For the next few days, Wang Qiqi maintained a heightened state of alert, constantly guarding against their return. To her surprise, the family didn't try to attack again. Had they finally calmed down?

Wang Qiqi pondered this, then dismissed the idea as impossible. Although that certain someone had stopped lurking downstairs looking lovesick, and that infatuated woman had also stopped appearing, which brought Qiqi some relief, she still had her own priorities. With final exams looming, Wang Qiqi was counting on making a stunning debut. While many in her class already knew her math skills were decent, she needed a major test score to truly solidify her reputation.

In contrast to Wang Qiqi’s relatively good spirits, Wang Rui was genuinely down in the dumps. She had hoped that after all the special training she’d undergone, her scores, while perhaps not stellar, wouldn’t be this disastrous.

Wang Rui burst into tears the moment she exited the examination hall. She knew securing a spot at the high school where Gao Kai attended wouldn't be easy this time. "Mom, this exam was so hard." Li Cui understood that getting into the same high school as Wang Qiqi wouldn't be simple for her daughter. Furthermore, Wang Qiqi had been far more diligent than Wang Rui during middle school; her own daughter had clearly been spoiled by her sister-in-law. "It’s alright, Xiao Rui. If we can't get in, we can't. There are other high schools we can attend."

Wang Rui knew she could probably get into a regular high school, but that wasn't the issue. "No, I have to get into Qiqi's high school." Otherwise, how could she spend time with Gao Kai, engineering 'chance' encounters? Wang Rui felt the prospect of getting close to Gao Kai by relying on Wang Qiqi was slim.

Li Cui was naturally pleased to see her daughter having ambition. The family had limited funds, and if her daughter showed promise, her own future might improve. But why this specific high school? Li Cui asked, "If your scores are sufficient, then go. If not, how will you get in?"

"I already inquired. We can pay our way in," Wang Rui replied. She recalled hearing snippets two years ago when her uncle and aunt were desperately looking into options after Wang Qiqi’s high school entrance exam, assuming her cousin’s scores weren't high enough. She recounted the information her uncle had gathered.

What Wang Rui thought would be an easy task seemed impossible to Li Cui. "Xiao Rui, you're not thinking of buying your way in, are you? I'm telling you, we don't have that kind of money. You'll have to figure out the tuition fee yourself." If her daughter could secure the funds from Wang Qiqi, Li Cui wouldn't object, but she absolutely would not agree to pay it herself.

Already upset, Wang Rui’s mood plummeted further upon hearing Li Cui’s harsh words. She burst into tears and ran off. When Wang Rui first emerged, people hadn't paid much attention; some cried over poor performance, others smiled faintly. Few, however, had such a complete breakdown and fled. Especially since Wang Rui hadn’t stopped to discuss answers with anyone—why the extreme reaction? Had she truly failed so badly?

Li Cui was surprised by her daughter’s reaction when she said they couldn't afford it; she felt a pang of bitterness. Who wouldn't want their children to succeed? But Xiao Rui’s mindset was flawed; she was solely driven by a man. Under such circumstances, Li Cui couldn't bring herself to spend the money.

Li Cui admitted she was fond of money, but she seriously doubted her daughter could ever truly charm Gao Kai. How could the young master of a wealthy family fancy a girl from a poor background? Even if he did, he'd want a virtuous, quiet wife who wouldn't cause trouble—qualities that utterly clashed with her daughter’s personality. To put it kindly, her daughter was outgoing and generous, but she was also petty. If their family were better off, and her daughter married someone of similar standing, Li Cui could always drag Old Wang along to demand justice if the husband stepped out of line. But once you crossed the threshold into the Gao family, you felt three degrees shorter. If Gao Kai were carousing, not only would they never dare to confront his family, but if he kicked their daughter out, they would just have to swallow the insult.

Li Cui was a shrew, but she wasn't an aimless or short-sighted one. She only dared to cause trouble in front of her brother and sister-in-law because she knew they would accommodate her as long as she didn't push too far. But outsiders? No one would humor her.

After running out, Wang Rui felt profoundly wronged. "Money, money, money! It’s all you see!" she muttered resentfully.

Wang Rui rushed forward blindly, failing to notice two people she least wanted to see at that moment sitting in the nearby cold drink shop.

Wang Qiqi slowly spooned her ice cream, not much enjoying it. It tasted fine, but she genuinely preferred fresh juice—more nutritious and certainly not as icy cold.

Shi Man observed Qiqi’s look of distaste and scrutinized her again. "I think you’ve changed a lot lately."

Wang Qiqi jumped at Shi Man’s comment. Could this girl have figured something out? "Changed? People inevitably change. Are you hoping I never change?"

Shi Man smiled. "You used to buy ice cream all the time, but you haven’t had any in ages now." Every afternoon, Shi Man would buy an ice cream cone, but Qiqi never would. Many classmates speculated that Qiqi was saving money since her parents passed away—though where that rumor started, no one knew. Shi Man certainly didn't think Qiqi was strapped for cash. Qiqi had the compensation money, plus rent from her property downtown, which alone covered her monthly expenses, not to mention the principal inheritance from her parents. She was just puzzled why, after seeing her for half a month, Qiqi suddenly disliked ice cream.

Hearing the reason, Wang Qiqi laughed. "My mom talked to me about this before, but I didn’t pay attention. Now, thinking back, I’ll never hear that nagging again." Wang Qiqi sighed. "My mother always said girls should eat less cold food; it’s bad for our constitution. Our bodies are naturally cool; eat too many cold drinks, and your stomach will freeze over. If nothing else, Xiaoman, don't you always have terrible cramps when your period comes?"

Shi Man nodded. "But my mom said as long as I avoid it during that time, it’s fine." However, Shi Man knew she absolutely could not give up cold drinks entirely.

"Once you stop, you get used to it. I'm slowly adjusting now, cutting out ice-cold things." Wang Qiqi was laying the groundwork now to avoid cold food, even in summer, preparing for a future where she wouldn't have to endure the suffering her past self had gone through just to slowly heal her constitution. In this life, I won't be so willful; I need to build a robust body. "Really, once you get used to it, you get used to it."

Shi Man pursed her lips. Just as she was about to comment that Wang Qiqi was starting to sound like a middle-aged woman, she spotted a familiar figure. After staring intently for a moment, she said, "Qiqi, look outside." Shi Man pointed outwards.

Wang Qiqi assumed Shi Man had spotted a handsome guy or some other acquaintance. She casually glanced out and saw Wang Rui, still showing faint traces of tears.

Wang Qiqi found it bizarre. This girl rarely cried, and if she did, it was usually to achieve some goal. She thought again. "Could her exam results be bad?" In her past life, Wang Rui's middle school results weren't great either, but she hadn't cried this hard. Why was she so devastated now? Wang Qiqi found it strange. Wang Rui wasn't really a dedicated student; if Wang Qiqi hadn't set the standard so high, she probably wouldn't have even finished high school. "I wonder if she'll end up in vocational school again this time."

"What?" Shi Man hadn't caught the end of Wang Qiqi's comment and pressed, "What did you say, Qiqi?"

Wang Qiqi remembered she wasn't alone. "Xiao Rui once said she hated studying and wouldn't go to high school, and she didn't want adults comparing her to me anymore." Growing up, Wang Qiqi had always stood like a mountain in Wang Rui's path. Perhaps this was one reason why Wang Rui hated her so much—driving her to fiercely snatch what she perceived as hers. If Gao Kai fell on hard times, Wang Rui might not even look at him. The desire to fight for Gao Kai might just be ingrained habit, but trying to steal the only thing she felt belonged to her suggested a serious mental block.

"Well, that should be good news for her. Why is she so sad?" Shi Man thought Wang Rui's grades weren't terrible; she could likely get into a slightly better vocational school. "Maybe she wanted your stingy aunt to buy her something and she refused?"

Wang Qiqi shrugged, indicating she didn't know. Honestly, if Shi Man hadn't dragged her out, Wang Qiqi would have preferred staying home, enjoying the air conditioning, doing yoga, and reviewing her lessons.

But since they were already out, she looked around, wondering if there was anywhere nearby to practice Taekwondo. However, Taekwondo wasn't really a major trend at this time; she wasn't sure if there were any centers around. "Let's go ask around if there’s a place nearby to practice Taekwondo."

Shi Man hadn't expected Qiqi to still be thinking about practice, looking at the scorching sun outside. She felt too lethargic. "Do you know where one is?"

Wang Qiqi shook her head. Even if she knew a location, it would be the Taekwondo studio from ten years in the future.

Shi Man replied dryly, "If you don't know the place, how will we find it? Forget it, I'll go ask my parents when we get back." At least they knew more people, and someone might know something.

Wang Qiqi sighed internally. While she felt that was unlikely, this girl wouldn't venture out in this blistering heat with her anyway. Fine, they would just stay inside and enjoy the air conditioning.

However, what followed was a scene that made Wang Qiqi thankful she hadn't gone searching for that mythical Taekwondo studio, or she would have missed hearing some explosive news. (To be continued)