Chapter 68

067 Circles. Connections

From Shen City to Jinghai is even closer than returning to Nanxin County Town; Fang Qingye drove for over two hours and arrived in downtown Jinghai. After exiting the Shenhai Expressway, Fang Qingye called Xia He.

"Senior sister, I've just exited the expressway and am about to enter the city. Where are you?"

"You're driving, right? Then go straight to the Oasis International Holiday Hotel. I've already booked room 806 for myself and reserved room 807 next door for you. Check in at the front desk when you arrive at the hotel."

"Alright."

Fang Qingye navigated to the Oasis International Hotel, drove another half hour to the destination, parked in the underground garage, completed check-in at the front desk, took the elevator to the eighth floor, first returned to his own room to shower, then went next door to see Xia He.

He knocked and entered, seeing only Xia He wearing a collarless white shirt and black wide-leg trousers, elegant and intellectual.

"Already checked in?" Xia He asked.

"Mm."

"Sit down, I'll make you tea... I know you're particular about tea; this is Yuhua tea I specially brought from home."

Having spoken, Xia He took a small jar of tea from her suitcase and brewed a cup for Fang Qingye.

"Thank you."

Holding the teacup, Fang Qingye sat on the nearby sofa and began drinking.

"Xiao Fang, how many people attended your class reunion this time? How did it feel?" Xia He asked.

"The attendance was decent; basically everyone working in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai area went. We hadn't seen each other in over a year since graduation, so seeing everyone this time was quite joyful." After Fang Qingye finished speaking, he added: "Everyone is doing well in their jobs."

"That's... graduates from Shencai Finance, how could they be bad?" Xia He laughed coquettishly: "Actually, after a few more years, as individual development diverges and the distance between each other widens, the number of people attending such class reunions will gradually decrease."

That was true; Fang Qingye nodded.

Fang Qingye felt it personally.

Before his rebirth, the university class group chat had long become a dead group, let alone any class reunions.

"This time you attended the class reunion; did you meet any classmates who were especially close to you during university? Especially female classmates?" Xia He asked again with a smile.

So gossipy?

"Senior sister, I didn't have any female classmates during university who were especially close to me." Fang Qingye answered very directly: "There was one male classmate, the organizer of this reunion, who now works at the Shen City Banking Regulatory Commission."

Fang Qingye briefly explained Liu Shuai's situation.

"Mm, then you should keep in frequent contact with this classmate of yours; after all, you share common workplace language." Xia He remarked.

"Let me tell you about one of my classmates."

"Oh, go ahead." Fang Qingye also became interested.

"When I was in university, I had a female classmate in the same dormitory as me; we were very close. For all four years of undergraduate study, we were almost inseparable; some classmates joked that we were a same-sex couple."

Xia He laughed while speaking.

"Later, I pursued a master's degree to continue studying, while she got married shortly after graduation to a second-generation rich kid. At first we still chatted on QQ, but eventually there was nothing left to say."

"She only talked about beauty, pets, shopping with a group of wealthy wives like her, playing cards, even some romantic scandals within their circle. Now that she has a precious son, she talks about children all day."

"I'm not very interested in these things; I like discussing finance, economics, and some trivial matters from work. The two of us increasingly couldn't find common ground. So now we rarely chat, only exchanging greetings during holidays and festivals."

Fang Qingye nodded upon hearing this and said: "Someone once said: Life is just like this; many people can only accompany you for part of the journey."

"What you said is very true; only people within the same circle can associate, like you and that classmate of yours named Liu Shuai. The few people I'm introducing you to tonight are the friends you need to know and associate with at your current stage, at least in terms of career."

Fang Qingye did not answer, but instead lifted his teacup and took a small sip.

"Senior sister, we have two other classmates, a couple who took a leave of absence to teach in Chuanshengzhi Sect." Fang Qingye then recounted the situation of Li Xiang and Zhang Dongwen.

"Really? That's quite admirable." Xia He said: "I heard conditions in the Daliang Mountain area are extremely harsh, but since they are a couple taking care of each other, it might be a bit better."

Fang Qingye nodded.

However, he vaguely remembered that a year later Zhang Dongwen returned, continued her studies, and after graduating with a master's degree entered an investment bank in Shen City; he had even met her a few times.

As for Li Xiang, contact was eventually lost; it was heard that he remained in Chuanxi.

Each person walks a different path.

After staying in Xia He's room for a while, Fang Qingye returned to his own room to take a nap. Around 5:30 PM, Xia He knocked and woke Fang Qingye.

Going to the underground garage to drive, Fang Qingye sat in the driver's seat, fastened his seatbelt, and asked Xia He sitting in the back row.

"Senior sister, where are we going now?"

"Yunshan Villa."

Yunshan Villa is a very famous high-end restaurant locally, located in the Zhongnan Century City CBD; it took less than half an hour for the two of them to drive there.

After parking and entering, the environment here was very elegant, with fresh flowers in every corner of the shop. Fang Qingye followed Xia He into a private room.

The private room was very large and luxurious, but three men were sitting on the sofa nearby; seeing Xia He enter, they smiled and greeted her.

Among them, a man who looked around thirty, with a crew cut and appearing very spirited, said to Xia He: "Xia He, you've brought our little alumnus?"

"Yes, this is Fang Qingye; he is now also an Assistant to the President."

"I heard your Oriental Bank is piloting the establishment of the Assistant to the President position in Jinghai. Xia He, you are really sparing no effort for your junior."

"Of course, and Xiao Fang himself is excellent enough."

Xia He replied with a smile, then said to Fang Qingye: "Xiao Fang, let me introduce them to you one by one." Speaking, he pointed to the middle-aged man sitting on the middle sofa, about forty-something years old with a slicked-back hairstyle, and said:

"This is our senior alumnus, Yang Kehua, Deputy President of the City Construction Bank, graduated from the School of Statistics and Management."

"Xia He, don't you know? Our senior alumnus is about to drop the 'Deputy' title." That thirty-year-old man interjected.

"Really? President Yang, then today we must properly congratulate you." Xia He immediately offered congratulations.

"Don't listen to Lei Ming's nonsense; nothing has been officially announced yet, everything could still change." Yang Kehua's tone was very modest, but a trace of pride flashed across his face.

"Hello, President Yang." Fang Qingye extended his right hand and said with a smile.

President Yang was also very enthusiastic, shaking Fang Qingye's hand.

"Hello there, Xiao Fang, young and promising, young and promising indeed."

"This is Deputy Director of the City Finance Bureau, Mei Shuwei, graduated from the School of Accounting." Xia He then pointed to the man nearby who was nearly forty, wearing glasses and somewhat stern, and said.

"Hello, Director Mei." Fang Qingye said.

Mei Shuwei shook Fang Qingye's hand, his right hand habitually adjusting his glasses, and asked, "Xiao Fang, your surname is Fang — do you happen to know the newly appointed director of your county's Finance Bureau, Fang Jianhua?"

"That's my second uncle." Fang Qingye said with a smile.

"Ah? What a coincidence." Mei Shuwei was a little surprised.

"Is that so, Xiao Fang? Then today you'll have to drink a few extra cups on behalf of your second uncle for Director Mei." That Lei Ming beside them cut in again.

"Definitely, definitely." Fang Qinglin chimed in as well.

"No, please don't." Mei Shuwei hurriedly said:

"Lei Ming, you don't know — last week when Director Fang came to the city bureau to report on work, at dinner that night he single-handedly drank our Director Liao, Director Liu, Director Wu, and me all under the table. Afterwards our Director Liao joked that from now on whenever we meet someone surnamed Fang we should walk the other way."

"My second uncle can really hold his liquor, but I can't." Fang Qingye wasn't being modest.

It was true — watching his second uncle drink scared him.

But the good thing was, according to his second aunt, his second uncle never touched a drop of alcohol at home alone; he only drank for socializing.

After introducing Mei Shuwei, Xia He was about to introduce the last man, named Lei Ming.

Lei Ming was quite enthusiastic: "Xia He, you don't need to say it, let me introduce myself. Lei Ming, I work at the Municipal People's Bank, graduated from the Economics Faculty, same class as your President Xia."

"Section chief of the Currency and Credit Management Section at the Municipal People's Bank." Xia He added from the side.

"Hello, Zhang Kezhang Lei." Fang Qingye shook hands again.

Once everyone in the private room had been introduced, at that moment a beautiful waitress in a silk qipao led in a man of about fifty, followed by a young man who looked a few years older than Fang Qingye.