Room 303 of the women's dormitory, a two-person room.

Pan Ge returned to the dormitory, her face cold. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she became.

But she remained silent, sitting in her chair, quietly plotting something.

Tofu, filled with righteous indignation, spoke up for her. "How can that dog be so despicable?! Lies just roll off his tongue!"

After a burst of cursing, she suddenly changed the subject. "Hey, did you two really go on a date?"

Though her face was round and comically pleasant, she somehow managed to contort it into a sly, rat-like expression.

Pan Ge rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You're something else, aren't you? Gossiping about me right under my nose?"

Tofu snickered sheepishly. "It's just so interesting..."

Everyone else's love triangles involve two women fighting over a man, but yours is all about backstabbing each other. I've never seen anything like it... Han Lie is incredible!

Pan Ge narrowed her eyes at her. "Whose side are you actually on?"

"Of course, I'll always support you!" Tofu swore, raising her hand, then muttered, "The thing is, I can't really get involved in this..."

Pan Ge, exasperated, scolded her, her disappointment clear. "Look at the sisterhood in 'Tiny Times'! How did Tang Wanru treat Gu Li? Now look at yourself!"

Tofu immediately rolled up her sleeves. "Just tell me, how do you want to deal with Han Lie? Watch me take care of him!"

Pan Ge couldn't help but laugh despite her anger.

Wearily, she waved her hand. "Get lost! Let me rest for a bit..."

"Aye, got it!" Tofu saluted, then, humming a tune, sauntered across the hall to visit the room opposite.

Watching her retreating figure, Pan Ge let out a self-deprecating laugh, whispering softly, "One smarter than the next..."

A wave of sadness began to permeate the dark dormitory.

It was true that Tofu deliberately acted silly to cheer her up.

It was also true that Tofu only wanted to watch the drama unfold, unwilling to get involved in her affairs with Xi Luting and Han Lie.

She could feel Tofu's genuine concern, and beneath it, a respectful distance.

Simply put—Tofu was willing to be her classmate, roommate, and good friend, but not a closer confidante or sister, not someone to be deeply involved in each other's lives.

Why was it like this?

The Pan Ge from three years ago couldn't have understood. Now, she did.

For someone from a family like hers, it was destined to be difficult to find true friends.

Children from less privileged backgrounds could get hurt if they got too close to her.

She could effortlessly change the course of someone else's life, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

And when she needed help, the resulting turmoil could very well shatter their world.

Therefore, intelligent people would always maintain a respectful distance from those with a vast difference in social standing.

We don't try to curry favor with those far above us.

We don't condescend to those far beneath us.

The former too easily become sycophants, while with the latter, one often learns the truth of the saying, 'A small favor earns gratitude, but a large one can breed resentment.'

If you still don't understand, try putting yourself in their shoes. Imagine sharing a dorm room with someone like Si Cong for four years. What do you think the outcome would be?

Surely, no naive soul truly believes they could become good buddies with Si Cong, right?

That was reality, and no one could change it.

Pan Ge could understand, yet she often felt lonely.

At eighteen, she hadn't yet learned to appreciate that kind of solitude.

Hugging her knees, curled up in her chair, she started thinking about Han Lie to give herself something to do.

—Not in a longing way, but purely analyzing and reminiscing.

Ever since she met Han Lie, her life had undergone earth-shattering changes.

Their first encounter had actually been quite pleasant. They had conversed with a great sense of mutual understanding, and seeing Xi Luting flustered, plus the unexpected sharing of a table, had been full of pleasant surprises.

The second time was even more amusing: watching Xi Luting get thoroughly outmaneuvered in the cafeteria by the combined efforts of Yu Yun and Han Lie had made her laugh for an entire day.

But from that day on, the situation had taken a sharp downturn.

A frenzied Xi Luting had completely shattered her peaceful life.

Zhou Ci and Dan Zihao, spurred by a sense of urgency, had brought even more troubles.

Then came the third encounter, the one with the hairy crabs...

Absolutely terrifying!

There was the unexpected encounter with her father, then, less surprisingly, Xi Luting showing up, followed by that dog Han Lie swaggering off, and finally, another clumsy, staged 'chance meeting' by Dan Zihao...

She had spent money only to bring a heap of frustration upon herself!

And finally, today: Pan Pan's Wondrous Adventures.

How had a small, ill-intentioned joke escalated to this?

So much for that. The target of the prank wasn't much affected, yet she, the prankster, was seething with anger.

And, without a doubt, rumors would be flying everywhere tomorrow.

Spreading rumors about me is one thing, but why did you have to swipe my spoon too?!

It's unthinkable—or at least, it shouldn't be—but it was truly unexpected how utterly shameless that dog could be!

Pan Ge decided to retaliate.

But the more she thought, the less she knew how to begin.

That dog... he was like an enigma.

Freshman and sophomore boys could be cunning, slick, sharp, or agile, but there was always a limit. Who among them could be as old-handedly treacherous as he was?

It was simply outrageous.

Everyone had weaknesses, and Han Lie surely had his, but Pan Ge hadn't found any.

That essentially meant he had no exploitable weakness.

Moreover, she wasn't like Xi Luting. Xi Luting genuinely dared to go all out, using herself as a wager, as a weapon. Pan Ge couldn't bring herself to do that.

It was precisely because she lacked that "ruthless" streak that Xi Luting constantly overshadowed her.

After today's events, she suddenly realized that Han Lie not only possessed Xi Luting's ruthlessness but also a cunning and cleverness that Xi Luting lacked.

It was too difficult...

Pan Ge racked her brain but couldn't devise a foolproof plan.

She frowned, a picture of classic, poignant distress.

Much later, Tofu suddenly sent her a file, exclaiming loudly for her to look.

"Wow, Pan Pan, look, quick!

The internal class rankings for today's A-share competition are out! The Student Union compared the top earners and compiled a list of the top 50. Han Lie is actually on it!"

A vague idea flickered in Pan Ge's mind, then quickly vanished.

She hurriedly opened the file and soon found Han Lie's name, holdings, and total earnings at the 9th position.

No.9, School of Business Finance Class, Han Lie, Kaiyuan 5,000 shares, current price 15.99, +8%.

As someone who generally just drifted along, Pan Ge didn't quite grasp the true significance of this ranking.

So she asked Tofu directly, "Is 9th place very impressive?"

"Wait a second!" Tofu replied. With those three words, she then clattered back from the opposite dorm, brimming with excitement to give Pan Ge the lowdown.

"You want to know Han Lie's real skill level, right?

Theoretically, an 8% return in two days is already very strong.

But, the current situation is Special, so you can't judge it that simply.

Yesterday and today were rebound periods for the market. The competition started right when the market rebounded, so a lot of lucky folks got unusually high returns.

Take Dan Zihao, for example. He was just here, strutting around and bragging as if he were unbeatable.

But you know what his actual skill level is, don't you?

Yesterday, he casually went all-in. After a 13% rebound over two days, he easily snatched first place.

The question is: can he maintain it?

Definitely not! He's just not cut out for it. Luck might let him win once, but sooner or later, his lack of actual skill will make him lose it all.

There are many people like him, all high up on the list!

The real experts, when faced with such a terrible market, are generally very cautious. They either keep their positions light or diversify their investments across several stocks. Their earnings in the first two days are actually not that high.

To put it bluntly, those with real skill play it steady and safe. Only dabblers with superficial knowledge would go all-in like that!

So, what's Han Lie's level?

Using eighty percent of his capital to go all-in on a single stock? There's an eighty percent chance he's a rookie!

However, hitting the daily limit up for two consecutive days and successfully profiting from it—just looking at that style, it's not simple.

So, I'd bet on the other twenty percent probability—he's a pro!

But there's no need to rush to a judgment. We'll have a clearer picture after watching for one more day.

If he still manages to profit tomorrow, you might as well just start calling him 'hubby'!

Hey, why are you asking this?"

Pan Ge smiled faintly, a very gentle expression. "Me? I plan to help him make a name for himself..."

Seeing her smile, Tofu involuntarily shivered.

Pan Ge took out her phone, opened VX, and sent a message to Xi Luting.

"I saw Han Lie made it onto the A-share competition campus-wide rankings. Such good luck!"

When Xi Luting received the message, she was grinding her teeth in frustration as she looked at the rankings. That damn man, he just got lucky!

But as soon as she saw Pan Ge's comment, she was instantly displeased.

Since when did my idol rely on luck to get by?

She immediately typed a rapid reply.

"What do you mean, 'luck'? You little dunce, don't they teach investment in your English and Finance major? Have you ever seen a newbie dare to show off their moves on a stock that's already hit its daily limit up?"

Pan Ge: "Oh? So, you're saying he really is skilled?"

Xi Luting: "Of course! A while ago... never mind, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. Anyway, that guy is pretty impressive."

Pan Ge: "How can I understand if you don't tell me?"

Xi Luting: "Submissive Pan, you're acting fishy! Are you up to no good?"

Pan Ge: "You're the one acting fishy. Where's your usual aloofness?"

Xi Luting: "Come on upstairs. Once you've got the collar on, I'll immediately give you a demonstration of an aloof Queen!"

The conversation is veering off track...

Pan Ge decisively put Xi Luting aside and then found a phone number.

"Hello, Teacher Che."

"Hey, hey, Pan Ge, hello, hello! Is something the matter? Don't worry, you can tell Uncle Che anything!"

"Oh, it's nothing major. I just wanted to ask if the school has any plans to focus the next phase of publicity on the stock trading competition?"

"Uh... normally, it depends on the results. If there are good results, then naturally, we'll focus on it! Of course, to encourage the students, the college administration also has an obligation to do mid-term promotional campaigns..."

The implication was clear—if you want it, it can happen.

Pan Ge had known it would be like this and smiled subtly.

"I have a friend, Han Lie, from the School of Business Finance. I feel his skills could be a key feature for publicity..."

"Alright, alright! Han Lie, you said? I'll look up his information tomorrow. Are we aiming for an 'Outstanding Student' award or a 'Progressive Scholarship'? The procedures for them are a bit different..."

Pan Ge replied seriously, "Publicity is one thing, but the awards at the end of the semester must be based on actual results; otherwise, it will be difficult to convince everyone."

Teacher Che was stumped.

What does she mean? Promote him, but not for any tangible benefit?

Although he didn't quite understand, it didn't prevent him from grasping what he needed to do.

He thumped his chest resoundingly. "Don't worry, the college administration will start drafting a publicity plan right away!"

"Then I'll have to trouble you."

Pan Ge hung up, satisfied.

Tofu gave her a thumbs-up, her face full of admiration. "You're the truly ruthless one... Little Lie is in for some serious trouble this time. He's going to be roasted over the fire, and he won't get to enjoy any of the spoils..."

It was more than just not getting any spoils. If he was praised too highly and his final performance didn't meet expectations, he could suffer a major downfall.

If he messed up too badly, the resulting social death could be as epic as that 'Little Cucumber Balala Transformation' meme...

Pan Ge smirked proudly, her expression a mix of coyness and arrogance, muttering, "He dared to swipe my spoon? Hmph! That blind fool!"

"Are you sure it's just because of a spoon?" Tofu winked, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Is it really not because he resisted your charms and actually turned the tables on you?"

Pan Ge avoided the question.

Humming happily, she went to freshen up.

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