Since Wang Qiqi’s argument with Anna, she noticed someone had become considerably more subdued. There wasn't even the expected summons she’d braced for, which struck Wang Qiqi as odd. She nestled into Han Tao’s office, basking in the sunlight with a cup of tea, lost in thought.

Han Tao finished the task at hand and looked up, seeing Wang Qiqi staring blankly out the window instead of reading. He gently tapped her head. "What scenery are you looking at?" When Lu Qiaowei was still around, Qiqi could talk to her and occasionally go shopping together. Now that Lu Qiaowei was studying out of state, Qiqi mostly stayed home on weekends, and even during her rare free time, she was just drifting off.

"When you come back to the country this time, why don't you go out and have some fun with Shi Man?" Han Tao had initially wanted to go out with Qiqi, but then he considered his heavy workload and classes; he simply couldn't spare the time. "Or wait until Christmas, and we can go to the seaside?"

"We have time at Christmas?" Hearing Han Tao suggest this, Wang Qiqi's first reaction was surprise that he actually had time.

"Silly girl, Christmas is as important as the Lunar New Year to Americans. No one will be pulling overtime then, and we can take off for seven or eight days." Usually, everyone was swamped with work, but with Christmas merging into New Year’s Day, they could all properly rest.

Seven or eight days? Wang Qiqi considered the long break. "Should we go back to China? You won't be going back for Chinese New Year either." They didn't observe the Spring Festival holiday here. Even if he did have time off, Han Tao might not take it, and if Han Tao wasn't going back, Luo Hongjuan would prefer Wang Qiqi stay in the US to look after him.

Go back? Han Tao genuinely hadn't considered it. "Why go back in the dead of winter? We already rented out our place in Beijing." Although they had Song Yao’s apartment, Han Tao never felt quite comfortable there; with people constantly coming and going, he felt too observed. More importantly, if they were in Beijing, Qiqi knew too many people. There would be constant calls and visits—how much time would Qiqi truly have for him? Going out to play would be a sham; Han Tao just wanted to stay close to Qiqi.

Seeing Han Tao so steadfastly against staying at Song Yao’s place, Wang Qiqi could only agree to a vacation. "Then let’s ask Mom to come." If they were taking such a long break and not returning to China, it was still unconscionable not to invite his mother. If they stayed home, they could claim someone was tired and needed rest. But if they had the energy for a long-haul flight to a resort, there was no reason not to invite his mother, unless the revered mother decided not to go herself.

"Let's not invite her. It’s tiring for Mom to fly back and forth. Mom will be busy at the end of the year too, right? The beauty salon must be open, and Sister must be running it. Mom is definitely in charge of the purchasing agent business," he explained, partly because she was trusted, and partly because his mother held shares. "Don't worry. I’ll talk to Mom." Han Tao understood Wang Qiqi’s suggestion to invite his mother wasn't just filial piety, but concern that the family might be upset if they weren't included. Since that was the case, he would handle managing the situation.

Hearing that he would proactively handle the mother-in-law situation, Wang Qiqi certainly had no objection. "Then where are we going?" Wang Qiqi was keen to know the vacation destination.

"The Maldives." Han Tao didn't have any strong feelings about the Maldives until he’d heard Qiqi incessantly talk about vacationing there. Hearing it so often made him take note, so he decided to go there this time. The fact that Wang Qiqi kept mentioning the Maldives suggested it must be quite nice.

Han Tao was taking her to the Maldives? Wang Qiqi was ecstatic. "Really, really?" Good heavens, Wang Qiqi felt faint. They were actually going to the place Mai Dou (a nickname for Qiqi) had always dreamed of—blue skies, turquoise water, and the main activities being eating, sleeping, and diving. "Let's go diving," she decided. It would be a pity to miss out on such stunning scenery without diving.

Diving? Han Tao’s body gave a slight tremor. "Isn't that a bit dangerous?" Carrying a heavy oxygen tank—even if the weight wasn't felt underwater—the pressure at depth was significant. More critically, any slight emergency underwater could lead to disaster. Why hadn't he known Qiqi liked diving before? Even swimming, in Han Tao's memory, wasn't something Qiqi particularly enjoyed.

"Don't worry, there are instructors, and we'll only dive in shallow waters near the coast." Wang Qiqi noticed Han Tao seemed opposed to diving. She pressed her case, determined to win him over. "It’s perfectly safe, really. Don't you want to see those fish swimming right past us underwater?"

Although Han Tao was set against diving, he couldn't resist her sweet talk and countless assurances, and finally, he relented. "You cannot do any dangerous maneuvers, you cannot leave my sight, and you cannot swim out into the sea far from the shore." Even though those areas had supposedly been cleared, what if some dangerous large animal suddenly darted out? A vacation was supposed to be about relaxing, not courting danger.

"I promise." Wang Qiqi only intended to try diving; she certainly wouldn't do anything reckless outside the designated limits. "I still want to live a long time, at least long enough to travel the world. There are so many things I haven't done yet." Thinking about being reborn, under her own management, her life—materially and spiritually—was far better than her previous one. If she died again just because she indulged in some temporary fun, Wang Qiqi would truly weep, especially since they were still in the thick of working hard to earn money and hadn't even begun to truly enjoy themselves. That would be a massive loss.

Wang Qiqi paused, then decided, "I need to map out my plan for the next five years." The more she thought about it, the more necessary it seemed to create a concrete plan. However, it seemed that classmate Shi Man had some ideas recently; apparently, she wanted to find a place to study advanced courses in fashion design or jewelry design. Although switching majors after earning a master's degree felt somewhat wasteful, Wang Qiqi absolutely supported Manman pursuing further studies. She had taken courses in management but had zero practical work experience, and coupled with the constant travel required for domestic affairs, which employer would tolerate an employee frequently taking leave? More importantly, Shi Man strongly resisted the idea of a conventional job. In her opinion, the pay from taking orders wasn't high enough to justify such hard work.

Wang Qiqi didn't know how long Shi Man planned to study, but it would be at least a year. "Do you think we should invite Manman and Fatty when we go on vacation?" Fatty probably wouldn't return to China either. If he did go back, he’d have to visit Weiwei’s family and pay social calls, which would likely cost a fortune. It would be more comfortable to just stay put and vacation somewhere relaxing, and having more people would make it livelier.

Invite Shi Man and the others? Han Tao’s first thought was, why invite them? Wouldn't that just add two big chaperones? He had finally persuaded Qiqi not to bring his own mother, and now suddenly there were a few more people to accommodate—the mission was daunting. But he couldn't say that directly. "Will there be sales after Christmas? Are there any large shopping malls in the Maldives?"

Wang Qiqi immediately shook her head. Don’t be ridiculous; that place was purely for vacationing; there were no major malls there. "Then never mind." She guessed that even if she invited Manman, she wouldn't go. It was more likely she’d prefer a ski vacation in Europe to combine it with necessary purchasing. That was the most profitable season of the year; missing this quarter would make the annual income look grim. Moreover, with their investments flourishing everywhere, Shi Man’s capital must be tight. Compared to the money-spending activity of a vacation, Shi Man would probably choose to focus on making money. "How about we go skiing instead? I've never skied before." The image of speeding down a mountain looked incredibly cool, and Wang Qiqi wanted to look that cool too.

Skiing? Han Tao felt that Qiqi today seemed inextricably linked to these dangerous sports. If he didn’t stop her this time, he worried Qiqi would attempt even more extreme activities in the future, like rock climbing or skydiving. "Skiing seems even more dangerous. Besides, if you don't know how, you can only glide on flat ground, which is boring. If you want to ski like those people on TV, you’ll need to study for a long time."

Alright, Wang Qiqi admitted she was nowhere near the level required to bomb down a mountain, but, "How will I ever get good if I don't learn? I’ve decided I need to find a place to ski." Hmph. If Han Tao wouldn't take her skiing, she could go by herself.

Han Tao had intended to scare her off the idea, but instead, he’d unexpectedly sparked Wang Qiqi’s competitive spirit. He decided to keep quiet. His inner thought was that he needed to have a baby with Qiqi sooner rather than later. Once they had a child, perhaps she wouldn’t be like this—at least she’d have to look after a child for a few years. Han Tao was already planning on having several children to keep the household lively.

Seeing Han Tao fall silent, Wang Qiqi knew he had reluctantly given up trying to dissuade her from skiing; it certainly wasn't approval. Well, she’d have to let facts speak for themselves. However, if they had a child, wouldn't that be even more fun? For example, they could take the child traveling, take the child skiing and swimming. Wang Qiqi kept thinking about it and felt increasingly pleased.

In her past life, when Wang Qiqi traveled, she often saw babies just a few months old touring with their parents, mostly foreign families. Chinese parents tended to feel that bringing small children traveling was too much trouble. In the past, Wang Qiqi had also wondered if young children retained any memories from such trips. But after talking to those foreign parents, she agreed with their point: should children be excluded from family activities just because they lack memory? Moreover, children who traveled frequently were definitely bolder than those kept at home. Back then, Wang Qiqi resolved that once her child was a little older, she would do the same. She hadn't managed it in her first life; she absolutely had to achieve it in this one.

Both members of this couple were already pondering the implications of having children, and what Qiqi’s life would truly be like after giving birth remained an open question. Currently, they hadn't even reached a consensus on how they would raise a child.

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