Before Juliana could even voice her question, An Jin had already snatched the phone. With practiced ease, she dialed a few numbers, speaking rapidly into the receiver. Whatever the response was, the call didn't last more than a minute, but even that brief exchange was enough to genuinely surprise Juliana.

After hanging up, Shi Man ignored Wang Qiqi and Juliana for a moment, instead heading straight into her room to select her outfit for the day. "Nana, Qiqi, you two need to look stunning today. We have to completely outshine those two bitches!" she declared, making sure they understood they were not just anyone.

Wang Qiqi honestly disliked the idea of this gathering. She had planned to have an early Lunar New Year's Eve dinner somewhere with Han Tao and then happily see him off at the airport. Everything had been set until Jiang Xin suddenly threw a wrench in the works. "I'm just letting you know, Han Tao and I won't be joining." Wang Qiqi had already decided she wouldn't attend the gathering even if it happened. The moment she sensed Cao Rui's obvious maneuvering, Wang Qiqi felt intensely uneasy. If this dinner was clearly going to be steeped in manipulation, why bother showing up?

Nani? Shi Man poked her head out from her room. "You're not allowed to skip! Today is the first public appearance of 'Idiot's' girlfriend!" Having dropped such a massive bombshell, she completely forgot to explain the background to the two women in the living room.

Girlfriend? Although Wang Qiqi and Juliana had varying degrees of speculation about whether 'Idiot' might have a girlfriend, they never anticipated his first introduction to a girlfriend would happen under such circumstances.

"Is Idiot sick or something?" Wang Qiqi exclaimed outright. "Doesn't he realize the girl might just walk out on him?" Heavens, no woman would want her first meeting with her boyfriend's friends to be in this setting, especially with the very girl her boyfriend has a secret crush on in attendance, not to mention the dinner itself was blatantly bizarre.

Juliana nodded in agreement beside her. "Does Idiot desperately want to show Jiang Xin that he has girls interested in him? I don't think it's necessary." Juliana suspected 'Idiot' had conjured up this plan to feign having a girlfriend just to spite Jiang Xin. She knew such a ruse required perfect cooperation from both parties; if one faltered, it would turn into a joke. Cao Rui, especially, would mock him mercilessly, and Jiang Xin might just think he was incredibly popular, making him look more pathetic than if he were single.

Wang Qiqi kept sucking in sharp breaths. She felt utterly overwhelmed, a headache pounding in her skull. She didn't know what to do. "Nana, could you call Gong Junyu and the others? Ask them what's going on." While Wang Qiqi would have been the better person to make the call, she wasn't in a good state right now.

Juliana responded with a low "Oh," and placed a call. Not long after, she hung up. Wang Qiqi looked over, confused. Why the short call? Could their suspicion be true? Although Han Tao had mentioned 'Idiot' was pursuing a girl, Wang Qiqi didn't think things would progress that fast. "They're coming over right away," Juliana explained. "And Idiot just left; he said he has a date and told us to just text him the address for dinner when we finalize it."

Wang Qiqi realized 'Idiot' must have gone to explain the situation to the girl. She wondered if his explanation would end up angering her into leaving. "I'm going to zone out for a bit. Wake me up when they get here."

At that moment, Juliana noticed Wang Qiqi's voice and complexion were genuinely poor. "Qiqi, are you alright?"

Wang Qiqi shook her head. "I'm fine, just tired. Forget it, I'm going to make some Revitalizing Tea." A quick pick-me-up, and then she could listen to the gossip about Idiot's new girlfriend before finally resting.

Gong Junyu and the others were incredibly fast; they arrived shortly after. "It's freezing outside. Is there any tea?" Knowing full well that Wang Qiqi and Juliana were dying to hear the details of how Idiot managed to win over that girl, Gong Junyu and his friends put on quite the act. Since Juliana rarely needed their help, they were seizing this rare opportunity to make her work for the inside scoop.

Wang Qiqi and Juliana understood their little schemes. They weren't particularly interested in Idiot's supposed love life history (if Shi Man wasn't talking, they could still rely on the main character, and if even he wouldn't, they had other avenues). Seeing how smug they were being, the two women quickly put down their phones and called them over, determined to show their appreciation. Wang Qiqi and Juliana prepared coffee or tea according to each person's preference. Wang Qi put the tea into Han Tao's hands and noticed his dark circles were quite pronounced. "Didn't sleep well last night?"

Han Tao nodded, pulled Qiqi onto his lap, and wrapped his arms around her, resting his head against hers. The closer the departure time loomed, the more anxious Han Tao felt. While it wasn't his first time traveling abroad, it was the first time he would be going solo. Even though he was close with J. Shan through emails, dealing with foreigners who maintained a polite distance would require him to figure everything out on his own. This wasn't home, where he could just ask a question and get the desired answer immediately. Although Han Tao had been attending English corners to converse with foreigners lately, he still felt insecure. He could handle written English fine, but spoken language left him utterly lost.

"Are your bags packed?" Wang Qiqi understood exactly what Han Tao was worried about. Starting a new life alone in an unfamiliar foreign country, especially when studying abroad wasn't common then, made his anxiety perfectly normal. But Han Tao wasn't complaining, and Wang Qiqi wouldn't pry about communication difficulties once he arrived. Firstly, she needed to protect his male pride, and secondly, Wang Qiqi had immense faith in Han Tao; she knew this was just a temporary adjustment period, and he would go far.

Han Tao hummed in response, and the two embraced, seeming to draw courage and confidence from each other.

Gong Junyu saw Han Tao and Wang Qiqi immediately huddling together in the corner upon entering, openly displaying their affection—an obvious provocation to the bachelors. He pouted, deciding to ignore the detestable pair. Meanwhile, Juliana peppered Gong Junyu with continuous questions about what Idiot's new girlfriend looked like, her character, and so on; one question followed another relentlessly.

Shi Man, having finally chosen her outfit, strolled out leisurely and began answering Juliana’s barrage of questions one by one. Initially, Shi Man had planned to wait until she had picked out her clothes, deliberately holding back to tease the two women before revealing the juicy details, but she hadn't expected them to be so impatient. This caused Shi Man to shoot numerous glares at Gong Junyu.

How could Gong Junyu and the others know so much? They assumed Shi Man and the others were completely in the dark. They knew Idiot was pursuing someone, but he had always been tight-lipped about the progress. It was only yesterday that he mentioned things were going quite smoothly with the girl. Then, after Shi Man called today, Idiot announced that he, Jiang Xin, and her boyfriend would all be having a gathering tonight, adding that his new girlfriend would also attend, and then promptly hung up.

Idiot leaving was a minor issue; they wouldn't have dwelled on it. But the crucial point was whether Idiot had informed Shi Man and the others about his new relationship. Before they could even contact Idiot, Juliana called asking for the specifics. They inwardly cried that things had gone south! Fearing Shi Man's wrath, which they felt ill-equipped to handle, everyone who had stayed home rushed over.

But the current problem was that Shi Man knew an alarming amount, while Juliana was clearly clueless about the entire situation. As for Wang Qiqi, who was nestled on Han Tao's thigh, Gong Junyu and the others knew she must have some knowledge. Gong Junyu watched Shi Man smugly displaying her knowledge to Juliana about Idiot's girlfriend, thinking to himself: I wonder if Shi Man knows when Idiot and his girlfriend got together? However, Gong Junyu dared not ask that question aloud, remembering that a certain someone possessed a rather formidable martial prowess.

Shi Zhengwei listened to Shi Man and thought, Someone clearly knows the exact details; why did we all rush over so excitedly? Still, he envied Idiot for having so many caring female friends, and now he had supposedly found a decent girlfriend—wasn't that openly inviting jealousy? "Maybe Idiot worried too much. He could have told Manman and the others earlier that he liked a girl, and then asked Manman for advice on what girls like." If he had Manman's guidance, Idiot might have won the girl over much sooner.

The moment Shi Zhengwei spoke, Wang Qiqi’s body immediately tensed. She didn't know how Idiot had described his romance to Shi Man, but he must have concealed something. At the time, Shi Man had been happy that Idiot finally had a girlfriend and hadn't thought much about it. But the critical issue now was that Idiot had liked a girl for a long time and hadn't reported it to Shi Man—this was... problematic.

Just as Wang Qiqi expected, Shi Man, who had been cheerfully sharing details with Juliana, changed her expression drastically upon hearing Shi Zhengwei’s words. "What? He liked that girl a long time ago?" How could Shi Man not be angry? During the New Year’s event, she had been actively trying to introduce more girls to Idiot. As for Gong Junyu and the others, it wasn't that Shi Man wouldn't introduce them, but they were all currently single and had no real desire to date; with them leaving abroad in about six months, it seemed pointless to waste time and emotions only to face trouble later. But Idiot was different—this situation was bound to anger Shi Man.

Shi Zhengbei's eyes darted around frantically. He inwardly groaned, realizing the mess he'd created, and continuously sent desperate, pleading glances to the others, hoping for someone to intervene. To his dismay, everyone studiously avoided his gaze. Shi Zhengwei felt an utter sense of helplessness; why had he opened his mouth? Forget about navigating the immediate crisis, Idiot wouldn't let him off the hook tonight either.

Wang Qiqi was already on her feet at the first opportunity. "I have a bit of a headache; I'm going to sleep now." Given that her complexion was already somewhat pale, compounded by her habit of sleeping after every exam to replenish her energy, she made a safe exit. While the others couldn't leave, they were certainly free to watch the show.

The Wife for the Husband, an era flourishing with gossips and busybodies, and the brilliant life of one woman.