Wang Qiqi opened the door and was just about to head to her room when, as she passed the sofa, she spotted a cardboard box sitting on the coffee table. At first, she intended to ignore it, rushing back to her room to grab study materials for a group discussion at school. However, the box seemed quite small, and a wave of curiosity prompted her to stop, walk over, and peek inside to see what it contained.

"This looks like… low quality…" Upon lifting the lid, Wang Qiqi found a knitted item inside that appeared conspicuously cheap. She almost dismissed it, placing the lid back on the box. After taking a few steps, her movement faltered. She paused, turned back, and sat down on the sofa edge, taking the item out again.

"It’s a sweater…" Wang Qiqi momentarily wondered if this was an early birthday gift—her birthday was only a few days away. But this particular sweater presented a dilemma. The style was uninspired, but the real issue was the atrocious knitting work. It looked so poorly made that wearing it as an outer layer was out of the question; even as an underlayer, Qiqi found it uncomfortable. Furthermore, by her estimation, the sweater was decidedly ill-fitting—too long, long enough, she exaggerated slightly, to be considered a dress, albeit a very short one.

Wait a minute… As the slightly disdainful contemplation faded, a possibility struck Wang Qiqi. She glanced again at the sweater’s color. "Could this be for Feng Xuanxiang?" Out of the three people in the room, Qiqi couldn't imagine Lina having the initiative or the specific recipient in mind to knit a gift for him. That left only Shi Man with the motive. Was this what someone had been secretly working on lately, hiding it from her?

Fuming, Wang Qiqi tossed the sweater carelessly onto the sofa, forgetting all about retrieving her books. She was genuinely angry, feeling Shi Man had been atrocious—knitting a sweater for a man and not bothering to make one for her best friend. At that moment, Wang Qiqi completely overlooked her earlier harsh critique of the craftsmanship.

Shi Man emerged from the bathroom, looking relieved after resolving a major issue, only to find Qiqi, who should have been at school discussing assignments, slouched on the sofa. She asked with confusion, "Qiqi, why are you home? Weren't you supposed to be discussing problems?" Besides, that "someone" hadn't been around for ages; this apartment had practically become her storeroom.

As Shi Man approached the sofa, she saw the open box and knew instantly that things had gone sideways. She hadn't anticipated such an inconspicuous box sparking Qiqi's curiosity, nor had she expected Qiqi to return at this precise moment. Her plan was to take the sweater to a tailor to be pressed, hoping it would look slightly better, and then mail it off. But right after boxing it up, her stomach had seized, forcing her to the restroom. This minor lapse had exposed her secret to Wang Qiqi. "Uh, um, I was just practicing my stitches…"

"Oh, really," Wang Qiqi replied, her smile not reaching her eyes as she looked at Shi Man. "Our little Man Man has certainly grown up. I recall you couldn't even manage a simple scarf. How did you suddenly become so domestically capable, capable of knitting an entire sweater?" Even the simplest scarf pattern was relatively straightforward to execute. Yet, a plain, unpatterned sweater required an enormous investment of time. What baffled Wang Qiqi was that someone who constantly claimed to be pressed for time, dedicating every spare moment to studying English vocabulary, had somehow managed to produce a whole sweater. "Lately, you’ve seemed so distracted—you weren't studying all night, were you? You were knitting!"

The thought reignited Qiqi's anger. She had been busy buying groceries and cooking nutritious food to support the others who were studying or programming, ensuring their health. To discover that one of them was engaging in such a disloyal act! Of course, Wang Qiqi wouldn't admit she was jealous. "This is outrageous, utterly outrageous…"

Watching the agitated Wang Qiqi, Shi Man’s body trembled. She knew Qiqi would be upset if she found out, but analyzing Qiqi’s expression, Shi Man concluded that the focus of the anger was slightly different from what she had anticipated.

When Wang Qiqi’s fury subsided slightly, Shi Man quickly interjected, "Qiqi, I know keeping it from you was wrong, but you have to understand my concern about Han Tao finding out I knitted a sweater for Feng Xuanxiang…" Shi Man let the rest go unsaid, confident that Wang Qiqi, being sharp, would grasp her implication.

Wang Qiqi hadn't wanted to hear any explanation. She felt that no amount of justification could mend her wounded feelings. Even though the craftsmanship was poor, this was Shi Man's first completed piece. If it were for her parents, Qiqi might have accepted it, but the thought that it was destined for Feng Xuanxiang shattered her heart. After all, she and Man Man shared years of friendship—they hadn't spent little time sharing a bed! Qiqi wasn't boasting; by current standards, she and Shi Man had shared a sleeping bag longer than Shi Man and Feng Xuanxiang had shared a bed. Why, oh why...

However, even the greatest rage subsides somewhat after a full vent. Hearing Shi Man's explanation caused the heat of her anger to abruptly die down. Wang Qiqi secretly regretted her outburst. It was a good thing she hadn't escalated things; she had actually planned to announce Shi Man’s "favoring a man over a friend" at dinner. Now, Qiqi was relieved she had listened to the explanation first. "Man Man, oh Man Man, why must you be so domestic? You’re just putting pressure on me."

Wang Qiqi considered herself capable when it came to cooking, housekeeping, or earning money, but knitting a heartfelt sweater? She felt that was beyond her capabilities. It was too much of a delicate craft. When her mother was alive, she had tried to teach Qiqi to knit a scarf, but eventually gave up on tutoring the clumsy girl. How could someone who couldn't manage a cast-on stitch after two years skip straight to knitting a scarf? For her part, after a year of effort, Wang Qiqi hadn't shown a speck of progress. It was no wonder her mother lost the patience to teach, and Qiqi herself lost the patience to learn, especially with a knitting prodigy nearby. "Wang Rui knits much better than you, at least."

Mentioning this brought Qiqi’s mood down again. She remembered how often she used to quarrel with her mother because her mother frequently praised Wang Rui for being capable and smart. If she could bring her mother back, Wang Qiqi thought, she would willingly give Wang Rui half of their family assets and endure her bullying, just for her mother's return. But alas…

Shi Man had been about to question why Wang Rui had suddenly entered the conversation—she never had a kind word for her. However, Shi Man inwardly had to thank Wang Rui; if it hadn't been for her stealing Gao Kai away, Wang Qiqi wouldn't have left that person’s side and subsequently met Han Tao. "Forget it. I’ll go press the sweater and mail it."

Shi Man picked up the box and headed for the door. Just as she reached the threshold, she turned back to Wang Qiqi. "Qiqi, you're not going to tell anyone about this, are you?"

Wang Qiqi didn't turn around, waving a hand toward Shi Man’s back. "I won't say a word." If she spoke of it, what would her own man think? Even if he claimed not to regret anything, deep down, he might feel wistful. Who doesn't love a capable woman? But Qiqi could only console herself that it was better than some man receiving a love-gift sweater from his girlfriend, caught in the awkward position of either wearing it or being embarrassed not to. Thinking this made Wang Qiqi feel much better. "Be careful on your way. But honestly, why didn't you have Fatty take it when he went to the States?" That would have saved postage and been faster.

Shi Man hadn't expected Wang Qiqi to recover so quickly. As for the suggestion, Shi Man thought that depended on whether she had finished it by then. Correction: by that time, her sweater was finished, albeit to her dissatisfaction. This was Shi Man’s third completed piece. Even though she wasn't happy with it, time was short, and she couldn't keep knitting and unraveling the yarn indefinitely. Shi Man felt the sweater, though new, looked worn out. As for having Fatty carry it, Shi Man had never considered it. Although Fatty was tight-lipped, he couldn't possibly hide it from Wang Qiqi and the others. If he delivered the sweater to the States, he might force Feng Xuanxiang to put it on immediately and perhaps even take commemorative photos. Shi Man dreaded her man being marked by her poor craftsmanship—and worse, someone might print extra copies of that photo and distribute them among Wang Qiqi’s group. The possibility alone was reason enough to prevent Fatty from carrying it.

"What do you think would happen if we had Fatty take it?" Shi Man countered, throwing the question back at Wang Qiqi.

Wang Qiqi was silent for a moment. "We’d know Feng Xuanxiang’s initial reaction, and we’d get to witness the effect of your handiwork adorning your man. Actually, your man is quite dashing; perhaps the garment would look good on him." Wang Qiqi spoke insincerely, yet the mere thought of the sweater on Feng Xuanxiang made her genuinely anticipate the sight. It would probably be hilarious, and perhaps that man would be forced into a brilliant smile.

"Hmph, hmph." Shi Man snorted a couple of times. "Stop laughing. Even though you're doing it behind my back, I know you’re secretly giggling. Don't worry; this was just inexperience. Next time, I’ll know what to do. Then we’ll see what kind of reaction your man has when he finds out my man is wearing a sweater I knitted." With that final statement, Shi Man proudly slammed the door and left.

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Shi Man to deliver a parting shot. "Good heavens, this brat has caused me so much trouble." (To be continued)