When Wang Qiqi heard that Shi Man was going back tomorrow, she immediately said, "Come to my place on weekends from now on, and we'll review our lessons together. Even if we don't have a great teacher, I can tutor you a little." Wang Qiqi could tell Shi Man wasn't in a great mood either, but she couldn't bring herself to suggest, "Why don't you just stay at my place every day, and we can discuss our studies?" Although Shi Man's parents were busy and might not often be home for dinner, if Shi Man stayed at her house when her parents were home, it would look like a matter of attitude, especially since Wang Qiqi’s own parents were gone; in many people's eyes, this would seem like a deficiency on Shi Man's part.

Shi Man moved her lips, knowing that her father might be somewhat lenient about her willful stay at Zhang Qian's house this time, but her mother—who knew how angry she’d be—would surely have words. However, no matter how angry her mother got this time, she wouldn't stop Shi Man from spending time with Qiqi. "Okay, let's go to the library to review our lessons on the weekend."

"Fine."

Shi Man paused, then reconsidered, "How about your place instead? I'll ask my auntie to make something delicious to bring over." Shi Man remembered that a few classmates at school also reviewed at the library, and if they found out about Han Tao, would she ever have an easy time again? Hmph, those people kept any good things they had secret, never wanting to share, and she couldn't be a fool and spill everything to them. Besides, she worried Han Tao might not actually go to the library to read, and even if he did, the environment there wasn't conducive to discussing problems.

As for where to study, Wang Qiqi had no objections. "I don't care; you decide." Being at her own home was the best—she could take a short nap if she got tired, or grab a bite to eat whenever she wanted without worrying about others looking on. "I'll chill some more fruit then."

Shi Man had absolutely no resistance to fruit. "Great, great! Oh, right, I have a juicer at home; I'll bring it over, and we can make fruit juice later."

"Deal. I'll make some cucumber masks to put on our faces then." Even though my skin texture is good now, I still need to take care of it. I won't use the expensive stuff; a fruit mask is perfect for a beautiful young woman like me who’s in the prime of youth, and it saves money, too.

Cucumber on the face? Shi Man found that quite odd. Wasn't cucumber something you ate? Although she had used cucumber slices on her face before, she hadn't felt it made much difference. "Does it really work?"

Wang Qiqi nodded. The homemade fruit masks that would be hugely popular in later generations hadn't really caught on yet. A single thin sheet mask sold for quite a lot of money; otherwise, how would Auntie and the others say Mother was such a spendthrift, doing all that beauty nonsense when she was already so old? "Wait until I make one for you, and then you'll see the effect. Don't worry, but the process takes a long time. The upside is it's cheap, so you can do it whenever you want."

Shi Man touched her face, then looked at Wang Qiqi’s, and honestly, she was incredibly jealous. She had touched Qiqi's face; it was so smooth, fine as tofu. "Fine, I don't ask for much—just to be as smooth as you."

Hearing Shi Man’s requirement, Wang Qiqi almost tumbled out of her seat. "That's not a low standard! But I drink a cup of honey water every morning and milk at night, though you don't like milk." At this moment, Wang Qiqi suddenly remembered she could also practice yoga.

Milk? Shi Man pursed her lips. "It smells bad." She always thought it had a fishy odor. "Forget it; I won't drink milk then." Beauty was important, but Shi Man absolutely couldn't force herself to eat something she didn't like.

"Actually, milk is a good thing," Wang Qiqi commented. Although she wasn't sure about the safety of the milk now, generally speaking, it was a relatively cheap source of nutrition. "How about you have some soy milk every day instead?"

Wang Qiqi recalled an elderly tofu-making woman she knew, over eighty years old, whose skin was absolutely pale—not just her, but her children too. Their skin was so fair. Wang Qiqi figured it must be related to their long-term consumption of soy milk; that family seemed to just drink soy milk whenever they were thirsty and adored soy products. However, Wang Qiqi wasn't a big fan of soy milk either, always sensing a slight beany aftertaste.

Soy milk? Shi Man considered it. Although it still had some flavor, it was much better than milk. "Deal. I'll have my auntie make some as soon as I get back."

Looking at Shi Man, whose parents handled everything and whose auntie did all the work, Wang Qiqi felt a pang of sadness. If her parents were still around, she wouldn't be like this either. Ah, a person's growth is truly forced by their environment. "Remember to drink it daily."

Wang Qiqi and Shi Man bought some fruit and walked home slowly. Just as they reached the entrance, they spotted an unwelcome guest: Wang Rui, pacing impatiently by the door with her schoolbag slung over her shoulder.

"Why are you only back now? My feet are numb." Wang Rui had initially considered kicking Wang Qiqi’s door a few more times—Hmph, don't come back and play outside! Wang Rui had been wondering if Wang Qiqi had gone out with Gao Kai; she used to occasionally go out with Gao Kai to study.

Although Wang Qiqi found it strange that Wang Rui had come over, since Wang Rui didn't even call her "sister" and just addressed her as "you," Qiqi certainly wasn't going to give Wang Rui a warm reception. She took out her key and opened the door. "What's wrong?"

Wang Rui darted inside in one bound, immediately turned on the air conditioner with practiced familiarity. She’d been stuck at home studying the last few days; it was so hot, unbearably hot. She couldn't sleep well at night, constantly feeling sticky with sweat, sweating even when inactive.

"The house needs the windows opened for ventilation; the AC should be turned on later." After putting her things down, Wang Qiqi walked over to Wang Rui and firmly took the remote control from her hand, turning the air conditioner off.

Wang Rui bristled at Wang Qiqi’s bossy, take-charge demeanor. She said coldly, "Are you so frugal that you’ve squandered all the compensation money from my Uncle's family?"

Wang Qiqi ignored her, first going to the bathroom to wash her face. "How my family spends its money is none of your business. Don't worry; no matter how little money my family has left, it’s my concern. I don't need your family to be responsible for me, nor do I need you to support me. Done. It’s getting late; Auntie is waiting for you to come home for dinner." Hmph, that lecturing tone—as if she were Sister Xue. Too bad I’m not Lin Daiyu.

Wang Qiqi hadn't understood why Wang Rui had come over at first, but after seeing Wang Rui's actions, she got it: the girl was just looking for a chance to sponge off the air conditioning. "I need to discuss lessons with Shi Man here. Your house has air conditioning too; turn it on. Studying alone with no interruptions is better for you."

Wang Rui blinked upon hearing Wang Qiqi rudely telling her to leave, trying to gather her emotions before bursting into tears and accusing Wang Qiqi of bullying her. "What's with your attitude? I just thought you were alone, so I came to keep you company." If it weren't for her mother being too stingy about that little bit of electricity cost to turn on the AC, why would she come here and have to put up with Wang Qiqi's scowl? Wang Rui thought with resentment. "Besides, if you have the AC on, it uses the same amount of electricity whether one person or three people are in the room."

Zhang Qian certainly understood that logic, but the problem was, "You come over first, then your mother comes, then your father comes, and slowly all your family's things will be moved in bit by bit, and then I become the guest, right?" Wang Qiqi didn't know if Wang Rui and the others had this in mind, but she absolutely wouldn't open that door. Once that door was open, it wouldn't be easy to close. "Your family has air conditioning, and your parents' salaries aren't low. I think your family can afford the electricity bill for turning on the AC. Can your family really not afford such a small amount of money?"

Wang Qiqi then turned to Shi Man. "My mother once felt sorry for my uncle's family because they didn't have AC, and my younger cousin always complained about how unbearably hot it was in the summer, so she bought them a unit. Who knew that turned out to be a waste of several thousand yuan? But then again, my stepmother was just thinking about having my family pay the electric bill, never considering that an elder brother shouldn't have to manage the food and drink for his younger brother's entire family, especially after being so kind to them, only to be repaid with ingratitude."

If she were outside, Wang Qiqi wouldn't have said such cutting words, but now, at home, with the door closed, she really didn't want to see Wang Rui putting on that look of being mistreated. "Relatives should be reciprocal, but the problem is you can't always claim to be in need of support because of poor conditions."

Shi Man naturally sided with Wang Qiqi. Moreover, Wang Rui showing up right now was hindering her own studies. "Exactly. People with thick skin stay thick-skinned. You shouldn't be polite, especially since you have a large savings account but no parents. Some people might get greedy for your money and try to find ways to take it."

"That’s true." Since Shi Man was supporting her so much, Wang Qiqi naturally carried on in the same vein. "Though I'm young, I'm not a fool. I've already decided: if anything unexpected happens to me, I'll donate all the money, not leave a single penny."

"Ah, Qiqi, why would you think that?" Shi Man was very surprised when Wang Qiqi said that, and it certainly wasn't an act.

Wang Rui, listening from the side, was also startled by Wang Qiqi’s words. She had considered the thought that if Qiqi were no longer around, some of that money should rightfully go to their family. Of course, Wang Rui had only thought about it; she wouldn't actually commit murder to get it. "Ah, you have that idea?" If it were true, their family wouldn't get any benefit at all? But Wang Rui thought Wang Qiqi probably wouldn't go through with it. "Aren't you considering your affairs after death?"

Wang Qiqi hadn't actually planned to do it right now, but saying it might deter certain people from harboring improper thoughts. Judging by Wang Rui’s expression, someone had considered what she had just suggested. "I can arrange it with the notary office. Besides, how much do final arrangements cost? Ten or twenty thousand is plenty."

When Wang Qiqi said that, Wang Rui felt that the sarcastic remarks she’d made moments ago were no longer significant compared to this matter. She thought she should go home and talk it over with her parents; this was a huge deal.

Starting today until the 26th, there will be double updates for Bu Bu, with the second chapter posted every evening at eight o'clock. (To be continued.)