Wang Qiqi collapsed onto the train berth the moment she got on, throwing a blanket over herself and immediately falling asleep, looking utterly exhausted.

Shi Man settled their belongings, intending to say a few words to Qiqi, but when she turned, she saw Wang Qiqi was already snoring. This struck her as odd. They were both traveling overseas; even though Shi Man hadn't fully adjusted to the time difference, she wasn't that tired. Could it be...?

Shi Man and Zhulina exchanged a look brimming with innuendo towards Han Tao, who was standing nearby. They clearly suspected something had transpired between him and Qiqi over the summer break that they hadn't been privy to.

Han Tao understood the meaning behind their strange gazes. He would have preferred to ignore it—rumors die with the wise, didn't they? But the problem was that avoidance wasn't an option. Shi Man's eyes tracked him relentlessly; wherever he moved to sit, her gaze followed.

Zhulina wasn't as overtly persistent as Shi Man, but the frequency with which she looked up at Han Tao—two or three times a minute—was enough to show how concerned she was about the reason for Qiqi's extreme fatigue.

With a sigh of resignation, Han Tao recounted everything that had happened since Qiqi returned home. "Song Yao came over yesterday, and today Wang Qiqi went out to handle some business." She hadn't arrived home until well before four in the afternoon. Upon arrival, she shoved her blankets and quilts into a cabinet, covered some areas with white cloth, took a quick shower, stuffed the clothes needing washing into a bag, and then rushed out with her luggage.

Only then did Shi Man understand why Qiqi was so much more tired than she was. "Then let Qiqi sleep. I have some bread and cake here; I'll save some for Qiqi later." It was only then that Shi Man remembered Qiqi had to handle all social obligations and family matters personally. In contrast, over the past few days, Shi Man had done little but eat and sleep, successfully kicking her jet lag.

Wang Qiqi had intended to rest only briefly, but when she woke up, the sky outside was just beginning to lighten. Her first reaction was that she couldn't have slept long, but then she realized that wasn't right; her body clearly indicated she’d had a deeply restful sleep, and the corridor was empty of foot traffic at this hour.

Qiqi reached under her pillow for the small bag and pulled out a wristwatch. The time read past five in the morning. She considered rolling over and going back to sleep, but then her stomach gave a loud rumble. She patted her hollow belly. "Belly, belly, hold on a bit longer; there will be food soon." The food this time was prepared by Shi Man, and no matter how hungry she was, she couldn't possibly wake Shi Man at this hour just to ask for something to eat.

No sooner had Wang Qiqi spoken than she heard a soft voice call her name from across the way. She turned over. "Han Tao, you're not asleep?" Impossible. At this hour, only the elderly were up early, or people like herself who’d gone to bed very early. Why was Han Tao awake? Had he been watching her the whole time? That seemed unnecessarily devoted.

Han Tao shook his head and passed her a bag from beside his pillow. "There's milk and some snacks in here. You can tide yourself over." Han Tao and the others had all assumed Wang Qiqi would eventually wake up around ten, but to everyone's surprise, she was still sleeping when they were all getting ready for bed. They couldn't rouse her, so they reluctantly left the food by Han Tao's side. (In truth, given Shi Man’s fighting spirit, waking Qiqi up should have been a simple task, but someone—implied to be Han Tao—was reluctant to disturb Wang Qiqi’s sleep.)

Wang Qiqi accepted the bag without sitting up, leaning over the berth to open it. What burst out immediately made her gasp: bread and cakes from a renowned bakery, dated from the previous day. Qiqi blissfully tore open a few packages and started stuffing her mouth. Seeing this, Han Tao’s heart clenched with anxiety; he genuinely worried she might choke from eating so quickly. With that worry occupying him, Han Tao couldn't fall back asleep. Only when he saw Qiqi rapidly swallow everything, not forgetting to drink the beverage, did he finally relax and drift off.

Having eaten her fill, Wang Qiqi let out a yawn and happily returned to her rendezvous with the God of Sleep. When Shi Man woke up and saw that the food bag was still by Han Tao’s side, she exclaimed, "Don't tell me Qiqi slept straight through until now." She could really sleep.

Han Tao blinked his hazy eyes open. Seeing the daylight streaming in, he rubbed them. "Qiqi ate a little something around four or five and went back to sleep." After tidying his bedding slightly, Han Tao got up to wash. The task of waking Wang Qiqi was already being handled by someone else.

After Shi Man had roused Wang Qiqi using various inhumane methods, Qiqi sat dazed on the bunk, yawning repeatedly. "How much longer until we arrive?" It took a long moment before Wang Qiqi finally spoke.

"Twenty more minutes," Shi Man replied curtly, feeling vindicated that the girl was at least aware enough to ask about arrival time. "I thought you were planning on just walking out with that unwashed face."

Wang Qiqi shot her a sideways glance. "Am I really that slovenly? Never mind, I’m going to wash up." If she didn't clean up now, she'd really have to face the world outside the station looking like that, which would be an utter humiliation.

Wang Qiqi swiftly grabbed her toiletries and dashed into the washroom to brush her teeth and wash her face, finishing in under five minutes. Just as she stepped out, the bathroom door was closed off, making Wang Qiqi feel extremely fortunate.

"Want something to eat?" Shi Man offered her a piece of bread as she entered. "You look like you haven't slept in ages. What happened? Was there an emergency back home?"

Wang Qiqi nodded. "Yeah. A tenant wanted to buy the apartment he was renting, and I had to rush back to sort it out." She sighed with relief that it was a full cash payment, and through the agent, she met the right people and finalized the property deed. Otherwise, she’d have to make several more trips, which Wang Qiqi desperately wanted to avoid. In short, every time she went back now, she felt trouble was waiting.

"Oh, you probably don't know yet," Shi Man said, swallowing her mouthful. "The Gao family has been completely cleared out." She remembered something she hadn't told Wang Qiqi. "Your former aunt-in-law really is something; she managed to walk away clean. If it had been two days later, they probably wouldn't have agreed even if she'd asked to leave with nothing."

Wang Qiqi was stunned the situation had escalated this far. Her mouth dropped open. "What? That can't be right. Wasn't it scheduled for the end of the year?" How could things have developed so fast, in less than a month? Did that mean Wang Rui had discovered everything? Wang Qiqi had originally planned for everything to explode after the New Year holiday, thinking that even if Wang Rui tried hard, she wouldn't achieve good scores. How much could someone improve in half a year while struggling? But now the schedule had been moved up. With only ten months left until the Gaokao, wouldn't that give Wang Rui a chance to stage a comeback?

The thought that Wang Rui might have a chance to rebound made Wang Qiqi feel as if she had swallowed a massive horsefly—a sickening discomfort. Yet, Qiqi couldn't think of any way to alter the current situation. Should she speak up again, praising how wonderful Gao Kai was? Would Wang Rui believe her? Moreover, the things Qiqi had said about Gao Kai’s virtues in front of Wang Rui might have already bred hatred for her. Saying more now would only invite further trouble.

Wang Qiqi couldn't devise a solution; all she could do was sigh and think that heaven was helping her. Still, two years of study had been wasted, and the foundation of the person in question was shaky. It would be impossible for her to soar to the same heights as Qiqi. Qiqi reflected that besides her own hard work, she had Han Tao's assistance, and more importantly, she had chosen the humanities stream—if one was good at memorization, scores could rise. Science was different; it truly depended on the foundational knowledge.

Shi Man and Zhulina, seeing Wang Qiqi’s astonishment, wondered if she felt sorry for her former love interest. But they dismissed the thought; Qiqi wasn't that kind of person, especially given her obvious attitude toward Gao Kai. They simultaneously recalled Qiqi's previous comments about Gao Kai to Wang Rui and understood: Was Wang Qiqi worried that Wang Rui might get into a good university? That she might have a chance to turn things around?

For such a seemingly malicious thought from Wang Qiqi, another girl might find her thoughts cruel. But to Shi Man and the others, Wang Qiqi’s concern felt perfectly normal. "People studying science need a strong foundation; it’s not something you can fix by cramming in the final year," Han Tao said, rubbing his eyes. "Besides, you’re in the humanities stream. Do you forget how much effort you put in just to raise your math scores?"

"That's right, right! I was dreaming about sequences and problems in my sleep," Shi Man recalled. Weren't the three of them constantly devoting half their study time just to improve their math scores? Even then, their scores only improved gradually. Now, Wang Rui still had Physics and Chemistry to tackle. Did she have the time? Could she afford a brilliant tutor? Not every teacher could tailor instruction to the individual. That was why Han Tao, who acted as both student and teacher, was so popular—because he taught according to aptitude. Of course, there was a price tag. Could Wang Rui's family afford such private tutoring fees? Shi Man mused that if her family hadn't heard about Han Tao's reputation, they might never have agreed to let her live at Qiqi's house. In any case, it felt a bit unnerving.

"If Heaven intends for her to have a good outcome, then that's not something we can change," Zhulina said honestly. She truly didn't understand why Wang Qiqi harbored such deep hatred for Wang Rui. Although Wang Rui wasn't exactly a virtuous person, Qiqi didn't seem to have any feelings for Gao Kai, and it was Wang Da Gui and his wife who had seized her family's assets. Why was the resentment toward Wang Da Gui less intense than the hatred for Wang Rui? This was something Zhulina never quite grasped. "Constantly thinking about revenge against someone will just make you exhausted."

Wang Qiqi understood this principle and had repeatedly cautioned herself. But every time she heard news about Wang Rui, the surge of hatred was unavoidable. "I know. I just feel like she’s getting off too easily."