Anne had originally intended to give someone a sharp warning, to show off just how close she was with Tao. She never expected that after spending so long at the gym, she wouldn't even catch a glimpse of Tao. How could this not infuriate her? She knew Tao had been frequently accompanying Tom to work out ever since the physical examination reports came out. Yet, the moment Anne arrived, Tao was nowhere to be seen, not even Tom was around. It suddenly dawned on her why Angel hadn't reacted at all when she heard Anne was coming to the gym—they must have hatched this plan together. Anne’s teeth actually ached with suppressed anger. She didn't absolutely need to win Tao over, but her own boyfriend hadn't been in much contact with her lately. She knew she couldn't avoid relying on a sugar daddy, and after quickly assessing her current resources, Tao was clearly the most suitable candidate. She had planned a slow, deliberate approach, intending to make Tao appreciate her value until he gradually forgot his girlfriend studying in England. She never imagined, however, that not only would the other woman show up, but she would walk right into the office.

Even Anne, upon seeing her, understood this would be a difficult battle, but she hadn't anticipated it being this arduous. "I must succeed," Anne swore inwardly.

Wang Qiqi had no idea that Anne had internally escalated her threat level. At that moment, she was nestled in Han Tao's office, thoroughly engrossed in a book, occasionally snacking on fruit the fatty had gone downstairs to the supermarket to buy. That feeling was simply unbeatable, especially since she hadn't paid for the fruit herself.

Han Tao was highly attuned to Wang Qiqi's excellent mood. He couldn't figure out why Fatty seemed a bit evasive toward Qiqi during lunch, and what was more surprising, he had actually gone out to buy fruit afterward. "You seem very happy today. Can you tell me what happened?" Han Tao recalled that before lunch, Fatty had been mumbling to Qiqi at her desk for quite a while. "Did Fatty beg your pardon?" But that didn't seem right either. Qiqi wouldn't agree to Fatty abandoning his workout regime, so what was the point of him buying all this fruit?

"It's his apology gift for withholding information," Wang Qiqi stated plainly, hiding nothing about Fatty helping her monitor Han Tao. "He said he would help me watch if you were flirting with anyone else in the company. He kept saying you were a good person and hadn't done anything to betray me."

Han Tao felt a knot tighten in his chest upon hearing the first part. He knew he hadn't done anything to deserve Fatty's ire, but Fatty had a knack for exaggerating things. What if he had said something over the line? Thankfully, Fatty hadn't ruined his reputation, but the question remained: why was Fatty apologizing with gifts? Han Tao was genuinely perplexed.

"He didn't tell me about Anne's feelings for you, which made me look quite foolish today," Wang Qiqi said, setting down her book and looking intently at Han Tao. She wanted to gauge whether he knew about Anne's attraction to him.

It involved Anne, so of course, he knew she liked him—that would be a lie to deny it. But the issue was, "I have no feelings for her, and she has a boyfriend yet flirts inappropriately with other men." Han Tao never had a good impression of people like that. "I've consistently mentioned having a girlfriend; I assumed she understood my meaning, but she..." Han Tao couldn't be too blunt, especially since Anne hadn't explicitly declared her affection.

"Was a late-night phone call not enough?" Wang Qiqi admitted a hint of jealousy colored her words, though her primary goal was to give him a heads-up: men couldn't be managed too tightly, but neither could they be completely relaxed. He needed to know he was still within her grasp. "What important matter requires a call in the middle of the night, and she's just a receptionist?" Between a receptionist and a technician, Wang Qiqi couldn't fathom any critical business that necessitated calls late at night, especially not repeatedly.

Han Tao genuinely wanted to cry foul. "I only answered it once, and that time I was busy. I thought it was John calling because he mentioned previously online that he might call me." Han Tao felt utterly exasperated remembering that one careless moment. And Fatty was even more despicable. Knowing the entire sequence of events while standing right there, he still failed to state the facts. Han Tao firmly pinned this grievance on Fatty, vowing to make him suffer the same fate as that Tom cat if he dared to only tell half the story again.

"Once I knew her computer was malfunctioning, I hung up. I haven't answered any of her calls outside of work hours since," Han Tao rushed to explain. "Qiqi, you have to believe me. Fatty was present; he watched me hang up."

"He even mocked me back then for being henpecked, afraid to answer a call from a female colleague." Han Tao now felt a surge of relief that he’d hung up so quickly; otherwise, who knew what that brat would have said, mocking him while gossiping to Wang Qiqi. People like that were the worst.

Wang Qiqi seemed quite satisfied hearing this. "In the future, don't give such people opportunities. Also, if Anne didn't have a boyfriend, wasn't involved with other men, didn't have body odor, and wasn't wearing heavy makeup—would you still be with her? After all, she has a big chest."

Han Tao nearly slapped his forehead. He had genuinely thought Wang Qiqi would be beyond such trivialities, different from ordinary girls, but he couldn't fail to explain this crucial point, or Qiqi might suspect he had wandering thoughts. "First, there are no such 'if' scenarios. Second, our relationship spans so many years, starting when I was a poor nobody. I don't have the mindset of abandoning my wife once I become successful. Besides, you are hardly a 'straw-bag wife.' Qiqi, what I need is a woman who will progress alongside me while we take in the scenery together."

So what if he married a high-achieving woman? Qiqi absolutely qualified as successful in her career, yet she could also manage a household. Whether approached emotionally or rationally, Han Tao had never considered anyone other than Qiqi as his wife. Though somewhat pragmatic, a marriage built on a foundation of reality augmented by emotion would likely last longer.

"That's true, capable women like me aren't common. By the way, has Yan Yan's boyfriend, John, been in touch with you about relationship matters recently?" Wang Qiqi asked, remembering something with concern. "Mark is also showing some interest in this project. Are there any plans to absorb investment lately?"

"What, you want to invest?" Han Tao asked casually while inputting code into the computer. He knew the stock market maneuvers Qiqi had Mark handling recently must have yielded significant returns. Was she planning to take a stake in the company? "Weren't you planning to invest in Apple?" As he said this, Han Tao suddenly remembered something. "I heard Apple is developing something, something that could save the company’s life." Han Tao was highly curious. Apple currently seemed precariously positioned, not far from bankruptcy. This news intrigued him—what exactly were they developing? Although the market reaction wasn't favorable, most people assumed Apple was just boasting.

Wang Qiqi wasn't very familiar with Apple's development over the past few years, only knowing they made computers, and her biggest connection to them in later life was the iPad—it was these two products that sent Apple's stock soaring. "I don't know much about Apple, but I have faith in Steve Jobs." After Jobs's passing, Apple’s momentum remained good, but its market capitalization eventually declined. Wang Qiqi strongly felt that Steve Jobs was Apple's lucky star.

This wasn't the first time Han Tao had heard Wang Qiqi mention Steve Jobs. He stopped typing and leaned back in his chair, studying her. Anyone knowledgeable in computing would certainly know about Jobs. Yet, Qiqi didn't know much about computers, and Apple wasn't nearly as famous domestically as IBM or Microsoft. How could Qiqi have such faith in this Steve Jobs? "I've always wanted to ask you why you know so much about him. Have you looked into him?" Even though Apple was bringing Jobs back to save a company on the brink, the stock price was still dropping, suggesting his return hadn't brought immediate, massive gains.

"Because he is Steve Jobs." Wang Qiqi sighed, thankful that Han Tao had a private office. She walked over to him and whispered softly into his ear. Although she spoke in Chinese, Wang Qiqi remained cautious. "I dreamed that the stock price of Apple, under Jobs's leadership, rose dramatically."

Wang Qiqi's words made Han Tao want to laugh. Could a dream truly serve as a basis for investment decisions? This involved money, and judging by Qiqi's demeanor, the investment wouldn't be small. Han Tao desperately wanted to tell Wang Qiqi not to treat dreams as serious operational data.

"I've had three dreams. The first was dreaming about buying property, saying housing prices would soar. The second was dreaming in college about starting a proxy buying business, saying it would net the second pot of gold. The third was about you and me starting a business, and then I dreamed that after the company went public, its stock price would skyrocket, making us all billionaires. Then, Apple's stock price appeared—this year is its bottom, and after this, its price will continuously rise, becoming the company with the largest market cap in a few years," Wang Qiqi whispered to Han Tao. To convince him, she cited two previous instances.

Wang Qiqi's statement left Han Tao stunned. He hadn't realized that her earlier insistence about them becoming billionaires stemmed from a dream. It struck him as somewhat absurd—making investment decisions based on a dream. Yet, as her colleague, he was quite pleased, as it implied the project's success. "So?"

"So, I want to take a gamble. If it succeeds, we'll be rich. If it fails, the loss won't be significant." Wang Qiqi detected Han Tao wavering. "There are many chances to get rich, but few chances to get very rich. I don't want to miss this one."

To be honest, Han Tao was tempted. If Qiqi wasn't deceiving him—and he truly didn't believe she had any reason to—"I still think it’s best to be cautious. Based on what you said, even if the project succeeds, we will still make a lot of money."