Gong Junyu and the others rushed over anxiously, but before they could ask anything, they found the Dummy sitting there foolishly on the sofa. "Still haven't recovered?" Everyone had initially thought the Dummy seemed less downcast these past few days, believing he had adjusted his mood, but it turned out he had merely suppressed everything, bottling it up. Seeing that young couple again had clearly thrown him.

Han Tao managed a low hum. He knew that if it hadn't been for him, things might not have ended up this way, and he was truly regretting it. He was just about to apologize when Gong Junyu cut him off. "He has to face it eventually. I'm just worried that if he keeps bottling it up, something major will happen."

What Gong Junyu said was true, but the problem was if the Dummy continued to act like this, it would give everyone a massive headache.

Wang Qiqi, with Shi Man's help, had finished reheating the dishes. Noticing the Dummy was still motionless on the sofa, while Han Tao and the others sat uselessly beside him, staring blankly, Qiqi glared at them. "Dummy, come eat! Don't tell me you're going to turn into this mess over one woman! Let me tell you, if you're going to be suicidal, go back to your own place. Don't put on a show of melancholy and misery here. Either cry it out and be done with it, go back and keep hurting yourself inside, or go talk to Jiang Xin and confess to her..."

After venting furiously, Wang Qiqi shouted at the stunned group nearby. "Eat something, eat some good food, and then we're taking this guy and going home."

Han Tao and the others were surprised by Wang Qiqi's sudden outburst; it seemed incredibly unsympathetic. "Qiqi, you..."

Shi Man also looked at Wang Qiqi with clear displeasure. "Qiqi, aren't you just provoking him?" Knowing how heartbroken the Dummy already was, provoking him like this made Shi Man genuinely fear he might suffer a mental breakdown and become unstable—people like that certainly existed.

Wang Qiqi looked at their expressions of incomprehension and sighed. "Is it really better for him to keep everything locked inside right now?" That would only make the situation worse. It was better to squeeze the pus out now so the Dummy could recover faster.

Han Tao glanced at the Dummy sitting stiffly on the sofa. He sighed; Qiqi was right. He followed Qiqi toward the dining table. Gong Junyu and the others paused for a moment before turning and walking to the table too. Qiqi was correct; perhaps verbal provocation would have a better effect than his current lifeless state.

In the end, only Shi Man remained gathered around the Dummy. Watching the others crowded around the dining table, eagerly grabbing the late-night snacks, she recalled how lively things used to be when they fought over meager portions of food, using their mouths or their fists—the logic being that what was snatched tasted the best. Now, even though they were still scrambling for food, something felt missing. Shi Man sighed softly and kept murmuring words of comfort to the Dummy.

"I hate Jiang Xin right now. She's truly gone too far," Zhu Lina grumbled unhappily. "And that Cao Rui—he claimed he wanted to discuss things with me, but it was just a lecture full of theoretical knowledge, delivered with an air like he was some genius."

Zhu Lina recalled sacrificing so much of her evening just to be lectured, having no say whatsoever, as if everything in the textbook was gospel. If it weren't for Jiang Xin, Zhu Lina would have kicked him out immediately. But for Jiang Xin to be so excessive... "What a waste of time. Qiqi, you too!"

Wang Qiqi felt equally annoyed. To have even Nana criticize her made Wang Qiqi feel wronged, and naturally, she wasn't happy about it. "What did I do? He specifically asked for you; what could I do?"

And so the two of them started to argue. Han Tao and the others tried to intervene a few times, but seeing that persuasion was useless, they all sighed in unison. Over there, their good brother was in that state, and over here, the two women were fighting again over that scumbag. They simultaneously felt that the pair was truly ill-fated; everyone's relationships had been good until these two people caused everything to turn upside down.

After a few sharp words, Wang Qiqi and Zhu Lina both snorted, ceasing their argument. It wasn't that they didn't want to fight anymore; it was that they realized there was no point making everyone miserable over that scumbag.

Although they stopped arguing, the atmosphere became even stiffer than before. "You don't have to fight over that man. I will slowly forget her," the Dummy's voice finally emerged.

Everyone was astonished. Neither Wang Qiqi's scolding nor Shi Man's constant comforting had managed to get him to respond, yet the moment Qiqi and Zhu Lina started fighting, he spoke up. What kind of reaction was this?

"You didn't speak up just so we wouldn't get angry at Jiang Xin, did you?" Gong Junyu said unhappily, crossing his arms. Ni Guangxin and the others looked at the Dummy with similar displeasure. If that was truly his motive, then that woman Jiang Xin had missed out on far too much.

The Dummy stood up and slowly walked to the dining table, offering a smile that was more agonizing than crying. "I just didn't want you all to do anything because of me regarding Jiang Xin. I actually told Xin Xin that I liked her, but, but..." The Dummy closed his eyes, unwilling to revisit that scene. He thought he would never remember it or tell anyone, believing she would accept him. He hadn't expected...

"She rejected you?" Wang Qiqi asked cautiously.

"She neither rejected nor accepted?" Zhu Lina pondered. "Or maybe she thought it was a joke?"

The Dummy nodded. "Yeah, she just said to stop joking, or she would take it seriously." The Dummy thought that if she hadn't said that last part, he wouldn't have fallen deeper, but rather, it would have served as a reminder that she wasn't right for him.

When the Dummy finished speaking, everyone was stunned. So, all this time, the Dummy had essentially been played by Jiang Xin? They knew the Dummy wasn't one to lie. Perhaps Jiang Xin had said that initially to avoid ruining their friendships, but what was the meaning behind that final comment?

Shi Man flared up. "Dummy, did she really say that?" What did that imply? Without waiting for an answer, she burst out angrily, "I think she was just keeping you as a backup in case she couldn't find a better man. What is that supposed to mean? Does she think her current man is so great..."

Wang Qiqi, seeing the explosive revelations Shi Man was about to unleash, immediately shouted, "Manman, shut your mouth!" In Wang Qiqi's view, even if Cao Rui truly wasn't a good match, there was no need to say it in front of the Dummy. If the Dummy learned the truth about Cao Rui, given Cao Rui's personality, he might immediately tell Jiang Xin all the bad things about Cao Rui. But if they said it—would Jiang Xin ever believe them? She would surely assume they were making up anything to get her to break up with Cao Rui. They didn't care what she thought of them, but how would she lash out at the Dummy? And what would the Dummy do then?

Zhu Lina also shook her head at Shi Man, signaling her not to mention anything about Cao Rui to the Dummy. The Dummy, noticing the strange expressions on the three people most familiar with Cao Rui, suddenly thought, "Is that man not very good?" The thought made his eyes light up instantly. If that man was truly no good, then he could tell Xin Xin that Cao Rui was bad, or he could keep an eye on Cao Rui, catch him making a mistake, and then Xin Xin would break up with him, and then...

Shi Man had initially thought Wang Qiqi and Zhu Lina were overreacting. She thought, why hide it? The Dummy needed to know that Jiang Xin's taste wasn't great, and the man she chose was someone who would use her as a stepping stone for his own ambition. But she hadn't expected the Dummy's eyes to light up so intensely upon hearing that Cao Rui wasn't a good person. Shi Man understood the implication: even now, while claiming he wanted to forget her, the Dummy was still hoping for a chance to win Jiang Xin back from Cao Rui.

If the Dummy hadn't confessed his feelings, Shi Man would have supported him in snatching Jiang Xin back from Cao Rui, both to prevent Jiang Xin from being deceived and to make the Dummy happy. But now, Shi Man had changed her mind. Someone who constantly looked for greener pastures wasn't worthy of sympathy. Perhaps Cao Rui was heaven-sent to teach that greedy fellow a lesson. "That man dresses better than you, and he's ambitious. He knows Nana's family is well-off and tried to build a good relationship with her—that's another path for him."

The Dummy certainly didn't believe Shi Man's answer. But no matter how long he stared at her, Shi Man’s gaze never wavered. He then looked at Wang Qiqi and Zhu Lina; they were both nodding at him.

Shi Man looked the Dummy up and down and suddenly had an idea. "Dummy, honestly, if I were Jiang Xin, I wouldn't choose you either. Look at how you dress—you're wearing top-name sportswear, but you manage to make it look like cheap street clothes. Then look at Cao Rui; even in cheap clothes, he presents himself so well." Shi Man thought about how she had tried to advise the Dummy before, only for him to retort that inner substance was better than outer appearance. Well, look where that got him now. The girl he liked chose the man with the looks, leaving him behind to weep.

In the past, if Qiqi and the others had said this, the Dummy wouldn't have taken it to heart, maybe offering a few weak defenses before moving on. But after this incident, combined with Cao Rui’s overall presentation, Dai Lijun found himself unable to formulate a rebuttal. If it came to family background, the Dummy felt his wasn't lacking. In terms of character, he was a top talent from the Computer Science department. In terms of caregiving, he was certain he would treat Jiang Xin well and never be unfaithful. But Cao Rui just happened to be better at grooming himself and was silver-tongued. It made sense that Jiang Xin chose him.

"She has a point there. Even though inner beauty is superior to external beauty, if you can't make people notice you, how will they ever know about your inner beauty?" Wang Qiqi was thrilled that Shi Man was taking this opportunity to try and overhaul Dai Lijun. The most incredible part was that the Dummy hadn't argued back—what a golden opportunity this was.

Wang Qiqi and Shi Man's eyes met across the air, and they nodded to each other, signaling that this was exactly what needed to be done.