The fifth day of the Lunar New Year was traditionally when people welcomed the God of Wealth, and on this day, Wang Qiqi and the others resumed their habit of waking up early. Julia sat rubbing her eyes. "People have been setting off firecrackers since before dawn. They stop for a moment, and then someone else starts again. Didn't they say no firecrackers during the Spring Festival?"

Wang Qiqi was also rubbing her eyes. Alas, it was already past midnight when she finally climbed into bed. She had barely closed her eyes before the firecrackers started, and they continued on and off until now. "I'll go make some tea bags; they'll feel better on our eyes." Though she hadn't looked in the mirror, she knew all three of them must have dark circles under their eyes. "Even though it's the fifth day, why is no one managing this?"

Shi Man sighed from under the covers. "Welcoming the God of Wealth doesn't require this much fanfare." This wasn't welcoming prosperity; it felt more like welcoming a wave of complaints.

Wang Qiqi let out a huge yawn and checked the time. "I'll make breakfast first; you two can doze a little longer." If it weren't the first day back to school, coupled with a surprise test, Wang Qiqi would desperately want to ask for leave to rest properly, but alas, such is life.

Wang Qiqi and the other two trudged toward school, yawning the whole way. Along the route, they noticed many businesses were beginning to open their doors. "Still that festive atmosphere, and yet we have to go to school," Julia muttered resentfully.

Wang Qiqi sighed. "Exactly, I just want to sleep." Everyone had been tense throughout the entire holiday, and then those people last night had only cared about setting off fireworks to welcome the God of Wealth. "Hey, why are there no remains?" It made no sense that after setting off firecrackers, people would clean up the debris in the middle of the night.

Julia suddenly considered a possibility. "Probably just the sound of firecrackers."

Wang Qiqi and Shi Man froze. Wait, what? That sounded rather absurd. "Lina, how did you know?"

"My family isn't allowed to set off fireworks for the New Year, and my dad said it lacked atmosphere. I don't know which relative got a tape of firecracker sounds." Julia inwardly recalled taking several tapes home; they played them non-stop. "I wish they had set off real firecrackers instead. At least there would have been noise and something spectacular to see. Now we just hear the racket without any of the visual splendor."

Wang Qiqi was speechless. People nowadays were so resourceful; they even came up with such ideas. However, she suspected this situation wouldn't last many years; eventually, there would be regulated times for setting off fireworks.

The closer they got to school, the more students they saw rushing in the same direction, all yawning. If a normal school were reopening now, the expected chatter would revolve around holiday trips, how much 'lucky money' they received, or where they were going to eat afterward. But as Wang Qiqi walked, all she heard was discussions about how many practice problems people completed over the break or how much material they memorized. Listen to that—even the topics high school seniors discuss were different.

Stepping into the classroom, Wang Qiqi glanced around and noticed many students slumped over their desks resting. "It seems everyone spent the break reviewing their studies."

Shi Man, who had felt a bit self-conscious about resting her head on the desk, looked around, decided against worrying, and also settled down to rest her head on her desk.

The teacher for the first period walked in and noticed the students' low energy levels. "Alright, let's begin the test. Everyone put your books away."

The students were well accustomed to hearing this phrase. They no longer felt the initial apprehension toward these surprise quizzes. They quickly stowed their books and eagerly took the test papers to start working. The teacher sat at the lectern, occasionally walking around to check their papers. He was quite satisfied with the answers; it showed that the students hadn't neglected their studies during the holiday, which also owed something to parental cooperation.

Thus, Wang Qiqi and the others tested all day on the fifth day. Although the pressure was considerable, the upside was that the school recognized it was the first day back and the fifth day of the New Year. Once the last exam was finished, everyone could go home.

"Gao Kai asked you to go to karaoke yesterday?"

"Yeah, we went yesterday morning and stayed until evening—eating and singing. We were even planning to go again tonight."

"Gao Kai paid for everything."

"Right. That little bit of money is nothing to him. From what he said, he received twenty thousand yuan in 'lucky money' just during the Spring Festival."

"Twenty thousand?" several people nearby gasped in unison.

"Yes, so Gao Kai really doesn't pay attention to that amount," the speaker said proudly.

"By the way, did Wang Qiqi's little sister go?"

"You mean Wang Rui? How could she not go? She was clinging to Gao Kai, sitting right beside him during dinner."

"No way! Didn't you say last time that Julia liked Gao Kai? How could she let Wang Rui sit next to him?" someone exclaimed in surprise. "Besides, haven't Wang Qiqi and Gao Kai broken up for a long time? Why is her sister still so close to him? Are they actually together, and Qiqi doesn't know...?"

"How would I know? But the way Gao Kai treats Wang Rui doesn't seem like a romantic relationship, yet his attitude toward her is much better than toward people like us," someone commented with a hint of sourness. Indeed, many were relieved to see Wang Qiqi step down from the position of Gao Kai's girlfriend. As for Julia, she had been by Gao Kai's side for over a year with no visible chance of moving up, which gave many others hope. Although the focus for senior year should be the college entrance exams, some felt it was better to cultivate a good relationship with Gao Kai, aiming to become his girlfriend and eventually his wife—getting into a good university or landing a decent job suddenly seemed less important.

"So the rumors are true, then?"

"So what if the rumors are true? Don't forget, Gao Kai is a senior, but Qiqi's sister is only a first-year in high school. By the time you two get to the same university, I doubt she'll be able to snatch Gao Kai away then," someone else reasoned.

"Exactly, exactly."

As Wang Qiqi was about to head home with her backpack, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach. "Xiaoman, wait for me a moment; I need to use the restroom."

Shi Man replied, "Okay, Lina and I will go buy some cake nearby. I heard that shop makes excellent cakes."

"Sounds good. I'll meet you there once I'm done." Wang Qiqi clutched her stomach and hurried toward the bathroom. Just as Wang Qiqi was finishing up her personal business, a large group of people unexpectedly filed in, still loudly discussing her.

Wang Qiqi sighed inwardly. Why did the gossip about her and that person never seem to die down? However, Wang Qiqi was surprised that Gao Kai was out singing karaoke and dining at a gathering like this. Was he giving up entirely?

Wang Qiqi recalled the boast Gao Kai had made during the initial class sorting in the summer—that he would certainly return to the advanced class. Thinking back now, it sounded like a joke. Perhaps his performance in the midterm exams gave him a flicker of hope, but his final exam results completely extinguished his chance of rejoining the top tier. Even more disastrously, he had ranked outside the top 150 in the science stream. Wang Qiqi remembered the shock that rippled through the entire senior class when the scores came out; the glory of the 'White Horse Prince' had dimmed considerably at that moment.

An athletic star remains an athletic star, but the brilliance of a top scholar had definitely faded. Moreover, what good was being an athletic star if he wasn't aiming for a sports school or a professional career? Added to his arrogant and undisciplined demeanor, quite a few people spoke ill of Gao Kai. Consequently, the number of girls infatuated with him decreased, though he remained an attractive prospect for those seeking a 'meal ticket.'

But the real issue was why this group was blocking the area around the restroom entrance. How was she supposed to leave? Wang Qiqi held her breath against the foul smell lingering in the air.

Wang Qiqi waited and waited, enduring it until the gaggle of gossips finally dispersed. She stood up, intending to bolt out immediately, but then realized that wasn't wise—what if they were waiting just outside the door? Wang Qiqi forced herself to linger another three minutes before emerging from the restroom and sprinting toward the school gate.

When Wang Qiqi reached the cake shop, Shi Man and Julia were already waiting impatiently by the entrance, bags in hand. Seeing Wang Qiqi rush over, Shi Man snapped, "If you hadn't come, we were about to go into the bathroom to fish you out." At this time of day, the bathroom surely wouldn't have a long line, and certainly not one that took over half an hour to clear.

Wang Qiqi repeatedly apologized. Once they got home, she explained exactly why she was so late.

Julia and Shi Man looked at her with expressions that suggested, You are unbelievable.

"What if you had just walked out in front of them? It wasn't your fault, yet you still hid away," Julia said.

"Exactly." Julia thought to herself, When did Wang Qiqi become so yielding? "But I still feel strange that Gao Kai would hang out with Wang Rui even after she embarrassed him so badly. If he doesn't like Wang Rui, he must have ulterior motives."

Julia had witnessed the interactions between Gao Kai and Wang Rui. She saw Wang Rui’s eyes filled with undisguised admiration for Gao Kai, but Gao Kai’s gaze toward Wang Rui was distant—just the look one gives a casual acquaintance. Julia suspected Gao Kai was with Wang Rui for a specific, hidden reason.

Wang Qiqi wondered what Gao Kai could possibly want from Wang Rui—probably just money. "Forget it; it has nothing to do with us. I just don't get why he’d dare go out partying today when there was a test."

"He's rich, after all. But I heard after the final exam results came out, Gao Kai took his best friends out for a whole day of karaoke, singing from noon until midnight," Shi Man clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Maybe he's truly given up trying to achieve anything. But then again, he's the young master of a wealthy family; he’s not someone we can compare ourselves to, right, Qiqi?"

Hearing Shi Man say that, Julia took offense. She protested, "Not all rich people are like him. I am far more serious than he is. Besides, is his family really that wealthy? I heard the owner of the restaurant is considering taking the restaurant back for him to manage alone." Julia wouldn't normally share this kind of information, as nothing was finalized, but she knew Shi Man and Qiqi weren't gossips, and they were aware that the restaurant wasn't originally the Gao family's asset.