As Wang Qiqi prepared to make a turn on her bicycle, she spotted someone standing inexplicably on the sidewalk. Her? Wang Qiqi thought, feeling an immediate spike of annoyance. Seeing her this early in the morning was such bad luck.

Yet, turning back now would be too conspicuous, too obvious. Besides, the person standing there might not even be waiting for her. With forced composure, Wang Qiqi pedaled onward, maintaining her speed. "Qiqi, Wang Qiqi." Even though Gong Yiying had formally withdrawn from school, she was still intimately aware of the term's schedule. She knew Wang Qiqi was the type who never skipped class—no matter how dull the subject, Qiqi would be there, playing the part of the model student perfectly. Any professor asked which students they remembered would invariably name Wang Qiqi.

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected the call to be for her. She desperately wished she could pretend not to hear, but given Gong Yiying's determined posture, she slowly eased her speed. "What is it?" Could this be about the dinner I missed last time?

"About the last invitation, you weren't available. I want to treat you again, just the two of us, so we can talk." Gong Yiying was internally panicking. Don't let the talk about going abroad fool you; that plan had hit a major snag. Apparently, the necessary documentation was incomplete. How could this not throw Gong Yiying into turmoil? Her decision to withdraw was already fueled by intense pressure from the school and promises made by him. Now, he claimed the visa process was beyond his control, and she had no idea what preparations were required for leaving the country. After much thought, she concluded the only person who might genuinely help, besides Wang Qiqi's man, Han Tao, was Wang Qiqi herself.

Talk? Wang Qiqi found the suggestion laughable. "What is there for us to talk about? More importantly, when you were inciting your ex-boyfriend to harass Zhu Lina, why didn't you come to us for an explanation? Don't tell me you're here to apologize now? Sorry, I don't think that's necessary." Wang Qiqi genuinely didn't know what Gong Yiying wanted to discuss, but she certainly didn't want to sit down for it. "What happened in the past is over; you don't need to dwell on it. Besides, you're about to leave the country; we won't have many opportunities to meet again, so there's no point..." With that, Wang Qiqi prepared to leave. Her head was throbbing, and she longed to get to class to rest a bit. She simply didn't have the energy for this psychological sparring with Gong Yiying; it was too draining.

"If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine. I'll wait for you at the classroom door." Although Gong Yiying desperately wanted to storm off in a huff, she knew she had to endure this. Her future, her hope, rested on Han Tao. She had to swallow this pride for now. Once she was abroad and found a better backer, she wouldn't believe revenge would be out of reach.

Wait for me at the classroom door? Wang Qiqi felt a surge of internal amusement. Did Gong Yiying take her for a child? Did this look like the defeated kid in a playground argument telling the victor, You wait, I'm telling the teacher!? "As long as you don't mind making a fool of yourself, you wait all you want." Hmph. She watched the curious glances surrounding them, wondering how the reputation-obsessed Gong Yiying would handle it. "Also, I never got to congratulate you properly. Congratulations on going abroad, or perhaps, immigrating soon."

Perhaps there was a flicker of sincerity when Wang Qiqi said this, but for Gong Yiying, whose departure was stalled, these words sounded like the ultimate sarcasm. Going abroad? She was struggling just with the visa application now. Gong Yiying watched Wang Qiqi's retreating figure grow smaller, her expression shifting constantly. But Qiqi had hit on one truth: she truly lacked the nerve to stand waiting by the classroom door. Even though she recognized everyone inside, their gazes were something Gong Yiying couldn't face. Quite a few people in the class secretly disapproved of her actions. After thinking it over, Gong Yiying was too unwilling to leave empty-handed. Finally, she resolved to wait for Wang Qiqi downstairs at the base of the academic building.

Though Wang Qiqi had sounded resolute, she was quite anxious inside. What if she actually followed me? Throughout the entire lecture, Wang Qiqi kept glancing nervously toward the classroom exit. Zhang Yan found this behavior bizarre. She scanned outside several times, confirming nobody was there. "What's wrong? You look frantic, like something's bothering you."

Wang Qiqi quietly recounted the encounter with Gong Yiying. Luckily, it was an easy class, and Bai Ge and the others hadn't shown up. "I really don't get it. Why would she come looking for me? Is she trying to show off?" If she wanted to flaunt something, she picked the wrong audience. Besides, it was just going abroad; was that something worth bragging about?

"Maybe she ran into problems with leaving the country and wanted to ask you about the things your man handles for international travel." Zhang Yan puzzled over Gong Yiying’s insistence on finding Wang Qiqi. When Gong Yiying treated the dorm mates to dinner last time, Zhang Yan hadn't gone, and afterward, Gong Yiying hadn't sought her out either. But she was fixated on Wang Qiqi, which clearly meant Wang Qiqi possessed something she desired.

Problems with leaving the country? Wang Qiqi sank into thought. That possibility wasn't entirely out of the question. Someone had seemed a bit haggard when she ran into him casually before the May Day holiday—previously, he had been quite dazzling. But this time... Still, if she had immigration issues, what good was it to find her? She wasn't the embassy, nor did she manage the required paperwork. Wait... perhaps that foreigner was unwilling to prepare the documents for Gong Yiying, and now, with so many visa agencies unavailable, Gong Yiying couldn't even find someone to handle it for money, or perhaps she didn't know what paperwork was needed at all.

If that were the case, Wang Qiqi wondered if she should help or not—a truly difficult position. From the perspective of enjoying good drama, telling her exactly what documents were needed would be better. Moreover, even if she provided all the information, it didn't guarantee a successful visa application.

After fully mapping out all these scenarios, Wang Qiqi stopped staring outside for the rest of the class period and focused intently on the professor. To the instructor and her classmates, Wang Qiqi appeared to be deeply engaged. But Zhang Yan, sitting beside her, noticed that Qiqi looked utterly exhausted today. Although she held her pen and made rhythmic movements, a close look at her notes revealed hardly any actual writing. "Qiqi, you seem tired?"

Wang Qiqi had merely dozed off for a moment. She wouldn't dare actually sleep; that was not something a top student like her could do. She had worked hard to cultivate a good image with the professors. Falling asleep in front of the instructor would ruin that. Not to mention, this particular professor, despite teaching boring material in a dull manner, had a terrible temper. If he decided to dock her coursework grade now, even stellar final exam scores wouldn't secure her the scholarship. "My sister visited yesterday and spent half the day here. When I got home, I was translating manuscripts until deep into the night. I only slept about three hours." Calculating strictly, Wang Qiqi suspected it was less than three hours—she only managed to sleep soundly once Song Yao got up and stopped pressuring her.

Zhang Yan murmured, "Let me take notes." Normally, for this class, Zhang Yan put in minimal effort, relying on Wang Qiqi's diligence. Since Qiqi was clearly struggling, Zhang Yan felt obligated to step up.

Wang Qiqi covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. "My dear friend, you are too kind. Thank you." If they hadn't been in class, Wang Qiqi would have happily kissed Zhang Yan to express her current gratitude. "We are the reliable ones. Look at Duan Xiaomin, a student union executive, and she hasn't even shown up." Being a student union cadre, yet skipping class—it was no wonder attendance was dwindling. It wasn't for lack of professors linking attendance to final grades, but the rule was impossible to enforce because so many students skipped, and the cost of supplementary classes wasn't prohibitively expensive for many.

When the class bell finally rang, Wang Qiqi collapsed onto her desk. "My friend, lend me your notes. I'll give you mine tomorrow." With a half-hour gap before the next lecture, Wang Qiqi was determined to catch up on sleep. Slacking off in the last class was manageable since it wasn't crucial, but the next class was a foundational course for their major; she needed to be fully attentive.

"Want me to buy you something to perk up?" Zhang Yan watched Wang Qiqi’s slumped posture, concerned she wouldn't be alert enough for the next session. The next professor particularly liked Wang Qiqi and often called on her to answer questions, leaving no room for daydreaming. "Coffee?"

Coffee? The thought of drinking instant coffee made Wang Qiqi shudder. The boost would be minimal, but the taste was utterly unbearable. "No thanks, I'll just nap for a bit." The instant coffee the school provided was truly awful. She worried that drinking that swill would make her sleepier rather than more alert.

Seeing Wang Qiqi refuse, Zhang Yan remembered that Qiqi only drank freshly ground coffee; the difference was monumental. She quietly settled back into her seat to read.

When Bai Ge and the others arrived, they found Wang Qiqi slumped over her desk. Bai Ge gently nudged her. "Qiqi, what's wrong? Did you and Han Tao do something R-rated yesterday?"

"I pulled an all-nighter translating manuscripts yesterday." Zhang Yan cut off Bai Ge's line of questioning. "And she ran into Gong Yiying; she's not in a good mood."

Gong Yiying? Bai Ge looked at Zhang Yan in surprise. "No way! She really came looking for Wang Qiqi? No wonder I saw her waiting by the teaching building when we walked over." Bai Ge and the others had been quite surprised. Hadn't she withdrawn? Why was she still hovering around the building, looking like she was waiting for someone? And why would she be looking for Wang Qiqi? To apologize? Impossible; that wasn't in her nature. To show off? That also seemed unlikely; if so, she’d at least be meticulously groomed. But her appearance today was nowhere near the level she put on for the farewell dinner. "She was looking for Qiqi..."

"She didn't say exactly why, just that she wanted to talk things over with Qiqi." Zhang Yan figured if Wang Qiqi knew the reason, she wouldn't be so distracted. "But it certainly isn't good news. That woman never thinks of Qiqi when good things happen."

"Absolutely not," Bai Ge confirmed emphatically.