Though the Beijing apartment wasn't officially Wang Qiqi’s, in her heart, it was home, carrying a genuine sense of belonging. “Hahaha, we’re finally back.” The first thing Wang Qiqi did upon entering was plant her hands on her hips and declare her triumphant return, just like that legendary character.

Looking at the person acting so wildly, Juliana and Shi Man exchanged a glance before unceremoniously shoving Wang Qiqi forward. “Move it, don't block the way, honestly.”

“She’s clearly a young girl, how did she pick up such a strange habit of acting up?”

Juliana and Shi Man ended by snorting in unison, then turned their necks and hips before heading toward their respective rooms.

Wang Qiqi was stunned. What was with their attitude? It wasn’t as if this was the first time she’d acted out; the previous times they hadn't reacted so strongly, but this time the response was immense. Helpless, Wang Qiqi could only lug her suitcase to her room. The morning task was daunting: clean the place, then go grocery shopping and cook. Tonight’s dinner was another big joint gathering for the two dorms, and the presence of several big boys presented a considerable challenge. For example, more people meant more competition for food, and Shi Man’s instinct to guard her provisions would surely resurface. Thinking of this, Wang Qiqi suddenly remembered something. “Manman, should we invite your Old Feng?” Whether Shi Man genuinely favored Feng Xuanxiang, or if it was due to the subtle influence of Wang Qiqi and Juliana, or perhaps even someone’s relentless pursuit techniques, the fact remained that by the end of last semester, Shi Man and Feng Xuanxiang had officially become a couple.

Of course, in Shi Man’s opinion, she was merely giving him a chance to pursue; it was still an internship period, with the air of a young mistress who would eventually cast him aside. However, both Wang Qiqi and Shi Man predicted that Shi Man would find it impossible to shake off the fellow. Don’t let appearances fool you; even when the two were together, Shi Man seemed to be the one in charge, but a closer look revealed it was merely the way he wanted things to be.

Old Feng? After putting on an act for quite a while, Shi Man waved her hand grandly like a leader. “Fine, call him if you want… After all, this Young Miss is finally in the capital, he should make some gesture. I’ll call him.” It wasn't that Shi Man didn’t want to stall any longer, or that she genuinely wished to place the call; it was simply that she knew no matter how much she dragged her feet, Wang Qiqi and the others wouldn't call him. The outcome would still fall to her, so Shi Man wasn’t going to give them the opportunity to mock her.

Wang Qiqi and Juliana were quite disappointed, sighing. “Sigh… We really thought we could tease Shi Man a bit more.”

“Exactly. When the guy gets here today, we have to report this matter to him.” Juliana’s eyes sparkled, displaying the look of someone expecting a windfall. In any case, Shi Man never hid the fact that Wang Qiqi and Juliana acted as spies for that person, and Shi Man never got angry, as the things they reported to Mr. Feng were always trivial matters.

Shi Man rolled her eyes several times. What choice did she have but to submit? “…Not resisting means death, but lighter sentencing.” Resisting meant the penalty would be doubled. Shi Man sat on the sofa, left a message on his pager, and then got up to start cleaning… and she even proactively picked up the mop to start scrubbing the floor.

Seeing her behavior so docile, Wang Qiqi and Juliana were quite pleased, high-fiving each other in excitement. This was the result they wanted; why else would they suddenly bring up that person? This tactic always yielded good results, and this time, the mission was accomplished again.

Shi Man was speechless at the smug expressions of the other two. To be honest, she had no choice but to get used to it. However, as she bent down to mop, she was actually chuckling inwardly. Every time Qiqi bullied her, she knew she could seek help from Han Tao. And every time she extorted some benefit from Han Tao, the other girl never got off easy either, which made Shi Man often remark that capitalists like her were the worst—clinging to such petty gains. If fate hadn't stopped her from being a boss, heaven wouldn't let her off either.

After the three cleaned the entire place, they collapsed onto the floor. “Phew, I’m exhausted. I want to sleep.” Wang Qiqi announced immediately.

“You still want to sleep? You’ll turn into a pig.” Shi Man said with disdain. “By the way, Qiqi, didn't you say buying property was the best investment? Why did you sell your house?” Shi Man thought that even if the landlord wanted to buy it, Qiqi could have refused to sell, and besides, in the summer, there was no worry about finding tenants.

Juliana nodded along beside her, though she assumed Wang Qiqi wanted to move the money into the stock market. While the stock market could bring quick money, it wasn't as reliable as real estate investment.

“Will the property appreciation in your hometown be as good as in the capital?” Wang Qiqi voiced her thoughts. “I plan to gradually sell off the houses back home and bring the money here to Beijing.” This way, it would be easier for her to manage, and Wang Qiqi knew she would be satisfied with the housing prices and rental yields in Beijing. Since that was the case, there was no need to cling to the houses in her hometown; she needed to look further ahead and broaden her perspective.

Shi Man offered her full support for Wang Qiqi’s suggestion. “It’s time to develop in the capital. You have too many extreme relatives back home. If Wang Dagui ever runs out of money, who knows if he’ll cause trouble at the property under your name.”

Wang Qiqi had truly never considered this point, but now, hearing Shi Man say it, she conceded it wasn't an impossible scenario. Although she didn’t know the full extent of the Wang Dagui family’s reserves, she knew it wasn't extensive—maybe enough to last a year or two, but she held no hope for anything longer. If he ran out of money and caused a scene, while it would be his embarrassment, it would indirectly reflect poorly on her too. But she was unwilling to use her own money to buy peace. Why should she sacrifice so much? “I really hadn’t thought of that. Right, starting tomorrow, I’m going house hunting.” Alas, Beijing property prices weren't cheap even before the boom; finding a place with a good location, a reasonable price, and a decent layout would be incredibly difficult. Moreover, buying a house wasn’t like buying cabbage where you just paid and left.

“I have to go back to work at the unit tomorrow… I can’t help you.” Juliana desperately wanted to accompany Wang Qiqi to look at houses and check out the market conditions, but after being away for nearly two months, she knew a mountain of pending tasks would be piling up at her desk.

Juliana had no time, but Shi Man did. She raised her hand. “I have time. I can look at housing prices too.” Shi Man recalled what her parents had told her. Although she felt her parents were perhaps overly worried, they were right; regardless, it was better to have a fallback plan. Shi Man had been wondering how to bring this up with Juliana and Qiqi, but she hadn't expected Wang Qiqi to also want to buy a house in Beijing. Shi Man admired Qiqi’s foresight.

Wang Qiqi didn’t think too much of Shi Man’s enthusiasm to join the house hunt; she just assumed Shi Man had more free time and didn’t want to stay home alone. “This afternoon, let’s first go around and ask the real estate agents.” Wang Qiqi had already planned it out: although this area was currently remote, in five or six years, it would be considered a secondary city center. If they found a property with good management and near the subway, she wouldn’t hesitate to make a move.

“Great, that would be very convenient.” Shi Man thought it sounded quite practical, saving a lot of effort. “By the way, Qiqi, what are your requirements for a house?”

Wang Qiqi listed her needs on her fingers. “I just don’t know how many places will fit my criteria.”

“Must it be close to the subway?” Shi Man wondered, wasn’t it said that houses too close to the subway were risky? And that houses near a large pit were more likely to sink?

“Within a five-minute walk, calculated from the complex entrance,” Wang Qiqi roughly stated her requirements. She knew that currently, Beijing didn't have any super-large residential complexes; most were medium-sized, so even walking from the deepest part of a complex would take at most ten minutes.

After finishing lunch, Shi Man dragged Wang Qiqi, who wanted to rest a little longer, out the door. Wang Qiqi yawned. “Let me take a nap,” then slowly go out, find an agent, state the requirements, and then we can go buy groceries.” Wang Qiqi felt this arrangement was best. Today’s goal was just to leave information and her demands; it wouldn't take up too much time.

Shi Man looked at Wang Qiqi, who seemed in no hurry and acted as if everything was already sorted out. She sighed. “You actually remember about groceries… Have you forgotten we’re hosting tonight? You don’t seriously think we’ll only visit one or two agencies, do you?” In Shi Man’s view, one needed to visit multiple agencies to find the right property. With the limited funds available, one couldn’t just look at one or two places like buying cabbage and seal the deal; that would be too much of a loss.

“Looking at houses is like choosing a man; both require fate,” Wang Qiqi replied, genuinely confused. Why was Shi Man acting more eager and proactive than her, when it was her own house purchase?

Shi Man could not agree with such an excuse born from laziness. She pulled Wang Qiqi toward the door. “I think you’re impossibly lazy. If you aren’t proactive, how will your fate come knocking?”

“Hmph, if I stay home, my fate will come knocking at the door right here.” Wang Qiqi snorted a few times, certain that what she said wasn't wrong. “Didn’t Han Tao come knocking on your door first?”

Shi Man was speechless, looking at Wang Qiqi with a pitiful expression.

Wang Qiqi pouted. “Are you troubled by something? Why are you so eager about buying a house this time? Don’t tell me you want to wrap things up quickly so you can get back to preparing dinner…”

She wasn't buying the idea that Shi Man was so enthusiastic about something that didn't directly concern her. Wang Qiqi didn't believe Shi Man would be this driven unless she had some hidden agenda. Although everyone had previously spoken about buying property in Beijing, Qiqi knew Shi Man’s financial limits. She had so little money—if it wasn't pulled from the stock market, it was from the profits earned after dividing the money from that trip to France, which had also been invested in stocks. So, there was definitely something fishy going on.

(To be continued)