Shi Man rushed back into the apartment, bursting with excitement as she addressed Wang Qiqi, who was cozied up on the sofa reading. "Qiqi, Qiqi, you will not believe this. Major news! Major news!" Shi Man had just been lamenting how dull life had been lately, with no good drama to watch, but now, it seemed, entertainment was served, and it was front-row, blockbuster material.

Wang Qiqi looked up from her book, fixing her gaze on the hyper individual standing by the entryway. "Did you nail that translator interview, or did your man finally get an acceptance letter from some American university, or perhaps you’ve acquired a new admirer?"

Shi Man might have maintained a cool exterior at school, but she couldn't shake off her legion of suitors. Some pursued her as a roundabout way to get close to Juliana, and others found Shi Man’s beauty paired with her icy demeanor intensely challenging. Furthermore, due to Feng Xuanxiang’s work schedule, he rarely visited the campus even long after they confirmed their relationship; so, despite Shi Man mentioning she had a boyfriend, many simply didn't take it seriously, convinced they still had a chance. Among the trio of friends, Shi Man’s romantic luck was indeed good, while Wang Qiqi's was the worst. Firstly, Han Tao occasionally showed up to pick up Wang Qiqi, or they were seen together on dates. Secondly, Qiqi was the only one of the three whose parents had passed away, and coupled with the descriptions some malicious busybodies spread about her, Wang Qiqi had earned a reputation as an orphan with a poor temper and no substantial family background. Naturally, her pursuers were far fewer.

Shi Man waved a finger dismissively at Wang Qiqi’s playful jab. "Good news that has nothing to do with me. You won't believe it, Qiqi, but a certain couple caused a massive uproar right on campus today—they fought for eight hundred rounds!" Though Shi Man arrived when the argument was winding down, or perhaps when both parties were too exhausted to continue, she admitted that missing the most explosive part was a shame. However, witnessing their final, pitiful state was satisfying enough. Moreover, many bystanders had gathered from the very beginning, and Shi Man had diligently inquired of them about the cause and the entire progression of the event.

A certain couple? An uproar on campus? "Don't tell me it was Gong Yiying and Deng Zhi." Wang Qiqi inwardly hoped Shi Man wasn't referring to that pair of trashy lovers. Still, it had to be, for it to be such huge news for Shi Man. Ever since learning that Gong Yiying had someone else on the side, Shi Man had been eagerly anticipating the moment they would inevitably fall out. "The scene must have been sensational, right? Plenty of onlookers? Did they block the entire street?"

Shi Man had been ready to boast about the magnificent chaos she witnessed, but Wang Qiqi’s knowing tone threw her off. "Were you there?" Impossible. Shi Man wondered when the typically curious Wang Qiqi would ever leave before a spectacle concluded. She knew that if Wang Qiqi was genuinely interested in something, she would stick around until the bitter end. Seeing Wang Qiqi settled comfortably on the sofa, Shi Man figured she must have returned quite a while ago, as she hadn't spotted her in the dispersing crowd.

"I passed by the scene," Wang Qiqi replied, turning a page in her book. "Oh, and I heard one of the girls had a surprisingly high combat rating—scared everyone stiff. Is the guy really that useless?"

Hearing this, Shi Man confirmed Wang Qiqi must have walked past the area after leaving the library and encountered someone familiar who had stayed to watch the entire drama unfold. "Your roommate?"

"Bai Ge. But she bolted the moment she saw Gong Yiying's fighting power."

Bai Ge. Shi Man nodded, then launched into the scene she had witnessed. "You wouldn't believe it; that foreigner just stood there like an idiot, watching Gong Yiying and Deng Zhi beat each other up. Damn it, if I were Gong Yiying, I’d have taught that foreigner a lesson. If it weren't for him, how could things have escalated like this?" Shi Man was genuinely angry. While Gong Yiying was wrong for cheating first, seeing her physically brawl with Deng Zhi while the catalyst stood idly by, Shi Man felt Gong Yiying had been treated unfairly. Did a man like that deserve her devotion?

Wang Qiqi had initially wondered if the foreigner had secretly assisted Gong Yiying to secure her advantage, but hearing he acted like a stranger was shocking. "No way." A man like that sounded like the type who’d forget you the moment he got what he wanted. She truly wondered if Gong Yiying’s massive investment in him would ever pay off. "But Gong Yiying is aiming to go abroad, right? For that goal, I suspect she’ll swallow her pride." Gong Yiying was known for being ruthless to others, but even more so to herself. No matter how dissatisfied she was with the foreigner now, she wouldn't risk a fight before achieving her objective. What she would secretly tally up from today, however, only she knew.

Shi Man conceded the point; why waste sympathy on such a person? "But she was pretty formidable, completely dominating Deng Zhi. Yet, didn't we always hear that Deng Zhi kept her tightly leashed, and she always ended up losing out when confronting him?" Anyone who witnessed today’s fight, knowing how Deng Zhi and Gong Yiying usually interacted, would be deeply confused about their real dynamic. How could such a fiercely strong girl be so subdued by Deng Zhi? "You have no idea; their clothes were practically reduced to rags. Thank goodness it's springtime, otherwise..."

Springtime? Wang Qiqi glanced at her light cotton jacket. Sure, it was springtime in the South, but up North, it was still cold enough to require winter wear. Shi Man’s ability to bend the truth had clearly improved. "Rags? Did any bits that shouldn't have been seen get exposed?" If that happened, the incident would truly become legendary.

Heavens! Shi Man hadn't expected Wang Qiqi to go for such explosive speculation. Her hand trembled as she pointed at Wang Qiqi. "Oh my god, is this the honest and simple Qiqi I know? Are you hoping they flashed something they shouldn't have? Besides, even if they did, you wouldn't have seen it."

Wang Qiqi watched the agitated Shi Man, wondering if this line of inquiry wasn't considered simple enough. "I heard that Gong Yiying and Deng Zhi pooled all their finances together."

Shi Man felt utterly lost on this topic. What did it matter how they spent their money? It wasn't her expense. But Deng Zhi was truly excessive. Since he was the man, shouldn't he have benefited more from cohabitation? Shouldn't he have paid the majority, or perhaps everything? For example, when she went out with Feng Xuanxiang, he paid for everything, frequently bought her gifts, and even brought snacks and drinks to bribe Qiqi and Nana. Comparing the two, Shi Man genuinely felt Deng Zhi was lacking, no wonder someone looked elsewhere.

"Bai Ge mentioned today that Gong Yiying found a part-time job teaching Chinese to foreigners," Wang Qiqi said, realizing Shi Man still hadn't grasped the crucial point.

Shi Man heard this and finally understood Wang Qiqi's implication. She burst into loud laughter. "Now I know why Deng Zhi lacked fighting spirit! Perhaps he felt deeply ashamed that he was spending money his woman earned by selling herself, so he held back?" Too much reliance on tainted funds, perhaps.

Shi Man’s conjecture about Deng Zhi's poor performance stunned Wang Qiqi. Goodness, she thought she was sharp, but this one was clearly a talent too. "Maybe there’s some truth to that. Oh, what about the foreigner? Did Deng Zhi throw a punch at him?" Typically, the rightful boyfriend would be furious at the 'male mistress,' and even with the foreigner complication, at least a couple of solid blows should have landed. A few punches wouldn't land him in jail.

Shi Man recalled that the foreigner’s clothing remained perfectly neat. "Probably not. I didn't see anything amiss with the foreigner's attire, at least."

The two exchanged a look. It was highly possible Deng Zhi had considered whose money he was fighting over. "I wonder how this whole thing will play out," Wang Qiqi mused, though, for now, reading her book remained the priority.

Juliana, returning late from overtime at work, just chuckled upon hearing Shi Man recount the campus brawl. "Birds of a feather flock together. When both parties are this spectacularly flawed, you're bound to get a good show."

After discussing the topic for a while, the three friends returned to their respective tasks. For them, they wouldn't have spent so much time dissecting the actions of these two extreme personalities unless Wang Qiqi hadn't had a bad falling out with Gong Yiying previously, and Deng Zhi hadn't previously shown interest in pursuing Juliana. Otherwise, it was a complete waste of time. However, none of them anticipated that the situation, which originated from Gong Yiying cheating with a 'male mistress,' would eventually loop back and involve them.

The next day, Wang Qiqi stepped into the classroom with her backpack and immediately recoiled in shock. Heavens, the attendance rate must have exceeded eighty percent—a sight unseen since they entered their second year. Everyone was animatedly discussing something amongst themselves. Wang Qiqi scanned the room and noted the male and female protagonists of yesterday’s major event were absent, which was to be expected. After causing such a humiliating scene, she wouldn't show her face either.

Bai Ge waved Wang Qiqi over immediately when she saw her. "There are so many people in class today, but they're all here to gossip about what happened to those two yesterday."

Wang Qiqi hummed an acknowledgment, calmly pulling out her book. Although she pretended to be engrossed in her reading, she didn't miss a single piece of gossip swirling around her. What both she and Bai Ge found terrifying was that one of the people they had discussed yesterday—the man rumored to be spending the money earned by the woman's 'selling herself'—had actually shown up. Yet, to their relief, only one night had passed, and even more explosive theories were circulating. Wang Qiqi was speechless upon hearing the latest speculations.

"Qiqi, did you hear? This got huge. Duan Xiaomin said the department might issue disciplinary action," Bai Ge whispered, glancing around nervously. "Of course, the specifics need discussion; maybe someone can smooth things over with some PR."