Chapter 20: The Patek Philippe Scam

The night grew deeper, and the conversation at the Wine party shifted from everyone's university life to their futures after graduation.

Those present were basically greenhorns who had just graduated from high school a year ago, and they didn't have any truly accurate ideas about the future.

Among them, Liu Yiyan actually voiced her ideal: to become a big star like Liu Tianxian.

She was naturally good-looking, knew how to dress, and was wearing designer brands; she was a living, breathing "white, rich, and beautiful" girl.

The boys naturally held her in high regard, saying that if someone with her looks didn't become a big star, it was the directors and audiences who lacked vision.

Liu Yiyan maintained a polite smile at this, offering no further comment.

Cui Tianhua raised his Wine glass and laughed, "Yiyan, my dad just happened to invest in a movie recently. Since we're all classmates, if you just say the word, I'll swallow my pride and get you a role."

A look of slight hesitation appeared on Liu Yiyan's face: "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"

"Not at all, a classmate's business is my business."

Cui Tianhua's wolf-like gaze stared straight at Liu Yiyan.

The meaning behind his words was also very clear: I've given you the opportunity; whether you can grasp it depends on yourself.

The high school teacher and homeroom teacher weren't invited to the gathering, so the classmates were relatively uninhibited, and a group of people there were egging each other on to drink up.

This time, Liu Yiyan's hand holding the Wine glass only trembled for a moment before she picked it up and downed it in one gulp.

Cheers erupted instantly around the table.

Not long after, Cui Tianhua stood up and said he had some things to attend to and was leaving early; he had already paid the bill, and if they wanted to add any more dishes later, they should tell the lobby manager to put it on his tab.

After he left, Liu Yiyan also stood up to take her leave.

A girl named Wang Li saw the two leave the private room one after the other and couldn't help but curl her lip: "Young Master Cui is fishing for ignorant girls again!"

"What ignorant girl? The two of them are clearly a case of Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai—one is willing to beat and the other is willing to suffer. Do you think Liu Yiyan isn't getting any benefits?" the girl sitting next to her teased.

Wang Li nodded and asked again: "Speaking of which, how many girlfriends has Young Master Cui fished in his first year of university? Three or four, at least?"

"Three or four? Are you looking down on my Brother Tianhua? Just the ones I know of make eight. Brother Tianhua changes girlfriends faster than you guys buy new clothes!"

"Damn, that's too awesome." A boy exclaimed.

"You boys are all fickle and love the new while loathing the old, aren't you?"

"How could that be? I'm very devoted, it's just that to this day, no girl has been willing to test my devotion."

"If you don't have a girlfriend, just say so."

"Don't undermine me..."

With the two "socialites" Cui Tianhua and Liu Yiyan gone, the atmosphere at the table became even more harmonious; the boys and girls were rowdy and heated, and the topics they chatted about became broader and took on an unspeakable color.

By the end of the meal, it was nearly nine o'clock in the evening.

Outside the hotel, the cool breeze made the effects of the Wine rise up; some girls suggested going to KTV to sing, and some of the single boys were happy to have more contact with the girls, so they agreed immediately.

Xu Heng was not interested in these things; he waved his hand to signal he was heading home first and told them to have fun.

After everyone parted ways, they formed different small groups; some went to KTV, and naturally, some went to bars. If this were a science class with many boys, they might even go to a foot massage parlor together as good brothers.

Strolling along Huaihe Road, Xu Heng had many thoughts.

Initially, he had come to this gathering out of nostalgia for the past, only to find it wasn't quite what he had imagined.

The people were still the same people, but he was no longer the person he once was.

Some say that the older you get, the more you understand and the more mature you become. Xu Heng didn't consider himself to have understood much, but looking at these twenty-something young people, he felt as if he were carrying a lie detector; he could always read what they were thinking in their hearts. This feeling, which made him realize he could never return to being twenty, was a bit uncomfortable.

Walking from Huaihe Road to Shicheng Avenue, passing the school gate of Old No. 1 High School, Xu Heng stopped again when he saw the brightly lit classrooms.

At the end of August, the first round of review for students from the second to third year of high school was already coming to an end. There wasn't much time left for them, so even during summer vacation, they were taking remedial classes, and evening self-study lasted until ten-thirty.

Xu Heng fished his Nokia N95 out of his pocket and used its "5-megapixel" camera to take a photo of his high school alma mater as a souvenir, even if it wasn't high-definition.

Perhaps many years later, after he had become successful through rebirth, he might be invited back to his alma mater to give a speech, but at that time, he would certainly not have these bittersweet emotions like he did now.

When Xu Heng was about to put his phone away, he suddenly frowned and pulled up the photo he had just taken again.

The originally dark corner appeared exceptionally clear in the photo because of the Flash effect.

A girl wearing yellow clothes was sitting with her back to him on a marble ball not far from the school gate. The surroundings were empty, and since the pixel quality was already poor, plus she was keeping her head down, it felt as if a "turning-around kill" scene common in horror movies would happen if anyone approached.

But Xu Heng was a firm believer in science; he never believed in any ghosts or demons, so he walked straight up and patted the girl on the shoulder.

"Are you having any trouble? Classmate?"

Being touched abruptly by a stranger, the girl was startled and shivered, nearly falling to the ground.

If there were such a female ghost in a horror movie, she would definitely be a disgrace to female ghosts.

Xu Heng smiled, and his left hand, which had been patting the girl's shoulder, shifted to a supporting posture, just enough to give the girl some leverage so she didn't fall to the ground.

When the girl calmed down from her fright and turned around, both of them were stunned.

"Xu Heng?"

"Uh~"

Xu Heng was even more puzzled than the other person, "Didn't you go to get a room with Cui Tianhua?"

Although the makeup on Liu Yiyan's face had been smudged by tears, Xu Heng could still recognize her; his memory had always been relatively good.

However, whether it was because his words were a bit sharp and direct, Liu Yiyan bit her lip, her expression miserable, and remained silent.

Xu Heng shook his head inwardly, thinking that she had agreed to do that thing yet was unwilling to admit it—it was purely a case of wanting to be a whore while also wanting to set up a memorial arch for chastity. He was emotionally repulsed by this type of woman, but out of consideration for their classmate relationship, he still said politely, "Where is your home? I'll take you back."

Liu Yiyan looked up at him, then immediately lowered her head again.

"I don't have a home."

"Oh, so you bought a house in Modu."

Liu Yiyan didn't speak again; this time, Xu Heng finally guessed something.

"Was that Patek Philippe rented?"

"Yes, five hundred for two hours." Liu Yiyan nodded.

Xu Heng sighed.

In fact, he had been curious about this point from the very beginning.

Because Liu Yiyan wore her watch on her right wrist, and very few people would wear an expensive luxury watch on their dominant hand; after all, the dominant hand has many things to do, and doing so easily damages the watch and adds unnecessary burden to the wrist.

Of course, wealthy people who do not care about a small sum of one million are another matter, and Liu Yiyan did not seem like the type of person who would not care about one million.