Shi Man watched the mother and daughter walk away, then cautiously glanced at the person beside her whose face looked anything but pleasant. She thought to herself that she should have just followed Qiqi out into the sun to find a place to sit, anything was better than enduring this suffocating awkwardness.

Wang Qiqi hadn't realized Wang Rui hated her to such an extent, to even conceive of such a malicious plan. If this girl had been transported to ancient times, she would have been a master of household intrigue. Though she might suffer initial setbacks, few people with such venom in their hearts ever met a good end. "I honestly don't know where I offended her."

What else could Wang Qiqi say? Should she run to her parents' graveside and weep to them, confessing that their excessive kindness to Wang Rui had fostered ambitions she shouldn't have harbored? Forget it. Why disturb her parents' peace below?

Shi Man hesitated, almost speaking before restraining herself. "Qiqi, let's go back."

Wang Qiqi sighed. "En, let's go back." She felt she couldn't sit there a moment longer. Even though the shop wasn't crowded, she felt everyone around her was staring, whispering about her—the lone orphan who would never know a good day.

Wang Qiqi forced a calm demeanor and returned home. The moment she stepped inside, she collapsed onto the nearest seat, her movement so swift that Shi Man barely had time to reach out and steady her. Gong Hong was busy cleaning and preparing dinner. Lately, thanks to securing local contracts—helping one family with lunch, another with dinner, totaling three housekeeping jobs, supplemented by weekend work with her girlfriends—life had improved considerably. If it weren't for Qiqi's recent bereavement, she might even be humming. When she heard the door open, she didn't bother to look up, assuming it was Qiqi. However, not long after, she heard a sharp cry of distress.

Gong Hong quickly turned off the gas stove and rushed out, only to be startled by the sight: Qiqi was sprawled on the floor. "What happened? What is it?" Gong Hong wondered if she had suffered heatstroke and moved to administer emergency aid. "You call 120; I’ll turn on the fan."

Hearing Gong Hong mention the emergency services, Shi Man understood she thought Qiqi was suffering from heatstroke. She stopped her. "Aunt Gong, Qiqi is just upset. She's fine, no need for 120." At this moment, Shi Man knew Qiqi didn't want any more trouble, lest that thick-skinned someone use "caring for Qiqi" as an excuse to move in.

Gong Hong listened to Shi Man, then observed Wang Qiqi's expression. It didn't look like heatstroke. "I'll carry her inside; you go turn on the air conditioning."

Shi Man softly acknowledged and rushed into Qiqi's room to quickly switch on the AC and close the windows. Gong Hong, meanwhile, was already carrying Qiqi inside. She gently laid Wang Qiqi on the bed, sighing as she looked at the girl. Outsiders called this child hard-hearted, but in Gong Hong's eyes, it was all born of necessity. Several times, Gong Hong had seen Qiqi hiding in a corner, weeping alone. "No one has an easy path."

With those words, Gong Hong prepared to leave to finish cooking. She considered asking her last client for the evening off. While Qiqi seemed stable now, what if she left, and Qiqi was alone again and needed something?

"Aunt Gong." Wang Qiqi was conscious, though she felt profoundly exhausted. She kept believing her efforts would avert the tragedies of her previous life, that keeping the Wang Dagui family at arm's length would teach them she wasn't to be trifled with. But some things couldn't be avoided simply by wishing them away; certain people valued money far above familial respect. "Aunt Gong, once you finish cooking, you should leave. Xiaoman, you too. I need to be alone for a while."

Though Gong Hong was merely a helper, in the half-month they had known each other, Qiqi recognized her innate goodness. When something in the house broke, Gong Hong would take it to be fixed and return it, never asking for reimbursement for repairs, always claiming her husband did the work for free. Every night, she’d call to remind Qiqi to lock the doors and windows—all actions taken voluntarily. Now that Qiqi felt unwell, Gong Hong might stay out of concern, but Qiqi didn't want to impede her earning a living, and she genuinely needed solitude to process everything.

Gong Hong looked at Wang Qiqi with hesitation. Well, since she could speak, her physical condition wasn't critical. But was it appropriate for her to leave? Gong Hong sought confirmation from Shi Man with her eyes.

Shi Man knew Wang Qiqi was distressed but couldn't possibly leave her alone. "Okay, we’ll leave shortly." (She silently planned to stay in the study copying notes; how could Qiqi know?)

Gong Hong was surprised by Qiqi's friend's seemingly callous suggestion and her gaze toward Shi Man turned slightly hostile. In Gong Hong's view, this girl was heartless.

Shi Man offered a wry smile. Was she truly so unfeeling? "Qiqi, you sleep. We’ll lock the door when we go."

Wang Qiqi murmured acknowledgment and closed her eyes, longing only for sleep, an escape.

Shi Man quietly slipped out and closed the door. "Aunt Gong, you can leave later. I will stay here and watch over Qiqi."

Gong Hong, who had initially been unreceptive to Shi Man, understood when she heard her words that the girl had only been deceiving Qiqi moments ago. "Alright. I’ll go finish my work first, and I can come back later to relieve you."

Shi Man shook her head. "It’s fine, I’m not going back tonight. Aunt Gong, you don't need to come."

"I should come. Just in case something happens. If not, I'll head back."

Shi Man didn't argue. If Gong Hong insisted, so be it. In truth, she was worried too. Despite Qiqi saying she was fine, her state looked precarious. Having an extra person on watch would ease her own anxiety.

Wang Qiqi woke up to find the world outside steeped in darkness. After tossing and turning a few times, she finally sat up. "No matter how things unfold, as long as I remain vigilant, what can they possibly do to me?"

Wang Qiqi suddenly remembered something: Wang Dagui and the others likely still had a key to the house. However, since people were frequently around lately, and any missing item would prompt her to call the police—plus they couldn't access the savings passbook—she had never considered changing the locks. But hearing that explosive news, delaying the lock change would be handing them a golden opportunity to cause trouble. "I'll change the locks tomorrow. The reason is simple: I lost my key."

Wang Qiqi reasoned that with the locks changed, the chances of them trying anything inside the house would drop significantly. With a little extra caution, what could they really accomplish?

Once resolved, Wang Qiqi turned off the air conditioner and prepared to go out for dinner. As she passed the study, she noticed the door was shut. On impulse, she opened it. "Xiaoman, you didn't leave?"

Shi Man was deeply immersed in studying her math homework. Everything—food, drink, supplies—was readily available, and she had completely lost track of time. She had intended to check on Qiqi periodically, but once she settled in, it was one note-copying session after another, or wrestling with problem-solving strategies. "Qiqi, you're up. Are you hungry? Aunt Gong made dinner."

"Let's eat. After we finish, you should head back early, or your parents will worry." Although Shi Man mentioned having tutoring here, from the slight tension in Shi Man's expression, Wang Qiqi sensed that the Shi parents weren't entirely thrilled about her staying here to study.

"It's fine, I asked for leave from them." When Shi Man first requested time off, her parents strongly objected, saying it wasn't proper for her to stay at Qiqi's place—they were emphatically against it. Only after Shi Man explained why she needed to stay did her father sigh and reluctantly agree. But just before hanging up, her father had remarked, "She is quite a struggling child." Shi Man knew that future requests to stay here would likely face less opposition, provided Qiqi's grades didn't slip, or ideally, improved dramatically.

Wang Qiqi stared at Shi Man for a long moment, noting the absence of any look of distress. "Let’s eat; I’m starving."

Shi Man watched Wang Qiqi consume a substantial amount of food, as if she hadn't eaten in ages, and deduced her mood had improved. "What are you planning to do about them?" Shi Man doubted Qiqi would let them off the hook. "If you plan to take action, let me know. I can help you."

Shi Man thought to herself, forgive me for using the family's influence, but those people truly went too far—to harbor such thoughts against an orphan, and worse, they were relatives.

Take action? Wang Qiqi shook her head. "That would be too much trouble. Besides, they are still relatives, however vile their actions. Why should I waste energy on them? I need to focus all my energy on the university entrance exams next year."

"But they..." Shi Man was surprised Qiqi would let them go and found her truly inscrutable.

Wang Qiqi had initially considered revenge against Wang Rui, perhaps engineering a scenario where Wang Rui was utterly disgraced—maybe switching roles so Wang Rui became the humiliated lead in her own scheme, preferably showing her absolute worst side to her 'Prince Charming.' At that moment, Wang Rui might genuinely wish for death, perhaps dragging Qiqi down with her. But Wang Qiqi reconsidered and felt it wasn't worth it. "How they treat me is their business. And the reason I won't act isn't because they are relatives; it's because in my heart, they are merely strangers—passersby A and B who happen to share some distant family connection."

Shi Man was taken aback that Wang Qiqi had so casually categorized them as irrelevant passersby. While she felt Qiqi’s approach might be seen as letting them off too easily, Shi Man considered that perhaps this detachment was the only way Qiqi could truly feel better. "Still, you need to be careful. Oh, and let’s go practice Taekwondo together during the summer break."

Only then did Shi Man fully grasp why Qiqi insisted on learning Taekwondo—it had become a necessary task. "You should get a dog," Qiqi suggested. Being alone at home felt unsafe.

Shi Man had thought about getting a dog, but then she worried about what would happen to it next year when she left. "It’s alright. Besides, I'll lock the doors and windows securely. Who would get in?"

Shi Man saw that Wang Qiqi had made up her mind and said no more. There was no point arguing further when the girl was so resolute.