Wang Rui's action, in a previous life, would have made Wang Qiqi keenly observe Gao Kai's reaction; she would have definitely followed Gao Kai's advice. Unfortunately, the current Wang Qiqi had no interest in the thoughts of irrelevant people, so her scheme was destined to fail.

Han Tao came downstairs, unlocked his car, and drove off immediately without saying goodbye to Wang Qiqi. It wasn't Gao Kai’s scrutinizing gaze that made him uncomfortable, but rather Wang Qiqi’s sharp remarks about the pair of man and woman just now. He felt no need to involve himself.

Gao Kai noticed Han Tao’s move. In his mind, if Wang Qiqi knew him, he certainly would have greeted her before leaving. Yet, he hadn't. Wang Qiqi, for her part, found this perfectly normal, confirming that she and Han Tao were truly unacquainted. It was then that he caught the look Wang Rui sent his way.

Gao Kai knew Wang Rui wanted to stay at Wang Qiqi's place. What could he say? He knew Wang Qiqi had her reasons for not wanting Wang Rui under her roof, and given his current strained relationship with Qiqi, what if he further offended her?

Just as Gao Kai was about to shake his head at Wang Rui, signaling his helplessness, an idea struck him. Qiqi always seemed to get along well with Wang Rui. However, after Wang Rui’s father messed up a crucial detail during the funeral arrangements for Qiqi’s parents, the grieving Wang Qiqi had grown distant from their family. Gao Kai reasoned that Wang Rui was, after all, Wang Qiqi’s cousin. Now that her parents were gone, she only had a few relatives left. "Qiqi, since Little Rui has said as much, why don't you let her stay with you? You live alone anyway; you must get lonely, right?"

Lonely? Hearing Gao Kai utter that word ignited a fire in Wang Qiqi. Whether she let Wang Rui stay was her business. But this idiot dared to speak such an ambiguously suggestive sentence in front of so many people! In truth, Wang Qiqi was overthinking things, perhaps due to having read too many domestic struggle novels in her past life. Any words from Gao Kai or the Wang Dagui family required her to dissect them multiple times for hidden meanings.

"Lonely?" Wang Qiqi let out a cold sneer. "According to classmate Gao Kai, if I’m home alone, I must feel lonely? You should remember that with my parents here, they would always keep me company."

Hmph, to expect her to relent and let Wang Rui move in—what a pipe dream! That would only happen if she were the one who killed them. However, this thought triggered a sudden realization: she had forgotten to take care of something. Even if she was overthinking this, she needed to act. Since her rebirth, she had changed so much. Who knew if Heaven noticed her disrupting the timeline and decided to recall her to the Underworld? If that happened, wouldn't all her assets fall into the hands of the Wang Dagui family? Wang Qiqi felt it was necessary to secure her property, ensuring it didn't end up with the wrong people again.

As Wang Qiqi spoke, her eyes held a sharp, calculating glint as she looked at Wang Rui. You think bringing up that scoundrel will make me yield? Hah! They aren't my parents; why should I give you a pleasant facade? "Little Rui, what's wrong with you? Your eye is twitching; perhaps your eye is bothering you? Why don't you skip class today and let your aunt take you to the hospital." Wang Qiqi had noticed Wang Rui sending suggestive glances toward someone and pretended to be oblivious to their implied flirtation when she spoke.

Wang Rui had intended to play the victim, the pitiable sister being bullied by the elder one. She had rehearsed how Qiqi used to be kind when her aunt was around, and how she would act meekly. Since her uncle's passing, Qiqi had changed, reverting entirely to her true nature, no longer caring that Wang Rui was her sister. But she hadn't expected this sudden remark. Though it sounded like concern, Wang Rui thought resentfully, surely Wang Qiqi knew what she was truly doing?

Wang Rui quickly regained her composure. It seemed Wang Qiqi wasn't as detached as she appeared on the surface. A little push, and she panicked, otherwise why would she say that in front of Gao Kai? "It's nothing, nothing, my eyes are just a bit blurry. It will clear up soon." Wang Rui thought that with the high school entrance exams just days away, she couldn't afford to waste time. If she could secure the inheritance from her uncle's family, things could take a different turn. But the problem was, they hadn't secured it. She had begged and pleaded for the promised ten thousand yuan, only managing to secure two thousand. After buying a few new outfits and a portable music player, Wang Rui had little cash left, but she still felt her wardrobe was insufficient and wanted to shop more. Yet, that damned Qiqi refused to go to the mall.

Wang Qiqi had merely said it in passing. Whether Wang Rui went to the hospital was none of her concern; she just wanted them both to know she wasn't some naive fool. "Xiao Man, we don't have time to walk to school. Should we just take a cab?"

Wang Qiqi glanced at her watch, realizing that the interruption from Wang Rui had thrown off her timing. If they relied on the bus, they'd be cutting it close. Of course, Wang Qiqi wouldn't admit that she simply didn't want to see Gao Kai; every time she looked at him, her heart refused to settle.

Just as Gao Kai was about to suggest they all go to school together, Shi Man swiftly hailed a taxi. As he moved to get in, Wang Qiqi interjected, "Gao Kai, could you give Little Rui a ride? She might be late too. Xiao Man and I still have a few problems to sort out, and we need to rush to school."

With that said, Wang Qiqi slammed the car door shut. Shi Man, sitting in the front, immediately called out, "Driver, go!" The weather was truly beautiful today, "A pity we ran into two pieces of rat droppings so early."

"If they want to put on a show, let them. I wonder how long he can keep it up," Wang Qiqi said coldly, as if discussing strangers. "At least I know Gao Kai won't be showing up tomorrow."

Gao Kai's family situation was stable enough now. Although the allowance his parents gave wasn't massive, it was certainly enough for him to live lavishly among his friends. Coupled with his good looks, plenty of girls fawned over him. There was no way he would repeatedly come knocking on a closed door. Furthermore, with Shi Man staying at her place, he absolutely wouldn't visit again—at least not until Shi Man returned to her own home.

If Gao Kai wasn't putting on a performance of heartfelt devotion downstairs, would Wang Rui bother to stage a display of sisterly affection at her door? Wang Qiqi had no intention of wasting time on Wang Rui. If Wang Rui wanted to act the part of the loving sister, let her. Wang Qiqi would maintain her usual composure anyway. Besides, everyone knew about the despicable actions of Wang Dagui; her current detached behavior was perfectly normal under the circumstances.

"It's better if he doesn't come," Shi Man said, mimicking a scared gesture while patting her chest. "I think Gao Kai must hate me. But how did your sister get entangled with that guy Gao Kai? Shouldn't you try to dissuade her?"

Although Shi Man disliked Wang Rui, she still felt that as sisters, a little help wouldn't hurt, preventing the situation from escalating later and causing Wang Qiqi’s aunt and uncle to blame Qiqi.

Dissuade them? Wang Qiqi thought that if she intervened, they would only accuse her of hindering Little Rui's prospects. "Do you think she would dare to pull something like this downstairs if she hadn't considered her parents' views?" Wang Qiqi hadn't missed the smug look on Wang Rui’s face when she suggested Gao Kai give her a ride to school. Let her be smug; the higher she flies now, the harder she’ll crash later. But becoming the favored person by Gao Kai’s side wouldn't be easy.

Shi Man was speechless. She couldn't exactly reveal the Gao family's situation to Wang Rui, not to mention her poor relationship with Wang Rui—why save her? Moreover, Wang Qiqi showed no inclination to help. "But you should still say a couple of things, just to avoid future trouble and them bothering you."

Wang Qiqi considered this. If she showed absolutely no opinion, first, the Wang Dagui family would think she was easily bullied. Second, if the truth about the Gao family situation ever came out, they might throw slanderous accusations her way. "Fine, I’ll find time to talk to them, but they probably won't believe me anyway."

"That’s their business, but what your sister is doing is incredibly unscrupulous," Shi Man was genuinely surprised that Wang Rui would stoop so low. She couldn't believe Wang Rui didn't know about the relationship between Qiqi and Gao Kai; Wang Rui was always trailing behind Wang Qiqi.

Unscrupulous? Wang Qiqi let out a cold laugh. "People who try to steal from my dead parents—do they even have any dignity left?" For the Wang Dagui family, money was dignity; they schemed to take money even from an orphan girl, let alone a golden bachelor. "Forget it. I am the elder sister; I am very magnanimous. Gao Kai is obviously a playboy; a man like that isn't suitable for me. I'd rather focus on my studies and get into a good university." She refused to believe she couldn't find a worthy man, and even if she couldn't, she wouldn't settle for Gao Kai. "What I want now is to get into a university far from here and start fresh in a new city."

It didn't matter if she knew nothing about the scumbags' future moves. Rebirth wasn't for revenge; it was so she could live well. The better she lived, the more miserable those scoundrels would be. The more they envied her, the worse their own lives would become—that was the greatest revenge.

Shi Man was silent. Indeed, after everything Qiqi had endured, she would naturally harbor resentment toward her uncle's family, especially since her cousin Wang Rui had committed such a wicked deed. "We’re at school. I wonder how surprised those people will be when they find out we finished the math problems."

Shi Man mused that since Gao Kai didn't want to see her, she would make a point of showing up often to watch him try to charm Qiqi. What truly captivated her, though, was the presence of the "Master." Shi Man secretly thought it might actually be better if Qiqi ended up with the Master. But it seemed the Master's family conditions weren't great. Ah, one thing always lacked when another was present. Still, Qiqi wasn't an old maid; surely she could find a good man later on?