Shi Man stared at Han Tao’s hands holding the chopsticks, her heart tight with anxiety. She hadn't cooked seriously in a long time, and she was genuinely worried her skills had deteriorated. Moreover, she had spoken to Han Tao so rudely earlier, and she truly feared he might retaliate.

Han Tao hadn't tasted home-cooked food in ages. Although he didn't have to eat fast food in Thailand, it wasn't quite to his liking. Suddenly tasting the flavor of food from his hometown, he remarked, "Your cooking is good." Seeing the visibly nervous Shi Man, Han Tao thought, how could I possibly hold a grudge against a young girl? What would I even do?

Although the food Shi Man made wasn't as delicious as Wang Qiqi’s, it was nice for a change of pace now and then. "This is quite tasty, Manman. You'll be blessed with happiness by your man in the future." Zhang Yan mused, "If I were a man, I would definitely marry you."

"Absolutely, Manman is a man! I would pursue you relentlessly; you are definitely a fine, new kind of man," Shi Hongrui declared, shaking her head.

What Zhang Yan said wasn't entirely outrageous and seemed quite normal, but things took a turn later when they started calling Manman a man. "Oh, judging by what Rongrong means, are you looking for a man who can earn money and also do housework?" Wang Qiqi inwardly thought Shi Hongrui was setting her standards too high.

"If such a man existed, he wouldn't be left for us," Zhang Yan sighed. A man like that would certainly be highly sought after.

Han Tao watched as the conversation smoothly shifted from food to the requirements for men. He listened, utterly dumbfounded. Putting aside whether he was familiar with them or not, the fact that he was a man sitting right there while they discussed such things seemed rather inappropriate, didn't it? Of course, what concerned Han Tao more was: did they usually discuss their demands for men like this?

Wang Qiqi also sensed Han Tao's discomfort and quickly finished the last few bites of her meal. "Thank you so much for the meal today, Manman. For tomorrow's BBQ, Qiqi, I'll leave the marinating of the meat to you." Given the excellent meal just served by this person, Wang Qiqi felt that marinating meat would be no problem for her either.

Shi Man hadn't expected that instead of critiquing her cooking, she would be assigned an extra task. "Hey, Wang Qiqi, you..." That was simply too wicked. "A woman who has a man to rely on is certainly different," Shi Man declared sharply.

Wang Qiqi paid her no mind. "Enough said. I'm going upstairs to tidy up my room now. Oh, right, I won't be staying here tonight; I'll be over in the afternoon tomorrow too." She left immediately to wander around nearby. Even aimless wandering might bring her joy, simply because she was spending time with Han Tao.

"Ah, you won't be here for breakfast?" The moment Shi Man spoke, she realized the implication of her words. "Right. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. You two will definitely be sleeping in tomorrow." It was entirely possible they might sleep until the afternoon. As for why they would need so much sleep, no one was foolish; they all knew the reason.

Wang Qiqi turned and saw Shi Man making a face at her, making her truly want to swing at her a couple of times. However, as a knowledgeable and elegant woman, she couldn't resort to that. Wang Qiqi mouthed something to Shi Man, "I hope you aren't like this when Old Feng arrives." Hmph, compared to her and Han Tao, it seemed certain someone else and her man hadn't seen each other in a long while. Wang Qiqi thought that the excitement between those who hadn't met in ages would surely be more intense than hers, and that would be her time for revenge.

Shi Man understood what Wang Qiqi was communicating. She immediately felt a sense of dread and regretted her words. Knowing Qiqi wasn't that easy to deal with, why had she fearlessly delivered herself to be bullied by someone? "I'm worried the meat I marinate won't taste good," Shi Man called out as she ran to the foot of the stairs toward Wang Qiqi. "To avoid wasting the meat, why don't you start marinating it right now? I... I'll immediately go out and buy more meat." Shi Man hadn't planned on going out; after all, there was some frozen meat at home, but she worried Qiqi wanted fresh meat, so she decided to make the trip. She figured this way, Qiqi would have no excuse not to start working.

Shi Man's calculation was quite good, but the problem was, how could Qiqi help with the work after she’d just spoken? "Progress comes from practice. Look how good your cooking was today. We can take turns cooking from now on," Wang Qiqi said with an expression of goodwill.

Shi Man obviously knew that cooking more often would improve her skills, but the truth was, she had no interest in it whatsoever. "I understand," Shi Man replied, knowing she should probably keep quiet and not interrupt Qiqi and her man's time alone, lest she invite some form of teasing. "Um, I have some pastries left at home. Would you like to take some with you?"

Wang Qiqi had initially intended to refuse, as they were made yesterday, and they would be two days old by tomorrow. But then she reconsidered, realizing her man hadn't had her homemade pastries in a long time. "That would be much appreciated."

Shi Man had only asked out of politeness, but she never expected Qiqi to accept so readily. Once the words were out, she couldn't take them back. She just hoped that when Rui Rui and the others found out, they wouldn't blame her.

Han Tao noticed Shi Man's slightly deflated expression. Although he felt a slight disappointment about potentially missing out on his wife's pastries, they could always make more tomorrow. Just as he was about to say no need, Qiqi grabbed Han Tao and rushed toward the second floor. "We still have to clean up. Oh, right, you haven't toured the second floor yet, have you?"

Han Tao could only give Shi Man an apologetic glance before following Wang Qiqi upstairs.

Han Tao looked at the spotlessly clean bathroom. "It's quite clean. A girls' dormitory indeed." If it were a boys' dormitory, it would surely be dirty and chaotic.

"We divided the labor," Wang Qiqi thought. If they hadn't divided the work properly back then, the bathroom might not be this clean, plus they all had ample time before school started. "It probably won't be this clean once school begins. By the way, since you aren't staying here now, do you still have to pay rent?" Wang Qiqi felt angry just thinking about it. The room was large enough as it was, but the fact that school hadn't started and the person wasn't even staying there, yet rent had to be paid—what a spendthrift.

"If I hadn't rented early, I wouldn't have secured such a prime location. You know those places never lack tenants." Han Tao thought that if it weren't for a colleague's relative attending university nearby who happened to be graduating in the summer, he might not have secured this apartment at all. "The bathroom is nice, but it’s quite far from your room. In winter..." Other seasons were fine; winter was the main concern.

"In winter, we might stay downstairs," Wang Qiqi mused. Although they could use air conditioning or other heating devices, the heating fees were quite expensive. It would be better to huddle in the living room. They would just need to prepare more firewood in the autumn and go to the mountains occasionally to gather dry branches.

The living room downstairs? Han Tao wondered why they would stay there. It was empty; how could it be as comfortable as sleeping in a bed? But there was a fireplace there; he understood. "You mean..."

Wang Qiqi nodded. "We can also roast things over it." While they couldn't go as far as a full BBQ, roasting sweet potatoes, potatoes, or even just boiling water would be fine. Of course, if they weren't too fussy, they could even boil noodles or have hotpot.

Listening to Wang Qiqi's plans for the future fireplace, Han Tao had only one thought: is this a fireplace or a stove? It seems to have too many uses. Han Tao truly couldn't imagine the living room eventually smelling of instant noodles and hotpot. Could one even sleep there? Wouldn't the clothes pick up a strange smell?

"Am I good at managing our household?" Wang Qiqi looked somewhat foolishly at Han Tao, wondering what he was thinking. If she had known what was going on in his head earlier, she would have shouted at him.

Hearing the self-praise, Han Tao could only nod in agreement. A wife who calculates the cost of gas so meticulously—wasn't that being resourceful? "Alright, the second floor tour is over. Let's go to your room." Although the second floor was large, removing the four bedrooms left little else worth seeing.

Wang Qiqi took a basin from a bathroom and filled it with water. "You look around, I'll clean up." She had made the room a bit messy earlier while cleaning the desk. Wang Qiqi planned to have Han Tao start his tour by sitting on her bed as soon as he entered.

Han Tao sat on Wang Qiqi’s bed, speaking with a mixture of amusement and helplessness. "Do I have to sit like this?" It wasn't that Qiqi's mattress was uncomfortable—in fact, sitting on the mattress allowed him to catch a scent that was distinctly Qiqi's—but the problem was he wanted to see what was hidden behind that circle of cloth covering things. Now, nestled on the bed, he couldn't move and could only see the items on the surface.

Wang Qiqi wiped a bit of sweat and rinsed the floor cloth in the basin of water. "Let me just wipe this down, and then you can look around." If she let this man roam freely, wouldn't all her effort be wasted? "I'll be quick."

Han Tao knew he could only wait. But sitting on the soft mattress, Han Tao suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to sleep. Although he had managed a nap on the plane, the cramped space in economy class, right next to the aisle, meant he hadn't rested well. Upon arriving, he immediately started working; he was truly exhausted. Slowly, he transitioned from a sitting posture to lying down, and before long, his eyelids grew heavy.

Wang Qiqi had just finished wiping and was about to remind Han Tao that he could come down and inspect her room. When she looked up, she found the man already asleep, emitting soft snores. Wang Qiqi quietly walked to the bedside, draped the towel blanket over him, and then gently picked up the basin of water to go downstairs and change it, intending to continue cleaning the floor. Even these movements, though gentle, weren't completely silent, yet the man remained completely unresponsive, not even rolling over once.

Shi Man lightly knocked on the bedroom door. Only after receiving Wang Qiqi's permission to enter did she push the door open, only to find Han Tao asleep on Qiqi's bed while Wang Qiqi sat on the floor working on her computer. This scene was vastly different from the situation the five of them had discussed earlier.

Wang Qiqi looked at the slightly disappointed Shi Man. "He’s tired; he fell asleep shortly after coming up." Wang Qiqi glanced at the time displayed on the computer screen and was startled. "Is it already 9:30?" It was getting late; walking from here to the hotel took a good half hour.

Shi Man looked at the snoring man. "How about letting Han Tao stay here tonight?" At most, everyone would be careful. Besides, things had been fine before, hadn't they? Even though they were all women, they didn't dress provocatively in the common areas, so Han Tao staying here shouldn't be an issue, especially since he wasn't intentionally overstaying. "Han Tao put in a lot of effort today."

Wang Qiqi knew that if Zhang Yan and the others knew the situation, they would agree to let Han Tao stay, but Wang Qiqi genuinely didn't want to break the rule. "Tao, Tao, wake up." Wang Qiqi walked to the bedside and gently shook Han Tao's body. After all, she had to wake him up eventually, so waking him up half an hour earlier or later made no difference; it was better for him to get up early and sleep at the hotel, where he could rest more comfortably without being disturbed.

Han Tao initially waved his hand away. "So tired, let me sleep a little longer," he pleaded, "Just five more minutes, five minutes, only five minutes."

Wang Qiqi heard the man sounding like he was whining and knew she couldn't indulge him. "Get up, get up, we need to go back and sleep."

Shi Man watched this rare scene unfold, with only one thought in mind: why hadn't she brought her digital camera? It would have been a wonderful thing to photograph this moment. But if she went out to get it now, Shi Man was certain she wouldn't be allowed back in; that girl Qiqi would definitely lock the door. Moreover, Han Tao might have woken up by then.

Wang Qiqi, busy trying to rouse the lazy man who didn't want to get up, was completely unaware of Shi Man's internal conflict.

Han Tao had assumed that the person next to him, hearing his request for five more minutes, would let him sleep a bit longer. To his surprise, she kept shaking him persistently. Han Tao became annoyed and abruptly sat up. "I'm getting up, I'm getting up! Stop rushing, rushing, you're like the Grim Reaper!" After saying this, Han Tao immediately flopped back down to sleep. He was genuinely exhausted; it felt like he had only just drifted off.

Wang Qiqi and Shi Man were both startled by Han Tao's sudden outburst and were momentarily speechless. When they recovered, they saw Han Tao had already settled back onto the bed.

Wang Qiqi got angry. Did he think he was still a child? "Get up, Han Tao, we still have to go to the hotel." Wang Qiqi realized they had already wasted half an hour on him. "If you don't get up now, you can go to the hotel by yourself."

The hotel? Han Tao mumbled groggily. Wasn't he supposed to be staying at a hotel? Why was he suddenly going to stay there alone? Wait—Han Tao finally remembered. He had come to England to visit Wang Qiqi, and then he recalled all the good things he had done recently.

Han Tao thought, This is bad; Qiqi is angry. He lay there a while longer before slowly opening his eyes. "Qiqi?"

Seeing that Han Tao wasn't looking at her, Wang Qiqi knew this boy must have remembered what she had been cross about. However, Wang Qiqi didn't want to explode right then, especially with Shi Man present. She wanted to save her man some face. "Alright, hurry up and get ready; we still have to walk there." While her words sounded accommodating, her eyes betrayed her true feelings.

Han Tao saw Wang Qiqi's strained, almost-smiling expression and knew that while she wasn't exploding now, she certainly would later. But if Qiqi was going to explode, didn't he have a countermeasure? "Qiqi, I'm so tired, really so tired. I was hoping to talk with you for a bit, but my eyelids are too heavy."

Although she knew the man was feigning weakness, Wang Qiqi still fell for it easily. "Then just tidy yourself up a little. Oh, and grab the clothes you need to change into today. Let's go to the hotel."

Shi Man had been hoping Han Tao would resist Wang Qiqi and was curious how Qiqi would respond. But unexpectedly, after Han Tao just played the pitiful card, Qiqi let him off so easily. She was dumbfounded, but she couldn't very well ask Qiqi why she had let Han Tao off so quickly. "Um, I'll go downstairs and pack the pastries."

The literal "third wheel" was finally gone. Han Tao slowly shuffled over to Wang Qiqi and threw an arm around her. "Qiqi, I missed you so much. We will definitely be happier than your Uncle and Aunt, right?" Han Tao had thought Wang Da Mei was very happy, but he hadn't expected the seemingly upright Song Wenbo to have such a history in his youth, and now seemed inclined to pick it up again in his old age. This experience had somewhat shattered Han Tao's perception of love, but thankfully, he had Qiqi by his side.

"Happiness isn't about comparison; it's about how an individual feels. Perhaps they think our long separations aren't happy. Do you feel happy?" Wang Qiqi was genuinely displeased that Han Tao was comparing their relationship to Song Wenbo's. If it weren't for that incident in his youth, perhaps Qiqi could have understood Song Wenbo. But ever since that youthful indiscretion was revealed, Wang Qiqi's overall impression of Song Wenbo had soured significantly.

"Of course we are happy," Han Tao stated firmly. "We aren't separating because we fight; we are separating for our futures." Han Tao understood that since he was abroad for so long, Qiqi, who remained in the country, must have heard rumors. "Besides, you graduate from your Master's next year, and then we can reunite. Oh, Qiqi, have you considered pursuing your Ph.D. in the States?" Han Tao suddenly had this thought. In his view, if Qiqi pursued further education, it would also be good for him.

The sudden shift in topic was jarring for Wang Qiqi, and the subject itself was terrifying. "A Ph.D.?" Wang Qiqi’s voice trembled. For her, earning a Master's was already a monumental achievement. A Ph.D. seemed like something only dreamed of. "Let's consider that later." Hmph, wanting her to get a Ph.D. so she could just sit beside him foolishly? A Ph.D. could easily take five, eight, or even ten years. And what about having children? She would eventually have to stop studying, wouldn't she? "Besides, if I'm a Ph.D. candidate and you're a Master's student, it just sounds awkward to others." Although foreigners didn't put much stock in such things, Chinese people did.

"I don't care," Han Tao said very seriously. "If I cared about those things, perhaps we wouldn't have been together from the start." Back then, when so many people heard Qiqi was with him, there were expressions of surprise, disbelief, and judgments that Qiqi had poor taste, plus those looks treating him like a kept man. If Han Tao had been a bit more proud, he definitely wouldn't have ended up with Qiqi. But he hadn't let those things factor in, so Qiqi having a higher degree than him was, in Han Tao's view, completely irrelevant. "What those people say is their business; what matters is how I see it."

Wang Qiqi believed this, but the problem was that this eliminated her excuse for not studying further. Her face drooped, and she admitted honestly, "I really don't want to do a Ph.D. Since primary school, I've been studying for sixteen years. Thank goodness the Master's is only one year; even so, I've studied for seventeen years. And that's not counting kindergarten; if we count that, it would be twenty-one years. Look how old I am now." Calculating it was frightening—nearly eighty percent of her life so far had been spent in school. She had truly been studying since childhood.

"In short, I don't care. I am not studying for a Ph.D., at least not for the next ten years," Wang Qiqi stated firmly. "After graduating with my Master's, I genuinely need a long break from school," Wang Qiqi added, just in case he might try to persuade her to pursue a second Master's degree.

It must be said that Wang Qiqi's caveat was delivered quickly. Han Tao had initially considered suggesting she pursue another Master's if she didn't want a Ph.D. After all, in his eyes, whether Qiqi studied or what degree she obtained was unimportant; the key was being with him. But unexpectedly, Qiqi had preemptively vetoed this plan. "You..."

"I will miss you so much. I really don't want to be separated from you again. Every time I watch customs separate us, my heart aches..." Han Tao said, putting his arm around Wang Qiqi's shoulder, describing how reluctant he was to leave her.

Wang Qiqi could tell from the force of his embrace how worried he was. "Don't worry. Although I will travel, I will definitely come back often to be with you. Don't forget, you're a prize catch; if I gave you up, I would regret it immensely," Wang Qiqi said, emphasizing every word. "Alright, let's go. If we delay any longer, they might start wondering what we've been doing upstairs."

"Right, right, we need to go back to the hotel," Han Tao said excitedly. Thinking about the happy life that awaited them, his entire body surged with excitement. Then, a certain disobedient part of him showed signs of rising again. To avoid public embarrassment, Han Tao took several deep breaths to calm his excitement. "By the way, did you book the train tickets?" Han Tao changed the subject. He noticed Wang Qiqi turned her back to him, sticking her bottom out while rummaging for clothes, and the previously rising part of him showed signs of returning. Han Tao quickly turned his back to Wang Qiqi, pulled aside the curtain, and looked inside to see what things she had stashed there. Looking at the contents, he finally understood why Qiqi had installed that curtain—it was to hide the less desirable items. "Cloth coverings like that seem to gather dust very easily, and they get dirty quickly," Han Tao remarked, voicing his thoughts.

These shortcomings, Wang Qiqi certainly knew, but the question was, "Am I supposed to buy scraps of cloth to wrap them all up?" Wang Qiqi thought that if she really did that, there would be a real problem; never mind the immense trouble and expense of making such things, "And even if I did wrap them up, wouldn't they still collect dust?" However, some garments did warrant consideration for dust protection. "Books and similar items can simply be shaken off if they gather dust, but clothes present a bit of an issue. I planned on using plastic bags for those."

"Buy storage bins," Han Tao said. He knew Wang Qiqi was hesitant to spend too much money on a place they'd only occupy for a year, but some expenditures were necessary. "It's certainly better than you constantly washing clothes. Besides, if clothes are just left out, even wrapped in plastic bags, they'll easily lose their shape, not to mention finding anything becomes difficult."

Seeing Han Tao so adamant, Wang Qiqi offered no further objection. Storage bins were indeed the best solution, and the price probably wasn't exorbitant; though buying second-hand ones would naturally be ideal.