Wang Qiqi and her group hadn't paid attention to their surroundings when they left the airport, and Shi Man's group, who were there to meet them, didn't bother looking around either. After picking them up, they hurried away from the airport, but their movements were noticed by Han Meina.

The day Wang Qiqi and the others returned from France happened to be the day Han Meina’s parents were leaving on a business trip. Since Zhang Han had already met Han Meina’s parents, he accompanied her to send them off at the airport. Their parking spot wasn't too far from where Juliana and her group parked their car, especially since the voices of their group weren't exactly quiet, allowing Han Meina to overhear them.

Zhang Han pushed the luggage cart, trailing behind Han Meina’s parents, listening to their endless chatter, or perhaps, their earnest reminders. When he turned back, he found Han Meina lingering behind. "Meina, Meina." Zhang Han found it strange; why was his girlfriend standing stock-still, turning her head around as if searching for someone or something? What was wrong with her?

Han Meina had initially wanted to confirm if it was Wang Qiqi. She wasn't one hundred percent certain it was her. After all, this was an airport. If it were a train station, seeing Wang Qiqi would be normal. But the issue here was the airport, and they appeared to have flown in. At that moment, she suddenly recalled that Wang Qiqi had taken a flight when she requested leave to go home. However, Han Meina couldn't shake the feeling that Wang Qiqi didn't look like she was returning from her hometown. She had so many bags and parcels. If she were coming back from home, there would only be a few suitcases at most. But there were very few suitcases, and several items looked like they were wrapped in cardboard.

Seeing his girlfriend catch up, looking puzzled, Zhang Han asked, "What's wrong?"

Han Meina paused, then recounted what she had just encountered. Zhang Han was surprised that his girlfriend was considering this possibility. "Is it really Wang Qiqi?" No way. Deng Zhi had said their circumstances were ordinary, and that Wang Qiqi taking a flight home was just showing off. "Why don't we check the flight information later?"

Han Meina hummed in agreement. Han Meina’s parents, overhearing their conversation nearby, found it rather odd. "Is it really such a big deal that a classmate is back by plane? If a family has good financial standing, they can certainly let their child fly back and forth."

After Han Meina explained Wang Qiqi's family situation, her parents didn't give it much thought. "Maybe their parents left them a good amount of money before they left. Besides, didn't you say she works as a translator? A good translator can earn quite well." While their own daughter was quite mature now, compared to her classmate, she still fell short in many ways.

Han Meina stared at her parents, who were comparing her to Wang Qiqi, and felt utterly speechless. Ever since she had once told them how Wang Qiqi earned her living and tuition by translating, and how her boyfriend tutored to cover his expenses, they had constantly pointed out her own shortcomings. Great, she thought, I just delivered them more ammunition to criticize me today.

Zhang Han watched his future father-in-law drone on with his lecture, so he could only keep his head down, pushing the luggage toward the gate. Of course, as they passed the service desk, he took the opportunity to inquire about recently arrived flights. Meanwhile, Han Meina stood by, enduring her parents' lecture. Frankly, Han Meina felt a spike of envy toward Wang Qiqi. Even if she tried to sabotage her at school, it would be useless. Wang Qiqi never missed classes, her exam results were always excellent, and the teachers held her in absolutely high regard. At most, Han Meina could only spread negative rumors about her in class, but the thing was, Wang Qiqi never paid attention to what her classmates or schoolmates thought of her; she seemed entirely isolated, never caring about her popularity among her peers.

Sometimes Han Meina truly envied Wang Qiqi for being so free-spirited. Han Meina was different; to get into the department student union or even the university student council, she had to maintain good relationships with many people. Oh, and another thing: every time final exams approached, Wang Qiqi's notes became highly sought-after commodities. Her notes were always perfectly comprehensive. Regardless of what people thought of her, they had to be friendly with Wang Qiqi just so she might share her notes, which would highlight the key areas before exams. Whether the professor highlighted them or not, Wang Qiqi’s scope of prediction covered about ninety percent of what appeared on the test. Everyone said Wang Qiqi truly had the best relationship with the professors—how else could she know the scope of their questions?

Han Meina felt that if Wang Qiqi decided to run for class representative, she would certainly win, and perhaps even getting into the department student union wouldn't be difficult. But the problem was, she remained as solitary as ever, perhaps only close with Jiang Xin and her dorm mates. This left Han Meina truly unable to decipher what was going on in her mind. Did she think about nothing besides earning money? Didn't she know that joining the student union exposed one to a lot of information and was a great way to gain experience? Han Meina didn't believe Wang Qiqi was ignorant of these benefits; perhaps she simply felt these empty honors weren't worth her time. Perhaps she had her own plans.

Seeing their daughter exhibiting a flash of self-worth, Han Meina's parents stopped lecturing. If they continued, they worried she might explode right there in the airport, especially as Zhang Han walked back with that strange expression.

"Meina, your suspicion is probably correct. Wang Qiqi and the others likely didn't come from her hometown." Zhang Han knew where Wang Qiqi’s hometown was, but after checking, he confirmed that no flights had arrived from that region in the last two hours. There had to be something amiss. Zhang Han listed the flights that had landed in the previous two hours. "Could they have been traveling for leisure?"

Hearing the departure location of one flight, Han Meina asked, "Could they have gone to France?" She seemed to recall them mentioning something about shopping. If they were traveling domestically, why would they need a plane?

France? That single word stunned the three of them. Zhang Han quickly declared it impossible. "Going to France isn't that easy. Do they have visas?" If travel abroad were so simple, wouldn't there be far more people leaving the country? This wasn't just about money.

"Exactly, travel abroad isn't that straightforward," Han Meina’s parents agreed, patting her shoulder to remind her to take care of herself before proceeding toward the gate.

After seeing her parents off, Han Meina linked her arm with Zhang Han’s and slowly left the main hall. "But I still have a strong feeling Wang Qiqi went to France. Maybe I should test her?" Han Meina thought they hadn't noticed her. If she suddenly popped up and asked if they went to France, Wang Qiqi would instantly give the most realistic answer.

Zhang Han truly couldn't grasp why his girlfriend was so fixated on something he believed was impossible. "Suit yourself, but I think you’re overthinking this."

Whether she was overthinking or not, Han Meina felt she needed to ask to know the result. She trusted her intuition a great deal.

Wang Qiqi, having enjoyed a beautiful sleep, returned to school with her backpack. First, she went to see her professor to report her return, naturally asking if any homework had been assigned during her two-day absence. As for notes, Wang Qiqi figured she could just review the books herself. Few students in the class took good notes; otherwise, her notes wouldn't be so popular and in such high demand every final exam period.

The professors for each subject warmly greeted Wang Qiqi upon her return, inquiring about the material covered and the assignments given. This was far better than the students who, despite attending class, clearly had their minds elsewhere.

Under the enthusiastic guidance of the various professors, Wang Qiqi thanked them one by one and left, having gained quite a bit. Some professors even copied their lecture handouts for her. Although Wang Qiqi could see from the handouts that they were clearly from last year or the year before, a good student couldn't point that out directly to the professor. This was a mercenary age, after all; some finance professors at renowned universities were too busy making money. If the school hadn't mandated teaching, some might just use their professor title to earn elsewhere.

Wang Qiqi didn't know if her popularity had suddenly spiked or if the professors genuinely saw her as a good kid, but the treatment she received was so unexpectedly good that she entered the classroom with a silly smile plastered on her face.

Bai Ge watched Wang Qiqi sitting in her seat, still seemingly lost in thought, not having composed herself yet. Just as Bai Ge was about to nudge her awake, Han Meina, who had been waiting for Wang Qiqi’s appearance, thought this was the perfect opportunity.

Han Meina immediately jumped up, rushed to Wang Qiqi’s side, and tapped her shoulder. "Qiqi, you just got back yesterday, right? You took a plane back."

Wang Qiqi hadn't fully snapped out of her daze yet, but she hadn't expected Han Meina to ask her such a thing. She nodded, as there was no denying that Han Meina might have seen her at the airport, regardless of whether she had.

Wang Qiqi gave a simple hum, which delighted Han Meina. She thought Wang Qiqi might still be disoriented. "Qiqi, did you go to France during the break?" Han Meina asked directly, cutting to the chase.

Han Meina’s question startled those nearby. Everyone was already surprised that Wang Qiqi had flown in and out, but the possibility that she might have gone to France shocked them further. They wanted to exclaim but managed to restrain themselves, worried they wouldn't hear Wang Qiqi’s answer.

Wang Qiqi was inwardly startled as well. How did Han Meina know her itinerary? "Huh? I went to France?" Wang Qiqi forced herself to recall. She was absolutely certain Han Meina wasn't among the passengers on her flight. Even when she deplaned and saw Shi Man’s group, she had glanced at the greeters, and Han Meina hadn't been there. Perhaps Han Meina or someone who knew her had seen her while running an errand at the airport and then informed her. However, Wang Qiqi wasn't entirely sure if Han Meina was trying to trick her, so she responded with an inquiring tone. (To be continued)