Wang Qiqi and Fatty had just finished their conversation and were about to handle the documents Fatty had given her when John called Wang Qiqi on the internal line, asking her to come to his office.

Wang Qiqi looked up and saw that Sam was already at his desk. After smoothing her clothes, she walked into John's office. Just as she was about to knock to signal her entry, John said, "Sam’s leaving this Friday."

Friday is the last day? Wang Qiqi was stunned. Honestly, she had expected that fellow to stay at least past Christmas, as he could snag a paid holiday then. But this also meant they were rushing the project. "Okay, what about the year-end bonus?" With the end of the year still some time away, she wondered how that should be calculated.

"Give him eighty percent of the normal amount," John said. He had also been contemplating how to handle the bonus; initially, he’d planned not to give one, but on second thought, he left a lifeline—after all, they had already set someone up.

Wang Qiqi hummed. Give it, then. Even if that someone discovered later that they had played a trick on him, he would probably just accept his bad luck, as the departure had been amicable, with no hard feelings on either side.

Wang Qiqi was initially worried that Fatty would be dissatisfied upon hearing the year-end bonus amount they planned to give Sam, but to her surprise, though he showed a flicker of displeasure, he agreed without objection. This struck her as odd. "You haven't snapped out of your 'muscle man' dream yet, have you?"

Muscle man? Han Tao, hearing what his wife was saying, genuinely didn't understand her meaning. "What's wrong?" Did Fatty plan to become a bodybuilder? Han Tao sized Fatty up, calculating in his mind that Fatty was embarking on yet another impossible mission.

"It's nothing," Fatty interrupted quickly, deeply regretting his careless remark to Qiqi. He could already foresee how Han Tao would mock him after hearing about his aspirations. Truthfully, Fatty had thought about it later and realized that the request was exceedingly ambitious.

Wang Qiqi recounted what Fatty had told her that afternoon, truthfully. "I don't think Fatty needs to go that far. Vivi probably just wants you to lose the excess fat. A few abs would be good, of course, but becoming a Mr. Olympia contestant? Forget it." Wang Qiqi had intended to have a good laugh at Fatty's expense, but seeing his face flush red, she gave up the idea. Fatty wasn't easy to tease.

"Just working on some abs is plenty," Han Tao stated sensibly. "Besides, that's their full-time job; what are we? IT guys. Don't ask for too much. Actually, Fatty, if you just drop twenty kilos, you'll look quite good." Fatty was just a bit heavy; otherwise, everything else about him was fine. "From now on, Qiqi will work out with you at noon, and I'll join you in the evening. Mornings are out."

Fatty immediately cheered up upon hearing that someone would keep him company while exercising. "Great! Thanks, Tao, thanks, Qiqi." Fatty's main concern was his lack of willpower, but having companions boosted his confidence significantly. "I must work hard and make sure I attract plenty of beautiful women's attention when we go to the beach for vacation next year." The mere thought of his future bodybuilder physique turning heads on the sand immediately lifted his spirits.

Wang Qiqi genuinely hadn't expected that Fatty's motivation for losing weight involved such a goal. She suddenly felt that accompanying him to work out might not be the best idea. "Be careful your Vivi doesn't run off. Besides, what's the use of a good body? Your wallet is fat; the top hundred beautiful women globally would be lining up for your favor." People are realistic; beauties love money. With money, would beauties be scarce? Look at handsome Leo a decade later, who looks just like any other middle-aged man with a paunch while vacationing, yet he's always surrounded by beautiful women—isn't that just because of Leo's huge fame and wealth? Otherwise, how could he snag so many beauties?

"Vulgar, truly vulgar," Fatty commented without hesitation. "But it's the truth."

Wang Qiqi was about to roll her eyes at Fatty. She thought: Was what I said vulgar? I was stating facts. But what Fatty said next pleased Wang Qiqi greatly. "Let's eat, let's eat. After a good meal, I need to coordinate the travel plans with Vivi and the others."

Still planning? Fatty almost rolled his eyes again. For a few days of vacation, those women endlessly discussed this and that. Fatty couldn't fathom why they were so excited over one small island that lacked any decent shopping centers. Luckily, they hadn't included the men in the planning; otherwise, Fatty estimated he'd be crying.

Wang Qiqi noticed Fatty's eye-rolling and inwardly scoffed. Did Fatty really think they were just discussing where to go on a massive shopping spree? Did she seem that unsophisticated? Did the women only discuss splurging or fashion when they got together? That was excessive. Although she had made some private arrangements for the vacation, she certainly wouldn't state them outright.

Sam's departure surprised many. The company's prospects were quite good, and moving the office was a common occurrence for them—which one hadn't followed their parents across state lines as a child? But everyone had their own ambitions. After wishing Sam continued success, they returned to their tasks. The IT circle wasn't huge, nor was it tiny; they might very well meet again soon. Especially after Sam left, a few others tendered their resignations, a number that exceeded John and Han Tao's expectations.

Han Tao's expression had been somewhat grim lately. "I didn't expect so many people to leave. Fortunately, none of the departing staff were high performers." Although Han Tao sounded lighthearted, his expression betrayed his true thoughts.

Fatty hummed in agreement. "More new partners coming in, more need to gel—it's such a hassle." Although they had only collaborated for about half a year, they had worked exceptionally well together. Suddenly starting from scratch to build rapport was frustrating. Fatty could only pray the newcomers had good tempers and skills so they could integrate quickly.

Wang Qiqi saw their worried faces and wasn't sure how to comfort them. "The company is developing; new people will always join. There are no permanent feasts in life. Perhaps some people will meet again." However, John was having a particularly rough time. He had planned on resting well, but with all the resignations, his anticipated break was likely ruined. Moving the office, recruiting new staff, and preparing for negotiations with investors after the New Year—"Stop worrying, both of you. Think about John; I bet he's even more stressed than you are." The best way to ease Han Tao and Fatty's worries was to point out someone having it worse.

John? Hearing Wang Qiqi mention his name, the weariness instantly lifted from Han Tao and Fatty's faces. "Compared to him, we're doing alright," Han Tao remarked uncharitably. "Besides, they are newcomers; there's no reason we should pander to them." Thinking this somewhat eased his mind, though he knew that gaining the respect of talented newcomers wouldn't be easy.

"Exactly. No matter what, we are dealing with colleagues, but John is facing old foxes," Fatty recalled Qiqi's anxious expressions during the initial negotiations and couldn't help but smile. That was just the first round; later negotiations would be more agonizing and require far more effort.

Fatty suddenly remembered that besides John, someone nearby, diligently eating, would also be stressed. "But Qiqi will also be very conflicted then."

"Me?" Wang Qiqi found this strange; how did the conversation turn to her? "What would I be conflicted about?"

"Aren't you going to participate in the negotiations?" Fatty looked at Wang Qiqi, who seemed utterly clueless, finding it odd. If she was involved in the preliminary stages, she couldn't just sit out the final stages, especially since John now recognized her capability—he wouldn't waste such a valuable asset.

Wang Qiqi shook her head. "I agreed with John at the start; I'd only handle the preliminary groundwork and the initial round of talks. Once the key negotiation points were selected, I could rest." Wang Qiqi thought to herself that she had nearly broken down dealing with those cunning merchants in the first negotiation round alone. If she had to join the in-depth negotiations, she didn't think it was right. After all, her own company stake wasn't that large; even as a shareholder, she couldn't cheat people this much, as it wasn't solely her company, nor did she hold the majority shares.

Poor Qiqi was completely unaware of the actual situation. It seemed Han Tao hadn't told her the whole story. Thinking this, Fatty felt genuine pity for Wang Qiqi, who still didn't know how her husband had sold her out.

Wang Qiqi noticed Fatty's strange expression and asked, "Fatty, what do you know?" At this moment, Wang Qiqi recalled the person who used to complain bitterly about how tiresome negotiating with old foxes was. Recently, however, he hadn't complained in a long while. Had Han Tao agreed to some disadvantageous contract with John?

Fatty shook his head rapidly. "The Buddha forbids speaking." Just kidding! If he said anything, he'd be implicated too. Why should he relay Han Tao's words?

"I promised John that you would help with the negotiations." Han Tao had originally planned to bring this up on a better day after the holidays when Wang Qiqi was in a good mood, but he hadn't expected Fatty to blurt it out so early. Although it was unintentional, Han Tao mentally resolved that if he kept setting up his brothers like this, he'd eventually face retaliation.

What? Help with negotiations? Wang Qiqi wasn't foolish enough to think Han Tao only wanted her for the first round. He probably expected her to be involved throughout. Consequently, Wang Qiqi’s mood soured considerably. She pretended not to have heard Fatty and Han Tao, focusing instead on urging them to eat, though her expression was far from pleasant toward Han Tao. She absolutely needed the man to understand clearly that his wife was not his accessory and couldn't make decisions for her.