Daili Jun returned home, took a bath, and then carried the flushed Lu Qiaowei back to the room. Wang Qiqi glanced at the sky; it was still daytime. The man was so eager, not even considering the time. However, Wang Qiqi mused that after a long flight, the man still had the stamina for such activities, suggesting his previous training had been quite effective. Otherwise, judging by his former physique and build, Wang Qiqi figured that upon arriving home, forget rolling in the sheets with his wife, even taking a bath would have been a stretch.

Wang Qiqi walked into the middle room, which served as a study, and found Han Tao sitting seriously before his computer. She gently wrapped her arms around Han Tao. "The dummy is back in his room. Why are you still hunched over here?" The soundproofing in the old house really wasn't the best. If everyone hadn't been generally careful, and with a room separating them, Wang Qiqi worried about him overhearing something he shouldn't.

Han Tao hadn't paid much attention to that. Even when Daili Jun returned, he only offered a greeting before diving back into his digital world. "Isn't he tired?" Han Tao truly admired the dummy. He recalled needing an entire afternoon to rest after flying back from the US before having the energy for serious matters that evening, yet this fellow actually managed to... Han Tao suddenly felt like he was the one who needed the most training. "I'm starting my workouts tonight. No, I need to increase the intensity of my training."

Increase the intensity of the training? Wang Qiqi didn't understand. The man's stamina was already quite good; further training... Wang Qiqi truly dared not contemplate it further. "If you train any harder, I'll die. I, I'm going back to stay at my own place."

"You need to train too," Han Tao said bluntly. "Bring back the intensity you had in your final year of high school." Han Tao felt that working out alone wouldn't suffice; he absolutely had to drag Wang Qiqi into it. Otherwise, if his strength increased, but someone else's remained poor, all his training would be for naught. "It's settled then." With that, Han Tao scooped up Wang Qiqi and carried her back to their room. Since someone else could indulge in such activities in broad daylight, why couldn't they?

Wang Qiqi was thoroughly startled by Han Tao's sudden move without a word of warning. "Heavens, put me down, put me down!" Although Wang Qiqi didn't know where Han Tao was taking her, she could guess he hadn't given it much thought.

After Wang Qiqi was unceremoniously dropped onto the bed by Han Tao, she nearly cried out. "You wouldn't..." Good grief, did men really enjoy competing even in these matters?

Han Tao swiftly shed the unnecessary layers of clothing on his body, then quickly moved to undress Wang Qiqi. "I just want to," he asked Wang Qiqi in a low, provocative voice. Meanwhile, his hands were ceaselessly roaming over Wang Qiqi's body, igniting a fire wherever they touched. "Don't you want to?"

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected the man to be so shameless, yet in that moment, she truly lacked the strength to resist. What could she do but let out a moan?

"Lunch, lunch, lunch..." Daili Jun emerged from the room feeling refreshed and invigorated. He noticed only Han Tao sitting by the computer, looking puzzled as he scanned the living room and the kitchen. "Where's Qiqi?" He knew his good buddy didn't have much money; Han Tao was the type of new-age man who handed over his entire salary to Qiqi. It wasn't that Daili Jun looked down on him, but he felt a man shouldn't relinquish complete financial control. It wasn't that he distrusted Wang Qiqi, but a man needed some personal funds for things to go smoothly—a principle Daili Jun thought every man understood without being taught. But this friend, Daili Jun used to discuss this issue with Han Tao, only to find Han Tao would just listen with a smile every time. What happened afterward remained the same, and Daili Jun had stopped trying to discuss the issue of personal savings.

Daili Jun thought that his friend wanted to be a model husband, but he had no such intention. Better to stay honest; if he provoked Wang Qiqi too much, he worried she might brainwash Lu Qiaowei, turning him into a man like Han Tao. The mere thought sent a shiver down Daili Jun's spine.

"Qiqi didn't take a nap because she went to pick you up," Han Tao replied calmly, then turned to ask the dummy about his trip to the US.

Daili Jun didn't overthink it. He knew Wang Qiqi often worked late into the night when busy. Weiwei had mentioned that Qiqi wasn't in great shape today, even having a cup of coffee at the airport. "I'm really sorry. I didn't know Feng Xuanxiang had emailed you all, and I didn't know Weiwei would drag Qiqi along..." He hadn't notified anyone back home initially precisely because he didn't want people meeting him at the airport. Although being picked up was nice, he knew if he had informed them, his girlfriend would have definitely roped in either Shi Man or Wang Qiqi.

"If you're sorry, you can treat us to dinner," Han Tao gestured for the dummy to come over and discuss matters. Hearing Han Tao suggest he foot the bill made the dummy choke. He really wanted to point out that he was the poorest among them; it shouldn't be the poorest person treating everyone—shouldn't this be leeching off the wealthy? "We can ask Nana to treat us," the dummy mumbled, rubbing his nose sheepishly.

Asking Zhu Lina to treat them again made Han Tao look heavenward helplessly. Of course, Zhu Lina wouldn't object to treating, but the issue was, "Do you have the nerve?" Even though Qiqi and Zhu Lina were close friends, she wouldn't keep pressuring Nana to pay. Qiqi once mentioned that constantly asking Nana to treat them might give Zhu Lina a bad impression. Although Zhu Lina was wealthy, they weren't desperate for a single meal. "Don't worry, I'll treat, I'll treat. After all, I have new assets under my name." Han Tao paused, noticing the light flicker in the dummy's eyes. "I'm still paying off loans, don't be too greedy. Remember, if I run out of money, I won't let you off easily."

Daili Jun gave the man a sidelong glance. "No money but you buy? I see you're really becoming a big landlord. But I truly don't understand Wang Qiqi. With so many houses in their hometown, and now buying property and shops in the capital, are you two still planning to buy houses in the US? Aren't you worried about defaulting on the loans?" Daili Jun truly admired this man—buying so many properties meant he had to hustle for money, and they weren't even married, yet they had several properties registered jointly. Alas.

"It's fine, housing prices are still rising," Han Tao wasn't worried now. He saw that after a few sleeps, he'd just wake up to news of property prices going up. "You two could also buy a place in the capital. Whether you return to develop domestically or not in the future, at least you’d have a nest. Haven't you seen how outrageously the prices have soared in Beijing?"

Daili Jun hadn't thought that far ahead. When Zhu Lina's family launched their development, and Wang Qiqi and the others rushed to buy properties at insider prices, Daili Jun had considered it. But at the time, he thought: We plan to go to the US; whether we come back is still up in the air. Why bother spending over three hundred thousand on a house in the capital? Now, he felt a twinge of regret. Last time, he'd casually stopped by a property development, asked the price, and though the increase wasn't dramatic, Daili Jun carefully compared the price of the first house Wang Qiqi bought in the capital with the current price. He understood something: housing appreciation was outpacing his income growth. "I want to buy, but the current prices..." He couldn't just tell Zhu Lina he wanted to buy property and ask if she could give him an internal price.

"Buying now is better than buying later." After saying this, Han Tao pulled Daili Jun over to analyze the procedures. Daili Jun stopped worrying about the property issue for the moment. For him, a house wasn't an absolute necessity; he felt his chances of establishing himself in the US were quite high. Furthermore, even if he returned, he might not necessarily stay in the capital, so discussing the subject at hand was more important.

When Wang Qiqi walked out of the room, rubbing her eyes, she heard the sound of the two men arguing. She shook her head, yawned, and began grinding some coffee beans. Zhu Lina had mentioned before leaving that she would drive back in the evening, and they would all go out to eat together. Speaking of driving, Wang Qiqi remembered that she should probably go learn to drive. Although she would have to retest after going to the US, Wang Qiqi thought having some foundation might make the test easier over there. "I'll discuss it with Han Tao tonight." Wang Qiqi yawned. Even though her man had been a bit more restrained this time, Wang Qiqi still felt tired. She couldn't understand why, even though he was the one exerting the effort, she felt so drained. Was her stamina really that poor?

Han Tao had been talking with the dummy for quite a while when he came out to get water and take a breather. He happened to hear Wang Qiqi talking to herself and asked, "What are you discussing with me?" Seeing Wang Qiqi's weary expression, Han Tao walked over to her and softly asked, "Tired?"

Wang Qiqi let out a few hums. Now he was asking if she was tired, after his earlier behavior. "I was just thinking that since Nana has her driver's license, maybe I should go get one too."

Getting a driver's license? "That's great! Go for it. We'll definitely need a car once we're abroad." Han Tao certainly didn't object. He remembered how Qiqi used to ride her bicycle to bring him food during the height of summer, which always pained him. He'd told the silly girl not to bother, but she stubbornly insisted on delivering it. "It'll be much more convenient for us to go out then, and easier for you to bring me food."

Wang Qiqi had been thinking that once she had a license, she could encourage Shi Man to learn too, and then they could drive across the entire US, from the East Coast to the West Coast. She heard many American youths did this right before or during college once they got their licenses. Even though she was late, she wanted to complete this task. She never expected her man's thoughts revolved around making it easier for her to deliver his meals later.

Wang Qiqi wondered, was her destiny simply to be a dedicated cook and meal delivery person? (To be continued)