With the dismissal bell ringing, Wang Qiqi shoved her books into her backpack and bolted for the door. Although her flight wasn't until after ten, they needed to be at the gate before eight, and it was already past four. “Happy New Year, everyone! Happy holidays! See you next year!” Wang Qiqi didn't stop for individual hugs or well-wishes.

Bai Ge watched Wang Qiqi sprint out of the classroom as if a pack of dogs were on her heels. “It looks like an escape.”

“She has urgent family matters and is flying back,” Duan Xiaomin said with envy. She had never flown in her life; it was too expensive.

Bai Ge was surprised to hear that Wang Qiqi was flying this time. “She’s so rich! But isn't Jian usually taking the train back?”

Feng Yanjie was equally envious. Although the four of them tutored regularly and earned a substantial income—enough to cover tuition and leave plenty for living expenses—they couldn't bring themselves to spend that much money on an airline ticket home. “Perhaps she couldn’t get a sleeper berth ticket, given it was so sudden.” Many people traveled home in hard seats because student tickets offered a discount, but sleepers didn't have that half-price advantage. However, none of the girls, including Wang Qiqi, would ever take a hard seat; they always booked sleepers. “It seems being a translator really pays off; the income is better.”

Gong Yiying watched Wang Qiqi walk out with her backpack, listening to her roommates’ envious whispers. She stood there blankly, lost in thought. In the past, she might have felt she wasn't inferior to Qiqi; after all, she had stolen Qiqi’s admirer, and Deng Zhi’s situation was much better than her own boyfriend's. But this past year, Qiqi had been doing much better than her. Furthermore, Qiqi’s boyfriend was supposedly quite famous in the Computer Science department at A University—a renowned prodigy. In contrast, Deng Zhi, despite his family's means, lacked ambition and was a flirt. She constantly kept an eye on him, yet he still found opportunities to mess around outside. Every time she confronted him, he would turn it around, asking if she only liked him because of the good things he did, and he’d bring up that foolish thing she did when she got drunk. Gong Yiying would never forget the chilling look in Deng Zhi’s eyes whenever he mentioned those incidents. It was from that moment that Gong Yiying regretted ever getting involved with Deng Zhi just to spite Wang Qiqi.

Unfortunately, regretting it now was as useless as planting bamboo in winter. First, she had genuinely fallen for Deng Zhi. Second, she had spent a significant amount of his money. He said they could break up, but she had to repay half of what he spent on her. He even produced a ledger detailing precisely when and where he bought her items and how much they cost, complete with receipts or invoices. Only then did Gong Yiying realize why Deng Zhi always insisted on keeping receipts or invoices—it was so he’d have proof if there were any issues later. At the time, Gong Yiying thought Deng Zhi was quite capable, but now she understood: he was just preparing an easy way to tally up debts. Gong Yiying wasn’t without funds, but her living allowance wasn't large, and on top of that, she had bought things for Deng Zhi. How much could she have? What was most infuriating was that Deng Zhi flatly denied ownership of any gifts he gave unless there was a receipt. Gong Yiying seethed at the thought, but now she had decided to let things go entirely. She saved her own money and stopped buying things for Deng Zhi, making him pay for everything instead. What was a little more debt when she already owed so much?

Han Meina watched Gong Yiying’s envious expression and inwardly thought that she brought this upon herself; who could she blame? However, Gong Yiying’s standing in Han Meina’s heart was rapidly deteriorating. Lately, Gong Yiying kept approaching Han Meina’s boyfriend, Zhang Han, complaining about how poorly things were going with her and Deng Zhi, and she always sought him out when Han Meina wasn't around. How could Han Meina tolerate that? Not to mention Gong Yiying’s past interest in Deng Zhi. Now that her relationship with Deng Zhi was rocky, Han Meina suspected she was feigning weakness to find an opportunity to snatch Zhang Han away.

Han Meina felt it was necessary to discuss how couples should interact with Deng Zhi. They couldn’t let their friends constantly worry about their relationship issues. The thought that Gong Yiying would soon be too busy to bother her boyfriend brought Han Meina a secret sense of satisfaction.

Wang Qiqi was unaware of the undercurrents swirling after her departure. When she rushed home, she found Han Tao had already heated up some food. “Qiqi, you’re back. Do you want to eat first or shower?” Han Tao was immune to Qiqi’s obsession with bathing. Even when traveling by train, Qiqi insisted on showering before leaving and then immediately showering again upon arriving home, claiming she felt dirty otherwise.

“Shower first,” Wang Qiqi declared, tossing her backpack to the floor. She knew Han Tao would take care of putting it away. Passing the kitchen, Wang Qiqi instinctively glanced at the dinner menu. She saw dumplings and made a face of distaste. Everyone had been so busy lately that Zhu Lina had stocked up on a lot of frozen dumplings. Though there were many varieties, the problem was that dumplings served for breakfast, dinner, late-night snacks, and sometimes even lunch had made Wang Qiqi, who was never very fond of them to begin with, utterly nauseated by the sight. “I can’t believe my last meal in China this year has to be my most hated food, dumplings.”

Han Tao watched Wang Qiqi charge in like a bandit, throwing her bag down. What else could he do but shake his head and help clean up? Before he could even put the dumplings in Qiqi’s room, he heard her complaints. At that moment, Han Tao finally understood why, when Shi Man asked what he was making for dinner, he had answered, “Dumplings,” and why Shi Man and Zhu Lina had both looked like they had constipation. Han Tao felt wronged. He knew everyone was busy and supplies might be low at home, but he hadn't expected the fridge to be full of nothing but dumplings. He knew Wang Qiqi wasn't keen on them, but today she was leaving for France, and Qiqi hated feeling greasy before a flight. Considering the time crunch, he couldn't go out to buy ingredients and cook, so dumplings were the only option. He hadn't expected such a strong reaction.

Shi Man and Zhu Lina, draped over the back of the sofa, groaned in unison when they heard Wang Qiqi’s complaints. “We knew Qiqi hates dumplings.”

“Poor Qiqi, her last dinner in China this year is dumplings. Sigh. Han Tao, how are you as a boyfriend when you couldn't even take good care of our Qiqi?” Shi Man shook her head dramatically. “I seriously worry if choosing you was the right decision for Qiqi.” Zhu Lina covered her mouth, chuckling beside her. Ever since Shi Man learned the extent of her upcoming responsibility, she seemed to have become fully energized, though she hadn't actually thrown in the towel.

Han Tao shook his fist playfully at the two who were clearly enjoying kicking him while he was down. Standing by the bathroom door, however, he adopted a much gentler tone. “Qiqi, I put your change of clothes by the door. Grab them when you’re done.” The girl had been so focused on showering she hadn't even thought to bring them.

After setting the clothes down, Han Tao headed to the kitchen to whip up some egg-fried rice. He remembered there was some leftover rice and two eggs. Egg-fried rice would be better than dumplings, even if Qiqi wasn't exactly crazy about it either. Han Tao had a realization: even if women generally took better care of themselves, there were limits. When the three girls were swamped, they completely forgot about grocery shopping. He figured he’d need to check on their fridge situation more often from now on.

While Han Tao busied himself in the kitchen, Shi Man glanced at the clothes piled near the bathroom door and whispered, “Do you think if we weren't here, Han Tao would just knock, shove the clothes inside, and then...?” Shi Man started picturing some scenes inappropriate for younger audiences.

Zhu Lina watched the interaction between Wang Qiqi and Han Tao, noting the blush on Shi Man’s cheeks as she spoke. She suddenly felt a pang of loneliness. Two of the three were coupled; only she remained single. It wasn’t that she lacked suitors, but Zhu Lina never dared to accept any advances. Who knew if some were only interested in her physical attributes, like Cao Rui? Even a future husband might only be courting her because of her assets. But Zhu Lina wished someone would pursue her because they liked her, not because they were eyeing what was behind her. “I’m so envious of you two. Oh, and Manman, be careful during your trip. Make sure you pack all the necessary tools.” Zhu Lina had no desire to help clean up any messes while everyone else was busy.

“Tools? What tools?” Shi Man recalled her luggage after Zhu Lina’s reminder, failing to remember packing anything matching Nana’s description. “My period just ended; I don’t need any tools.”

Zhu Lina wasn't sure if the other woman was pretending ignorance or was genuinely confused. “I mean, don’t cause any fatalities. You two are, after all...”

Though Shi Man had been teasing Wang Qiqi and Han Tao, she blushed intensely when Zhu Lina turned the tables on her. “Nana, you have an overactive imagination.”

Pretending? Zhu Lina snorted. “I booked the room—a king-sized bed. You didn't object when I told you about it.” Besides, she had helped book the room; how could she not know the type? But those two were really something; they couldn’t even disguise it better, like choosing a room with two beds. Any fool could see the implication of booking a double bed. “Besides, Qiqi and the other person getting separate rooms for this trip would be ridiculously wasteful, right?” Zhu Lina thought. Does that girl not realize they’re abroad, not vacationing in Hainan?

Shi Man mentally cursed the person who pushed all the troublesome arrangements onto Zhu Lina just to save himself the effort. What a perfect chance to tease Qiqi was ruined by Zhu Lina’s teasing. Alas.

However, Shi Man quickly composed herself because Zhu Lina earnestly told Wang Qiqi and Han Tao to be careful and not to cause any deaths. This nearly made Han Tao, who was mid-bite of egg-fried rice, spit out his food.