"Qi Qi?" Wang Rui trailed behind Gao Kai and the others as they exited the library. Out of habit, she glanced around and spotted a few familiar figures; naturally, the most familiar was Wang Qiqi, who usually stayed home studying.

Gao Kai hadn't intended to pay attention to Wang Rui, but upon hearing her mention "Qi Qi," he wondered if Wang Qiqi had also come to the library to study. However, he hadn't seen her in the study hall.

Wang Qiqi walked along, discussing math problems with Shi Man. In the reading room, the three of them barely spoke; if they needed to communicate, it was by passing small notes. How were they supposed to discuss math problems like that?

Zhu Lina was memorizing English vocabulary. "Qi Qi, your sister and Gao Kai are by the door." Zhu Lina looked up toward the front and realized she had run into Gao Kai’s group, and even more surprisingly, Qi Qi’s sister, Wang Rui, was with them. Since when were they on such good terms?

Zhu Lina truly couldn't understand. Hadn't Gao Kai embarrassed himself a few times precisely because of Wang Rui? How could he still be hanging out with her? There must be something going on.

Wang Qiqi heard Zhu Lina mention seeing Wang Rui with Gao Kai but didn't even lift her head, continuing her discussion with Shi Man. Whether Wang Rui and Gao Kai walked together was their business.

Since Wang Qiqi was so unperturbed, Shi Man naturally wasn't going to be upset either, continuing to work on problems with Wang Qiqi; after all, the people over there were all people she disliked anyway.

Wang Rui had initially expected Wang Qiqi to greet her upon seeing her, but instead, Wang Qiqi acted as if she hadn't noticed her and kept discussing the problems.

"Sister, you came here to study too." Wang Rui had silently cursed Wang Qiqi countless times in her mind, but when Wang Qiqi walked up to her, she still greeted her with a bright, cheerful smile.

Hearing Wang Rui say that, Wang Qiqi put on an expression of great surprise. "Xiao Rui, you're here studying today too?"

Then she spotted Gao Kai and smiled at him. "Gao Kai, what a coincidence, you're here studying as well."

She greeted Gao Kai and took the opportunity to say hello to the acquaintances around him. Regardless of how they felt about her, it was hard to refuse a friendly greeting. If she didn't acknowledge them, it would just be another mark against her. She didn't expect to become close with Gao Kai’s group, nor did she hope they would speak well of her; she just hoped they wouldn't badmouth her.

Gao Kai hadn't expected Wang Qiqi to greet him. "Hello, Qi Qi. Didn't you usually avoid coming to the library to read? Oh, by the way, I didn't see you studying in the hall. How come?" Gao Kai thought, There’s no way I missed those three live people.

"The study hall was full, so we just found a place to sit and study casually," Wang Qiqi thought. If not for the power outage today, why would she be here? If she had known they would leave for lunch at this time, she really should have delayed leaving a bit longer.

Gao Kai sensed that Wang Qiqi was trying to avoid him. "The study hall was full." Even though it was crowded, there were certainly three empty seats available. "Are you preparing to go out for lunch?"

Wang Qiqi nodded. "Yes, we're planning to have hot pot." Wang Qiqi stated this quite generously, knowing that a certain someone disliked hot pot. It wasn't just the smell clinging to clothes, but rather the perception that hot pot was a bit beneath his status as the young master of a prominent restaurant.

Hot pot? Gao Kai hesitated. He had actually been considering inviting Wang Qiqi to lunch, but hearing she was having hot pot left him unsure how to proceed. If he went, he felt the atmosphere of a hot pot restaurant wasn't suitable for him, but if he didn't go, he didn't want to give up such a good opportunity.

"Sister, Gao Kai offered to treat us to Korean BBQ." Wang Rui noticed Gao Kai’s expression shifting and realized he likely wanted to go for hot pot with Wang Qiqi.

Korean BBQ—that was high-priced food. She hadn't expected Gao Kai to treat them to that; a group this size would easily cost three or four hundred. "BBQ sounds great, eat plenty," Wang Qiqi said cheerfully, pleased that someone else had sorted out their midday meal plans. "We're off to eat hot pot."

Waving goodbye, Wang Qiqi called Shi Man and Zhu Lina to join her for hot pot. Hahaha, finally, she wouldn't have to see people she didn't want to see at noon.

"Korean BBQ is quite good; eat a lot. I remember there's a really nice Korean BBQ place around here." As Zhu Lina followed Wang Qiqi and the others to leave, she turned back and said to them, "We ate there yesterday too; the taste was excellent. The pork belly, especially that premium cut, although a bit pricey, tastes far superior to the regular pork belly when grilled."

Zhu Lina covered her mouth as she walked away, unwilling to admit she had said that deliberately. A single serving of premium pork belly cost about forty to fifty percent more than the regular cut. This was going to make Young Master Gao fork out a fortune.

Wang Qiqi and Shi Man continued discussing their problems, not noticing Zhu Lina catching up behind them. When they heard someone panting slightly, Wang Qiqi asked, "What were you doing?"

"I just told them we ate at that specific BBQ place earlier," Zhu Lina said, covering her mouth again.

We ate at that specific BBQ place? Wang Qiqi and Shi Man exchanged glances. When had they gone there? "We must have gone in a dream."

Zhu Lina shook her head. "No, we didn't. I went to that BBQ place a few months ago with my cousin and her friends. The five of us spent seven or eight hundred that time."

Hearing the price Zhu Lina mentioned, Wang Qiqi and Shi Man looked at each other, then burst out laughing simultaneously. "How many people were around Gao Kai just now?"

Shi Man tried to recall. "I don't remember exactly, but at least ten or so, right?" Even if they didn't order the expensive items like Zhu Lina’s group, the moment someone mentioned how delicious the premium pork belly was, someone else was bound to suggest ordering it. When compared, the premium cut would surely taste better, and Gao Kai, conscious of his image, would he really oppose ordering the premium pork belly if someone suggested it?

"If Gao Kai doesn't have the money, with so many people eating, won't the others cover the bill?" Wang Qiqi figured that these wealthy young masters and ladies would certainly foot the bill.

Shi Man agreed. "Let's go eat hot pot, and we can try the BBQ tonight. We can taste that delicious premium pork belly Zhu Lina mentioned."

"No problem. I'll page Aunt Gong in a bit and let her know not to prepare dinner for us this afternoon." Wang Qiqi agreed; BBQ sounded quite good too. "And let's also notify Han Tao."

Aunt Luo now worked a standard day shift, and the daytime helper also did part-time work. To save her the trouble, Han Tao had told them he would manage dinner himself, and Wang Qiqi and the others would cook for Han Tao too.

"Okay." Shi Man didn't mind if there was one extra person for dinner, but she suddenly realized something. "Will Han Tao feel awkward? Eating at home was fine before, but now that we're eating out, Han Tao will surely need to chip in for expenses. Does that mean we can only afford regular BBQ cuts?"

"Then we'll just pay separately," Wang Qiqi said, knowing Han Tao wasn't without funds. "Worst comes to worst, we just order the cheaper items."

"Ah." Zhu Lina was about to protest that this meant they wouldn't get any premium cuts—the ordinary items were so much inferior to the premium ones—when Wang Qiqi spoke up. "I'll cover the premium meats, and the three of you can split the cost of the regular ones."

Wang Qiqi rubbed her full stomach as she walked out of the hot pot restaurant and sighed contentedly. "Eating hot pot really is great. You can just drop in whatever you like to eat without worrying if the person sitting next to you likes it or not."

Shi Man nodded in agreement. "If you like spicy, have spicy; if you like refreshing, have refreshing. It's just that your clothes end up smelling like hot pot." Honestly, that smell was rather unpleasant.

After exchanging a few brief comments with Shi Man about how lavish their lunch was, Wang Qiqi and Shi Man returned to discussing math problems, while Zhu Lina went back to reciting her English vocabulary.

The three of them were in high spirits, but that good mood only lasted until they reached the library entrance. "Sister, you're back?" Wang Rui’s expression wasn't exactly pleasant, but when she caught the scent of hot pot emanating from Wang Qiqi's group, her nose wrinkled, and she immediately pinched her nose shut.

Wang Qiqi gave Wang Rui a look of disdain. "Don't be so dramatic. Didn't you also come back smelling like grilled meat when you went for BBQ just now?" Hmph, if grilled meat didn't smell like meat, that would be a bigger problem. "The premium pork belly tasted good, right?"

Wang Qiqi admitted she had said that deliberately, and judging by Gao Kai’s expression, that meal must have cost him dearly. But it was strange—didn't he have no allowance? If he ran out, he'd just ask his parents. Had his parents restricted his allowance because he dropped out of the advanced class after the placement exams? Hahaha, that was truly satisfying news.

Not bringing up the pork belly would have been better; as soon as it was mentioned, Gao Kai and his group’s faces changed, especially Gao Kai's. "We're going back in to study." Gao Kai suddenly felt utterly disgraced and hurried inside.

The others forced weak smiles and followed closely behind Gao Kai.

Wang Qiqi stared at their ghostly expressions, then looked at Shi Man and the others with confusion. "What's going on? I just asked if the premium pork belly tasted good; why did it sound like I mentioned something I shouldn't have?"

Zhu Lina had thought she was being quite unscrupulous, but it turned out Wang Qiqi was even more so. "Qi Qi, you're incredible."

Wang Qiqi smiled. She intended to annoy them, just to prevent someone from suggesting they study together again, and to prevent someone from holding a grudge against her. "Let's get back to studying; the time is tight and the tasks are heavy." Alas, the homework teachers assigned every weekend was piled up like a mountain. "Math takes brainpower; for the other subjects, our hands will be sore from writing."

Hearing Wang Qiqi say that, Shi Man and Zhu Lina both let out long sighs. Ah, this miserable Senior Year had only just begun two months ago, and there were still eight months left for them to endure.