Shi Man rubbed her rumbling stomach, urging Wang Qiqi, "Qiqi, you're too slow. You should have figured out the time and packed your bag earlier so we could leave sooner." Although Shi Man had eaten a bread and a few pieces of candy around four o'clock, she still felt hungry. Of course, leaving early also meant more time to review math; she had finished all subjects except math during the self-study period just now.

Wang Qiqi ignored Shi Man's urging. "What's the rush? There'll be food when we get back anyway." Going out right now meant the hallways and stairs would be full of people and a strong smell of sweat, which Wang Qiqi absolutely didn't want to inhale. "Let's grab some fruit on our way back."

The fruit sold near their residential complex gate, while fresh and good, was quite expensive. If it weren't for the proximity to home, Wang Qiqi wouldn't have bought fruit there yesterday.

"Okay, I want watermelon today, and grapes and cantaloupe too," Shi Man said, counting on her fingers. "Honestly, I think in the summer, there’s no need to eat actual meals; just fruit would be enough."

Wasteful child, Wang Qiqi thought. If she had to supply fruit based on Shi Man’s appetite, their small savings wouldn't last long for someone who ate that much. "Auntie is cooking some mung bean soup today; it should be chilling in the fridge when we get back." Wang Qiqi didn't like frozen things, but Shi Man did. Her biggest reason for loving summer was being able to eat iced cold drinks without restraint.

Mung bean soup? Shi Man’s face fell. To be honest, while it was also frozen, she disliked soupy things. "Let's buy some popsicles instead. I’ll pay." The two, shouldering their bags, walked out of the classroom chatting. The staircase and hallways, bustling moments ago, were now sparsely populated, at least not congested.

Gao Kai stood at the stairwell with his backpack. Although his eyes drifted toward Qiqi's classroom, he didn't forget to flash seductive glances at the girls passing by. This was Gao Kai's favorite pastime, especially now when some girls wore skirts so short they made him feel impulsive.

When he spotted Wang Qiqi, he immediately walked over. "Qiqi, you're out quite late today. Did you run into trouble with your studies?" He had planned to find time in the afternoon to comfort Wang Qiqi, but unexpectedly, he got caught up in so many things. While none of them were major issues, the people involved were his friends, and how could he refuse them when they came to him for help?

Wang Qiqi smiled at Gao Kai to acknowledge him. "It’s okay. I’ll be doing homework during the break at home too, so I’m keeping up with the lessons. Plus, Shi Man will let me copy her old notes for a while. How have your studies been lately?" Don't mistake Wang Qiqi’s action as still caring about anything serious with Gao Kai. It was just that if Wang Rui really started attending school, she would definitely cling to Gao Kai, and if Gao Kai occasionally mentioned Wang Qiqi’s name, wouldn't a certain someone become very unhappy?

Wang Qiqi wouldn't miss any chance to annoy Wang Rui. Besides, they were classmates; if they ran into each other on the road and didn't even exchange words, the change would be too drastic and would raise suspicion among many people. As for Shi Man standing beside her, Wang Qiqi wasn't worried about being betrayed. She knew Shi Man was also a "sesame dumpling" (naive/easygoing), and she would definitely support her efforts to irritate that person.

Gao Kai hadn't expected that after waiting for Qiqi, she would ask him about his studies. "I’m alright. Oh, right, you don’t have any issues with math, do you?" This was what Gao Kai had mulled over all afternoon; he thought this question was the best approach.

Even if Gao Kai hadn't brought it up, Wang Qiqi would have. "It’s pretty good. Actually, my parents hired a tutor for me before to help me catch up. I've been a bit embarrassed to mention it, but I’ve been studying with him recently. Math isn't that hard." Wang Qiqi felt there was no need to mention Han Tao to Gao Kai. Besides, why should she disclose all her affairs to him when Gao Kai himself hadn't told her many things?

Hiring a tutor? Gao Kai was surprised Wang Qiqi had hired one. Why hadn't she mentioned it to him before? This made Gao Kai feel a bit displeased. "Why didn't you tell me about that?" Although he had many things he hadn't told Qiqi, he considered that normal. But for Qiqi not to report her experiences to him, that was her fault.

Wang Qiqi thought she had slightly explained why she hadn't mentioned it earlier, yet this gentleman in front of her was unexpectedly dissatisfied and was questioning her. Who did he think he was? Her elder or her man? If the former, she had no need to report everything; if the latter, hmph, if she truly had such an autocratic man, she would have kicked him away long ago; she wasn't a prisoner.

Wang Qiqi's face immediately fell. "Gao Kai, are you interrogating me? What position are you asking me from? A classmate, or..."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Gao Kai knew he was in trouble. Although Qiqi used to be quite obedient to him, the fact was he hadn't been by her side during her most difficult times recently. She had changed a lot. And with what he had just said, Qiqi must be unhappy. But the words were already out, and although Gao Kai regretted it, he wouldn't take them back. However, he hadn't expected Wang Qiqi to show him such a cold shoulder and even ask him what right he had to question her. What kind of attitude was that?

"I think you should know the nature of our relationship," Gao Kai retorted. "You haven’t forgotten our relationship, have you?"

"I certainly know what our relationship is, but I need to make it clear to you that we were seemingly beyond friends, but we never reached the level of lovers, right?" Although their relationship was quite good, due to certain secret thoughts and the worry of teachers finding out and notifying parents, their status—though clear in many people's minds—had never received formal confirmation. Wang Qiqi thought it was incredibly fortunate. "Besides, marriages have divorces, and boyfriends/girlfriends have breakups. Don't you think so, Gao Kai?" Don't think too highly of yourself.

Wang Qiqi didn't want to continue talking with someone whose mentality was so exceptionally good. "It’s getting late; I have class later."

Shi Man stood on the side, listening as Wang Qiqi showed absolutely no mercy to the so-called Prince Charming, instead pressing him into silence. As expected, she saw the Prince Charming’s face turn extremely ugly. But what Qiqi said was also true—their relationship was better than friends, but less than lovers, right? Not to mention Qiqi's last sentence, which was definitely the last straw that crushed his overconfident and assured self-importance.

Shi Man lagged two steps behind Wang Qiqi and said to Gao Kai, "There are breakups even between boyfriends and girlfriends, let alone the fact that you and Wang Qiqi never admitted to being a couple. But I don’t think you need to admit it anyway; wouldn't that attract more girls? Oh well, as the school's Prince Charming, with good family background, good grades, and good at sports—definitely the Prince Charming from romance novels—why wouldn't young girls like you? It's just a pity that Qiqi now isn't the Qiqi of the past. If I were you, I wouldn't compare the old Qiqi with the current one."

After saying this, Shi Man quickly stepped forward to catch up with Qiqi and hooked her arm. But in such hot weather, Wang Qiqi was already struggling with the heat and certainly didn't want Shi Man clinging to her. "Shi Man, don't you think you have a strange smell about you?" It’s this hot; it’s not the dead of winter where we need to keep warm.

"Really? But I think I smell very nice. Your family's soap really smells fragrant..." After mentioning Qiqi’s family soap, Shi Man started talking about the snacks at Qiqi's house. Wang Qiqi turned to look at the girl's smug grin. Even without looking back, she knew Shi Man was trying to provoke someone. Wang Qiqi certainly didn't think provoking him was a bad idea, so she followed up on Shi Man's words.

Gao Kai felt like he was about to spit blood. He had already been stung deeply by Wang Qiqi, and then Shi Man delivered another blow. Of course, Shi Man's provocation wasn't as strong; Gao Kai had never taken Shi Man seriously. If it weren't for the connection with Shi Man's parents, he would have already told people to deal with her. But he hadn't expected it to be Qiqi who defined their relationship. It seemed that during the break, Shi Man must have called Qiqi frequently. He had been careless then, thinking Wang Qiqi, whose parents had passed away, would be constantly crying. He didn't want to hear Wang Qiqi crying to him about grievances. Alas, he had truly made a wrong move.

But asking Gao Kai to give up Wang Qiqi, he felt that was impossible. He admitted he still liked Qiqi a bit; he always felt she was so quiet. No matter how wildly he acted outside, when he turned around, he would see Qiqi standing behind him, smiling, waiting for him no matter where or when.

In Gao Kai's view, even though he hadn't officially acknowledged Qiqi as his girlfriend, his actions demonstrated his feelings. But all of that had now been overturned by Qiqi. Did she see me talking animatedly with Wang Rui? Or did Shi Man whisper unpleasant things in her ear? Or maybe she told Qiqi what she saw? Gao Kai figured that the only thing that could change Qiqi's view of him was Shi Man constantly nagging her. But he had to blame himself too; he was so careless that day, failing to check his surroundings. Who would have thought Shi Man would be reading a book in such a secluded corner? Alas, it looked like he would have to confess everything to that person tonight, otherwise the longer he delayed, the worse it would get.

"Gao Kai, were you waiting for me?" At that moment, a very saccharine voice came from nearby.

Gao Kai’s already conflicted expression changed instantly upon hearing that voice, his smile becoming dazzling. "Yes, Li Na, I was waiting for you. Didn't you say you didn't understand some problems? I thought I could tutor you." He could apologize to Qiqi later tonight; after all, that girl should still trust him quite a bit. This sort of thing had happened before; hadn't they always moved past it after he apologized? "Let's go get KFC first. Didn't you say you like chicken legs?"

"Okay." Li Na had actually been waiting nearby for a while, but even knowing she was a backup candidate, she couldn't just say it—many people were competing for the spot of the reserve choice.

Today was supposed to feature a recommendation chapter, but Bu Bu searched everywhere and couldn't find it. Yet, the editor said the results were good, and Bu Bu excitedly promised to try for double chapters. But if she can't even find where to post it, how can she add more chapters? She hopes the editor sent the wrong notification. Honestly, Bu Bu has very little manuscript stored away. Ugh, writing 12K words daily is truly killing this writer (To be continued).