Qi Xiuyi originally thought that adapting to dorm life would be the biggest challenge he would face this semester.

But when the butler left and Qi Xiuyi truly began his independent campus life, he discovered in despair that life was simply a giant black hole!

The second day of school.

Qi Xiuyi dazedly ran to knock on the door of 509.

Qi Xiuyi: “Qi Wendong, what do you do for your three meals?”

Qi Wendong asked in confusion: “? I eat at the cafeteria.”

Qi Xiuyi said with forbearance: “Where did you get so much living allowance?”

Qi Wendong frowned: “What are you talking about? A meal at the cafeteria is only ten or twenty yuan. You… wait, you’re out of living allowance? Three thousand yuan a month, and it’s only the second day of school?”

Qi Xiuyi broke down: “It’s gone! I saw a piece of high-quality jade while shopping yesterday. That seller was blind, to actually…”

Qi Wendong sneered: “Serves you right. There are plenty of bubble tea shops on the pedestrian street outside the south gate hiring people to shake bubble tea. Go yourself. Just don’t mention the Qi family when you go!”

The third day of school.

Qi Xiuyi ran to knock on the door of 509 in a state of collapse.

Qi Xiuyi: “Qi Wendong! Let’s go home after school this afternoon!”

Qi Wendong said coldly: “What, can’t take it anymore? It’s Wednesday. If you go home tonight, you lose.”

Qi Xiuyi said angrily: “Who can’t take it? You’re the one who can’t take it! I have no more clothes to wear!”

Qi Wendong was confused: “Didn’t you bring seven sets of clothes?”

Qi Xiuyi said, aggrieved: “I have to wear two sets of clothes a day, one for the morning and one for the afternoon! If I need to go out at night, I have to change again…”

Qi Wendong smiled: “Moving your noble little hands to wash clothes with the dorm’s washing machine won’t kill you.”

The fourth day of school.

Qi Xiuyi ran to knock on the door of 509, looking pitiful.

Qi Xiuyi: “Qi Wendong…”

Qi Wendong couldn’t bear it anymore: “How many times a week are you going to come find me?”

Qi Xiuyi stared at him resentfully: “A whole week of school has passed, and I haven’t received a single invitation to a meal. How are you going to compensate me?”

Qi Wendong was confused: “What does this have to do with me?”

Qi Xiuyi said huffily: “Of course it has to do with you! If you hadn’t stolen all my friends, how would I have ended up in this state! I… I now even have to find my own seat in morning classes!”

Qi Wendong had a realization: “So it’s not that your friends are gone, it’s that your followers are gone.”

Qi Wendong mocked: “That’s perfect. It’s about time you learned what it means to live independently!”

The fifth day of school.

Qi Xiuyi didn’t knock on the door of the fifth floor for the entire day.

The system whispered darkly in the host’s ear: “The little brother is quiet, he must be up to something!”

The host was also puzzled at first. After thinking for a moment, he let out a light laugh: “From what I see, he has a guilty conscience.”
The system was baffled. The system didn’t understand.

But soon, it understood why the host had said that.

At five in the afternoon, the host went to knock on the door of 101 to find his younger brother, intending to ask if they should leave the school and go home together.

The moment he knocked, a wail came from inside the room. “Ah, my stomach hurts! Qi Wendong, you go out by yourself, wait for me in the car!”

At ten past five, the host was sitting leisurely in the back seat of the car, chatting with the butler.

Qi Xiuyi’s figure appeared at the school gate, but he hesitated to get in the car. Saying something about wanting to have the back row to himself to sleep, he ran to sit in the bodyguard’s car behind them.

At six in the evening, the two cars returned home. The host, self-reliantly pulling his suitcase, entered the elevator and held the open-door button, waiting for Qi Xiuyi to enter.

But Qi Xiuyi glanced at him, shook his head without a word, and stomped up the stairs.

The main theme was that from the end of school to getting home, he didn’t give Qi Wendong any opportunity to meet or communicate from beginning to end.

System: “…?”
The system was greatly alarmed: “Just how big of a ghost is hiding in Qi Xiuyi’s heart!”
The system’s thoughts ran wild: “He couldn’t be preparing for an uprising, rebellion, and usurpation of power, could he, Host!”
Lin Chen chuckled: “You’ll know at dinner.”

Today was the first week the two young masters had come home from school.
Dinner was very sumptuous.

Qi Wendong sat properly at the dining table early on, waiting for everyone to gather to start the meal. However, after waiting for a long time, Qi Xiuyi still hadn’t come out of his room.

The butler knocked on his door several times, and the replies he got were: “I’ll be there in a minute!” and “How about you bring it into my room for me to eat!”

Hearing this, Qi Wendong said lightly: “What a pity. Tonight’s menu was made according to Xiuyi’s list of favorite foods.”

Inside the room, a stomach: “Growl—”

Qi Wendong sighed leisurely: “Just give him a couple of vegetables. He doesn’t look like he wants to eat much. You can share these dishes with me…”

Qi Xiuyi was annoyed: “…Who’s not eating! Qi Wendong, don’t you dare make decisions for me!”

Qi Xiuyi finally came out slowly, moved to the dining table with a sullen face, his stomach growling non-stop.

But he didn’t sit down either.

He directly took a bowl, stood there, and after picking and choosing and fiercely piling a large bowl full of meat, he handed it, along with a bowl of rice, to the butler to carry, and proudly announced: “I’m going to my room to eat. You can slowly eat the rest of the dishes here by yourself!”

Qi Wendong propped up his head, watching as Qi Xiuyi was about to turn and leave again.

He suddenly smiled: “By the way, Qi Xiuyi, your three thousand yuan of living allowance was all spent on the second day. How have you been eating these past few days?”

Qi Xiuyi’s body stiffened, and he immediately quickened his pace.

But this couldn’t stop Qi Wendong’s evil voice from lightly drifting into his ears.

Qi Wendong tilted his head: “Let me think. You don’t seem to have made any new friends recently…”

Qi Wendong let out a soft “hiss” and raised his eyebrows exaggeratedly: “Oh my, you couldn’t have been mooching off your roommate, the scholarship student, for a week, could you!”

Qi Xiuyi didn’t even turn his head, just hummed calmly: “Qi Wendong, don’t spread rumors!”

Qi Wendong propped his face up with both hands with great interest: “Oh? Really not? Hey, Qi Xiuyi, why are you so nervous that you’re walking with your arm and leg on the same side moving together?”

The moment his words fell, the young master in the distance immediately stumbled and adjusted his arms and legs in a fluster.

This time, his arms and legs weren’t moving together anymore.
Because the frequency of his arms and legs was completely out of sync, they couldn’t match up at all!

The system mocked: “Oops, his brain has noticed his hands and feet!”

The butler chimed in with surprise at just the right time: “What, Young Master Xiuyi has already used up his living allowance?!”

Qi Wendong saw that Qi Xiuyi was still stubbornly holding his neck high, looking unwilling to admit it.

He strode forward, his figure radiating a strong desire to escape the scene.

Qi Wendong replied to the butler with a smile: “Yes, I even kindly advised him to go shake bubble tea.”

He sighed leisurely: “It’s a pity some people are so thick-skinned. They can actually lower themselves to mooch off a scholarship student!”

Qi Wendong “tsked”: “I wonder what kind of expression Dad or Yu Zhiqiu would have if they knew about this…”

“…Qi! Wen! Dong!”

Qi Xiuyi couldn’t bear it anymore. His eyes blazing with fire, he turned around and glared: “I’m warning you, if you dare to spread this around, I’ll, I’ll sever my brotherly relationship with you!”

Qi Wendong raised an eyebrow: “Oh, so you really did mooch?”

Qi Xiuyi’s face flushed red: “It was only for two days! I’ll pay him back the money for the meals as soon as I get my living allowance next month!”

Qi Wendong turned to look at the butler: “I remember when you asked the school for his information before, how much did it say his roommate spends on food in the cafeteria a month?”

The butler hesitated: “I think… I think it’s less than three hundred yuan.”

Qi Wendong covered his mouth in surprise: “Less than three hundred! Then if Xiuyi mooched off him for two days, will he still have enough living allowance to eat for the rest of the month?”

Qi Xiuyi was equally stunned: “What, three hundred??”

The butler recalled: “Yes, according to his advisor, he seems to spend a lot of money on medical expenses every month. His work-study and scholarship money are almost all used for that, so he only has three hundred yuan left for food each month.”

The butler said with pity: “This child’s legs and feet are also not good, so he can’t even do temporary work. No wonder he looked so thin when school started last week.”

Qi Xiuyi was dumbfounded, trying hard to comprehend the monetary figures: “…”

Qi Wendong lamented: “Listen, listen, the dignified young master of the Qi family, with able hands and feet, has been reduced to mooching off a disabled scholarship student who only has three hundred yuan for food a month!”

“Hey, it just so happens I need to call Dad tonight. If Dad knew about this…”

Qi Xiuyi was going crazy: “…Ahhhh don’t say it! Qi Wendong, just leave me some face, can’t I just stop mooching!”

Qi Wendong glanced at him: “Oh? If you don’t mooch off him, how are you going to eat this month?”

Qi Xiuyi held his neck high: “I’ll, I’ll go shake bubble tea, alright! It’s just money for food, isn’t it easy to earn!”

The brave words were spoken.

But when Qi Xiuyi returned to school on the new Monday and really went to the pedestrian street outside the south gate as Qi Wendong had said last week…

Passing Young Master A: “Yo, isn’t this Xiuyi? Haven’t seen you in a while. How’s it going recently? How are you getting along with that new guy in your family?”
Passing Young Master B: “Hey, Brother Xiuyi! Out to have fun? Let’s go, let’s go check out the antique street?”
Passing Young Master C: “Did you know, the XX family recently released a XXXX? I remember this is your favorite style, want to go get a set together?”
Passing Young Masters D, E, F…

Qi Xiuyi was numb: “…”

I’m tired, just destroy me.
Why does the whole world know me at a time like this!
Shake bubble tea? What bubble tea? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing myself in front of the whole world!

Qi Xiuyi…
Qi Xiuyi ran to knock on the door of 509 in a state of collapse.

Qi Xiuyi wailed: “Qi Wendong—”

Qi Wendong opened the door and smilingly stuffed a three-piece set of a mask, sunglasses, and a hat into his hands.

Qi Wendong: “Free sponsorship, no need to thank me. Pay back your roommate’s meal money within three days, otherwise I’ll go and help you publicize this matter for free at the banquet this weekend.”

Qi Xiuyi screamed in terror: “Qi! Wen! Dong!!”

…

Lin Ruyan finished a day of studying in the school’s computer lab. It was already eleven-thirty at night when he returned to the dorm.

He quietly supported himself with his crutch, walking very slowly, afraid of disturbing the students in the other dorms on the first floor.

Finally, he reached the innermost part of the first-floor corridor and gently opened the door—

“Lin Ruyan! You’re finally back!”

His new roommate cheerfully jumped in front of him.

Lin Ruyan was startled. After recognizing his roommate, he made a “shh” sound, gently closed the door, entered the dorm, and then said helplessly:
“It’s eleven-thirty, be quiet, everyone is asleep. What’s wrong, Xiuyi, you seem to be in a good mood today?”

Qi Xiuyi triumphantly slapped the table: “Ta-da, look!”

Lin Ruyan looked over in confusion, only to see two hundred-yuan bills slapped squarely on his desk.

Qi Xiuyi held his chin high: “This is what I earned with my own! hands! these past two days—Here, paying you back for the meals.”

Lin Ruyan blinked in confusion. It took him a while to discern a hint of seeking credit in Qi Xiuyi’s expression.

He didn’t stand on ceremony and accepted it with a smile: “That’s really impressive. Thank you.”

Seeing this, Qi Xiuyi said even more excitedly: “Hey, let me tell you, these past two days when I was working, the boss kept praising me for learning fast and doing a good job! He even secretly gave me a 30% raise!”

Lin Ruyan recalled his own past experiences with temporary work. In all the shops he had worked at, no boss had ever given him a raise just because he was a fast learner.

But he didn’t say it out loud.

Instead, he smiled and encouraged: “That’s great. Xiuyi is so amazing.”

Qi Xiuyi was indeed happy to hear this. He leaned back in his chair, his feet propped up on the table, and swayed back and forth: “Hey, you know, it’s actually quite interesting to experience life like this occasionally.”

“You know, if I told Qi Wendong about this…”
“Tsk, forget it. That guy Qi Wendong, all he knows is how to belittle and put me down! I’m not telling him!”

Lin Ruyan smiled: “But he’s your brother. If you tell him good news, how could he not be happy for you?”

Qi Xiuyi rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath: “What brother, he’s not…”

Qi Xiuyi propped up his head huffily. His eyes unintentionally swept over the Advanced Mathematics (Volume 1) textbook that had been spread open on the desk for a full three hours.

Three hours had passed, and not a single page of the book had been turned.

However, next Saturday was the school’s scheduled make-up exam for Advanced Mathematics (Volume 1).

Qi Xiuyi clutched his head and wailed in agony, wondering why on earth his brain had been so hot-headed as to make such a bet with Qi Wendong.

This is just looking for trouble where there is none!
Waking up to my own stupid remarks every day doesn’t seem like such an unbearable thing!
At least compared to things like advanced math…
Ahhhhh!

Lin Ruyan had already finished washing up and was slowly returning to the room with his crutch. Seeing his state, he leaned his head over to take a look with some confusion.

Lin Ruyan: “Volume 1? Isn’t this from last semester?”

Qi Xiuyi’s eyes lit up. He suddenly grabbed Lin Ruyan: “Lin! Ru! Yan! I remember now, your grades are excellent, right!”

Lin Ruyan was startled by him and almost lost his footing: “They’re, they’re alright?”

Qi Xiuyi pressed on: “What did you get in advanced math?”

Lin Ruyan recalled: “For Volume 1… over ninety, I think. Ninety-seven or ninety-eight, I don’t remember clearly.”

Qi Xiuyi’s eyes burst with excited light, as if he had grasped some opportunity for victory.

He excitedly and sincerely held Lin Ruyan’s hand and said: “I have a great idea! How about you teach me these make-up exam subjects? The requirement isn’t high, as long as I can surpass Qi Wendong, I’m confident I can make him split his living allowance with us!”

“When we get the money, we’ll split it fifty-fifty, how about it!”

Lin Ruyan frowned: “Living allowance? That’s not right. If we take your brother’s living allowance, then he…”

Qi Xiuyi: “Oh, don’t worry about him! My expenses are controlled by the family, but his aren’t! Based on my previous living allowance, he should have at least…”

Qi Xiuyi hesitated for a moment. His excited brain finally considered his roommate’s ability to accept this, and he cautiously lowered the number by several orders of magnitude.

“…at least fifty thousand.”

Lin Ruyan: “…”
Lin Ruyan was dumbfounded: “…How m-much a month?”

Qi Xiuyi spread his hand wide and swore confidently: “Fifty thousand!”
“As long as the bet goes smoothly, we can split twenty-five thousand, and with half for each of us, that’s twelve thousand five hundred!”

Lin Ruyan’s heart wavered. His face was full of struggle. He asked cautiously: “What are the subjects?”

Qi Xiuyi laughed loudly: “There are so many! If one subject doesn’t work, we’ll move on to the next. I refuse to believe that among so many subjects, there isn’t a single one where I can surpass Qi Wendong!”

The more Qi Xiuyi thought about it, the more motivated he became. He immediately wanted to rush out of the dorm and climb up to the fifth floor.

It was Lin Ruyan who called out to him: “It’s already twelve o’clock!”

Qi Xiuyi braked urgently and smoothly pulled out his phone. Before Lin Ruyan could stop him, Qi Xiuyi’s call had already gone through.

Qi Xiuyi solemnly and forcefully placed his index finger to his lips, not letting Lin Ruyan make a single sound.

Soon, the call connected.

Qi Xiuyi: “Hello? Qi Wendong!”
Qi Xiuyi said aggressively: “I thought about it seriously tonight and found that our competition is too unfair to me—I spend so much time working outside to earn money for food every day, my review time is much less than yours!”
“So I propose! If I can score higher than you in any exam…”