The next morning, after washing up, Qi left the dormitory, intending to head to the canteen to buy breakfast.
Today, she wore the dress Jiang Wanli had chosen for her, and her White Silk Stockings were still the ones Luo Qing had given her.
She had tested it yesterday.
Just as she had suspected, the thinner the fabric, the more comfortable it was.
The thicker the fabric, the easier it was to trigger the Weak Leg Debuff.
Those White Silk Stockings were like novice equipment in a video game, combining many advantages.
They were thin and light yet opaque, but she only had this one pair.
Once she washed them, she wouldn’t have a replacement.
So, after repeatedly confirming there was no odor, Qi decided to wear them for one more day.
When she arrived at the canteen, Qi was surprised to find Jiang Wanli there as well.
It wasn’t exactly a shock, but it was the first time she had run into her during breakfast.
“Good morning, Sister Xiaoli!”
Since they happened to meet, she naturally went over to greet her with full vitality.
“Good morning,” Jiang Wanli replied with a smile.
“Is that the dress I picked out yesterday?”
“Yes, it fits perfectly.”
The black-haired girl did a small twirl in front of her.
“It is very beautiful,” the girl said, not holding back her praise.
“Then Sister Xiaoli, let’s go buy breakfast together!”
Entering the first-floor breakfast area, Qi originally intended to buy two steamed buns as usual, but Jiang Wanli led her to the porridge section.
“Give me one order of lean meat porridge and one seafood porridge.”
“Eh? Two bowls of porridge?”
Qi subconsciously covered her small mouth.
“We will eat together. Is something wrong?”
“Nothing, it’s just that the porridge here is very expensive…”
Actually, except for the steamed buns, nothing was cheap.
“What does it matter? Didn’t you pay for the movie and the milk tea yesterday?”
Jiang Wanli smiled faintly.
“Alright then, thank you, Sister Xiaoli.”
Accepting kindness appropriately was also a way to increase favorability.
Carrying the steaming porridge, the two of them sat down at a nearby table.
Unsurprisingly, Jiang Wanli pushed the seafood porridge in front of the black-haired girl.
Qi picked up her spoon and gently stirred the thick porridge.
Looking at the shrimp, crab meat, and diced carrots swirling inside, her thoughts were focused on Jiang Wanli, who had already begun eating.
‘This girl is sharp,’ Qi thought.
She believed she rarely let her true emotions show on the surface, yet Jiang Wanli could sense what she liked, hated, feared, or tolerated with just a single glance.
Her dislike of meat had been pointed out during their second meeting while sharing a steak.
Her fear of spiders was discovered when the other girl suggested watching a horror movie.
And the fact that she didn’t dislike seafood had been noticed, even though Qi had deliberately shared half of the fish and shrimp with her last time.
It was as if Jiang Wanli knew everything from the start and understood her perfectly.
Jiang Wanli could easily perceive her habits, preferences, and emotions, yet Qi still hadn’t seen through the girl beside her at all.
She didn’t understand what kind of person Jiang Wanli really was.
Just like her initial feeling, Qi could not sense any Malice from Jiang Wanli.
What a person likes or dislikes, the kindness they show, and their outward persona—these can all be faked, just like what she was currently doing.
But Malice is real.
Malice can disprove lies.
Like a mirror in water, it can reveal the true nature behind all actions and disguises.
This was Qi’s long-standing method for reading people, and it was also the reason she couldn’t see through Jiang Wanli.
If a person is completely open and honest, they naturally won’t harbor Malice.
However, everyone has things they want to hide, so it is impossible for them to be without it.
Could Jiang Wanli really be such a frank and upright person, with a heart so pure that she had nothing to hide?
Qi didn’t believe such a person truly existed.
She preferred to believe that Jiang Wanli was the type of person who hid her true nature along with her Malice, deceiving everyone.
That better fit her usual understanding of the world.
***
After breakfast, the black-haired girl parted ways with Jiang Wanli and returned to the classroom.
This time, being in the classroom was different.
Instead of dully waiting for the morning to end, she had to actively try to learn something.
Then, she realized she had been a bit too optimistic.
‘I don’t understand a thing…’
Qi slumped onto her desk helplessly.
She had never studied seriously before, so how could she possibly listen now?
It was as if everyone else had started building walls while she hadn’t even laid the foundation.
She didn’t know how to lay it, and there was no one to teach her.
She heard half and forgot half.
The other half was recorded in her notebook, though she didn’t even know if copying it down would be useful later.
It seemed she had to find another way to make up for the knowledge she had missed; otherwise, listening in class would be a waste of effort.
In other words, passing that Monthly Exam really was an impossible task.
Even if she studied seriously, it seemed unattainable.
“It’s so exhausting. Can I really do it in a month?”
She heard that many students went to the School library to self-study, and that was also where the Learning Committee mostly operated.
Maybe she should check it out another day?
The biggest headache for Qi right now was not knowing where to start.
She could only take it one step at a time.
***
After finishing her morning ordeal, the black-haired girl returned to the dormitory, where Su Xiaoqie was already waiting for her.
“Let’s go, let’s go! I already have Uncle Wang waiting for us outside the School! Hehe —”
Indeed, her roommate could no longer wait to see the character skin she had been dreaming of, so she had arranged to take Qi to see the new job this afternoon.
The black-haired girl could only let out a long sigh.
“Let’s get this straight first: I won’t do any work that is too much.”
“I know, I know! Hurry up!”
Su Xiaoqie turned her around and pushed the small girl out of the dormitory.
After getting into Su Xiaoqie’s car, Qi looked at the scenery outside the window and silently estimated the distance of the trip.
It wasn’t far.
The car stopped after only a few minutes.
The distance was roughly the same as the walk from the School to the Hair Salon where she used to work.
She had never been here when she was looking for a job before, but that was normal.
With her short legs, it was difficult to explore the entire area surrounding the School.
After getting out of the car, Qi looked up at the Coffee Shop.
The decor was exquisite, showing that a lot of thought had gone into the design.
The location was prime, though there weren’t many customers inside.
She pushed the door open and walked in with Su Xiaoqie.
Qi looked around; the layout of the shop was very stylized.
For example, there were pink bows on the backs of the chairs and cute lace along the edges of the tables.
The girlish atmosphere was quite thick.
Everything looked brand new, as if it had only recently opened.
At the counter, a beautiful woman was taking a nap.
Seemingly hearing the wind chimes as the door opened, she slowly opened her eyes and stretched her arms.
“You’re here~”