Wang Qiqi had no idea what her best friend was thinking at that moment. If she had known that Han Tao was just a bookworm in Shi Man's eyes, she would definitely argue that Han Tao was far from a bookworm, and much more capable than Gao Kai.

Never mind that Gao Kai seemed quite capable now, with strong social skills; all of that was built on his status within the campus, his wealth, and the assumption that he was the heir to a grand hotel, which made people fawn over him. Once those surrounding Gao Kai realized the true state of the Gao family finances, many would gradually drift away, and he would descend into complete despondency. It was understandable; Gao Kai, who had always believed himself to be a rich young master and enjoyed smooth sailing, would naturally struggle to rally when suddenly faced with poverty. However, Wang Qiqi always found it odd that the mysterious big boss of the hotel would entrust its management to the Gao couple so readily. It seemed they only checked the accounts every few years, and the Gao couple didn't strike her as the type to simply collect a salary; they surely would have demanded shares. Could it be...? Wang Qiqi mused that perhaps that was the only possibility, but ultimately, it wasn't her business; why bother with things that didn't concern her?

The two ambled slowly toward the classroom. A girl diligently tapping away at her keyboard saw Shi Man enter, waved at her, and immediately buried her head back in her work. There was no choice; the time was tight and the task heavy. "Shi Man, Qiqi, why are you only arriving now? We’re almost out of time." Arriving at this hour, how could they possibly finish the assignments? Moreover, very few students were willing to let others look at their completed work. Their notebooks were genuine hot commodities right now. Even she had only just managed to snag one after waiting for nearly twenty minutes, and who knew how long it would take her to copy it all.

Zhu Lina thought for a moment and shifted slightly toward the center. "Let the three of us look together." This way, the three of them could get the homework done before morning self-study began, especially since Math was a weak spot for both Shi Man and Wang Qiqi.

Shi Man glanced up at the notebook. It was hers. Although her grades were quite good, frankly, she didn't need this kind of homework notebook now. Besides, every time she copied that girl's homework, the tone used was always tart, especially when her total score surpassed that girl’s during exams—she would always make some saccharine remark that thoroughly annoyed Shi Man.

"Thanks, Lina, we’re actually done." Zhang Qian saw that it was Huang Li’s notebook and, truth be told, her impression of Huang Li wasn't great. Huang Li was the type who couldn't stand seeing others with better grades or better family backgrounds than her; otherwise, she wouldn't offer a single kind word. If it weren't for the fact that she often lent her assignments to classmates for reference, her popularity in class would be abysmal.

Zhu Lina, who had been vigorously copying answers, hadn't noticed Wang Qiqi and Shi Man’s movements. She was wondering what was up with these two today, why they were being so sluggish. Later, when she heard Shi Man say she had actually finished the Math assignment, which she recalled included problems that weren't simple yesterday, she paused. "You guys are done?"

Zhu Lina looked up, astonished, staring at Wang Qiqi and Shi Man. "You’re both done?" Impossible. She knew Shi Man’s Math skills well; there was no way she could have finished all the problems. And while Qiqi’s Math scores were slightly better than Shi Man’s, she had taken two weeks off; it would be miraculous if her grades hadn't slipped.

Shi Man nodded smugly. "Yep, I finished all the Math homework yesterday." Hahaha, Shi Man thought the air felt wonderful today. In the future, she wouldn't need to copy anyone’s homework, nor would she need to listen to anyone’s nagging.

When Huang Li saw Wang Qiqi and Shi Man walk in, she was just about to offer a sarcastic remark to them both. But she knew that if she insulted Wang Qiqi for being an orphan, Wang Qiqi might retaliate fiercely. After all, someone in the class had whispered a few idle remarks yesterday, and Wang Qiqi had charged over and demanded an apology. Furthermore, nobody thought Wang Qiqi's reaction was excessive; given that her parents were gone, she was simply waiting for an opening. If Shi Man and Wang Qiqi copied her homework, she would surely seize the chance to jab at them.

Especially Wang Qiqi. Huang Li had witnessed her supposed Prince Charming, Gao Kai, humbly begging Wang Qiqi—that orphan—yesterday, only for Wang Qiqi to drag Shi Man away with her head held high. At that moment, Huang Li felt an indescribable desolation watching Gao Kai stand alone in the wind. She desperately wanted to step forward and offer some comfort, but she knew she lacked the standing. Still, she hoped that the more Wang Qiqi acted up now, the harder things would be for her once she drained Gao Kai’s affection for her. What pleased her 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 meticulously plan how to engineer an accidental meeting with Gao Kai. She recalled Gao Kai mentioning how he had nearly bumped into that ill-fated woman, Wang Qiqi, on a staircase landing. She absolutely had to devise a better "chance encounter" scenario. Hmph, Huang Li thought, what chance encounter? According to Gao Kai's own story, such incidents should result in more couples forming around the school. Therefore, in Huang Li’s mind, any so-called accidental meeting was likely pre-arranged by Wang Qiqi.

Before Huang Li could finalize her superior scenario, she heard Shi Man declare that she had actually finished her Math assignment. This shocked Huang Li into momentary bewilderment. She occasionally managed to surpass Shi Man in total scores, but that was because Shi Man struggled with Math while hers was decent. Even so, Shi Man frequently outscored her. Now, Shi Man could actually do the Math homework? But she quickly stabilized her emotions.

"Perhaps she consulted an expert yesterday," Huang Li stressed the word 'consulted' heavily. As students, everyone understood the implication of 'consulting'—it was just like 'referencing.' If Huang Li had been talking about someone else, people might have chuckled, but this was Shi Man. Furthermore, nobody was foolish; seeing Shi Man and Wang Qiqi enter together, what if Wang Qiqi jumped in and flew into a rage? Especially after the huge upheaval recently in Wang Qiqi’s family, it was perfectly normal for her to be in a bad mood. Besides, everyone generally held a poor impression of Huang Li. They were all busy focusing on their homework and ignored the barb.

Huang Li noticed she hadn't received any reaction, and her face twisted in frustration. She truly wanted to lash out: "When you usually need to copy my homework, you all grovel like puppies begging me. Why has everyone changed now? Hmph, I won't let you copy anymore!" But Huang Li couldn't bring herself to say it, knowing that if she actually dared to utter those words, she would truly alienate everyone.

Shi Man watched Huang Li's face contort, feeling a deep, sweet satisfaction, as if she had just eaten a KFC ice cream cone. She smiled. "Yes, I consulted an expert. Regardless, my homework is done." Shi Man pulled her notebook from her bag and handed it to Zhu Lina. "Lina, here is my notebook, see how mine looks."

Shi Man knew Huang Li would believe she had finished the Math problems, but she would assume Shi Man had just scribbled random solutions in the book.

Shi Man placed the notebook down and returned to her seat, planning to doze off for a bit. Wang Qiqi picked up a History book to read. At home, Wang Qiqi had dedicated almost all her time to reviewing Math. History and Geography, the subjects requiring memorization, she planned to tackle at school.

Seeing Shi Man hand her notebook to Zhu Lina, Huang Li immediately jumped up and lunged towards Zhu Lina, snatching the book from her hand. Zhu Lina, unprepared, was startled by Huang Li’s sudden move. If she hadn't quickly let go, allowing Huang Li to take the book, the notebook might have been ripped in half with any applied force. Zhu Lina thought, What is wrong with Huang Li? If you want to see Shi Man's notebook, couldn't you ask first? And why are you so agitated?

The others first heard Zhu Lina's gasp and looked over in her direction. They saw Huang Li standing next to Zhu Lina, clutching a notebook. Everyone found it quite odd. Those who didn't know the context thought Huang Li was trying to snatch the book back, preventing Zhu Lina from copying, and considered Huang Li stingy. Even though Shi Man had given her notebook to Zhu Lina, they wouldn't assume Shi Man's solutions were better than Huang Li's.

The students who witnessed Huang Li's snatching maneuver shook their heads, feeling Huang Li was completely out of line. From their perspective, Huang Li had deliberately and viciously yanked the notebook from Zhu Lina's grasp, clearly intending to destroy Shi Man’s Math assignment. If Zhu Lina hadn't let go quickly, the book really might have disintegrated.

Huang Li had no time to worry about what the surrounding people thought of her actions. She flipped to Shi Man’s work from yesterday, examining the problems one by one. She refused to believe Shi Man had managed to complete them all. She remembered struggling with two of the problems herself, getting them rather messy, yet Shi Man had answered them correctly.

This caused Huang Li’s face to grow paler and paler. She hadn’t expected Shi Man to have solved the problems she couldn't, and for the ones she did know, Shi Man had used steps that were simpler and clearer. How could Huang Li accept this outcome?

"Shi Man, did you copy it?" Huang Li simply couldn't believe Shi Man had done it herself. She clutched Shi Man’s notebook and rushed over to Shi Man, shouting at her.

Shi Man had been hoping to rest for a moment, but she hadn't expected Huang Li to relentlessly pursue her. She looked up and stared at Huang Li. "Does it matter if I copied it? Who in the class do you think I could have copied these solutions from?" What an idiot. Seeing that her solutions were good, she immediately accused her of copying, right in front of everyone. Doesn't she have a brain?

Wang Qiqi yawned. "Exactly. How Shi Man does her work is her business. Is it just that Shi Man's solutions are too good, making you jealous, so you’re saying she copied?" Hmph, accusing someone of copying in front of so many people—she’s really asking for trouble. "Huang Li, you’re not the only one who’s good at Math."

Last day for double Pink tickets, everyone still have any Pink tickets? RS