Shi Man hadn't bought a huge amount of clothing, but her discerning eye had worn them out. By the time she realized she was hungry, it was already two o'clock. "No way, we've only looked at a few stores, and it's already two?" Shi Dong checked the time on her watch and was stunned. "I feel like we haven't even shopped enough."

Wang Qiqi had actually been starving for a while, but seeing so many people treating shopping like a frenzy, throwing cash around, she couldn't bring herself to admit she was hungry and needed to eat.

Zhu Lina had been prepared earlier, pulling out a few pieces of chocolate to hand to Wang Qiqi. As for the preoccupied Gong Yiying, sorry, Lina didn't have the emotional bandwidth to worry about her. Besides, even though Gong Yiying hadn't actually bought anything, she was excellent at playing the supporting role, occasionally offering suggestions or holding up clothes to compare.

Gong Yiying's stomach had also been growling for some time, but she certainly wouldn't be the first to speak up. Two o'clock? Hearing Shi Dong say the time, everyone exclaimed, "Let's eat, let's eat."

They hastily grabbed a casual bite to eat, then, laden with shopping bags, hurried into yet another store, each feeling the urge to purchase something new. Wang Qiqi watched the increasingly excited Shi Dong, completely dumbfounded.

"I wonder if Dong Dong will regret this when she gets home," Wang Qiqi murmured, watching Shi Dong actually buy summer clothes. Although these were clearly part of a season-end clearance sale, the question was whether these items would still be popular next year when summer actually arrived.

"She can still wear them for a few more days, perhaps layered with a jacket and thermal leggings, or maybe indoors during transitional weather. Doesn't the north have heating in the winter?" Zhu Lina chuckled softly.

Wang Qiqi knew the north used heating, but she wondered if the indoor temperature of twenty degrees Celsius could truly replicate the climate of late spring or early summer. Even if it were twenty-five degrees, Wang Qiqi didn't feel brave enough to put on her own summery skirts. "I doubt Dong Dong has that courage either."

"I wonder if she'll regret it tonight," Zhu Lina replied with a knowing smile.

"I think I might have to give up some space in my wardrobe," Wang Qiqi said regretfully. She knew she shouldn't have customized that floor space; she hadn't even filled it yet before Dong Dong started eyeing it.

Wang Qiqi and Zhu Lina returned home, dropped their purchases in their rooms, and immediately soaked in the bath to start their obligatory facial routine. Once they had expertly applied banana masks to each other, they settled onto the floor space in Wang Qiqi's room to chat about various topics, all while waiting for Shi Dong to finish organizing her new clothes.

Shi Dong looked at the few jackets in her hand, then at her own wardrobe. Indeed, she had already managed to compress several items together, yet the summer clothes were just carelessly stuffed in, and there was still no room left.

Not worried about the lack of space, Shi Dong walked into Wang Qiqi's room and found the two of them already applying face masks. "Have you finished your baths already?" She was surprised they were moving so quickly. Wang Qiqi glanced at the clock in her room, silently indicating for Shi Dong to look; if she remembered when they returned, she’d know an hour had passed.

Shi Dong checked the time. "Ah, I've been back for an hour already?" Without hesitation, Shi Dong opened Wang Qiqi's wardrobe and, as expected, saw nearly half the space empty. "I'll just put a few jackets in here."

Wang Qiqi simply watched as Shi Dong automatically started placing her clothes inside. "Can I object?"

"No." After putting her clothes away, Shi Dong hummed a tune and went to take a bath.

Wang Qiqi and Zhu Lina exchanged a look, closed their eyes, and decided to rest. From ten in the morning until eight at night, the group had essentially done nothing but walk and shop, trying on clothes. Even lunch had only offered a half-hour break.

Shi Dong knew she'd been slightly manic today, buying a bit too much, especially those summer dresses. But she felt that if she hadn't bought them, she would definitely regret it later. Thinking about her new jackets, Shi Dong figured she could rotate them for at least a week. When she returned to the room humming, she found the other two had already fallen asleep.

Shi Dong really didn't want to wake them, preferring to let the masks dry on their faces and see how they would manage to remove them then.

But Shi Dong couldn't help herself in the end. "Qiqi, don't sleep, the mask is drying."

Wang Qiqi had only intended to close her eyes for a quick rest, but she had genuinely drifted off. By the time the three of them had finished their masks and were lying on the floor,

Shi Dong turned to Wang Qiqi. "I predict Miss Jiao will throw a fit in a few days."

Han Meina applied iced milk to her skin every day, causing a stir in the dormitory, not because others lacked the finances, but because no one else had thought to do it. Later, everyone decided it seemed a bit excessive, a bit too flamboyant, so only Han Meina persisted. If she returned to find everyone in the dorm using much cheaper whitening products to match her pale complexion, what would she think? [Chinese characters omitted]

A fit? Wang Qiqi snorted. "If she doesn't throw a fit one day, it means her bathwater wasn't prepared correctly, the cafeteria food wasn't good enough, or someone snored in the dorm, preventing her from sleeping well. Essentially, whenever that great lady is in a bad mood, we have to stop what we're doing to flatter her." Only certain people didn't play along with her mood swings. In fact, while Gong Yiying would usually placate her, even Duan Xiaomin and the others now just offered polite acknowledgments. They wouldn't mention it when she was upset; they'd just let her vent. Perhaps this made her think she was the dorm leader. "Oh, she mentioned she's running for the department's arts committee representative. She expects us to vote for her."

"Not the class position?" Zhu Lina was surprised that Miss Jiao suddenly had aspirations to serve the public. Of course, joining a student union was good training and a nice credential for her resume upon graduation.

"I'm not sure. You know, I only catch snippets of information. Maybe Gong Yiying knows more." Wang Qiqi rolled over and picked up the book next to her pillow. "I found it strange that Gong Yiying agreed to go shopping with us today. She gives me the impression of being a very meticulous girl. Even though she didn't buy clothes, the ones she wore were tailored by Fu Jia, and her skill is quite good."

"Maybe she was there to gather intelligence," Wang Qiqi mused a moment later. "She's quite a realistic person."

"She is quite realistic. Didn't she spend the whole afternoon subtly trying to probe our backgrounds today?" Shi Dong chuckled. She really thought they were fools. Never mind her own situation; very few people in the class knew about Zhu Lina's family background, even if they were close friends. Gong Yiying schemed for a long time but gained absolutely no useful information. "But Qiqi, you've been a terrible roommate; you spent the entire dinner chatting away happily with Lina. I wonder how she’d treat you if she knew your real financial standing."

"If she knew Lina's situation, I think she'd be even closer to Lina," Wang Qiqi thought. She’d be the real fool if she sought closeness with Gong Yiying under those circumstances. "Besides, I’d rather they thought my parents only gave me a small allowance. I don't want to become a target for money."

"I don't like it either; there's too much calculation in her eyes," Zhu Lina stated her opinion. "Friends are divided into two types: those you connect with deeply, like the three of us, and those you can use mutually. But is she worth my effort to use?"

Zhu Lina felt her comment sounded a bit shallow, but this was the adult world, and one had to follow its rules. "We won't become friends like that, right?"

Zhu Lina wasn't sure how she might change, but she hoped that her relationships with Qiqi and Dong Dong wouldn't drastically alter, because the friends she might meet later would all likely be friends she could utilize.

"Friends made early on are very pure, but I think friends need to advance together. If the gap becomes too wide, Lina, do you think you can maintain this kind of relationship?" Wang Qiqi knew that the best friends were those who grew together. At times, changing one's perspective—friends who could mutually support each other would go further. Don't you agree?

Zhu Lina listened to Wang Qiqi's words and remained silent for a long time. To be honest, she had never considered that perspective. She always thought that friendships without material entanglement lasted longer. "Maybe you're right. If we weren't in the same university, maybe our relationship would gradually fade, even if we could still chat happily when we met."

"That's why it's important to meet like-minded friends in university, especially for you, Lina." Wang Qiqi held little hope of finding close friends in university. She figured it was better to use her status as a reborn person to earn more money, perhaps buy property, or invest in good stocks—all excellent options.

"Like-minded?" Zhu Lina doubted she would meet many like-minded friends in university. "If I thought that way, I should transfer out. After all, many people who transfer out now come from families that own companies." That's where better cooperation opportunities lay, wasn't it?

"When is Han Tao returning tomorrow?" Man suddenly interjected. It wasn't that she liked Han Tao, but she thought if Han Tao returned, Qiqi might be motivated to cook a delicious meal. "I'll wake up early tomorrow to buy groceries. Qiqi, do you feel like cooking something good?"

Wang Qiqi yawned, put down her book, and crawled into bed, preparing to sleep. As for Zhu Lina and Shi Dong, they would certainly stay in this room. The greatest benefit of a floor space room was that the bed could be as large as you wanted. Shi Man said this was to bring back high school days—all-night talks. Honestly, if Wang Qiqi had known her room would have a floor space, she wouldn't have agreed to this; there was absolutely no personal privacy.

Shi Dong glanced at Wang Qiqi, thinking, You think you can brush this off by not answering? Not a chance.

(To be continued)