Wang Qiqi received a call from Bai Ge, and after understanding the purpose of her conversation, she suddenly remembered something: she had forgotten to forward the materials Mr. Ye had given them. Wang Qiqi's eyes darted around. "I'll go ask Mr. Ye, and then I'll send the materials to you." Fortunately, Old Comrade Ye was a responsible boss; he had provided descriptions for every teacher, including their educational and teaching histories. Even if there was some slight exaggeration, Wang Qiqi knew it wouldn't be much—anything Mr. Ye handled was top-notch.

After hanging up, Wang Qiqi immediately retreated to her room. Shi Man watched her become particularly tense after just one phone call. She thought that if she hadn't answered the phone first, she might have believed it was Mr. Ye calling. But why did Bai Ge's call make Qiqi so agitated? Shi Man was genuinely curious, but no matter how curious she was, she wouldn't interrupt her time watching TV. After all, once Qiqi was done fussing, she could find out the reason anyway.

Wang Qiqi opened her computer and downloaded several emails containing material sent by Ye Ruizhi. She felt that even though Mr. Ye had already noted down the teachers' situations, as one of the interviewers, she should probably do some analysis of these resumes herself. Wang Qiqi didn't believe Bai Ge would have a deep understanding of these details. To appear professional, Wang Qiqi set to work diligently—and also to let Bai Ge know that obtaining these documents hadn't been easy for her.

Shi Man finished two episodes of the show only to find Wang Qiqi still holed up in her room wrestling with her phone. "Qiqi, Qiqi, what are you so busy with?" Could it be that Bai Ge planned to have Qiqi create questions to test the interviewing teachers' abilities just before the actual meetings? Shi Man wondered if that were the case, why bother with all this trouble? Wouldn't it be enough for Qiqi to just talk to them, which could also allow her to gauge their spoken English?

"I’m looking over the information about the teachers Mr. Ye sent over and forwarding it to Bai Ge." Staring at the dry material, Wang Qiqi felt a strong urge to nap. She thought she really didn't need to be this dedicated; she wasn't gaining any direct benefit, yet she was doing almost as much work as the major shareholder. Meanwhile, the minor shareholder in the living room was happily watching TV and munching on snacks.

Wang Qiqi felt utterly miserable. Since things were this way, she decided, "Manman, Manman, open up your computer. I’ll send some files over to you to look at." If one person had to work, everyone should work together. Besides, having several people weigh in on an applicant's profile was always better.

"No time. You just look it over." Regarding the teachers' backgrounds, Shi Man thought she had no experience whatsoever in recruitment or hiring, so how would she understand this? "I still have two more episodes to watch. Qiqi, you're the expert on this; you handle it."

"Hey, this is for your future career!" Wang Qiqi thought Shi Man comrade was enjoying herself too much. "You can't possibly not know anything about these teachers, can you?" How could a shareholder only contribute capital? These were crucial people, far more reliable than those rootless students.

Hearing Wang Qiqi's persistence, Shi Man became even more resolute: she would not look at those materials just because Qiqi asked. It was possible Qiqi had already gotten a headache from reviewing them and wanted to pawn off the tedious work. "It's still uncertain if I'll even be taking shares. Besides, if a minor shareholder like me gets involved in this, the major shareholder might think I have ulterior motives..." Shi Man kept conjuring excuses for her laziness.

"What ulterior motives? Did you forget you’re planning to go abroad? You won't have many opportunities to develop back here later. Furthermore, your man will be an elite professional if he returns to the country; he won't be short of your salary." Wang Qiqi figured Bai Ge might agree to let Shi Man invest partly for this reason. "Alright, hurry up. Stop watching those overly sentimental Qiong Yao dramas; they’ll lower your intelligence." Honestly, she couldn't understand what was so good about that 'Little Swallow,' and she especially couldn't grasp why someone would watch that whole series countless times, tuning in every rerun. Wang Qiqi, in either her past or present life, truly couldn't comprehend it, nor did she care to watch. "You might as well watch Japanese dramas!" At least they weren't that childish.

Watch Japanese dramas? Shi Man thought she’d love to watch such sophisticated shows, but the problem was, "Do you think I can understand Japanese?" Sigh, there was no need to criticize the TV shows I watch just to get me to work. "Coming, coming."

Shi Man reluctantly got up and headed to Wang Qiqi's room to start working. "How am I supposed to work without a computer?" Wang Qiqi glared at Shi Man, who entered the room empty-handed, having mentioned earlier that she needed to get to work.

Shi Man managed a sheepish smile. Hadn't she been focusing most of her attention on the TV just now? She returned to the living room to grab her own laptop. "Qiqi, I'll work in the living room. That way, we won't interfere with each other." Shi Man glanced at the TV in the living room and a clever idea struck her.

Wang Qiqi certainly understood why Shi Man wanted to work in the living room. "Fine, but you have to turn off the TV." Humph, if the TV wasn't off, Wang Qiqi knew all she’d hear would be the television sound, not the clicking of keyboards and mouse. "Don't even think about just turning the volume down," Wang Qiqi blocked Shi Man's escape route.

After some thought, Shi Man decided it was better to work in Qiqi’s room, where she could at least overhear what was on TV. Wang Qiqi watched as the other woman obediently entered the room. "No TV. Hurry up; I’ll transfer the files to you."

Shi Man had initially planned to work while listening to the TV, but as soon as she opened the documents Wang Qiqi sent, she had only one thought: Heavens, this is gibberish! "You want me to analyze this?" Shi Man skimmed through it—it was just the candidates' educational and work histories. How was she supposed to analyze that? Moreover, could written documents truly reveal someone's capability?

Wang Qiqi hummed in acknowledgement. "You can look at their work experience and write down your impressions. Of course, this is just for reference. The main event is the interview day. But Old Comrade Ye is truly impressive; he even got evaluations from colleagues and superiors about these people." Wang Qiqi thought this part was quite telling, though she admitted it was possible they wrote things maliciously if they had poor relations—that was what needed analyzing.

Shi Man understood. "Okay, I’ll analyze them." She comforted herself, thinking that for the sake of the large sums of money this would bring in the future, she would endure it.

Even though Shi Man was mentally prepared, after reviewing a few profiles, she felt like Chinese characters were flying before her eyes. "Good grief, this is too much for one person to evaluate!" The study and work histories were manageable, but the evaluations were truly draining one's brain cells. "Actually, Bai Ge has it easier than me." I’ve already summarized and compiled everything; she only needs to read the final report.

This was exactly what Wang Qiqi wanted—her effort couldn't be ignored by the others. "Don't worry, Bai Ge will also review what Mr. Ye provided. This summary is what we’ll discuss later." The major shareholder needed to handle the most difficult and tiring part. "Hurry up and finish, I still need to notify Bai Ge to come over tonight." Something this significant couldn't happen without the major shareholder present.

"Remember to have her buy groceries," Shi Man demanded unceremoniously. If she was slaving away here, she deserved to eat well.

Bai Ge certainly didn't forget the things Wang Qiqi had instructed over the phone. She finished work early to buy some cooked dishes. Remembering the homemade specialties Wang Qiqi had mentioned her mother made a few days ago, she braved the bumpy ride to her mother's shop and had her prepare some takeout. Laden with bags, she rushed over to Wang Qiqi's place. "Qiqi, I brought a lot of food. Why don't we have a drink to celebrate tonight?" Bai Ge knew Qiqi definitely had good stock of wine—she regretted bringing cheap beer last time, which had spoiled the mood.

Drinks? Shi Man raised an amused eyebrow upon hearing Bai Ge's suggestion. "Let's talk business first." She wondered if this certain person would still be in the mood for drinking after hearing what was to be discussed, though she suspected not. Then again, Shi Man didn't stop to think that if she had time to cook, why would she ask Bai Ge to bring food over?

"Right, right. Business first." Bai Ge snapped back to reality. She was here to handle things, not to drink, even if it was a small celebration. Getting down to business was more important, or else they wouldn't get to enjoy that celebratory drink.

Wang Qiqi, hearing Bai Ge's overly enthusiastic tone from the room, pursed her lips. These people really weren't cut out for running a company together. Her "older sister" thought of celebrating as soon as money was mentioned, and Bai Ge was cut from the same cloth. Wang Qiqi worried that once the two of them partnered up, they might start using company funds for lavish celebrations over minor excuses. The thought alone gave Wang Qiqi a slight headache.

Standing at Wang Qiqi's doorway, Bai Ge noticed Qiqi’s expression wasn't good, and her heart lurched. Had something gone wrong? "Qiqi, Qiqi..."

Wang Qiqi yawned, looked at Bai Ge, and pointed to her computer. "Look at the documents I have open first." After working so long, Wang Qiqi felt she desperately needed a rest; she was exhausted. She felt she’d go crazy if she looked at any more. "Then do I not need to look at them either?" Shi Man asked immediately, seeing Wang Qiqi about to rest. She had been working all afternoon; she was starting to recall her remote senior year of high school.

Wang Qiqi was about to agree, knowing Shi Man also deserved a break after working all afternoon, but then she said, "No, I need someone to stay with me." Sitting down and seeing all the Chinese characters on the computer screen, Bai Ge felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. Hearing that the other two planned to leave, she felt she might as well drag someone down with her, even in death.

Seeing Bai Ge's insistence, Wang Qiqi could only ask Shi Man to continue. "Are you done yet?" If she finished, that would be the end of it.

Shi Man desperately wanted to say she was done, but she knew she'd be questioned about it tonight. "I’m not quite finished." Oh well, she didn't have much left anyway.

Bai Ge caught the drift from their exchange. "You two have already looked through them once?" If they had, Bai Ge figured there was no point in her reviewing them again.

But Shi Man wasn't about to let Bai Ge off easy. "Qiqi looked, so I looked. You're the boss; you absolutely need to look." Hmph, trying to slack off, don't even dream about it.

Wang Qiqi watched as the two started working, but she didn't stay idle either. She needed to go to the kitchen to prepare dinner for the evening. Wang Qiqi felt anything but relaxed; she still had quite a bit to do.

Wang Qiqi started by cooking the rice, then transferred the dishes Bai Ge brought into bowls. Most were meat dishes, but the girl had been thoughtful enough to have her mother prepare some Yunnan specialties. Wang Qiqi glanced at the cabinets and noticed the vegetable stock was low. "I'm going out to buy some vegetables." It couldn't all be meat.

Shi Man used this opportunity to slip out for some fresh air, thinking, "Didn't Bai Ge bring food?" Could it be that Qiqi felt sorry for me working hard and wanted to improve the meal? That seemed too kind. Or perhaps the food Bai Ge brought wasn't up to par?

Bai Ge felt her brain turning to mush after about ten minutes of reviewing. Even with Shi Man’s guidance on what to focus on and what to skim, she felt utterly exhausted. Hearing Wang Qiqi say she was going out to buy groceries, she wondered if her chance had arrived. She poked her head out. "Are the vegetables I brought not good?"

"There are no vegetables, how can that work?" Wang Qiqi explained why she needed to go out.

So it was just vegetables. Bai Ge swiftly darted to the kitchen doorway. "I'll go buy them." She paused, perhaps realizing she sounded too eager. "Didn't I say I’d buy the food today? It's my mistake, my oversight. I need to make up for it."

Shi Man certainly understood Bai Ge’s intention. Hmph, trying to escape, not so easily. "It's fine. You can just give the money to Qiqi, and Qiqi can buy the vegetables."

Bai Ge knew Shi Man was retaliating for her earlier preventing her from resting. "Qiqi..."

"There’s no need for Bai Ge to buy vegetables. Bai Ge, hurry up and finish reviewing the materials. We need to discuss everything after dinner. Didn't you schedule meetings with them for tomorrow?" Wang Qiqi stated plainly. "You're the one making the final decision tomorrow; if you don't understand these people's backgrounds today, how will you negotiate with them? If you know nothing about them, won't they think you're easy to push around?" Wang Qiqi absolutely refused to admit it was her oversight forgetting to show Bai Ge these materials earlier.

Hearing Wang Qiqi say that, Bai Ge realized her attempt to sneak out today was futile, and she couldn't argue. In that regard, Bai Ge certainly wished Mr. Ye had sent the materials earlier so she wouldn't have to rush through all this now. The more she thought about it, the more miserable she felt. With a dispirited turn, she headed back to the room to continue her struggle.

Shi Man gave Wang Qiqi a thumbs-up, signaling how clever she was. Wang Qiqi looked at the other woman who was still goofing off. "Go back to work. I'm going to buy groceries. Bai Ge, hurry up; we have a heavy workload tonight."

At that moment, Shi Man suddenly chimed in, "Oh, I’m not a shareholder, why should I be slaving away like this?" Shi Man suddenly remembered she wasn't a partner yet; why should she be working so hard?

Wang Qiqi patted Shi Man on the shoulder, whispering when she saw Shi Man finally realizing this, "It's not now, but it will be later." Little rascal, if you wanted to be lazy, you should have remembered earlier. It’s a good thing she only remembered now that most of the work was almost done. "Work hard; Bai Ge is watching." Wang Qiqi gave Shi Man a look that suggested 'show some good behavior for the boss to see.'

Shi Man could only console herself with that thought. Alas, it was tough, but comparing herself to Wang Qiqi balanced her mood. Qiqi had invested far more energy in this matter without reaping any immediate rewards. "Go check if there's any lotus root. If there is, stew some pork ribs. That stuff is excellent." Shi Man remembered the lotus root stewed pork ribs Wang Qiqi made last time; the flavor was superb, not greasy at all.

Wang Qiqi hummed an affirmative. "Bai Ge, is there anything you particularly like to eat?"

"No," came Bai Ge's listless voice drifting from the room. At this point, she finally understood why Shi Man had urged her to bring food—it wasn't about celebrating at all, but because no one was cooking, and they were relying on her to bring provisions. "Qiqi, do I really have to read all of these documents?" She hoped Qiqi would relent. She knew Qiqi must have already analyzed everything. She really wanted to see Qiqi’s evaluations of these teachers. She also knew the documents Qiqi saved must be on the computer, but she didn't dare look for them—what if there was something sensitive she shouldn't see?

"Look at them. Qiqi has gone out to buy groceries." Shi Man returned to the room and saw Bai Ge staring at the screen, her face pinched with worry. Shi Man felt much better. "Qiqi has worked all afternoon; don't you think you should be a little moved by her diligence?"

Bai Ge looked at Shi Man. Of course, she felt a bit moved. Frankly, Qiqi had worked "incredibly hard." It wasn't even Qiqi’s business, yet she was working so diligently. She really couldn't be too lazy. "Once this matter is settled, I’ll treat you both to a nice meal and invite Sister Yao Yao too." Bai Ge thought that if she wanted to bring Song Yao into the fold, having Wang Qiqi help mediate would be much better than her nagging like a fool by herself.

Invite Song Yao? Shi Man almost asked why Song Yao should be invited when Qiqi was the one putting in all the effort, but then she caught herself. Was Bai Ge planning to rope Song Yao in? "Sure, we'll invite your man too then," Shi Man suddenly remembered something. "What are your man's plans for the future?" She figured he'd find a job somewhere. If Bai Ge didn't make her business wildly successful, they were quite a match. But if Bai Ge’s enterprise grew stronger and better, where would their paths diverge? Perhaps Bai Ge wouldn't mind, but wouldn't her man have some thoughts about it?

His plans? Bai Ge’s body stiffened slightly. "He’ll probably be working a job," she said. He hadn't planned on starting his own business or working with her; in fact, Bai Ge didn't really want him offering to help her. Even though their relationship was stable, she held firm on many things, and since he hadn't shown that inclination, Bai Ge felt his choice was better for both of them.

Working a job? Shi Man was momentarily stunned by the answer, but she didn't press the issue. She really wanted to ask what would happen if the gap between them grew too wide. Even if Bai Ge didn't care, wouldn't her man eventually have some feelings? But these were questions she couldn't ask; even Qiqi wouldn't advise on that.

Bai Ge opened her mouth as if to clarify, but in the end, not a word came out. "Manman, are you almost done with yours?"

"Just two or three more people," Shi Man replied, feeling a sudden lightness in her tone. Right, she wouldn't be working much longer. She was currently in the dark just before dawn. "Bai Ge, you still have a lot left, right?" People always felt better when they could make comparisons. Thinking about Bai Ge’s heavy workload, Shi Man couldn't help but feel cheerful.

"I've only looked at three or four profiles," Bai Ge replied, her tone not the best. Sigh, even Shi Man was almost finished, but she had just begun. Although Bai Ge didn't know the total number of resumes, she knew there were quite a few candidates. She was on the verge of fainting.

Shi Man heard the expected answer and her smile bloomed brilliantly. She patted Bai Ge’s shoulder. "Keep going! I started from the beginning too."

Although Bai Ge had her back to Shi Man and couldn't see her expression, she could tell from her tone that Shi Man was in a much better mood. "Mhm, don't worry. I'll work hard on these," Bai Ge reassured herself. She was going to run a major enterprise someday; perhaps the documents she reviewed in the future would be far more complex than this. This was just small potatoes. She needed to start training herself now.

After some mental preparation, Bai Ge felt significantly better. She sat quietly at the computer, following the key points highlighted by Shi Man and Qiqi to review the teachers' information. To Bai Ge's surprise, once she settled down, she found the materials Mr. Ye provided were actually very useful. She inwardly thanked Ye Ruizhi profusely. She knew that without Mr. Ye stepping in, the materials provided by the teachers would likely have been heavily glossed over to favor themselves, and they would never have known the actual situation. But now, with their own evaluations and the feedback from their colleagues and supervisors, "This information is really comprehensive."

"My head hurts from reading it," Shi Man pouted. She had noticed Bai Ge completely slipping into her role. Because of this, Shi Man understood why Qiqi always said Bai Ge was better suited to be the boss. Perhaps in the beginning, Shi Man had been a bit unconvinced, but now she was absolutely convinced.

"It's okay," Bai Ge replied, embarrassed to admit that she was actually finding the review quite interesting and had already formed a preliminary idea of who she absolutely needed to retain for tomorrow’s meeting—though she would need to consult Qiqi first.

Her composed expression was a bit jarring to Shi Man’s eyes. But never mind. "I'm done. Bai Ge, let me get you a cup of coffee." Shi Man thought to herself, wondering if Bai Ge would be surprised or agitated by this sudden offer.

"Okay, thank you." Bai Ge seemed not to have fully registered Shi Man’s words, which frustrated Shi Man a bit. Shi Man really wanted to say she wasn't offering coffee just for Bai Ge’s sake, but to make her a bit more energized, but instead, Bai Ge sat as steady as an old lady.

With a sigh of resignation, Shi Man poured a cup of coffee for Bai Ge, then stood bristling in the kitchen. When Wang Qiqi returned to the room, she saw Shi Man seemingly busy in the kitchen, yet it looked more like she was actively causing disruption. "What in the world is wrong with you?" Wang Qiqi wondered, puzzled as to why her anger had flared up so intensely in such a short time. She had assumed Shi Man would have resolved the situation by now; why was she still so furious?

Shi Man let out a deep sigh and recounted the grievance she had just suffered at someone's hands. "Tell me, how could she slip into that role so quickly?"

Wang Qiqi knew Shi Man was looking for a word or two of solace. She patted Shi Man's shoulder. "That's because she's the boss, and you are merely the investor. Of course, if you switched roles, you might act just like her. But have you considered that once the training institution actually gets running, you'll be seeing documents like that even more often?"

Although Wang Qiqi hadn't offered any real comfort, the thought of the 'certain person' having to endure such days frequently suddenly lifted Shi Man's spirits. Watching the sudden improvement in her mood, Wang Qiqi mused that simple-minded people were truly easy to satisfy.