Cao Rui received Jiang Xin's message and booked a private room at the restaurant early. Although Jiang Xin had mentioned that there might be quite a few people coming, signaling a potentially high bill, he felt that if he could solidify his relationship with Julina and the others today, the expense would be well worth it.

These past few days, Cao Rui had been desperately trying to forge a better connection with Julina before Deng Zhi could. His parents had warned him: if the other party pulled any underhanded moves, he would be the one left crying. The latecomer always suffers.

When Julina and her group arrived and saw they were being treated to a private dining room, Shi Man let out a cold laugh. "He's certainly sparing no expense today, treating us to a meal in a private room." Even if a private room wasn't significantly more expensive than the main hall, the impression it gave was entirely different.

Wang Qiqi covered her mouth, giggling. "That's because a big shot has appeared. Otherwise, we'd really be eating at some small diner."

"Exactly, exactly," Shi Man quickly nodded. "We truly owe our good fortune to someone. We just wonder how the food will be." Shi Man fell silent as soon as she spotted Jiang Xin.

Jiang Xin breathed a sigh of relief when she saw both Julina and Han Tao had arrived. She had just told Cao Rui that Han Tao was leaving for an internship in the US soon, and his expression had immediately turned serious, even muttering things about not judging a book by its cover.

Cao Rui also relaxed upon seeing Julina and the others. "Julina, Han Tao, you're here. Please, have a seat." Cao Rui noticed Han Tao wasn't carrying any luggage. "Han Tao, aren't you supposed to be heading to the US today? Where is your suitcase?"

"I'll go back later to grab my luggage. QiQi and I will leave early then," Han Tao replied. He felt a slight displeasure seeing the naked calculation in Cao Rui's eyes. The shift in attitude was too stark—he used to treat Han Tao with indifference, but now... sigh.

Cao Rui murmured an acknowledgement, quickly followed by a confused question. "Didn't your roommates say they were coming over later and could help bring it?"

Han Tao shook his head. "They have something on and won't be able to make it. They asked me to thank you for the kind offer." Pleasantries still needed to be exchanged, as this host was not someone to be trifled with easily.

Although Cao Rui was eager to build a rapport with Julina, he knew he couldn't rush things. Talking to Han Tao served a dual purpose: first, as the host, he could attend to his guests; second, Han Tao wasn't as useless as Cao Rui had initially thought. In retrospect, Han Tao didn't seem like someone dependent on Julina; they would forge their own path. Getting to know more people was always beneficial.

Despite Cao Rui's deliberate efforts to be cordial, Han Tao, though not overly talkative, made sure not to let Cao Rui look foolish, so their conversation flowed quite pleasantly. However, because Han Tao was deeply knowledgeable about computers but genuinely weak on economics (Han Tao never mentioned his stock trading to outsiders, even though he majored in Computer Science but understood economics quite well), Cao Rui found their professional discussion limited. Furthermore, he wanted to know how Han Tao had such good fortune—getting to know a foreigner and landing an internship in America.

Wang Qiqi chatted with Jiang Xin about the recent exams and new clothes for the New Year, but she was still paying close attention to the conversation between the two men. When she heard Cao Rui’s probing question, Wang Qiqi inwardly sneered. He finally couldn't hold back.

Han Tao, of course, concealed nothing about his good fortune. (After receiving JOHN's invitation, Wang Qiqi and the others had coordinated every detail of their story, even drilling their narrative with Gong Junyu and others by having them repeatedly ask all the questions they could think of, going over and over it until there wasn't a single flaw. Frankly, if Wang Qiqi and the others hadn't been personally involved in the whole process, they wouldn't have believed the opportunity Han Tao was presenting to the outside world was genuine.)

Cao Rui knew nothing of this elaborate setup. Moreover, what Han Tao said was undeniably true to Cao Rui. After hearing Han Tao's account, he had only one thought: "Looks like I need to improve my English skills, at least my spoken proficiency." It turned out this fantastic opportunity arose because a foreigner got lost in the capital, and Han Tao happened to pass by, offered directions, and took him to his destination. During the journey, the foreigner learned about Han Tao's computer skills and subsequently offered him the chance. "Brother," Han Tao said, "when you go abroad, you must look out for your older brother here."

Wang Qiqi thought to herself that this man had a thick skin. Had he forgotten how he used to view her and Han Tao?

Han Tao paused. "Jiang Xin mentioned you were also a bright talent in the Business Administration department. Who knows who will be helping whom down the road. When you get any good opportunities in the future, remember your brother, too."

Not long after, Daizi arrived, accompanied by a young woman. Wang Qiqi noticed Jiang Xin's expression momentarily freeze the moment Daizi walked in with the girl.

In contrast, Daizi offered apologies for being late right after entering. He didn't ask why Gong Junyu and the others weren't there. "This is my girlfriend, Lu Qiaowei." Daizi then introduced everyone present.

Jiang Xin had expected Daizi’s girlfriend might not be up to par, but she was surprised to find a gentle, scholarly young woman. "Hello," Jiang Xin quickly recovered and greeted her. Jiang Xin genuinely wanted to know more about Lu Qiaowei, but seeing Daizi pull her to a seat without further detailed introductions, and noticing Wang Qiqi and the others showing no surprise or asking about the newcomer, she wondered if Daizi had already introduced this girl to them previously.

Wang Qiqi and the others were actually quite interested in Daizi’s girlfriend, Lu Qiaowei, but the issue was that Shi Man was in a foul mood and wouldn't inquire about Daizi’s girlfriend until she had vented some of her frustration.

Although Shi Man had been giving Daizi the cold shoulder, she maintained a decent attitude toward his girlfriend. No matter what, this was a girl Daizi had worked hard to pursue; she couldn't let him end up single again. Besides, Daizi's taste was quite good—once the girl took off her coat, everything that should be prominent was, and every curve was defined; outwardly, she was definitely superior to Jiang Xin.

On the way over, Lu Qiaowei had been listening to Dai Lijun mention Wang Qiqi, Shi Man, Julina, and Han Tao. If he hadn't spoken their names with such an unnervingly neutral expression, she might have assumed they were Dai Lijun's ex-girlfriends. What worried Lu Qiaowei most was that Dai Lijun kept insisting these people were fierce and formidable, capable of causing trouble at any moment. Yet, upon entering, her boyfriend had only stated his name initially; they hadn't asked for specifics. Moreover, she noticed the girl named Shi Man looking at her boyfriend with a particularly strange gaze.

Wang Qiqi observed that Daizi's girlfriend was staring intently at Daizi and Shi Man, sensing trouble. She couldn't tug Shi Man’s sleeve—not only because Shi Man might ignore her, but because it would look awkward to Lu Qiaowei.

"Well, we only just learned about you today. Shi Man has been very concerned about Daizi—that is, Dai Lijun’s situation," Wang Qiqi said, habitually using Daizi's nickname. Though she corrected herself, she noticed Lu Qiaowei's expression momentarily stiffen. "Then Daizi’s roommate let slip that Daizi had been pursuing you for a long time, and Shi Man became unhappy, feeling she sacrificed a lot of date time helping Daizi find a girlfriend."

Lu Qiaowei hadn't expected Wang Qiqi to explain things so quietly to her, but the explanation was timely. Especially the mention that Shi Man had a boyfriend—Lu Qiaowei let out a visible sigh of relief. Even though she had just met Shi Man, she had long heard of her reputation, as her boyfriend often mentioned her name. However, as a woman, seeing her boyfriend regarded with such intensity by another woman was bound to cause some internal stirrings.

Seeing Lu Qiaowei relax, Wang Qiqi also exhaled. "Let's eat. I have to take Han Tao to the airport later."

Hearing Wang Qiqi say this, Cao Rui shot Jiang Xin a glare. He had explicitly told her how important this dinner was, yet she made such a mistake. "Eat, eat. Xin Xin, go call the waiter to start serving the dishes."

Jiang Xin muttered an "Oh," and scurried out in a flurry to manage the food service. Shi Man watched her antics with secret amusement, and the anger simmering in her heart lessened slightly. The look she gave Daizi softened from icy daggers, causing Daizi, who had been nervously observing her, to wipe a cold sweat from his brow. Still, he knew this issue wouldn't blow over easily.

Daizi, having just walked in, couldn't understand why Shi Man, who was amicable that morning, had completely changed her demeanor by evening. After hearing what Han Tao told him, Daizi broke out in a cold sweat. He truly wished he could chop up his roommates, cursing them for being so unreliable and selling him out so easily.

Since Han Tao had a flight to catch, and Wang Qiqi, his girlfriend, was seeing him off, while Shi Man's gaze constantly shifted between Daizi and Lu Qiaowei—the entire dinner failed to become the lively, relationship-deepening gathering Cao Rui had initially envisioned, causing his expression to slowly sour.

Eventually, it was Julina, the guest, who stepped in to keep up a desultory conversation with Cao Rui, unwilling to be completely impolite. Julina felt rather aggrieved; with so many guests, she ended up being the only one trying to engage the host. It was truly tragic.

Cao Rui was stunned that Julina had initiated conversation with him—this was unprecedented. Previously, Cao Rui always had to approach her, and she would only offer a few words in return. He inwardly wished for more awkward dinners like this if it meant deepening his rapport with Julina.

【Paper Riches, Gilded Vanity / Qing Feng Ling Xin】The fragrance of a beauty fades like a flower falling, withered by the wind. The fragrance of ink and paper lasts ten thousand autumns, passed down through ages. She is reborn on the path of death; watch how she walks toward a new life (To be continued)