Wang Qiqi yawned as she stepped out of the car. She had fully expected to show up to her graduation ceremony looking a complete mess, but surprisingly, her boss had taken pity on her and let her go early to prepare. Of course, that kindness had little to do with her recent assignment—otherwise, Qiqi suspected her boss wouldn't have been so accommodating.

Never one to refuse an offer from the boss, Qiqi quickly packed up her things and headed home to catch up on sleep. Fortunately, having been cooped up indoors, she’d avoided too much sun, making her skin noticeably paler. While it possessed a slightly unhealthy pallor, Qiqi consoled herself that it was, at least, a successful bout of whitening.

Qiqi pushed open the front door and was greeted by a surprisingly lively atmosphere. "What's all the excitement about?"

Qiqi had intended to jump right into the happy news, but the moment she spoke, her housemates stared at her as if they’d seen a ghost. This stung a little. Fine, she’d been consumed by work and finishing her thesis—she hadn't even had time to come home, let alone reply to emails or chat online. Had something interesting happened while she was gone, something so engaging that they’d all gone silent just because she appeared? "You weren't talking bad about me behind my back, were you?" Besides that possibility, Qiqi couldn't fathom what else would render them so speechless in her presence.

Qiqi’s question only made Shi Man and the others look even stranger. "It really is about me?" What had started as a suspicion solidified into absolute certainty; whatever was happening definitely involved her.

Shi Man and the others exchanged quick glances, realizing they couldn't possibly sweep this under the rug. "That Han Tao guy said he's coming to your graduation ceremony," Shi Man finally broke the silence, deciding to deliver the news they had been discussing. "He said he's bringing you a surprise."

Han Tao coming for her graduation? Qiqi was genuinely stunned by Shi Man’s words. Honestly, Qiqi had desperately wished for family support during her college graduation last year, which Han Tao had missed. He had promised to attend this postgraduate ceremony, yet as the date approached, he hadn't sent an email saying he was flying to the UK. Qiqi knew he was busy with work, but she never expected him to tell Shi Man he was coming. Was he planning a surprise? Even so, Qiqi’s heart felt strangely heavy. A slight, sour ache settled in her chest.

"You don't look happy," Shi Man observed, noticing that the expression on Qiqi's face was anything but joyful. She thought to herself that the damned Han Tao had promised a surprise, but Qiqi seemed to have received the shock without any of the pleasure. Still, Shi Man was looking forward to the follow-up events. "Han Tao just wanted to surprise you. He was worried if you knew he was coming, you'd insist he stay in the States to focus on work." That was entirely plausible; workaholic Qiqi might very well suggest such a thing.

Qiqi shot Shi Man a look. Really, her friend didn't know her at all. Normally, Qiqi certainly wouldn't want Han Tao flying over—it was a waste of time with the travel and jet lag. But this was different; this was her graduation ceremony. "How many more chances will I get to attend my own graduation ceremony? If he comes, it means he still has a conscience." Having family there for such a major milestone made all the difference.

"Right, is your Old Feng coming for your graduation?" Qiqi remembered that Old Feng had gotten busy again. Would he even have time? If he didn't come, Qiqi swore she’d give him a serious lecture—how could he neglect his girlfriend when the wonderful Han Tao, despite his work, was flying over?

"If he doesn't come, I'll kick him out," Shi Man said smugly, noticing Qiqi’s less-than-pleasant glare. "My parents, unfortunately, are tied up with work. And their visas are hard to get." It was always a hassle for civil servants to travel abroad, requiring extensive applications. Shi Man figured it was better to wait until they retired, or until she was settled in the States, so they could visit properly.

"My parents can't come; something came up last minute," Zhang Yan said, her voice laced with disappointment. Her parents had promised to attend, and she had been so excited to introduce them to her boyfriend, but now they weren't coming. Zhang Yan couldn't help but feel let down.

"My mom is coming," Zhao Rongrong announced who would be attending from her family.

Qiqi calculated the situation: at least everyone else had a boyfriend or family member attending. It wouldn't be a completely solitary graduation. "Okay, I’m heading up. I’m exhausted. I need a long bath and a beautiful sleep." She planned on following that up with a face mask; she couldn't show up to her postgraduate ceremony looking haggard. "Do we need to bring cameras that day? And a camcorder? Photos are nice, but video is important too."

"All sorted," Shi Man replied, giving a tired Qiqi, whose eyelids were already drooping but who still kept asking about preparations, a gentle push. "Go on to bed. Tomorrow night, we'll do our masks, and the day after, we'll look gorgeous for graduation."

Since Shi Man assured her everything was handled, Qiqi stopped pestering. Her brain was frankly shutting down for maintenance. Just then, a thought struck her. "Who from Shi Hongrui's family is attending?" Everyone else had family coming; what if she was the only one alone?

"No idea," Shi Man shrugged, indicating her ignorance. "She moved out." Since Hongrui didn't even live there anymore, Shi Man certainly wouldn't be concerned with who attended her graduation. "Rongrong, do you know?" They were from the same hometown; if family was coming, even if they arrived on different flights, surely some news would circulate?

Zhao Rongrong wasn't entirely sure either, but she doubted anyone would be there. "My mom asked her mom. Her mom said Rui Rui told her not to take time off to attend her graduation; she said it’s better to use the time to earn money and look after her younger brother. She said she didn’t care." Zhao Rongrong genuinely couldn't understand why Shi Hongrui, that fool, would turn down such a great opportunity when her parents offered to come. She planned on finding time to talk to her. But Hongrui had moved out again, and whenever Rongrong ran into her on campus, she always gave the impression of being terribly busy. Since Rongrong wasn’t a pushover, after several such encounters, she decided not to pry into Shi Hongrui’s affairs anymore.

Shi Man and Qiqi exchanged a look, abandoning any hope of understanding Hongrui’s thought process. Even if she had issues with her parents, so much time had passed; reconciliation would have been good for everyone. Regardless, Qiqi decided sleep came before graduation.

Upstairs, Qiqi took a bath and then promptly collapsed into bed, sleeping for a full twenty-four hours. Midway through, she vaguely felt someone pushing her, calling her to eat. But Qiqi was deep in restorative slumber and had no intention of waking up. She mumbled a few incoherent words and rolled over, sleeping soundly until her stomach finally staged a loud protest.

In a half-dream state, Qiqi drifted downstairs and vaguely spotted someone sitting on the sofa. "Is there anything to eat in the kitchen? I'm starving."

"Yes, yes, I made some cold noodles for lunch," a voice said, one that was entirely unexpected.

That voice sounded incredibly familiar, but why on earth was she hearing it now? Qiqi blinked her eyes wide open and focused on the source of the sound. "Sister Yaoyao?" Impossible. What was she doing here? Wasn't she busy running her business?

"Auntie, Auntie! Don't forget me!" Little Taotao sounded aggrieved. He might be small, but that didn't mean his own aunt should overlook him. He kicked his little legs and toddled over.

Little Taotao was here too. Wow, what an entourage. "Who else is here?" Qiqi wondered if Song Yao had actually brought the little rascal Taotao along by herself. Surely her brother-in-law was here too, otherwise, she couldn't possibly manage him alone.

"Where's Brother-in-law?" Qiqi searched but couldn't spot him. "Sister, when did you arrive?" Song Yao didn't look like someone struggling with severe jet lag.

"Auntie, Dad didn't come. Grandma Luo came with us. We've been here for several days," little Taotao chirped, quickly spilling all the details about who was present, how long they’d been there, and where they’d been sightseeing.

What? Future Mother-in-law was here, and they’d already spent several days touring London and the nearby cities? Qiqi realized why everyone looked relatively fresh; they hadn't just endured a long flight. She immediately felt embarrassed. Not only had she missed picking up her future mother-in-law from the airport, but she had also shown her the absolute worst version of herself. "I slept for so long... did she say anything?" Qiqi asked Song Yao quietly, glancing around sheepishly.

Song Yao had been considering teasing Qiqi, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. This girl took her health far too lightly. Shi Man had mentioned Qiqi had lost weight recently, but seeing her in person—even while she was asleep—Song Yao could tell things weren't ideal. While her own sister wasn't fat, she was nowhere near this skeletal frame. Seeing Qiqi now, she looked like a piece of paper. "She just said you're too thin and that you’ll suffer when you have children. She told you not to work so hard. Your Han Tao is busy, but if you keep pushing yourself like this, can your body handle it?"

Qiqi understood that despite their chiding, they were acting out of concern. She vowed repeatedly that she wouldn't do this again. "Right, has Han Tao arrived?" He was supposed to come, but she hadn't seen him yet. Could he be messing with her? Or perhaps he decided not to come now that Song Yao and the others were here.

"He took your mother-in-law out sightseeing," Song Yao patted Qiqi’s hand. "I'm going to fix you something to eat. You watch Taotao for a bit." Song Yao gave her son a quick instruction not to be too mischievous before heading into the kitchen to prepare food for Qiqi.