Han Tao returned to the bedroom after finishing his shower to find Wang Qiqi already half-asleep under the covers. He slipped quietly into bed, wrapping an arm around her, and murmured, "The company relocation date has been moved up." Though Qiqi masked it well, Han Tao knew she wasn't actually asleep.

Wang Qiqi stayed silent in Han Tao's embrace. She had worried that if he knew she was awake, he would certainly scold her for something, but she never expected that upon realizing she was awake, he would tell her this news.

Regarding the company moving earlier, Wang Qiqi felt it was a bit strange, but not entirely unexpected. After all, one thing often leads to another; John must be prioritizing safety. Qiqi was just about to turn over and sleep—she was utterly exhausted. After holding her tension for so long, now that she finally relaxed, the exhaustion surged, impossible to suppress.

Han Tao watched Wang Qiqi turn over. He had intended to mention the arrangement he made with John, but seeing how tired she was, he kept quiet. "Good night. Sleep well."

Wang Qiqi whispered 'good night' in her heart and immediately surrendered to her rendezvous with the God of Sleep.

Wang Qiqi was bustling about making breakfast in the kitchen when Fatty shuffled in, rubbing his eyes, ready to fend for himself. He was genuinely worried that Qiqi might not have the energy to cook this morning. When he stepped into the kitchen and saw her actively working at the counter, his eyes immediately widened.

Fatty thought to himself: Han Tao's anger was clearly palpable yesterday; he looked set on giving Wang Qiqi a proper lesson. How could she be in such high spirits today? Not only was she cooking, but she was actually singing! This left Fatty thoroughly bewildered. Could it be that after they returned to their room last night, someone had given up significant territory and made major concessions? Fatty mulled it over, and this seemed the only possibility.

Wang Qiqi saw Fatty standing foolishly in the doorway. She gave him an exasperated look. "Why are you blocking the doorway? Go brush your teeth. You still have to go to work today." Wang Qiqi was curious to see Sam’s expression once they got to the company. Then she thought again about the early relocation. Could she use this as an opportunity to handle Sam? Perhaps someone like him wouldn't want to stay at the company anyway. But resigning abruptly would look suspicious. If the company was moving, however, one or two people resigning wouldn't seem odd at all.

Fatty finally snapped back to reality. He gave Wang Qiqi a thumbs-up, acknowledging her skill. "Qiqi, if I had known you could tame Han Tao like that, would I have been so terrified yesterday?" Sigh. He hadn't been a very loyal friend yesterday, letting Wang Qiqi face his potential wrath alone. "If something like this happens again, I promise I'll face it with you."

Listening to Fatty’s assurance, Xiao Rourou nodded her head, but inwardly, she thought: if there's a next time, I'd rather die than do that again. It was purely luck that Han Tao had drunk a little too much yesterday, and nothing happened to her, otherwise, Han Tao wouldn't have let her off so easily.

Han Tao emerged from the bedroom yawning. Hearing Fatty’s words, his face instantly darkened. "Oh, I see! I was wondering what a good girl Qiqi was, how she could have possibly conceived such a dangerous notion. Turns out it was you egging her on." Han Tao grabbed Fatty and pulled him over to the sofa, adopting a posture that demanded a serious conversation.

Fatty hadn't expected that his rare display of loyalty would be caught by Han Tao and result in such a grave accusation. He immediately cried injustice. "Tao, do you really think I would have done something like that? I absolutely didn't agree. It was your Qiqi who came up with it herself, and when she saw I disagreed with her going out, she snuck out alone without telling me." Fatty reasoned that the worst crime he committed was knowing but failing to report, which surely beat being an accomplice in seduction.

To Fatty's claims, Han Tao retorted, "I haven't even settled the score with you over yesterday's incident, and today you're over here inciting Qiqi? Are you tired of your existing list of offenses?"

"I'm going to brush my teeth, I'm going to brush my teeth," Fatty said, sensing trouble. He promptly bolted from the kitchen doorway. It was no joke; if he stayed now, he’d be Han Tao’s target for a dressing-down. Fatty knew he wasn't Wang Qiqi; he didn't possess the skill to placate Han Tao.

Wang Qiqi watched Fatty sprint away, leaving her alone to face Han Tao. She felt tears welling up—who knew she had managed to trick him by feigning sleep last night? She had just managed to hope that a night's rest would cool Han Tao's temper, but dealing with a teammate as dense as this pig was hopeless. "Um, I won't do it a second time. I’m absolutely terrified." The memory of Sam’s look from last night sent a chill down her spine. If Sam hadn't been so careless that day, Wang Qiqi knew she would have been in deep trouble.

Han Tao had initially wanted to scare Qiqi a bit, to let the little imp know that just because she thought something was fine didn't mean it was safe. Sam looked frail, but he was still a man who grew up eating beef; his strength was definitely more than Wang Qiqi could handle. But seeing Qiqi’s face turn pale as she recalled yesterday’s events, he realized she was genuinely terrified this time. He walked over, wrapped an arm around her, and patted her back repeatedly. "It's okay, it's over now. Don't do anything like that again. Maybe you shouldn't go to work today?" Han Tao worried that seeing Sam at the company might trigger a similar reaction in Wang Qiqi, which would be disastrous.

"I'm fine," Wang Qiqi stabilized her emotions. "As long as I don't think about yesterday, I'll be okay. Besides, I can't avoid him forever." Wang Qiqi found it surprising now; she had managed to drink and chat calmly with Sam at the bar later yesterday. Why did she feel such a deep sense of insecurity only after returning home? It must have been because there were too many people around. "Right, you mentioned the company was relocating earlier yesterday?" Wang Qiqi hadn't asked Han Tao in detail then and seized the chance to ask now.

Han Tao hummed an affirmation. Seeing that Wang Qiqi had recovered, he released his arm, lest the poor single man coming out of the bathroom mistakenly thought he was being bullied. "Oh, John and I discussed it yesterday. We’re moving right after New Year’s Day. You might be busy for a while. John needs to rent a temporary office space."

Wang Qiqi had been concerned about cramming everyone into the new office if the move was so sudden—even if they used eco-friendly materials, wouldn't ventilation be an issue, especially with winter heating requiring closed windows? More importantly, the furniture wouldn't arrive until February. Hearing Han Tao’s explanation, she finally understood: they planned to rent a temporary space. That was better; there were plenty of such offices available there. "Ah, I won't have to take over John's workload, will I?" Wang Qiqi’s head swam at the thought of sorting through all those data. Before, John was there to help significantly, but now he had to fly out on a business trip. "Besides, haven't we almost finalized our partners? If John flies back to find an office, who will handle the negotiations?" Wang Qiqi didn't believe she had the ability to deal with those old foxes. Having been reborn three times, she stood no chance against them; they handled deals like this regularly and would see her as just a child. Such a crucial task should certainly be left to John for a safer outcome.

"John will handle it. You just need to manage the first round of negotiations," Han Tao said, knowing it was difficult to ask Wang Qiqi to wrestle with those seasoned veterans. The final vetting would naturally be John’s responsibility. "John has already spoken to them. There's been a shift in circumstances this time. Focus on whether they show genuine interest in cooperation. If you feel they are sincere, then proceed to the next round. If they try to take advantage of our limited capital, send them packing as far away as possible."

Previously, everyone thought that having outside investment would ease the financial pressure. But now, everyone was optimistic about the company's future development and was reluctant to bring in new shareholders. It would be better to take out a bank loan and wait until the situation was clearer before bringing in new shareholders to maximize their stake. Therefore, Han Tao and John were aligned on this approach to absorbing investment, yet securing a bank loan wasn't easy either—that presented its own set of complications.

Wang Qiqi knew that the groups entering now were already established consortiums, which explained John’s anxiety. He worried about losing his leadership position. Of course, Wang Qiqi and the others were also concerned that new investors might use the capital increase to dilute their shares—something they absolutely did not want. Suddenly, Wang Qiqi thought of someone. "What do you think of Yan Yan's boyfriend, John?" Wang Qiqi had seen the information regarding John and Mark while organizing documents earlier. They were planning to invest through the name of their newly established investment firm. If this were in the past, Wang Qiqi and John having a familiar relationship meant she couldn't suggest this immediately; John might think she was trying to bring in someone they already knew, and Mark’s new company wasn't exactly established yet. Wang Qiqi worried John might look down on them.

"John?" Han Tao silently recalled the well-built man he noticed standing next to Zhang Yan during Qiqi’s graduation ceremony. "His eyes seem quite clear; he doesn't look like a bad person. You can propose the idea to John. If he finds it suitable, then he can be considered a formal negotiation target."

Wang Qiqi acknowledged receipt, signaling she understood. What she didn't say was that if John and Mark successfully acquired shares this time, her relationship with Mark could progress further—though all of that depended on whether John approved their investment.