Wang Qiqi rubbed her eyes as she walked down the stairs, only to find Zhao Rongrong and Shi Hongrui already standing by the main door, clearly ready to go out. Wang Qiqi found this odd. "You two going out for a drive lesson?" It was the weekend, and usually, everyone studied late on Friday, only to sleep in late on Saturday. Wang Qiqi was taking advantage of the lull before they entered their high-demand period, cherishing any chance to sleep in. Mark had warned her that once things got hectic, she, as his assistant, wouldn't have it easy; she’d have to cover everything else besides her current duties.

Wang Qiqi wasn't sure if this counted as passing the BOSS’s assessment. Even just running errands and tagging along behind them might teach her a thing or two. She knew her time as an assistant hadn't been wasted. The real issue was that Wang Qiqi worried about turning into a "career woman" by following them around. Although Comrade Song Yao always claimed Wang Qiqi already had the makings of one, Wang Qiqi had never agreed. But if she followed the BOSS for much longer, she might indeed become half a career woman. Han Tao admitted it was stressful but that he was getting somewhat used to it. As for Feng Xuanxiang, when he learned Wang Qiqi had become the professor’s assistant, he admitted to being intensely jealous. It wasn't that his graduate advisor lacked prestige; it was just that he hadn't been as lucky as Qiqi to land a spot on this team. Generally, only undergraduates got into that group; it was rare for graduate students to join, mostly because they had less time studying. Yet, such a fantastic opportunity had fallen into Qiqi’s lap, even if it was just an assistant position.

Zhao Rongrong hadn't expected to see Wang Qiqi up so early, even though it was already nine o'clock. "Yeah, our club has an event today, so we need to get there early. We won't be back for lunch, or dinner either. We have to review our coursework at the library."

Wang Qiqi murmured an "Oh," and just as she was about to ask what they were having for dinner, Zhao Rongrong held up her bag. "I made some sandwiches."

Wang Qiqi acknowledged this with another "Oh," and then quieted down. "I'm making dumplings tonight, so save some room."

Dumplings? Zhang Yan and Shi Hongrui looked at Wang Qiqi in surprise. Wasn't that quite a hassle? "Are there dumpling wrappers for sale around here?" If they could buy pre-made wrappers, it would be much simpler.

Wang Qiqi shook her head. "Yanyan said she knows how to roll them out." She had to admit that although Zhang Yan wasn't great at actual cooking, she was excellent at supportive tasks, like mixing hotpot condiments. Just yesterday, during a chat, Wang Qiqi discovered she could roll dumpling skins; otherwise, Wang Qiqi wouldn't have bothered with this. "Manman and I will do the wrapping." Wang Qiqi had already planned to make extra to keep in the fridge as late-night snacks.

"Sounds great!" Shi Hongrui immediately agreed, of course, since they wouldn't have to do any of the work. They had already cleaned the house early that morning. "Make the wrappers thin and put in lots of meat—don't let it be all dough."

"Don't worry," Wang Qiqi replied. After saying goodbye to the two, she went to the kitchen to take the meat out of the freezer to thaw. Today they would splurge on an all-beef filling. After finishing her preparations, Wang Qiqi realized something crucial: she didn't have the tools for rolling dumpling skins. "Oh no, big trouble." How could she roll the wrappers without the right tool? Doing it by hand, Wang Qiqi estimated she'd just end up with a large lump of dough. Sighing, did this mean she had to disappoint Zhao Rongrong and the others?

Zhang Yan shuffled in from outside, yawning. Hearing Wang Qiqi mention "big trouble," she felt curious. When she learned it was about the lack of tools, she said that while it was inconvenient, "Let's check out Chinatown. Surely they must have these things. We can go to the same place we bought the hotpot stove." Zhang Yan felt that shop was like Doraemon's pocket, selling all sorts of unexpected items.

"Should the dough still rise?" Since they planned to eat lunch at home after wrapping dumplings in the afternoon, if they couldn't buy the tools, would the dough still be usable? If the flour had already risen, would they have to make miantuan (flour dough balls) instead? Wang Qiqi truly disliked those things; biting into one was just like eating pure flour, and even cooking them in meat broth didn't change much.

"It will rise," Zhang Yan stated confidently. "If not, we'll use thin rolling pins." Zhang Yan gritted her teeth; she hadn't eaten dumplings in ages and was craving them intensely. If she didn't satisfy the craving today, she’d have to wait at least another week, which would drive her mad.

Wang Qiqi stared at Zhang Yan for a long moment. "You handle the wrappers, I'm only responsible for wrapping." She paused. "And I won't eat the miantuan soup either." Wang Qiqi really wasn't fond of pasta-like foods. She was only agreeing to make dumplings because Zhang Yan insisted, and Qiqi had considered that pan-fried dumplings could become potstickers. Otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered.

"Don't worry," Zhang Yan said, though she wasn't entirely confident herself. But with dumplings so close, she spoke with certainty.

Wang Qiqi noticed Zhang Yan’s slightly shifting eyes when she spoke. While she wanted to tell Yanyan not to force herself, Wang Qiqi decided not to crush someone's desire for dumplings. If all else failed, Wang Qiqi figured they could just make steamed buns instead—still dough on the outside, meat on the inside, which she knew how to make. They just wouldn't be as perfectly round or as thinly skinned. "Fine, you handle the rising dough?" Although making risen dough just requires mixing flour with hot water, Wang Qiqi found judging the right consistency incredibly difficult. In fact, Wang Qiqi was being foolish; she had successfully made many pastries, hadn't she? Her previous failure was only in remembering a time in her past life when her attempt at rising dough for tuanzi went poorly, completely forgetting how much her abilities had increased since her rebirth.

"I'll do it," Zhang Yan said, not recalling that part either. Since Qiqi wasn't confident, she'd handle it. "Is this amount of meat enough?" She looked at the thawing meat Wang Qiqi had taken out. It really wasn't much, and Qiqi had said they should make extra for midnight snacks or main meals.

"Let's go grocery shopping," Wang Qiqi said nonchalantly. They were supposed to go tomorrow, but since they were heading to Chinatown anyway, they might as well buy everything at once. Honestly, feeding five people was proving quite expensive, especially five delicate young women. Wang Qiqi could only console herself by thinking of it as eating out—eating well was good for health, especially when academic pressure was so high. As for Shi Hongrui and the others, they rationalized the high food costs by equating it to constantly eating out; for the same money, they might as well eat better. What Wang Qiqi didn't say out loud was that they all worried about getting less than their fair share.

Since there was still time before noon, Wang Qiqi returned to her room to focus on the translation work she earned money from yesterday. Soon, Zhang Yan and Shi Man entered her room. Wang Qiqi didn't find this strange, assuming they were coming up to review their studies. But they unexpectedly picked up pieces of fabric. "Are you two planning to make cushions?" It made sense for Zhang Yan, but why was Shi Man joining in? Hmph. That girl had snatched a long bolster pillow yesterday, grabbed it, and then fled, moving as fast as if wolves were chasing her. The slamming of her door had made Zhao Rongrong and the others next door peek out to see what the commotion was. Wang Qiqi felt embarrassed for the other girl just thinking about it.

"Didn't you steal one yesterday? Aren't you embarrassed to make your own now?" Wang Qiqi asked cheerfully, though she knew it was wishful thinking; the other girl wouldn't suddenly become diligent upon waking up. Besides, even if she did become diligent, she wouldn't return the stolen item. To Shi Man, it was her trophy.

Shi Man rolled her eyes at Wang Qiqi. "I have one, but Yanyan doesn't, right? We agreed we’d make one together. Besides, how could I ever return something I already snatched?" Shi Man added shamelessly. "Oh, by the way, I finished yesterday's draft. I emailed it to you; take a look when you have a moment." After talking with Qiqi yesterday, Shi Man had stayed up all night to finish the work. Earning money came first, and after staring at books all day, Shi Man felt her head was about to burst.

"I finished mine too," Zhang Yan said. She had thought she was the only one pulling an all-nighter until she saw Shi Man was done. "I couldn't sleep after coming back, so I pulled an all-nighter." She hadn't brought it up earlier when she saw Qiqi hadn't finished. "By the way, what are we having for lunch? Steak or pizza?"

Wang Qiqi and Shi Man weren't keen on hearing that, but what else could they eat here? They could have a big feast, but it was too expensive, a significant burden for struggling students like them. "How about we buy some seafood and cook it ourselves?" Shi Man suddenly craved seafood. It could be difficult to cook, but it could also be easy—just boil it and eat it fresh. Since Zhao Rongrong and the others weren't around, they wouldn't need to buy too much, as long as the shells were disposed of before they returned.

Seafood? Wang Qiqi readily agreed to the proposal, but they needed the guests' approval first. Seafood was available at the supermarket, and Wang Qiqi had checked the prices—not too expensive, though certainly pricey when converted to RMB. Wang Qiqi dared only buy sea fish; she never bought shellfish because, as Shi Man had pointed out, after shelling, there was barely enough meat for a nibble among five people. She had considered buying some herself, but how would she manage that? That was another issue entirely.

Zhang Yan had no objections either. "Deal, should we head out now?" Since they were buying ingredients to cook themselves, it was better to leave early and return early so they could get some studying done. "Oh, Qiqi, you need to go to the library, right? I need to borrow some books too." Zhang Yan had just gone upstairs to organize her notes and listed the books she needed to check out.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go, let's go!" Upon hearing the money providers approved, Shi Man immediately flew upstairs to change clothes. "Oh, right, Qiqi, we're out of coffee powder." People who pull all-nighters have a high demand for coffee. Qiqi, however, preferred tea and wasn't very particular about coffee. She hadn't paid much attention to their stock of coffee powder.

Out of coffee powder? Wang Qiqi casually asked about the price of the coffee powder they usually bought. "I'll take you somewhere to buy coffee later." The coffee the BOSS drank was much better than the powder they usually bought, and the price was only slightly higher than what they were currently paying (at their negotiated rate, of course; Wang Qiqi didn't know the retail price). Mark had told her she could buy it there for the same price. Luckily, Wang Qiqi had met the owner a few days ago when ordering coffee; otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to visit alone. If the owner didn't know her, why would he give her that price?

"Is the coffee there good?" Shi Man asked doubtfully, but she quickly understood where Qiqi was taking her. "Don't tell me it's the coffee from where you work?"

Wang Qiqi nodded with an "Mm." Shi Man's face turned a little pale. "Heavens, what kind of people are they? What kind of people are we? They drink on public funds, and we have to pay for ours ourselves!" Three cups of coffee per person per day, that meant fifteen cups daily. The consumption of coffee powder alone was substantial. Over a month, the expense for coffee wasn't a small figure. "Forget it. Our current coffee is fine; besides, it's just supposed to keep us awake." No matter what, Shi Man was determined to dissuade Qiqi from buying that expensive coffee.

Zhang Yan also looked at Wang Qiqi with disapproval, feeling it was unnecessary. "For waking up, we can't tell the difference between ten-yuan coffee and twenty-yuan coffee." They weren't so extravagant as to buy high-priced goods just for alertness, especially not when "If we're going to switch, shouldn't we all discuss it first?" she added. They didn't want to see a huge bill later that someone would have to protest. They were all struggling international students.

Wang Qiqi looked at their determined faces and didn't argue. She simply stated the discounted price she received. Unsurprisingly, she saw two astonished faces. "Ah, you drink such cheap coffee too?"

"Ah, your BOSS is so stingy, making everyone drink coffee like this."

The two began discussing the "stingy" Professor Steven, completely forgetting that just a few minutes ago, they were saying expensive coffee wasn't necessary as long as it served to wake them up. Wang Qiqi could only shake her head—a classic case of feeling pain when spending their own money but believing the more expensive something is when using someone else's, the better.

"Don't worry, the taste is good. If it weren't good, do you think they would drink it?" Don't look at them complaining; those people had very high standards for food. "The restaurants they order from now were all selected after repeated elimination. I hear even those aren't perfect, and they're looking to bring in some new places." Wang Qiqi no longer took lunch when she went to cover shifts there; she just ordered takeout. The taste was just average, but it saved her the hassle of carrying things back and forth. Wang Qiqi was also worried that if Mark and the others found out she could cook, it would bring bigger trouble. During yesterday's farewell party, Mark and a few others suggested getting an oven. As for why they needed an oven, and who would use it, well, that was obvious without needing to spell it out.

Wang Qiqi and Zhang Yan exchanged a look, seeing a flicker of longing in the other's eyes. "Shall we go look right now?" Although the price was slightly higher, it was within an acceptable range. They just weren't sure if the quality the shop owner gave Steven was the same as what he gave them.

Wang Qiqi pulled out the coffee shop owner's business card from her pocket and contacted him. After confirming the exact address, she started the car and hit the road. Although she had asked for directions, Wang Qiqi still stopped someone for confirmation before she finally found the place. What frustrated her further was that the shop was located in an area she had already driven past on her first trip. She hadn't been entirely sure, and circling the area looking for a place—it wasn't like some old gentleman pointing to a small alley and saying, "It's right in there." Wang Qiqi had no idea that the so-called century-old coffee shop was tucked away in a tiny side street.

"This shop has been around for a hundred years, hasn't it?" Shi Man asked quietly as they walked down the narrow lane. Though she didn't know the shop's location beforehand, walking there, she noticed the surrounding buildings looked quite old, well-preserved and charming, but having a century-old establishment hidden in this corner showed a complete lack of ambition for expansion. "If this were in China, a shop like this would either have closed down, expanded into a chain, or moved to a bustling district."

"Good wine needs no bush," Wang Qiqi commented, agreeing with Shi Man's observation, but acknowledging that the owner had his reasons for not expanding. "I heard this shop owns several coffee farms around the world. Maybe they don't need the storefront to be grand." Renting a shop on a main road would boost business but increase expenses. This shop likely relied on word-of-mouth marketing. Moreover, if they developed an online store later, selling coffee over the internet, they wouldn't even need a physical storefront.

Shi Man didn't quite grasp this, admitting she often couldn't understand foreign mindsets. "The last time Rui Rui and I went shopping, we passed a place that looked like a zoo but turned out to be a very famous restaurant." If it hadn't been for the sign at the entrance, she wouldn't have believed it.

After walking for a while, reaching about the middle of the alley, they finally found the place. The storefront really wasn't large. "Wow, this facade?" After a hundred years, the storefront was quite underwhelming, looking rather small.

Wang Qiqi tugged Shi Man's sleeve. Even though they were speaking Chinese, they needed to be careful. The three of them stepped inside and discovered it was actually a passageway, with pictures and materials related to coffee hanging on the walls on both sides. "It feels like a coffee museum," Shi Man remarked, surprised. This didn't look like a coffee shop at all.

Wang Qiqi murmured an "Mm," and after walking about five or six meters, they entered a very bright area. To their astonishment, it was like a courtyard, furnished with numerous tables and chairs, with a few scattered patrons sipping coffee. "A café?" Shi Man exclaimed, though she conceded it was normal for shops selling beans to also serve coffee.

Wang Qiqi gazed at the scene before her in surprise. At that moment, Zhang Yan nudged her arm. "There’s a young man to your right waving at you. Do you know him?" If the person hadn't waved in their direction, and there was no one else standing nearby in their line of sight, she wouldn't have thought he was signaling them. Shi Man had glanced in that direction earlier but hadn't shown any sign of recognition.

Wang Qiqi turned to look. "Oh, it's Mark!" Wang Qiqi hadn't expected such a coincidence as running into him. But there was a man next to him; she had expected to see his girlfriend. "I'll go say hello." Since they had already met and he had recognized her, she should at least greet him properly.

Mark had been about to leave after discussing something with his friend but was surprised to run into Angel. "Hello, you're here to buy coffee beans."

Wang Qiqi murmured an "Mm," noticing Mark also holding a bag of coffee beans. "You too? What a coincidence." Wang Qiqi didn't know what to say next, and the atmosphere briefly turned awkward.

"The owner just went to the warehouse to get stock. Maybe you should wait a moment, I..." Mark had intended to take his leave, but his friend John subtly signaled him to stay. Though he didn't know why, he stayed put. "You're new here, tell him to give you an insider price."

Wang Qiqi had met the owner before. From Mark's words, it seemed he was about to excuse himself, so she found it strange when he suddenly changed his mind and decided to stay. "Thank you for the trouble then."

Shi Man, standing nearby, had also noticed the shift. Her attention focused on the silent man next to Mark. Mark had been leaving, but would he have stayed if this other man hadn't signaled him? She just couldn't figure out why he wanted Mark to stay—did he know Mark’s intentions, or did he have his own agenda?

Since they were waiting for the owner, they all sat down. Wang Qiqi signaled the waiter for three cups of coffee, and Mark and his friend ordered another round. "Hello, I'm John, Mark's friend," the man next to Mark introduced himself as the coffee arrived quickly.

Shi Man had initially assumed his target was Qiqi, but unexpectedly, John’s focus seemed to be on Zhang Yan. Although he was quite attentive, making sure not to deliberately neglect anyone, Shi Man couldn't shake the feeling that his gaze betrayed his true intentions.

Zhang Yan was made increasingly uneasy by being singled out. She sincerely regretted following Shi Man over to say hello, but regretting it now meant she certainly couldn't just get up and leave. So, she could only respond to his questions with utmost politeness. Thankfully, the man proved to be quite a gentleman; perhaps sensing her slight resistance, his subsequent behavior softened a bit, which allowed Zhang Yan to finally breathe a sigh of relief.