Since Julianna had already devised a solution, she completely ignored Deng Zhi's appearance. Of course, when she was in a good mood, she might offer a few words so that people wouldn't call her a rude child. In reality, Julianna did this just in case things blew up later; perhaps she could glean some insight into the situation from one of the involved parties. In short, everything was preparation for the gossip.

Qiong Zhi had no idea Julianna had already figured out how to deal with him. He still believed that being handsome was unavoidable, especially since he was both good-looking and smooth-tongued, never shy about speaking his mind—how could he not be liked by girls? As for Julianna's occasional severe attitude, Qiong Zhi automatically rationalized it as Wang Qiqi stirring up trouble. After all, every time that wretched Shi Man looked at him unfavorably, she would at least let out a cold snort if she didn't do worse.

Watching Julianna and Shi Man walk away, Qiong Zhi harbored secret resentment. The first thing he would do once he successfully seduced Julianna would be to deal with Shi Man and Wang Qiqi. If they were obedient, he’d let them continue living in his place. If they weren't—"Hmph, I'll kick them out immediately. I'll make them pay for looking down on me, for giving me cold shoulders. Sooner or later, I'll have them kneeling and begging me through tears."

The thought of two beautiful women, each with unique charms, weeping and pleading before him brought Qiong Zhi immense joy. If it weren't for being in a public place, he would have jumped a few times to express his excitement. After letting out a few hearty laughs directed at the sky, Qiong Zhi finally departed slowly.

Not long after Qiong Zhi left, a man emerged from around the corner of the wall. The thick layer of snow on his shoulders led to one conclusion: someone had been hiding in that corner for quite a while. As for who it was, no one but Cao Rui came to mind.

Cao Rui knew the recent progress hadn't been swift. He had initially assumed it was because of the string of unpleasant events, compounded by it being year-end, which made Julianna busy. He also considered that since he had a girlfriend, she treated him rather coolly... But he never expected Julianna’s attitude toward Qiong Zhi, who also had a girlfriend, to be so drastically different! While hers toward him was still a bit icy, it was far warmer than the chilling reception she gave Cao Rui. This stoked a fire within Cao Rui; he felt his own qualifications far surpassed Qiong Zhi's... And Qiong Zhi’s evaluation of himself, based on Cao Rui’s recent observations, was simply: shameless and utterly lacking in integrity.

The possibility that he might lose to such a man made Cao Rui feel utterly sick to his stomach... "Just you wait and see. Hmph, I'll expose your true colors, and I won't let you succeed." Cao Rui vowed this with fierce conviction. If it were just any ordinary girl, he might concede, as he still had Jiang Xin by his side. But the issue was that winning Julianna's favor meant securing overseas study opportunities without difficulty, and becoming the head of a large conglomerate would be child’s play. The problem was that before Cao Rui could make any real headway, this dark horse had suddenly appeared... It was only natural he wasn't happy. He relentlessly cursed in his heart, wishing the interfering person would just die sooner, and uttered other vicious sentiments.

Walking back towards his rented place, Qiong Zhi sneezed several times. He pulled his coat tighter (he had deliberately worn a leather jacket to look cooler before leaving—it certainly looked dashing... but the temperature...), thinking to himself how truly cold it was today. However, the moment he recalled Julianna's surprised expression when she saw his outfit, Qiong Zhi felt a surge of happiness. His attire today had been a decision he agonized over for a long time. For Qiong Zhi, Julianna looking at him and thinking he looked handsome rather than underdressed was an absolute impossibility. "I must layer another sweater underneath tomorrow." Qiong Zhi had intended to maintain his dashing composure, but the reality was he was too cold—unbearably cold. He had been walking quickly, but after continuous sneezing, his pace shifted to a run, and thus he failed to notice that this utterly undignified scene was being witnessed, especially the part where he sneezed so hard his nose ran, and he casually wiped it on his leather jacket. It was as ugly as it gets.

Shi Man watched Julianna happily clutching her books and walking home, constantly turning her head to look at Julianna, then snapping her gaze forward again, unable to contain her curiosity. Previously, whenever Julianna saw Qiong Zhi, she never offered a kind word. Even before Qiong Zhi started pursuing her, it was the same. So why, now that he was pursuing her, would she occasionally offer him a pleasant expression? "Perhaps the cold weather has frozen the girl's brain," Shi Man muttered to herself. Besides that possibility... she truly couldn't think of any other explanation.

Julianna actually breathed a sigh of relief internally. Standing outside in such cold weather chatting with that scoundrel for a few sentences—there was a reason. "Cao Rui is around the corner."

What? Impossible! Shi Man looked sharply toward Julianna. "Are you a fortune teller?" How could you see someone hiding around the corner? "And no one could have told you about Cao Rui. Could you have..."

Shi Man covered her mouth, looking tensely at Julianna. Could they have arranged this beforehand? What did this imply? When did they even start hooking up? How could her best friend, classmate, and roommate have missed any rumors? Moreover, Julianna's actions were incredibly bold!

Julianna was speechless. "Have you just been blasting him with cold air this whole time? Please, look at the surroundings." Although it was a corner, there was a mirror positioned facing that direction. Julianna had only noticed it by chance, but Shi Man, who frequented the area, should definitely know about that spot. Even if it was somewhat concealed, Shi Man had mentioned it herself—that she used it to check if anyone was lurking around the corner. How could Manman forget this detail herself? "Around the corner..."

Shi Man understood. It was true that every time Qiong Zhi appeared, she found him so annoying that she focused solely on giving him the cold shoulder, never noticing things like that. "Does Cao Rui not know either?" If Qiong Zhi didn't know, that would be understandable, but how could Cao Rui, a senior in the same department, be unaware?

"You forgot the situation back then. He was already furious; how could he pay attention to such details?" Julianna thought that Cao Rui probably hadn't noticed that his conflicted expression back then had been visible to everyone. Too bad he hadn't realized it. Julianna found it genuinely amusing. "I really should have reminded him how ridiculous he looked then."

Although Shi Man hadn't seen Cao Rui's expression, Julianna's comment suggested it must have been quite terrible. "What a pity, what a waste." What a perfect opportunity missed.

After finishing the last exam, Wang Qiqi let out a long sigh of relief. It was finally over. Wang Qiqi planned to sleep soundly upon returning home and then see Han Tao off that evening... Thinking she wouldn't see Han Tao for a long time made Wang Qiqi feel a bit down. Her exhaustion from the exams, coupled with saying goodbye to her beloved, meant her expression wasn't great. However, since it was the end of term, some students had train tickets for the afternoon departure. Wang Qiqi managed her expression and bid farewell to everyone one by one.

Seeing Wang Qiqi about to leave, Jiang Xin hesitated but finally couldn't help but speak, "Qiqi, can we talk?"

Wang Qiqi raised an eyebrow, looking at Jiang Xin. "Xinxin, something up?" Although their relationship was just average, Wang Qiqi was still cordial when Jiang Xin needed to borrow notes or something. Especially now that Daizi (Fool) had found his second spring, Wang Qiqi's attitude toward Jiang Xin was much better than before.

The people around Wang Qiqi and Jiang Xin all turned to look at them. It was the final exam of the semester; some were rushing to the station, and those who weren't trying to catch a train were eager to do things they wanted before the break began. Thus, seeing the two of them lingering motionless in the corridor struck everyone as strange.

Wang Qiqi waited a long time without hearing Jiang Xin speak. Becoming impatient, she said, "If there's nothing, I'm heading back first."

"Let's all have dinner tonight. It’s been a while since we got together. Call Nana and the others too." Jiang Xin knew Wang Qiqi and her group still held gatherings, but they never invited her. This made Jiang Xin feel quite wronged... Even if facing Daizi made things awkward, couldn't the four of them just have dinner?

"Not inviting Daishou (Fool-hand)?" Wang Qiqi asked softly. "But I'm not free tonight."

Jiang Xin knew Wang Qiqi's train ticket was for the next evening. Whether she truly had other plans or was avoiding seeing her—perhaps knowing Cao Rui might show up—she was stating she was busy tonight.

To counter Jiang Xin's suspicion, Wang Qiqi yawned and made no attempt to hide the truth, as it was something everyone would find out eventually. "Han Tao is flying to America tonight; I have to see him off."

What? Jiang Xin was stunned by Wang Qiqi's announcement. Actually, it wasn't just her; several other students in the class who weren't rushing off also overheard. Among them was Gong Yiying, who had been clinging to Qiong Zhi, telling him how much she would miss him during the holiday. When she heard Wang Qiqi's words, her first reaction was that Qiqi was lying. But before she could scream, she immediately covered her mouth. This was such major news; she didn't think Wang Qiqi would fabricate it. She thought to herself how lucky this girl Qiqi was, finding someone from an ordinary family who was actually going abroad. Thinking this, Gong Yiying glanced at Qiong Zhi, noting the stark contrast. Qiong Zhi couldn't even dream of going abroad; he probably couldn't manage a trip to the far south. "People really can't be judged by appearances," Gong Yiying murmured, letting out a few chuckles.

Han Meina and Zhang Han, who were packing up and discussing where to eat, also happened to overhear this explosive news. Han Meina's initial reaction was disbelief: No way, how did that kid get so lucky to go to America? Was he planning to study abroad? But that didn't seem right either. Didn't they say his family was poor? Where did the money suddenly come from? Did they find a sugar daddy? Or were they lying about their poverty when they went to France last time?

"To America?" Jiang Xin was also momentarily stunned. She thought how quickly things change. When did Han Tao get to go to America? She knew very clearly that Han Tao’s family wasn't well-off financially. "He's..."

The Cold Mountain in Another World - The Pseudo-Saintess God and Her Reborn Knight's Brain-Dead Fan! ~ Interstellar: Male Beauty Rushes Over - The Reincarnated Great Demon and Her Interstellar Hunk Battleship! [Possession in Interstellar] The Golden Core Ancestor’s Interstellar Possession and Rebirth Chronicle (To be continued)