Chapter 5: That Year at 18, Standing Like a Nobody

Waking up, Yang Tianxing looked at the familiar ceiling and knew that he had truly remained in 2002. He checked the time—it was only ten in the morning—and casually picked up a copy of *Gintama* from his bedside to flip through.

It was nearly 11 o'clock before Yang Tianxing slowly began to wash up; Old Yang and Gao Meilan basically only returned home after eating at their workplace at noon.

"Bang, bang, bang," came a knocking sound at the door. Yang Tianxing, with a toothbrush in his mouth, opened the door to see Shao Ziyang standing there, dressed in a stiff little suit and sporting a shiny, slicked-back hairstyle.

"Why are you here?"

Yang Tianxing looked his childhood friend and best buddy up and down: "Dressed up all fancy-like, too."

"Isn't this the last gathering of our high school days? I wanted to be a bit more formal."

Shao Ziyang said bashfully.

Yang Tianxing patted his shoulder and said earnestly: "Ziyang, we two—one at a second-tier university, the other a total nobody—no matter how handsome we dress, we won't be the protagonists. Only Tan Zhizhi, that big academic genius, and the class cadre are the focal points."

"Also, isn't the gathering in the afternoon? What are you doing coming to find me now?"

Shao Ziyang walked into the living room and sat on the sofa: "I went to the internet cafe this morning and saw in the QQ group that classmates who could come out at noon were going to meet up at the cold drink shop on Jiefang Road first."

Yang Tianxing spat out his mouthwash and said indistinctly: "I'm not going at noon. Just having a meal in the afternoon is enough; I still plan to go surf the web at noon."

"Oh, then if you aren't going, I won't go either," Shao Ziyang said gloomily.

For most class reunions, many people's mindset is like this: if there are no familiar people or friends going together, then they will choose not to go either. Only the organizers of the gathering or those responsible for managing the class's public affairs wouldn't care about such things.

Seeing Shao Ziyang sitting on the sofa without saying a word, Yang Tianxing sneered: "Look at that pathetic look on your face. Fine, fine, I'll go, alright?"

Shao Ziyang scratched the back of his head embarrassedly: "Thanks, Xiao Yang."

…………

The two took a taxi to the meeting spot mentioned in the QQ group. Because Yang Tianxing was a bit slow paying the fare, Shao Ziyang lingered at the entrance, not daring to go in.

"Why aren't you going in?"

Yang Tianxing asked.

"I just saw a lot of classmates."

Shao Ziyang said honestly: "You go in first."

"Damn you..."

Yang Tianxing really wanted to mess with Shao Ziyang.

Shao Ziyang was also in a difficult spot: "If this were a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, I'd charge in without a second thought. Being a coward would make me a spineless brat. But with so many acquaintances, I really am a bit..."

"Alright, alright."

Yang Tianxing waved his hand impatiently to interrupt. He knew Shao Ziyang wasn't lying; if there were any danger ahead, given Shao Ziyang's nature, he would definitely charge in without hesitation.

However, this didn't stop Yang Tianxing from spitting in disdain, and with a "creak," he pushed open the glass door.

In the cold drink shop, a large booth was filled with a circle of high school classmates, and over a dozen pairs of eyes immediately looked over in unison.

"Oh my, Yang Tianxing finally arrived. I thought you wouldn't dare to come after your confession was rejected."

"Whew～"

Shao Ziyang followed behind Yang Tianxing and breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was a good thing he hadn't gone in first, otherwise he really wouldn't have known what to say.

"Whoa, this setup—no wonder Shao Ziyang didn't want to lead the charge. It's actually a little scary," Yang Tianxing muttered to himself.

Yang Tianxing didn't care about the jokes the classmates were making; he walked over with a grin and greeted them.

After Yang Tianxing and Shao Ziyang sat down, the air went quiet for a few seconds.

This situation is very common; for example, when a group of people is chatting enthusiastically and a new friend suddenly arrives, the act of greeting and exchanging pleasantries inadvertently ends the topic others were chatting about, and everyone needs a little time to adjust after sitting down.

Tan Zhizhi had long since seen Shao Ziyang outside the glass door. She knew that if Shao Ziyang came, Yang Tianxing would inevitably arrive as well. For some reason, she felt a faint sense of nervousness and excitement in her heart.

However, after Yang Tianxing entered, he didn't greet her, only giving her a faint glance before chatting with the other boys, which made Tan Zhizhi feel very uncomfortable.

After chatting for a while, a bold male classmate joked: "Old Yang is really brave. He dared to confess directly in front of so many people at the graduation ceremony."

After this sentence was said, the classmates fell silent again. Both parties involved were right there, and the male classmate knew he had said the wrong thing but didn't know how to remedy it, so he simply shut his mouth.

"That was purely an impulsive joke at the time."

Yang Tianxing waved his hand dismissively: "Everyone, don't go spreading that around. It'll affect me finding a girlfriend in college, and then I'll hold you all responsible."

"Hahahaha, Yang Tianxing is still as cheeky as ever."

The classmates all laughed and continued to joke and chat, only Tan Zhizhi remained unhappy and didn't say a word.

……………

Around four in the afternoon, the class monitor, Li Tingting, came over to call everyone to the restaurant. The group walked out of the cold drink shop and headed over in groups of three or four.

By the time they reached the private room, some classmates had already arrived, including the highly popular Lu Yu, the only one who had been admitted to Peking University. Basically, after everyone entered the room, they all greeted him enthusiastically.

After paying their share of the money, they began to consciously form several circles.

First, the boys and girls were clearly divided. The small circle among the girls with Tan Zhizhi at the center belonged to the "representatives of high-value looks."

Class monitor Zhang Tingting was a small core; they were roughly the "public affairs management faction."

The two circles were very harmonious, occasionally gathering together to talk about cosmetics, celebrities, and the like.

The boys also had two circles. The first circle had only four or five people; they all wore glasses and had an elegant temperament, discussing high-end topics like postgraduate entrance exams, student unions, and future job offers at state-owned enterprises after starting college.

These were the boys who had been admitted to 985 universities; it was clear they carried a faint sense of superiority.

Even though whenever other classmates greeted them, the "985 academic geniuses" would respond very politely, then adjust their glasses and continue discussing high-end topics.

The other circle was more "loser-ish" and had more people. Their faces all wore expressions of "those who know, know," and occasionally they would burst into uproarious laughter; this belonged to the "dirty-joke group."

In any case, the center of neither circle was Yang Tianxing or Shao Ziyang; the two of them just mingled in the "dirty-joke group," cracking jokes.

When the head teacher, Jia Congjun, entered, the first climax of the gathering finally arrived. His appearance caused a sensation throughout the room, and everyone was screaming and applauding.

It was strange to say, but during high school, Old Jia was quite strict and had some unpleasantness with the students. However, after everyone finished the college entrance exam, the once-unpleasant past seemed to have disappeared.

After Old Jia entered, he greeted everyone and then walked over to Lu Yu to praise him specifically for a few sentences. As for why Old Jia liked Lu Yu, there's no need to say more, right?

After the banquet began, the atmosphere gradually shifted from reserved to relaxed, and everyone let their guard down, drinking with one another.

Old Jia was also flushed red from being toasted cup after cup. Besides him, among the boys, only the academic genius Lu Yu was toasted the most.

Many classmates held wine glasses or drinks, shyly patted Lu Yu on the shoulder, and politely finished a glass.

Everyone didn't quite know how to say polite things yet, only able to say common pleasantries like, "Let's keep in touch."

Among the girls, there were also quite a few who clinked glasses with Tan Zhizhi; as for Yang Tianxing, of course, there wasn't a single one.

"Little Yang."

Shao Ziyang whispered: "It really was just as you expected; being pretty, having good grades, and being a class cadre is what makes one the focus."

"That goes without saying." Yang Tianxing shrugged.

"Are you going to toast the top student Lu?"

Shao Ziyang asked.

"I'm not going."

Yang Tianxing shook his head: "He can't give me anything anyway; come, let's have a drink, brother."

Shao Ziyang nodded; since Yang Tianxing wasn't going, he wouldn't go either, and he picked up the bottle to fill his and Yang Tianxing's glasses.

Yang Tianxing raised his glass: "Come on, to commemorate us, 18 years old this year, standing like nobodies."