Having given JOHN Wang Qiqi’s email address, she promptly messaged Han Tao online. After all, for such a significant matter, she needed to keep them in the loop first. Of course, perhaps before she even managed to contact Han Tao, some impatient fellow had already fired off the email.

As expected, someone was indeed quick on the draw. The moment Wang Qiqi connected with Han Tao, he mentioned he had already received JOHN’s email. He had been wondering why Qiqi would still be trying to recruit investors when the company was already established—it didn't quite fit her usual style. After hearing Wang Qiqi’s explanation, Han Tao was left speechless. It took him a long moment to reply, finally telling Qiqi that she had his blessing to pursue the investment. He added that if JOHN ever found out how close they were to securing an on-site investor, he would probably cry buckets. While that was certainly an exaggeration, the underlying praise from her man made Wang Qiqi feel immensely gratified, and she accepted it without reservation.

Afterward, Wang Qiqi channeled all her energy into her graduation thesis. Even the minor translation tasks she used to keep an eye on were entirely handed over to Shi Man. Things had just been moving too fast. To ensure a smooth graduation, Wang Qiqi was going all out, often sequestered in her room working on the paper. She even delegated the task of borrowing books from the library to Shi Man and Zhang Yan. Not to mention the current status of the money she had given to Mark—Wang Qiqi was genuinely just one step away from literally tying a string to her hair and piercing her skin for sleepless study.

Zhang Yan watched Shi Man descend the stairs looking utterly defeated. “Qiqi refuses to come down for dinner?” Zhang Yan genuinely admired Wang Qiqi’s dedication; people’s potential truly was limitless.

Shi Man nodded, scooping a bowl of rice for herself, and then filling a large glass bowl with a generous portion of dishes. “She said she’s just finishing up the final touches and aims to send the thesis to the professor today so she can focus on the studio tomorrow without worry.” Shi Man didn't know how else to persuade Qiqi. Moreover, Qiqi had recently been avoiding Han Tao and Song Yao. Although they knew Qiqi was in isolation working hard on her thesis, since she promised to maintain regular eating and sleeping habits, they couldn't do much other than occasionally check with Shi Man to see if Qiqi was actually adhering to those promises. Under threat from the said person, Shi Man had no choice but to become an accomplice.

Shi Man could only hope that in the days to come, Qiqi would manage to eat well, drink well, and sleep well, striving to become a chubby little darling soon. However, judging by the current situation, that wish might be dashed again, as a busy studio was rarely less demanding than writing a thesis. “You haven't seen Qiqi; I honestly don't know how to describe her right now.” Food and drink were essentially delivered to her. As for bathing, Shi Man couldn't recall the last time Qiqi had showered. It seemed she barely went to the restroom for biological needs; it was quite terrifying.

“I saw Qiqi when I went to the restroom late last night; she looked like she was floating in mid-air.” Shi Hongrui watched the lavish spread of Chinese food Shi Man had prepared, her mouth watering uncontrollably. She had initially assumed that since she had spent so much time watching Qiqi and Shi Man cook, and having some basic culinary skills herself, the food Shi Man made would at least be edible, even if not exquisite. But reality had proven harsh; the few meals Shi Man had made tasted awful, which naturally made her angry. Yet, these past few days, Shi Man had been cooking only Chinese cuisine, and these were feasts. Shi Hongrui’s mouth dripped with saliva. She seriously suspected that Shi Man's previous insistence on frying steaks was a tactic designed to drive her away, and perhaps Zhao Rongrong’s reluctance to leave with her meant she knew about their plan. The thought soured Shi Hongrui’s opinion of Rongrong further, making her think: If you were going to try and persuade me, why didn't you see it through and lay everything out? Then I wouldn’t have thrown a tantrum about dissolving the partnership.

Shi Man had long noticed Shi Hongrui’s eyes lingering on her food, but frankly, she had no intention of inviting that woman to eat. A few days ago, Qiqi had kindly offered pointers, but Shi Hongrui had scorned the advice instead of listening. Later, realizing her own cooking was truly subpar, she complained about why Qiqi hadn’t offered more gentle persuasion. The memory annoyed Shi Man. “Yanyan, Rongrong, eat more. I made a better spread because I know Qiqi is swamped with her thesis. Starting tomorrow, it’s back to frying steak. Next time someone is rushing a report for a deadline and draining their body, I’ll prepare this kind of feast for them too.” Shi Man thought to herself: You think I purposely set this up to make you demand a partnership split? I won't let you have your way. This is a reward, meant to ensure Qiqi eats enough so she doesn't collapse.

Hearing that, Shi Hongrui inwardly cursed. So this lavish meal was entirely for that woman, Qiqi. But what angered her more was that Shi Man hadn't even invited her to eat. While she could have asked, who knew if Shi Man would agree? Plus, asking felt beneath her style. But as the dishes on the table dwindled and Shi Man’s glass bowl kept filling up, she couldn’t hold back. “There’s so much food; can Qiqi possibly eat all of it?” She was already so thin; why overload her? Wouldn’t it be better to save some and aim for a model’s weight?

“She has to eat it, or what about her health?” Shi Man shot back fiercely. Hmph, don’t think that just because Qiqi doesn't eat, these dishes are suddenly yours. Shi Man would rather dump the food than feed it to a thankless wretch. Besides, she’d cooked considering everyone’s palate, so there wouldn't be much left anyway.

“Exactly, she’s practically floating away from being so thin; Qiqi needs to build herself up, or she won't last,” Zhang Yan chimed in, helping Shi Man shovel more food into the glass bowl. Hmph, thinking you can freeload? Dream on. When you were mocking people before, did you ever consider the consequences? Now you regret it? Too late, sorry.

Zhao Rongrong remained silent, continuing to eat her portion. Although she wasn't as frantically busy as Qiqi, juggling translation work and coordinating website matters with Zhang Yan kept her immensely occupied. If she engaged in conversation with Shi Hongrui, it inevitably devolved into complaints within a few sentences. Zhao Rongrong found her patience rapidly diminishing. She truly wanted to advise Rui Rui that instead of constantly grumbling about one thing or another, it would be better to settle down and seriously consider the path forward.

Previously, Zhao Rongrong felt the gap between herself and Qiqi wasn't that significant, but now she realized Qiqi was fundamentally different from them. The reason she tolerated Shi Hongrui wasn't kindness; it was because, in Rongrong’s eyes, Shi Hongrui was becoming nothing more than a clown. If someone hadn't pushed things too far this time, they likely would have continued like this indefinitely.

Zhao Rongrong’s detached demeanor struck Shi Hongrui as a sign that Rongrong had allied herself with the higher-ups and was looking down on her. She inwardly resented Rongrong’s coldness. “Eat, eat. Today we’ll have noodles, and throw in a couple of eggs with a few lettuce leaves on top; that’ll look nice.” Despite her cheerful tone, she wasn't happy at all. Eggs weren't meat; no matter how pretty the color combination, it couldn’t compare to a piece of real meat.

“It will look nice. It would look even better if we used a bone broth base,” Shi Man said, walking past the woman with two fully loaded bowls of food, using words to provoke her further, as the action itself wasn't enough.

A bone broth base? Shi Hongrui clenched her fists tightly. Shi Man was becoming increasingly unbearable, deliberately needling her at a time like this. Did she think she was easy to bully?

Wang Qiqi had no idea that a fresh round of drama was brewing downstairs over a table of good food. Then, she caught a whiff of savory aroma, and the sight of the two large bowls appearing before her made her heart skip a beat. Good heavens, she knew she had been busy, eating less, sleeping less, and losing weight, but did they really have to treat her like a pig being fattened up? “This is too much,” Wang Qiqi pleaded pitifully. “Did you really give me half the dishes?”

“Eat,” Shi Man dismissed her concerns. “If you dare not finish all of this, don’t blame me for telling your sister and your man the truth.” Hmph, you threaten me? I’ll threaten you right back.

Wang Qiqi stared, dumbfounded. She hadn't expected the usually aloof Shi Man to resort to such heartless tactics. “Manman, you wouldn’t...”

“I am this cruel. Eat it, or the other one will be waiting nearby.” Shi Man had noticed the flash of glee on the other woman's face when she’d mentioned Qiqi was reluctant to eat.

Ah, she finally understood the situation. Wang Qiqi realized she was essentially designated as the garbage disposal. “I’d rather you gave it to her. You have no idea how much pressure I feel looking at this food.”

“Then save some for a late-night snack,” Shi Man immediately pressed her advantage when she saw Wang Qiqi waver slightly. “By the way, are you really finishing the thesis today?” You had only completed the framework earlier, and now, just a few days later, you’ve filled in all the content—that speed is borderline terrifying.

Wang Qiqi stifled a yawn and took the bowl from Shi Man’s hands. “Almost done. I won’t stay up late tonight; I’m exhausted.” If she hadn't maintained a regular exercise routine before, Wang Qiqi knew she wouldn't have made it through this current phase. During these busy days, she had barely moved, and many parts of her body felt uncomfortable, tightly wound. Most critically, her mind felt like it was constantly protesting because she had only been averaging a little over three hours of sleep. Wang Qiqi knew she should rest for a couple of days, but she simply couldn't; she could only hope to properly recuperate after graduation. “I really miss my bed.” Wang Qiqi couldn't even explain how she had managed lately; the fact that she could just collapse onto the floor for a few hours of sleep showed how hard she had been working.

“You brought this on yourself,” Shi Man expressed her opinion of Wang Qiqi’s self-abusive behavior. “I’ll give you a massage later, and then you can have a good, long sleep.” As for the feedback from the advisor, Shi Man felt Qiqi should put thesis-related matters aside, get a full night’s rest, and face the next battle in optimal condition.

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Shi Man to offer a massage too; naturally, she had no objections. A hot shower followed by a massage sounded like a recipe for sleeping straight through till dawn.

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