Wang Qiqi was down on her hands and knees in the attic, scrubbing the floor, sweat plastering her clothes to her skin. Even with the skylights open, it was stiflingly hot. Just as she was about to sit down for a quick break, she heard voices and footsteps ascending the stairs. “Is that Zhao Rongrong and the others?” Qiqi thought, immediately wanting to jump up and take a shower. In her current state, she was sure she’d frighten any guest away.

“Wow, it’s huge,” Shi Hongrui exclaimed as she walked into the attic. “Rongrong, this is completely different from our attic back home—it’s so bright!” Not just bright, but large, too. Shi Hongrui genuinely wanted to claim this space for herself; it was enormous. She could easily set up an easel here and paint two canvases. Even if painting wasn't her biggest interest right now, it would look good to put on a show.

Hearing an unfamiliar voice mentioning Rongrong, Wang Qiqi immediately worried that Zhao Rongrong and her friends had come upstairs. Qiqi internally screamed, I’m dead! Shi Man was so unreliable; she hadn’t given any notice. Qiqi couldn't even manage a proper grooming session, but at least she could have washed up and made herself presentable.

Knowing there wasn't enough time to do anything more, Wang Qiqi just dabbed at the sweat, stood up, and prepared to greet Zhao Rongrong and the others. But before she could turn around or say a word, all three of them burst out laughing. Although Wang Qiqi didn't know why they were laughing, she was certain it was because her face looked disastrous. At that moment, Wang Qiqi didn't care about greetings; she bolted straight down the stairs toward the bathroom.

“Aaaah!” Wang Qiqi shrieked, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was a patchwork of yellow, gray, and black—as filthy as it could possibly get. “Good heavens, I’ve made a complete fool of myself today!” Wang Qiqi was furious; what about her image?

After washing her face and quickly wiping down her body, Wang Qiqi climbed back up the stairs. “I’m so sorry about that just now. I was so focused on cleaning I forgot to check my appearance.” Wang Qiqi had intended to give Shi Man a proper lecture for being in the attic, but upon finding her absent, she asked, “Where did Manman go?” She couldn't help but wonder if the girl felt embarrassed to face her and was hiding downstairs.

“Manman went to the supermarket to buy ingredients for the cake; she said you need to bake tonight,” Zhang Yan replied. Seeing the way Wang Qiqi ground her teeth when mentioning Shi Man’s name, Zhang Yan thought that Manman was braving the heat to run errands. She worried Manman might be very disappointed later that evening. “I’m truly sorry, I forgot to tell you beforehand…” Zhang Yan knew she shared the blame for Qiqi’s embarrassing situation; if she had notified Qiqi earlier, this mistake wouldn't have happened.

So, she had gone out shopping. It was Zhang Yan who had been showing Zhao Rongrong and the others around the house. Although the responsibility lay with Zhang Yan, could she possibly blame her? Thinking it through, it was impossible. “Forget it, forget it. I was embarrassed enough already.”

“My goodness, Qiqi, you’ve worked so hard. Did you clean this entire storeroom by yourself?” Zhao Rongrong circled the attic and noticed a pile of old, worn-out furniture tucked into a corner. “You’ve been cleaning all day?” Heavens, Qiqi was efficient! “But I looked around, and it seems there’s no bathroom up here.”

Shi Hongrui had been perfectly satisfied with the attic, but the discovery of no bathroom erased all that satisfaction. Who wanted to go up and down stairs just to use the toilet? Even with the space, she didn't want it. And that was without mentioning the work needed to organize what was essentially a dusty old storeroom.

Wang Qiqi caught the implication in their words and chuckled inwardly. If there had been a bathroom, deciding who got the coveted attic space would have been an absolute nightmare. “It was originally used as a storeroom, so naturally, it wouldn’t have a bathroom. But what can I say? I love the attic. Besides, that arrangement leaves us with an extra room.” Otherwise, Zhao Rongrong and her friend would have had to give up co-renting or share one room between them.

Zhao Rongrong conceded the point with a knowing chuckle. “I never thought we’d have such serendipitous luck.” In truth, after hearing Rongrong was coming to study here, she had wondered if she’d run into Qiqi. She had planned to email Qiqi once things settled down to arrange a meeting, never imagining they’d cross paths so coincidentally at the rental agent’s office. “You guys are incredibly lucky to have rented such a great place.” She secretly felt relieved, too; if Qiqi hadn't insisted on taking the attic, she and Shi Hongrui would have had to pass on this apartment.

Shi Hongrui finally understood: the landlord hadn't wanted to rent it out at all, and it was Qiqi’s insistence that secured it. “Thank you, thank you.” If it weren't for her, Shi Hongrui would have been stuck sharing a room with Zhao Rongrong. While that wasn't out of the question, having her own space was certainly preferable.

“Let me help you clean up,” Zhao Rongrong offered.

Wang Qiqi had already done most of the work. “I’m fine doing it myself. Oh, by the way, I need to ask you all for a favor later.” Wang Qiqi wondered if, with two more people available, they could manage to move the bed or mattress upstairs.

When Zhao Rongrong and the others heard the favor Wang Qiqi was about to ask, they were dumbfounded. “Move the bed upstairs?” Shi Hongrui looked at the staircase. “There’s no way that thing will fit.” Forget whether we could even lift the bed; the staircase itself didn't look wide enough to accommodate it.

Zhang Yan and Zhao Rongrong nodded in agreement. They weren't trying to be lazy; it seemed logistically impossible.

Wang Qiqi had done her homework beforehand. “One of the beds is designed to be disassembled.” She wasn't an idiot; the staircase was narrow, and there was no way a few girls could muscle a whole bed frame up there. Wang Qiqi felt a little bad asking for their help. “Rongrong, are you moving in?”

“Tomorrow,” Zhao Rongrong confirmed. If she wasn't interested in the place, why would she have wasted time touring the attic?

“I’ll be counting on you to take care of things from now on,” Shi Hongrui said very respectfully. After all, her stomach for the coming year depended entirely on the person standing before her.

Wang Qiqi found that a bit odd—why would she need to take care of Shi Hongrui? Seeing Qiqi’s confusion, Zhang Yan relayed the arrangement they had made downstairs. Wang Qiqi could only look up at the ceiling and sigh. Fine, cooking for two extra people was no big deal, especially since she wouldn't have to clean the kitchen. “I guess I’m destined to be the cook, but you guys are responsible for the cleanup!”

“Since you’re moving in tomorrow, I’ll cook something special to celebrate,” Wang Qiqi announced generously. She had already promised Zhang Yan a good meal, so combining them into one celebration felt like a good deal to her.

Zhang Yan, overhearing this, coughed pointedly. Qiqi had previously promised her a good meal after moving in, but now helping move the bed only seemed to count as that one meal. It was blatant shortchanging!

“Before, I promised it would be a meal I made with Manman. Now it’s all on me,” Wang Qiqi argued, feeling she hadn't actually deceived anyone.

Zhang Yan was taken aback that Qiqi was playing word games with her. She simply stared at Wang Qiqi without speaking. “Okay, okay, two meals it is. Today’s meal will be a bit perfunctory, but tomorrow’s will be delicious. How about that?” Wang Qiqi felt utterly wronged. As the essential cook, why did she have zero leverage? The saying that controlling a man’s stomach means controlling him clearly didn't apply here; the others hadn't even said a word, just stared, and she was already conceding.

“You decide,” Zhang Yan conceded, though not entirely satisfied, knowing she couldn't push too far. “You’re the head chef for both.”

“Then can we stay for dinner today?” Shi Hongrui asked now that the main issue was settled.

“Anyone who helps gets a plate,” Wang Qiqi replied, not wasting any more breath. “I need to finish cleaning up here so we can move the bed tomorrow.” While Qiqi wanted to move the bed today, she didn’t have the energy left to disassemble it. “What time are you guys coming tomorrow?”

“Around noon,” Zhao Rongrong said, glancing at Shi Hongrui. It was unavoidable; Rui Rui loved to sleep in, so even if she wanted to be up early, it would be too late. “Rui Rui, let’s tidy up our rooms today so we aren’t scrambling tomorrow.”

Shi Hongrui considered it. Cleaning today meant more exercise, which would make her hungrier faster. If she got hungry faster, she could eat more later. Plus, there was still plenty of time before dinner; why sit around idly? “Okay, okay.”

Hearing that Zhao Rongrong and the others planned to stay and clean, Zhang Yan suggested, “Qiqi, why don’t we move the bed up today? It’ll be easier to clean then.”

Wang Qiqi had planned to clean the entire attic first before bringing the bed up, but moving it now would prevent the room from getting dirty again later. “Sounds good. Rongrong, you guys?”

Zhao Rongrong was indifferent; moving it today or tomorrow made little difference. Shi Hongrui also thought about how much future trouble they might cause and certainly wouldn't dampen the mood now. “Then let’s get started!”

“Wait, do we have tools?” Zhang Yan suddenly remembered something crucial. Disassembling a bed required tools. Were there any here? “Shoot, I should have asked Manman to grab some when she went out.” They couldn't possibly go out again just to buy tools.

“We don’t have any, but the landlord does!” Wang Qiqi said confidently. “I saw a toolbox when I was throwing trash in the garage earlier.” Wang Qiqi had curiously opened it and found all the basic tools there. That’s why she hadn't asked Shi Man to bring tools back earlier.

Zhang Yan stared at Wang Qiqi, mouth agape. “You’re amazing. I was just focused on throwing things out.” With everything else going on, how did she even think to check the garage?

Wang Qiqi felt a little embarrassed. “Westerners often keep tools in the garage for easy access when repairs are needed.” Foreigners tend to be quite handy; they often fix simple furniture or home issues themselves or with friends, partly because labor costs overseas are so high.

Using a wrench and screwdriver, Wang Qiqi, after some maneuvering, successfully disassembled the bed. As she worked tirelessly, she failed to notice the looks of sheer admiration and astonishment from the group behind her. They had never seen such a capable young woman.

Zhang Yan nudged the frozen Shi Man. “You didn’t know either?”

Shi Man shook her head. “No. I knew Qiqi was capable, but I never imagined she was this capable.” Knowing how to take apart a bed! She wasn't sure if Qiqi could put it back together, but when she saw Qiqi marking numbers on the wood with a pencil, she realized Qiqi intended to reassemble it that way—a smart plan. “Qiqi, if any appliances break in the future, can you fix them?”

“Are you saying if anything breaks in the house, Qiqi can fix it?” Zhang Yan muttered to herself, realizing just how expensive labor was abroad, especially for skilled trades. Now she understood why foreigners were so self-sufficient; necessity born of high prices.

Hearing their discussion, Wang Qiqi’s forehead developed dark lines. Did they think she was a robot? “I only know some simple repairs; I can’t handle anything too complex.” Wang Qiqi listed a few simple skills she possessed. “So, please take care of your things. I’m not omnipotent.”

“As long as you can handle what you know,” Shi Man said, not expecting much—like changing a lightbulb, minor electrical fixes, or handling the circuit breaker. “Are you done?”

Wang Qiqi kept talking but didn’t slow down her hands, quickly finishing the bed’s disassembly. She let out a long sigh. “Done. Next, I’ll trouble everyone else. Oh, Manman, have you started stewing the beef?” While pan-frying beef could preserve the most nutrients, Wang Qiqi preferred it stewed until tender, perfect over rice or as a topping for noodles.

Shi Man grunted in acknowledgement. “I put it on to stew, but we don't have many seasonings.” You couldn't expect a lot of variety at a supermarket run by foreigners.

“It’s fine; soy sauce is enough,” Wang Qiqi understood the shortage of spices. “If we get the attic completely clean today, tomorrow we’ll do a big shopping trip at the Chinese supermarket.” Today’s meal was meant to be simple anyway, and since Shi Man mentioned the local store lacked many items, they could scout out the Chinese market tomorrow and start making weekly supply runs.

Shi Man had no objections. She had already cleaned the common areas and their rooms today. “Then we should give the keys to Rongrong now. Tomorrow, we’ll call the lawyer over to sign the contracts.” Though it felt a bit pushy, they had signed a contract to move in, so there was no reason for the newcomers not to.

Zhao Rongrong and Shi Hongrui agreed; having a contract made things easier abroad. “Deal. How about the lawyer fees?”

“We’ll split them,” Shi Man said, seeing they expected to share the cost; she certainly wouldn't object. “The landlord was actually very nice today; he covered the lawyer fees himself.” That saved them quite a bit of money.

Zhao Rongrong was quite envious of Wang Qiqi’s luck—finding such a nice apartment right after checking into a hotel, and the rent wasn't even high. “Let’s move the bed up first.” Since the bed Qiqi wanted was designated for Zhao Rongrong’s room, she was eager for the space to be cleared so she could clean it.

Shi Hongrui looked at the small bed and expressed some concern. “Can you sleep comfortably in a single bed?” Shi Hongrui thought she was the smartest one; seeing two beds in the room, she immediately gave up the idea of sharing. The way things had turned out proved her choice was correct.

Zhao Rongrong looked at the bed, which wasn't even one-and-a-half meters wide—closer to 1.2 meters. “It’s bigger than the bed I had in college, at least.” Zhao Rongrong didn't demand more. “I plan to buy a chaise lounge to put by the window. When the weather is mild, with the window open, and the sun not too harsh, sprawling out on a lounge chair for a nap or reading would be perfect. Two beds would certainly be more comfortable, but the room would feel smaller.”

The scenario Shi Hongrui painted made Zhao Rongrong envious. She, too, wanted a rocking chair to gently sway in, but she was too shy to ask Zhao Rongrong if they could switch rooms, and she still preferred not to share a small mattress. “In winter, we can move it into the living room,” Shi Hongrui suggested.

Shi Man thought that was a great idea. “Qiqi, you should buy one too. It would be nice downstairs in the winter, and you can move it into your room the rest of the year.” Shi Man suddenly wondered why she had ever teased Qiqi about being so attached to the attic. Looking around now, Qiqi’s room was clearly the largest.

Wang Qiqi didn't respond verbally. “Hurry up and move things upstairs; I still have cleaning to do.” If she could finish everything today, Wang Qiqi estimated she could finally sleep in the attic, provided it wasn't too hot up there.

Shi Man grunted, deciding not to tease Qiqi further, as work was the priority. “I’ll go wash the vegetables later.” Shi Man had originally assumed she’d be cooking dinner, but thanks to Zhao Rongrong and the others, Qiqi was personally stepping into the kitchen. Shi Man increasingly felt Zhao Rongrong was her lucky star. Of course, she also had to thank Zhang Yan; if Zhang Yan hadn't been there, she might have ended up doing the manual labor herself.

Watching Shi Man pick up two small parts, Wang Qiqi wanted to playfully kick her away. This girl was becoming more and more irritating. “I know, are you serious with just those two little pieces?” Didn’t she see that Zhao Rongrong and Shi Hongrui were carrying large items? Shi Man, her supposed best friend, was only taking such a small load—did she have no shame?

Shi Man glanced over, inwardly cursing Shi Hongrui the foodie for working too hard. Why wasn't she on the same wavelength as her? What was she supposed to do now? Shi Man forced a strained smile and swapped out for a medium-sized piece. “Qiqi, don't be mad. I misspoke when I was talking to you.”

Wang Qiqi responded to Shi Man’s explanation with just an “Mm.” “You are way too inconsiderate.” Wang Qiqi thought if Zhao Rongrong and the others hadn't been present, or if they had only picked up small things, she wouldn't have said anything. But with them there and working so hard, she had to speak up. “What do you think of Rongrong’s friend?” Although she looked very straightforward, Wang Qiqi suspected she had a few schemes of her own.

Shi Man followed Wang Qiqi, carrying her piece of the bed frame, and whispered, “She looks straightforward, but I have a feeling she might not be that simple on the inside. Rongrong, on the other hand, seems polished and articulate, but genuinely so.” As for Shi Hongrui, Shi Man couldn't shake the feeling that she was quite deep. But none of it really mattered to her; if they got along, they’d be friends for the year. If not, they’d just live under the same roof for twelve months. “She’s a massive foodie. I worry later on…”

Wang Qiqi knew what Shi Man meant: that after spending time together, someone might become shameless and start making requests. Qiqi snorted. “I’m not a designated cook! I just make simple home-style meals. In my book, if you want to eat it, eat it; if not, go hungry. I won’t beg you to eat.”

All five of them huffed and puffed for a long time before finally managing to haul the heaviest part—the mattress—up to the attic. Shi Man’s first action was to collapse onto it. “I’m exhausted. Qiqi, you absolutely have to make pastries today; I’m about to collapse.” She had thought moving the bed was hard, but the mattress was the real beast. Lifting and carrying it nearly broke Shi Man’s spirit. “Work break! I need to go do my own chores.”

Wang Qiqi looked at the overly dramatic Shi Man, though she hated to deflate her mood, some things needed to be said. “Tonight, you still have to help me move the mattress onto the frame.” How else was she supposed to sleep?

Shi Man knew Qiqi, the little devil, wouldn't let her off the hook. She desperately wanted to wave her hand dismissively and claim she was too busy, but she dared not. “Then will you make the cake?” Since she couldn't avoid it, she had to negotiate terms.

Wang Qiqi nodded. “Yes, I will.” Since she had a few free days, she might as well bake some pastries. “Qiqi, you should learn from me too. When you marry Old Feng, you can bake him cakes instead of buying them ready-made. Store-bought ones always have additives; your own will always be safer. Besides, what else will Shi Man do at home when she’s not working?”

Old Feng? Zhang Yan found the name unfamiliar. Was this Shi Man’s boyfriend? And were they serious, for Qiqi to be so certain Shi Man would marry him someday?

“My Old Feng isn't that demanding,” Shi Man stuck her tongue out. “Besides, he’s busy with work and travels sometimes.” Not like your Han Tao, who either sleeps at the office during overtime or brings work home. A tech guy like him rarely travels; he’s practically married to the company. “Qiqi, you really need to practice your cooking skills. Your Han Tao bounces between home and the office!”

Shi Hongrui tugged on Zhao Rongrong’s sleeve, watching the two tease each other. “Are those their boyfriends? Aren't they in the same location as their boyfriends? Wouldn't that lead to problems?”

Zhao Rongrong hummed in assent, lowering her voice. "Shi Man’s boyfriend finished his Master's in the States; I hear he’s also in finance and doing quite well. Qiqi’s boyfriend is in IT, the same age as Qiqi, studying for his Master's and working in the US simultaneously. I only pick up bits and pieces from their conversations." Zhao Rongrong noticed that Zhang Yan seemed familiar with Qiqi’s boyfriend but didn't appear to know Shi Man’s man very well. She wondered if they hadn't been college classmates, or if Shi Man had kept her relationship a secret?

Zhang Yan finally understood why Shi Man, despite being quite accomplished, hadn't dated during their university years. Although there had been rumors about her having a boyfriend before, the details were always murky—now it seemed she genuinely had one, but since he was based entirely in the States, Zhang Yan was genuinely curious how they managed to sustain the relationship.