Qiao Wanqing didn’t pay much attention to her own health because their entrepreneurial journey hit its first major setback: their store was caught for fake orders.

Taobao strictly forbids fake orders, and once caught, the products are downgraded without any negotiation.

The most devastated was Tang Yueyue.

She came here ready to work hard, but not only did they fail to achieve good results, they also lost a significant amount of money.

If they knew they could bounce back later, losing some money wouldn’t be a big deal, as they could eventually earn it back.

Now, not only had they lost money, but their products were also downgraded.

This meant that all their previous efforts and investments went up in smoke.

In less than a month, they lost nearly sixty thousand yuan.

It was almost noon when Qiao Wanqing arrived at the office from Dongyang Village.

Even though their operations center only had two people, Qiao Wanqing felt a heavy atmosphere, like dark clouds looming over a city.

“Hello, Sister Wanqing,” greeted customer service representative Ding Yin when she saw her.

“Is Yueyue inside?” Qiao Wanqing asked, pointing to the closed office door.

“Yes, Sister Yueyue said she was in a bad mood and wanted to be alone. She’s been in there for three hours. Sister Wanqing, you should go in and check on her.”

“Okay, I got it. You continue with your work.”

Qiao Wanqing put her bag on the table and went to knock on the office door.

Tang Yueyue’s voice came from inside, “I said I’m fine, no need to knock on my door.”

“Yueyue, it’s me, Wanqing.”

There was a moment of silence inside, and then the office door opened, revealing Tang Yueyue’s slightly haggard face.

She asked in surprise, “Wanqing, why are you here?”

“If I hadn’t come, would you have locked yourself in here all day, not eating or drinking, to show your inner guilt?” Qiao Wanqing poked her forehead. “I’ve already said it’s not your fault, so why are you still feeling so guilty?”

There’s always a risk with fake orders.

Even on platforms that are supposedly secure, mistakes can happen, so getting caught is just bad luck.

Without fake orders, it’s nearly impossible to succeed.

Unless you have built-in traffic, like internet celebrities or artists, everyone—from individuals to big listed companies—needs to use fake orders to succeed.

“I just feel like a failure,” Tang Yueyue said as she let Qiao Wanqing in, closed the door, and grabbed her hair in frustration, messing up her carefully styled bangs.

“Why is it that everyone else doesn’t get caught, but I do?”

There’s no answer to that question.

Qiao Wanqing patted her on the shoulder and said, “Alright, you understand the logic. I’m not going to waste more breath explaining it again. Just like a university isn’t a complete university if you don’t pass your exams, a Taobao store isn’t really doing Taobao if it doesn’t get caught, right?”

Tang Yueyue sighed and said, “I’m just so upset about the money. I mean, sixty thousand yuan just went down the drain. Even if you throw money into the water, it would make a splash. But this didn’t even make a sound.”

Although Tang Yueyue had a decent salary before, she worked hard for it.

Her annual salary added up to over a hundred thousand yuan, and after personal expenses, she could only save a few thousand each year.

Though she came from a wealthy family, her parents bought her a house and car after graduation, so she relied on her own earnings.

Now, losing a year’s worth of savings like this is bound to hurt.

Qiao Wanqing sat Tang Yueyue down and said, “Don’t worry, we can earn it all back. And I have good news. Our startup is supported by the government, and we can apply for a 500,000 yuan entrepreneurial loan with unbelievably low interest rates.”

Tang Yueyue’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

Since the beginning of the year, Qiao Wanqing had been looking at houses, planning to buy one.

However, housing prices in C City were not cheap; a good three-bedroom house started at nearly a million yuan, which would limit their funds.

She thought they had finally reached the point where they needed to seek help from their men.

“Why would I lie to you?” Qiao Wanqing said with a smile. “Feeling better now?”

Tang Yueyue nodded.

“Then let’s go have lunch,” Qiao Wanqing said, glancing at her watch. “Come on, my treat.”

Qiao Wanqing wanted to take her to a well-known steakhouse nearby.

Tang Yueyue was reluctant because the steakhouse cost at least 500 yuan per person, and they couldn’t leave without spending at least 2,000 yuan.

Given their current financial struggles, they needed to save money.

“It’s okay,” Qiao Wanqing insisted, pulling her along. “Once we step out of this office, I’m Mrs. Gu, and you are the future Mrs. Qi. Don’t act like this, okay?”

Tang Yueyue: “…”

That actually makes a lot of sense.

They packed up their things and invited Ding Yin to join them.

The steakhouse was located on the first floor of a five-star hotel.

The environment was quiet, and the warm yellow lighting made the dining atmosphere very comfortable and soft.

This was Ding Yin’s first time in such a place.

She knew it would be expensive, but when she opened the menu and saw the prices, she was shocked and almost had a heart attack.

Fortunately, the boss was paying, otherwise, who would be willing to spend so much on a steak?

Ding Yin wasn’t sure what to order, so Qiao Wanqing, understanding her predicament, kindly helped her choose.

“It’s so expensive,” Ding Yin couldn’t help but comment after the waiter left with their order.

“If it were two years ago, we would have thought the same,” Tang Yueyue said.

Two years ago, Qiao Wanqing hadn’t traveled back in time yet; that was the time of this body’s previous owner.

The previous owner had a very ordinary job with a monthly salary of 6000 yuan, which was considered quite impressive back then.

After all, it was a decent income for an average office worker, and among their classmates, Qiao Wanqing was one of the higher earners.

Although the previous owner was generous with spending, she was reluctant to spend her limited money on steak, preferring to spend it on fashion and luxury brands.

“Really?” Ding Yin, unaware of their past, said, “That’s so inspirational?”

“I’m not the inspirational one; it’s Boss Qiao who’s truly motivational. She started from growing vegetables, selling them, opening a restaurant, and running a Taobao store. She basically did it all by herself, with hardly any help. Now she’s becoming a role model for success.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

Ding Yin’s eyes sparkled with admiration. She knew Qiao Wanqing was from the countryside but had no idea she managed to rise from farming vegetables.

That was truly amazing.

“So, one must have a goal, like a certain wealthy person said, ‘First, make your first hundred million.'”

Ding Yin: “…”

Qiao Wanqing smiled as she watched Tang Yueyue deliver motivational words. In reality, looking back on her journey, Qiao Wanqing herself felt it was somewhat surreal and unbelievable. It seemed that as long as she dared to take a step forward, success would follow. Luck had played a significant role in her achievements.

Their food arrived quickly. Qiao Wanqing had ordered a pan-seared Matsusaka steak, foie gras, corn chowder, and other small side dishes.

The steakhouse’s meat was tender and soft, with a layered texture that was both thick and flavorful, slightly sweet, and just chewy enough to elicit a “Wow, this is delicious” reaction.

Tang Yueyue, who hadn’t had steak in a while, was thoroughly enjoying her meal.

However, when she looked up, she noticed Qiao Wanqing seemed to have little appetite.

She was holding a piece of steak with her fork, but it had yet to reach her mouth.

“What’s wrong? Not to your taste?” Tang Yueyue asked.

“I’ve just been having a bad appetite lately, feeling nauseous all the time,” Qiao Wanqing said.

Tang Yueyue chuckled and teased, “Could it be that you’re expecting a second child?”

“Not at all. We’ve been using protection,” Qiao Wanqing replied.

Besides, the symptoms she experienced during the early stages of her previous pregnancy were completely different from now.

Back then, she would vomit everything she ate and couldn’t stand any smell of fish or meat.

All she wanted was sour food—she could eat a whole bowl of rice just with a pack of pickled radishes.

Now, she still feels nauseous occasionally, but only when she’s thinking about it. Generally, as long as the food isn’t too greasy, she can eat it.

It’s probably just a matter of appetite.

“Okay, I thought I’d have to be a godmother again,” Tang Yueyue said.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be a godmother before I become a mother. You and Mr. Qi need to hurry up,” Qiao Wanqing said.

Tang Yueyue replied, “…”

Every time they talked about her Mr. Qi, Tang Yueyue couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. “We haven’t even started anything yet. It’s too soon to talk about that.”

“Adding a stroke to your fortune is just a matter of seconds. If you both want to, you could get married right away,” Qiao Wanqing teased.

“I’d rather take it slow. I feel quite unsettled right now. Even though we’re already in a relationship, I keep wanting more, but I don’t even know what I really want. Is it weird of me to feel this way?”

Qiao Wanqing: “…”

This is really strange.

After lunch, Qiao Wanqing needed to go home.

She had come with Gu Yanqing and their child Koko in the morning.

Gu Yanqing had taken Kouko home, and in the afternoon, he had to go to the company, so she needed to go back and take care of Kouko.

She took a taxi back, and when she arrived at the bottom of the residential area, she smelled a strong aroma of spicy strips.

She saw two children sharing a bag of spicy strips.

Qiao Wanqing usually doesn’t like snacks, especially junk food like spicy strips.

She never had any desire to eat them.

But today, for some reason, the pungent spicy aroma made her really crave them.

She couldn’t help but swallow a mouthful of saliva and quickly walked into the elevator to go home.

However, the smell of spicy strips lingered in her nose, causing her mouth to water even more and making her crave them intensely.

She still had this intense craving when she got home.

Gu Yanqing was resting on the sofa with Kouko when he saw her return.

He frowned and said, “Why do you look so pale? Did you eat lunch?”

“I did,” but she didn’t eat much, “Ah, I really want to eat spicy strips now. What should I do?”

Gu Yanqing: “…”

Gu Yanqing didn’t understand why his wife’s thoughts jumped around so much, but Kouko’s eyes lit up when he heard the word “spicy strips.” “Spicy strips, yummy.”

Qiao Wanqing sat down next to Koko, reached out to straighten his clothes, and asked, “Do you dare to eat them?”

Kuo Kuo isn’t fond of spicy food.

He might crave it when he smells it, but just one bite makes him jump from the heat.

“Do you dare?” Qiao Wanqing asked.

“Yes!” Kuo Kuo nodded confidently.

Qiao Wanqing smiled, patted his head, and then, with a hint of playfulness, said to Gu Yanqing, who was lounging on the sofa, “What should I do? I really want to eat some.”

“Why not have the butler buy some?” Gu Yanqing suggested.

“Buy what,?” Kuo Kuo innocently asked, clearly having forgotten about the spicy strips topic.

“Mommy wants some spicy strips. Can you ask Grandpa butler to get some for her?”

Kuo Kuo was silent for a moment, then said, “Kuo Kuo has some!”

Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing exchanged glances.

They knew this little guy liked to hide snacks and would sneak them when they weren’t looking.

So, when he admitted he had some, they believed him.

“Mommy really wants some right now. Can you give Mommy a pack?” Qiao Wanqing coaxed.

Kuo Kuo agreed eagerly, jumped off the sofa, and ran to the door of the room where Madam Gu was staying, asking Qiao Wanqing to open it for him without peeking.

After a while, he came out with a pack of spicy strips, proudly showing it to Qiao Wanqing. “Is this it?”

Qiao Wanqing: “…”

You little rascal, you really did hide snacks.

Qiao Wanqing took note of this and, while Kuo Kuo was napping that afternoon, she went to Madam Gu’s room.

In a drawer under the wardrobe, she found Kuo Kuo’s stash of snacks, which contained quite a lot of treats.

Seeing those bags of snacks, it didn’t seem like Kouko had hidden them secretly.

The bags were quite large, and since Kouko was still small, it would have been impossible for him to hide such big packages without her noticing.

Moreover, hiding so many snacks was simply not possible for him.

It was clear that Madam Gu and the others had bought them and secretly stashed them there!