At first, the classmates who were in the know had felt awkward on behalf of Zhu Wenshu and Yin Yueze, their toes curling quietly with secondhand embarrassment.

But once she said that line, the mood shifted again. Some people quietly sized her and Ling Chen up; others simply stared outright, all but writing “what’s the relationship between you two” across their faces.

But now wasn’t the time to explain her relationship with Ling Chen.

Xiang Gefei’s expression wasn’t great either, though it wasn’t clear if she’d realized she was overstepping or something else — in any case, she stared intently at Zhu Wenshu, her mood looking rather complicated.

“Yin Yueze and I…”

Zhu Wenshu looked at Xiang Gefei and said, “We’re friends now.”

Her phrasing was tactful, but the meaning was direct.

If Xiang Gefei still didn’t get it after that, she’d have wasted all these years of living.

In truth, though Xiang Gefei hadn’t kept in touch with her old classmates much, she’d already had a vague suspicion once she noticed Zhu Wenshu and Yin Yueze hadn’t attended the wedding together. It was just that her attention had been stolen by Ling Chen at the time, and in the heat of the moment she hadn’t thought it through, only focused on the fact that she’d traveled a long way back for this reunion and didn’t want to come away with nothing.

Fortunately, Zhu Wenshu’s answer hadn’t stripped her of face.

So she laughed awkwardly. “Oh… I see… sorry, I didn’t know, I thought…”

Before she could finish, Xu Guangliang cut in. “Well, let me have the server bring out the food. Everything’s already ordered — see if it suits everyone’s taste, add whatever you like, don’t worry about the cost on my account.”

With him opening things up, the others quickly chimed in, eager to break the awkward tension.

Zhong Ya also said, “Bring it out already, I’m starving. Why’s everyone still standing around.”

“Yeah, let’s eat. It’s all in the past now.”

Yin Yueze smiled and walked over to sit beside Xu Guangliang. “I missed your wedding, and now I’m making you spend money on me too. Feels bad.”

Xu Guangliang: “How is this spending money — you all gave red envelopes, ha, I actually came out ahead.”

Amid the laughter and chatter across the table, Ling Chen pulled out his chair and sat down as well.

In that instant, the most awkward moment had passed, but Zhu Wenshu clearly noticed several classmates’ gazes drifting toward her and Ling Chen from time to time.

Zhong Ya beside her especially kept sneaking glances, seeming to want to say something but forcing herself to hold back.

Meanwhile, on the other side —

Once Ling Chen sat down, though there was a full arm’s length of distance between the two of them, Zhu Wenshu felt as if she were wrapped in his warmth and presence, drifting apart from the rest of the gathering.

Ugh.

Why had she blurted out that sentence without thinking it through?

She’d assumed without meaning to that Ling Chen might mind that the seat had been meant for Yin Yueze.

In truth, he’d probably just been going along with Xiang Gefei’s comment and asked out of simple curiosity.

Thinking this, Zhu Wenshu stole a glance at Ling Chen.

He wasn’t looking at her, his eyes lowered toward the water glass in front of him, seemingly deep in thought, his lips pressed tightly together, his jawline taut.

“…”

Zhu Wenshu slowly withdrew her gaze.

When she looked up again, she found herself unexpectedly meeting Yin Yueze’s eyes.

The two of them hadn’t seen each other in seven or eight years. Compared to how much Ling Chen had changed, Yin Yueze seemed almost the same.

Aside from slightly longer hair and more defined features, he still gave off the same impression as in high school.

But his gaze seemed veiled in a thin mist, as if he were preoccupied with something.

Zhu Wenshu didn’t know what to say, so she just nodded.

Just then, she felt another gaze land on her.

She turned and found Ling Chen staring straight at her.

“What.”

Zhu Wenshu felt an odd sense of guilt, as if she’d been caught contacting her ex-boyfriend, and muttered stiffly, pushing the water glass in front of Ling Chen toward him, “Drink your water, stop looking at me.”

“Oh.”

Ling Chen picked up the glass and took a sip, his jaw still tense but the corners of his mouth lifting.

Zhu Wenshu noticed that when the muscles in Ling Chen’s cheeks tightened, a faint shallow indent formed near his cheekbone.

Not quite a dimple, but it made his whole face come alive.

A few seconds later.

Zhu Wenshu realized she was now the one being watched by several pairs of eyes — for the act of watching Ling Chen.

“…”

Strangely enough, she found herself grateful that Yin Yueze was there today —

At least the reunion wouldn’t turn to teasing her about it. –

But because of Yin Yueze’s presence, and because Ling Chen wasn’t especially close with the others either, the meal proceeded rather stiffly.

Few people were drinking; Xu Guangliang had only ordered a bottle of red wine.

Everyone made light, unremarkable conversation for a while, and it wasn’t until the topic turned to high school memories that things finally warmed up a little.

Unfortunately, Ling Chen barely participated in that part, just sipping cup after cup of plain water, listening to everyone reminisce.

“Speaking of which, besides Ling Chen, the person who’s changed the most has to be old Xiang, right?”

One of the guys, already a little flushed from drinking, said, “If I’d known you’d turn out this pretty, I’d have gone after you back in high school, potential stock that you were.”

Xiang Gefei glanced at him and replied with a laugh, “As if you could’ve caught me back then.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I wasn’t in your league.”

The guy didn’t take her words to heart — after all, Xiang Gefei really was quite pretty now. “So do you have a boyfriend now? No way you’re single, right?”

“Why not? I’ve been busy building my career these past few years, no time for that.”

Xiang Gefei wasn’t looking at the guy as she spoke, busy replying to a message on her phone.

Around then, Yin Yueze stepped out to take a call. She watched him leave, then turned back to Zhu Wenshu. “What about you? Since Yin Yueze’s not here, let’s gossip a bit — I heard you’re an elementary school teacher, must be easy to find a boyfriend, right?”

Something about that sounded like she was implying Zhu Wenshu was a career woman with no time for romance.

And that as an elementary school teacher, she should’ve married and had kids ages ago.

Zhu Wenshu, who had always been respectfully addressed as “teacher,” felt for the first time that her profession was actually being looked down on.

“No.”

She said, “I’m a homeroom teacher, very busy.”

“Ah…”

Xiang Gefei’s tone carried a note of regret. “Well, I guess it makes sense. Teaching used to be a really desirable profession, but nowadays a lot of people care more about matching each other in every respect.”

“…”

Zhong Ya, who had been quietly eating this whole time, wanted to say something in rebuttal, but before she could figure out how to phrase it, her train of thought was interrupted by a sharp, crisp sound nearby.

Ling Chen hadn’t said much this whole time, but his presence was still the strongest in the room.

So when he coldly set his water glass down on the table, the atmosphere in the private room suddenly turned tense.

Even Xiang Gefei’s heart skipped a beat.

She hadn’t expected Ling Chen to react at this particular moment.

Ling Chen: “That’s true.”

Hearing those two words, Xiang Gefei let out a breath of relief.

But before she could fully exhale, she heard Ling Chen continue.

“Teacher Zhu graduated with a master’s from a top university, and now teaches at one of the best schools.”

“If it weren’t for the fact that she’d probably look down on me for going to some no-name second-tier college—”

He turned his head slowly and looked at Zhu Wenshu. “I’d want to go after her myself.”

The private room, which had finally warmed up, fell silent once more.

The atmosphere was extremely delicate; no one said a word, and yet it felt as though a thousand unspoken things hung in the air.

Only Zhu Wenshu’s mind had gone completely blank, staring at Ling Chen in a daze.

She had no idea whether he’d said that to smooth things over for her.

Or whether it was how he truly felt.

No one but Ling Chen knew the answer to that question.

Zhu Wenshu could only hear her own heartbeat getting faster and faster.

Just then, someone suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

“Yueze? You—”

The person’s voice was a little flustered. “You’re — you’re done with your call? Come eat, the black chicken soup just came out, it’s getting cold.”

Zhu Wenshu turned abruptly and saw Yin Yueze, who had gone out to take a call, standing at the door — she had no idea how long he’d been there.

Ling Chen also looked toward the door along with everyone else.

But he only glanced over briefly before letting his gaze settle on Zhu Wenshu’s uneasy, half-turned figure, and then lowered his eyes heavily.

“Just got back.”

Yin Yueze’s expression looked perfectly normal; he said with a smile, “Everyone’s just focused on eating? So quiet.”

Their host, Xu Guangliang, let out a breath of relief. “Talking about school stuff.”

“Ugh.”

Yin Yueze let out another heavy sigh. “Kids these days really have it rough with all the competition. I see all my relatives fighting tooth and nail to get their kids into good schools.”

He turned to Zhu Wenshu again. “Teacher Zhu, you probably don’t even realize how hard it is to get into your school. Damn, getting a kid into elementary school these days is like taking the college entrance exam. If my kid ever manages to get into your school, I’ll have to trouble you to look after them.”

“Sure.”

Zhu Wenshu smiled absentmindedly. “Of course.”

“With that promise from you, even if it kills me, I’ll get my kid into your school so you can teach them. I wouldn’t trust anyone else.”

Xu Guangliang steered the conversation onward, and naturally someone picked it up.

“You know why everyone’s so desperate to get their kids into good schools? Because you never know what kind of people are teaching at the bad ones.”

One of the guys said, “I saw on my feed the other day — remember Liu Haoyi? He’s a middle school PE teacher now. A guy like that, teaching? Isn’t that just going to corrupt the kids?”

Xu Guangliang: “No way? He’s a teacher now? Which middle school, let me steer clear.”

The Liu Haoyi they were talking about — everyone had some impression of him, a notorious troublemaker from the PE-track class back in high school.

Skipping class, fighting, smoking — those were minor offenses. What people really looked down on him for was how he cycled through girlfriends like changing clothes, coaxing every one of them into a hotel room, then bragging about the details afterward.

These things might never have reached the teachers’ ears, but the students had all heard some version of it, more or less.

“A guy like that becoming a teacher…”

Zhong Ya was about to say something, but suddenly remembered something and turned to Ling Chen. “By the way, didn’t you get into a fight with him back then?”

The moment she said it, everyone recalled it.

Most people had actually forgotten about this — until a few years ago, when Ling Chen had just started getting popular and marketing accounts began targeting him for clicks, someone submitted a tip claiming that in high school he’d been an arrogant troublemaker, that he’d gotten into a fight and nearly caused a fatality, but somehow, behind the scenes, a teacher had insisted on shielding him.

Back then Ling Chen was right at the peak of his rise to fame, and any piece of dirt got amplified.

Xu Guangliang remembered it clearly — he’d fought tooth and nail with people online, insisting there was no fatal outcome at all, that Ling Chen wasn’t a troublemaker, and that it was perfectly normal for high school boys to get into a fight once in a while.

But in the end the matter had just faded away, mostly because Xu Guangliang himself never actually knew why Ling Chen had fought Liu Haoyi.

Ling Chen had never clarified it publicly either. Those who liked him didn’t care; those who didn’t still brought it up as dirt on him to this day.

“Was it?”

Ling Chen said quietly, eyes lowered, “Don’t remember.”

“Huh? You nearly got expelled over it, and you can forget that?”

Zhong Ya pressed on. “Why’d you fight him? Did you two have some kind of grudge?”

With her question, everyone turned curious eyes toward Ling Chen.

Actually, when it happened back then, everyone had been shocked — no one expected the usually quiet, withdrawn Ling Chen to clash with someone like that.

Unfortunately, Ling Chen never explained at the time, and no one had ever managed to get an answer out of him.

Years had passed since then, and with Ling Chen’s changed status, everyone’s curiosity had been reignited.

Even Yin Yueze was watching Ling Chen intently.

Back then, Ling Chen hadn’t said why. Now, sitting here with both Zhu Wenshu and Yin Yueze, he certainly wasn’t going to say it either.

But he had never forgotten it.

It had happened in their third year of high school.

Early April, during the school’s spring sports meet.

This had always been an event for the freshman and sophomore classes; the seniors, facing the college entrance exam, only participated as a formality in the opening ceremony’s marching formations.

Everyone hadn’t even bothered practicing their formation much, let alone getting custom class uniforms — they’d just thrown on last year’s clothes.

Zhu Wenshu, serving as a placard bearer, had done the same, digging out the white shirt and black skirt custom-made for their sophomore year sports meet.

But whether it was because she’d grown taller, or the clothes had shrunk, the skirt fit a little short.

After the opening ceremony ended, the senior students gradually filed back to their classrooms.

Ling Chen walked at the very back of the group, having fallen quite far behind his classmates.

And at that time, Yin Yueze and Zhu Wenshu were, in the eyes of their classmates, already a semi-public couple, walking side by side at the front of the group, and no one thought anything of it.

“Hey, you think Yin Yueze’s slept with Zhu Wenshu yet?”

In the bright spring sunlight on the sports field, Ling Chen suddenly heard someone say this.

“Look at those legs — pale and long. If he hasn’t, is he even a man?”

Ling Chen stopped walking and turned to look.

But Liu Haoyi’s attention was entirely fixed on Zhu Wenshu’s legs, and he hadn’t noticed Ling Chen watching him at all.

“So pure, probably still a virgin.”

“That’s not so certain.”

“And you know how it goes — the more innocent they look, the wilder they are in bed, might even do every position.”

“Tch, lucky Yin Yueze. Bet it feels great screwing her.”

“Now you’ve got me all worked up too. Her voice is so sweet, she’d probably sound even better giving head while crying.”

They kept walking, getting farther and farther away. Ling Chen stood rooted where he was.

If it had been Yin Yueze who’d heard those words, what would he have done?

Perhaps he wouldn’t even have needed to make a big scene out of it.

His father was a senior government official, and his mother came from a family of scholars; even the school administrators fawned over him as if he were their own son.

Given how protective he was of Zhu Wenshu, it might have taken just one word — a call from his family to the principal — for Liu Haoyi to suffer serious consequences.

If he’d wanted to go further, finding a pretext to get him expelled wouldn’t have taken much effort either.

But Ling Chen didn’t have the means to resolve things so cleanly.

That night, Liu Haoyi and his crew skipped evening study as usual.

Climbing out over the back wall, lighting their cigarettes, they saw, by the faint glow of the lighter, Ling Chen standing in the shadows.

“You—”

Before he could finish, a club came crashing down on his head.

At first they thought Ling Chen had made a mistake, gone after the wrong person. But these two usually ruled the roost at school, and this wasn’t the moment for explanations — fighting back was simply their nature.

Liu Haoyi and his friend had been fighting since middle school and, as athletes, had never lost a one-on-one brawl.

Not to mention their opponent was a scrawny kid like Ling Chen.

At first they even had the upper hand, but eventually they realized this person seemed to be fighting for his life, and a flicker of fear crept in.

In a moment of distraction, Liu Haoyi found himself pinned to the ground by a blood-covered Ling Chen.

One of Ling Chen’s legs pressed down on Liu Haoyi’s stomach, one hand choking his throat, the other clawing at his cheek.

His fingers seemed ready to tear the skin right off his face, his eyes darker and more menacing than storm clouds over a besieged city.

Blood choked in his throat, his voice hoarse as the whisper of a killer.

“Talk trash again, and I’ll rip your mouth apart.” –

That night, Ling Chen never once told Liu Haoyi why he’d attacked him.

He knew they wouldn’t be able to swallow this humiliation, and that their backing down now was only temporary.

Even Ling Chen himself didn’t know how long this fight would drag on for — not until a passing teacher spotted them and hauled them off to the disciplinary office.

Though Liu Haoyi was normally no stranger to trouble, this time he wasn’t the one at fault, and with his parents backing him up, his tone was extremely aggressive, insisting Ling Chen be expelled.

No matter how much the disciplinary director shouted at him, Ling Chen only admitted he’d struck first, but wouldn’t say why — the only thing he said from start to finish was, “I didn’t like the way they looked.”

Given how things were going, Ling Chen knew his expulsion was all but certain.

Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, his homeroom teacher stepped in.

Teacher Zhang was a fifty-year-old veteran educator, nicknamed “the Terror” — even students from other classes would take a detour to avoid running into her.

Everyone had assumed such an iron-fisted, impartial teacher would surely deal out severe punishment. Instead, she said almost nothing the entire time, only asking at the end to speak with the disciplinary director privately.

Ling Chen never learned exactly how she’d negotiated with the school afterward — he only knew that the following Monday, instead of an expulsion notice, he received a school-wide public reprimand and a major demerit.

Most people who knew the story assumed that was the end of the matter.

But not long after, Liu Haoyi, still unable to swallow his grudge, showed up again in front of him, this time carrying a wooden club and bringing people with him. –

“Did they come looking for you again after that?”

Zhu Wenshu’s question interrupted his thoughts.

“No.”

Ling Chen came back to himself, turned to look at her, and said flatly, “It really wasn’t a big deal, just a bit of a scuffle when we ran into each other.”

“Oh…”

Zhu Wenshu believed him — given Ling Chen’s personality, there was no way he’d genuinely have some grudge with someone like Liu Haoyi.

It was probably just that high school boys were hot-blooded, and things like this weren’t uncommon.

Since Ling Chen had already said as much, no one else felt comfortable pressing further, whether they believed him or not.

Only Yin Yueze stared at Ling Chen intently, a complicated expression in his eyes unlike anyone else’s.

“I’ll go use the restroom.”

Ling Chen stood. “You all keep eating.”

The restaurant’s public restroom had quite a few people in it; Ling Chen went out wearing his mask.

While washing his hands, he looked up and saw Yin Yueze standing behind him in the mirror.

The two of them stood like that, one in front of the other, meeting each other’s eyes through the mirror, neither speaking.

After a while, Yin Yueze stepped forward and turned on the tap.

Ling Chen lowered his head, wiped his hands with a paper towel, then tossed the crumpled tissue into the trash can.

As he turned to leave, he heard Yin Yueze say, “Is your uncle doing well these days?”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a note of sympathy.

Ling Chen’s steps paused, but he didn’t turn back.

“He passed away.” –

Ever since Ling Chen had come back from the restroom, Zhu Wenshu had noticed something was off about his mood.

But she couldn’t quite say why.

If it were about the Liu Haoyi matter, that shouldn’t be it either — he hadn’t reacted much when it first came up.

In any case, Ling Chen, already a man of few words, participated in the conversation even less than before, only pouring himself a glass of wine when the others had already gone through several rounds of drinks.

This awkward, strange class reunion eventually wound down with the topic settling on Xu Guangliang’s blissful married life.

“So… should we call it here?”

Xu Guangliang said, “Nothing too fancy tonight, let’s get together again sometime.”

Everyone stood up, preparing to leave.

Xiang Gefei, who had stayed mostly quiet in the second half of the meal, seeing that everyone really was leaving and not sure when they’d next all meet again, worked up her courage. “Ling Chen, let’s exchange WeChat.”

She pulled out her phone and opened her QR code.

“I do social media content now, might be an opportunity to collaborate sometime.”

Ling Chen had been seated further inside; he’d just walked up to her.

“What kind of content?”

Xiang Gefei was caught off guard for a moment.

“Fashion, that sort of thing.”

Ling Chen raised an eyebrow.

“She’s a beauty influencer! Ling Chen, didn’t you know?”

One of the guys near the door turned back and said, “Old Xiang’s actually pretty well-known these days.”

“In that case, sorry.”

Ling Chen said, “That field doesn’t overlap with my work.”

“Oh, okay, well, maybe another time then.”

Xiang Gefei nodded and said nothing more.

But Zhong Ya beside her let out a sudden “whoa,” startling Xiang Gefei.

“What?”

“You’re a beauty influencer!”

Zhong Ya’s eyes went wide. “No wonder your makeup is so amazing!”

Xiang Gefei: “…”

Though this was literally her livelihood, being praised by another woman for “amazing makeup skills” didn’t feel particularly good.

“It’s alright, I guess.”

“Are these lashes false?”

Zhong Ya leaned in even closer. “I couldn’t even tell just now, I thought your lashes were naturally this long, that’s amazing! You should teach me sometime, every time I put on false lashes people say I look like I could stab someone.”

“…”

Xiang Gefei’s expression had clearly turned sour, but Zhong Ya seemed completely oblivious.

Big brother Zhong was really on form today.

Zhu Wenshu, at a loss for words, wanted to tell her to stop.

Just as she was about to speak, Ling Chen tugged at her sleeve.

“Let’s go.”

The group made their way, one by one, to the restaurant entrance.

Xu Guangliang first helped call taxis for a few of the guys who’d been drinking, then asked the women how they were getting home.

Xiang Gefei said she was heading back to her hotel; Zhong Ya, hearing the address was on her way, offered to drive her.

Without waiting for Xiang Gefei to decline, she grabbed her arm and pulled her along; even several meters away, Zhu Wenshu could still hear her calling her “old classmate” over and over, peppering her with questions about makeup.

With that, the only ones left unaccounted for were Ling Chen, Zhu Wenshu, and Yin Yueze.

Xu Guangliang glanced around and suddenly sensed how awkward the situation had become.

“So… I’ve called a designated driver.”

Xu Guangliang looked at Zhu Wenshu. “Should we—”

Ling Chen: “I’ll take her.”

Yin Yueze: “I’ll take her.”

The two spoke almost in unison.

The moment the words left their mouths, Xu Guangliang’s expression froze on his face; he genuinely considered pretending to be too drunk and just collapsing on the spot.

There would be no next time.

He was absolutely never organizing another damn class reunion!

The two men, having spoken, made no further move, both turning to look at Zhu Wenshu.

It had rained that evening; the ground still held patches of unevaporated water, and a faint mist of moisture lingered in the air.

Looking at these two men gazing at her, Zhu Wenshu suddenly felt the night wasn’t cold anymore.

It felt like being roasted over a fire.

“So…”

Zhu Wenshu turned to look at Xu Guangliang.

Xu Guangliang immediately adopted an expression of intense interest in the surrounding scenery, avoiding her gaze.

“Where are you staying these days?”

Zhu Wenshu had no choice but to ask Yin Yueze instead.

“A hotel.”

Yin Yueze said. “The Waldorf.”

Hearing that, Ling Chen’s fingers, tucked in his pockets, gave a sudden twitch.

The Waldorf Hotel was less than a kilometer from Zhu Wenshu’s place.

“Oh, I see.”

Zhu Wenshu said, “I live far from there, it’s out of your way, I won’t trouble you.”

“It’s on my way!”

Xu Guangliang, whose home was in the entirely opposite direction, suddenly cut in. “Yueze, let me take you then!”

Yin Yueze didn’t respond right away.

The night was deep, but the restaurant’s lights blazed as bright as day.

He looked at Zhu Wenshu for a long moment, then only let out a sigh.

The chill in the air had begun to gather into a faint, hazy mist.

“Let’s go.”

He walked down the steps, and as he passed by Xu Guangliang, he dropped a quiet remark.

Once the two of them got into the car, Zhu Wenshu watched the taillights fade into the distance before turning around.

“Let’s go.”

She tugged at Ling Chen’s sleeve. “It’s cold, why are you just standing there.”

It was a good while — Zhu Wenshu had already walked several steps away — before Ling Chen finally moved to follow.

The driver had already been waiting on the road; Zhu Wenshu climbed in with practiced ease.

Once she’d buckled her seatbelt, she saw Ling Chen get in and immediately turned her face toward the window.

Ling Chen said nothing further after getting in the car; the two of them rode in silence all the way to their destination.

Just as they were about to arrive, Zhu Wenshu’s movements unbuckling her seatbelt turned sluggish.

The truth was, throughout the ride, she’d been a little afraid Ling Chen might say something.

At the same time, she’d also, faintly, been hoping he would.

By the time she’d finished unbuckling her seatbelt and he still hadn’t moved, Zhu Wenshu’s held breath sank in disappointment; just as the door beside her opened and she’d already stepped one leg out —

“I’ll head home then, get some rest too.”

Ling Chen was staring straight at her.

His gaze was different from before — the streetlamp outside reflected in his eyes like flickering stars.

“Zhu Wenshu.”

He suddenly spoke, his voice heavy.

Zhu Wenshu’s heart skipped a beat.

“Hm?”

“Do you mind?”

“Mind what?”

Zhu Wenshu didn’t understand.

“A no-name second-tier college.”

Ling Chen lowered his eyes, dimming the starlight in them. “Never really studied much either.”

The overlapping honks of car horns outside suddenly seemed to fade far away, as if sealed off in a vacuum.

Zhu Wenshu could hear her own heart pounding thunderously in her chest, so loud she couldn’t even hear what she said next.

“…I don’t mind.”