"I checked with Dai Lijun today, Li Xin," Wang Qiqi suddenly remembered something as she walked into the dorm. "He said this book fits your requirements, but if you have any profound questions about computers in the future, just ask him directly. I'll help ask him; relaying it back to you after trying to understand it myself is just too confusing."

Li Xin made an "oh" sound. Consulting Dai Lijun was indeed a good suggestion, but the problem was she wasn't close to him. "Are you sure that's okay?"

Wang Qiqi looked at him with confusion. "Why wouldn't it be? Of course, it's just that the guy sometimes isn't fully present. He often gets lost in thought. If you ask him something, you need to be patient and wait." Wang Qiqi mused that perhaps the reason Dai Lijun seemed slow to respond was because he was often deep in his own world, which led everyone to assume he was difficult to get along with.

Thinking of this, Wang Qiqi turned and stood on the steps, looking back at Bai Ge and the others following her. "So, is that how the rumor started that Dai Lijun is hard to approach and rarely interacts with people?"

Li Xin and the others chuckled, tacitly agreeing with Wang Qiqi's assessment.

Wang Qiqi wouldn't offer much defense for Dai Lijun on this point. However, she knew Dai Lijun preferred to communicate with capable individuals. If you went to him with a genuine question, he would answer seriously. But if the person asking was exceedingly dense, requiring explanation three or five times for a simple concept, Dai Lijun wouldn't be as enthusiastic in future interactions. But was he the only one who acted this way?

"Listen, you all, don't worry. Feel free to ask Dai Lijun. If he doesn't answer immediately, just wait patiently nearby and read a book. Once he snaps back to reality, he will certainly teach you. Besides, when asking for advice, isn't it more sincere to ask in person, right?"

Li Xin thought that made sense, but the rumors still made her uneasy. "Maybe I should ask him when I go to the library some other day." After all, Wang Qiqi was always reading in the library; if she timed it so Wang Qiqi was present, even if Dai Lijun had any reservations, it wouldn't affect her much. Yes, that was the plan.

Wang Qiqi knew about Li Xin's little scheme, but what did it matter? Rumors are more ferocious than tigers. Unless people experience it themselves, no amount of persuasion will make them believe, especially since they saw Wang Qiqi as being relatively close to Dai Lijun, meaning she must be defending him. "No problem. Just remember to bring your own paper and pen."

As soon as Wang Qiqi said that, everyone burst into laughter. Their laughter, happening not far from the dorm, greatly annoyed Gong Yiying, who was always listening intently to the noise outside. In her mind, they were probably mocking how miserable and downcast she looked earlier. But before she could even throw open the dorm door to shout outside, she heard Bai Ge laughing, "I hope no one borrows a pen under the guise of asking a question, accidentally walks off with it, and then stages a dramatic return-the-pen-while-offering-to-treat-you-to-dinner performance, right?"

Wang Qiqi shrugged, adopting an expression of helplessness. "Exactly. I'm also quite curious. It's just borrowing a pen; is it necessary to offer a treat? Furthermore, if they were truly sincere in thanking us, why wouldn't they invite Dai Lijun? Sigh, people like that clearly lack sincerity."

Bai Ge pointed at Wang Qiqi, who wore an expression of bewildered innocence, and laughed again. She gestured toward Wang Qiqi. "I genuinely feel sorry for those boys. However, since Li Xin is going to ask a question, she must bring a pen. Don't worry, I doubt Li Xin would pull a stunt like that. If she were going to treat anyone, I think it would be Dai Lijun."

"That's right." Everyone couldn't understand why Li Xin specifically needed to bring her own pen; Li Xin had no reason to cause such a fuss.

"It's because every time we bring a pen, it gets borrowed," Wang Qiqi replied quite seriously. "Manman said that starting tomorrow, we'll post a notice on the paper that reads: 'If you have questions, please bring your own paper and pen. If borrowing is necessary, the fee is five yuan per pen and one yuan per sheet of paper.' No exceptions for anyone."

No one expected Wang Qiqi and the others to come up with such a solution. Although it was quite an effective remedy, Zhang Yan hesitated before voicing the concern shared by most. "Qiqi, doing this might make people think you are quite money-grubbing."

Most of those present nodded in agreement with Zhang Yan. However, this felt like a necessary evil.

Money-grubbing? Wang Qiqi and the others knew people would say that when they devised this plan. "If we don't lend, we're called stingy and un-neighborly. If we lend, it's unbearable because we need them too; we can't keep buying pens." Wang Qiqi lamented that in just the few weeks of the semester, they had already bought nearly a hundred pens wholesale; who knew how many more paper and pens they would have to buy later.

"Hmph, I think you're just greedy. You have money for notebooks but not to lend a pen to a classmate," Gong Yiying sneered as soon as Wang Qiqi entered, her look filled with undisguised contempt.

Wang Qiqi, understanding Gong Yiying was in a bad mood, chose not to argue. Arguing with someone irrational was simply inviting trouble. Wang Qiqi turned, grabbed a towel, ran hot water to wash her face and brush her teeth before getting into bed. It was getting cold, and the heating wouldn't be supplied for at least another half a month—ah, but rumor had it the welcoming ceremony would also be held after the heating started. That way, the honored students could wear lighter clothes, a detail Wang Qiqi rather liked; at least if things got dull, she could bundle up and sneak a nap.

Wang Qiqi’s movements irritated Gong Yiying. She suddenly grabbed Wang Qiqi’s arm. "What is that attitude? What kind of attitude is that?" Gong Yiying’s face was contorted with anger. "I think you're looking down on me." Yes, it was this dismissive demeanor that infuriated Gong Yiying further.

Wang Qiqi wasn't a pushover either. She handed the injured item to Duan Xiaomin beside her and violently shook off her hand. "What attitude do you want from me? You start by provoking me, and when I don't respond, you expect me to give you some kind of pleasant attitude?" Wang Qiqi snapped, her temper flaring. "Swear at you, hit you—I really want to do those things. Perhaps you want to test that?"

Wang Qiqi glared ferociously at Gong Yiying. "Make your choice: ignore you, or beat you up and yell at you."

This was the first time Gong Yiying had seen Wang Qiqi display such terrifying ferocity. In fact, Bai Ge and the others were also stunned. Honestly, none of them had ever seen this side of Wang Qiqi privately. Gong Yiying glanced around; everyone in the dorm was frozen. She turned back to Wang Qiqi's expression, instinctively licking her lips. She deeply regretted making Wang Qiqi her target; she hadn't expected Wang Qiqi's fighting spirit to be this potent.

Wang Qiqi said sternly, "Let go."

Gong Yiying finally remembered she was still holding Wang Qiqi's arm and quickly released it, but she refused to apologize; that would mean a total loss of face.

Wang Qiqi was quite satisfied with Gong Yiying’s sudden compliance. "If you’re in a bad mood, bottle it up or share it with friends. Sharing happy news is fine. For instance, I didn't like your earlier assessment, but I won't waste time arguing with you. However, don't provoke me again in the future; I won't hesitate to take action against you."

Although Gong Yiying wanted to appear brave, she genuinely lacked the composure for a witty retort. She could only watch as Wang Qiqi went about her business, climbing onto her bed, burrowing under the covers, and pulling out a book to read. Meanwhile, none of her dorm mates offered comfort; they were all busy with their own things. By the time Gong Yiying started to feel the chill, it wasn't long until the lights were turned off.

Gong Yiying came to her senses and looked at the scene around her. Tears involuntarily streamed down her face. Truthfully, she had been quite glorious that morning; during the rehearsal, she was arguably even more dazzling than Han Meina. Thinking of this, Gong Yiying finally realized: could this be a trap set by Han Meina? It wasn't that Gong Yiying hadn't considered it, but seeing Han Meina wear an expression of helplessness, coupled with classmates saying Han Meina’s decisions were the most correct, left Gong Yiying unable to lash out.

Gong Yiying initially cried silently, but slowly, she began to sob audibly. This forced everyone to stop ignoring her and just look at her.

Wang Qiqi certainly wasn't going to play the good Samaritan and comfort Gong Yiying. Like Wang Rui, she was a resilient force that couldn't be beaten down. Right now, she was in a disadvantageous position, hence the brief display of weakness. But as soon as the situation favored her, she would definitely become assertive again. If Wang Qiqi hadn't suddenly switched demeanor and shown her fierceness just now, Gong Yiying would likely have continued attacking her.

Wang Qiqi ignored Gong Yiying's internal turmoil, and Bai Ge did the same. The others were also growing tired of Gong Yiying; her actions showed she wasn't just angry but also very thoughtless. Moments ago, she had been pretending to reconcile with Wang Qiqi, only to bite back immediately, even though Wang Qiqi was entirely innocent in this matter. Thus, everyone truly didn't know how to comfort her, especially since her current predicament was self-inflicted.

The others also harbored a thought: Gong Yiying was simply not worth befriending. Who knew when she might turn around and bite them next? This left everyone genuinely perplexed about how to proceed.

If someone had pushed open the door at that moment, they would have seen Gong Yiying sitting alone on the edge of her bed, weeping bitterly, while the other six roommates watched her, none offering a word of comfort.

If Gong Yiying’s initial tears were perhaps slightly fueled by grievance and a need to vent a little, the fact that no one paid her any mind or offered solace after she had cried for so long only made her weep louder.