Shi Man smiled so brightly when she saw the mark on Dai Lijun that she actually leaned against the wall. After a moment, she tilted her head, pondered, and finally beckoned Feng Xuanxiang over with a finger, explaining her idea. "That won't do, will it?" Feng Xuanxiang objected immediately. "If this has to be done, I should be the one to do it." How could he let his own girlfriend handle something like this?

Shi Man was unconcerned; it didn't matter who did it, the key was leaving a souvenir. "Quick, quick, we have to leave a memento before Qiqi comes out."

Dai Lijun listened to the baffling words, wondering what kind of souvenir, and then recalled what Wang Qiqi had said earlier. "Ah, you're not going to hit me a few more times, are you?" Good heavens, he was miserable enough already; how could they not let him go? "I absolutely won't help keep secrets anymore. There's no credit, not even hard labor, just a body covered in scars."

Listening to Dai Lijun drone on about how wretched his situation was, implying how terrible Feng Xuanxiang's act of cutting ties was, Feng Xuanxiang rolled his eyes several times and instead tied him even tighter. "I already told you the mistake you made; upsetting Manman was wrong."

Dai Lijun pouted. Right, girlfriends shouldn't be upset. He desperately wanted to tell the truth: why did you hide it from Manman in the first place? "Fine, it's all my fault, my fault. I shouldn't have failed to switch places with Han Tao." He truly was foolish; if you don't have the ability to comfort someone, you shouldn't engage in such a silly endeavor.

"Stop wasting time, get this settled quickly, and then leave a souvenir," Shi Man said impatiently. "You still need to go out and buy things later."

No way. To be beaten this badly and then be told to go shopping? Dai Lijun was displeased and shouted loudly, "I'm not going, I'm not going!" Hmph, he had to let them know he had a temper too.

"Not going?" Shi Man wasn't bothered in the slightest. "It's fine if you don't go." Dai Lijun, hearing he might be excused, started to feel smug, but before he could celebrate: "If you don't go, there's no food, only raw stuff to eat, and you can only sleep on the floor. Oh, right, the room hasn't been cleaned yet; it's perfect for you to clean the room you'll be sleeping in tonight."

When Dai Lijun heard that not going to the supermarket would result in such a dreadful fate, especially having to clean, all pretense of integrity vanished. The main thing was: "I'll go, I'll go! Isn't it fine if I go?" When faced with the choice between food and shelter, integrity could be thrown to the wind. Dai Lijun dared not hope that this couple would eventually take pity on him and let him eat well.

Wang Qiqi rushed downstairs, rummaged through her luggage, and pulled out her camera. Just as she was checking inside to see if there was film, she heard Dai Lijun's cry again. Wang Qiqi plucked at her ear. "Blockhead, you don't think you're in Italy, do you?"

"Of course, I know I'm in the States. Do you think I was beaten silly by Feng Xuanxiang?"

"Then why are you practicing opera?" Wang Qiqi rushed out again, camera in hand. She immediately snapped a few shots. Now Wang Qiqi understood why someone was screaming. "Heavens, Blockhead. You didn't do anything to betray your Weiwei, did you?"

Wang Qiqi teased Dai Lijun while bringing the camera up to him, focusing several close-ups on a certain area. "Take these back and get them developed for your Weiwei to see." As for how he would explain it to Lu Qiaowei later—that depended on this guy's attitude.

"Yes, yes, show it to his Weiwei! See how she deals with him playing tricks on me." Shi Man had initially just thought it was fun, a simple commemorative photo, but she hadn't expected Qiqi to suggest showing it to Weiwei. This was something Dai Lijun absolutely could not allow.

"Ahhh, no, no!" Dai Lijun struggled harder and harder. If Dai Lijun hadn't gone abroad, Lu Qiaowei would probably just laugh it off. But the problem was the vast ocean separating them; would his girlfriend feel at ease? Even if Qiqi told the truth, wouldn't his girlfriend assume she was helping him cover things up? And the most crucial point: would Qiqi tell the truth? Even if she did, wouldn't she add a few embellishments and guide his girlfriend to other conclusions?

The mere possibility sent a shiver through Dai Lijun. "You're not going to make Weiwei think I've fallen for someone else and that she should abandon me, are you?" Dai Lijun couldn't stand the thought.

Wang Qiqi was actually speaking loosely. Even if this photo were shown to Lu Qiaowei, it would be in Dai Lijun's presence. Otherwise, given the photograph's obvious hint of ambiguity, Wang Qiqi could guarantee Lu Qiaowei would leave the Blockhead. She hadn't anticipated such an extreme reaction from him.

"Hmph, now you know, don't you? That's for misleading Manman earlier," Feng Xuanxiang said, feeling a bit vindicated watching the Blockhead's current state. "You finally understand how unsettling things can be when just a sliver of the [truth] is revealed?" You smart kid, you have your day too. If I didn't know some things couldn't be joked about... "Don't worry, we won't show the photo to your Weiwei alone. If we show it to her, it will be in front of you, alright?"

Hearing Feng Xuanxiang say that, Dai Lijun stopped struggling and looked toward Wang Qiqi and Shi Man. He trusted Feng Xuanxiang's word. Besides, even if Feng Xuanxiang wanted revenge, as a man in the States, how could he show the picture to Lu Qiaowei? The people most likely to show it to his girlfriend were the two ladies present; Dai Lijun couldn't imagine anyone else.

Shi Man shrugged. "Relax. You misled me, but I won't mislead your woman. Although you did mess with me, I'll let it slide since you didn't mean it." Hmph, it wasn't that she was magnanimous; it was that some things shouldn't be joked about. And if one were to investigate seriously, the Blockhead wasn't entirely at fault either. If she had truly had a bit more faith in Feng Xuanxiang, things wouldn't have escalated to this point. All in all, it was her insufficient trust in Feng Xuanxiang.

"I'm just taking it as a souvenir, a reminder for everyone. While promising someone to keep something secret must be upheld, choices must also be made based on how events unfold," Wang Qiqi said, seizing the moment while the guy stood there dumbly awaiting her reply. She shot a look at Feng Xuanxiang and the others, then swiftly snapped a few more shots.

Through the lens, Wang Qiqi could see that the most conspicuous mark and the guy's face were both captured, and she felt a surge of delight. Haha, although she genuinely wanted to follow through on her earlier words, sometimes one had to make the most advantageous choice based on the situation, right?

Dai Lijun hadn't expected Wang Qiqi to suddenly snap photos while he was speaking. He quickly turned his back to her and hastily pulled his clothes straight, thus missing the expression that flashed across Wang Qiqi's face.

Shi Man and Feng Xuanxiang saw it clearly. They exchanged a glance, knowing Wang Qiqi would definitely use the photos she had. The only question was how—but one thing was certain: they wouldn't use them until Lu Qiaowei reunited with Dai Lijun.

Shi Man inwardly prayed for Dai Lijun. Poor kid, offending so many people over one small incident. But she wouldn't feel sorry for him; he brought it upon himself. "Have you noted down everything the kitchen needs? Don't come back later to find more missing items."

Feng Xuanxiang pulled a slip of paper from his jeans pocket. "It's all written down. What does the upstairs need?"

While Dai Lijun was dressing, Wang Qiqi packed her camera. "Lots of things are missing, like two empty rooms. Never mind the lack of other furniture, there aren't even any beds."

"What?" Dai Lijun forgot about tidying himself up and quickly turned to look at Feng Xuanxiang. "No way, your place doesn't even have beds? Where am I supposed to sleep?" As he spoke, Dai Lijun cautiously glanced at Wang Qiqi. "Maybe I can be generous and sleep on the living room sofa." Though it wouldn't be comfortable, it was better than sleeping on the floor.

Wang Qiqi caught every cautious glance from Dai Lijun. She genuinely disliked his idea. "Then you can be the 'hall chief.'" Compared to sleeping on a soft sofa, Wang Qiqi would rather sleep on the floor. "We'll just buy an extra bedsheet then."

Hearing that Wang Qiqi didn't intend to fight him for the sofa, the corners of Dai Lijun's mouth curved up. "Is everything checked off? Let's go." It was already two o'clock; they should return early to cook and eat, then sleep early. He was exhausted; he felt like he had burned through more brain cells on this trip than he would working at a computer for 24 hours straight.

Shi Man checked the list and found nothing major missing. Wang Qiqi took it and noticed they were out of toilet paper. "Buy some toilet paper. Also, we didn't bring toothbrushes, and we don't have cups either."

Feng Xuanxiang carefully added items to the list and then reviewed it again. "This should cover everything now, right?"

As he was about to leave the door, Dai Lijun reminded Wang Qiqi, "Qiqi, don't forget what you promised earlier." All in all, Dai Lijun felt her agreement had been too ready, leaving him with a lingering sense of unease.

"I remember," Wang Qiqi replied impatiently. "Besides, I already took the pictures; what more can you do if you're still worried?" With that, Wang Qiqi scampered upstairs. She had already decided to hide that roll of film securely; what if he tried to take the negatives away?

As Wang Qiqi ran off, Dai Lijun's unease intensified. He wanted to chase after her and snatch the camera, but Feng Xuanxiang was holding his collar, stopping him, and Shi Man blocked his path ahead. "Didn't you say to hurry up and leave? Why aren't you going?"

Faced with this setup, what could Dai Lijun do? Even if he slipped past Shi Man and Feng Xuanxiang to chase Qiqi, she would have already removed the film. He could only hope Qiqi remembered her promise. Later, Dai Lijun regretted not seizing the camera instantly to expose the film. Even though he was present, having too many mouths talking meant he couldn't out-argue them. (To be continued)