Chapter 467

At this age, eighteen- or nineteen-year-old students cannot yet appreciate the value of their hometowns. Especially in today's rapidly developing, breakneck era, the conflict between a poor hometown and a city that changes daily is irreconcilable. Especially for college students, they represent two different lives.

So although there were still two days until the return-to-campus reporting date, students began arriving one by one; the school, silent all winter, buzzed again with life and joy, as if nature's seasons had turned—winter had passed, and spring had returned to its rightful place.

Pushing open the dorm door, the three who had returned early looked up from their idle chatter; Wang Kang, now a handsome young man with no acne left, sat up on Wang Yan's bed: "Wang Yan!"

Wang Yan walked in with a smile, nodding to them: "Why are all three of you back so early? It's still two days until reporting."

"We were afraid you'd be lonely alone," Sun Mingbo said, eyeing the bag Wang Yan carried. "I came back yesterday; the other two came back this morning. And look—this dorm's covered in dust. Clearly no one's been here."

"I just traveled around. Honestly, it wasn't that interesting."

"Where'd you go?" Zhou Jianguo, the big guy, asked curiously.

"I went to Guangdong—Shenzhen, Hong Kong, stuff like that. Just wandered around. Learned a lot of Cantonese too—'lou hau ah…'"

Though their family backgrounds differed, none of them had traveled much—and that was the same. Hong Kong hadn't returned to China yet, so to many, it felt like going abroad. And over the years, Hong Kong movies, electronics, clothing, and other goods had flooded in; people still deeply admired Hong Kong. Naturally, they bombarded him with questions, eager to satisfy their curiosity.

Wang Yan had nothing else to do. He ate the local specialties they'd brought him and told them stories of his travels, even sharing insights about local gang groups—the kind men find most fascinating—and left them stunned, wide-eyed, thoroughly entertained.

What he said wasn't false. Many of the stories were true. After all, he had unified the Hong Kong and Kowloon underworlds, served as Hong Kong's top gang boss, and was one of Asia's largest and the world's biggest criminal organizations. Though he'd entered cinematic worlds, sometimes there were deviations. But anything outside those cinematic boundaries, added from real-world knowledge—he truly knew a lot.

As they laughed, the dorm door slammed open. Zhang Kai walked in wearing new clothes, grinning: "Old Wang! I missed you so much this winter! I just heard someone said you were back, so I rushed over. Here—this is wild tea from my place. I'm telling you, it's the real deal. The tea trees on the mountain are all counted. Taste is incredible. You like tea, right? I brought you all my family's tea. And my mom's dishes—let's eat these right now. I brought them back yesterday; if we wait any longer, they'll go bad. How was your winter alone?"

Sun Mingbo snorted: "Our comrade Wang has been living it up—he went to Hong Kong for tourism."

"Hong Kong? And tourism?" Zhang Kai fell silent for a moment. "Money really is good…"

He quickly shook off his mood, punched Wang Yan's bicep: "Wang Ge, you went traveling—didn't bring your little brother any Hong Kong souvenirs?"

Life is the best stage; everyone's an actor. Just moments ago, he was "Old Wang"—now he's "Wang Ge," all sweet and obsequious.

"How could I not bring anything? I forgot entirely because the three of you just asked me questions." Wang Ge shook his head with a smile, opened his bag, and pulled things out: "Here—some local pastries from there. These wallets are for you guys too—all the same, just different colors. Take a look."

Their hearts weren't bad—they all brought him gifts for the New Year. Good. These were just random purchases, cheap stuff. Likewise, he'd bought wallets for Ruan Wan and the others, handed them to Zhu Xiao Bei to deliver, since they hadn't returned yet. But those weren't given as casually as these boys'—he'd carefully chosen colors and styles for each.

Zhu Xiao Bei had told him earlier they'd talked on the phone and planned a group dinner at her barbecue stall. The four girls—Ruan Wan, Li Weijuan, Zhu Xiao Bei, Zheng Wei—and Xu Kaiyang, Zhang Kai, and others close to them would come. But none of the three boys from his dorm—though they knew them, it was just acquaintance. He had no objections and readily agreed…

They laughed and shared winter stories. Then Wang Yan went to the campus supermarket and brought back two cases of beer. After all, these boys had brought home-cooked dishes—mostly long-lasting, hearty ones—worn out from the train ride. And after over a month apart, there was a bit of awkwardness. A little alcohol would help them reconnect.

The dorm had four, plus Zhang Kai, then more classmates joined. The room buzzed with noise as young male students sang loudly and drank heartily.

Drinking varies by age. Young people drink to dream of the future; older people drink to remember the past; those in between drink regretting the past and hoping the future will change.

Clearly, these boys were all dreamers of the future. They talked about getting rich, becoming officials, going abroad, becoming the greatest architectural designers. All kids who couldn't hold their liquor…

"Ding-ding-ding-ding, I'm back, girls!" Zheng Wei burst through the dorm door with a crash, yelling as she ran in.

Ruan Wan, who'd returned in the morning and slept already, Li Weijuan, who'd returned at noon, and Zhu Xiao Bei, who'd been back for a while, all sprang up at once, sighed, and each hugged Zheng Wei before turning to look at the two behind her.

Li Weijuan called out: "Only the mighty Zheng Miss gets this treatment! Old Zhang, Young Master Xu—you two really went the extra mile, all the way to the train station to pick up Zheng Miss."

Xu Kaiyang laughed: "We didn't know when you'd be back, so we slipped up, slipped up. Anyway, ladies, chat away—I'll take Old Zhang and leave. See you tonight. Come on, Old Zhang."

Zhang Kai nodded to Ruan Wan and the others: "Alright, get some rest. Don't skimp on the booze tonight."

The two bodyguards left. The four girls, reunited after over a month, chattered happily, sharing stories from the break, complaining about gaining weight from good New Year food, and pulling out piles of homemade treats they'd brought back.

As they talked, Zheng Wei's eyes landed on a brown wallet on Li Weijuan's bedside table. She paused, then asked: "Didn't you used to not use a wallet? Did you buy a new one?"

Li Weijuan gasped, glancing instinctively at Ruan Wan and Zhu Xiao Bei, then chose honesty: "Uh… Wang Yan gave it to me."

She saw Ruan Wan and Zhu Xiao Bei exchange glances, but all three had the same wallets—same style, just different colors. How could she hide it? Unless she didn't use it—but why wouldn't she use something so good?

"Wang Yan gave it to you? Why?" Zheng Wei stepped closer, picking up the wallet to examine it. "Is this LV? Real? This must cost hundreds!"

"Xiao Bei said he went to Hong Kong for vacation and bought wallets for us. They were cheap there."

"Us?" Zheng Wei caught the key word. She turned to Ruan Wan, smiling, and Zhu Xiao Bei, awkwardly smiling: "You two got them too?"

Seeing their expressions, Zheng Wei confirmed it—clearly, she was left out.

She stepped back two paces, slumped onto a stool. Four girls in the dorm—three had good relations with Wang. Now, with gifts, three had them, none for her. She didn't understand—why did Wang dislike her so much? They'd never had any deep grudge. Why?

Ruan Wan shot Li Weijuan a reproachful look. Li Weijuan responded with an innocent shrug, open palms, a pout, and a sideways glance. Ruan Wan sighed, stood, and patted Zheng Wei's shoulder: "Zheng Wei…"

"I'm fine. My relationship with Wang Yan was always average. Him not giving me anything is only fair—if I were him, I wouldn't give either." Zheng Wei forced a smile, turned back to unpacking her luggage: "Alright, I've got a ton of stuff to sort out."

The dorm fell silent. Only Zheng Wei's rustling as she unpacked broke the quiet.

Ruan Wan spoke: "Xiao Bei, your barbecue stall is so popular—will you have space?"

"No problem. I reserved a private room—we can eat right away."

Li Weijuan picked up smoothly: "What's good at your place? I'll take notes—I'm going to eat well tonight."

The three girls chatted cheerfully, trying to make Zheng Wei feel better. In truth, they didn't understand why Old Wang disliked Zheng Wei so much either…

"Long time no see, Old Wang—you're still as handsome. Oh, by the way, I love the wallet you gave me. You really shouldn't have."

"Long time no see. I love the wallet you gave me too, thanks. I brought you some specialties from my Buyi village—I'll bring them over tomorrow."

Ruan Wan and Li Weijuan smiled warmly as they greeted Wang Yan.

Wang Yan nodded back: "A woman changes greatly in eighteen years—true indeed. Just over a month, and you two look even more beautiful."

Li Weijuan laughed, waving her hand: "Don't say that—I gained five pounds at home, now I struggle to zip my pants. You should see Ruan Wan—she's still the same, even her skin's gotten better."

As they chatted, Xu Kaiyang quietly asked the gloomy Zheng Wei: "What's wrong, Weiwei? Weren't you happy earlier? Who upset you? I'll get revenge—daring to upset our Miss Zheng? He's hanging himself right in front of the King of Hell."

"Nothing. Just the excitement wore off, and the train fatigue hit me." Zheng Wei brushed it off…

After chatting a while, Zhu Xiao Bei clapped her hands to get attention: "Alright, alright, no need to wait. Don't stand here—let's go. We'll eat and talk at the stall."

"Let's go, let's go."

"We're off!"

"No one skips the booze today…"

The group laughed and chatted as they left the dorm building, passed through the gate, and headed toward Ren Sheng Jin Jin Yichuan. Not far—just over twenty minutes' walk—soon they arrived.

From afar, they saw the giant sign of Ren Sheng Jin Jin Yichuan, before its clean floor-to-ceiling windows, many people sat on plastic stools, grouped in threes and fives, cracking sunflower seeds, eating candy, sipping tea, chatting loudly—all waiting for tables. The weather was still chilly, so outdoor stalls couldn't open yet; otherwise, they'd already be eating. After all, street stall regulations weren't strict yet, and the civilized city campaign hadn't been enforced tightly.

At the entrance, two burly security guards bowed slightly with warm smiles: "Good afternoon, customers. Welcome to Ren Sheng Jin Jin Yichuan." In perfect sync, each grabbed a door handle and pulled open the shop's doors.

The group paused. A barbecue place with two guys just to open the door? Impressive.

Wang Yan smiled quietly at the back, watching. Both were ex-soldiers, hired for security. Drinking venues are trouble zones—north or south, it doesn't matter. It's not exaggerated to say a glance might spark a fight. When drunk, voices rise, boasts go too far, someone vomits on another, or flirts with girls—things always happen.

Arguments could escalate into fists; such incidents had not been uncommon during the early days of opening. The two security guards were there precisely to stop such behavior—to protect customers from harm and the shop from losses.

High wages aren't given for free; they're all diligent, and their service attitude is beyond reproach. At Ren Sheng Jin Jin Yichuan, the saying "If you don't do it, someone else will" is perfectly valid. With such high pay and such good benefits, they're buying their loyal service—if service is poor, they're gone, no exceptions, all written in the contracts. Human nature—Wang Yan had spent centuries mingling and thought he understood it well, so he was ruthless. His money wasn't easy to earn.

Inside, Zhu Dajie stood behind the cash register, beside her a server greeting guests. Looking further, one saw partitions separating individual tables. Every seat was filled, all patrons grilling skewers and drinking.

On the other side, through a large clean window, the busy kitchen was visible: a long barbecue rack densely packed with skewers, smelling delicious. Others swung big spoons to stir-fry, mixed cold dishes, chopped vegetables, threaded skewers—all frantic. They all wore white kitchen uniforms and masks to prevent saliva spray; though slightly stained with grease, not impossibly dirty, they looked clean enough to reassure.

Ruan Wan and the others had never seen such an extravagant barbecue restaurant; they were stunned. They never imagined barbecue could be this refined.

Seeing Zhu Xiao Bei enter first, Zhu Dajie didn't wait for the server—she warmly greeted everyone, led them past the noisy open tables into a private room, personally took their order, and insisted they order freely—everything was half-price. Zhu Dajie was delighted to meet these classmates of her little sister for the first time.

She never mentioned they were sisters, and Zhu Xiao Bei had never intended to reveal it. Before, when she sold buns with Zhu Dajie, she didn't want to draw sympathy; now, she didn't want to show off her wealth.

After ordering, Zhu Dajie chatted with the classmates, reminded them to call if they needed anything, then left happily.

Xu Kaiyang, sitting beside Zheng Wei, was astonished: "Whoa, Xiao Bei, your boss is really nice to you? In such a packed place, with so many people waiting outside for tables, they even reserved a private room for us—and everything's half-price. That's serious clout."

Zhu Xiao Bei shook her head and smiled: "She's the boss, not the boss's wife. Still single."

"That's even more impressive…"

The group began discussing Zhu Dajie, but after just a few sentences, Zhu Xiao Bei steered the conversation elsewhere.

The boss's sister bringing classmates to eat meant the dishes arrived fast—soon the table was full of food and drinks. The group drank, grilled skewers, and once again dreamed aloud about the future, thoroughly joyful. Gradually, group chatter turned into one-on-one conversations.

Wang Yan sat between Zhu Xiao Bei and Li Weijuan; the three chatted well, and Li Weijuan never stopped talking. Zhang Kai, seated between Zheng Wei and Ruan Wan, was also delighted, constantly drinking toasts and finding topics to chat with Ruan Wan.

Only Zheng Wei, who should have been the most lively, seemed listless, unenthusiastic, yet drank plenty—clearly drowning her sorrows. Xu Kaiyang, who had never hidden his affection, was deeply concerned, constantly making jokes and trying to make Zheng Wei smile.

But facing Xu Kaiyang's concern, Zheng Wei merely responded vaguely, saying little; yet her eyes kept glancing toward Wang Yan, who was laughing and drinking.

"What's her problem? Why's she always staring at me?" Wang Yan noticed Zheng Wei's odd behavior and whispered to the two women beside him.

Li Weijuan glanced at the listless Miss Zheng: "Maybe it's about the wallet."

"Wallet?"

"Back in the dorm, she was already upset. I just don't get it—you two aren't close. Sitting together for dinner today was pure coincidence. That's normal. She's not short on money, and she shouldn't be jealous of anything. I really don't understand."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile, said nothing, and poured himself another beer.

Zhu Xiao Bei took a sip, sighed, and asked: "Lao Wang, why don't you get along with her?"

Wang Yan pretended to think seriously: "Maybe we just don't click…"

"Hey, you three, what private meeting are you having?" Zhang Kai burst in, one hand holding a beer bottle, the other a cigarette: "Come on, Weiwei, cheer up! It's such a great day—our good friends are drinking together for the first time. We must be happy, must get drunk! I'll propose a toast: May we all succeed in our studies, have brilliant futures, and never fail another course again…"

The group laughed loudly at Zhang Kai—he was the only one who had failed and repeated a year. Zhang Kai grinned, showing his teeth, and accepted every toast without refusal.

Wang Yan knew Zhang Kai had nothing to say to Ruan Wan. People who care always tread carefully—when one side clouds over, the other drowns in storm. And Zhang Kai was always perceptive, a master at maintaining atmosphere. Group gatherings couldn't turn into isolated chats—it had to be together, it had to be drinking…