Wang Qiqi and Zhu Lina, familiar with the routine, hailed a taxi right after landing and headed straight for the apartment rented by Shi Man and Feng Xuanxiang. Shi Man had intended to pick them up, but Feng Xuanxiang was tied up at his company, so she arranged with Wang Qiqi to stop by the supermarket for groceries on the way before heading back, promising to be home on time.

While Wang Qiqi and Zhu Lina selected vegetables at the supermarket, Wang Qiqi, naturally the head chef, watched Zhu Lina with surprise. It wasn't that Zhu Lina couldn't cook; it was that her entire focus was on the company, leaving little attention for domestic matters. Back home, there was always a housekeeper, and on business trips, it was even simpler—either entertaining clients or grabbing a pre-packaged meal. She rarely cooked. Since getting together with Zhu Hanlin, he was the one who cooked. Wang Qiqi knew Zhu Lina could easily handle picking up supplements or snacks, but the meats Zhu Lina was choosing were quite good, clearly not the work of a novice. She just couldn't figure out why Zhu Lina had taken an interest in this recently.

Zhu Lina carefully chose what she thought were good cuts of meat, recalling the pointers Zhu Hanlin had given her, intending to show them to Qiqi for a look, or perhaps approval. She noticed Wang Qiqi staring at her and found it strange. Zhu Lina repeatedly touched her face. "Is there something on my face?" That couldn't be right; she had used the restroom at the airport and checked her face—nothing there. "What's wrong with my face?"

Wang Qiqi quickly shook her head. "Nothing at all. I was just thinking how much you've changed lately; you're even selecting groceries now. It seems Old Zhu really knows how to manage things." Wang Qiqi had wondered if Zhu Hanlin could endure a woman being stronger than him in business for long, but she hadn't expected this young man to actively try to change Zhu Lina. He certainly earned his title as a teacher; that ability was unusually potent.

Zhu Lina caught the teasing in Wang Qiqi's tone. "No, I just occasionally go grocery shopping with Zhu Hanlin. He mentioned a couple of things while he was picking things out." Zhu Lina was worried Qiqi might think Zhu Hanlin was controlling her and start having negative thoughts about him. "Don't worry, he’s a good person. He prefers educating people over business."

Wang Qiqi looked at the happy Zhu Lina and swallowed the cynical thought that springs to mind: 'People are easy to know by face, but hard to know by heart.' After years of tempering in the business world, the current Zhu Lina would know far more about these things than she did, needing no instruction. "Mhm. When are you planning to marry? I'm aiming for July." She had initially considered the end of the year. A winter trip to the tropics would be nice, but everyone would be too busy then; it was better not to interrupt everyone's serious business.

"During the Spring Festival." Zhu Lina knew her wedding would be a big affair; her parents had long been planning how to host a grand ceremony. But Zhu Lina truly didn't want any so-called grand wedding. "You know Zhu Hanlin doesn't have many relatives. Most of the guests will be my family, my parents' friends, and so on. Who knows what those guests might say."

By now, Zhu Lina and Zhu Hanlin's relationship was stable, but Zhu Lina's relatives hadn't stopped gossiping about Zhu Hanlin, which annoyed both Zhu Lina and her parents. If the wedding were a grand spectacle, Zhu Lina worried it would deeply hurt Zhu Hanlin. "I heard about your wedding plans with Han Tao, and I think they're great. I was hoping for a destination wedding, and then perhaps a dinner for close relatives and friends back home. Since we won't be accepting gift money, what could they possibly complain about?" Many people hold weddings hoping to recoup the gift money they've given out or make a profit. The Zhu family certainly wasn't counting on that small amount of money, so there was no need to put on a performance that would exhaust themselves and make everyone unhappy.

Wang Qiqi looked at the confident Zhu Lina, with only one thought in mind: this idea of hers was a bit fantastical. The Zhu family wasn't lacking wedding funds, but a wedding is also the best form of social networking, and Zhu Lina's marriage signals a new stage where she takes responsibility for her life and her company. How could Zhu Lina's father let his only daughter marry off so simply? To them, it would seem too shabby. But seeing the excited Zhu Lina, Wang Qiqi couldn't bring herself to say anything that would dampen her spirits.

Zhu Lina saw Wang Qiqi's slightly awkward expression, and her own excitement about where they might honeymoon began to fade. After a moment, she sighed. "Never mind. I know I was overthinking it. Some things aren't simply what I want them to be. Even if Zhu Hanlin and I are the main characters, in this matter, we are just puppets, moving according to what the elders say." In contrast, Qiqi had been allowed to decide the nature of her own wedding; even when Han Tao's mother wanted a grand ceremony, it was ultimately Luo Hongjuan who conceded.

Wang Qiqi patted Zhu Lina's shoulder. "How will you know if you don't try? Talk it over properly with your parents. You could actually use that money to establish a scholarship fund to support some students. That way, you gain reputation, and more people benefit." While still somewhat pragmatic, it would leave a better memory than a lavish wedding.

A scholarship fund? Zhu Lina mused that she and Zhu Hanlin could propose it, but she wasn't sure if her parents would agree. "Whatever, we'll see. At worst, I'll just be sulking for a few days afterward. I just hope you guys will be back then." Zhu Lina didn't want her best friends to miss her big life event; that would be the biggest regret.

"We will definitely come back for it." Wang Qiqi thought that even if Han Tao was busy then, "I will drag Han Tao back for the wedding. I have few friends, how could I miss it? And Han Tao, he has even fewer."

Shi Man had been waiting impatiently at home, frequently glancing up at the clock on the wall and then out toward the driveway. Many cars passed by her door, but not a single taxi. "Oh no, did these two get lost in the supermarket?" Shi Man had contacted Wang Qiqi before leaving for home and knew they were almost done shopping. Why hadn't they returned yet?

Just as Shi Man was about to grab her keys to go search the supermarket, she finally saw a taxi pull up to the door. She rushed out and saw two familiar figures getting out of the car. "If you two hadn't come back soon, I was going to file a missing person report. Wow, why did you buy so much?" Shi Man was almost faint; five or six huge bags of groceries. "Do you think my house is a refugee camp?" Although she didn't go to the supermarket often, her fridge wasn't usually completely empty.

Wang Qiqi and Zhu Lina gently pushed Shi Man. "It's not bad that we bought too much; it's not your money being spent." The truth was, they had gotten so engrossed in their conversation that when they realized it, they had selected quite a lot. Feeling awkward about putting things back, they just paid and left.

Shi Man rolled her eyes; was that what she meant? "Hurry up and get inside. We have things to discuss. Old Feng isn't coming home for dinner today." This was a perfect chance for the three of them to discuss matters properly. Shi Man had been planning to start organizing her own project, but she’d held off because of Old Feng starting his investment company.

Seeing Shi Man’s excited expression, Wang Qiqi and Zhu Lina had only one thought: Shi Man had a new plan to get rich. That made sense; she had spent half a year in New York and even taken some design courses. Shi Man had previously mentioned wanting to produce some of her own designs to sell domestically, but before, none of them had the time or manpower for it, so the plan was shelved. However, now that Shi Man was settling in New York, the plan showed signs of restarting.

As soon as Shi Man put the groceries in the fridge, she pulled Wang Qiqi and Zhu Lina aside to talk about her plan. As soon as she started, Wang Qiqi and Zhu Lina exchanged a knowing smile—their guess was spot on. However, they had expected Shi Man to take the lead herself, not that she planned to set up a design center in the US and then contract manufacturing in China. The brand would naturally be registered overseas, making it count as a foreign product, so domestic sales wouldn't be an issue. The problem was, this scale of operation required massive investment.

Shi Man carefully laid out her rough proposal and then looked at Wang Qiqi and Zhu Lina with hopeful anticipation. She knew this plan was unusually large, but if she had to give it up, Shi Man truly wouldn't accept it. Therefore, she absolutely needed the approval of Wang Qiqi and Zhu Lina.

Wang Qiqi currently felt a throbbing headache. The plan was excellent; wealth would flow in endlessly in the future. But unfortunately, money was the issue. "My head hurts. Let me rest for a bit." Wang Qiqi was going crazy. She hadn't even managed to get the Apple product she desperately wanted, and yet the required funds kept increasing. Wang Qiqi felt less like she needed to set up a printing press and more like she needed to win a multi-million dollar lottery prize—and the currency had to be USD.

Shi Man and Zhu Lina watched Wang Qiqi clutch her head and cry out in pain, not understanding what she was struggling with. "Qiqi, are you alright? Do you want to rest on the sofa over there?" Zhu Lina covered her mouth to suppress her laughter. Qiqi had been frequently repeating the phrase "so short of money" lately, and now with Shi Man's plan unveiled, it would be strange if she didn't go a little crazy.

Shi Man swiftly helped Wang Qiqi over to the sofa to rest. Qiqi couldn't afford to collapse here; their plan hadn't even been executed yet.