"Coming forward himself? Han Tao thought that if he showed up, who knows what kind of mess it would turn into. 'Me stepping in only seems to complicate things more.' But thinking back now, the other person hadn't pulled any of those surprise 'coincidental' encounters lately. Could it really be that Qi Qi was keeping surveillance? With this thought, Han Tao decided to talk to Qi Qi that evening. Some people and some matters simply weren't worth caring about; just treat them as obnoxious clowns.

What kind of mess would involving Han Tao cause? Dai Lijun pondered for a moment, then abruptly stood up, yelling out, 'Don't tell me you've run into some messy romantic entanglement that Qi Qi has to clean up for you?'

'You’d actually let Qi Qi know about something like that? Can't you handle it yourself?' Dai Lijun criticized Han Tao with frustration, completely forgetting the trouble he himself had caused in the past.

Han Tao looked at Dai Lijun, who was lecturing him, feeling both exasperated and amused. 'If it weren't for the pile of garbage you stirred up, would Qi Qi and I be worrying about this?' He hadn't intended to tell Dai Lijun about this in the first place, to avoid him getting any weird ideas, but to be accused of flirting around outside? Han Tao wasn't going to be happy about that. And since it was just the two of them at home right now, Han Tao certainly wasn't going to hold back.

His own mess? Dai Lijun was confused by Han Tao’s meaning. 'What are you talking about? When did I stir up any trouble? And why would trouble find you, needing Qi Qi to intervene?' Dai Lijun truly didn't understand. Wait, he suddenly recalled that when Han Tao returned to the study that day, his expression hadn't been great, and the way he looked at Dai Lijun had been strange too. He just couldn't recall when he might have done something that resulted in inescapable romantic trouble.

'Jiang Xin,' Han Tao calmly uttered the name. 'I didn't want to bring it up, but now you know why we're in such a difficult spot.'

Jiang Xin? Dai Lijun's first reaction upon hearing the name was that Han Tao was talking nonsense. In his memory, Jiang Xin was a good girl, and the reason she hadn't chosen him then would also apply to Han Tao. But Han Tao had no reason to lie to him. Yet, if Jiang Xin truly did something like this, what was going through her mind? Didn't she understand the consequences of her actions? Never mind that Han Tao wasn't easily swayed, Wang Qi Qi wasn't someone easy to deal with either. Dai Lijun didn't know how to process this.

Seeing Dai Lijun's surprised expression, Han Tao clapped him on the shoulder. 'We wish we were mistaken, but you know how strictly I stick to my routine: basically just school, the library, or home. Even with only these few places, my routes and timings are inconsistent. There's no reason for me to run into Jiang Xin that often, let alone so many times, given that we aren't even in the same school.'

Listening to Han Tao’s analysis, Dai Lijun had to admit that if this wasn't handled carefully, someone might indeed have pulled some strings. 'Sigh, I never thought she'd be like this.' Dai Lijun had expected to feel a pang of panic, after all, she was the first girl he had loved. Otherwise, knowing he was with Lu Qiaowei, he wouldn't have accompanied her out when she came to him to vent the pain of heartbreak, which in turn made Shi Man and the others dissatisfied with him. But back then, Dai Lijun still considered Jiang Xin a decent girl. To think... 'Sigh, I hope we're wrong.' In truth, Dai Lijun felt the odds of them being wrong were quite low. If two schools weren't involved, one or two chance encounters might be plausible, but this many 'accidents,' and even asking for advice on computer matters—only an idiot would believe there was no trickery involved.

'Sometimes, women can be far more ruthless than men. Do you get it now? I'm telling you this today so that if you encounter Jiang Xin in the future, you won't do anything foolish,' Han Tao was confident in himself. His only worry now was if Jiang Xin decided to aim her sights back at Dai Lijun; he didn't know if Dai Lijun could withstand someone's poisoned arrow. Looking at Dai Lijun's expression, it was possible he still viewed Jiang Xin as a good girl. 'Though I don't want to speculate about Jiang Xin, people change. You know what you need to do, right?'

Dai Lijun remained silent for a long time, then turned to tap on his keyboard. Han Tao wondered if Dai Lijun was handling this well or poorly. As he casually glanced over, trying to see how far Dai Lijun had progressed with his work, he noticed that whatever Dai Lijun was typing was incomprehensible—he couldn't make sense of it. It seemed this guy's mind wasn't settled either; it was just as chaotic.

Han Tao stepped forward and tapped Dai Lijun’s shoulder. 'Stop messing with the computer; that won't solve anything. Why don't you go rest for a bit?' Using the machine to vent his anger like this, Han Tao worried that by the time Lu Qiaowei returned, this guy might still not have calmed down. 'I didn't tell you this to let Lu Qiaowei know, but look at you now. Can you really hide this from her?'

Dai Lijun shuddered a few times and looked back at Han Tao mournfully. 'Brother, I really shouldn't have opened my mouth. If I hadn't known, I wouldn't be thinking so much right now. But now that you've... ' This just proved that ignorance was bliss. Why did so many people feel that childhood was better after growing up? Wasn't it because they knew less, or didn't have to face what they knew?

'Some things you must face. Also, if possible, keep an eye on Jiang Xin for me.' Han Tao figured this way, Dai Lijun could learn about Jiang Xin's current situation, and second, it would lighten the burden on his own woman.

Dai Lijun hadn't expected his good friend to betray him so thoroughly. While he did have some curiosity about Jiang Xin’s recent life, he wasn't a fool. Why did his girlfriend listen so much to Man Man and the others? Wasn't it because of Jiang Xin's previous appearance? 'You want me to monitor Jiang Xin? Brother, I didn't offend you, did I? You don't have to sell me out like this, do you?'

'You don't realize how intimate Lu Qiaowei and I are right now; I’m trying to make a good impression so Wei Wei will go to the US with me.' Dai Lijun thought about it—if some interested party exposed the fact that he was tracking Jiang Xin, or if Jiang Xin herself found out he was following her, wouldn't she think he still harbored feelings for her? The thought made Dai Lijun feel utterly tragic. She was the one who had rejected him and left him; how could she still not let him go now? 'I refuse! I don't have time to deal with her. Hmph, if she shows up, I won't acknowledge her. It's you, Han Tao, who clearly knows Qi Qi had a hard time dealing with her over the issues concerning the three of us—how could you still be in contact with her? Anyway, whatever the case, I’m pretending I don't know and don't want to deal with it. I’m about to go abroad; just let me have a slightly more peaceful time.'

Yes, that was it. Dai Lijun nodded. Hmph, even if that person had some improper ideas about him, so what? Dai Lijun decided he would adhere to a policy of zero contact with that person, or even that person's friends. He needed to perform well. Once he was abroad, everything would be safe.

Han Tao watched as Dai Lijun quickly recovered and shifted the blame back onto him. He was speechless. So, this whole mess was his fault? 'Fine, my brother is unreliable. In critical moments, I still have to rely on my own woman. But you really need to be careful; I'm worried...'

Wang Qi Qi, perhaps because she was recently busy tutoring a child in their studies and also dedicated to learning how to knit yarn, was basically out early and back late. Most of her daytime, when she didn't have classes, was spent at the yarn shop. This schedule, ironically, allowed Han Tao to pass the Jiang Xin issue off to Dai Lijun.

Huang Rong watched Wang Qi Qi clumsily trying to handle the needles beside her, sighing inwardly. If her daughter hadn't found learning English so much easier by following Wang Qi Qi lately, and if the information friends had gathered wasn't so unsatisfactory, she would have already stopped teaching this blockhead. How could someone fail to learn to knit after several days? Honestly, Huang Rong finally understood why this girl had been investigating for so many days; with her skill level, she truly needed an instructor with a better attitude. Whether the skill itself was good or not was completely beside the point.

Huang Rong couldn't fathom why someone so smart couldn't grasp such a simple task. She originally thought the girl was exaggerating a bit, but it turned out she wasn't exaggerating at all—she was being modest.

Hearing Huang Rong's sigh, Wang Qi Qi tightly pursed her lips. She thought to herself, Han Tao, Han Tao, I'm really losing face for you this time. If you dare to complain that the scarf I knit isn't good, I swear I'll take your head off. 'Auntie, am I really that clumsy? I think Heaven took away my talent for needlework.' Truly, no one in this world was perfect.

Huang Rong made an 'Mm' sound, and after a moment, she cautiously said, 'Dear, I can actually help knit a few scarves for you. I can make them look a little clumsy, so it looks like you made them.' Huang Rong thought, considering the girl's earnestness, she should help if she could. What she really felt was impatience watching this girl take so long on such basic steps, often wishing she could just push the girl aside and do it herself.

Getting outside help was certainly a good thing. Honestly, if Wang Qi Qi hadn't already told Bai Ge that she wanted to knit a heartfelt scarf, she would have given up learning immediately. 'I'd love to find external help, but I can’t trouble you every time, Auntie. When I go abroad later, I can’t ask you to knit for me, right?' Whatever wasn't done by herself would eventually be exposed. 'Besides, he wouldn't like it if I tricked him. He knows I can't knit a scarf, so me being able to knit one for him will be a surprise. If I don't give him one, he won't think much of it either.' Han Tao was the person Qi Qi least wanted to deceive. She didn't want their future marital interactions to require carefully vetting every word, as that would be exhausting.

Hearing Wang Qi Qi object, Huang Rong stopped talking. But the girl was right. 'Feelings can't withstand repeated depletion. However, dear, don't constantly dwell on how long it took you to learn before. I think you have a psychological block—you feel it’s very difficult to learn. Maybe you lacked the motivation to learn before, but now think about the motivation you have to start learning again...' Huang Rong suddenly thought of a possibility and said to Wang Qi Qi. (To be continued.)"