The final day of military training was inspection day, the day everyone felt most invigorated. They approached the final review with an even more dedicated spirit than they had during the training sessions—every drop of sweat yielded its reward. When the principal announced that Class One of Finance was the winner, everyone erupted in joyful shouts.

Cao Rui started to speak, intending to tell them to maintain their formation, then remembered he was merely their instructor for this brief period, not their commanding officer with actual soldiers under him. He cleared his throat, and just as he turned, he was lifted up by the very "soldiers" who rushed toward him.

The group had planned the night before: if they truly won first place, they would cheer the moment the principal announced it, disregarding the instructor's reaction entirely. They had originally considered tossing him high, but the Finance class, while not lacking in female students, didn't have particularly muscular male students either. They worried that if they failed to catch the instructor and he landed hard on the grass, he would wear a furious expression. However, they worried even more about accidentally injuring him, fearing the backlash from his actual troops.

They only dared to lift Cao Rui a little, holding back from anything too outrageous. To their surprise, instructors from other classes surged forward, taking over the task from the Finance boys and vigorously tossing Cao Rui into the air.

Wang Qiqi watched the excited soldiers and thought that perhaps they had been waiting for a chance to get back at their superior officers all along, just lacking the opportunity. This was a perfect chance. She wondered if they would simply toss the stern-faced instructor up and then refuse to catch him. But judging by the height they threw him, she decided that was unlikely.

In truth, events unfolded exactly as Wang Qiqi had guessed. After being tossed up several times by those men, when Cao Rui began to fall the next time, not a single hand reached out to support him.

This moment stunned not only Class One of Finance but also the surrounding classes. The height they had thrown him was at least two meters—while it wouldn't be fatal, it was still a dangerous fall. Cao Rui, aware of the "toss-up" maneuver his men were performing, had been extremely vigilant. So, when no hands appeared to catch him, he executed several rapid movements mid-air. Although he landed on the grass, his vital areas were unharmed.

Cao Rui scrambled agilely to his feet, his sharp gaze sweeping the area. Wherever his eyes landed, many people immediately lowered their heads, unable to meet the instructor's gaze. Wang Qiqi was no exception. Her immediate thought was that the instructor must have been holding back considerably during training; anyone with eyes that piercing was certainly a tough character. She figured being an instructor to university students must have been torturous for him.

"Dismissed," Cao Rui said, his voice cold, glancing at his men who, though standing firm, dared not look at him. He scoffed a few times. He couldn't discipline them here, but he resolved that once they returned to the barracks, he would design the perfect rigorous training schedule for those few; their performance as instructors for the past half-month had been far too lax.

Cao Rui’s demeanor sent chills down his subordinates’ spines. They would have preferred an immediate outburst of anger; the greater his calm, the more anxious they became. They knew his resentment would only compound over time rather than dissipate. Of course, none of them regretted the action; they knew opportunities like this were rare.

When the time for parting arrived, regardless of how much they had cursed their harsh instructor privately, everyone crowded around him, demanding his contact information and promising to keep in touch. Wang Qiqi did not join the fray.

During high school military training, many classmates had promised to stay in contact with their instructor. Initially, everyone was enthusiastic, frequently writing letters, but as time passed and coursework grew heavier, the correspondence dwindled. By the second year, it had ceased entirely. This time would be no different. Furthermore, this instructor wasn't some common soldier; how could he possibly have the leisure time to correspond with a bunch of kids? Besides, they were not kindred spirits; Wang Qiqi saw no common ground for conversation.

Han Meina also managed to secure the instructor's contact details, which surprised Wang Qiqi. She couldn't imagine Han Meina keeping in touch with an instructor, especially since back in the dorm, the beautiful Han often complained about how ruthless Cao Rui was. However, Wang Qiqi conceded that if Cao Rui weren't their instructor, he would indeed fit Han Meina’s criteria as someone good-looking. But beyond looks, Cao Rui's salary might not sustain Han Meina's demands. Even if he was advancing quickly, how high could his pay truly be?

After seeing the instructors off, Han Meina rushed back to the dorm. When Wang Qiqi and a few others pushed open the door, she had already changed clothes and was standing by her luggage, ready to leave. "See you after National Day holiday."

Duan Xiaomin inhaled deeply, unable to resist the perfume scent in the air, and sneezed. "Heavens, how much perfume did she spray? Does she think it's body splash?" Duan Xiaomin didn't use perfume herself, but her former English teacher used it sparingly—always a light, pleasant scent. She had always assumed perfume was used that way, realizing now how wrong she was.

"Maybe she's trying to mask the smell of sweat," Bai Ge commented as she entered the room, immediately hit by the strong fragrance. She thought Han Meina must be incredibly wealthy to use such an expensive item like common cologne.

Wang Qiqi chuckled softly from the side. "It’s courtesy, sisters. I'm heading home today. Rest well tomorrow, and let’s meet at 10 AM on the day after at the main gate of South University, okay?" All Wang Qiqi wanted right now was to rush home, sink into a bathtub, and take a proper bath. The school showers only had a few faucets shared by many people, which Wang Qiqi found unbearable. According to Shi Man’s description, that barely qualified as bathing—more like a quick rinse; utterly unsatisfying.

Zhang Yan had also finished packing her bag. Hearing Wang Qiqi's plan, she asked, "Where are you planning to go?"

"Jiudao Street." Although Bai Ge doubted Zhang Yan would go, Zhang Yan, despite being from the capital like Han Meina, wasn't as flashy. She never boasted in the dorm about how expensive her clothes or perfume were. At first, people listened and expressed admiration, but after a while, they realized Han Meina inherently looked down on everyone—except Zhang Yan. Everyone else could sense Han Meina’s disdain.

Hearing the street name, Zhang Yan paused. "The clothes there are good, but you need to be skilled at bargaining and familiar with fabric textures." Though Zhang Yan hadn't bought clothes on Jiudao Street herself, she had visited once to experience the local life. "Take your time browsing; you might not see everything in a whole day."

After saying that, Zhang Yan left. The six remaining in the dorm were stunned. "Zhang Yan has been to Jiudao Street?" Gong Yiying exclaimed. Although her family wasn't wealthy, she often frequented malls to look at brand names and then searched small shops for similar styles. Although Zhang Yan kept quiet and seemed like an invisible presence, Gong Yiying knew her clothes weren't cheap. Zhang Yan claimed she found them in small shops, but that was just to deceive Bai Ge and the others. Gong Yiying considered Zhang Yan one of the only two people in the dorm she needed to curry favor with—the other being Han Meina. As for Wang Qiqi, after she mentioned her parents’ passing, Gong Yiying had immediately removed her from that list.

Wang Qiqi shrugged. "Maybe that street is quite famous," or perhaps famous among nearby universities. "Alright, don't forget."

Wang Qiqi picked up a small bag, ready to leave. Shi Man and Zhu Lina hadn't come down yet, which brought Wang Qiqi a moment of relief. "Qiqi, my dorm mates are having a gathering tonight, you should come too," Shi Man rushed downstairs, saying excitedly.

A gathering? "Another dinner?" Wang Qiqi suddenly remembered she had promised her roommates a celebratory meal after the training concluded. But since not everyone was there, she thought, "I'm realizing your dormmates are all loaded."

Shi Man shook her head and whispered, "No, it's because we didn't eat or sleep well during training, so we just want to find a nice place to make up for it."

"Would I fit in?" Wang Qiqi, due to her connection with Shi Man and Zhu Lina, knew their roommates casually, but not well enough for a formal gathering. "By the way, my roommates and I are going shopping on Jiudao Street the day after tomorrow. Are you coming?"

"Yes," Shi Man agreed immediately. "I need to buy some pajamas; the ones I bought last time for fifteen yuan were quite good."

"I need new pajamas too," Zhu Lina chimed in. "Qiqi, why don't you come to dinner tonight? We're doing an AA split anyway." If someone else were treating, Wang Qiqi might feel too awkward to join a casual meal.

Since it was pay-your-own-way, Wang Qiqi decided to go; after all, she'd be paying for her own meal.

Upon returning home, Wang Qiqi's first action was to turn on the television to the stock market channel. After watching intently for a while, she finally found the stock she was interested in. This made her intensely nostalgic for the future, where one could monitor stock market fluctuations anytime at home or through a mobile phone in real-time.

"How are the stocks?" Zhu Lina walked into the living room after tidying her room and saw Wang Qiqi glued to the screen.

"Up thirty percent," Wang Qiqi said, relieved to see the stock rise, confirming that her early investment hadn't negatively impacted the market trend.

Thirty percent increase? Zhu Lina quickly calculated that her twenty thousand yuan investment was now worth over twenty-five thousand. "Should we sell now?" After the initial surprise, Zhu Lina started worrying about securing the profits in case the stock dropped.

"Let's wait and see," Wang Qiqi advised. "We can visit a brokerage firm in a few days. It’s a shame we don’t know the data from the previous days. And if there’s positive news, it might climb higher."

Zhu Lina agreed. The current market trend was upward, upward. If she sold now only for the stock to rise further, she would regret missing out. "Okay, we'll wait a bit longer."