What? Shi Man knew that the Gao family didn't own the restaurant, or rather, although Gao Kai's father was the legal representative, the majority shareholder wasn't the Gao family; they only held a small stake. But rumor had it the actual boss behind the scenes owned many other ventures and didn't pay much attention to this restaurant, only checking the accounts every now and then. But if this reputation got out, would Gao Kai still act so arrogantly at school?

Wang Qiqi was also stunned. She knew the boss behind the scenes had taken the restaurant back, but hadn't that happened halfway through Gao Kai's freshman year? Could this butterfly effect, due to her rebirth, have accelerated things?

Shi Man paused for a moment. "Didn't that boss just check the accounts? Why would he take it back?"

Zhu Lina nodded. "That boss has business dealings with my family, so we found out incidentally. I heard that although the restaurant's business was improving, the increase in profit hadn't kept pace, which made him quite dissatisfied."

Wang Qiqi understood the dissatisfaction was inevitable. Income was rising, costs were rising, but profit growth was slowing down—nothing could be done about that. Some of the Gao family's expenditures were routed through the restaurant's accounts. The Gao family thought their actions were well-hidden, but they forgot one crucial thing: an old employee in their supposedly secure finance department was actually working for the big boss. This was why the man behind the curtain knew everything, no matter how the books were cooked. Initially, the Gao family hadn't dared to push things too far, so the boss hadn't cared much. But as their manipulations grew bolder and their greed increased, how could the owner let them off?

"Didn't he check the books frequently?" Wang Qiqi, even knowing the truth, wouldn't reveal her trump cards.

"The books are made by people," Zhu Lina said. She had no particular feelings about the Gao family, but since becoming close with Wang Qiqi, she couldn't stand Gao Kai either. She thought it would be quite amusing if Gao Kai suddenly dropped from the sky to the ground. "I'm hungry. Let's have some cake first. I need to go back to my room and sleep for a bit." It was only past four o'clock; she could manage about an hour of sleep. "Qiqi, are you sleeping?"

Wang Qiqi shook her head and raised the coffee in her hand. "I brewed a cup of coffee to freshen up."

Shi Man hadn't expected Wang Qiqi to drink coffee. "Didn't you always prefer tea?" Coffee was mostly something only she and Zhu Lina drank.

"Having one occasionally is quite nice." Wang Qiqi wasn't a huge fan of coffee, but sometimes the smell made her crave a cup to boost her energy.

Shi Man had planned to doze off for a bit too, but seeing Wang Qiqi like this, coupled with the aroma of coffee, Shi Man found her drowsiness receding. She settled down to review her homework instead.

Zhu Lina just shrugged, turned, and headed back to her room to sleep. She knew that even if she stayed up and studied diligently, her efficiency wouldn't be high. It was better to rest well and study more effectively in the evening. "Oh, right, we don't have tutoring today, do we?"

Wang Qiqi nodded. "Han Tao is helping the other two students today. It's just the three of us eating dinner." When Wang Qiqi went to the kitchen to make coffee, she spotted a note on the counter near the food prep area. It said Aunt Luo had to go to work, but even though Luo Hongjuan was starting the evening shift, she would prepare dinner before leaving, and Qiqi and the others would just need to reheat it. Wang Qiqi found this odd. Hadn't Aunt Luo said she wanted to switch to the morning shift to better look after Han Tao? Why had she changed her mind after only a few days?

Zhu Lina looked puzzled. "Qiqi, how did you know?"

Wang Qiqi held up the note. "Aunt Luo left us a note. Go get some sleep. We’ll eat some cake first, and you can eat when you wake up."

Zhu Lina sighed. "Wake me up at five-thirty sharp. I still need to study. I realized my Political Science is still my weak spot." Ah, every exam revealed problems. She always thought she had studied well this time, so there shouldn't be so many issues next time, yet the problems persisted.

"Okay." Worried about losing track of time while studying, Wang Qiqi grabbed an alarm clock and set it, so Zhu Lina could wake herself up later.

When Han Tao returned, Wang Qiqi waited until Shi Man and Zhu Lina were gone before quietly asking why Aunt Luo was going back to the evening shift. Han Tao explained. Aunt Luo had originally intended to switch to the morning shift, but before she could submit the request, her workplace notified her yesterday that her vacation was over because they had secured a major contract. More importantly, her boss had given her a raise. After discussing it with Han Tao, Luo Yi decided not to switch shifts. The pay gap between a shift leader and regular staff hadn't been large before, but after the raise, it was five or six hundred yuan difference. Luo Hongjuan couldn't give that up, especially since she planned to return as shift leader in six months. If she transferred now, that position might not be hers later. "So, I'll still be freeloading meals at your place," Han Tao said with a grin. In a way, this was good; he could continue eating and studying with Qiqi, and his mom wouldn't have to worry about losing her shift leader position in half a year.

"No problem," Wang Qiqi gave an OK gesture. "It's fine. Just promise to help me get into a good university."

Wang Qiqi remembered a math problem from today's test she couldn't solve. She had memorized it and planned to ask Han Tao for guidance.

Han Tao took the problem and quickly worked out the solution process, handing it back to Wang Qiqi. "It was really just taking a few extra detours; you got confused." It seemed this girl Qiqi genuinely got flustered when a problem had a few too many twists.

Wang Qiqi took the notebook and glanced at the first few steps; she immediately knew where she had gone wrong. "I really have a pig's brain. How did I not think of that?" Otherwise, she wouldn't have lost points on that question. However, Wang Qiqi knew that given a little more time, she would have figured it out. But the exam time had been tight this time, and she had spent too long on the earlier problems, leaving little time to contemplate this one.

Shi Man and Zhu Lina returned with snacks bought from the small supermarket near the complex entrance. They expected to see Wang Qiqi and Han Tao going over problems together, but instead, they saw the two studying their own materials separately. Shi Man pouted. What a perfect chance for them to be alone, and they didn't seize it! "Qiqi, I bought the green tea you wanted." Qiqi really used an excessive amount of tea leaves when brewing, almost as much as a seasoned tea drinker.

"Thanks, I'll pay you later." Wang Qiqi didn't lift her eyes from her textbook. During the history test today, she realized she was mixing up dates, locations, and figures—a major problem. If she couldn't fix it, it would be a landmine ready to explode during the Gaokao. "If possible, could you brew me some tea? I think my history grade is doomed this time."

Shi Man was surprised Qiqi would say her history was ruined. "Didn't you always do well in history?"

Wang Qiqi sighed. "I thought so too, but during the test today, I realized I completely mixed up the time, place, people, and events." Ah, it seemed no subject could be taken lightly; every single one required the seriousness she usually reserved for math.

"It’s okay, relax a little." It was rare to see Wang Qiqi so tense. "You'll mess up your rhythm if you keep this up."

Wang Qiqi honestly admitted her mind was a bit scattered because she found she didn't know so many things. "My mind went blank during the history test today. I panicked." After sitting for a while, Wang Qiqi concluded, "I guess I need to completely re-plan. I thought my history exam would be fine and take less time, but I definitely need to adjust my schedule."

"Plans need constant revision," Han Tao had seen Wang Qiqi's study plan before but hadn't looked at it again since, never suspecting Qiqi hadn't modified it at all.

Wang Qiqi nodded. "Yeah, I probably need to revise it monthly."

"It looks like I need to change my plan too," Shi Man and Zhu Lina admitted their plans had also remained static.

Third-year high school students were miserable. Wang Qiqi was already accustomed to going to bed at midnight, waking up at five to review and memorize English vocabulary, and then going for a run while reciting history. "I really don't understand why people give up after the first Gaokao if the university that accepts them isn't their first choice, preferring to repeat the year," Wang Qiqi complained to Han Tao during her final cool-down stretches. "My nerves are already tight enough, and the teachers keep reminding us how little time is left until the Gaokao."

"Getting into a good university leads to better job prospects, I suppose. But I don't think a good university guarantees a good outcome; the major is more important," Han Tao was also skeptical about repeating a year. "My uncle's son had excellent Gaokao scores and got into a decent university with a good major, but once he was there, he spent all his time chasing girls, changing girlfriends constantly. His grades plummeted consistently. I think he might as well have skipped university."

"Having a good father solves everything. If your uncle were a civil servant, he wouldn't have to worry about job security," Wang Qiqi was surprised Han Tao could think so far ahead. Many people, after passing the Gaokao bottleneck and entering university, completely relaxed—chasing girls, sleeping, taking it easy on specialized courses, figuring the diploma would be handed out regardless. "What major are you planning to study?"

"Computer Science." Han Tao had long decided on his future path; it was a new industry where success was achievable if one worked hard. "And you?"

"Finance." Wang Qiqi's reason for studying finance was simple: it was preparation for stock trading later. If she studied another major and suddenly made a fortune by trading stocks, observant people would find it suspicious. If she studied finance, at most, people would think the girl had a knack for that field.