Just as she was pondering how to respond, Tang Jie’s call came in urgently.
“Lu Yan, I just got off the plane.”
Lu Yan replied lazily: “Oh, you finally decided to come back?”
“Never mind that for now. Listen, did you know Jiang Chengyi is back in S City? He’s coming to tonight’s alumni gathering. Didn’t you see Ding Jing’s message in the group?”
Lu Yan hesitated at the mention of Jiang Chengyi’s name.
Though Tang Jie had a casual personality, she wasn’t insensitive. She immediately noticed Lu Yan’s reaction and quickly cut in: “Don’t say anything yet. I know what you’re going to say—’It’s simple, just don’t go.'”
Lu Yan secretly rolled her eyes. As expected of her long-time friend.
She cleared her throat calmly and tried a different excuse: “I really can’t go tonight. My supervisor just assigned me a paper, and I need to focus on researching.”
Tang Jie drawled: “Sure, the alumni gathering happens every year, and missing one occasionally isn’t a big deal. But that excuse might work normally—not tonight. You know what? Ding Jing’s used our eighth graduation anniversary as a banner and invited the Seventh High principal to attend, along with several of our homeroom teachers from back then. Since last month, Ding Jing and her group have been taking turns rallying everyone in the alumni group chat, telling everyone to plan ahead and that no one’s allowed to miss it.”
This was news to Lu Yan, leaving her mind blank.
She was in numerous WeChat groups, most of which she’d been added to without her knowledge. She was too busy, and apart from work-related groups, she barely showed her face in any others.
She knew about this high school alumni group Tang Jie mentioned—Ding Jing was the group admin, and it was very active, accumulating hundreds or thousands of messages daily. Even glancing at it gave her a headache; she had no time to scroll through chat histories.
“Last week, Teacher Zhou asked about you in the group. Knowing you were busy, I replied on your behalf, saying you’d come. He was very pleased. The old man is just recovering from a serious illness, and it’s rare for him to join us for gatherings. Given how much he valued you during school, you can’t skip this, can you?”
Lu Yan brushed her messy hair, staying silent.
Teacher Zhou was her high school homeroom teacher. Last year, he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had surgery at First Affiliated Hospital. She hadn’t graduated yet then, and for Teacher Zhou’s sake, she’d specially requested her mentor, Professor Yu Bo, to personally handle the anesthesia. After discharge, Teacher Zhou had been recuperating at home, essentially semi-retired.
It had been nearly half a year since the teacher and student had last met.
She hesitated briefly, casually pressed the speaker button, and stood up.
Walking to the bathroom, she squeezed out toothpaste and began brushing her teeth in front of the mirror.
Over the phone, Tang Jie continued: “It’s not even five yet. The gathering is at Golden Sea KTV. I’m still on my way from the airport, about to enter the city. I’ve explained everything to you—Ding Jing’s probably well-prepared this time. Think it through: are you going or not? If you’re going, call me back, and I’ll drive over to pick you up.”
An hour later, Lu Yan met Tang Jie and her black SUV at the alley entrance.
After gallivanting for over a month, Tang Jie had tanned considerably, her whole body radiating a honey-colored glow. When she smiled, her white teeth were almost blindingly bright.
“Here, for you.” Tang Jie handed her a duty-free shopping bag containing a skincare set—exactly the brand Lu Yan usually used.
“Thanks for the sponsorship.” Lu Yan accepted with a grin, sliding into the passenger seat. She and Tang Jie were close enough to share pants; gift-giving was common between them.
They weren’t just high school classmates but university alumni too, though Lu Yan had been in the eight-year program while Tang Jie, with lower scores, had chosen the five-year dentistry program.
After undergraduate studies, Tang Jie didn’t pursue graduate school but instead worked at a municipal dental hospital for a year, successfully obtaining her dental license.
Afterward, Tang Jie’s wealthy father simply registered a private dental hospital under her name and hired several retired dental professors. Thanks to good management, within a few years, Tang Jie had several branch clinics under her name, with growing profits.
In her free time, Tang Jie’s greatest pleasure was traveling the world.
Lu Yan often remarked that the famous “idle rich” theory from Dream of the Red Chamber perfectly described Tang Jie.
After fastening their seatbelts, Tang Jie checked her watch: “Twenty minutes left, we’ll make it.”
Lu Yan’s spirits were low. She gave a noncommittal “mm” in response. The car’s heater was too high, making her face warm, so she removed her honey-brown cashmere coat.
Tang Jie turned her head, meaningfully watching Lu Yan’s every move. Her reaction to news about her ex-boyfriend’s return to S City seemed too calm.
Under her coat, Lu Yan wore a black turtleneck sweater that fit perfectly, showcasing her graceful upper body curves. She wore no other accessories except small diamond earrings, their brilliant sparkle reflecting off her delicate face.
“Why are you staring at me so hungrily?” Lu Yan noticed Tang Jie’s scrutiny and, feeling self-conscious, pretended to look wary.
Tang Jie turned the steering wheel, pulled out of the parking spot, and changed the subject: “I’m wondering how you manage to look so radiant without any sex life.”
Lu Yan responded with a mysterious Mona Lisa smile: “Become single again and you’ll find out.”
Tang Jie: “…”
It was rush hour, and traffic was exceptionally congested. As Lu Yan chatted with Tang Jie, she suddenly remembered Wang Qianqian’s situation and quickly took out her phone.
They couldn’t reach her last night; surely there’d be news today.
She found Wang Qianqian’s name in her contacts and dialed.
After a brief silence, the call connected quickly.
She sighed in relief, waiting patiently for Wang Qianqian to answer.
“Should we call Teacher Zhou and the others ahead of time?” Tang Jie suddenly spoke up.
Traffic was getting worse; at this rate, they’d be late.
Lu Yan nodded with her phone to her ear, about to say “Let me finish this call first.” But just then, a busy signal came through the receiver.
Before she could react, the call was abruptly cut off.
She paused, considering whether to call back, when suddenly a WeChat message came in.
“Dr. Lu, I can’t take calls right now.”
The tone matched Wang Qianqian’s usual way of speaking perfectly, followed by an apologetic emoji.
Golden Sea KTV was located on Yaju Road, just across from their alma mater, Seventh High. For convenience, the annual alumni gatherings were always held here.
Sitting in the car, Lu Yan and Tang Jie could see the KTV’s neon lights flickering from far away. The building was a massive three-story glass structure, luxurious with a touch of science fiction.
As soon as they drove up, security rushed over to guide them to the back parking lot. After parking, they thoughtfully opened the car doors for Lu Yan and Tang Jie—comprehensive service, and thoroughly attentive.
Local rumors said Golden Sea’s behind-the-scenes owner was Japanese. Lu Yan strongly felt this couldn’t be baseless gossip.
Passing through the parking lot, they circled to the KTV building’s front and walked inside.
There was an endless stream of guests at the entrance, but looking around, all were strangers—not a single Seventh High classmate in sight.
They both knew that despite their rush, they were still a few minutes late. Once inside, they’d probably have to drink a few penalty glasses as an apology.
In the elevator, an attendant pressed the third-floor button.
The elevator had three floors, surrounded by circular glass walls. From inside, one could easily see the parking lot behind.
Just then, two cars entered the parking lot, both moving slowly but following each other closely.
As they chatted, absently watching outside, an unexpected scene unfolded.
The front car suddenly stopped, then without warning, violently reversed into the car behind.
“What the hell’s going on?” Tang Jie was extremely excited, staring intently at the two cars.
Lu Yan was also startled.
Even more surprising, after the collision, not only did the black Range Rover in front show no signs of backing down, but with a “bang,” its door slammed shut, and a young man in a black jacket stepped out. He held something in his hand, pointing it directly at the driver of the car behind.
Lu Yan watched the scene in speechless shock, not just because the man’s figure was incredibly familiar, but because after her brief surprise, she quickly realized that the object in his hand was—a gun.
Unfortunately, before she could confirm this, with a “ding—” they reached the third floor.