Chapter 67: 066 After meeting someone once, you may never see them again

"Mount Daliang? That’s the most remote and poorest place in Sichuan Province."

"Exactly—that’s why I’m going. What’s the point if they sent me to Chengdu?" Li Ye laughed.

"Wow, Li Ye, Zhang Dongwen, I really admire you two," a girl said.

"It’s nothing—just one year. It’ll fly by," Li Ye replied.

"I propose we all toast to Li Ye and Zhang Dongwen—wishing them smooth sailing in Sichuan!" Liu Shuai raised his glass.

Everyone raised their glasses.

"Ganbei!"

"Ganbei!"

After the dinner, some classmates wanted to stroll the campus, saying they hadn’t been back in over a year and missed it.

Fang Qingye didn’t go.

He decided to see Li Ye and Zhang Dongwen off.

Some people, after one meeting, may never see each other again.

So he said to Li Ye: "What time is your flight? I drove here—can I drop you off?"

"At 4:30 p.m. That’s too much trouble for you," Li Ye said.

"We’re old classmates—why be so formal?" Fang Qingye smiled. "Are you going back to campus to pick up your luggage? How about this: I’ll pick up my car from the hotel and wait for you right outside the graduate dorm?"

"Perfect, perfect."

Fang Qingye returned to the hotel, checked out, then drove straight to campus.

The School of Finance is on Guoding Road Campus; today, being enrollment season, Fang Qingye drove carefully to the graduate dormitory in the center of campus and found a parking spot.

He didn’t know which dorm they lived in, so he leaned against a railing under a tree and waited.

Around him, students came and went.

He suddenly remembered a campus folk song he’d once sung.

My dear brother

Walk with me through the winter campus

Tell me about

That beautiful girl

The white-haired professor

Now it wasn’t winter—it was early autumn, leaves thick and lush, and beautiful girls were indeed everywhere.

At that moment, he saw Liu Shuai walking toward him along the shaded path.

"Qingye, I’ll come with you to see Li Ye off," Liu Shuai said.

"Aren’t you going to stroll the campus?"

"Nothing to see. Besides, I live in Shanghai—I can come anytime."

As they spoke, they saw Li Ye and Zhang Dongwen each dragging a suitcase out of the dorm building.

They loaded the luggage into the trunk, and Fang Qingye drove straight to Hongqiao Airport. At the terminal, he helped them unload.

"Li Ye, Zhang Dongwen, safe travels. If you need help over there, call us—we can’t do big favors, but small ones, sure," Fang Qingye said.

"Got it. If I really run into trouble, I’ll call you old classmates! Goodbye!"

"Goodbye! Safe travels!"

Watching them drag their suitcases into the terminal, Fang Qingye and Liu Shuai turned the car around and headed back.

In the car, Liu Shuai sighed: "Honestly, I just can’t understand Li Ye and Zhang Dongwen’s choice."

"Why?"

"They finally got into grad school—why not graduate early and start earning? Why go to Sichuan to teach?" Liu Shuai said.

"I heard Li Ye’s family is well-off—his dad’s a big boss back home, so he’s got no financial worries," Fang Qingye said, driving.

"Right, I know a bit about Li Ye’s family—he was the first in our class to buy a laptop. I still remember, in sophomore year, he drove his family’s Mercedes to campus—everyone was stunned."

Liu Shuai continued smiling: "Rich kids think differently. My family’s in a poor village in Subei. Honestly, I worked my ass off to get into Shanghai Finance because I knew finance meant big money."

"It’s not hard to understand," Fang Qingye picked up. "Maugham wrote in The Moon and Sixpence: 'To follow your dream is to chase your own doom. On a street where everyone’s bending down for sixpence, he looked up and saw the moon.' Li Ye and Zhang Dongwen are chasing their moon."

"I can’t do that. That’s why I think I’m so ordinary," Liu Shuai sighed.

"We’re all ordinary," Fang Qingye said, gripping the steering wheel, turning to glance at Liu Shuai in the passenger seat, and smiling faintly.

"Just don’t mock those who look up at the moon while we’re bending down to pick up sixpence. And occasionally, it’s nice to look up and admire the moon too."

"Heh... Qingye, you’ve changed a lot since graduation," Liu Shuai said.

"Changed how?"

"You’re not cynical anymore like you were in school. You’ve become calm, composed."

"Really? I haven’t noticed... Maybe living in a small county for too long has dulled my ambition."

"Sounds like you’ve got a nice, easy life."

"It’s fine—relatively relaxed."

As they talked, Fang Qingye’s phone rang. He glanced—it was Xia He. He answered via Bluetooth.

"Xiao Fang, where are you? At home?" Xia He’s voice came through the earpiece.

"No, I’m in Shanghai. Just finished a college reunion and heading home. What’s up?"

"Huh? I’ve got a reunion too—I want you to come."

"What reunion?"

"Director Qin from the Provincial Financial Office is visiting Jinghai for research—he’s an alumnus of Shanghai Finance. So a few of us Shanghai Finance grads working in Jinghai thought we’d get together. Director Qin leaves for Huijing tomorrow, so we’re meeting tonight. I’m driving from Huijing to Jinghai now... Don’t go home. Head straight to Jinghai. When you get to the city, call me."

Another reunion...

Fang Qingye couldn’t help shaking his head, but he agreed.

"Alright, I’m driving—gotta go."

"Okay, bye. See you in Jinghai."

After Fang Qingye removed his Bluetooth earpiece, Liu Shuai in the passenger seat asked: "What’s going on? You need to rush back?"

"My boss—the branch manager of Nanxin Branch—he’s also a Shanghai Finance alum. Says there’s an alumni gathering tonight in Jinghai."

Fang Qingye briefly explained.

"That’s great—go right away!" Liu Shuai said immediately. "Alumni are one of the most important networks! And your Manager Xia—he clearly likes you."

"He does."

"For new hires like us, having a boss who cares? That’s luck from countless lifetimes," Liu Shuai sighed. "Qingye, you’ve got to seize this—build a strong relationship with Manager Xia."

Fang Qingye smiled and changed the subject.

"Liu Shuai, where do you live? I’ll drop you off."

"No need. I live far out, and it’s the opposite direction from your hotel. Drop me at Songhong Road Metro Station entrance—I’ll take the subway."

"Alright."

Twenty minutes later, Fang Qingye pulled over near the metro station.

Liu Shuai got out and said to Fang Qing:

"Qingye, stay in touch. If you ever come to Shanghai on business, don’t forget to find me—we’re classmates and both in banking. Keeping in touch helps."

"Got it!"

"Good. Drive slow, stay safe. Bye!"

"Bye!"

After Liu Shuai entered the metro station, Fang Qingye didn’t rush onto the elevated road. Instead, following navigation, he found a Zhaoshangyinhang branch nearby, opened a new account for himself, then re-entered the elevated road and headed west straight toward Jinghai.