After Wang Qiqi conveyed Jiang Xin's wishes that very evening, the first reaction from Juliana and Shi Man was, "No way, I'm busy studying French."

"I don't have time either; I have a stack of documents waiting for me to review," Juliana thought. She hadn't met Jiang Xin's boyfriend and didn't know the situation, so she had absolutely no desire to go. Moreover, after Jiang Xin mentioned her roommates several times, and Wang Qiqi mentioned amusing campus stories, she also noted that Jiang Xin's roommate was quite the gossip, which Juliana didn't much care for.

Wang Qiqi saw that neither of them would go and sighed. They could decline, and truthfully, Wang Qiqi didn't really want to go herself. But if she didn't go, Wang Qiqi knew Jiang Xin would surely have thoughts about it. "Then just say you two are busy."

"We'll see about that, better than her getting ideas." Juliana had her own reservations about Jiang Xin's actions—why was she doing this when she barely knew either of them? "Besides, eating at our place is the same thing, and it saves money. Fine, since she put it that way, maybe they have their reasons, and it saves her man from worrying about us crashing, huh?"

Jiang Xin and her boyfriend moved quite quickly. Perhaps they assumed Juliana and Shi Man would definitely attend, or maybe they wanted to lock down the date for the treat so that Juliana and Shi Man would feel compelled to show up. When Wang Qiqi heard the date Jiang Xin set for the dinner, she was completely stunned.

Looking at the expectant Jiang Xin, Wang Qiqi paused. "I'll come for dinner tonight, but Manman and Nana both have commitments." Although she knew someone was looking forward to it, Wang Qiqi had to deliver some harsh news.

Jiang Xin hadn't held out much hope for Juliana's attendance. She knew that even at her own dorm gatherings, sometimes they wouldn't show up; often when she visited on weekends, Juliana wasn't home, citing reasons like having to go out for an internship. But she hadn't expected even Shi Man to be unavailable. "Do you think it's because..." Jiang Xin recalled Shi Man and the others mentioning they would take a look at their place to give them an assessment and such.

Wang Qiqi quickly shook her head. "No, it’s just that you chose a bad day. Didn't you forget there’s a lecture for the French department today? Manman has to go listen to it." Wang Qiqi was immensely relieved they had chosen this date; Shi Man genuinely had no time. "Manman is already over there scrambling for a seat."

Apparently, it was some kind of celebrity lecturer. Wang Qiqi didn't really know; she had heard a few snippets of French and always felt it was too difficult, so she abandoned any thought of delving into it deeply. Wang Qiqi had shifted her focus to Japanese or Korean entertainment instead. Having watched too many Japanese and Korean dramas in her past life, she felt a slight intuition for those incomprehensible languages, which seemed much more rewarding than learning French. Besides, since Manman was already studying French, Wang Qiqi felt there was no need for her to study something redundant; it was better to learn a different language so that when the two of them went off exploring the world later, they wouldn't have to worry about language barriers.

It was then that Jiang Xin remembered the lecture. She had to admit, even heaven wasn't helping her. She really wanted to say this was a big deal for her—what was missing one lecture?—but she remembered pushing back a date with Feng Xuanxiang precisely for that lecture last time. In short, as far as she was concerned, academics were the most important thing.

Wang Qiqi knew the girl was upset. She wrapped an arm around Jiang Xin. "We’ll treat you both to a meal on campus as an apology. This time we genuinely couldn't make it." Wang Qiqi deliberately avoided mentioning treating them at their place. Since the other person worried about being pressured, she simply wouldn't bring up hosting them at home.

From Wang Qiqi's words, Jiang Xin gathered that they weren't entirely thrilled about the impromptu dinner invitation, but she couldn't force them. If Cao Rui didn't want to go, she couldn't drag him along. Still, weren't Qiqi and the others being a bit petty? Jiang Xin’s expression wasn't very pleasant either.

Wang Qiqi sighed. Ah, the other person still held some reservations, but so what? If she didn't want to be friends, then so be it. "I’ll be there on time tonight."

When Cao Rui heard his girlfriend say only Wang Qiqi would be coming that evening, he inwardly felt like spitting. If he had to choose between Wang Qiqi, Shi Man, and Juliana, he thought Wang Qiqi had the least financial backing. For one, her parents were gone; how much money could they have left her? Furthermore, if she were truly wealthy, wouldn't her relatives step in? Could a mere student like Wang Qiqi really handle things? As for finding a boyfriend, although the specifics weren't clear, a boyfriend who had to tutor just to cover living expenses and tuition—how capable could he really be?

Jiang Xin was puzzled by her boyfriend’s clear disappointment at Wang Qiqi’s arrival. "Don't worry, Qiqi is easy to talk to," she comforted him.

Cao Rui stared at the oblivious Jiang Xin, feeling she was completely useless. Everyone was thinking about finding a good job after university, right? Here was a genuine heiress right beside him; if he could suck up to her well, future employment wouldn't be an issue. Cao Rui thought that if he worked on it a bit more and let Juliana know how great he was, there might be further possibilities. But this fool hadn't managed to bring Juliana along—that was the whole point of this treat! Otherwise, why would he choose such a nice venue this time? He was losing out big time.

Later, Jiang Xin noticed Cao Rui's mood was low, completely lacking the enthusiastic discussion about the dinner from the day before. As time went on, Cao Rui stopped looking forward to or discussing the evening meal. When they got to the menu, Jiang Xin noticed Cao Rui was only ordering the cheaper dishes. Jiang Xin really didn't know what to do. Could she really ask Cao Rui to order the expensive items?

Wang Qiqi arrived at the appointed restaurant right around dinner time. She initially intended to ask a waiter which private room they were in, but when she scanned the area, she realized they were in the main hall. This made Wang Qiqi feel quite uneasy. The previous few meals, including when she treated her roommates, were all held in private rooms. Why would Jiang Xin's man have everyone dining in the main hall?

It wasn't about scorning him for not reserving a room; it was just that Wang Qiqi felt this was a joyous occasion where everyone would likely be boisterous, and in the main hall, people would naturally restrain themselves somewhat. But inviting guests...

When Jiang Xin saw Qiqi arrive with two bottles of wine, she walked over excitedly. "Qiqi, you're here."

Wang Qiqi nodded and hugged the girl. "Congratulations. This is Nana's gift of apology." Actually, she had only remembered this wine, which she saw in the cabinet before leaving, just as she was heading out.

Jiang Xin showed no surprise at the red wine Wang Qiqi brought. Sometimes when she stayed over, she often saw the three of them nestled on the sofa, listening to music, sipping red wine, and chatting—an atmosphere that felt very cozy. So, when going to Qiqi's place, they might lack soft drinks, but there would definitely be red wine; they used it to celebrate their happy moments. "Thank Nana for me."

When Cao Rui saw Wang Qiqi enter, he didn't stand up to welcome her, instead pretending not to notice and continuing his lively chat with his roommates.

Only when Jiang Xin pulled Wang Qiqi over to stand beside Cao Rui did he feign sudden recognition. "So sorry, I was caught up talking to my roommates just now. I didn't realize you were..." In reality, Cao Rui knew exactly who she was, but he hadn't told Jiang Xin that he knew Wang Qiqi and the others, so he couldn't be the first to call out her name.

"Cao Rui, this is my classmate and good friend, Wang Qiqi." As the host, Jiang Xin made the introduction. "Qiqi, this is my boyfriend, Cao Rui."

"Hello."

"Hello." The two exchanged greetings, and Cao Rui thanked Wang Qiqi again for the gift. "You're too kind. By the way, why didn't your boyfriend come?" Cao Rui glanced behind her, noticing Wang Qiqi was alone, and asked out of concern. Inside, he was actually thinking it was best if he didn't come; one less person meant less money spent on food. "He has a tutoring job today, I'm afraid." Wang Qiqi noticed the look of relief and slight disdain in Cao Rui’s eyes, which struck her as very strange. Why was he looking at her that way? And why did his expression shift from expectation to disappointment when he looked behind her? He shouldn't know Juliana and the others, right?

Regardless, Wang Qiqi felt a prickle of caution regarding Cao Rui, who executed his social graces so flawlessly. She felt this man was too deep, or perhaps his façade was too perfect. Then she looked at Jiang Xin, who was gazing at him with complete dependence, and wished fiercely that he truly liked Jiang Xin and wasn't just using her.

Using her? Wang Qiqi suddenly found the thought strange. What did Jiang Xin have that he could possibly exploit? Or perhaps his real target was Juliana? This realization startled Wang Qiqi. But then again, apart from the fact that Juliana's family owned an apartment near the school, no other real details about her had leaked out. How could anyone know Juliana's true circumstances? This made Wang Qiqi feel her mind was spinning. It was then she remembered the dismissive look Cao Rui had given her. Did he know the situation with the three of them? Otherwise, why would he look at her like that? Among the three of them, based on what was publicly known, she had the weakest background, and was even known for being somewhat extravagant.

During the rest of the meal, although Wang Qiqi conversed happily with Jiang Xin's roommates, she still reserved a sliver of her attention to watch Cao Rui. She silently observed him from the side. If he really intended to use Jiang Xin to get close to Juliana, she needed to be wary. This guy might be a master schemer. While the three of them weren't afraid of dealing with him, it felt too messy, and what would happen to Jiang Xin in the process? Ugh. At that moment, Wang Qiqi deeply regretted that the dummy hadn't confessed his feelings sooner; then she wouldn't have to worry about all this. (To be continued)