Wang Qiqi, Shi Man, and Julina said their goodbyes to Dai Lijun and the others, carrying their packed dishes as they leisurely walked home. "Was Lu Qiaowei a bit off today?" Shi Man suddenly asked as they neared the entrance.

"She was definitely off. I felt like she wasn't as relaxed as usual, almost restrained," Julina had sensed something was amiss during the day but hadn't thought much of it. Now that even Shi Man mentioned it, Wang Qiqi beside her nodded emphatically, confirming it wasn't just her overthinking.

"Did Daizi take her back to his hometown during the summer break?" Wang Qiqi recalled Daizi mentioning something about it in an email to Han Tao.

Shi Man nodded and hummed in agreement. "But that was Daizi's home. She has no reason to be so reserved when she's with us." Shi Man wondered, Could she be worried we’ll badmouth her to Daizi? If so, she’s worrying needlessly.

Julina suddenly recalled something. "A few days ago when I was out, I saw Daizi with Jiang Xin." She hadn't paid it much mind then, but connecting the dots now made things clearer. "She must be feeling insecure, oscillating between fear and hope. If it were me, knowing my boyfriend's excellent family background, plus being so capable—how could I let such a great man slip away?"

Wang Qiqi and Shi Man paid little attention to Julina's latter comment; their focus was on the former point. "It was the summer break, so why was Jiang Xin in the Capital?" Jiang Xin didn't rent a place in the Capital, nor was it rumored she found a temporary job. Why would she come back early? "Could it be that she hasn't given up on Daizi, thinking he's still the better option, and decided to return?"

Shi Man was speechless regarding Jiang Xin's behavior. After opening the door and turning on the air conditioning, she erupted in frustration. "What does Jiang Xin want? We can't do anything about her, but how could Daizi still be hanging out with her? Didn't Daizi promise last time he wouldn't have much contact with Jiang Xin?" If it weren't for Lu Qiaowei, Shi Man might have accepted Jiang Xin returning to Daizi—it was his choice, after all—but the issue was that Daizi now had a girlfriend. What was Jiang Xin’s persistent behavior all about?

"Manman, you need to talk to Daizi when you have time." Wang Qiqi felt Daizi needed to deeply understand the gravity of his actions. While Daizi was free to associate with women, Jiang Xin’s current mindset was clearly geared towards snatching Dai Lijun away from Lu Qiaowei. Wang Qiqi wasn't sure if Jiang Xin genuinely loved Daizi or if, having been dumped by Cao Rui, she felt deeply hurt seeing him quickly find someone new, leading her to recall Daizi, her 'backup plan.' In any case, Daizi needed to recognize his true feelings. If he liked Jiang Xin, he needed to be clear with her; if not, he needed to be clear with her too. "This ambiguous attitude of his will only end up hurting everyone."

Shi Man hummed in agreement. It seemed the last conversation with a certain someone hadn't sunk in, or perhaps he hadn't realized the severity of the situation, implying their previous tone wasn't strong enough. "But you also need to talk to Jiang Xin. Knowing the guy has a girlfriend, why keep clinging on?" It wasn't Daizi pursuing her; what was her game?

Julina listened to Wang Qiqi and Shi Man discuss Daizi and Jiang Xin. Hearing their voices grow more agitated, she interjected. "Jiang Xin is also looking for a man with good prospects and a solid future. If Daizi didn't meet those requirements, would she even look at him?" Julina was one of the clearer observers regarding why Jiang Xin had returned to Daizi. Daizi was quite a prominent figure on campus now, and everyone was certain he would study abroad later—no opposition whatsoever. Considering that everyone else renting the apartment besides Daizi and Han Tao was heading overseas this summer, and Han Tao was set to leave in two years—this was hot news on campus. How could Jiang Xin, with her extensive network, not know how many students envied Lu Qiaowei’s good fortune?

Wang Qiqi and Shi Man were momentarily speechless, as what Julina said was the undeniable truth. "People grow, we are growing, and so is Jiang Xin," Wang Qiqi sighed, concluding that Jiang Xin had simply chosen what she perceived as the right path for herself.

"How about we arrange a better man for Jiang Xin than Daizi?" Shi Man's mind raced, suddenly coming up with this idea. Wasn't Jiang Xin trying to find a man better than Cao Rui to prove her allure? Then they knew exactly what direction to aim for.

Wang Qiqi immediately thought, Yes, this idea is great, brilliant even. But when it came to selecting the candidate, sorry—between the two of them, there were very few capable, well-off men they knew, and even those were already taken. Julina was different; she knew many people and could surely find a suitable catch.

Seeing their intense gazes, Julina immediately waved her hands. "Don't look at me, don't look at me! I already went through enough trouble trying to find a promising girl for Cao Rui. If you ask me to find another one now, where am I supposed to look?" There was one thing Julina hesitated to say: if there were a truly capable and well-connected man available, why wouldn't she keep him for herself? Julina thought, she was single, after all; why should all the good ones go to others?

Wang Qiqi and Shi Man were stunned by the information Julina had just revealed. What? Cao Rui's current girlfriend was introduced by Julina? No way. "Ah, you didn't! You were actually the one behind..." Wang Qiqi hadn't anticipated that Julina would be the catalyst for Daizi's current predicament. But knowing Julina, Wang Qiqi understood her feelings. After all, Cao Rui was like stubborn gum, constantly hovering under the guise of seeking advice. No matter how annoyed Julina was, she couldn't lash out at him, or public opinion would side with him—Julina was perceived as a wealthy young lady, and bad tempers were considered normal for rich girls.

Shi Man was initially surprised, but then she burst into happy, excited laughter, slapping the sofa. She then rushed to Julina and gave her a fierce kiss. "Nana, you’re the best! You should have dealt with Cao Rui that way. By the way, does that girl genuinely like Cao Rui? I really want to see the look on his face when that girl kicks him to the curb!" It would be hilarious, although there was the trouble that he might then turn his attention back to Nana.

"But Nana, what if that person genuinely falls in love with Cao Rui? Wouldn't he get away with it then?" Wang Qiqi worried about the other possibility—if he sweet-talked the woman into marrying him, wouldn't he truly profit?

Julina had expected Qiqi and the others to criticize her, as her actions did have the intention of breaking up a potential relationship. But to her surprise, neither of them showed any objection; in fact, they both looked as if to say, Well done, Nana, nearly giving her a thumbs-up. This greatly relieved Julina, who had been keeping this matter bottled up and hadn't dared share it with her friends. As for Shi Man's suggestion and Qiqi's concern, Julina smiled mysteriously. "Don't worry, that girl has a fiancé. It was an arrangement made by her family. That man is studying abroad now and will return in two years, at which point they will be engaged and married." As she spoke, Julina sighed, reflecting that if her own parents hadn't been relatively progressive, she might have ended up as a subject of a similar arranged marriage. Whether there was affection between the young couple was none of the elders' concern; their only requirement was to solidify family ties through the union. "Regardless of whether she likes Cao Rui by then, the most he can be is..."

"...a lover," Shi Man happily chimed in, knowing Nana wouldn't be so kind as to help Cao Rui. "But we shouldn't introduce any boys with good profiles to Jiang Xin," Shi Man said after a moment of thought. "No matter what, Jiang Xin is a girl. It’s one thing for a boy to be abandoned, but for a girl, who knows if she can handle that blow? If something were to go wrong, we’d be the criminals."

"I know that, but honestly, good men are highly sought after. If that girl didn't already have a fiancé, do you think Cao Rui could have hooked her so easily?" Julina recalled the look on Cao Rui's face when he saw the bait Julina had deliberately set—she truly didn't know how to describe him. He had previously presented himself as a gentleman, only drawn in by Julina’s charm, but restrained by having a girlfriend, he hadn't dared show his true colors openly. Yet, turning around and displaying a different demeanor towards another girl made Julina truly nauseous. It was precisely because she witnessed this dual-faced nature of Cao Rui that her guilt towards him vanished instantly. She suspected that even if Cao Rui knew the other girl's situation, he would still jump at the chance; he yearned for success too much. "Of course, a miracle might happen, and the girl might marry him, but if that were the case, the woman's family wouldn't give them any dowry," although this sounded rather cruel, it could test a person's true heart.

"That makes sense," Shi Man affirmed. "Alright, alright, I need to email my man." She wasn't sure if Feng Xuanxiang was awake to receive her email at this hour.

Wang Qiqi watched Shi Man run back to her room, smiled, then got up to make two cups of tea in the kitchen, settling down to chat with Julina about recent matters. Although they had seen each other when they were in the US, Julina had been quite busy then, and they only managed a brief meal together before parting. Plus, there were too many people around before, so Wang Qiqi hadn't had a good conversation with Julina. Even the best of friends needed regular communication to nurture their bond, otherwise, affection would inevitably fade.