Wang Qiqi found that after pushing her worries aside, she felt much better. She picked up her coffee cup, sloshing the contents slightly, and headed toward the study, where the two big men were still engrossed in their work. "Should I make some snacks for you two?" Seeing Han Tao so earnestly focused on earning money suddenly gave Wang Qiqi a pang of guilt. Lately, with her yarn business taking up so much time, she had truly neglected her own man, which was probably why he got so excited when he heard her humming her way into the room.

Make snacks? As soon as the words left Wang Qiqi’s mouth, Dai Lijun’s ears perked up. He stopped typing, spun his office chair rapidly, and moved right up in front of her, his face alight with anticipation. "Qiqi, you mean you're going to bake?"

His wife making snacks? Han Tao instantly caught the good news. He thought to himself that he knew his wife well; she was clearly itching to show off her culinary skills. Just as he was about to agree, he habitually glanced at the time on his computer. "Whoa, it’s already past five. Why haven't Lu Qiaowei and the others returned?" He muttered that something was off—he hadn't seen the cook anywhere. Ugh, what about dinner? Han Tao rubbed his stomach.

Just then, Dai Lijun’s stomach let out a corresponding growl, which embarrassed him, but he didn't entirely agree with Han Tao's sentiment. "Han Tao, what do you mean? Are you calling my Weiwei a cook?" Hmph, even if she were a cook, he shouldn't say it in front of them. He was Weiwei's man, and he couldn't let the others tarnish her reputation. "She’s not just cooking for us. She went out with Shi Man today for something."

Went out with Shi Man? Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Shi Man and the other girl to go out without letting her know. This stung Wang Qiqi a little. Sure, she'd been a bit of a homebody lately, but informing her was one thing; whether she went or not was another matter entirely. "When did they decide this?" Wang Qiqi asked sharply.

When? Dai Lijun closed his eyes and calculated the time. "Probably around noon. She called back and said she was going shopping with Shi Man and would be back late. She also said they’d eat dinner out."

Dai Lijun slapped his forehead. Damn, what an idiot. How could he forget something so significant? "What are we eating tonight? I’m starving." Cooking at this hour would be the death of them.

Eat what? If they started cooking now, when would they eat? Wang Qiqi walked into the kitchen and looked around. No rice. Only a small amount of greens. A few eggs, which could make fried rice, but they'd have to wait for the rice to cook first. And freshly cooked rice made terrible fried rice. "Let’s eat out," she suggested. A small restaurant had just opened near the community gate, and she’d noticed it was usually crowded. This was a perfect chance to treat themselves to a better meal.

"Good idea," Dai Lijun said, knowing Qiqi would suggest eating out, since he had eaten the last of the leftover rice at lunch.

"You're paying," Wang Qiqi announced from the kitchen doorway when she heard his smug comment, launching her counter-attack. "If it weren't for your screw-up, would we have to go out to eat?" Hmph, this guy was too much. Wang Qiqi had good reason to suspect this man intentionally failed to mention Weiwei’s outing so they could eat out.

Dai Lijun hadn't expected Wang Qiqi to demand he pay. Heavens! He cried out, "No way. Me paying?" Dai Lijun felt truly wretched. "I don't have any money!" Sigh, he’d already funneled all the cash he’d earned doing side jobs for a domestic internet company. He was genuinely low on funds.

"Don't worry. I’ll cover the bill," Han Tao said, patting Dai Lijun, who was wailing dramatically, nearly bringing himself to tears. Although he knew the guy was hamming it up, Han Tao still felt he had no dignity for such a spectacle, being a grown man with no backbone. "Are your funds holding up recently?"

Dai Lijun forced a strained smile. "They’re okay, just wiped out everything I had on hand. Sigh, housing prices are rising so fast. Even though Nana gave me a discount, the price is way higher than when you bought yours." Just one year! Damn it, the interest from money stored in a bank for a year—no, five years—couldn't keep up with this appreciation rate. Yet, houses were still in hot demand. He truly regretted not thinking to buy a place in the capital back then.

"When I told you to buy, you refused. Did you think prices from a year ago would wait for you?" Wang Qiqi had originally planned to tease him a bit. Since he bought the house, the man had become incredibly frugal. Though she didn’t actually expect him to pay, watching him look heartbroken while ordering food, as if eating was forcing him to his death, made Wang Qiqi feel incredibly cheerful. But her own man always had to play the good guy, hmph.

Han Tao pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew Qiqi was annoyed at him for interfering, but the other guy had been sufficiently provoked today, so no need to push it further. "Let’s go."

Wang Qiqi linked her arm through Han Tao’s, listening to the two computer fanatics drone on about topics that sounded like pure gibberish to her. Even though they were speaking words composed of the twenty-six letters, once strung together, Wang Qiqi felt like she was listening to ancient scripture. She really wanted to yell out, Hey! I’m treating tonight, can’t you guys just flatter me a little and speak human language?

Wang Qiqi ultimately kept her words to herself. She knew that even if she said them, the two men wouldn't listen. Once someone dives into the world of computers, they become fools who tune out everything else in the outside world.

Thankfully, they behaved normally at the dinner table, moving from the 'computer galaxy' back down to Earth, which made Wang Qiqi breathe a sigh of relief. Otherwise, she worried the entire restaurant staff would look at them with pity.

As Wang Qiqi approached the newly opened eatery, she scanned the interior and immediately wanted to pull her man close and walk away. What rotten luck—to run into her on a rare meal out? Though this time it might genuinely be a coincidence, Wang Qiqi wanted no part of this 'fated encounter' (yuan fen).

"Why aren't we going in?" Dai Lijun noticed Wang Qiqi standing frozen at the entrance. He nudged her, asking puzzledly. Seriously, they were right at the door, smelling the delicious aroma wafting out, and his stomach was growling louder and louder.

Han Tao followed Wang Qiqi’s gaze, scanning the area, and cursed internally about running into her during a rare night out. Was his luck truly so bad lately that he needed to visit a temple for a blessing and burn some incense?

Unfortunately, just as the two of them were about to retreat, Dai Lijun’s booming voice called out. Wang Qiqi felt a surge of rage. If this blockhead hadn't spoken, the other woman, currently focused on eating, wouldn't have looked up toward the door. Retreating now would look like they were afraid of her.

Wang Qiqi mentally executed Dai Lijun in a thousand cuts. Then, she shifted her foot slightly backward, felt the presence of a clumsy foot, and began slowly grinding the heel of her high heel into Dai Lijun’s foot. Wang Qiqi had just been regretting wearing delicate high-heeled sandals—they looked great but were murder to walk in. Now, however, Wang Qiqi was intensely grateful for the shoes, as they offered a perfect way to 'educate' the man.

"Qiqi, what a coincidence! You’re out eating too," Jiang Xin stood up and walked over to Wang Qiqi, speaking with feigned surprise. In truth, she had spotted Wang Qiqi’s intent to turn and leave, and she wasn't about to let her go that easily. Today was genuinely a chance encounter; she hadn't expected to bump into Qiqi and Han Tao while eating with her roommate. Surely this counted as fate, right? Ever since Dai Lijun got a virtuous girlfriend, their group outings had dropped significantly. Staging a chance encounter at a restaurant wasn't easy; she couldn't let Han Tao slip away.

Jiang Xin was already over and even grabbed Wang Qiqi’s hand. Nicely put, it was a show of false affection; in reality, she was physically blocking Wang Qiqi from leaving. But seeing Jiang Xin approach, Wang Qiqi actually felt less inclined to leave. Hmph, I’m the legal wife here. Why should I be afraid of someone trying to steal my man? Besides, whether she could actually succeed in stealing him was still up in the air.

Hearing Jiang Xin’s voice, Dai Lijun knew things had escalated. He inwardly wailed, This is bad. I wonder what kind of punishment awaits me. Dai Lijun felt he could already anticipate needing to be extra good and quiet for the next few days, perhaps even staying out of Wang Qiqi’s sight, lest she devise some spectacular form of retribution.

"It is quite a coincidence," Wang Qiqi conceded, making no move to pull her hand away from Jiang Xin’s grip. "Tao, you and the blockhead find a table. You know what I like to eat." Then, Wang Qiqi turned and pulled Jiang Xin toward the table where her roommates were sitting. Wang Qiqi knew Han Tao and Dai Lijun understood her unspoken message; they would absolutely find a table as far away from Jiang Xin’s group as possible.

Jiang Xin had wanted to suggest they all share a table, since they were only a few people, but she hadn't anticipated Wang Qiqi’s swift response.

Wang Qiqi reached the roommates’ table. "You all come over and eat too. How is the food here?"

Although everyone had seen Wang Qiqi’s boyfriend, they hadn't met him often, but that didn't stop them from envying Wang Qiqi. Nowadays, when talking about Qiqi, the first thing everyone thought of was how brilliant her boyfriend was—he already had a job offer from a U.S. computer firm before graduation; his future was guaranteed. For a classmate with such promise, it was natural to maintain good relations. They weren't novices; this was networking. "It’s pretty good. If we had known you were coming too, Qiqi, we would have combined tables."

Wang Qiqi smiled. "We decided last minute. Besides, those two men only talk about computers when they eat. You’d find it terribly boring." Hmph, I’m certainly not walking into the wolf’s den. (Although whether the 'wolf' was actually a wolf was questionable.) "Plus, we aren't that familiar with each other."

Seeing Wang Qiqi's cool, slightly distant expression, the roommates naturally didn't press the issue of sharing a table. Moreover, they noticed the two men who were supposed to be ordering food were indeed deep in a technical discussion, which instantly killed any desire they had to dine together. They didn't feel they could stomach their food in this environment anyway.

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