Wang Qiqi retorted without restraint. “It’s quite possible that before Weiwei even delivers, the dummy will have fainted and require a doctor to split their attention to care for him.”

“The dummy is just dead weight,” Shi Man complained bluntly.