Juliana and Shi Man were just settling into the sofa for a discussion when they saw Wang Qiqi enter carrying things, but no Han Tao followed her in. "Your man went back already?" No way. Usually, he'd come in to exchange a few words before leaving. Forget the elaborate farewells—it was only between buildings, yet he insisted on escorting her every time. Juliana always felt a twinge of annoyance; it was simply too much pretense, rubbing salt in the wounds of her single status. But Han Tao not entering this time struck Juliana as odd, and upon closer inspection, she noticed Wang Qiqi’s eyes were distinctly red-rimmed.

Shi Man spotted the redness around Qiqi's eyes and immediately sprang off the sofa. "Did your man bully you?" That took some nerve! Did he think just because he was studying abroad soon, he could treat Qiqi poorly? That was outrageous. No wonder he didn't come in—he must have felt guilty.

Wang Qiqi shook her head. "No, he didn't." How could Han Tao bully her? In fact, in that moment just now, Wang Qiqi felt deeply touched. Even though he hadn't said "I love you," his words had somehow brought her immense peace and happiness.

"Really?" Shi Man was skeptical, then pointed to her eyes. "Qiqi, why are your eyes so red?" Wang Qiqi rarely cried; the only times she did were when thinking of her parents. Besides, Qiqi wasn't one to show weakness, and she certainly wouldn't cry in front of her boyfriend.

Wang Qiqi’s lips moved, but in the end, she kept silent about the reason for her tears; it was a little secret between her and Han Tao. "I got the money," Wang Qiqi said, handing the bank card to Juliana.

Juliana murmured an acknowledgement, taking the card and placing it inside a folder. "What did your boss want with you today?" Juliana scrutinized Wang Qiqi for a long moment, noticing that while her eyes were red, her face held a look of sheer joy. Perhaps Han Tao had said something incredibly moving. Seeing Qiqi's demeanor, it was clear she didn't want to share the intimate details, so Juliana smoothly changed the subject.

Wang Qiqi explained why Mr. Li Xiangdong had sought her out. "I don't understand why I suddenly became so important. Does he truly believe I majored in Literature?" While she had been in the humanities track back then, it was only because she couldn't handle math and science. It was just that her brain worked well and her memory was decent. But being in the humanities didn't automatically make one an expert in literature, did it?

Shi Man and Juliana were stunned, staring at Wang Qiqi with matching, eerie expressions. Shi Man pondered for a moment, then let out a few cold, knowing chuckles. "Qiqi's literature is the kind that smells of money," she quipped. Letting Qiqi read literary works was fine, but asking her to translate? Shi Man found the whole idea highly unreliable and couldn't fathom why Li Xiangdong trusted Qiqi so much. "Why doesn't anyone ever ask me to translate? I’m certainly more dependable than Wang Qiqi."

Wang Qiqi summarily dismissed Shi Man's self-promotion by shoving her back onto the sofa. Ignoring Shi Man's shameless display of attention-seeking behavior, Qiqi relayed what Han Meina had told her earlier to Juliana and the others. Han Tao was right; they needed to clear the air about these things, so if questioned, at least their stories would align.

Wang Qiqi noticed that what she was saying made Shi Man and Juliana exchange glances, their expressions growing noticeably serious. "Don't worry, I inquired. Han Meina just happened to be over there that day."

Juliana had actually been discussing some strange occurrences she’d encountered recently with Shi Man. They hadn't wanted to burden Wang Qiqi with it, fearing it would spoil her mood, but now it seemed the strange things happening might be connected to whatever Han Meina had mentioned.

Juliana cleared her throat and recounted her story. "Man Man and I were already wondering why that guy Deng Zhi suddenly started pursuing me." They knew Deng Zhi had pursued Qiqi previously, but Qiqi had turned him down. Afterward, he ended up with Gong Yiying, and they even moved in together. Worse, that repugnant pair had frequently targeted Wang Qiqi, causing no end of trouble. For such a person to now pursue Juliana—it baffled them. If it was revenge against Wang Qiqi, why wait so long after the fact to pursue Juliana? Did he honestly think Juliana had forgotten everything they had done?

"So, he wasn't getting revenge on Qiqi, but trying to latch onto a wealthy patron?" Shi Man suddenly grasped the situation, slapping her hand against her thigh. "I didn't realize our Nana was suddenly so in demand." Shi Man made exaggerated 'tsk tsk' noises, her words dripping with sour disappointment. "Why wasn't I born a boy? If I were a guy, would they even dare try to cling to a rich patron? I'd be rolling on the ground begging Juliana to keep me!"

The more Shi Man thought about it, the happier the idea of being a man seemed. "Nana goes out to earn money, and I stay home as a devoted househusband. I absolutely wouldn't let Nana lift a finger when she gets home; I'd give her a stable home base. Of course, all I’d really need is a bank card with Juliana’s assistant's name on it..."

Wang Qiqi couldn't believe Shi Man was having such a bizarre episode in the middle of the night. She picked up the telephone receiver by the sofa. "Nana, do you happen to know the number for the psychiatric hospital?"

Juliana knew exactly what Qiqi was about to do and played along, shaking her head. "I don't, but you can dial 114 to look it up."

Wang Qiqi nodded. "Right." She picked up the phone and very seriously dialed 114, solemnly asking for the number of the psychiatric facility. Juliana handed her a pen and paper, and Wang Qiqi dutifully recorded the number she received.

Shi Man only realized what was happening after Wang Qiqi thanked the operator and hung up. "Qiqi, why do you need the number for the mental hospital?" When had Qiqi met someone who needed institutional treatment?

"To call them and arrange for someone to be picked up and taken there for treatment," Wang Qiqi said very seriously, lowering the receiver to face Shi Man. "Man Man, you are sick and need treatment. Do you know that? When you go in, you must listen carefully and cooperate with the doctor’s instructions. Nana and I will visit you often. Don't worry, your illness isn't severe; you won't be there long. It’s just that this Lunar New Year..."

"It looks like you'll be spending it in the capital," Juliana added with a look of mock regret. "Don't worry, we'll bring you lots of good food while you’re there."

Shi Man was momentarily stunned into silence. She shouted, "STOP!" When she saw Wang Qiqi and Juliana fall silent and stop their teasing, she pointed to herself. "I'm going to the mental hospital?" This was too much!

Wang Qiqi and Juliana exchanged glances, suddenly worrying they might have taken the joke too far.

Shi Man stood with her arms crossed, letting out cold snorts. She watched their initially smug faces slowly cloud with unease, and they kept glancing at her, clearly worried she was about to get genuinely angry. Shi Man had initially wanted to tease Wang Qiqi and Juliana a bit longer, but she worried that pushing things too far might result in them ganging up on her.

The thought of what might happen if she really annoyed them made Shi Man drop her stern expression. "Alright, alright, I was just kidding. Back to business: your rival and her boyfriend have broken up." Getting back to serious matters was better; it was best to settle things sooner rather than later.

Wang Qiqi had intended to lecture Shi Man for teasing her, but since Shi Man had smoothly pivoted to important news, Qiqi just shot her a look that promised payback later. "No, they haven't. I saw them eating together in the cafeteria just the other day. But you know how good they are at acting. Someone is seeing another man behind closed doors, yet in front of the whole class, she still puts on the perfect act of a devoted girlfriend who hangs on Deng Zhi’s every word."

Juliana and the others recalled what Qiqi had mentioned about Gong Yiying's activities outside school. "Are you suggesting Gong Yiying sees this as an opportunity to ditch Deng Zhi?" No man would tolerate his woman flaunting another man when they were together; it was too humiliating. But if the man found a new, more suitable partner and dumped her, the resulting public opinion would only favor her, right?

Shi Man covered her mouth and laughed heartily upon hearing Juliana's analysis, nodding along. "According to your logic, that seems to be the case. I was just admiring Nana’s recent string of good luck with guys—Cao Rui and now Deng Zhi. Turns out, they were all..." She trailed off, clearly indicating their motives were less than pure, and they obviously didn't take Nana for a fool.

Juliana certainly didn't have good feelings about the two men Shi Man mentioned, but having no good feelings was one thing; realizing they were so blatantly using her was another—it stung. She wasn't so unattractive that she couldn't get a date. Sure, she was a bit heavier, but wasn't that just considered curvy? "I’m so pathetic. If I'm going to marry someone, I have to state my family's financial status first. Ahh," Juliana lamented with genuine sorrow.

Wang Qiqi and Shi Man could only offer wry smiles at Juliana’s half-serious complaints. They knew how much Juliana had looked forward to university life, dreaming of finding a man with a good character and handsome looks, preferably someone capable, so they could build an empire together. Beautiful dreams met harsh reality. Once in college, although romantic relationships were no longer hidden from professors, the young men seemed to treat it like a license to pursue girls openly. Yet, whether it was because Juliana didn't meet their criteria or because they deemed her a bookworm, no one pursued her. Later, after Juliana took over her family’s affairs, her time on campus dwindled, often coming and going in a rush. Some people at school whispered spitefully, suggesting Juliana was being kept by someone, which explained her mysterious comings and goings. Such rumors scared off the few boys who had initially been interested in Juliana. However, even in her sophomore year, someone finally pursued Juliana—though clearly not because they were genuinely fond of her.