Wang Qiqi rushed straight to the bathroom upon returning home and took a long shower. What Wang Qiqi appreciated most about being in Jingcheng was the provision of central heating in winter; even showering didn't carry the risk of freezing. Back in her southern hometown, even with the air conditioner running, Wang Qiqi still felt cold, and the public bathhouses were miserably crowded. Every time she bathed at home, it felt like a hurried, combat shower.

After her bath, Wang Qiqi went straight to bed. As for her hair, she was too exhausted to even bother with the hairdryer; truly, she had no energy left.

Zhulina was just about to bring the hairdryer into the room for Wang Qiqi when she noticed the girl was already tucked under the covers. "Qiqi, Qiqi, I'm bringing the hairdryer in." Zhulina assumed Wang Qiqi had heard her approach and deliberately climbed under the blanket, but after calling out a few times, she received no response.

Had she fallen asleep? Zhulina climbed onto the raised floor platform and slowly crept toward Wang Qiqi's bedside. She discovered Qiqi was already snoring. How long had it been since she came in? Yet, she was already snoring. Having shared a room with Wang Qiqi for almost two years, Zhulina knew that Qiqi must have been utterly drained today, or else she wouldn't be snoring like that.

Zhulina was about to leave quietly so Wang Qiqi could get some proper rest—she knew Qiqi must have worked until the early hours yesterday just to complete the day's order before departure. And Shi Man must have dragged the two of them around the shopping mall today. If even the men felt lethargic after such an outing, let alone Wang Qiqi. But then Zhulina looked at Qiqi’s hair, still damp with beads of water. Although the hair would dry by morning, the cold air could seep into her brain, leading to headaches in old age.

Helpless, Zhulina gently placed Wang Qiqi’s head onto her own lap and started blowing her hair dry. Despite the commotion and the sound of the hairdryer, Wang Qiqi didn't stir; she slept like a log. Zhulina meticulously dried Wang Qiqi’s hair.

When Shi Man returned home, she immediately retreated to her own room, lost in thought. When she finally emerged, she noticed Qiqi’s door was ajar. She thought, Didn't this girl say she was exhausted and going to sleep? Why is the light still on? She walked over and saw Zhulina carefully blow-drying Wang Qiqi’s hair, with Qiqi already asleep, snoring heavily. The noisy hairdryer hadn't woken her at all.

Watching Zhulina so earnestly drying Jiang Qiqi's hair, Shi Man grew angry. We are friends too. How did Zhulina treat me at the restaurant today? And now look at her attitude toward Qiqi. Shi Man felt utterly miserable. Her boyfriend abandoned her for his work, and Nana wasn't paying any attention to her either. Shi Man leaned against the doorway, weeping silently out of sheer frustration.

Zhulina had actually sensed Shi Man passing by the doorway the moment it happened, but she didn't speak up. She didn't want to argue with Shi Man at this moment, knowing her friend was in a terrible mood. However, she felt she couldn't just concede everything to Shi Man, letting her believe she was superior to everyone else, the way she seemed to treat Feng Xuanxiang.

After waiting for a long time without hearing Shi Man say anything, Zhulina found it strange and looked up. She expected to see an angry or jealous look, but instead, she saw Shi Man silently shedding tears. This startled Zhulina. She quickly switched off the hairdryer. "Manman, what’s wrong? Did you have a fight with your guy?" Then she paused, realizing that didn't make sense, as she hadn't heard Shi Man speaking.

Zhulina looked again at Shi Man’s gaze and realized she was staring intently at her thigh. Ah, I get it. The girl is jealous. She quickly explained, "Qiqi is genuinely exhausted. I’ve never seen Qiqi sleep before her hair is at least eighty percent dry." Among the three of them, Qiqi was probably the most health-conscious, yet today she did something so detrimental to her health—it was very strange. "Yesterday, when I got up to use the restroom around 3 AM, I heard Qiqi coming out to pour herself some coffee." Shi Man was stunned by Zhulina’s words. Among the three, Qiqi had low standards for coffee; she always said one cup was enough, claiming too much coffee was bad for health. So, even if she loved the smell of coffee, she only had one cup, usually opting for tea, arguing that tea also helped with alertness. But the fact that Qiqi was drinking coffee in the middle of the night meant she must have been rushing work. "Qiqi, she..." Shi Man knew that for Qiqi, sleep was paramount; she almost never stayed up past midnight. It was obvious she stayed up late yesterday just so they could go out today. This realization left Shi Man unsure of what to say.

"I only saw she was sleeping like this when I went in to bring her the hairdryer. If you had seen her, I’m sure you would have helped dry her hair too," Zhulina said quietly, knowing Shi Man just needed a moment to process things.

Shi Man hummed in agreement; if she had seen Qiqi like that, she would have helped dry her hair too. "Qiqi must have been really tired today. I noticed she didn’t say much during the meal." Han Tao even had to pick up food for her, and she kept yawning, yet she never mentioned pulling an all-nighter to meet the deadline. "If I had known she was working that late, I really wouldn't have dragged her out today."

Zhulina watched Shi Man turn to leave. She thought that whether for today’s events or for Feng Xuanxiang’s issue, she needed to give herself an opportunity to talk with Manman. Although Qiqi wasn't present tonight, she was here in spirit. "Manman, let’s talk, okay?"

Talk? Shi Man found it odd; what was there to discuss? But she obediently sat down, waiting to hear Zhulina’s profound insights. Seeing Shi Man sitting so rigidly, Zhulina chuckled first. "Relax a bit. I just felt like it’s been ages since we chatted, and I have nothing to do right now, so let’s just talk."

How long Zhulina and Shi Man talked that evening, Wang Qiqi didn't know. What she did know was that she slept very uncomfortably, almost as if someone was sitting on her chest, yet she couldn't force her eyes open because she was utterly spent.

After a sharp alarm clock sound broke the quiet room, Wang Qiqi tried hard to open her eyes, preparing to get up, only to discover a large leg pressed across her body. Seeing this scene, Wang Qiqi would have been a fool not to understand what happened. She reluctantly shifted the heavy leg slightly, then slowly wiggled her body, inching her way out of the covers.

Wang Qiqi was initially confused as to why these two were cuddled up in her room until she spotted a hairdryer right next to her pillow. Could Nana and the others have dried my hair for me last night? With this realization, Wang Qiqi decided not to press them on why they ended up in her room.

After showering last night, Wang Qiqi regretted it. Why did she even wash her hair when she was so tired? She should have at least dried it until it was seventy percent done before sleeping. She had intended to tidy up her things after entering the room and then blow-dry her hair, but once she saw that inviting, cozy bed, Wang Qiqi couldn't resist. She planned to rest for just half an hour and then get up to dry her hair. The idea was good, but once a very tired person settles into a warm bed, getting back up becomes an impossible task. Thus, she slept until dawn.

In the bathroom, Wang Qiqi examined her hair from every angle—it was remarkably smooth. She had initially thought about dampening it with water this morning before blow-drying, but now that step was eliminated. Wang Qiqi thought, Since my future boss dried my hair for me last night, I should show some appreciation.

With that thought, Wang Qiqi steamed some red date porridge. Although eating sweet porridge in the morning could sometimes upset the stomach, she made it because Nana liked it. While the porridge simmered, Wang Qiqi fried eggs. The three of them had different preferences for fried eggs; Zhulina’s was particularly simple—the yolk absolutely had to be runny, which required considerable skill. Wang Qiqi rarely made them this way, usually opting for hard-boiled eggs or tea eggs. She rarely ate hard-boiled eggs herself, finding the dry yolk suffocating.

Once everything was ready, Wang Qiqi went to wake up Zhulina and Shi Man. Their reaction was immediate: "Qiqi, we don't have class this morning, let us sleep a little longer." Shi Man mumbled, burying herself deeper into the covers, eyes still closed. Shi Man had no idea how long she and Zhulina talked yesterday. Anyway, as they talked, Shi Man fetched blankets from her room, laying one on the floor as a mat. Since the heating was on, it wasn't cold, and what started as a short talk turned into a late-night deep conversation. Shi Man learned a great deal and aired out many grievances. As for the worries Shi Man had, they didn't matter much last night, but saying some things out loud made her feel much better. Shi Man hadn't meant to exclude Wang Qiqi, but she noticed that Wang Qiqi and Han Tao rarely went on dates; they often just stayed home doing their own things. If she hadn't known they were deeply in love, Shi Man might have thought they had broken up. She dated like that herself, so how could she ask Wang Qiqi for dating advice? As for Zhulina, she was even less conventional; it was all business, all the time. Yet, surprisingly, the one who wasn't dating offered surprisingly clear analyses of the situation.

Zhulina was even more committed; at the first sound of Wang Qiqi's voice, she burrowed deeper into her covers. Wang Qiqi looked at the two of them utterly unconcerned and could only say helplessly, "I made fried eggs. Don't eat them cold; they won't taste good when they cool down. I won't be responsible if they get ruined."

With that said, Wang Qiqi turned and left the room. A moment later, she heard footsteps. The other two didn't even bother brushing their teeth or washing their faces, rushing down like hungry ghosts to devour the breakfast. Only after Wang Qiqi placed her own bowl and chopsticks in the kitchen did she hear Zhulina let out a satisfied burp. "Qiqi, aren't you supposed to go to class? You should go. Manman will wash the dishes," Zhulina said.

Zhulina didn't care about Shi Man’s darkening expression; she swayed her body back toward Wang Qiqi's room to sleep more. Wang Qiqi picked up her schoolbag. "Manman, don't forget to wash the dishes, okay?"

Shi Man heard the door close and had no choice but to agree. There was no other option; since one person cooked, the other had to wash the dishes. Shi Man usually did most of the washing; she was accustomed to it. But Shi Man couldn't help but feel a pang of unfairness—why was Nana always living such a comfortable and pampered life?