Wang Qiqi had no idea what her friend was thinking at that moment. If she knew that in Shi Man’s eyes, Han Tao was nothing more than a bookworm, she would absolutely argue that Han Tao was no bookworm at all—he was definitely far more capable than Gao Kai.

Never mind that Gao Kai appeared quite competent now, with strong social skills, but all of that was built upon his standing in school, coupled with his wealth. Everyone fawned over him because they assumed he was the heir to a grand hotel. Once the people surrounding Gao Kai discovered the true state of the Gao family’s finances, many would slowly drift away, and he would inevitably descend into complete despair. It was understandable; having always believed himself to be a young master from a wealthy family, Gao Kai had experienced nothing but smooth sailing. The sudden realization that his family was now poor meant it would be a miracle if he ever managed to pull himself together. However, Wang Qiqi always found it strange that the hotel’s mysterious big boss would entrust the operation of the hotel to the Gao couple. It seemed that after just a few years of checking the accounts, the Gao couple didn’t appear to be the type to simply collect a salary; they surely would have demanded equity. Could it be...? Wang Qiqi mused that perhaps that was the only possibility. But whatever, it wasn't her business; why stick her nose where it wasn't wanted?

The two strolled leisurely toward the classroom. A girl diligently typing away looked up when she saw Shi Man enter, waving at her before immediately burying her head back in her work. It couldn't be helped; time was short and the workload heavy. “Shi Man, Qiqi, why are you only getting here now? We’re almost out of time.” Arriving at this hour, how could they possibly finish the assignment? Besides, there were very few students willing to let others look over their completed work; their notebooks were currently hot commodities. Even she had only just managed to snag a look, having waited nearly twenty minutes, and who knew how long it would take her to finish copying.

Zhu Lina considered the situation and moved slightly toward the middle. “The three of us can look at it together.” This way, the three of them might be able to wrap up the homework before morning assembly started, considering that Math was a weak spot for both Shi Man and Wang Qiqi.

Shi Man glanced up at the notes—they were hers. Although her grades were quite decent, honestly, she didn't need that kind of notebook now. Moreover, every time she copied this girl's homework, the tone was always tinged with bitterness, especially after an exam when her total score surpassed this girl's; she would invariably make some sour remark that always annoyed Shi Man.

“Thanks, Lina, we’ve actually finished ours,” Zhang Qian said. Seeing that it was Huang Li’s notebook, she wasn't particularly fond of her. Huang Li was the type who couldn't stand seeing others with better grades or better family backgrounds; otherwise, she would never have anything nice to say. If she didn’t often lend her homework out for classmates to check, her popularity in class would be significantly lower.

Zhu Lina had been diligently copying answers, so she hadn't noticed Wang Qiqi and Shi Man’s movements. She had been wondering what was up with the two of them today, why they were being so slow. It was only when she heard Shi Man mention that she had already completed the Math homework that she realized the problems from yesterday must not have been simple ones after all. “You guys are done?”

Zhu Lina looked up, glancing at Wang Qiqi and Shi Man in surprise. “You both finished? No way. I know Shi Man’s Math; it’s impossible for her to have finished all the assignments. And although Qiqi’s Math is slightly better than Shi Man’s, the thing is, she took a half-month leave; it would be a miracle if her grades hadn't slipped.”

Shi Man nodded smugly. “Yup, I finished all the Math homework yesterday.” Hahaha, Shi Man realized the air felt especially fresh today. From now on, she wouldn't need to copy anyone's homework, nor would she have to listen to anyone's nagging.

Huang Li saw Wang Qiqi and Shi Man walk in and was about to throw in a sarcastic remark. However, she knew that if she insulted Wang Qiqi for being an orphan, she couldn’t predict how the girl might retaliate. After all, just yesterday, someone in the class had whispered a few careless words, and Wang Qiqi had actually stormed over and demanded an apology. Moreover, no one found Wang Qiqi's reaction excessive; considering her parents were gone, she was waiting for the moment Shi Man and Wang Qiqi copied her homework so she could unleash a few barbs.

Especially towards Wang Qiqi, Huang Li recalled seeing her supposed Prince Charming, Gao Kai, beg Wang Qiqi, the orphan girl, with such a low profile yesterday, only for Wang Qiqi to pull Shi Man along and stride away dismissively. At that moment, Huang Li felt an indescribable desolation watching Gao Kai standing alone in the wind, wishing she could step forward to comfort him, but knowing she lacked the standing to do so. Still, she thought, the more Wang Qiqi acted up now, the better. Once she exhausted whatever affection Gao Kai held for her, wouldn't her future life be miserable? What made her happy, though, was that at least for the time being, Wang Qiqi wouldn't be spending extended periods with Gao Kai.

Thinking this, Huang Li decided she needed to carefully plan how to engineer a "chance encounter" with Gao Kai. She remembered Gao Kai mentioning that he had almost run into that ill-fated woman, Wang Qiqi, at the turn of the staircase. She was determined to devise a much better accidental meeting scenario. Hmph, in Huang Li’s view, there was no such thing as an accidental meeting. Based on what Gao Kai said, there should be many more couples in the school because of that incident. Thus, in Huang Li’s mind, those supposed chance encounters were all meticulously staged by Wang Qiqi.

Before Huang Li could finalize a better script, she heard Shi Man announce that she had actually finished her Math homework. This news struck Huang Li with shock, making her pale. She occasionally managed to surpass Shi Man in total scores, but that was only because Shi Man was weak in Math while her own Math scores were decent. Even so, Shi Man frequently managed to outscore her. Now, Shi Man was actually completing the Math homework? However, she quickly stabilized her emotions.

“She probably consulted an expert yesterday,” Huang Li stressed the words “consulted an expert” with great emphasis. Among students, everyone understood the implication of “consulting”—it was just like “checking.” If Huang Li had said this about someone else, people might have snickered, but this was Shi Man she was talking about. Besides, no one there was foolish; seeing Shi Man and Wang Qiqi enter together, what if Wang Qiqi jumped up to cause a scene? Especially given the recent upheaval in Wang Qiqi’s family, being in a bad mood was entirely understandable. Furthermore, everyone generally held a poor impression of Huang Li anyway. Most students were too busy focusing on their own homework to engage with the drama.

Huang Li realized that nobody had paid her any attention. Her face contorted with fury. She really wanted to blurt out, “When you usually needed to copy my homework, didn't you all beg me like lapdogs? How did everyone change so suddenly?” Hmph, if she didn't let them copy her work in the future! But Huang Li couldn't say those words aloud; she knew that if she actually dared to say that, she would truly alienate everyone.

Seeing Huang Li’s face twist, Shi Man felt an immense satisfaction, like having just finished a KFC ice cream cone. She smiled. “Yes, I consulted a master. Either way, my homework is done.” Shi Man pulled her notebook from her bag and handed it to Zhu Lina. “Lina, here’s my homework. See how I did.”

Shi Man knew Huang Li would believe that she had completed the Math problems, but she would assume Shi Man had just scribbled nonsense and haphazardly filled in the steps on the page.

Shi Man returned the notebook and went back to her seat, intending to drift off for a bit. Wang Qiqi picked up a History book and started reading. At home, Wang Qiqi had dedicated almost all her time to reviewing Math. As for History and Geography—materials requiring rote memorization—Wang Qiqi planned to handle those at school.

Upon seeing Shi Man hand the notebook to Zhu Lina, Huang Li immediately jumped up and rushed to Zhu Lina's side, snatching the book right out of her hand. Zhu Lina, caught off guard by Huang Li's sudden movement, was startled. If she hadn't quickly let go, allowing Huang Li to take the book, wouldn't the notebook have split in two if they had both pulled hard? Zhu Lina thought to herself, what’s wrong with Huang Li? If you want to see Shi Man’s homework, couldn't you have just asked first? And why were you so agitated?

Everyone first heard Zhu Lina’s startled cry and looked over, only to see Huang Li standing next to Zhu Lina, clutching a notebook. Everyone found it quite peculiar. Those who didn't know the background assumed Huang Li was trying to snatch the book back, preventing Zhu Lina from copying, and considered Huang Li petty. Even though Shi Man had lent her Math book to Zhu Lina, they wouldn't assume Shi Man’s problem-solving process was better than Huang Li’s.

Students who witnessed Huang Li’s snatching motion shook their heads, feeling that Huang Li was truly crossing a line. From their perspective, it looked as though Huang Li had deliberately and viciously yanked Shi Man’s notebook from Zhu Lina’s hand, clearly attempting to destroy it. If Zhu Lina hadn’t let go quickly, the notebook really would have disintegrated.

Huang Li had no time to care about what the surrounding people thought of her actions. She flipped to Shi Man’s work from yesterday, going over the problems one by one. She refused to believe Shi Man could have actually solved all of them. She recalled having trouble with two of those problems herself, working them out messily, yet Shi Man had managed to provide answers.

This made Huang Li’s face grow progressively paler. What shocked her was not only that Shi Man had solved the problems she couldn't, but also that Shi Man had used simpler, clearer steps for the problems Huang Li did know how to solve. This outcome was devastating for Huang Li to witness.

“Shi Man, did you copy this?” Huang Li didn't believe Shi Man could have done it herself. She stormed over to Shi Man’s desk, holding up the notebook, and shouted at her.

Shi Man had actually been hoping to catch a short break, but she hadn't expected Huang Li to press the issue. She looked up, staring hard at Huang Li. “Does it matter if I copied it or not? Who in this class do you think I could have copied these steps from?” What an idiot. Seeing that her solution process was good, she immediately jumped to accusing Shi Man of cheating, and right in front of everyone too. Does she have a brain?

Wang Qiqi yawned. “Exactly. How Shi Man solves her problems is her business. Isn't it just that you’re jealous because Shi Man’s solutions are too good, so you’re claiming she copied?” Hmph, accusing someone of cheating in front of all these people—she’s really looking for trouble. “Huang Li, you’re not the only one good at Math.”

Last day for double Pink Tickets! Do you all still have any Pink Tickets, readers? RS