The turn of events, while seemingly fierce, concluded quickly thanks to the swift action of the class monitors—and, of course, someone rapidly returning the received gifts. Otherwise, things might not have wrapped up so smoothly.

Even though the incident was considered perfectly resolved by the class cadres, the school was small enough that word inevitably spread to other classes and departments. In the end, Gong Yiying became a celebrity just as she desired—a huge one. Wherever she went, people pointed and whispered about her.

Shi Man looked on with genuine curiosity, and although Juliana, standing beside her, didn't look at Wang Qiqi, the fact that she hadn't turned a single page in half an hour indicated that she too was eager for gossip. Wang Qiqi had always known these two were connoisseurs of gossip, merely better at concealing it.

What surprised Wang Qiqi the most was Dai Lijun. He kept pushing up his glasses, looking as if he were deeply engrossed in thought, but if his eyes hadn't kept drifting toward her, Wang Qiqi might have believed he was truly pondering some weighty issue. Seeing him now, Wang Qiqi realized she’d have to be incredibly dense not to understand what was going on.

Wang Qiqi glanced around; there weren't many people nearby. Since that note was brought up, no one had dared to ask to borrow a pen. As for the stares of astonishment and the calculating gazes, they knew that their little group now had a reputation attached to demanding money. The upside was that fewer people loitered around them. Rumor had it that anyone without established wealth shouldn't even bother trying. Then, someone started spreading the story that Juliana owned an apartment in a nearby housing complex—a detail that significantly reduced the number of students attempting to corner Wang Qiqi and her friends. The tale went that her parents bought the place because they worried about her adjusting to campus life while attending university in the capital—a truly jaw-dropping piece of news. Next, people began whispering that Wang Qiqi only read English original texts and was destined for overseas study. This sent ripples through the student body: one girl with a direct path to an overseas education thanks to parental wealth; another, despite her parents passing, was also set to study abroad; and the third, well, her prospects were even more impressive. Consequently, the looks of envy, jealousy, and simmering resentment directed at Dai Lijun grew even hotter. When these rumors finally reached Wang Qiqi’s ears, they weren't sure whether to correct them or let the gossip run its course. Every path had its pros and cons. After a brief discussion, they decided to let the rumors fly. Not only was it questionable whether anyone would believe an explanation, but such rumors also meant fewer interruptions while studying. True, the glances from their classmates were peculiar, but overall, there were advantages and disadvantages. At least for now, quiet conversation was still possible.

Wang Qiqi leaned in and quietly consulted with Jiang Xin about the situation in their class. “Gong Yiying has finally been silenced, it seems.” Indeed, after being expertly led into a trap, she had to offer profuse apologies and return everything she'd accepted. Regardless of how much it pained Gong Yiying internally, she was now virtually isolated within the class. Only Han Meina remained a frequent companion.

“Han Meina really is something,” Juliana stated with certainty. “With all this, everyone in your class must be saying good things about her.” Gong Yiying must despise Han Meina now, yet she was powerless. If she dared to speak ill of Han Meina, people would simply side with Han Meina and accuse Gong Yiying of ingratitude. She must be suffocating with frustration.

Outside, Gong Yiying managed to control her emotions, trying hard not to fix Han Meina with a hateful stare. However, once they were back in the dormitory, control slipped. It wasn't necessarily a failure of willpower, but rather that the two had already had a low-voiced confrontation there, effectively tearing off all pretense of civility.

“Exactly. She has to avoid Han Meina in public, but she’s completely different in the dorm. You know, everyone in class now says Gong Yiying is such an actress,” Jiang Xin mentioned. Several of Jiang Xin’s roommates were also keen on gossip. They knew not just about their class, but often picked up tidbits from other classes and departments. For example, Jiang Xin was the one who told Qiqi and the others about the rumors swirling around their group, leading Qiqi to realize her own roommates were quite skilled at keeping secrets.

“She made one wrong move and now every step is a mistake,” Wang Qiqi commented. “Sigh, tomorrow is finally Friday. Let’s go back and have hot pot.”

Hot pot? “Great! I want the split pot, with some ice tofu in one side,” Shi Man requested. “And some meatballs too.”

“Let’s get some fried dough sticks and some vermicelli noodles,” Juliana insisted. Ever since eating fried dough sticks in hot pot once, she demanded them every time.

“Mutton is perfect for this weather; I’ll buy some meat when we go,” Dai Lijun chimed in with his preferences. “I’ll grab some chicken wings too.” One must be considerate when eating at someone else’s place, meaning bringing food was essential.

“Write down everything you want to eat, then assign two people to go buy the groceries. Keep track of the expenses, and we’ll split it evenly,” Wang Qiqi proposed. Since they would likely be gathering often in the future, splitting costs was the fairest way to avoid disparities in who paid how much.

Dai Lijun inwardly hesitated, thinking how could he possibly split evenly when the girls’ appetites couldn't compare to his own.

“It’s fine. You and Jiang Xin will handle the shopping; you’re in charge of carrying the bags, and Xin Xin will handle haggling and accounting,” Wang Qiqi assigned. “The three of us will go back and clean the apartment.”

Jiang Xin was about to protest being put on grocery duty, but upon hearing Wang Qiqi's subsequent assignment, she held her tongue. She certainly couldn't claim she’d rather clean the house. However, she remembered something else. “Can I stay at your place tomorrow?” Staying at Wang Qiqi’s place was always so comfortable; she could practically sleep rolled up in a ball.

Wang Qiqi wasn't thrilled at the thought of her own bed becoming cramped. “Can you skip going back to the dorm tomorrow?” Having gossip hounds in the dorm meant a constant supply of rumors, but the downside was needing to be constantly vigilant so her own secrets didn't spread everywhere.

As soon as Wang Qiqi suggested this, Jiang Xin shuddered at the thought of the busybodies in her own dorm. Fine, she much preferred listening to gossip over becoming the subject of it. “Sigh, looks like I’ll be stuck alone in the dorm reading.”

“It’s quite nice to communicate with your roommates occasionally,” Juliana offered sagely. Juliana was actually thinking that such a valuable resource shouldn't be wasted; if Jiang Xin’s relationship with her roommates soured, where would they get future gossip?

“I know I should communicate with them, but the problem is…” Jiang Xin felt there was something odd about Juliana’s advice but couldn't quite articulate what it was.

Wang Qiqi watched the conflicted Jiang Xin, then observed the other three adopting overly serious expressions. She sighed inwardly. Although she could seem a bit sharp and fond of gossip, heaven knew Shi Man and Juliana were far more dedicated to gossip than she was. This was clearly them hoping Jiang Xin would maintain a good relationship with her roommates, yet they framed it as advice meant for Jiang Xin’s own benefit. “Alright, it’s settled. You can come over for dinner tomorrow afternoon. Your roommates aren't coming back from the library anyway.” Although the school year had just begun, few students genuinely wished to return to the drudgery of studying every single day.

Jiang Xin considered it and agreed. “I’ll come to your place by myself then.”

“Going back home?” Gong Yiying asked Wang Qiqi somberly as she packed her things.

Wang Qiqi nodded. “It’s Friday; if I pack up early, I can go straight home after the last class.” At least she could escape the strange atmosphere of the dorm. It wasn't entirely strange; they were usually quite cheerful, but occasionally Gong Yiying would interject with something jarring and unpleasant.

Gong Yiying stared at Wang Qiqi, then after a moment, mumbled, “Don’t you think your relationship with the people in the dorm isn’t very good either?” Gong Yiying couldn't figure out why Wang Qiqi remained so calm, or perhaps it was because her current relationships with her roommates were strained, largely due to Wang Qiqi herself.

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Gong Yiying to ask such a question. “What constitutes a good relationship, and what constitutes a bad one?” Wang Qiqi countered after a long pause. “Regardless, my standing in the dorm is better than yours, right?” Wang Qiqi silently thought that instead of caring about her, Gong Yiying should focus on herself.

Gong Yiying was momentarily silenced by Wang Qiqi's retort. “I know I’m like this, but I don’t understand you. You are clearly more popular in the dorm than I am, so why are you still like this?” If Wang Qiqi didn’t want to get along with her roommates, why would she bother bringing her laptop to the dorm and letting them use it? That move by Wang Qiqi had significantly mended the slight distance that had formed when some roommates had been slightly put off by her plan to buy a new laptop. Yet, she still acted indifferent.

“You are not me,” Wang Qiqi turned and sat down, looking at Gong Yiying. “I have my own ideas and my own goals. I’m not in university just to get a diploma; I’m here to realize many things, to act on my dreams.”

“Being inseparable from friends doesn’t guarantee a good relationship. You need to understand that even the best friendships require a certain distance. Does it mean that if Bai Ge and the others are in trouble, I won’t help them? Or that they wouldn’t help me if I ran into trouble?” Wang Qiqi countered. “True friends are the ones you can reconnect with after any amount of time, still chatting animatedly and offering silent blessings from afar, rather than plotting how to use you.”

Wang Qiqi admitted that her words sounded a bit grand, but was it necessary to explain so much to Gong Yiying? “Since you know where your problem lies, focus on solving it. You’re only a freshman, and people are forgetful. The school is vast; many things will happen. Perhaps people have already forgotten your incident, but you haven't fully accepted it, or perhaps you’re trapped in your own narrow world and can’t, or won’t, step out.”

Gong Yiying hadn't fully processed the first part of Wang Qiqi’s speech, nor did she particularly want to understand it. She only focused on the latter part. “Are you saying I still have a chance to become friends with everyone?”

Wang Qiqi shrugged. “I can’t say for sure. How you proceed is entirely up to you.” Wang Qiqi couldn't be any clearer. Besides, the buzz about Gong Yiying in the class and department had already become loud chatter; stepping out of that shadow wouldn't be easy, especially with Han Meina lurking around. RS