Heidi’s weekly living expenses were dozens of dollars.

Jonathan frowned. Everyone’s bets were usually half-joking, with $5 or $10 being considered quite a lot. Heidi was playing for rather high stakes.

However, Jonathan didn’t say anything about it.

Though he was Heidi’s boyfriend, he wouldn’t dictate her behavior.

“Place a $5 bet for me too. I’m also betting on our group to win,” said Ning Xue.

Although she acknowledged Xia Xiaolan’s capabilities, she wouldn’t imagine losing to her. She had that much confidence.

Heidi immediately brightened up. “Ning, I knew you’d be on my side!”

There was no shortage of confidence.

However, Heidi and Jonathan seemed about to have an argument. If she didn’t take Heidi’s side now, the group would face internal discord first – how could they possibly get an A then?

This was the downside of teaming up with Jonathan – he and Heidi were a couple, and couples inevitably had conflicts.

While Ning Xue was waiting to see Xia Xiaolan’s group’s submission, Project Li invited her to a party. She immediately declined: “I don’t have time this time.”

Project Li was furious but had to contain her anger as she asked Ning Xue:

“Junior Xia had originally agreed, but she also—”

Ning Xue found this strange. “She wouldn’t have time either!”

With so many people at school betting on this matter, given Xia Xiaolan’s personality, how could she agree to attend a party?

“Junior Ning and Junior Xia must be close, coming from the same school and major, and coincidentally both at Cornell…”

Project Li tried an indirect approach, but she had picked the wrong person.

Ning Xue, that ice flower, told her plainly, “We’re just regular classmates.”

The conversation became difficult for Project Li to continue. What was wrong with these Tsinghua students? Xia Xiaolan was difficult to deal with, and Ning Xue was equally cutting!

Ning Xue realized she might have offended someone.

This thought flashed through her mind. While she wanted to maintain mutual support with Chinese students in New York, not now, not at this moment—these things were secondary, merely life’s supplements rather than necessities. Architecture always came first for Ning Xue.

She was already overwhelmed with assignments; how could she have the patience for social niceties with Project Li?

Had it been someone else asking, Ning Xue’s attitude wouldn’t have been so poor.

The last time Ning Xue kindly warned Xia Xiaolan about Xu Jing and Ma Hai’s bad reputation, Xia Xiaolan turned it around and lectured her. This made Ning Xue suspicious of Project Li.

Whether Project Li was behind it or not, Ning Xue wasn’t sure.

But Project Li didn’t wish Xu Jing and Ma Hai well. Ning Xue couldn’t understand the car incident at all – her upbringing taught her never to casually accept expensive gifts from others.

Between husband and wife, there’s no distinction of yours and mine, but they weren’t married yet. After breaking up, shouldn’t the car be returned?

“Senior Project, I’m sorry, but I have a class. Goodbye!”

Ning Xue hurriedly hung up the phone.

Hearing the dial tone, Project Li finally couldn’t help but throw away her phone.

“What are they all so proud of? Do these newcomers not understand respecting their seniors anymore?”

Xia Xiaolan was hard to approach, and Ning Xue was equally arrogant.

Li Yong didn’t seem surprised: “I’ve asked around. Ning Xue’s background isn’t simple. Her grandfather is Ning Yanfan, the architectural master in China.”

Ning Yanfan had never hidden his relationship with Ning Xue, taking his granddaughter everywhere. Li Yong only needed to put in a little effort to find out.

Anyone at Tsinghua University would know about Ning Xue’s relationship with Old Master Ning.

No wonder. Project Li smiled sarcastically: “This world is truly unfair. These people can attend Tsinghua as they please, and once they’re done in China, their elders can immediately send them abroad to study. For those of us with ordinary backgrounds who got public funding to study abroad, the hardships we endured to get these opportunities are unimaginable… What about Xia Xiaolan then, what’s her background?”

“She has no background.”

Li Yong’s answer surprised Project Li.

“How is that possible? How could she have so much money without a background?”

Li Yong smiled, “Isn’t that perfect? Having a background would make things more difficult – though it would be hard for someone from China to come to New York to settle scores with us, there would still be future troubles. Xia Xiaolan is from Yunan, with rural origins. I heard she has a boyfriend in China whose family has some influence.”

Project Li didn’t believe it at all.

Did Xia Xiaolan look like someone from the countryside?

“Where did you get this information? How reliable is it? If she’s from the countryside, how could she bring so much money abroad?”

Li Yong nodded: “The information is reliable. I told you the situation in China has changed. Though it’s only been two or three years since you left, those individual businesspeople have already become wealthy. Xia Xiaolan’s family is like that – they’re all in business. Her uncle runs a construction team in the south, and they also have clothing stores.”

Project Li sat beside Li Yong, “Tell me honestly, where did you get this information?”

“You! You get jealous whenever I talk to any girl. Am I interested in them? I’m handling important matters! Han Jin told me all this. She’s passionate about socializing and wants to compete with you after just over a month in New York. I know you don’t like it. But Han Jin’s family also has influence back home, otherwise, how could she and that reclusive boyfriend of hers come to study in New York together? These are the kind of people we should befriend. Young girls, it’s not strange for them to want attention. They couldn’t be high-profile in China, can’t we let them relax abroad… If you give way a little, these young girls are easy to win over.”

Li Yong was still trying to teach Project Li.

If Project Li wasn’t smart, she would eventually ruin his plans.

Project Li asked curiously: “Why would she tell you all this?”

“Because her boyfriend and Xia Xiaolan are from the same hometown, can you guess why?”

Could it be that Han Jin was jealous?

“Men just like beautiful women. Honestly, seeing how beautiful Xia Xiaolan is, you don’t feel anything?”

Project Li’s repeated probing finally exhausted Li Yong’s patience:

“Project Li, no woman’s beauty is eternal. Even the most beautiful facade will decay. Only what we hold in our hands is real. Don’t test me with such words anymore.”

Chasing after some beautiful woman?

Only losers would do that, like Xu Jing, who sold his family’s ancestral property for Project Li, yet she still dumped him. Li Yong wasn’t even sure if Project Li was truly devoted to him. If she met a man one day who was decent in all aspects and could get her permanent residency, she would leave him without hesitation!

Therefore, what’s important for a man is power and wealth. Not just women like Project Li, but even beautiful women like Xia Xiaolan would voluntarily come to him.

One? He could find ten, a hundred!

Li Yong had grand ambitions and quite the mindset of an ambitious schemer.

…

On the top floor of the Wilson Hotel in Queens, Harold Wilson, who had real wealth, found it hard to sleep that night.

Only the ignorant are fearless.

Harold didn’t dare to be as blindly optimistic and confident as Li Yong. His wealth was the accumulation of the Wilson family – let Li Yong work his whole life, and he still wouldn’t catch up… But he hadn’t seen Xia Xiaolan voluntarily approach him either!

He thought they wouldn’t meet again, yet Xia Xiaolan had come to New York.

Was this fate bringing them together, or keeping them apart?

“Cornell University’s Architecture Department – there might be chances to meet after all.”