Chapter 487

In the park, people strolled leisurely with their children; by the lawn, a family of three pressed their big heads against a small one, crouching in a circle on the ground, watching ants…

"Son? Let's not look anymore—let's get up and walk? My legs are numb from crouching." Shi Jie's tone was full of resignation.

Four-year-old Shi Zhan crouched there, delighted: "It's fine, Mom—I'll just watch with Dad."

Wang Yan flipped his wrist to check the time, patted the boy's small head, and looked regretful: "Dad has something to do—I can't stay with you. Be a good boy and go walk with Mom."

"Alright then." The little one was quite sensible; he stood up obediently, gazing longingly at his father.

"Alright, Dad will come back tonight to tell you a story." Wang Yan chuckled, pinched his son's tiny nose, and glanced at Shi Jie, who was pounding her leg and stomping her foot: "If it's boring, take him to Ruan Wan's place—the kids are all there, it's noisy."

"Better not—I don't want to be around kids, just thinking about it gives me a headache. Funny, though—your kids, each one's quiet enough alone, but once they're together, they go wild, unbearable."

"It's nothing— we hardly ever meet all year. But this reunion, they said the kids would be looked after over there, but if we don't see them for two days, they'll start crying, so we brought them together. I don't even like going—I can't take it. One minute someone calls me Dad, the next someone yells 'Dad!'—I'm even more annoyed than you."

"You deserve it—brought it on yourself." Shi Jie rolled her eyes. "Alright, let's go already—I can't stand looking at you."

"Give Grandpa a kiss."

"Get lost, you're not serious—the kid's watching."

Shi Zhan tilted his head up, hands covering his eyes, leaving a wide gap: "I promise I won't look."

Wang Yan burst out laughing, pulled Shi Jie over, and kissed her full on the lips: "Let's go."

Shi Jie wiped her mouth in disgust, pointed a finger at her son's tiny head: "Don't learn from your dad—he's not serious."

"Not serious!" The little one grinned mischievously, grabbed his mom's hand, and strolled off…

After leaving Shi Jie and her son, Wang Yan found his Santana by the roadside and drove to the reunion venue—the Jin Ling Hotel in Xinjiekou. A longstanding five-star hotel, it once held the title of "China's Tallest Building" in the 1980s, and also boasted the nation's first high-speed elevator and first skyscraper helipad—very prestigious.

But as newer, taller buildings rose and technology advanced, those honors became history. Still, having opened early, it naturally carried a certain legacy. Its Huaiyang cuisine still held quality. Zhang Kai chose this place precisely because its prestige was solid and the food was good.

Last month was unlucky—when Zhang Kai called him, he was having fun with Zheng Wei. He remembered clearly: Zheng Wei was on top, and he was shifting gears.

So he didn't show up that day, but he did agree to the reunion. After that, he ignored it—Zhang Kai had suggested it, so Zhang Kai would organize. At Zhang Kai's current status, once he spread the word, even classmates who'd been out of touch for eight hundred years would crawl out of cracks—no exaggeration.

Back when they graduated, Zhang Kai, an architecture major, went into the internet industry and went around convincing students to work for free—he'd already become famous. Over the years, everyone had kept tabs, and everyone knew what kind of player Zhang Kai was. More importantly, among the Class of '94, Zhang Kai was the one who'd risen the highest. The whole school had so many talented people, but none had clawed their way to such success with bare hands like Zhang Kai had.

He parked downstairs and followed signs to the banquet hall. As host, Zhang Kai didn't put on airs—he stood near the entrance, chatting with people, warmly greeting each newcomer. Chen Xiaozheng stood beside him, smiling as he chatted.

"Oh, Old Wang's here!" Zhang Kai beamed, stepping forward, sizing him up, and clicking his tongue: "Came empty-handed?"

"I didn't see anyone bring anything—should I chip in two hundred for you?"

"Hand it over—I really will take it."

After a few playful jabs, Zhang Kai stepped aside, revealing Chen Xiaozheng behind him: "It's been years—catch up with each other."

Chen Xiaozheng nodded stiffly, smiling as he extended his hand: "Long time no see."

Wang Yan grinned, shook his hand, and patted his shoulder with his left: "Good job. Zhang Kai told me you'd changed—I didn't believe him. Now I see it—you actually smile! Studying abroad paid off—you look more spirited than before."

"Can't compare to you—you're still as dashing as ever."

"Bah, what dashing? It's only been five years—we're still young. Still going strong? No need to sound so old and tired." Wang Yan laughed. "So, you're staying back now, right?"

"Staying. Domestic development's so good now—no need to stay overseas."

"Good. Still single?"

"Aren't you?" Chen Xiaozheng leaned in curiously: "Earlier, I went to see Old Zhang—he told me he saw you walking with your kid?"

"It's a man thing." Wang Yan gave him a knowing look, then waved back at someone else calling out to him: "Alright, since you're staying, we've got plenty of time. It's been years—let me go check on the other classmates."

Truth be told, the two weren't close—just exchanged a few casual words during laundry nights, or spent one night together in the dorm after graduation, sharing a little heart-to-heart. Beyond that, no real connection. If anything, it was just that Zheng Wei had confessed her feelings to him during college, while Chen Xiaozheng liked Zheng Wei.

Still, Chen Xiaozheng was fairly well-liked among classmates. Though aloof, he was an excellent student and never refused when others asked for help. That's why he could propose organizing mutual aid among classmates—if he'd truly been unpopular, he wouldn't have dared say such things.

This reunion, Wang Yan's former roommate Sun Mingbo and Wang Kang both came—the ones who just greeted him. Zhou Army Supervisor stayed in his hometown in Shandong Province, too far to come. These guys were all doing well: Sun Mingbo worked as a civil servant at home, Wang Kang worked for a real estate company in Shanghai, earning well, and Zhou Jianguo was also a civil servant back home. Marriage wasn't yet too difficult, and all were married with children—quite happy.

Wang Yan sat with them, laughing and chatting about old times—it was quite fun.

As expected, word spread that he still drove the same old Santana from five years ago—even some people came over jokingly offering to buy his license plate. Indeed, his car's plate "12345" was the only thing valuable.

Clearly, this person didn't follow architecture anymore, nor kept in touch with classmates—had achieved modest success elsewhere. Otherwise, anyone who knew Wang Mou had won the Liang Sicheng and Lu Ban awards wouldn't come over to act big in front of him.

The Liang Sicheng Award was for design and theory; the Lu Ban Award was for physical construction. One honored his headquarters' design, the other its actual construction.

But Wang Yan wouldn't play that game, nor did he care about these mocking gestures—it was pointless. If these people were plot characters, he'd have messed with them without hesitation. But now, neither his status nor the plot held anything special—he couldn't be bothered to engage with them.

Besides, when he drove to school back then, he'd already imagined this scene—everyone entertaining each other, perfectly fine.

After a while, a burst of women's laughter echoed through the wide-open banquet hall doors—four beautiful women appeared around the corridor corner, chatting and giggling.

All eyes turned to them: Ruan Wan still had long, flowing hair and a graceful figure, radiating gentleness; Zheng Wei wore her hair in a high ponytail, still lively; Li Weijuan had changed dramatically—no trace of her old rustic look; now she had long, big waves, exuding distinctive charm; Zhu Xiao Bei was even more beautiful—her once-iconic buzz cut had grown out, then been trimmed short to just above the neck, curled into big waves, looking very fashionable.

Though the four women each had distinct charm, they shared one common trait: an unmistakable allure that drew attention.

In school, Ruan Wan and Zheng Wei were stars. Now, with the transformed Li Weijuan and Zhu Xiao Bei added in, their collective appeal was even greater.

Zhang Kai still grinned foolishly: "It's been years—four beauties, you've changed so much! Even prettier now. Come here, let Zhang Kai hug you."

He hugged Zheng Wei first—just a hug, nothing much; they'd been close before, hadn't seen each other for years, a warm embrace was natural. So Zheng Wei, Li Weijuan, and Zhu Xiao Bei each gave Zhang Kai a symbolic hug.

Zhang Kai looked at Ruan Wan: "Come on, Miss Ruan—haven't seen you in so long, I've missed you so much."

Ruan Wan smiled gently: "We've missed you too."

Zhang Kai knew his limits—he didn't cling. He hugged once and let go. He didn't speak of his own feelings, but stepped aside to reveal Chen Xiaozheng behind him: "Though you didn't hang out together, you all know Chen Xiaozheng, right? Especially Zheng Wei—you should remember him best. Actually, it was his return to China that prompted me to organize this reunion. Today we're all here thanks to him."

"Just a class reunion—no need to thank me." Chen Xiaozheng smiled at the women, his gaze finally settling on Zheng Wei's face.

Looking at that face—still bright, just as he remembered—he fell into deep thought.

When had he started liking this woman who'd caused him trouble? He didn't know. When had he begun missing her? He didn't know. He only knew: right now, he was happy.

His heart, long dormant, now beat rapidly, carrying his thoughts drifting back to the past…

In the messy Room 310, the smell was far from pleasant. Yet in this environment, Zheng Wei, in a dress, legs crossed, played cards noisily with Zhang Kai and Xu Kaiyang, who were smoking.

Chen Xiaozheng helplessly tinkered with his model. Though the dorm was always messy, Zheng Wei's presence was different—it drew even more male classmates into this already cramped room.

He couldn't hold back—he spoke: "Zheng Wei, can I apologize? I was wrong. You dumped my food in the cafeteria and humiliated me in front of the whole school—that's enough. Be merciful, let me off—stop tormenting me, okay?"

Zheng Wei shot him a sideways glance, scoffed: "Don't flatter yourself. I, Zheng Wei, own up to my actions—we were both at fault, and I already apologized. Now I'm playing cards here—it has nothing to do with you. Ruan Wan and the others in my dorm won't play with me, so I came here to hang out with Young Master Xu and Old Zhang—is that a crime? If it bothers you, I'm sorry—I'll say it again. Hey, Old Zhang, don't move—watch me blow him away."

"I give up, I give up." Xu Kaiyang sighed, slapping his tiny three onto the table, then glancing at Chen Xiaozheng and grumbling: "Ah Zheng, don't you get it yet? Miss Zheng's after the guy next door—Wang Yan."

"Roll out, what nonsense are you spouting? Who cares if he lives or dies? Are you playing or not? If not, I'm leaving."

"Alright, alright, I'm wrong, is that good enough?" Xu Kaiyang sighed. "I'm just a sucker, standing here as your decoy, drawing attention."

"Still talking?"

Zhang Kai grinned as he shuffled the cards: "Miss, you've got to let people vent a little, right? Enough, enough, I won't say it anymore—quick, draw your cards."

Chen Xiaozheng didn't think he was overthinking—he really was affected, and making normal associations wasn't wrong. But now that he knew Zheng Wei was trying to attract Wang Yan's attention, he felt uneasy. Still, he said nothing, quietly packed up his model, and headed to the library with his backpack.

And so, day after day, three days passed. Every day, Zheng Wei gathered a large group of male classmates in Room 310 with Xu Kaiyang and Zhang Kai. Unconsciously, he shifted from avoiding them at first, to staying to listen to their noise, then eventually looking forward to Zheng Wei's arrival. His feelings had no one to confide in—he buried them deep inside.

Later, during the cultural performance, he saw Zheng Wei run out. He thought for a moment and followed. He trailed her all the way back to the dorm, watched her enter Room 312, heard the conversation inside, then hurriedly walked to Room 310 pretending to open the door, and watched Zheng Wei walk away in tears.

At that moment, he realized Zheng Wei had already entered his heart. After hearing their conversation, he even felt a sigh of relief—he knew he couldn't match Wang Yan.

After that, his attention was no longer unconscious—it became deliberate. He grew more desperate to succeed, so when Ceng Yu helped him secure a government-sponsored study-abroad slot at graduation, he didn't refuse. But once abroad, he reverted to his old self. Whether or not he was worthy of Ceng Yu, he felt nothing for her. All those years overseas, he still dreamed of achieving fame and fortune, then returning home to appear before Zheng Wei as a successful elite.

Ceng Yu said they never started—that was wrong. In fact, they had started. Frustrated that her years of waiting yielded nothing, she got him drunk and slept with him. He never expected Ceng Yu would do such a thing, but he could only accept it. He felt no joy at being favored by fate—only the humiliation of being forced. Smoking and drinking began then.

He lived with Ceng Yu for half a year, until she couldn't bear his silent resistance and voluntarily proposed they let each other go. Ceng Yu left, and he was free. After that, he worked harder than ever—until today, when he finally gained some reputation and returned home, standing before Zheng Wei at last.

After countless efforts, he had reached this point. Looking at Zheng Wei's face, he had a thousand words in his chest—but all he said was: "Zheng Wei, long time no see!"

His eyes shone brightly, filled with a glow he'd never had before—he no longer avoided others' gazes. The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile full of confidence—not the lifeless face he used to wear.

Seeing his outstretched hand, Zheng Wei slapped it away with a laugh: "Of course I know—no fight, no friendship! You didn't waste your time abroad—you've changed completely, way more spirited than before."

"People have to change, don't they? You've changed too—more beautiful."

"Thanks." Zheng Wei turned her head and smiled at Zhang Kai: "Alright, Old Zhang, happy birthday first. We're going in—talk later."

"Got it! Eat well, drink well—today's all on me!" Zhang Kai waved them off, watching the four girls enter, until they were surrounded by people. He nudged Chen Xiaozheng with his shoulder: "Stop staring. No chance."

"Aren't you out of luck too?"

Zhang Kai looked at him, confused: "Who am I out of luck with?"

"Ruan Wan."

…"How did you know?"

"Once I saw you send flowers to Ruan Wan. If I remember right, they were baby's breath. Later, I noticed you sent a bouquet every week—for over a year."

"Impossible. I was so careful."

Chen Xiaozheng shook his head and smiled: "I saw you from afar. Then I asked the guy who delivered the flowers—he's a guy, right? You wouldn't tell a woman, but you'd tell another guy. And I'm your roommate—he'd definitely tell me. Everyone loves gossip."

Zhang Kai shook his head and sighed. He wasn't embarrassed—he was just another fallen man. The pot can't call the kettle black.

He'd thought himself successful—but he saw no difference in Ruan Wan's eyes. She still acted familiar, yet kept him at arm's length.

Unlike him, Chen Xiaozheng felt no discouragement. He knew he'd never had much to do with Zheng Wei—even when they played cards in the dorm, their conversations were few and far between. So he figured he'd need to find out more, interact more, then study it carefully.

"What are you two staring at?"

Hearing the noise, both turned around. Zhang Kai laughed: "Look—Ruan Wan and Zheng Wei just arrived. See? Everyone's gathered around talking."

Xu Kaiyang gazed at the graceful figure in the crowd and nodded with a smile: "They've all changed."

He looked at Chen Xiaozheng, who was forcing a smile, and gave him a light punch to the chest: "You're back."

Chen Xiaozheng glanced at Ceng Yu beside Xu Kaiyang and nodded with a smile: "I'm back."

Zhang Kai kindly pulled Xu Kaiyang inside: "It's been years—go chat with your classmates, relive the old days."

Taking the cue, Xu Kaiyang and Ceng Yu felt less awkward and walked in, laughing and greeting classmates.

"Regret it?"

Chen Xiaozheng sighed, watching Ceng Yu's back: "No."

It wasn't about regret—it was human nature's possessiveness. A woman you've slept with appearing beside someone else? You just can't feel comfortable. Your heart aches.

Not everyone is Wang Yan, who never cares about feelings—only comfort. Even some big bosses only want comfort. But from a woman's perspective, it's different. Women who sleep with Wang Yan are deeply in love. Big bosses' women? Purely for money.

This kind of soulless exchange—he rarely did it since he got the Living Dad's favor…

After greeting others, Ruan Wan and the three girls sat down at Wang Yan's table, where he was smoking and sipping tea. The few people who had been sitting there quietly left. The relationships here were clear: Wang Yan's circle and Zhang Kai's circle—so this table would soon belong to Zhang Kai's group. Why stay if you weren't part of it?

"Nice job, ladies—you've got serious charm. Look at you, surrounded like the center of attention!" Wang Yan gave a thumbs-up.

Li Weijuan flashed a flirtatious glance: "Dream on, you pervert. Didn't you hear? I'm now elegant, radiant, in my prime."

"Me too, me too!" Zhu Xiao Bei chuckled. "They say I'm a big beauty now."

Zheng Wei sneered: The Miss has always been naturally beautiful.

Ruan Wan smiled silently, lifting the teapot to pour water for everyone.

Wang Yan asked about the kids: "How are the little ones?"

Li Weijuan nodded: "All good. They keep asking for Dad."

"Hmm. I won't go yet. Better split up these little tyrants first—I'll visit later."

"Now you're feeling the pain? Heartless bastard." Zheng Wei's daily complaint about men.

Wang Yan shook his head, silent, smiling as Xu Kaiyang led Ceng Yu over. Everyone laughed and chatted together.

Soon, everyone who was coming had arrived. Zhang Kai, ever kind, stood up front with the mic, spouting nonsense, thanking everyone for coming, then reminiscing about the old days, chasing the innocence of youth. He rambled on, warming up the crowd, then food and drinks arrived. First, people chatted and drank at their tables, then occasionally joined others, then moved freely between tables. Not a buffet, but it became one. Crowded, noisy—more lively than a wedding banquet.

As the drinking deepened, the boasting began. Of course, the truly impressive didn't need to speak—others started talking for them. Like the guy still driving a battered Santana, the famous new-generation ancient architecture designer. The guys who'd once tried to buy his license plate turned green. Subtle flexing? Most lethal.

It was easy to understand. Once you knew he was an architect, even without details, you'd realize how incredible Wang Yan was. After all, Long Teng's ancient architecture headquarters had a publicly listed timeline of ten years and an initial budget of fifty billion yuan. No way would such a project land on a fresh graduate. Yet Wang Yan was chief designer—and everyone after him were experts and professors with titles and honors. The whole thing was terrifying…

Over there, the party raged. Zhang Kai went out for two rounds of drinks, then returned and sat down, joining the conversation.

"Finally got a chance to talk!" Zhang Kai sat down, lit a cigarette, passed one around, then asked: "Ladies—oh, Ceng Yu doesn't count—what's your status? Married? Single? Taken? Or did you just quietly get it done without inviting us old friends for gifts?"

Zheng Wei shook her head, face calm: "None of that. All single."

Xu Kaiyang chimed in: "All these years, none of you are lacking. How come no one caught your eye?"

Li Weijuan waved her hand: "Easy to say! Don't talk about the others—they want soulmates. But you know me—I just want rich and young. Tell me, if a rich young guy says he'll marry me, I'm scared. But if he won't marry me? He's just playing. Rich people? The richer, the more playboys. Old Zhang, you're in the rich class now—don't turn bad."

Full of nonsense, not a word true. But when she talked about rich people? She meant it—she was talking directly to the guy beside her, pigging out and drinking.

"Don't worry—I'm not like that," Zhang Kai laughed. "What are you all doing now? After graduation, we kept in touch at first, then slowly faded. I wondered if we'd grown distant. I wanted to reach out, but wasn't sure—so I kept putting it off until today. Five years since we last saw each other."

Zheng Wei smiled and said, "Old Zhang, you're a new internet tycoon now—I hear you're about to raise another round and go public? Look at you, up in the clouds, while we're still scratching a living out of the soil—how could we dare reach out to you, right?"

The others nodded vigorously, all expressing agreement.

"Ah, come on, you've got it all wrong. No matter how successful I become, I'd never forget my old friends. But if anyone's to blame, it's me—for overthinking it. If I'd reached out earlier, this misunderstanding wouldn't have happened. My fault, my fault—I'll drink one on myself."

Zhang Kai grinned, tilted his head back, and took a small sip of his wine: "Alright, let's put that behind us. How's everyone been these past few years? Look at all your outfits—you're all wearing designer brands, clearly all little rich ladies."

Zhu Xiao Bei, who was eating with Wang Yan, felt awkward staying silent and decided to speak up first: "Isn't this just today's class reunion? Everyone's done well—of course we don't want to be looked down upon. To be honest, I haven't left campus yet—I'm still pursuing my Ph. D. This outfit? I bought it specially for today."

She had graduated with her master's degree, taken two years off to have a child, and only recently returned to her studies now that the child was older.

Chen Xiaozheng, who held a foreign Ph. D., nodded: "Pursuing a Ph. D. is good. Not just for architecture—same for every other major. Higher education is always better, whether you plan to work in a company later or stay on as faculty at Liuxiaoren Sect."

Zhu Xiao Bei nodded: "Yeah, that's exactly what I think. I plan to teach at a university—I'm already leading a class."

They discussed the current university professor's salary and future prospects. Li Weijuan spoke up: "I don't have much to boast about—I work as an administrative clerk at a real estate company in Shanghai. The work is light, not tiring, and it's fine."

Her children were grown, so she'd had enough of staying home and went out to find a job herself. Though she didn't take it seriously, she had previously worked her way up from the construction site to headquarters—her resume was solid, so finding work wasn't hard. By her own admission, she didn't want to work at all. But humans are social creatures; even with money, she couldn't just sit around without showing off. Besides, Wang Yan had always insisted people shouldn't indulge too much, so this was partly just to appease him.

Zheng Wei chimed in: "I'm also at a real estate company—but I'm better than her. I'm a supervisor now, promoted just two months ago."

She, too, had had enough of raising children, but unlike Li Weijuan, who wanted to be a landlord, Zheng Wei was ambitious and willing to put in effort. She was articulate, open-minded, and that's how she rose. Wang Yan hadn't helped her—this woman was capable on her own.

But she never considered starting her own business. In her words, she couldn't even spend all her money, so why bother starting a business? It's stressful. Better to work for someone else—you still have the guts to curse your boss, fear no one, and enjoy the freedom. That's also why she got promoted: she never shirked responsibility, never feared taking blame, and was fiercely straightforward.

Seeing everyone's eyes turn to her, Ruan Wan smiled: "I run a tea house—on Yihelu. If you ever have time, come have tea there. The pastries are quite good."

She was the only one who had started a business, though her venture was modest—just a small profit. After all, the shop was hers…

Of these women, Zheng Wei was the only one with real ambition. But because there were so many women, Wang Yan could never let Zheng Wei join Long Teng. The result? Everyone drifted through life, enjoying themselves.

Zhang Kai chuckled and nodded: "Great, great. In a couple days, I'll come support your business."

Ruan Wan returned his smile: "Thank you."

"Hey, Old Wang, stop eating! Come on, come on—we've all gathered after so long. Drink, drink! We must get drunk tonight!" Zhang Kai turned to Wang Mou, who was eating with them: "Look how humble my brother Wang is—you all know, right? When we started out, we did it together—he provided the money, I did the work. You think I'm impressive? Actually, he's the real major shareholder. I'm just his employee. Come on, have a drink with him—maybe he'll look out for you later."

Wang Yan set down his chopsticks with a smile, raised his cup: "Talking about that is pointless. Today's about drinking, about reminiscing. To this cup—cheers to our youth."

This was their first reunion after many years apart—nostalgia for the past was the theme, and they chatted about old times.

Chen Xiaozheng, who had barely spoken earlier, now joined in. From his perspective, he recounted what he'd seen of others' youth. Along the way, he subtly tried to make conversation with Zheng Wei. Only Zhang Kai, Wang Yan, and Ceng Yu—who had quietly watched him all along—noticed.

He didn't say he loved Zheng Wei here. Back when he was young, he wasn't the kind to disregard everything. Now, as an adult in society, he certainly wouldn't do something so reckless. At the very least, he'd preserve both their dignity—avoid making either of them embarrassed.

Actually, it was already awkward—after all, Ceng Yu was sitting right there. But no one mentioned it, so they just let it be.

As for Zhang Kai—he was the kind of man who could send a year's worth of stargazer lilies without anyone knowing who sent them, content to play the supporting role. He hadn't sensed any signal from Ruan Wan that she wanted anything closer. So this internet tycoon, who managed thousands of people and was naturally astute, certainly wouldn't stir up trouble…

So they drank in harmony, happily, reminiscing about their long-gone youth.