Having finished the last bit of hot water in her teacup, Wang Qiqi rose, intending to wash the cup before heading home, which would time perfectly for a half-hour walk back. She hadn't exercised today because she'd been making sushi.

Shi Man packed up her schoolbag as well. Most of today's tasks were complete; the remaining problems would have to wait until tomorrow, though whether she'd even be here tomorrow was questionable.

While tidying her things, Zhu Lina wondered if she should just ask about tomorrow. If she didn't come, there were still so many things she wouldn't understand. Would she have to wait until Monday morning to rush to school and copy notes? While she could borrow a notebook, Zhu Lina preferred to figure out the logic behind the problems herself. But the more she thought about it, the less she knew how to bring it up.

Wang Qiqi finished washing the cup and tucked it into her bag. "Let's go. We'll meet here at the usual time tomorrow." Although she didn't know Zhu Lina very well, her performance today had been good. Oh well, since she needed to avoid her aunt and the others anyway, she might as well play nice. Besides, Wang Qiqi wasn't thrilled about going to Shi Man’s house.

Hearing that they would return tomorrow, Zhu Lina looked up in surprise. "Really? Can I come too?"

Shi Man glanced at Zhu Lina’s simple expression and scoffed. "If we told you not to come, would you actually stay away?" She was incredibly dense. Furthermore, if she didn't want to see her, there would have been no need to say anything at all. "I certainly don't want to see any boring people other than you."

Zhu Lina of course understood this and nodded. "I know, I know. I’ll bring some delicious pastries tomorrow." Through their lunch break chats, Zhu Lina had learned that to save time, Wang Qiqi and Shi Man wouldn't agree to go out to eat even if she offered to treat them. Besides, they didn't want to be seen by classmates at school; Zhu Lina knew that Gao Kai’s group occasionally came to this spot to study too.

Zhu Lina was aware of the relationship between Wang Qiqi and Gao Kai. What she couldn't figure out was why Qiqi’s dynamic with Gao Kai had soured since her return after a half-month absence. Even when Gao Kai had swallowed his pride to find Qiqi in class, she acted as if she hadn't seen him. Zhu Lina was genuinely confused. Some people speculated they had moved their relationship underground, which she had also assumed, but now it seemed everyone’s guess was wrong—Qiqi must truly not be on good terms with Gao Kai.

"Fine, bring plenty of tasty things tomorrow. Forget the chocolates, bring more fruit. As for me, I'm just eating for free; don't expect me to bring anything," Shi Man said bluntly. Of course, only she could speak that way; if it were Zhu Lina, she wouldn't have the standing to say it, otherwise Shi Man wouldn't have held back.

Wang Qiqi looked at Shi Man, who was completely unapologetic, and felt speechless, not wanting to engage with her. "I seem to recall someone brought something smelly and delicious; how come you're reluctant to share now?"

Shi Man heard this and remembered—right, she had brought durian. She certainly wasn't going to admit she had planned to take it home to eat slowly if no one else remembered it. Even though the smell was truly terrible, it tasted good. "Qiqi, you really won't eat it? Don't you eat stinky tofu?"

Shi Man pulled a lunchbox from her bag. As soon as it opened, the few boys sitting leisurely nearby immediately bolted, though not before pinching their noses to peek at what was in the container—it was that lethally pungent.

Wang Qiqi watched the boys quickly retreat and secretly laughed to herself. If she had known the durian was so potent, she would have brought it out sooner.

Shi Man, faced with delicious food, ignored the reactions of those around her. "Lina, have some, it’s really good."

Zhu Lina didn't stand on ceremony and grabbed a piece, eating it. "Not bad, it’s quite good. I think I have another durian at home; I’ll bring some over tomorrow." She hadn't known Shi Man liked durian before, or she would have brought it sooner to share. It was a pity Wang Qiqi didn't like it, but that was fine; Zhu Lina also loved stinky tofu. "Qiqi, I know a place that has excellent stinky tofu, especially the sauce—it’s absolutely divine."

Zhu Lina loved durian, so Wang Qiqi was highly confident she would enjoy stinky tofu. Her assumption proved correct. "Okay, is it the stall run by that middle-aged couple in the small alleyway?"

Zhu Lina was surprised that Wang Qiqi even knew that place; she had stumbled upon it purely by chance. "That’s the one. Qiqi, you've eaten there too?"

Wang Qiqi nodded, excitedly telling Zhu Lina how unbelievably good that stall’s stinky tofu was. Shi Man looked from Wang Qiqi to Zhu Lina in astonishment, feeling a bit unhappy, as if the two were excluding her. "Qiqi, how come I never knew about that stinky tofu stall?" She liked it too, so why had Qiqi never taken her there once? That was too much.

Wang Qiqi was momentarily stumped. She suddenly remembered that she had only discovered that stinky tofu stall in their senior year of high school, a time when her relationship with Shi Man wasn't as close as it was now. "I passed by it accidentally. I was planning to take you, but then my parents had that accident..."

Shi Man, who had been unhappy that Wang Qiqi hadn't included her in happy discoveries, immediately stopped thinking about it when she heard the reason for being excluded. She stopped eating and quickly said, "It's fine, it's fine. We’ll go eat there when we have time later. How about we go today?" The weather was nice today, perfect for eating out. Besides, they had spent the whole day hitting the books hard in the library, essentially overachieving on their tasks; a little snack outing was well-deserved.

Go today? As a fellow food enthusiast, Zhu Lina naturally agreed. Honestly, she hadn't been there in a while either, but she knew they needed Wang Qiqi’s approval.

Wang Qiqi was essentially on her own; no one would question when she went home, and she wasn't obsessively craving stinky tofu. However, after all that discussion, her appetite had been stirred. "Deal. But it seems a bit far. How about we just have dinner out instead?" If they went there for stinky tofu and then ambled home, it would be past 6:30 PM anyway. It would be livelier to eat dinner together. "Xiao Man, Lina, are you two okay with that?"

Zhu Lina was fine with anything; her parents rarely came home anyway. "I just need to call back and let them know."

Good, one down. The remaining one was Shi Man, and whether she had time was the question. It wasn't that the Shi family parents strictly controlled Shi Man, but they were busy with work and hoped for full attendance when they could finally have a family meal together.

Shi Man nodded. "I was planning to sort out my own dinner today anyway; there’s no meal waiting for me at home." She was supposed to eat with her family today, but there was a last-minute engagement, and her parents had to attend a social function. They had wanted to bring Shi Man along to meet some elders, but Shi Man had declined, citing her need to study.

"Perfect. Our three-person glutton squad is officially formed. Let's roll," Wang Qiqi declared in a very masculine gesture with a wave of her hand.

"Great! We’ll hit up several spots today," Shi Man had long wanted to go out and sample more local snacks but had never found the opportunity. Now that she had the chance, she wanted to eat her fill. Plus, with three people, they could order one of everything and try many more things.

"Right! We have to eat until we burst today," Shi Man declared with great determination.

Zhu Lina chimed in continuously with the local snacks she considered delicious, making Shi Man drool and even making Wang Qiqi feel a bit hungry. Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Zhu Lina to know so many specialty snacks; in fact, Zhu Lina knew about delicious places tucked away in super obscure corners. It would be a waste if she didn't become a gourmet expert later. Moreover, this was not the era of advanced internet and transportation; finding these places now was no easy feat. It showed how much time this girl had dedicated to this pursuit.

Shi Man looked at Zhu Lina with great envy. After a long moment, she sighed. "I’m so jealous. Your parents are wonderful; they don't constantly pressure you about studying." Her own parents often frowned and commented on her poor grades, despite being quite kind to her and providing plenty of money. But the crux of the issue was that she hadn't had such a leisurely time going out just for the sake of food in ages.

Wang Qiqi also nodded. "Zhu Lina, your family is really good to you."

Zhu Lina smiled faintly. "It’s okay, I guess." They were very good to her; they gave her whatever she liked and took her traveling. But they were truly too busy. "Alright, should we take a taxi or walk there?"

"Taxi," Shi Man interjected quickly. She remembered that the place with the stinky tofu seemed quite far from here. How long would it take to walk?

Wang Qiqi didn't see it that way. "I remember several places Lina mentioned are along the route to the stinky tofu spot. Why don't we walk there, eating as we go?" That way, they could get exercise and eat delicious things simultaneously.

Shi Man was definitely not happy hearing about walking; it meant covering a lot of ground, which the notoriously unfit Shi Man might not handle well.

"Let's walk. You'll get to try plenty of good food; didn't you hear what Lina just said?" Wang Qiqi provoked her again.

Shi Man looked at Wang Qiqi, then at the chubby Zhu Lina, thinking she couldn't possibly lose a race against a fat person. "Deal. But I absolutely have to eat a ton of delicious things."

Wang Qiqi gave an OK sign. She was planning to let loose today too. Since being reborn, Wang Qiqi had been wound tight constantly. If it weren't for Shi Man’s occasional antics to lighten the mood, she would have forgotten her actual age.

"Don't worry. Actually, there are a few nice little spots and some import/export shops along the way with very interesting items," Zhu Lina was happy to share these little secrets with Wang Qiqi and Shi Man.