Wang Qiqi watched the dejected faces trailing behind her, their initial buoyant mood completely gone. "Should we head back or..." Some of them had initially planned to hit the city to browse and restock after arriving, but after suffering such a heavy blow, Wang Qiqi wasn't sure if they wanted to retreat or go shopping for stress relief.

"Back."

"I want to go shopping. That test was absolutely infuriating." No one dared complain inside, but once they left the translation agency, someone finally voiced it.

"Exactly, exactly, that was way too hard."

Wang Qiqi looked at their faces, which clearly blamed Li Xiangdong for everything. She wanted to hold back, but they kept chattering incessantly. "They're looking for translators, so how could they give you an easy test? If it were simple, they could have just had one of the office clerks translate it." Wang Qiqi shot them a glare. "Mr. Li runs a company; he's not a philanthropist."

Even if they were university students, acting as if they were royalty—this mindset would eventually force them to find their proper place years down the line when they hit the job market wall after graduation.

Gong Yiying had assumed her grades were comparable to Wang Qiqi’s, but unexpectedly, the other girl hadn't even gotten the chance to scold her; instead, she had been utterly crushed. Meanwhile, regarding the achievements Wang Qiqi had attained, Gong Yiying had berated her for ages, her voice booming: "Qiqi, he scolded you so much, you..."

Wang Qiqi shrugged. "I'm used to it. Besides, I do have many shortcomings, but my English has steadily improved. Reading original texts used to be tiring, but now I can get through them much faster." Although some of the manuscripts Li Xiangdong gave her were high-level, she genuinely earned little reward. It wasn't that he refused to pay; it was that Wang Qiqi’s translation quality was truly abysmal. He was really teaching her something; not charging tuition would have been generous enough. Sometimes, Wang Qiqi wondered if he wasn't charging her because he didn't want to pay much extra anyway, and her complaints about Li Xiangdong had significantly lessened. After all, she wasn't pursuing translation for the money.

The others looked at Wang Qiqi with immense admiration, wondering if the girl had been abused too much, given her complete lack of resentment. Only she could tolerate such a mindset. "Isn't reading original texts enough for you every day?"

"I’m trying to deepen my understanding. I truly admire people who major in English and then go into the field professionally." If Gong Yiying had been jealous of Wang Qiqi before, after today's blow, she couldn't muster jealousy over the money Wang Qiqi earned—the gap was too vast. "Especially you, Qiqi, someone who didn't major in English but still works as a translator."

Wang Qiqi offered a wry smile. "Making money isn't easy. You’ll understand later." Without a father or a godfather to rely on, one could only improve their own capabilities.

Bai Ge watched Wang Qiqi and Gong Yiying enter the dormitory one after the other. "How was it?"

Gong Yiying slumped. "Crushed, and I didn't even get scolded." Gong Yiying recounted the interview, focusing on how the interviewers evaluated those who attended—the point being, even if they embarrassed themselves, at least others fared worse. The major, major point, however, was how miserably Wang Qiqi had been reprimanded by Li Xiangdong. "I truly admire Qiqi. I would have quit ages ago; it barely pays anything."

Before the interview, Gong Yiying had inquired about the approximate salary. The figure quoted matched what Wang Qiqi was making. Furthermore, she had spoken to an employee at the translation agency and learned they never hired interns and that even paid positions weren't high. They also mentioned that Wang Qiqi only got in because her classmate was the private tutor for Mr. Li’s son. This led Gong Yiying to believe Wang Qiqi had gotten in purely through connections.

"Everyone has their own path. I may not be earning much now, but that doesn't mean I won't later. Opportunities don't come around often." After speaking, Wang Qiqi picked up her bag, ready to head to the library. Earlier, while reprimanding them in the room, Li Xiangdong had handed her a thick stack of documents, saying the urgent ones were due in three days. This struck Wang Qiqi as strange, his behavior a bit like that of a spy, but he was the big boss, and she was just an employee; what use was having an opinion?

"Off to read English books again?" Gong Yiying watched Wang Qiqi leave, her tone laced with acid. "I think Wang Qiqi just goes there to get scolded. You all don't know; according to the people working there, whenever Wang Qiqi visits the agency, Mr. Li tears her to shreds..." Gong Yiying shared the gossip she'd gathered with the others.

Zhang Yan looked at Gong Yiying’s expression, which implied Wang Qiqi was nothing special. "Her ability might be lacking now, but can you guarantee that in a year or two, Wang Qiqi will still be like this? Abilities are cultivated. You sit in the dorm complaining about this and that, and you'll never improve. Didn't you say yourself that you couldn't understand the drafts Qiqi translated? Yet Qiqi is still translating. That shows Qiqi's English is progressing. Now look at your own English entrance scores compared to Qiqi's, and you'll see the difference."

Hmph. Earlier in the dorm, she had been jumping around, boasting that she would surely get in and claiming Wang Qiqi’s English scores were similar to hers, so there was no reason she wouldn't get in. Now, her bragging had completely collapsed. Besides, starting at the same line doesn't mean you cross the finish line at the same time.

Zhang Yan's blunt words completely stripped away Gong Yiying's facade, and Bai Ge and the others couldn't help but laugh—. Earlier, someone in the dorm had carried such an imposing air, looking like she’d be earning money right away and thinking everyone else lacked skill. Even if she didn't say some things out loud, her eyes and expressions completely betrayed her.

Gong Yiying looked at the atmosphere in the dorm. If they were mocking someone else, Gong Yiying would have been quite pleased, but with the spotlight on her, she wasn't happy. "I'm going out for a walk."

The moment Gong Yiying left the dorm, she didn't go far. She quickly returned to the doorway, wanting to hear how the others were evaluating her.

Gong Yiying expected them to criticize her, but she hadn't anticipated Bai Ge and the others would be so openly dismissive. She strongly wanted to push the door open and loudly rebuke them, but her hand hovered over the knob, afraid to open it. It wasn't cowardice; it was the thought that if she fell out with Bai Ge and the others again, how would she manage in the class? Many boys and girls in the class had terrible relationships with her due to the previous selection contest, plus her instigating others not to attend the welcoming assembly. She hadn't expected Zhang Han to propose marriage publicly. Although people who witnessed the spectacle could relay the events, it wasn't as impactful as seeing it firsthand, especially when they could have been there to witness it. As a result, everyone's attitude toward Gong Yiying cooled back to freezing point.

Gong Yiying quietly left. She thought her little maneuver had gone unnoticed, but just as she turned, Li Xin opened the door, intending to go to the restroom. Upon seeing Gong Yiying's retreating figure, she immediately shut the main door.

Bai Ge looked at Li Xin, who had just returned. "What are you doing, opening and slamming the door? There’s a cold draft." Even though the corridor had warmth, it wasn't as cozy as inside.

"No, no, do you know who I just saw?" Li Xin asked nervously.

Bai Ge looked at the tense Li Xin, finding it odd. "Who could it be? Is the student union checking rooms?"

Li Xin shook her head. "No, it was Gong Yiying. Didn't she leave long ago?" Good heavens, even though they often discussed gossip behind people's backs, they never expected to be eavesdropped on, especially by the very subject of the gossip.

Bai Ge scoffed from under her covers. "I've always said that woman is wicked. Look at how much bad she says about Qiqi usually, yet when she talks to Wang Qiqi, even if her words are sharp, doesn't she often joke around with her? That shows how utterly despicable she is. It's possible she pulls this stunt whenever she talks trash about someone, coming back to listen to what we’re saying."

Bai Ge’s analysis triggered an "Oh!" from Feng Yanjie. "No wonder Gong Yiying asked me something last time. I was wondering how she knew about it then." Feng Yanjie recounted the question Gong Yiying had posed. "I thought one of you told her."

Now, with witness testimony and evidence from past conversations, everyone was dumbfounded. The focus shifted from discussing someone's flaws only to be caught, to questioning Gong Yiying's very character. "Oh my god, no wonder I always felt Gong Yiying seemed strangely informed about things we discussed privately," Li Xin exclaimed. "It’s so unsettling! But she didn't get angry and barge in after hearing us talk about her like that—impressive." Li Xin thought that if it were her, she wouldn't have been able to resist.

"If she had come in, wouldn't that have let us know she was eavesdropping?" Bai Ge glared at Li Xin, thinking her foolish. "It looks like we need to be careful about our conversations from now on. Even if someone says they've left, we should check the door every time."

Duan Xiaomin was also annoyed by Gong Yiying’s actions. What was that supposed to mean? They could discuss some things in front of Zhang Yan or Wang Qiqi because they knew those two wouldn't spread gossip. But Gong Yiying was different; she would use those bits of information to trade secrets with others. "We need to be careful from now on." Some people truly lacked shame.

"Exactly. Sigh, I initially thought Han Meina was arrogant enough, but now I realize she’s much easier to deal with than Gong Yiying. At least if you don't cross her, she won't attack you. But looking at Gong Yiying, you see what a viper is," Feng Yanjie sighed. It was a dorm of eight people, and three of them felt somewhat disconnected from the dormitory vibe, yet managing relationships was still complicated.

Gong Yiying, who left the dorm in a huff, was unaware that her departing figure had been spotted by Li Xin and the others, solidifying their negative impression of her. At that moment, she wandered the campus like a lost ghost until she encountered someone. (To be continued)