"Sister, let's go to class together," Wang Rui waited quietly by the stairs of Wang Qiqi's building, schoolbag on her back. Her head was down, lost in thought, occasionally glancing up to see if anyone was coming down. The moment she spotted Wang Qiqi, she bounced over, linking her arm with her sister's.

Wang Qiqi looked at Wang Rui, who had shamelessly shown up again, and honestly didn't know what to say. It felt like they argued constantly; Wang Rui probably wished she could kill her, so why was she being so kind today, waiting for her to go to class together? It was truly strange. "Fine," Wang Qiqi said, but she still subtly shook off Wang Rui’s arm. "It’s so hot."

Wang Rui watched her empty hand, her expression shifting instantly. Truthfully, no matter how many times she called Gao Kai recently, he never answered. Even when he borrowed a phone, he’d quickly hang up with an excuse about being busy. Wang Rui realized she had no choice but to restore normal relations with Wang Qiqi; otherwise, how would she ever contact Gao Kai again?

Wang Rui ran through various ideas in her head, concluding that she absolutely had to stabilize the situation for now, at least showing all the classmates that she and Wang Qiqi were on good terms. "Sister, shall we eat lunch together?" Although the school wasn't far from home, after entering high school, everyone preferred to handle lunch at school so they could have more time to review or rest.

"Eat lunch together?" Wang Qiqi looked at Wang Rui with suspicion. "Shouldn't you be eating with your new friends? How else will you build rapport?" Eating lunch with you, Wang Qiqi thought, already gave her a stomach ache.

Wang Rui tried to reach out and grab Wang Qiqi’s arm to act spoiled, but Wang Qiqi was quicker, evading the move. Wang Qiqi thought to herself, I'm not a boy; there’s absolutely no need for you to put on cute airs and act sweet.

"Sister, aren't I just scared? Besides, we’re at the same school; you need to look after me," Wang Rui pouted, displaying a look that suggested her older sister was failing in her duties.

Scared? Wang Qiqi felt a chill run down her spine hearing Wang Rui say that. She rubbed her arms, getting goosebumps—a testament to how melodramatic Wang Rui’s words were. "Xiao Rui, how old are you? You're in high school now, right? What are you afraid of? Furthermore, I'm a senior; don't you know teachers often hold classes late? Hmph, Wang Rui, don't push your luck. Your chances of being scared are about the same as our parents suddenly coming back to life."

Zhu Lina burst out laughing, completely unreservedly. "Qiqi, is your sister in high school? Because she sounds like she’s still in kindergarten." Her expression was too fake; though her face was smiling, it was a strained, empty gesture, and the look in her eyes clearly signaled ill intentions.

"Perhaps the drunkard’s interest lies not in the tavern," Shi Man quipped acidly. She had truly never seen such a shameless person. Previously, Wang Rui had drooled over the money Wang Qiqi carried, but now she expected a change in attitude just because she wanted money—and she’d been so cold before. Who would want to see that deadpan expression anyway, let alone spend money on her?

Wang Rui could only glare hatefully at Shi Man and the other girl. She knew she didn't have the social standing to challenge them right now. "Sister, I know my attitude was bad before. I’ll change, okay?" No matter what, she needed to swallow her pride first. After all, rumor had it Shi Man’s family had connections in the government; befriending her would only be beneficial. Wang Rui had seen Shi Man give those followers of Gao Kai icy stares several times; no matter how angry those boys got, they couldn't do anything to Shi Man because of her family’s status. Befriending her could only bring advantages.

Wang Qiqi sighed, watching Wang Rui put on an expression of, I was wrong, and I will change. This girl sacrificed a lot for a man. She truly couldn't fathom what great charm Gao Kai possessed. "If you know your mistake, changing is good; you’re still a good kid. However, we might not be eating lunch together; we have late classes. You're only a freshman, so you should be fine."

"I can buy your lunch for you," Wang Rui looked hopefully at Wang Qiqi, thinking she might even save her own lunch money.

Shi Man glanced at her, her face full of calculation. Did she really think they were all fools? Zhu Lina preemptively rejected the idea on Wang Qiqi’s behalf. "The cafeteria menu changes daily; how would we know what we want to eat until we see today's options? Besides, sometimes we change our minds and go out to eat."

While outside food wasn't always safe, sometimes when classes ended late, they'd arrive at the cafeteria to find few dishes left or only the undesirable leftovers. So, if the teacher held them late, they'd either grab noodles at a small shop nearby or order a couple of dishes with rice, splitting the cost, which wasn't much. Zhu Lina and her friends often ate out. They usually rotated who paid the bill, but with Wang Rui tagging along, how would they calculate the expense? She’d probably claim she had no money or hadn't been given enough by her family, and they couldn't exactly force her to pay.

Wang Rui understood that all their elaborate talk meant they wouldn't take her to lunch. She knew they ate out often and rarely used the cafeteria, where the food was rumored to be terrible. But if she wanted to eat out, she needed money.

The scene of the three of them walking cheerfully to class together was gone today. Occasionally, they would discuss a problem, debate an exercise, or one would pose a question for the others to answer. It was undeniably dull.

Wang Rui felt terrible watching the three of them act as if she didn't exist. In the past, when she followed Wang Qiqi out, no matter who the others were, they would accommodate her feelings and speak to her occasionally. But today, they hadn't exchanged a single word. "Sister, you’re ignoring me now. Do you still think I’m awful? Haven't you forgiven me?"

Wang Qiqi heard what sounded like a young girl's artless complaint, implying Wang Qiqi was petty. So what if I don't forgive you? "Xiao Rui, aren't I busy studying? I'm a senior; I need to use every available moment for the Gaokao. When you reach your final year, you'll know this isn't a life for humans." Wang Qiqi mused that Wang Rui’s only motivation for high school was Gao Kai. But what if Gao Kai didn't accept her? Moreover, Gao Kai would be heading to university in a year at most. Would Wang Rui, remaining in high school, still have that drive? Without this external pressure, perhaps Wang Rui might gradually grow to love studying, but stepping into her first year of high school was like winding up an alarm clock, starting the Gaokao countdown early.

"Exactly. We don't have time to chat with you about trivial things; we're too busy memorizing lessons," Zhu Lina stated bluntly. "Qiqi, can you explain the thought process for this problem again? You got completely interrupted by your sister."

Seeing the three of them clearly isolating her, Wang Rui couldn't hold back any longer. "Qiqi, I see someone I know; I’ll go first." Wang Rui was already bored, and spotting a certain person, she immediately rushed over to ask him what was wrong lately.

Wang Qiqi was accustomed to Wang Rui’s abrupt shifts in behavior. When she needed something, it was "Sister" or "Sister Qiqi"; when she had nothing to gain, it was just "Qiqi" or "Wang Qiqi." Her expression changed too fast. Yet, if you thought she was completely naive, she could be quite willful when talking to outsiders; once she got close to someone, she dropped all pretense.

"Good riddance," Shi Man could only say of Wang Rui’s departure.

Zhu Lina, however, stared intently at the spot where Wang Rui had run off to. Wang Qiqi slapped her arm. "What are you staring at? Don't tell me you’re looking for a dropped wallet."

Zhu Lina shook her head, staring for a long moment before slowly saying, "Gao Kai just walked by across the street. I noticed he looked over here." Then she slipped away. The direction Wang Rui ran must have been chasing after Gao Kai. Zhu Lina couldn't understand why someone like Gao Kai would like that girl. Even though Zhu Lina disliked Gao Kai, she felt Wang Rui was aiming too high by being interested in him.

Wang Qiqi had also noticed Gao Kai. When that guy saw her looking, he even smiled at her. Wang Qiqi immediately turned her head away, pretending not to see him. Flirting on the street so early in the morning—he didn't look like the child of a respectable family, especially since he hit that old lady and wouldn't admit it, showing not a shred of remorse. It was all bought with money. "Let her like Gao Kai if she wants. No matter what I say, she'll just think I’m ruining her future."

"Gao Kai still seems like a decent potential son-in-law," Shi Man offered a pragmatic assessment. "Alright, we need to hurry to school too. But Qiqi, I don't think your troublesome sister will just let things go that easily."

"I’m a senior. Let her bother me if she wants. Besides, the times she can bother me are limited to the morning, noon, and evening," Wang Qiqi had already considered this. During break times, how could a freshman possibly find a senior? At night, they had evening study hall, and by the time they were dismissed, the freshmen would have long been done. Lunchtime was the most dangerous period.

"Let's go eat cold noodles for lunch," Zhu Lina suggested as lunch came up, wanting to discuss their midday meal. "That place makes excellent braised pork. We can add some pickled cucumbers, and a serving of cold noodles—that’s great."

"Deal. We’ll have that for lunch. It’s hot, so I don’t want much heavy food. The cafeteria food never improves," although the dishes looked decent, after eating them for two years, it was always the same three options; even the best dish gets tiring. "Oh right, I heard the school might be reforming the cafeteria."

Zhu Lina wasn't sure how the reform would work, but Wang Qiqi remembered that in her past life, during her senior year, the school intended to bring in external management to improve cafeteria quality, which ultimately failed. It wasn't that no one wanted to get involved; it was because the cafeteria involved too many vested interests. "I hope the cafeteria changes for the better. Otherwise, eating out so often gets tiresome." Walking all the way to the school gate only to eat and walk back was especially inconvenient on rainy or scorching summer days.

"Exactly, exactly. If the school is planning such a reform, that’s the best outcome," Zhu Lina agreed.

Happy Children's Day! Bu Bu is rolling around wanting to celebrate Children's Day too.