Wang Qiqi noticed Shi Hongrui poring over a book, and though the faint bulging veins in her hand suggested a foul mood, what did that have to do with us? Still, Wang Qiqi was genuinely curious why Shi Hongrui had snapped at her that day.

Was she dissatisfied with her job as a professor’s assistant? She should have been unhappy long ago. There was no reason for her to only speak up after so many days, Wang Qiqi couldn't figure it out, yet she desperately wanted to know the reason.

Shi Man also noticed that Shi Hongrui seemed off just a moment ago, but she quickly lowered her gaze back to her book. After a moment’s thought, Shi Man also bent her head, diligently reading and taking notes.

Zhang Yan also sensed Shi Hongrui’s strangeness. She decided she would find an opportunity later to ask Zhao Rongrong and the others what happened on their outing, otherwise why would someone be acting this way.

Zhao Rongrong watched Shi Hongrui actually take her anger out on Wang Qiqi and could only shake her head. Honestly, she had previously advised Shi Hongrui that there was no need to tag along with them; those people had been in university for three or four years and had organized countless events. Competing with them in terms of ability was asking for trouble. Zhao Rongrong understood that Shi Hongrui simply felt Wang Qiqi had integrated into that team too smoothly, but there was truly nothing to compare there. Qiqi was just running errands, and even if those people said something impolite to Qiqi, we wouldn't know unless she said so. Furthermore, this whole matter had absolutely nothing to do with Qiqi; taking it out on her was unacceptable.

Wang Qiqi and Zhang Yan continued their serious discussion of coursework. Although Shi Hongrui kept her head down, intently reading, the static pages suggested she was lost in thought. Shi Man noticed but kept quiet. If someone was feeling down, let them be; we couldn't all be miserable just to make her feel better.

“Qiqi, I’m so jealous of you.” Just when everyone thought the matter had passed, Shi Hongrui suddenly uttered these words.

Wang Qiqi frowned, pausing her discussion with Zhang Yan. She wondered what was wrong with her—perhaps she’d had too much coffee late at night and was energized for a fight. But despite her frustration, Wang Qiqi couldn't afford to give her the cold shoulder. “Many people are jealous of me, but I am also jealous of many people.” Wang Qiqi meant that while you might be jealous of some, others were jealous of you; how did one settle that score?

Zhao Rongrong noticed the smile vanish from Wang Qiqi’s face and quickly tugged at Shi Hongrui’s sleeve, signaling her to stop talking.

“It’s normal for people to be jealous of me,” Shi Hongrui naturally knew some people were envious. “But right now, I am jealous of you. If I were you, with such a great opportunity, I would definitely…”

“Definitely do a better job than me, right?” Wang Qiqi finished the sentence sharply. “What ability do you think you possess that would guarantee you’d do it well—your mind or your body?” Wang Qiqi retorted without restraint. “Do you think this line of work is easy? One small slip-up and you could lose a lot of money. How many chances do you think you’ll get? Do you think glancing through textbooks and relying on sheer guts will allow you to handle things perfectly?” When Mark and the others rested, they were quite relaxed, but during work, their state was such that aside from the market trends on their computer screens and various documents, there was truly nothing else—it was extremely tedious work, something Qiqi absolutely couldn’t endure.

“Do you think they consider you knowledgeable about economics just because you came from an economically backward place?”

“They might make mistakes and get chances to continue, but if you mess up, do you think you’ll get another chance?” Although most people were polite to us, Wang Qiqi had felt subtle undercurrents of disrespect. “They might speak of fairness and equality, they might thank you, but deep down, they don’t truly accept you. If you resolve every issue flawlessly, they might submit to you, but they will also wait to see you make a fool of yourself, waiting for you to fall from grace.” Resources are finite. If you do well, you easily catch the BOSS’s eye, leading to more opportunities; when you have more chances, others have fewer. Even though you’re a team presenting a united front externally, there’s internal competition. For fair competition, you can’t be too cautious; the BOSS won't intervene, and some things you can’t avoid just by staying sheltered.

“The so-called gentlemen possess an inherent arrogance, a sense of looking down from above.” Wang Qiqi wasn't foolish, of course, she could sense these things. “To them, I am just an outsider. Aren’t there capable people applying to be assistants? Why did this benefit fall to me? Isn’t it because they assume I won’t amount to much? If I handled everything perfectly and showed ambition, what do you think they would do?”

“They would give you a chance,” Shi Hongrui murmured. She hadn’t expected Wang Qiqi to speak so bluntly. Was her attitude shaped by her environment?

“They would certainly offer chances, but you have to be able to seize them. I lack that skill.” Wang Qiqi thought that even if she were to get involved, it would be after some time, and she had already decided she wasn’t cut out for it, but she could help Feng Xuanxiang build better relationships with them; that’s how networking works, and matters should be entrusted to professionals. Earning money is earning money; why make it so painfully difficult for oneself?

“By the time I have the capability, I’ll have already graduated. Where do you think I’ll be then?” Wang Qiqi continued. “So, I’ll just stick to being an assistant honestly.” Although the hours were long—when there were no classes, she was basically there, constantly serving the elites—the high compensation was undeniable, plus the ability to read. Wang Qiqi had no objections. The only drawback was not being able to use the internet; naturally, if some sensitive information were overheard and leaked, it would be a huge disaster.

“If you stay in the UK, your Han Tao will worry himself sick,” Shi Man giggled, covering her mouth. “You are just a prospective housewife; don’t put so much pressure on yourself. If you keep working this hard, your man Han Tao will cry.”

“Exactly. If you strive harder, your man will have to work day and night just to keep up with you,” Zhang Yan teased with a smile. But truthfully, she hadn't realized Han Tao was earning quite a lot of money. If she hadn't overheard their conversation by chance, she wouldn't have known Qiqi and her husband were planning to buy commercial property in the capital. Even though they earned in USD and would pay in RMB, it would still be a significant amount, and from their conversation, it didn't sound like a huge issue for them.

Listening to the teasing, Shi Hongrui suddenly remembered: right, Qiqi didn't need to work this hard. She had already found a good man, and rumor had it that Qiqi managed all his earnings. Han Tao often said that a man’s struggle outside was so that his wife and children could live well. “You are truly blessed to have found such a good man.”

Great, Wang Qiqi felt like a target today, set up for jealousy. “I did find a good man, and now many people say I’m just lucky. Do you know what all my relatives and friends said when I first got together with him?”

Shi Hongrui answered matter-of-factly, “That you have good taste and chose a man with a promising future.” Han Tao might not be a powerhouse, but he was quite good, someone they knew well, and he had already bought property in the US; by all accounts, he was a man of potential, far better than finding a foreigner. Moreover, Qiqi supposedly had no parents, just an orphan, though her parents had left her some inheritance, that was all.

A promising future? “Wrong. Back then, many people didn’t understand my choice, thinking I could have found someone better.” Wang Qiqi recalled how Song Yao and the others tried to dissuade her when they learned she was with Han Tao, saying she didn't need to degrade herself just to spite Wang Rui.

Shi Hongrui was surprised that the now seemingly successful Han Tao was once looked down upon by Qiqi’s relatives. “No way.”

Shi Man rolled her eyes at the speaker. “Why not? At the class reunion, classmates said Qiqi must have been provoked to choose a poor boy as a boyfriend. But if we had a reunion now, they’d probably be jealous of her. Good men must be discovered, just like in work—what you think is good might not suit you, and a man you think is unambitious now might not stay that way forever.” Although high school classmates held reunions annually for four years after graduation, Shi Man had only attended twice. In those two times, she noticed the growing gulf between classmates: one group was doing well, another was mediocre. It made Shi Man deeply uncomfortable, especially that time after her father's incident; many classmates looked at her with eyes full of mockery.

Hearing this, Shi Hongrui would have been a fool not to understand. “Fine, so I’m just someone with poor judgment.” She lowered her head sullenly to her book. Forget it; going against them was essentially two against one; she had no chance of winning, especially since in their eyes, she was being unreasonable.

Seeing Shi Hongrui return to her book, Wang Qiqi and Shi Man naturally didn't press the issue further, lest things escalate and become even more uncivil. While Shi Hongrui was calculating and prone to holding grudges, living together inevitably led to conflicts, big or small. Even though Wang Qiqi and Shi Man were good friends, there were still comparisons and resentments between them.

The group quietly read. Apart from the occasional person standing up to refill coffee or use the restroom, the only sounds in the room were the rustle of pages and murmurs about their coursework.

After an unspecified amount of time, “I’m a bit hungry,” Shi Man said, rubbing her stomach which was starting to growl. “Sigh, Beijing is so much better. Qiqi, do you remember when the senior students hadn’t gone abroad yet, and after working late into the night, they’d send Han Tao or Fatty to call us out for late-night snacks?” One thing she found hard to adjust to here was that if she got hungry late at night and went out, aside from maybe a bar, all other shops would be closed. But in Beijing, it was so lively—night stalls and late-night eateries were everywhere. In short, if you had money, you would never go hungry.

Zhang Yan, hearing Shi Man suddenly stop reading to talk about late-night snacks, got annoyed. “You are too much! Who talks about midnight snacks in the middle of the night? Aren't you just torturing me?” Unfair! It was the exact time her stomach would be protesting, and someone started mentioning midnight snacks. The stomach, which wasn't actually hungry, protested loudly, “I’m so hungry.”

“Me too, I’m starving,” another voice chimed in.

“There are dumplings downstairs,” Wang Qiqi said. Although she missed Beijing’s late-night offerings, at this hour, she didn’t want a snack. As one gets older, one has to watch their health; you can’t always eat junk late at night; it severely damages your body, especially for someone who often pulls all-nighters.

“Dumplings,” Shi Man’s face fell. “I ate too much dinner; I need something lighter.” Even though the dumplings had plenty of meat, they were encased in a lump of flour. “Flour is hard to digest; I don’t want to gain weight.” Eating this late at night was practically courting disaster; Shi Man didn't want to wake up tomorrow, step on the scale, and find she’d put on weight.

“I’m not hungry anyway,” Wang Qiqi shrugged, indicating she wasn't. Hahaha, tonight, in order to taste someone’s carefully brewed coffee, she had deliberately avoided green tea. By not drinking green tea, her stomach wouldn't feel hungry so easily. “But I actually have a lot of dumplings frozen in the fridge. I told you guys before, you can just take out the frozen dumplings when you’re hungry—convenient and quick. Next week I’ll make some wontons, the week after that, some tuanzi, and the week after that, some baozi.” As Wang Qiqi rattled off her plans, she realized it was a good idea; compared to making pastries, it was much easier. Of course, Wang Qiqi admitted she did it intentionally; someone was using food to tempt her, so she was countering with food talk. While these things weren't gourmet delicacies, hearing them when everyone was hungry was agonizing.

Seeing the supposed cook refusing to cook, and instead going on and on about food, Shi Man felt Qiqi was going too far. But what could she do? Furthermore, Qiqi had apparently mapped out the entire household’s frozen provisions for the next few weeks. While the items sounded nice, would eating the same thing every week become tiresome? She was about to protest when she received a warning glare from Wang Qiqi. All she could do was pinch her nose in acceptance. If Qiqi threw a fit and refused to make any of it, what would they eat late at night besides crackers? “Go back to your room and sleep; if you sleep, you won’t be hungry.”

Since Shi Man suggested returning to her room, Zhang Yan and the others certainly wouldn't stay either. They packed their things and left one by one. They had initially hoped that since Shi Man had brought up food, Qiqi would make a midnight snack, but even Shi Man was sent packing by Wang Qiqi. They admitted they didn't have as much leverage as Shi Man.

Wang Qiqi was surprised that the four of them just brushed themselves off and left. “Hey, you guys aren’t going to help clean up, are you?” They walked away clutching their belongings without offering any help with tidying up. Even if she hadn’t offered to make them a late-night snack, their behavior was too despicable.

Help clean up? Shi Man quickened her pace out of Qiqi’s room. “My stomach is growling so loudly, I have no strength left. I have no energy to clean. If you want cleaning done, make midnight snacks,” Shi Man declared bluntly.

“Get lost,” Wang Qiqi snapped, slamming the door shut. “How despicable! Making them snacks would be less work than cleaning up the room several times over.” Of course, Wang Qiqi wasn't going to clean; she casually kicked the scattered floor cushions aside. Who cares if they were dirty? They could just go straight into the washing machine; it wasn't like she had to scrub them.

Hearing her angry sigh and the force of the door slamming, Shi Man paused. “Oh, is she really mad?” Shi Man hadn't expected Wang Qiqi to actually be upset. She had only meant to provoke her a little. Seeing this, she obediently returned to her room. After all, she had some things in her room; it wouldn't matter if she didn't eat anything. She wasn't going to cook food just for someone else to eat, especially when that person had clearly offended her earlier; she wasn't that magnanimous.

After they left, Wang Qiqi read for a while, but after video-chatting with Han Tao, she decided to turn off the lights and sleep. Just as she was about to shut down her computer, she received an email. Opening it, she saw it was from Mark, which she found odd since it wasn't sent to her internal work address. She clicked on it and was speechless.

Wang Qiqi thought, instead of engaging in healthy activities with his girlfriend late at night, he was sending her an email. If it concerned work, fine, but sending her an email in the middle of the night asking for her opinion on Zhang Yan—that was too much. Regarding Zhang Yan’s opinion, Wang Qiqi hadn't asked in detail, but she knew Zhang Yan had no specific feelings about him. However, putting it so bluntly might be too direct. It did show, however, how little presence that John had—a young man nearly six feet tall, and Zhang Yan had absolutely no opinion on him. Interpreting this from a Chinese perspective meant she felt no positive feelings toward him, but for a foreigner, he might interpret it as a lack of deep understanding.

Wang Qiqi pondered for a long time and replied with an email largely stating: I don't know Zhang Yan’s opinion of him, but she hasn't mentioned him since returning home. Wang Qiqi felt her answer was perfectly diplomatic; not mentioning him meant she wasn’t interested.

Wang Qiqi knew that once this email went through, Mark would likely chuckle inwardly. Although John had hidden his feelings well, Wang Qiqi thought he came across as rather arrogant. She wondered if her response had provoked him excessively, but from Qiqi’s perspective, her reply was entirely accurate—regardless of his family background or the fact that he was a foreigner, our Yan Yan just wasn’t interested in him.

Shi Man learned about this the next day from Wang Qiqi. Her first question was, “Why send an email so late at night?” That timing was truly strange. “But it’s a small mercy he didn’t call you.” Mark knew Qiqi’s phone number, but at least the young man had the decency to contact Qiqi through Mark instead of getting her number from Mark and calling directly.

“That’s impossible. Mark wouldn't give my number to John without my permission; it’s my privacy.” Wang Qiqi did appreciate that aspect of foreigners; abroad, that number might have been given away easily. “It seems he is genuinely very keen on Yan Yan, but I just find him a bit too haughty.”

Initially, she had just considered John to be Mark’s friend and hadn't paid much attention to him. After gaining a clearer picture later, she naturally started observing him, and the conclusion was that he seemed a little proud.

Shi Man hadn't noticed that aspect. “I just think he might be a bit of a player; he has those classic 'peach blossom eyes.'” While they might look attractive, they gave off a frivolous impression.

Wang Qiqi hadn’t noticed that. Just as she was about to say something, Zhao Rongrong walked in yawning. “Hi, beauty, why aren’t you sleeping in today?” They had gotten up early yesterday; why not sleep in today?

Zhao Rongrong certainly wanted to sleep in, but she had something she needed to explain to Qiqi. When she went to the restroom, she overheard Wang Qiqi and Shi Man talking, so she came downstairs. “I have something to tell you, Qiqi.”

Shi Man understood that the person wanted a private chat with Qiqi and made an excuse to leave.

“I’m really sorry about yesterday,” Zhao Rongrong said sheepishly.

Wang Qiqi found it quite amusing. This wasn't her responsibility, yet the person who should apologize hadn’t shown up, and she was doing it instead. “It’s fine; what she said was, in fact, the truth.” Even if I was angry, would I tell her that? That I was furious yesterday? If word got back to her, she might think I was petty. “I’m a person without grand ambitions; I just want the quiet life I desire. I am not a career woman.” No matter how ambitious one is, Wang Damei was ambitious enough her whole life, right? She dominated Song Wenbo for most of their marriage, but now the bitter fruit was appearing. Even though the couple had reconciled and stopped fighting, internal rumors suggested Song Wenbo was still in contact with that other woman. Wang Qiqi didn’t know if Wang Damei knew or if she knew but pretended not to care.

Zhao Rongrong heard this and knew Qiqi still held a bit of a grudge. She was about to say something when Qiqi continued, “But it’s better than her bottling it up and then exploding suddenly.” Yesterday, after the others left, Qiqi had complained to Han Tao about the incident. Han Tao wasn’t very good at comforting people; he just reasoned with Qiqi, and that last sentence was something Han Tao said yesterday: “I’m not the Gold Coin; I can’t be liked by everyone.”

Zhao Rongrong sighed. What could she say to that? Qiqi must have friction with Shi Hongrui. “No matter what, we are still friends, aren't we?” Zhao Rongrong genuinely didn't want to lose this friend, from any perspective, especially not wanting to damage her relationship with Qiqi because of someone else.

"Of course," Wang Qiqi said with absolute certainty. "You couldn't have slept a wink last night." Now that everything was out in the open, Wang Qiqi finally noticed the profound darkness ringing the other person's eyes. She certainly didn't believe Zhao Rongrong had returned to her room just to keep studying yesterday.

Zhao Rongrong let out a soft hum and stifled a yawn. "I'm heading back to bed now; I'm exhausted." With the problem resolved, the sleepiness immediately washed over her. Catching up on rest was more important. "After this activity wraps up, I plan on leaving that club. I honestly don't think it suits me at all." She had initially been swayed by Shi Hongrui’s promise of meeting more people, but now she figured those people she’d met could be forgotten.