Chapter 79: Old Classmates at the Book Signing

Nanjing, the book signing venue.

At the front of the long queue, Cao Sheng, dressed in white casual wear, was skillfully signing autographs for fans, occasionally looking up to smile and answer one or two questions.

This book signing was arranged in an exhibition hall.

The venue was quite large.

Cao Sheng, signing books at the front of the queue, was as white as snow in his clothes and full of grace.

The looks Sun Yong and Wu Mingjing cast toward Cao Sheng in the queue were both quite complex.

Sun Yong murmured, "Damn! I didn't expect 'Zhongyuan Yidianhui' to really be Cao Sheng, Wu Mingjing! Did we get it wrong?"

Sun Yong and Wu Mingjing were about the same age as Cao Sheng. Wu Mingjing stood behind Sun Yong and, hearing this, replied softly, "No mistake! It should be him! Although he's much more handsome now than in high school and has changed a lot, I was his classmate for three years in high school, so I shouldn't mistake him."

Sun Yong paused for a moment, then said quietly, "When I saw his photo in the newspaper, I couldn't believe it. I didn't expect it to really be him! Back in high school, I really didn't see it. His writing was actually good enough to write novels. Can you believe that?"

Wu Mingjing smiled and said, "You were only in the same class as him in Gao San, so you might not know. In Gao Yi and Gao Er, he always ranked first in the grade for Chinese exams."

Sun Yong turned around in surprise, "Really? Why don't I remember that?"

Wu Mingjing said, "That's quite normal, right? During our high school years, we took at least several hundred exams, big and small. You weren't in the same class as us back then. Would you pay attention to who ranked first in every subject for every exam?"

Sun Yong frowned, thought for a moment, and nodded, "True! Back then, when exam results were announced, the teachers usually only told us what the highest score in the grade was for that subject; they generally wouldn't say who got the highest score."

After a pause, he couldn't help but ask again, "Did he really rank first in the grade for Chinese?"

With several hundred students in the entire grade and our high school being the best in the county, it was very difficult to rank first in the grade for any subject.

Wu Mingjing nodded, "It's true. Once, after the test papers were handed back, I specifically borrowed his paper to look. The first dozen or so multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions were all correct."

Sun Yong was surprised.

The signing queue moved forward bit by bit.

Finally, it was Sun Yong's turn.

When Cao Sheng saw Sun Yong and Wu Mingjing behind him, he was very surprised.

Because both of them were top students in his class during Gao San.

And because they were top students, Cao Sheng still remembered both of them.

If it had been other classmates, seeing them again after twenty or thirty years, he might not have recognized them at a glance.

Cao Sheng smiled, stood up, and extended his right hand toward Sun Yong, "Old classmate! Long time no see. I really didn't expect to meet you two old classmates here today! Let's shake hands! Don't rush to leave in a moment; since it's rare to reunite, let's have lunch together? My treat."

Sun Yong smiled and grasped Cao Sheng's right hand with both hands.

Seeing this, Cao Sheng also placed his left hand on top.

Sun Yong said, "Cao Sheng! I didn't expect that among so many classmates in our class, you would be the first to make it, and so quickly. We're only in our second year of university! I really didn't see before that you had such great writing talent. Alright! In a moment, Wu Mingjing and I will wait nearby. Today at noon, we'll eat at the expense of you big shot!"

Cao Sheng smiled gently.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Sun Yong, Cao Sheng looked at Wu Mingjing and extended his right hand to her as well.

"Wu Mingjing! Long time no see. Shall we shake hands too?"

His face was full of smiles.

Seeing two old classmates here today, his mood was indeed very good.

Wu Mingjing smiled brightly, walked up generously, grasped Cao Sheng's right hand, raised her other hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, her cheeks slightly flushed, and said, "Today, Sun Yong and I came just to see if 'Zhongyuan Yidianhui' was really you. Now that I've seen you, I'm very happy. Congratulations, Cao Sheng! Please sign for us first! Don't delay the other fans behind us. Let's chat after you're done, okay?"

Cao Sheng nodded.

"Okay!"

While the three of them were exchanging pleasantries, the other fans in line were watching curiously, whispering guesses about the relationship between the three of them.

Those standing at the front of the queue could hear the three of them talking and knew they were old classmates.

Those at the back of the queue could only guess.

The signing continued.

After getting their signed books, Sun Yong and Wu Mingjing went to the side to rest. Staff members handed them mineral water and brought them chairs.

Sun Yong and Wu Mingjing waited patiently.

They waited until past one o'clock in the afternoon before this book signing finally ended.

By then, Sun Yong and Wu Mingjing had long been so hungry their stomachs were growling.

Cao Sheng was also very hungry.

After finishing the signing, Cao Sheng briefly said a few words to several staff members, then quickly came over to Sun Yong and Wu Mingjing.

"Sorry, sorry! Kept you waiting for so long. You must be hungry, right? Let's go! Let's go to the restaurant first and chat while we eat!"

Cao Sheng greeted them warmly.

In the car heading to the restaurant.

Cao Sheng asked curiously, "Are you two at the same university now?"

Sun Yong nodded, and Wu Mingjing smiled and answered, "But not the same major. When we first entered university, meeting Sun Yong on campus, I was also very surprised."

This remark made Cao Sheng think of Tan Lei, a high school classmate who attended the same university as him.

Before entering university, he and Tan Lei didn't know the other had applied to the same school. It was only after arriving at the school and meeting by chance on campus that they learned they were both at Huizhou Teachers College.

Cao Sheng prepared to pay for the meal for these two old classmates out of his own pocket.

However, the staff from Changjiang Literature and Art Publishing House paid the bill in advance.

While eating together, Cao Sheng chatted a lot with these two old classmates.

They talked about past events from high school and other classmates.

They also talked about each other's current situations.

They also talked about Tan Lei, who was at Huizhou Teachers College with Cao Sheng.

Of course, what they talked about most was Cao Sheng's novels; it was a ready-made topic.

As top students in their class back then, Sun Yong and Wu Mingjing's Gaokao scores were much better than Cao Sheng's, and now they are both outstanding students at Nanjing University.

According to the life trajectory of the original timeline, after the three of them graduated from high school, they never crossed paths again.

And today, the two of them were both very happy to see Cao Sheng again; when leaving, they even took the initiative to suggest exchanging E-mail (electronic mailboxes).

After they left, Cao Sheng's signing event ended there, and that afternoon he boarded a passenger plane bound for Huizhou.

Sitting on the plane, he looked at the white clouds outside the porthole.

Thinking of the intimate state between Sun Yong and Wu Mingjing, Cao Sheng estimated that the two must be dating; these two old classmates from the same university had naturally started dating.

He couldn't help but think of Tan Lei, who was at Huizhou Teachers College with him.

He also thought of Chen Shuyun, his "first love" who had sent him a love letter, and even remembered the wealthy and beautiful Ren Xueyi who had made him sign her arm, as well as Huang Qingya from the Writers' Association.

He also thought of his own choices.

Tan Lei, Chen Shuyun, and Ren Xueyi, who had sought him out for a relationship—he had accepted none of them.

As for Huang Qingya, who had nothing to do with love, he had indeed not been gentle.

Regarding this, he felt no regret.

Because he still did not want to spend time on dating; he still wanted to concentrate his energy on writing his own novels.

As for love?

He would talk about it once he achieved fame and success.

He returned to the courtyard on Binjiang Road in Huizhou.

Cao Sheng put down his luggage, filled a kettle with water and placed it on the gas stove to boil, then began cleaning; since he hadn't lived there for a week, a layer of dust had settled on the floor and the furniture.

After finishing the cleaning, he brewed a cup of Houkui tea, took his teacup to the second-floor study, and turned on the computer.

Having recently traveled to six cities in succession and attended six signing events, almost flying every day, he was actually quite exhausted.

But he wanted to hold out until after ten o'clock at night before sleeping; otherwise his schedule would get messed up. If he slept now, he wouldn't be able to sleep in the middle of the night.

And his current state was not one in which he could type characters.

So he logged onto Rongshu Xia, opened the page for "I Desire to Become an Immortal," and wanted to see what the book review section had become during the days he held the signing events.