Just when everyone thought Han Meina and Gong Yiying's relationship was showing signs of strain, the next day Han Meina was dining with Gong Yiying again, which struck everyone as odd. However, what truly irked the others was how Gong Yiying would ignore them whenever her dynamic with Han Meina soured, only to revert to clinging to Han Meina the moment things improved, paying them no mind at all. This behavior only made the others grow increasingly indifferent to her.

Gong Yiying, internally, was seething. She hadn't anticipated Han Meina becoming so difficult to manage. But since Han Meina only sought her out for serious matters, Gong Yiying couldn't exactly accuse her of isolating her from her roommates. After all, Han Meina had given her opportunities; wasn't this how she got to know so many classmates? Especially since Han Meina announced that for the sake of class honor, all registered performance acts would first undergo a selection process within the class, which gave Gong Yiying a small measure of influence among her peers.

Bai Ge noticed Gong Yiying constantly busy coming and going, frequently invited out for meals—not just by girls, but by boys too. "Gong Yiying is becoming quite the figure in class lately." The class might not know who the class monitor was, but everyone certainly knew Gong Yiying.

As for class gossip, Wang Qiqi frankly wasn't very informed. Her free time was spent either at the library or holed up in the dorm playing on her computer. Naturally, she was diligently studying office software, something she expected to use frequently in the future. She wasn't interested in anything else; besides, she hadn't had much exposure to such things in her previous life.

So, Wang Qiqi was genuinely clueless about Bai Ge's mention of Gong Yiying gaining attention. She looked up from her computer, confused, toward Bai Ge and the others. "What about her?"

"More people are treating her to meals recently. Isn't that all about figuring out how to pass the first hurdle?" Bai Ge pursed her lips.

Wang Qiqi murmured an acknowledgement. So that was the situation. "It’s only natural if people are treating her. If I wanted to perform, I’d also be willing to treat Gong Yiying to dinner." After all, achieving fame at the welcoming gala and perhaps catching the eye of a wealthy young man—that investment would be well worth it. "No input, no return."

Duan Xiaomin felt a touch of envy regarding the current situation, yet she always sensed something was off about Han Meina trusting Gong Yiying so completely, though she couldn't pinpoint what it was. Furthermore, Han Meina’s reasoning was sound; they couldn't possibly submit every single act registered from the class to the department. What if the performances turned out to be trash, disgracing the department? The class would become a huge joke. "Alright, Bai Ge, are you really not signing up for a performance?" Duan Xiaomin knew Bai Ge had a lovely singing voice; sometimes, the little hums she let slip had real character.

Bai Ge shook her head. "No thanks, I don't have the money to treat people." Besides, she had already stated she wouldn't sign up for singing. If she suddenly changed her mind, Gong Yiying would surely try to muscle in. Better to skip it. "By the way, can everyone attend the preliminary selections?"

Duan Xiaomin nodded. "All the class committee members are judges. Ultimately, Han Meina and Zhang Han make the final decision. The rest of the class members can come listen. What, Bai Ge, do you want to go listen?"

"Of course. I need to see the caliber of those representing the class," Bai Ge replied. Only by doing so would she know her own singing level. Although her classmates in high school always said she sang well, that was a small town. How could it compare to people from a big city?

"I’m heading to the library," Wang Qiqi announced, raising a hand. A university welcoming event was mostly about older students meeting pretty freshmen, or people eager to show off. If it weren't for worrying about people thinking she was deliberately trying to attract attention by skipping it, Wang Qiqi genuinely didn't want to attend the so-called welcoming gala. She'd rather spend that time chatting about celebrity gossip than watching performances. "If you hear any interesting or fun news, let me know."

Wang Qiqi had a hunch that this selection competition might bring plenty of drama to watch, but alas, she truly dreaded hearing terrible screeching voices. Otherwise, she wouldn't mind sitting in for an hour or two.

"Don't worry, we’ll tell you everything that happens that day," Bai Ge guaranteed. "Zhang Yan, you aren't going either, right?"

Zhang Yan confirmed, "I still have a very good book I haven't finished." Zhang Yan was also a voracious reader, but unlike Wang Qiqi, she preferred to take borrowed books back to the dorm to read, whether sitting or lying down. Moreover, Wang Qiqi frequently went to the library to read, which was the subject of much excited chatter in the class. Zhang Yan knew all about it. Initially, Zhang Yan thought Wang Qiqi was using the library as an excuse to hunt for outstanding young men, but after two weeks, Zhang Yan found those rumors unreliable. If Wang Qiqi really wanted to snag a man, she could have done so long ago, considering many academically excellent or well-off young men were reportedly pursuing her.

Li Xin looked at Zhang Yan, then at Wang Qiqi. "Our dorm really produced two bookworms, though neither of them reads textbooks." Li Xin knew Wang Qiqi read English originals, but none related to economics. Zhang Yan read Chinese books, but they were all miscellaneous fiction.

Zhang Yan and Wang Qiqi exchanged a look. They felt that while the books they read might not directly connect to their majors, they aligned with their individual future plans. Besides, they hadn't even started specialized courses yet; reading books related to finance now would be incomprehensible. Reading now was simply about maintaining a positive momentum. Once one's mindset slackens, regaining the focus for serious study becomes incredibly difficult.

Two days later, before Wang Qiqi could return to the dorm, she was intercepted halfway there by Bai Ge and the others. Zhang Yan was also nearby, shrugging to indicate she knew nothing either.

"What on earth happened? It couldn't have been that the selection competition today was so lively there were tons of jokes to see, could it?" Wang Qiqi said with a light laugh, though she quickly realized that couldn't be it; otherwise, there would be no need to block her from entering the dorm.

Bai Ge and the others glanced around cautiously. "Gong Yiying is throwing a tantrum in the dorm. If you two go back now, I worry that especially you, Qiqi, might seriously provoke her." Wang Qiqi might not start a fight with Gong Yiying first, but the issue was Wang Qiqi’s cold expression toward others—a look that clearly suggested they weren't even worth noticing—which was guaranteed to infuriate certain people.

Me? Wang Qiqi pointed to herself, genuinely confused by Bai Ge’s warning. "I don't think I’ve offended her recently, have I?" The person in question had been busy going out to eat and coordinating the class selections, while she herself spent every day rushing between classes and the library. There had been almost no interaction with Gong Yiying. Why would her bad mood involve her?

Zhang Yan also kept a straight, uncomprehending face; she just wanted to get back to the dorm and rest.

After Bai Ge and the others recounted what happened during the class selection competition that day, Wang Qiqi and Zhang Yan's mouths dropped open. They hadn't expected things to turn out this way. "Doesn't that mean Han Meina and Gong Yiying have completely fallen out?"

"But wait, that doesn't make sense. Did the people Han Meina chose not sing well?" Wang Qiqi asked, perplexed.

"The department said that with so many classes in the whole department, they couldn't just register as many acts as we wanted. Each class is limited to a maximum of three performances. This made the competition incredibly fierce," Duan Xiaomin explained the reason behind the situation.

Three performances? Wang Qiqi was quite shocked. "This news couldn't have just come out today, could it?" The Department Student Union couldn't have suddenly remembered this, surely.

Duan Xiaomin evaded the question. "Regardless, this is the Department Student Union's issue. Han Meina and Zhang Han acted for the good of the class, but Gong Yiying sees it differently." Duan Xiaomin intentionally avoided passing any personal judgment on Han Meina's actions.

"Oh, right, where is Han Meina now?" Wang Qiqi finally realized—why should she and the others bear the brunt of something Han Meina caused? While they could choose to ignore her, if Han Meina insisted on confronting them, avoidance wouldn't be an option.

"Her?" Bai Ge bristled at the mention of Han Meina. "After the acts were chosen, she said she had a family emergency and wouldn't be staying the night."

Han Meina had shaken off the dust and left, dumping the mess behind her. "I think Gong Yiying is going to have a hard time ahead," Wang Qiqi sighed, though she conceded it was Gong Yiying's own doing.

"Actually, Han Meina didn't do anything wrong; she only selected the very best performances," Zhang Yan commented fairly. Although everyone knew Han Meina had deliberately set a trap, the problem was that if she hadn't deliberately delegated such immense authority to Gong Yiying in the first place, Gong Yiying wouldn't have become this way. Yet, viewed from another angle, did Han Meina ever truly let Gong Yiying have that power?

Wang Qiqi finally understood Han Meina; she had already made her move, and in doing so, caused Gong Yiying to suffer such a significant loss. "It’s very likely Gong Yiying will just have to swallow this loss."

"Alright, let's go back. I'm tired," Zhang Yan concluded, now understanding. "When we get back, we'll pretend we know nothing about this. Besides, if she chooses to throw a fit while we're ignorant, fine. The more she throws a fit, the more she embarrasses herself."

Wang Qiqi nodded. "Exactly. We won't get involved in this mess; let them sort out their own drama."

Gong Yiying was furious today. Although Han Meina acted completely innocent, and the selected performers did include people Gong Yiying had mentioned to her, the fact remained that she had recommended several candidates whose abilities were certainly not inferior. How did the outcome turn out like this? The moment she thought of the looks on the faces of those she had promised positions to—and perhaps even accepted minor favors from—Gong Yiying felt her headache worsening the more she dwelt on it.

Gong Yiying glanced at the empty dorm room, then listened to the cheerful laughter drifting from the neighboring rooms. Her mood plummeted further. Han Meina had casually announced a family emergency and left; the others hadn't returned by this hour either, fueling Gong Yiying’s suspicion that they were all conspiring and speaking ill of her behind her back.