Shi Man walked into Julina’s study, a freshly squeezed glass of juice in her hand, to find the two people who had summoned her already seated and waiting. “Why on earth did you call me here in such a mysterious way?” The moment she got back, Wang Qiqi had dragged her aside, saying they needed to discuss something that evening. Shi Man hadn't taken it seriously, assuming it was just another minor issue, but to find herself in the study for a meeting—that seemed a bit high-level.

“Oh, why did you only make juice for yourself?” Wang Qiqi looked at the juice in Shi Man’s hand, then at the coffee in her own, and instantly lost all desire for it. The difference was too stark. This wasn't store-bought juice; it was freshly pressed, right here.

“I remember we have mangoes at home; get me a mango juice,” just as Shi Man was preparing to make Wang Qiqi a juice because Julina didn't seem to want any, Julina spoke up.

“I’ll have watermelon juice then,” Wang Qiqi had wanted mango juice too, but decided to let Man Man squeeze watermelon juice instead; it was easier to extract.

Shi Man looked at the two of them bossing her around, and a thought suddenly struck her. “Are you telling me the serious talk you wanted to have is just about us making juice?” If that were the case, Shi Man immediately decided she had to teach them what consequences awaited those who dared to bully her.

“There is something serious,” Wang Qiqi said, seeing Shi Man’s hesitant expression. “If you hadn't brought the juice, we would have already started discussing the real matter.”

Julina took advantage of the remaining time to lower her head and continue reading documents. Although she was a senior now with few classes, mostly just thesis writing, Julina had actually started to play around more. Not only was she handling affairs in the capital, but she was also gradually taking over business in several surrounding provinces and cities. This meant she would soon have to travel for work. While Julina knew this was her duty, sometimes looking at Wang Qiqi and Shi Man, she would wonder if this life was truly what she wanted. She was a young girl too; she wanted a boyfriend to be with her. But she also knew that once her family background was exposed at school, she could forget about having a purely genuine romance. With so many men surrounding her, Julina truly didn't know who genuinely liked her and who was after her money—though she suspected the latter were the majority.

Wang Qiqi watched Julina constantly flipping through documents, thinking how much Na Na had changed over the years, becoming more and more of a powerful career woman. She genuinely worried that Na Na would remain single like this. However, among the so-called top students and future elites orbiting Na Na, honestly, very few were drawn to Julina herself; they were completely focused on her family’s wealth. Although Wang Qiqi felt that one needed to be realistic in this society—you couldn't get by without money—the issue was that Julina’s family situation was quite unique, and they would have very high standards for a future son-in-law. Furthermore, given the nature of Na Na’s relatives, she definitely needed a strong man backing her up.

Shi Man finally managed to squeeze the required juices for Julina and Wang Qiqi and brought them into the study. She found Julina quietly studying documents, and the strangest part was that Wang Qiqi was staring intently at Julina, looking pensive, which struck Shi Man as odd. “What’s wrong?” Shi Man whispered.

Wang Qiqi shook her head. Some things were better left understood internally. Besides, Wang Qiqi wasn't sure if she was overthinking, but she somehow felt Julina harbored an emotion for Han Tao that transcended mere admiration. As for what kind of emotion it was, Wang Qiqi truly didn't want to delve deeper. She knew Han Tao was excellent; otherwise, despite his usual stoic expression at school, many girls wouldn't be throwing themselves at him, let alone Julina, who spent so much time with him. However, because Julina kept such tight control, Wang Qiqi had only caught glimpses of the looks Julina cast toward Han Tao that she couldn't retract in time, giving her a hint. She certainly wouldn't share her suspicions casually with Shi Man; that would cause a major incident.

Shi Man placed the drinks in front of them, eager. “Spit it out. What did you need me for?” She had thought hard in the kitchen but couldn't come up with any reason—be it business or personal—for them to call her in.

Wang Qiqi took a sip of her juice and exchanged glances with Julina, silently debating who should speak first. Shi Man just watched the two of them look at each other without saying a word to her. “Say something! What are you discussing? If you’re not going to talk, I’m going back to my room to study.” Although her last TOEFL score was good, Shi Man knew there was still room for improvement, and a better score would be more advantageous for applying to overseas universities.

“We just wanted to ask you about something,” Julina murmured after Shi Man prompted them, looking down at her file. Seeing Julina clearly reluctant to speak directly, Wang Qiqi stepped in to convey the two proposals they had discussed that afternoon.

After hearing the propositions, Shi Man looked at Julina with confusion, unable to grasp the meaning. “You want to dissolve the partnership? And didn't we all agree to split the profits equally?” Shi Man had occasionally wondered why, even though she contributed significantly—doing most of the procurement—she was expected to share the earnings equally with them. She’d only fleetingly considered it. She enjoyed shopping, but frankly, in the States, she felt she couldn't afford to shop freely; now that she had some financial backing, she could shop boldly. What she truly loved was that feeling of shopping, even though she’d bought so much back home, Shi Man realized she rotated through basically the same few outfits.

She never expected Wang Qiqi and Julina to harbor such thoughts. She didn't think her occasional musings could have reached them. “When you discussed this, did you ever consider my feelings?” The choices they presented made Shi Man feel deeply hurt. “I love money, but I never thought about taking a larger share.”

The atmosphere in the study instantly turned cold. Wang Qiqi and Julina hadn't expected Shi Man's reaction to be so strong. Julina kept her head down, looking at the files, while Wang Qiqi sighed inwardly. Why did she have to handle this? Wang Qiqi internally roared that she wasn't exactly a master negotiator either.

“Man Man, listen to me,” even though Wang Qiqi dreaded it, she had to step up. “I understand your perspective, but I think since you contribute more labor, you deserve more than Na Na and me. Honestly, Na Na and I were already planning to discuss giving you a labor fee.”

Just as Shi Man was about to say she didn't want it, Wang Qiqi cut in quickly. “Man Man, listen. You absolutely must accept this money. While you were out sourcing things, Na Na was earning big money, and I was earning a little translating manuscripts. The initial capital was split evenly among us. Before, buying things took half a day at most to sort out, but now you’re spending a lot of time. Labor is valuable too, right, Man Man? It’s not that Na Na and I are petty; it’s just that I feel some things need to be a bit fairer, even if it’s just a small amount. Don’t you agree, Man Man?”

With Wang Qiqi putting it that way, Shi Man pursed her lips, unsure how to respond. It was true; while she was shopping, Na Na and Qiqi were earning money. “But…”

“Actually, if you take a higher percentage, Qiqi has already talked to her sister, and she agrees too. If you don't choose the second option, then Qiqi and I will both back out. We can’t just watch you put in the most effort while we only share the money,” Julina pressed Shi Man to make a choice. “We started this venture hoping we’d all get rich together, but the current situation shows someone will be paying more. I don’t want us to become estranged over money later. Many of the men who followed my father during his rise are gone now. Some felt the money my father gave them wasn't enough, that it was unfair, and they left one by one. Some still keep in touch; others argued with my family and struck out on their own. All of that was caused by money. I don’t want the same thing to happen to us.” Julina actually had few friends; Wang Qiqi and Shi Man were the only friendships she had maintained for years. She didn't believe she would meet such good friends again in the future, and she truly didn't want to lose them.

Wang Qiqi pursed her lips and nodded repeatedly in agreement with Julina’s sentiment. “When my parents were alive, my uncles treated me so well, but once my parents passed, they started calculating everything against me. If it weren't for me…” In the end, it was all about money causing the friction. Wang Qiqi constantly reminded herself to let things go; everything in her past life had no bearing on this one. But she knew she could never truly let go, even knowing that Wang Da Gui’s family situation was vastly different in this life—for example, a certain person wasn't as smug, and her own life was improving, and she had found a good man. “I think I drifted off topic. If Man Man is unwilling to accept it, we will pay you a salary. You choose one. How about we pay you three percent of my sister’s total income? What do you think?” Wang Qiqi thought this was the purest form of 'the more you work, the more you earn.' “The entire income.”

Although she hadn't discussed this with Julina beforehand, Julina nodded in agreement from the side regarding Wang Qiqi’s suggestion. “Let’s settle on this. It will be easier to calculate Man Man’s pay.” After all, the previous profit-sharing method required splitting the income into two parts, which was a lot of work; this direct approach was much simpler.

Entire income? Shi Man’s mouth dropped open. Although it was a drop from ten percent to three percent, she knew three percent might end up being more than what the original three percent yielded. “That’s too much. How about just one percent?”

“It’s three percent,” Wang Qiqi said. Seeing that Shi Man had no objection to the proposal, she immediately made the decision. “Majority rules. I vote yes on behalf of Han Tao. That’s two votes.”

“I vote no. One vote,” Julina declared the result. “The resolution passes three to two. The commission calculation will start from July.”

“Start from September,” Shi Man thought she was already getting a good deal.

“July,” Julina finalized. “It’s just that we didn’t have a resolution before. Since it’s passed now, it should be calculated from the original agreed-upon time point.”

Wang Qiqi felt her heart tighten as she watched the date approach the one from her past life. On one hand, she hoped this event could be erased by her rebirth—because after this incident, getting a visa would become incredibly difficult. But on the other hand, she worried about what the world's development trend would be if it was butterfly-effected away; she had absolutely no certainty.

Wang Qiqi knew she didn't possess a strong analytical ability regarding global economic trends. If she had no advantage from her rebirth, she’d truly be relegated to being just a competent landlady collecting rent. More importantly, she was consumed by worries—worried if this world would develop very differently from her previous one.

Wang Qiqi’s unease made Han Tao and the others feel very strange. “Qiqi, have you been running into trouble these past few days?” Shi Man couldn't help but ask after watching Wang Qiqi drift past her like a ghost. Earlier, she thought maybe Wang Qiqi and Han Tao had argued, but after observing them for a few days, she found nothing amiss. When she privately asked Han Tao, he also found it quite strange.

Wang Qiqi shook her head. “I’m fine, I’m fine.” As long as this hadn't happened, she absolutely couldn't say anything. After saying that, Wang Qiqi floated back into her room to get to work.

Julina emerged from the study. “She’s been very strange these past few days.” Julina had almost bumped into the door when she saw Wang Qiqi heading into her room earlier. She found it very odd; what could have happened to make Wang Qiqi so bizarre lately?

“She said she’s fine,” Shi Man shrugged, indicating her own confusion. “But look at her—she looks soulless. Is that what someone who is fine looks like?” This girl was too abnormal; any non-blind person could tell, yet Qiqi stubbornly refused to say what was troubling her. Shi Man had finally indulged her curiosity and asked her privately, but the response was the same. Shi Man felt helpless.

Julina poured herself a cup of coffee, staring at Wang Qiqi, who had been facing her computer for a long time without typing a single letter. “Very abnormal. Did they have a fight?” Otherwise, she truly couldn’t explain Wang Qiqi’s strange behavior. On the business side, nothing would make Wang Qiqi this unsettled.

Shi Man shook her index finger. “I thought so too, but Han Tao said he also finds it very weird, like Qiqi became abnormal overnight.” Shi Man reflected that Han Tao, being such a decent person, wouldn't hurt Wang Qiqi. Classmates? At worst, Qiqi would ignore them. Even those who might have held opinions before were now facing the more critical issue of job hunting as seniors. Although C University was prestigious, securing a good job wasn't easy, especially for finance majors aiming for investment banks or securities firms. Since Qiqi clearly wasn't competing for the same jobs, they wouldn't say anything against her. Moreover, Wang Qiqi’s situation meant her future prospects were assured; maintaining good relations was key, not ruining them.

Han Tao watched Wang Qiqi sink back into her state of unresponsiveness and sighed internally. He truly couldn't understand what was wrong with Qiqi. Work? The translation was going smoothly, and Qiqi didn't need to go out job hunting like her classmates. Was it the internship unit? But every time he asked, she just said she was fine. Personal matters? Han Tao thought things were going very smoothly, with no apparent problems there. Considering all factors, Han Tao was utterly bewildered.

Regardless of how conflicted Wang Qiqi felt, events unfolded as they were destined to. When Wang Qiqi habitually dragged herself out of bed, turned on the news channel by habit, and heard a piece of news she expected, she felt a jolt. Although she had heard it once in her past life, that event had seemed so distant then. This time, it felt anything but distant; it felt intensely close.

“What? The World Trade Center was hit?” Shi Man emerged groggily from her room, rubbing her eyes, intending to use the bathroom before heading back to sleep. Seeing Wang Qiqi already awake and watching the news, she almost commented that Qiqi, like her parents, cared too much about national affairs. But when she glanced at the program on the screen, she froze. After a long silence, she spoke with a bitter edge, “This is in the States, isn't it? This is a symbol of New York! How could something like this happen?”

Wang Qiqi let out an "Mm," nodding. “Yes, I turned on the TV just now, and they were only showing this.” Wang Qiqi explained why she was watching that program.

Shi Man remained silent for a long time, staring at the television as the footage played. “It was during working hours there, local time, right?” She thought about the countless staff inside the tower, and the many tourists who visited that landmark daily. How many lives would be lost? How many families shattered?

Wang Qiqi hummed in agreement. “Yes, the casualties are quite heavy.” She also thought of the many firefighters who later joined the rescue efforts and suffered significant losses.

After watching the news for a while, Shi Man asked, “A terrorist attack?” Heavens, they even tried to hit the Pentagon! Though that one failed, this was stunningly shocking. Shi Man frankly felt that if possible, it would have been better if the latter attack had succeeded, as the former involved too many innocent casualties.

Wang Qiqi hummed in response. “Yes, it’s just a pity for so many innocent people,” Wang Qiqi lamented. “But I predict it won't be easy for us to go to the US again now.”

“What? How does this involve us?” Shi Man found it strange. To her, this incident felt distant, something that absolutely couldn't involve them.

“The tools used for the attack were airplanes, right? And we can only travel to the US by plane. Do you think it will be easy to go there now? And you need a visa for the US,” Wang Qiqi stated calmly. While security checks for the former were relatively strict, they were manageable. But the visa issue would become extremely tight. In the years following 9/11, obtaining a US visa became incredibly difficult; quotas plummeted to their lowest point. Wang Qiqi wondered if someone who had already traveled to the US several times, enjoying a relatively clean record, would pass this hurdle.

Shi Man was stunned. “Ah! You mean even if we get accepted to a US university, we might not be able to go?” Shi Man wasn't stupid and immediately grasped the possibility. “But the impact is huge, isn't it? Surely it won't be that bad?”

“I think it’s possible,” Julina walked out of her room with a yawn, offering her opinion. She hadn't expected to hear such news so early in the morning; it was terrifying. “How could those people be so reckless?” she exclaimed. “Using airplanes to launch an attack—what were they thinking?”

“Who would be so wary of an airplane?” Han Tao leaned against the doorframe, having watched the television for a long time. He still felt profoundly shocked—the World Trade Center, the Pentagon! But thinking closer, he realized there was a reason the attack succeeded: airplanes are one of the most convenient modes of transport in the US. With so many flying every day, who would be on high alert for an aircraft? The people on those planes were the ones to pity.

Shi Man then belatedly remembered something crucial: “Aaaah! How will I dare to fly in the future?” There were so many passengers on one plane; what if terrorists were on board too?

“That was only successful because it was the first time. Trying to achieve the same success again will be impossible now,” Wang Qiqi said. With such a high price paid, not just the US but other countries would become highly vigilant against this type of threat.

“Yes, sigh,” Julina watched the news for a while longer, then turned and went back to her room to sleep. Although the event was sudden and major, for Julina, sleep was more important. This was an issue for upper management to consider. It wasn't that Julina was cold-blooded, but her family’s business dealings in the US were not extensive; otherwise, she wouldn't have the leisure to rest so peacefully. Still, her expression wasn't very good as she left; the news was simply too shocking and frightening.

“Qiqi, does this mean the stock market is going to crash?” Han Tao suddenly thought of this after his initial shock. He suddenly worried that if he hadn't been so lucky with buying the house, the money he’d invested in the stock market might have caused his net worth to shrink significantly.

“Probably,” Wang Qiqi replied with certainty. She had managed to skip one economic hurdle, but the problem was Wang Qiqi worried if Han Tao could smoothly go to the US next year. Alas, if he couldn't go, and the company there didn't renew his contract, what about the mortgage on that house? In short, Wang Qiqi was plagued by worries—worried when she had a house, worried when she didn't.

In the following days, this event caused a massive stir across the globe, and the progression of events continued along the same rhythm as in the past life.

Lu Qiaowei had originally thought the terrorist attack in the US would be a distant affair, something that wouldn't touch her life while Daizi Jun was living there well and safe. But she never imagined things would spiral into this current situation. "Heavens, does this mean all my hard work studying for the TOEFL was for nothing?" Rumor had it that securing a US visa had become exponentially more difficult; even holding an acceptance letter offered no guarantee. This realization struck Lu Qiaowei with profound sadness. Was this fate, then—destiny telling her she must complete her university education right here in China? But the real question gnawed at her: "I don't know if I'll ever be able to go to the US in the future?" If she couldn't go, what future awaited her and Dai Lijun? Lu Qiaowei truly lacked any shred of confidence.

Everyone looked at the deeply disheartened Lu Qiaowei, feeling the sting of her sorrow. "Don't worry," someone offered, trying to soothe her, "perhaps by the time you graduate the year after next, the visa situation won't be so tight." That was all they could say; what else was there to do? Yet, in their hearts, no one held any real hope. Security levels across the US were critically high now, and Feng Xuanxiang had even emailed them, mentioning that the scrutiny applied to foreign students like themselves was incredibly rigorous. RS

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