Not long after she saw Han Tao and the others off, and before Wang Qiqi could lament how quiet the house felt with just one person, the place was buzzing with activity, starting with Shi Man flying in from back home.

The moment someone booked their flight, they emailed Qiqi, reminding her to pick them up at the airport. Then, as soon as they boarded, they called Qiqi, telling her the arrival time in London. To this, Wang Qiqi replied that she had no time to go to London to pick her up. As if! Not only did she have to start work at the studio now, but even if she didn't have work, was she supposed to drive all the way to London? That would mean she’d be sleeping in the plane while the other drove on the ground toward London—now that would truly be insane.

Even when Shi Man threatened over the phone that if Qiqi didn’t pick her up, she wouldn’t bring any of the delicious hometown gifts, Qiqi simply shrugged it off. Since the person already had the gifts on the plane, she wasn't worried; let the other person stomp her feet in frustration.

As soon as Shi Man walked out of the station, she spotted Wang Qiqi leaning against the car. Although she tried hard to pretend she hadn't seen her, burdened with bags and luggage, she could only pout as she walked over to Qiqi. "I'm back."

Wang Qiqi knew the other was still a bit annoyed, so she helped load the luggage into the trunk. "Welcome back." Qiqi scanned Shi Man up and down, noting that despite the long flight, the other seemed quite energetic. "Was the trip back smooth?"

Shi Man grunted. "Mostly smooth, except for a bit of trouble with my cousin."

Shi Man’s cousin? Wang Qiqi found that a little strange. Why bring up her cousin? She wasn't familiar with that side of the family at all.

"The one marrying Gao Kai," Shi Man explained. She had expected the trip back to be smooth, but she never imagined running into such a bizarre incident. "Just marrying Gao Kai? I wonder if she even has the ability to hold onto the title of Mrs. Gao."

Shi Man had dined with Juliana when she was back home and learned a few things. She felt utterly disdainful of how her cousin managed to "conquer" Gao Kai, yet the other kept bragging about it in front of her. In short, Shi Man felt nauseous just thinking about it.

"Let's not talk about her; it’s depressing. By the way, did you know Wang Rui is hooking up with Gao Kai again?" Bringing up her cousin was pointless to Qiqi, and there was a more pressing matter at hand.

Wang Qiqi was stunned when she heard this. She momentarily forgot to drive. "You’re not mistaken?" Wang Qiqi wondered, considering Gao Kai’s character—how could he possibly be with Wang Rui, who had dumped him? Qiqi couldn't understand why Gao Kai would choose Wang Rui. Was it really true love? Moreover, Song Ziwen and the others had never mentioned such a major development. Did they not know, or were they deliberately hiding it? If it was the former, fine. If it was the latter, Wang Qiqi felt that was a huge problem.

"Nope." Shi Man saw Qiqi’s expression of shock mixed with deep thought. "Your brother and the others still don't know. If Juliana hadn't spotted them sneaking into a hotel in another city, no one would have suspected."

So, Song Ziwen didn't know. Wang Qiqi breathed a sigh of relief. "Does your sister know?" Sigh. If Wang Rui was determined to walk this path, Wang Qiqi couldn't stop her, nor could she. She hoped Shi Man’s cousin wouldn't direct her anger toward Qiqi’s brother if she found out. But even if she did, what could she do?

"The key isn't whether she knows, but that she should know Gao Kai has other women. All she needs to do is secure her position as Mrs. Gao." Shi Man understood her cousin well; her cousin was no saint herself. "As long as Gao Kai sends money on time so she can live the life of a rich wife, that’s enough. Of course, he can’t have children with the other woman, as that would mean fighting for inheritance with her future child."

Wang Qiqi was dumbfounded upon hearing Shi Man’s explanation. No wonder Manman kept calling her cousin a piece of work—she truly was one, clearly only interested in money. "Your sister and Gao Kai are quite a match. But Wang Rui is absolutely not the type to remain a mistress long-term." Perhaps Wang Rui was initially after Gao Kai’s money, but given how well he was developing, Wang Qiqi didn't believe Wang Rui would settle for being a mistress forever. "Sigh, I need to tell my brother and the others." The Wang family hadn't produced a mistress yet, and Wang Rui was about to be the first. When she was messing around in other cities, people could ignore it, but now that she was openly involved with Gao Kai, Qiqi felt obligated to inform them, at least so Song Ziwen could prepare. "What if Wang Rui clashes with your sister?"

"That has nothing to do with us. You don't get along with Wang Rui, and I don't get along with her either." Shi Man knew Qiqi was worried about how her parents might view Qiqi. "Relax. My parents aren't oblivious to your family's messy affairs. Besides, look how well you, your brother, and your sister are doing now; they won't associate you with Wang Rui."

Since Shi Man had said that, Wang Qiqi naturally felt reassured. As for what kind of life Wang Rui would lead afterward, Qiqi felt it had nothing to do with her. "Oh, I remembered something important." Wang Qiqi grabbed her luggage, pushed open the kitchen door, and went inside, relaying the matter she had discussed with Han Tao to Shi Man. "I think the prospects are good, but in the IT industry, you know, if you succeed, the profits and future are fantastic. Especially if it goes public—it might make you a millionaire overnight, and a billionaire wouldn't be a dream. Of course, many don't succeed and end up losing everything completely." Wang Qiqi needed to make this risk clear to Shi Man; all investments carried risk.

Shi Man was aware of this, but she was puzzled. "Why can’t you get investment, so you’re coming to me?" Shi Man found it strange. When she returned to China, Feng Xuanxiang had told her that Han Tao was starting a business and hoped he could secure funding. Shi Man had also heard bits and pieces from Wang Qiqi about Han Tao wanting to establish his own venture. But Qiqi asking her for investment seemed genuinely odd.

If it were a seasoned professional seeking investment, they certainly wouldn't be as direct as Wang Qiqi. Even when mentioning risks, they would gloss over them briefly while focusing heavily on painting a rosy future. But Wang Qiqi wasn't a seasoned professional, and she was asking Shi Man for investment. "It's not that I can't get investment; I just feel..."

Before Wang Qiqi could finish, Shi Man cut in directly. "How much are you planning to invest?" Shi Man certainly knew there was risk involved, but frankly, she didn't understand the so-called IT field. Even with good connections in IT, it was like reading ancient scripture to her. There was only one reason she would invest: Wang Qiqi. "Just be direct. If you aren't investing, I absolutely won't either. Even if you spin the most elaborate tales, it's an industry I don't understand and have never entered. Making money isn't easy for me either; it doesn't just blow in on the wind." If Shi Man had a choice, she would rather put her money into an industry she understood, or simply buy property. Even if she couldn't afford a house in the US, she could buy one back home. But since Qiqi was going in, Shi Man was curious to try. What if she guessed right, and it turned out to be a quick way to accumulate wealth? Even her own man was willing to invest.

"Don't invest just because of me. Although I'm optimistic, some things aren't guaranteed based on effort." Wang Qiqi stared at Shi Man for a long moment before speaking slowly.

Shi Man wanted to say Qiqi was overthinking things. "I’m an adult now, and I’ve been running a business for a while. I’m not someone who gives up after hearing one or two platitudes." "Enough said. I’m tired; I need to go to my room and rest." Shi Man yawned. "Oh, by the way, everything in those plastic bags are things I brought from home, including gifts from your brother and sister-in-law."

Wang Qiqi responded with a brief "Oh," and waved her off to rest. "Oh, right, your room hasn't been cleaned yet. Should I sleep in my room?" Even though Qiqi knew when they were returning, she wouldn't clean the room herself; that involved personal privacy, and she needed to respect that. "Or you can sleep in the living room."

"No thanks. It’s freezing in the living room; the fireplace isn't even lit." Shi Man thought that if the living room was this cold, she might as well sleep in Qiqi’s room, especially since she needed a hot shower anyway. "By the way, when are Yan Yan and the others coming back?" Shi Man had assumed she would be the last to return, but it turned out she was back first from the distant East. Those who traveled to Italy hadn't returned yet; Shi Man truly admired how adventurous they were.

"Seems like the day after tomorrow," Wang Qiqi wasn't entirely sure. "They plan to take the bus back slowly." Wang Qiqi really admired their choice of travel—they probably wouldn't think of coming back until the start of the semester. "You all had such comfortable holidays, while I'm miserable. Not only was my vacation canceled, which was bad enough, but I also got hit by a once-in-a-decade snowstorm." Wang Qiqi felt quite bitter thinking about it. If Fatty hadn't arrived, she would have immediately grabbed Han Tao and gone on vacation abroad regardless of the ticket prices after hearing the news. But with Fatty there, it was different. Of course, by the time they knew the news, tickets and train reservations were already mostly booked.

"There's money to be earned." Shi Man considered how unlucky Qiqi was to encounter such a natural disaster. "Poor thing; heaven won't let you have it too easy forever."

"Oh, right, your dividend?" Shi Man suddenly remembered something crucial related to treating them all to a big meal. She needed to know about the money. Didn't Qiqi say earlier that the mission was almost complete, and dividends would be issued after the final wrap-up? Qiqi was already back at work, so the payout should have been ready, right?

"It hasn't come out yet." Honestly, it wasn't just Manman who was concerned; Wang Qiqi was also looking forward to that money. However, due to that massive blizzard, the final cleanup seemed to have run into some trouble. "Apparently, the profit was much lower than expected."

Shi Man was stunned. What kind of development was this? "Didn't you say things were going very smoothly before?" Shi Man forgot all about sleeping; this was the real issue. She knew that if Qiqi planned to invest, this dividend money was supposed to be the source of funding. But how could this change have happened? Less profit meant less reward from the boss, which meant less for Qiqi’s share too?

"We had a blizzard here, but it wasn't snowing outside. Those people knew we couldn't operate here, so of course, they happily raked in the profits." Although everyone had been allied before, once the outcome was decided and one party withdrew for whatever reason, the remaining ones would only rejoice and try to make as much money as possible. If someone else had been in this situation, Wang Qiqi guaranteed that Mark and the others would have fought even harder.

"Never mind that. Even though the profit is less, the mission was completed successfully. The boss said in yesterday's meeting that the task was executed well." More than the money, Wang Qiqi was happy the mission was finished. Her first project since joining the team hadn't been messed up, or she really would have choked. What if the team members thought the unsuccessful completion was due to the newcomer?

"Alright, go to sleep." Wang Qiqi urged Shi Man upstairs to rest, while she needed to prepare dinner and finish the remaining translation drafts. Since the expected dividend had shrunk considerably, Wang Qiqi naturally needed to work harder to earn money. This investment attempt left a deep impression on her: some things really don't yield returns proportional to effort. Didn't Mark and the others put in a lot? Although there were setbacks, overall, the latter half went smoothly, but just when everyone thought victory was assured, fate played such a cruel joke. It was destiny. But she certainly wouldn't voice such discouraging thoughts, not even to Shi Man.

"You should take care of your rest too." When Shi Man went upstairs, she saw Wang Qiqi sitting in the living room facing her computer and knew she was preparing to work again.

"No, I want to see if my sister and the others are online." Given such major news, Wang Qiqi felt she absolutely had to give Song Yao a heads-up first. How they would deal with Wang Rui afterward wasn't Qiqi's concern, but she was confident that even if Song Ziwen and the others had opinions, they wouldn't abandon her.

Just as Wang Qiqi predicted, when Song Yao learned about Wang Rui, although it was a video call and the camera quality wasn't great, Qiqi could still see Song Yao's face distort with anger.

Song Yao: Don't deal with this; I'll tell Song Ziwen.

Wang Qiqi thought that she wasn't planning to deal with it anyway. If the other wanted to be a mistress, let her. As for the Wang family's reputation? Sorry, she was making it big in the US; the reputation of the family back home had nothing to do with her. "Talk to brother; Gao Kai’s future wife isn't a pushover."

Song Yao acknowledged this: "Wang Rui, that girl, circling around, ends up with Gao Kai again. Why did she break up with him in the first place? If only..." (Song Yao felt a bit sorry for Wang Rui. If she had known Gao Kai would end up like this, she shouldn't have broken up; if they had just stayed together, Gao Kai would be doing quite well now, and he wouldn't be so reckless. But Wang Rui insisted on breaking up, only to return when she saw Gao Kai doing well. Song Yao wondered if Gao Kai was planning some kind of revenge. But since the other person wasn't worried, why should she fret?)

Wang Qiqi had already thought of one possibility: "Sister, do you think Gao Kai getting back with her is because of my brother...?" (It wasn't that Qiqi was overthinking; it was just that Song Ziwen’s cabinet factory was established now. While not massive, it was decent. Combined with her relationship with Song Ziwen and her ties with Juliana, Wang Qiqi wondered if Gao Kai was trying to make some subtle moves through Wang Rui.)

After Qiqi voiced her concern, although Song Yao said things like "impossible" on her face, her expression, which had been a mix of disdain and aloofness, suddenly became serious. Song Yao wasn't foolish; she had been in business for many years and seen much. Moreover, Wang Rui was incredibly thick-skinned, something Song Yao had experienced many times. Just being Wang Damei's niece meant her relationship with the Song family couldn't be too distant. This was something Song Yao couldn't easily accept, as she and Song Ziwen planned to emigrate later; why bother with Wang Rui then? But now, this person might cause trouble and disgust them. "I understand; I'll tell Song Ziwen to be careful."

Wang Qiqi watched Song Yao's avatar, which hadn't gone offline but had stopped chatting, knowing she was likely going to discuss the matter with Song Ziwen. Qiqi was somewhat relieved. Even if the other party tried some tactic based on benefits, as long as Song Ziwen knew about Gao Kai's wife's background and capabilities, he would understand that whether Gao Kai would legitimize Wang Rui depended on the Song family's actions. This way, even if Song Ziwen and his wife were persuaded by Wang Rui, and Wang Damei wanted to help her niece a little, they would carefully consider the situation. They would never risk cutting off their own foundation for minor gains.

Wang Qiqi smiled slightly and opened her mailbox, ready to start working. Perhaps it was her good mood or the low difficulty of the tasks, but by the time Shi Man came swaying down the stairs, she had already finished several of the assigned translations.

Shi Man looked at the cheerful Wang Qiqi and then peered at the computer screen. "You're working hard again. By the way, do you know what Yan Yan and Zhao Rongrong are planning to do?"

Wang Qiqi looked up, puzzled. "What are they planning?" Qiqi genuinely had no idea what their intentions were.

"They're planning to go back to China and set up some kind of website, featuring tourism-related things. They also plan to do something with hotels and tickets..." Shi Man couldn't quite explain the specifics of the website they intended to build. The only thing she knew was that Zhang Yan and Zhao Rongrong seemed ready to abandon the specialties they had studied for years, though what they were pursuing was likely related to their interests. In Shi Man’s eyes, could this website actually make money? Even if websites burn cash initially, shouldn't there be a glimmer of hope?

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Zhang Yan and Zhao Rongrong to be so determined. This sounded like setting up something similar to Ctrip. Whether they could succeed was uncertain. If she had a choice, Wang Qiqi would rather start a literary website. Don't judge by the current lack of prospects; in a few years, it would definitely be a profitable industry. The best option would be setting up an online gaming company. The initial investment would be huge, but so would the returns—look at how many big spenders throw fortunes away in games. Regarding the former (literary sites), Wang Qiqi wouldn't get involved. As for the latter (gaming company), Wang Qiqi thought it was promising, with huge potential. Unfortunately, her own man probably couldn't dedicate his focus to it, and for other candidates, Wang Qiqi didn't know anyone suitable. So, she didn't know what to do.

"What are you thinking about?" Seeing Qiqi’s expression, Shi Man knew Qiqi might have another money-making idea. She immediately nudged Wang Qiqi. If it was a grand scheme for profit, Shi Man absolutely couldn't afford to miss out.

"I was just thinking that setting up a website is less profitable than setting up an online gaming company." Wang Qiqi knew that even if Shi Man knew her thoughts, she wouldn't act on them because she lacked the people or a good project. They could always license an old American game—that one was a classic, and even after disputes over changing distributors, its position in China remained unshaken. But alas, looking at such a lucrative industry, Wang Qiqi admitted she didn't have the appetite to take it on. Furthermore, at this time, few people in China knew about World of Warcraft, let alone Shi Man, who wasn't interested in online games.

Regarding online games, Shi Man had no frame of reference. The only online games she understood were those involving playing cards, like Lianzhong. "Forget it; that’s not interesting." After a pause, she added, "Actually, they mentioned it to me; I think they probably want me to invest. Qiqi, what do you think?"

"I won't invest." Wang Qiqi stated first. "All my money is tied up with my man." Why wouldn't she back her own man? Even if Zhang Yan and the others managed to make their website successful, Wang Qiqi had no intention of joining. "Oh, how is Bai Ge’s business doing lately?" Wang Qiqi suddenly remembered Bai Ge, whom she hadn't contacted much recently. The other seemed incredibly busy. Although the training institution hadn't been open long, its reputation was quite good, and they had added a few more classes. While the number of students was still far from saturation, it was enough to make Song Yao happy.

"Business is booming, and after the New Year, even more people will sign up. But Bai Ge mentioned that once the TOEFL and IELTS scores come out, the projected enrollment numbers will climb even higher." Talking about this venture, Shi Man's face lit up with genuine delight. "Honestly, Qiqi, you really missed out by not investing back then." If Qiqi had put money in initially, perhaps the launch could have been even grander, but Qiqi simply refused to get involved.

Wang Qiqi didn't entirely agree with Shi Man's assessment. "Whether it's a loss or not depends on your perspective. Back then, where would I have gotten the money anyway?" Between various loans and the plan to immigrate to the States, she naturally needed to shrink her domestic assets. Besides, Bai Ge had been running things for so many years; she naturally wanted to call the shots herself, so why should Qiqi intervene? "It’s good that we’re partners now; let’s just focus on making this training institute excellent." Even if they dissolved the partnership later, she'd still walk away with a larger share.

"Don't worry. Yao Yao Jie and I will just collect our dividends. As for the day-to-day management, that’s all on Bai Ge. Aren't we ideal partners like this?"

That was true. Wang Qiqi didn't want to overthink it. Since Shi Man put it that way, things must be running smoothly. "Eat a good dinner, and then we’ll tidy up the living room, dining area, and kitchen together." Now that she finally had someone available to help, Wang Qiqi was certainly going to take full advantage and put Shi Man to work.