Wang Qiqi let out a huge yawn and emerged from her room, only to find Han Tao floating out of his room toward the bathroom, his eyes dark-rimmed. Wang Qiqi wondered just how late they had been up the night before. “Can I give you the drafts tomorrow?” Han Tao had brought over several documents yesterday, which Wang Qiqi was translating at home. After taking a few assignments, Li Xiangdong, aware of Wang Qiqi’s capabilities and her areas of focus, began selecting tasks for her. With Wang Qiqi on board, Li Xiangdong could take on a broader range of jobs and wasn't always home on weekends, so Wang Qiqi would entrust the documents to Han Tao to take back. After review, Li Xiangdong would wire the payment to Wang Qiqi. Any deficiencies would prompt Li Xiangdong to call Wang Qiqi and discuss them.

Han Tao nodded and continued his slow drift toward the bathroom; he was utterly exhausted, and he still had to teach his tutoring session that afternoon. Thinking of this, Han Tao felt a profound envy for Dai Lijun.

After preparing breakfast, Wang Qiqi returned to her room and picked up the drafts Han Tao had given her yesterday, continuing her work. Yesterday, feeling somewhat down and cozied up in the warm room during winter, Wang Qiqi’s first impulse had been to sleep a bit before looking at the manuscripts. Who knew she would sleep straight through to the next day? She had intended to submit the drafts that afternoon, but alas.

Zhu Lina rolled over and saw Wang Qiqi already sitting up in bed, reviewing materials. “Feeling better?” At least Wang Qiqi had a slight smile on her face now.

“What choice do I have?” Wang Qiqi let out another massive yawn. “Perhaps they think that since I’m alone, I’m an easy target, especially with a rich woman like you around.”

“Han Tao picked you up yesterday—aren’t you worried about what people might say?” Zhu Lina couldn’t believe Wang Qiqi hadn’t considered that. For a freshman, rumors about cohabiting with a guy outside their residence could cause quite a stir; if she were in her second or third year, people would just shrug it off.

Worried? Of course, Wang Qiqi was concerned. “Gossip is frightening, but what can be done? Will the school expel me? If things truly blow up, the worst I can do is just move back here.” Perhaps over time, someone would figure out her current address and discover that Han Tao stayed over every Friday, which would surely cause a major uproar. But so what? She was an adult; would the school really use that as grounds for dismissal?

Zhu Lina conceded the point, adding, “After the winter break, it’s possible Han Tao might move out to live with Dai Lijun and the others.” In the long run, Han Tao staying here wasn't ideal.

Wang Qiqi murmured an acknowledgment. Moving out sounded fine. Wasn’t Dai Lijun roommates with computer science majors? That would allow Han Tao to learn a lot. Furthermore, Han Tao staying here without paying rent was a burden on him. Moving out, though it meant rent, was better than owing favors.

Zhu Lina understood that Han Tao had his reasons for moving out. “Qiqi, the stock market has been good lately. My dad said he’d give you a bonus over the winter break.” Zhu Lina remembered something she hadn’t mentioned to Wang Qiqi yet and decided to share the good news while she remembered.

The stock market was good; Wang Qiqi knew that. But why would Zhu Lina’s father give her a bonus? Wang Qiqi hesitated. “Don’t tell me your dad is also trading this stock.” Good heavens, Wang Qiqi felt faint. Had the Zhu family leviathan decided to join in? Their capital was not comparable to hers. If the market operation deviated from her memory of the previous life, or if, when they decided to pull out, Zhu Lina notified her father, and they timed their sell-off to drive the price down faster—while they’d still profit, the margin would be significantly different.

Zhu Lina noticed Wang Qiqi’s complexion had worsened. She hesitated. “Did I do something wrong?” After a long pause, Zhu Lina asked wistfully. In truth, she had only told her father after the significant dip in her own account, and the old man had asked where the money went.

Wang Qiqi pursed her lips. Though she didn’t look at Zhu Lina, she knew her friend was feeling down. “You didn't do anything wrong. I’m just worried that if your dad puts in too much and then sells too quickly, the market makers might notice, and then…” The Zhu family might earn slightly less profit, but in Wang Qiqi’s view, that profit was foundational to the scale of their future ventures.

Zhu Lina was rather surprised that Qiqi was worried about that, though she admitted it was a rational concern. “Don’t worry, my dad hasn’t invested much. Don’t look at our assets; a lot of it is fixed assets and accounts receivable. The readily available funds aren’t that much, and he hasn't told my uncles or cousins about this.”

Wang Qiqi understood; it was a private venture. “Even so, it’s more than ours. But when we sell, we need to take it slowly to maximize profit. Don’t you agree, Lina?” Only Zhu Lina could discuss this with her parents; if an outsider said anything, they’d think she was meddling.

“Absolutely,” Zhu Lina agreed readily. “But we should take the benefits when they are offered, right?”

Benefits? Wang Qiqi actually wanted to say that when their family’s real estate company developed a new project, they should give her an apartment of any size, anywhere. In Beijing, even a small forty or fifty-square-meter unit would make her rich. But Wang Qiqi could only joke about that with Zhu Lina; if Zhu Lina repeated it to her parents, would they think she was grasping? “Why aim for benefits? Let’s share the fortune,” Wang Qiqi thought. She recalculated: maintaining a good relationship with the Zhu family was worth more than any immediate handouts. That was the long-term view. Taking immediate rewards implied a transactional repayment for the favor. “Besides, I’m staying here, and I haven’t paid rent. If your family is going to give me a benefit, then I should start paying rent.”

Zhu Lina looked at Wang Qiqi, opened her mouth slightly, but ultimately remained silent. “You’ll give your drafts to Han Tao tomorrow.”

Wang Qiqi picked up the manuscript again with a sigh. “I’ll give them to him tomorrow, and he can take them over on Monday.” The translation agency wasn't far from the school. Once Li Xiangdong had the drafts, he’d call Han Tao to pick them up, or Li Xiangdong might deliver them himself. He did this to keep Wang Qiqi’s involvement secret from competitors. If people knew he was meeting Han Tao, they wouldn't suspect anything, as Han Tao was Li Zhe’s tutor, and Li Xiangdong could claim they were meeting to discuss Li Zhe’s studies.

“That’s truly enviable,” Shi Man said, having woken up at some point and heard enough. “Han Tao is so fortunate to have found a girl like you, Qiqi.” Although Wang Qiqi’s temper wasn’t always the best, her strengths outweighed her flaws, and she was also wealthy—marrying her would mean skipping decades of struggle.

Fortunate? Though Wang Qiqi was looking at the materials, a smile played on her lips. She wondered who was truly fortunate in her mind. Right now, perhaps Han Tao was lucky. But in ten years, many girls might envy her, admiring her capabilities. “A man’s talent is what matters, and Han Tao and I share common ground.” Having experienced much since childhood, one tends to cherish a happy life more deeply. Of course, having a good relationship with Aunt Luo was also a key factor.

Shi Man was about to question what common ground Qiqi and Han Tao shared, but then she realized their similar backgrounds. “Han Tao is a good guy, and he treats you well, but don’t be so unconditionally good to people sometimes. You never know what a person might become.” Shi Man had seen too many people who fawned over you when you were up, only to stomp on you viciously when you stumbled.

“Thank you, I know. What I currently possess is my greatest capital.” Wang Qiqi was clear on this. “Alright, Shi Man, you can get up too. There’s nothing to eat in the house.”

Shi Man immediately flipped over and played dead, pretending not to have heard. “Isn’t there still Jiang Xin?” Shi Man reasoned that the girl usually brought food when she visited.

“In this cold weather, she’s unlikely to come,” Wang Qiqi said. It hadn't snowed yet, but it wasn't far off. “Someone has to go out and buy supplies.”

“Han Tao,” Shi Man declared without hesitation, pushing the responsibility onto him. “As your man, when you need him most, shouldn't he step up?” Besides, he had his tutoring session that afternoon.

Wang Qiqi knew Han Tao would be willing to go, but given his current state—sigh—she decided against it. “What should we have for lunch? I’ll buy some mutton and make lamb soup.” It would warm them up in winter, even if Wang Qiqi found mutton slightly gamey.

“Buy lots of radishes too; we can braise the radishes,” Shi Man mused. Nothing appealing was in the fridge right now—alas, Northern winters and their limited vegetables.

“See if there are any potatoes; we can stew them with chicken for a curry potato dish,” Wang Qiqi thought. Honestly, hotpot was the best, being the most convenient. But then the whole apartment would smell like hotpot afterward.

“Deal,” Shi Man agreed, deciding they would make do, which was still better than the cafeteria food. “You’re not planning on going yourself, are you?” Shi Man was surprised when Wang Qiqi started putting on her clothes. “Or are you planning to go out with Han Tao?”

“He was playing on the computer until late last night; I expect he needs to catch up on sleep now.” Wang Qiqi figured it would be good exercise. “I’ll grab breakfast on the way back and buy groceries for the next two days all at once,” to avoid another trip out. However, she resolved that whenever she returned on Fridays, she absolutely had to buy food then; it was just too cold.

“See if there’s any flour. Otherwise, maybe we can learn to knead dough and make steamed buns ourselves?” Zhu Lina suddenly had an idea, but she looked at the expressions of Wang Qiqi and the others and quickly added, “Forget I said anything.”

Making steamed buns—Wang Qiqi had no idea how to do that. “I can buy some flour to take home; then I can make some tangyuan for breakfast.” She lamented the lack of frozen convenience foods these days. “When will a manufacturer finally produce some frozen snacks? Then we wouldn’t have to worry about late-night or breakfast meals.” With that, Wang Qiqi left. Shi Man burrowed deeper into her duvet, while Zhu Lina looked thoughtful.