Xia Xiaolan had initially planned to end her lease, but considering she still needed to travel to New York for Mrs. Wilson’s theater renovation, staying in hotels wouldn’t be cheaper than keeping the apartment. So she decided to keep it for now.

The only change was that instead of sharing it with Daisy, she would now rent it alone.

Xia Xiaolan didn’t want to find another roommate either.

Who could she possibly share with?

Strangers would be troublesome, and as for the women she knew in New York – Jiang Yan, Zhou Yi, Song Minglan… including Han Jin – she wouldn’t want to live with any of them.

Trying to save money at the cost of peace of mind would truly be a losing deal!

“I can’t believe the internship is already over,” Daisy said.

It took Daisy over a month to adjust to Foster & Associates, and just when she started feeling comfortable in the last two weeks, the internship came to an end.

Still, Daisy was happy. Foster’s internship salary was comparable to what Xia Xiaolan earned at GMP.

Although Daisy didn’t receive any project bonuses, she still earned nearly $2,800 in two months.

This completely covered her expenses in New York for the internship period, including rent, food, and gas. Daisy gained valuable experience without financial burden, making these two months memorable.

Xia Xiaolan earned even more – besides the two months’ salary, she received a $2,000 bonus.

There was also the pending bonus from the theater renovation project.

Being a school-arranged internship meant she could legally earn wages instead of working under the table.

Compared to Zhou Yi’s $1.50 per hour under-the-table wage, the difference was stark… Education matters worldwide, especially in America. The student loans young people take on are worthwhile – just like Daisy, after graduating from Cornell, her salary wouldn’t be lower than what she earned during these two months of internship.

A good school and a relevant major gave Daisy a competitive advantage in her career.

Without education or specialized skills, working at a minimum wage of $4 per hour, ten hours a day, would only yield $1,200 monthly.

And people need days off each month, right?

So it wouldn’t even reach $1,200!

As students, a monthly income of $1,200 might feel luxurious, but after graduation, that same income wouldn’t even cover student loan payments.

With such income, how could one hope to buy a house?

Even with a down payment, the mortgage would be impossible to pay.

Living decently in America requires considerable effort.

Xia Xiaolan helped Daisy pack most of her things, “If we can’t fit everything in one trip, I can bring the rest when I come to the city next week.”

Daisy forced boxes into her trunk, “How did we accumulate so much stuff in just two months in New York? I hope Richard and Lyle have fewer things!”

Richard and Lyle didn’t have cars, so they needed rides back to Ithaca.

Matthew Carlton was also joining them.

Even though Xia Xiaolan had mentioned the GMP internship was over and they’d part ways, he still hung around her persistently – not because he liked her romantically, but rather like a subordinate admiring their boss!

When Xia Xiaolan and Daisy were moving, Matthew came bouncing around to help.

Acting as if he had impressive muscles, he seemed to forget he was just as physically weak as other architecture majors, nearly collapsing under the weight of two large boxes.

Richard and Lyle weren’t surprised to see Matthew. After spending time with Xia Xiaolan, it was easy to fall into her rhythm and willingly become her follower.

Perhaps only those with overall abilities surpassing Xia Xiaolan could resist her influence.

Matthew extended his hand to the two younger male students, “Oh, we’re friends now. You’re Richard, and you’re Lyle… wait, Lyle, haven’t you lost a lot of weight?”

Lyle had indeed lost considerable weight.

When he was heavier, his features were squeezed together, but after losing weight, his facial contours became clearer.

Xia Xiaolan had noticed this at the birthday party.

Lyle wiped the sweat from his forehead, “That’s thanks to Foster & Associates.”

Another intern was worn out during the internship period.

Lyle wasn’t the only one who changed. Daisy had given up greasy foods and overly sweet treats, her figure became more proportionate, and her previously troubled skin showed remarkable improvement. Including Richard, whose messy red hair was now well-groomed after two months of workplace training, his overall presence had significantly improved!

“When we get back to school, everyone will be amazed by your changes!”

Is that so?

It must be.

Like pearls emerging after their rough surfaces were polished away – this was perhaps the biggest transformation for the “Loser Trio.”

“Off to Ithaca!”

“Go!”

“Cornell, I’m back!”

“Professor McCarthy, I miss you so much!”

Something odd seemed to slip in there.

Richard stood tall and proclaimed: “Don’t you all miss Professor McCarthy? Only after working at big firms did we realize how kind Professor McCarthy was to us!”

In the workplace, there were even stranger people.

Some even bullied interns just because of their seniority.

Richard missed Professor McCarthy.

Matthew suddenly remembered, “Wait, Richard, you, Ning, and Jonathan all went to P&W. I saw Ning once, but never saw Jonathan. How’s that guy doing at P&W?”

Richard touched his nose:

“This news shouldn’t come from me, but to avoid shocking you all later, I should warn you – Jonathan and Ning seem to have gotten together. After P&W lost the Wilson Hotel project bid… they got together. So how do you think Jonathan’s doing?”

Even Xia Xiaolan was quite surprised.

She thought Ning Xue liked Ji Jiangyuan!

Of course, that was ancient history, and maybe Ning Xue had long moved on.

But with Jonathan?

“When we get back to Cornell, who knows what others will think, but Heidi’s reaction will be huge!”

Can an ice princess fall in love too?

Jonathan was certainly excellent, and among the architecture major’s many socially awkward guys, he was quite good-looking.

But compared to Ning Xue, Jonathan’s excellence was still a level below.

Xia Xiaolan had thought Ning Xue would find a boyfriend stronger than herself, but thinking again, academic geniuses might think differently from most people. She was already strong enough in architecture, maybe she didn’t care if her boyfriend was strong or not.

Though this gossip hadn’t been confirmed by the parties involved, during the trip back to Ithaca, Richard and others couldn’t help discussing it the whole way. Matthew expressed strong criticism – there weren’t many guys in architecture who managed to find partners, and after breaking up with Heidi, Jonathan quickly found a new girlfriend.

Ning Xue and Jonathan had quite a few things in common – both only talked much about their major, and were usually quiet and reserved.

Equally excellent, equally calm.

With some catalyst, it wasn’t surprising that two such people would have chemistry.

Xia Xiaolan was more shocked by the fact that Ning Xue was dating at all, rather than by who her boyfriend was.

Wasn’t she solely focused on reaching the peak of her field?

— Perhaps when academic geniuses date, it’s different from ordinary people, maybe it doesn’t affect them at all?