Fan Jia, having heard the woman’s voice in the background, was about to hang up but added, “Was that the mysterious girlfriend of yours?”
“No, she’s my neighbor. You’re reading too much into it. I’m single now!” Zeng Yu replied casually. He and Fan Jia were on good terms. She had taught him a lot about wine.
“Haha, acting like you’re all lonely. By the way, isn’t your girlfriend coming back? You promised me back then that if she didn’t return in three years, you’d give me a chance. Oh, I get it now—you sent me to France to avoid me, didn’t you? Be honest, did you send me away because you didn’t like me?” Fan Jia teased, though in reality, she stood in her apartment, her face darkening.
“That’s nonsense! Ask around and see what kind of life I’ve been living these past few years. You know what, it’s too complicated to explain over the phone. I’ll tell you in person when your vacation ends,” Zeng Yu replied with a chuckle.
Fan Jia finally let out a breath, glanced at her phone, and decisively said, “Alright, it’s a deal. But I have one condition—you have to come alone.”
After hanging up, Zeng Yu wore a wry smile. His relationship with Fan Jia was complicated. She was a free-spirited woman, attractive and with a great figure. He had originally planned to visit Europe this month, but now that Fan Jia was on vacation, he would have to postpone his trip.
Just then, his phone rang again. Seeing it was Zheng Jie, Zeng Yu answered. “Yeah, it’s me. Why are you calling to bug me instead of spending time with your girlfriend?”
As she peeled an orange, Gu Meisheng discreetly listened in.
“Sigh, don’t get me started. You know how there’s that old class group on WeChat? You left so quickly after graduation that we couldn’t get in touch with you. Normally, no one talks in that group, but during dinner tonight, I mentioned that I ran into you, and suddenly everyone went crazy. Even people who never say a word started chiming in. Do you remember our class president? Ma Yan, the chubby one?”
“Yeah, I remember. You gave her the nickname ‘Ma Sanjin,’ and she chased you around for a whole semester,” Zeng Yu recalled the round face with a bit of baby fat.
“Ugh, let’s not talk about the past. Anyway, Ma Yan suggested that we all get together tonight to relive the good old days. A lot of people are on board. But here’s the catch—she said the reunion is contingent on you showing up. If you don’t, I’m on the hook to pay for everyone.”
“So you’re just worried about picking up the tab, huh? It’s all a setup. Where’s the genuine friendship between old classmates?”
Zheng Jie was a bit flustered by this. “Come on, just say whether you’re coming or not. I’ve already bragged about it. If you don’t come, Ma Yan will kill me. You can’t just leave me hanging. Do it for me, man. Help a brother out.”
“Alright, alright. Just tell me where, and I’ll be there.”
—
“Zeng Yu has changed so much!” Han Jie was lamenting dramatically.
Jiang Nan, standing at the stove, didn’t even turn around as she replied, “You’re missing your calling by not going into acting. Those lines, that expression—pure drama.” She calmly tasted the soup. “Sigh, too much salt.”
Han Jie immediately fled from the kitchen. He wouldn’t dare praise his cousin’s cooking.
“Running off so fast? I didn’t force you to drink it,” Jiang Nan teased. In reality, her culinary skills had improved greatly. Though she had been well taken care of in the past, she often cooked for herself. Now, her dishes tasted pretty good.
Jiang Nan stepped out of the kitchen just in time to see Han Jie sneaking away. “You’re leaving without eating?”
Han Jie threw up his hands. “I told you everything, and you just brushed it off. Zeng Yu’s changed! He brought a woman to the club at lunch. Gave some lame excuse about her being his neighbor, someone named Gu Meisheng. You know, in all those years, he never brought anyone to any social event.”
“People change. It’s normal. It’s been years. Zeng Yu’s changed. I’ve changed too. You’re always holding others to high standards while letting yourself off easy. That’s your typical way of thinking.” Jiang Nan’s face was calm, but she still felt a little sour inside.
“You two broke up. Let it go,” Han Jie said, still trying to persuade her.
Jiang Nan shot him a cold look. “Get lost!”
Han Jie left, and at the door, he ran into Han Jiayi, who was holding her son.
“Aren’t you staying for dinner?”
Han Jie paused. “Dear aunt, you need to talk some sense into Jiang Nan. Tell her to give up.”
“Hehe, if I could control her, why would I have had a second child? Sigh, my son’s still young. Who knows how much his sister will bully him when he’s older,” Han Jiayi said, looking worried.
Jiang Nan appeared at the door. “Mom, do you think I’m deaf? I don’t mind hearing it, but if Dad hears you, he’ll say pregnancy made you dumber.”
“Let him try!”
As Han Jie slipped away, mother and daughter went inside.
“Are you really still not over him?” Han Jiayi asked her daughter with concern.
Jiang Nan smiled and gently patted her brother’s head. “If I were over him, I wouldn’t be here. He waited for me for years. Why can’t I chase after him?”
“It’s not like you didn’t chase him back in the day,” Han Jiayi grumbled.
Seeing Jiang Nan frown slightly, she quickly added, “Alright, alright, I won’t say anymore.”
—
When Zeng Yu stood up to leave, so did Gu Meisheng. Her eyes betrayed just the right amount of reluctance. “You’re heading out?”
“Yeah, there’s a class reunion tonight,” Zeng Yu said, though in truth, he didn’t really feel like going.
“Class reunions are just people showing off,” she teased, laughing.
Zeng Yu smiled wryly and shook his head. “I used to avoid all kinds of social events, but after working hard for so many years, I’ve had to become the kind of person I used to hate. Society is just that practical—if you still have ambitions, you need connections. Compared to other types of gatherings, class reunions at least have a bit of humanity to them.”
“You’ve got a point. After all, we spent four years together, so the bonds are stronger,” she said as she walked him to the door. “Do you need me to iron your clothes for you?”
Zeng Yu turned back with a smile. “The housekeeper already did.”
She didn’t say anything else, simply watching as he closed the door behind him.
The moment the door clicked shut, a flash of excitement crossed her face. A good start is half the battle, and the key is that Zeng Yu doesn’t seem to reject me.
She picked up her phone and sent him a message: Come back early tonight. There’s another party tomorrow.
Zeng Yu glanced at the text and smiled. Even though they lived next door to each other, she still sent him a text message.
Half an hour later, Zeng Yu headed out.
As the car lights turned on downstairs, Gu Meisheng stood by the window, watching him. She had hoped to see him look back, but Zeng Yu seemed completely unaware. Was he just that oblivious? Disappointment washed over her.
Zheng Jie had already sent the address, so Zeng Yu set the GPS and drove toward the reunion. At this hour, it seemed like traffic was inevitable no matter where you went. Fortunately, the reunion was in a more remote area, so the roads weren’t as congested. Still, it took him an hour and a half to get there.
Zeng Yu knew the villa complex well, having received countless spam texts from the sales team. It was one of those places with poor feng shui, which made it difficult to sell. Now, most of the villas were rented out. But for a gathering, it was perfect. A three-story villa could easily accommodate twenty or thirty people.
Zheng Jie was waiting by the roadside when Zeng Yu arrived. As he pulled into the complex, Zeng Yu spotted him immediately. He rolled down the window and asked, “Why are you standing here?”
“Waiting for you, of course! Everyone’s already here. The class president said if I didn’t find you, I might as well not bother going back.” Zheng Jie grinned.
Zeng Yu scratched his head. “Is it really that serious? Get in. Why’d you choose this place? It’s so out of the way!”
Zheng Jie climbed into the car. “You don’t get it. This place is nice and quiet. We rented two villas, so there’s plenty of room for everyone to stay the night.”
Zeng Yu looked at him skeptically. “We’re staying the night? Don’t go pulling any stunts—I’ve got plans tomorrow.”
“The class president picked the place. If you don’t want to stay the night, you’ll have to take it up with her later. But I don’t think you’ll find a driver around here for a ride home, and do you really plan on not drinking tonight?” Zheng Jie said, laying the groundwork early.
Zeng Yu grimaced. “I’ve already made plans to go yachting tomorrow.”
“What are you doing these days? You must be doing pretty well,” Zheng Jie said, surprised.
Zeng Yu replied coolly, “It’s not my yacht. A friend invited me. And really, do you have to act so surprised? It’s not very convincing.”
“I’m nothing compared to the class president. She’s the one who’s been hiding her true success. This villa complex? Her family owns it.”
Zeng Yu was genuinely surprised. “This place hasn’t been selling. What were they thinking when they decided to buy it?”
Zheng Jie shook his head. “Her family took over after the original developer went bankrupt. After the villas were finished, the developer’s funding ran dry, and there were a lot of missing amenities. The local government had to find someone to take over. From what I heard, they got it for a bargain. On the surface, it’s just an average villa complex, but the land alone has already made back the investment.” Zheng Jie chuckled. “Oh, by the way, just a heads-up—the class president’s changed a lot.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing it!” Zeng Yu smiled. Back in the day, class president Ma Yan had pretty good features, just a bit on the heavy side.
“Here we are. Park the car,” Zheng Jie said, gesturing.
Zeng Yu noticed the row of parked cars ahead and instinctively pulled over.
They both got out, and Zheng Jie eyed Zeng Yu up and down before nodding approvingly. “I can see it now—you’ve definitely done well these past few years. Got a girlfriend yet? I forgot to mention you could bring a date.”
“Did you bring your girlfriend?” Zeng Yu shot back with a smirk.
Zheng Jie burst out laughing.
Lighting a cigarette, Zeng Yu said, “No rush to go in. Let’s smoke first.”
Zheng Jie nodded, sensing that Zeng Yu had something on his mind.
They stood by the roadside as Zeng Yu exhaled a puff of smoke and said softly, “Is Zhu Ying coming?”
Zheng Jie grimaced. “You really haven’t been reading the group messages, have you?”
Zeng Yu shook his head. “I muted the notifications.”
Zhu Ying was a girl from their class who had liked Zeng Yu back then. To get closer to him, she’d used Zheng Jie as a stepping stone. The whole thing had been an unpleasant situation, creating a bit of tension between Zheng Jie and Zeng Yu. It had been years, and neither of them held a grudge anymore, but it was still important to clear the air beforehand, just in case things got awkward.
“This reunion was organized by the class president and Zhu Ying. She got married not long after graduation and already has kids. But you wouldn’t know that since you disappeared off the radar. Let me tell you, instead of worrying about Zhu Ying, you should be more concerned about the class president,” Zheng Jie explained, easing Zeng Yu’s concerns.
The villa they approached had a garden out front, with strings of fairy lights hanging everywhere. In the middle was a long table, where groups of people sat on either side, holding glasses and chatting. Laughter erupted every now and then.
As soon as Zeng Yu and Zheng Jie walked through the gate, a woman in a red backless dress, surrounded by people, seemed to sense their arrival. She turned around and immediately locked eyes with Zeng Yu, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.
