A rhythmic knocking echoed from the front door, followed by someone calling her name. Wang Qiqi took a long moment to register it; who could be here so early?

Even though she was annoyed, Wang Qiqi had no choice but to go open the door. She couldn't just let them keep knocking and disturbing her sleep. Glancing over, she saw Shi Man and Zhu Lina had burrowed deeper into their covers, clearly unwilling to get up and answer. With a sigh, Wang Qiqi finally swung her legs out of bed.

Just as Wang Qiqi pulled on her sleepwear and stepped out yawning, she saw Han Tao emerging from the study he was using as a guest room, also rubbing his eyes. Han Tao had taken his laptop into his room yesterday, and Wang Qiqi had no idea what time he’d finally turned in. She only remembered seeing a faint light spilling from under his door when she got up for the bathroom in the middle of the night, knowing he was still awake.

“What time did you crash last night?” Wang Qiqi asked, feigning casualness.

“Past three,” Han Tao admitted, knowing he’d stayed up late. But there were so many things he couldn't grasp. As for the introductory computer book Qiqi had lent him, he hadn’t looked at it closely. The content was fine, but for Han Li, much of it was irrelevant to the operations Daly had been running yesterday. Besides, the book only covered basic material; more advanced lessons would come later.

Wang Qiqi looked at the tired expression on Han Tao’s face and didn't know what to say. “Go back and get some more rest.” Whoever it was might have the wrong address, given how early it was.

Han Tao covered his mouth to suppress a yawn, shaking his head. “I’ll go with you.” There was still no sign of movement from Zhu Lina or Shi Man; he figured they had fallen back asleep.

Jiang Xin leaned against the doorframe, yawning, watching Daly, who was relentlessly knocking. Her voice lacked energy. “I told you, no one answers this early in the morning.”

Daly’s knocking didn’t cease, and neither did his retort. “Then why did you wake up so early today?” If you thought it was too early, you shouldn’t have come with me, he implied. Jiang Xin shot him a resentful glare. “Didn’t you tell me to get over here early to work?”

Before Wang Qiqi could even ask who was outside, she heard Jiang Xin and Daly bickering at the door. The mystery was solved. The moment Wang Qiqi opened the door, she heard a sharp gasp, and then she saw Jiang Xin’s body tumbling inward.

Although Daly and Jiang Xin were just arguing at the threshold, when Daly saw Jiang Xin start to fall into the room, he lunged forward to grab her hand. Wang Qiqi, sensing trouble inside, also reached out to steady Jiang Xin’s body. Once her balance was restored, Jiang Xin let out a long, shaky breath and turned to Wang Qiqi. “Qiqi! Could you give a heads-up before you open the door next time? That was terrifying…” If someone hadn't caught her, she would have made a complete fool of herself.

Wang Qiqi apologized profusely. It was her fault today. “I’m so sorry, it was my mistake. But why are you guys here so early?” So early that you’re fighting outside the door.

Jiang Xin was about to glare at Daly—if it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t be here this early—but then she recalled how that same person had just caught her. Besides, if she hadn't been leaning against the door, none of this would have happened.

Once inside, Jiang Xin noticed there were only four people in the room besides herself and Daly: Shi Man and Zhu Lina were absent. Soon, however, Jiang Xin’s gaze locked onto Wang Qiqi and Han Tao. Both were yawning, and Han Tao even had dark circles under his eyes. Both were wearing pajamas, which immediately led Jiang Xin’s mind down a familiar path: were they sleeping together last night? Though she thought, that seemed a bit early. After a brief pause, Jiang Xin pointed at Wang Qiqi and Han Tao, voicing her suspicion.

“Yesterday?” Wang Qiqi challenged, pointing at herself and Han Tao. Hmph, this girl had looked at them with a certain ambiguity yesterday, a hint of something flirtatious. While it was true they were both in sleepwear, that hardly proved anything. Daly, uninterested in their attire, was focused on one thing: “Where is the computer?”

Han Tao knew exactly what Jiang Xin was implying, but he had no intention of answering vague, ambiguous questions. He subscribed to the idea that innocence wasn't believed, but explaining it was even worse. “The computer is in my room. I was working on it until three this morning and there are still so many things I don’t understand.”

Daly had expected the computer to be in Wang Qiqi’s room. Hearing it was in Han Tao’s room brought a huge grin to his face. He eagerly grabbed Han Tao’s arm. “To your room!”

Jiang Xin just stared at the idiot whose mind was consumed only by the machine. All she felt was exasperation. It was true the computer was in Han Tao’s room, but who knew if Han Tao and Wang Qiqi were sharing a room? What business did this oaf have marching in there? But before she could stop Daly—

Han Tao was already leading Daly toward the north-facing room, constantly peppering him with questions about things he didn't grasp. Daly listened attentively as they walked. Seeing them head toward the north room, Jiang Xin thought, Not good. Did I misjudge everything?

Jiang Xin turned awkwardly to Wang Qiqi, but before she could speak, Wang Qiqi crossed her arms and asked, “Have you eaten breakfast? I’m going back to sleep. Sorry, there’s no room for you in my bed.”

Hmph. She was just imagining improper relationships between Han Tao and me. Wang Qiqi decided she wouldn't give Jiang Xin any quarter. She’d let her wander the house alone. She knew the two most alert people in the house were totally absorbed by the computer and wouldn't pay her any mind anyway. “Oh, right. We’re out of hot water. Could you heat some up for me?”

Jiang Xin pointed at herself. Heavens! She was a guest! Was this how they treated visitors? Before she could voice her refusal, Wang Qiqi had already walked into her room and shut the door, clearly signaling she was going back to sleep. Left with no choice, Jiang Xin dutifully went to boil water. Of course, she comforted herself by thinking it wasn't because she feared Wang Qiqi, but because she intended to eat the good food prepared later.

Back in her room, Wang Qiqi heard Zhu Lina’s muffled voice from under the covers. “Who is it?” Disturbing their slumber so early was simply unforgivable.

Wang Qiqi stripped off her sleepwear and climbed back into her now-chilly bed. “Who else? The two freeloaders.” Damn it, she needed to tell someone that visitors shouldn't arrive before nine. It was the weekend, she was used to sleeping late, and the warmth of her own covers was infinitely better than sleeping in the dorms, especially as the weather turned colder—a warm bed was the best defense. Zhu Lina let out a yawn. “Mmm,” she mumbled, closing her eyes to drift back to sleep. She had been reviewing files and reading some finance journals until past eleven the night before, and since it was the weekend, it was prime time for sleeping in. “I’ll tell Jiang Xin and the others not to show up so early in the future.”

Wang Qiqi grunted. “It’s only seven-thirty. I’m losing to them.” Wang Qiqi shook off some of her grogginess and suddenly wondered what time the others had actually arrived. She figured someone had shown up early, and the other had just tagged along.

After heating the water, Jiang Xin returned to Wang Qiqi’s room to find the three of them sleeping like logs, stacked like dumplings. The floor space was entirely taken up. Jiang Xin casually pulled a book from the shelf and sat down nearby to read.

Jiang Xin intended to read quietly, but anyone’s concentration would suffer when the sound of loud snoring rose and fell right next to them. After a moment, she decided she might as well lie down on Wang Qiqi’s floor mattress, near her feet.

Wang Qiqi felt someone settle into the bedding beside her, but her eyelids were too heavy to open. She merely shifted over slightly to make space. Feeling the room open up, Jiang Xin wasted no time occupying the gap, though she was careful not to press too hard on Wang Qiqi, nudging slightly into the space claimed by Shi Man in the middle.

With an extra body, even one relegated to the foot of the mattress, Wang Qiqi’s sleep became restless. Not long after, she woke up, noticed Jiang Xin had joined the pile, and half-sat up to start reading a book.

The floor space designed for three people was definitely cramped with four. Zhu Lina was the next to stir uneasily. Seeing Wang Qiqi reading, she asked, “Is Jiang Xin asleep?”

Wang Qiqi grunted in response, lowering her head back to her book. Zhu Lina gave a huge yawn. “I’m going back to my room to look at files.” It was fine to review documents while tucked in at home, but with Jiang Xin present, many things became inconvenient.

Wang Qiqi acknowledged this with an "Oh," then checked the time. “I’ll get up and make some breakfast too. Manman bought some steamed buns yesterday; I’ll heat those up, and then I’ll go out for some milk?”

“Soy milk,” Zhu Lina suggested. While milk was fine, she was starting to get tired of having it constantly.

“Alright, but Lina, you need to get used to the taste of milk. You know, abroad, everyone drinks milk,” Wang Qiqi countered. She knew Zhu Lina disliked milk because she found it fishy, whereas Wang Qiqi wasn't fond of soy products, despite knowing beans were healthy; she always found them a bit bean-flavored. Zhu Lina rolled her eyes at Wang Qiqi. “Says the one who hates tofu and things like that because of the bean taste. I’ve already thought about it—I’ll bring my own soy milk maker and make it fresh every day. If that fails, I can just go to Chinatown and buy some.” After all, there were plenty of Chinese people in this area; finding Chinese food wouldn't be difficult.

Wang Qiqi watched the other girl smugly leave the room, thinking this girl was hardly worth worrying about. It seemed she had already planned out her entire lifestyle. “Well then, may you be blessed to live right next to Chinatown.”