Wang Qiqi, harboring a sense of vexation, went to apply for a library card. As she finally secured the card and formally stepped into the reading room, she was utterly astounded by the sheer rows of bookshelves before her—and this was after they had been categorized. She estimated that without such organization, she would have been completely lost within the library.

Wang Qiqi casually picked up a few books and found a spot to begin reading. Shi Man and Zhu Lina also gathered a few books and settled down beside her. The three of them sat quietly near the window, engrossed in their reading. While university was certainly full of beautiful women, the three of them, strictly speaking, weren't the absolute top tier, yet seeing beautiful women reading so quietly in the library was a rare sight. More stimulating to the outside observers, however, was the conspicuous absence of any male company near them.

As Wang Qiqi and the others concentrated on their reading, the vacant seats around them slowly began to fill. If Wang Qiqi and her friends hadn't forgotten to bring paper and pens, they might have seen attempts to "borrow" stationery as an opening gambit.

Initially, Wang Qiqi and the others hadn't given it much thought, assuming the coming and going in the library was normal. But when Wang Qiqi stood up to fetch water, she realized that all the surrounding seats were occupied by male students. More tellingly, upon seeing her rise, they hurriedly directed their gazes back down to their books. This struck Wang Qiqi as quite amusing; she hadn't realized their little group had become an attraction. When she returned with the water cups, there was another flurry of covert activity. Wang Qiqi shook her head in disbelief. In her view, why would anyone come to the library just to chase girls? If one excelled academically, securing a high-paying job and a beautiful wife later on was quite straightforward. If all their energy was spent pursuing romance, four years later, that 'beautiful girlfriend' might very well belong to someone else, unless the guy came from substantial wealth.

Wang Qiqi smiled and placed a water cup in front of Shi Man. As Shi Man thanked her, she noticed Wang Qiqi seemed to be in remarkably good spirits. "Good mood?"

Indeed, quite good. Wang Qiqi felt her mood immediately lift upon realizing that these so-called handsome young men might eventually be discarded by whomever they were currently pursuing. "Yes, I discovered there are so many books here. It's just that the people around us are quite strange—only boys are reading, and when I stood up, everyone looked startled."

Shi Man, watching Wang Qiqi’s confused expression, secretly smiled. Listening to the slight shuffling of chairs and the soft footsteps nearby, she inferred that some of the more easily embarrassed ones had already departed. Shi Man doubted Wang Qiqi was truly oblivious. "Perhaps they wanted to discuss something but felt we were in the way," she suggested.

"Ugh, this is such a good spot; I wanted to hog it! Do we have to find another place?" Shi Man knew that even if they relocated, there was no guarantee they wouldn't be disturbed. The library had a finite number of seats; they would inevitably be found. Besides, this location was excellent: by the window on one side, with a wall at their back, perfect for Lina when she needed to consult reference materials. They wouldn't choose any other spot, no matter how scenic the window view.

"It’s fine here. We’re just reading; we won't bother you," a bespectacled young man seated a few spots away interjected politely, adjusting his glasses.

Shi Man gave him a cursory glance. "You say you won't be bothered, but fine. You all are behaving yourselves today, I'll grant you that." Having said this, Shi Man returned to her book. Arguing with these men would only play into their hands; it was better to establish her boundaries upfront. "Qiqi, are we coming back after dinner?"

Wang Qiqi nodded. "Why wouldn't we? Do you have something to do back in the dorm?" Returning meant listening to someone's gossip. It was better to stay here and read.

"What else would we do back there? How about we grab dinner first, then come back?" Shi Man glanced at her watch; it was past five, time for the evening meal. "Brother, can you hold our spots?"

The bespectacled man was surprised Shi Man had asked him to keep their seats. He managed an affirmative grunt. "No problem. Oh, could you possibly grab me two steamed buns?" He didn't know how long they would be gone to eat, nor could he be sure these three girls wouldn't simply abandon him there, perhaps not returning until the library closed. That was entirely plausible. But he decided to gamble, believing these girls weren't tricking him and would indeed return. Even if he lost the bet, he planned to stay until closing anyway; the worst outcome was going hungry.

"Sure thing," Shi Man paused for a moment but quickly recovered. She assessed the bespectacled man, deducing he was likely a computer science major, deeply focused on his reading. While he might have had ulterior motives for sitting nearby initially, he was far more honest than the others beside them. He was at least sincere. "What filling do you like?"

"I'm not picky," the bespectacled man replied after a moment's thought.

"Then I'll just pick randomly."

Wang Qiqi and the others had intended a quick meal, but running into Jiang Xin slowed things down. "Qiqi, did you guys buy a car this afternoon?" Jiang Xin arrived at the cafeteria for her meal just as Wang Qiqi and the others were nearly done, spotting them and promptly joining their table.

Wang Qiqi wasn't surprised Jiang Xin knew about their activities so quickly. With the commotion in their dorm, if Jiang Xin's dorm hadn't heard about it, they truly wouldn't deserve to be called sister dorms. "Yeah. Otherwise, running between places every day would make our legs too thin. What were you up to this afternoon?"

"Shopping. Qiqi, did you know they have new styles on Jiudao Street?" Jiang Xin's tone shifted from listless to instantly energized the moment clothes were mentioned, making Wang Qiqi marvel at the sheer magnetic pull of fashion.

"You didn't buy more, did you?" Wang Qiqi recalled that someone had just bought several new items a few days prior; surely she hadn't relapsed? "Think about whether you even have space to put the clothes." While the items might be cheap individually, buying ten meant wiping out a month's allowance. Of course, everyone had money now—parents often gave a semester's living expenses at once or allotted extra funds at the start of the term for numerous initial purchases—but this shouldn't foster wasteful habits. If one ended up like Zhang Baizhi in some movie, relentlessly shopping until they wept, that would be disastrous. Such people existed, especially with the advent of Taobao later on, where shopping mavens became increasingly formidable.

Jiang Xin chuckled sheepishly. "I really have no resistance to cute clothes, and they’re so cheap." There was no reason to pass them up, especially when seeing her roommates frantically buying things tempted even her, who hadn't intended to shop. "I won't buy any more next time," Jiang Xin promised.

Wang Qiqi had no intention of worrying whether Jiang Xin would keep her promise. The girl would eventually stop, either because she ran out of space or money. As for clothes, especially those from Jiudao Street, Wang Qiqi’s philosophy was to buy just a few sets for rotation each season, not to spend lavishly on them, as they would look rather cheap once she entered the professional world. However, Shi Man was genuinely interested in these clothes, and she and Jiang Xin got deeply involved in discussing new autumn/winter styles. This kept Wang Qiqi and Zhu Lina unable to easily slip away.

"What are you guys up to...?" Jiang Xin noticed Wang Qiqi holding five meat buns and looked puzzled. Were these a late-night snack?

"Bringing them for someone," Wang Qiqi explained, though she didn't even know the name of the person she was bringing them for. "For someone who saved our seats at the library."

Saving seats at the library? Jiang Xin hadn't expected Wang Qiqi and the others to actually go to the library to study diligently. She recalled Wang Qiqi talking about university life previously, and Jiang Xin had briefly considered it. But once the college life began, Jiang Xin observed that very few people seemed to frequent the library. She’d heard from a senior in her dorm that the library was populated either by bookworms or guys looking to pick up girls; very few were serious about studying. Her cousin had advised her that after years of hard work, one deserved to relax. This advice led Jiang Xin to become lax, so she was surprised Wang Qiqi’s group was actually putting in the effort.

Jiang Xin paused, then asked, "Is there still room for me?"

"Yes," Wang Qiqi confirmed firmly. She wasn't surprised Jiang Xin asked. The girl had a fundamentally decent nature; like many, she'd gotten slightly lost after being let out of the cage too suddenly. Her sudden desire to improve now was normal, fueled by residual habit, but if she couldn't sustain it, she would end up like many other university students, content with just scraping by.

Wang Qiqi certainly didn't believe grades defined one's ultimate capability, but neglecting studies in favor of romance during college was self-sabotage, even for the brightest minds. What if they passed exams through last-minute cramming? True, much of what was learned in university had to be relearned on the job, but this was fundamentally a question of attitude. Wang Qiqi doubted that those who abandoned their studies solely for dating during their university years would fare very well later in life, although exceptions certainly existed.

Jiang Xin had actually been contemplating returning to the dorm if Qiqi had said there was no space, but now that there was, she pondered, "Okay, I'll go with you. Who's giving me a ride?"

Wang Qiqi pointed to Shi Man. "You can ride with her." Although Wang Qiqi knew how to carry a passenger, her own bicycle wasn't suitable for it.

"You’ll give me a ride?" Shi Man was delighted at the prospect of someone willing to cycle her to the library.