Chapter 53: The Class Reunion (3)

Tong Bin felt a sudden tightness in his chest and instinctively drew his legs back. “Sorry, did I touch you?” he asked.

Kong Yajie quickly lowered her eyes and shook her head. “No... no. I... maybe I’m just being paranoid... Lately I...” She seemed about to say something, but bit her lip and fell silent.

Tong Bin shifted uneasily in his seat, opening his mouth as if to speak, but no words came out.

“Hello, it’s been a long time,” Zheng Yichao came over to their table, greeting Du Aiyun and Ding Yi.

Du Aiyun, outgoing by nature, immediately struck up a conversation. “It’s been ages, Boss Zheng. Even though we’re not in your field, we hear your name all the time. The city honored you again recently.”

“Haha. I think your boss was the one handing out awards this time, right?”

“Yes. You’re really famous now—one of the city’s golden names.” Du Aiyun raised her thumb in admiration.

Ding Yi smiled, echoing her sentiment. “I never imagined you’d be so accomplished, Zheng Yichao.”

Du Aiyun pulled Ding Yi closer. “That’s because you lack vision. The moment I saw him, I knew he was extraordinary. Gold always shines.”

“That’s true,” Ding Yi nodded. “That time he suddenly got a breakthrough and shocked everyone—except you, who didn’t think much of it.”

Du Aiyun just smiled.

Zheng Yichao responded modestly, “...Mr. Gao is sitting right here. I can hardly call myself gold.”

“That’s different. He’s pure technology, and you run a company,” Du Aiyun said. “But if I had to choose, I’d definitely pick Gao Yan as a husband.” She winked teasingly at Kong Yajie.

Ding Yi covered her mouth, laughing. “You’re saying that in front of your own husband?”

“My husband’s also in tech, just not in your field,” Du Aiyun replied freely.

Zheng Yichao took the chance to ask about Du Aiyun’s husband.

They introduced themselves to one another, even bringing Ding Yi’s boyfriend into the conversation.

Before long, the topic shifted to Kong Yajie and Ding Yi’s weddings.

Ding Yi said, “...We’ve already taken our wedding photos. We originally booked for October, but the hotel had a sudden pipe leak and the ceiling collapsed. They need to renovate, so we might have to find another hotel. We still need to look around.”

“What an unlucky situation!” Du Aiyun exclaimed.

“Exactly. Booked a year in advance—who could’ve predicted this?” Ding Yi sighed, then asked Kong Yajie, “Have you booked your banquet yet?”

Kong Yajie seemed distracted, replying with effort, “No, not yet.”

Gao Yan, seated across from her, answered on her behalf. “Yaya just switched jobs and is still adjusting to her new company. We plan to check out the wedding expo.”

“The expo’s good, but don’t sign anything there. Visit places in person,” Du Aiyun advised with the wisdom of experience.

Zheng Yichao, now seated beside Gao Yan, chimed in, “If you’re looking for a hotel, this venue hosts banquets too. Both buffet and formal dinners.”

“Really?” Gao Yan responded.

“I’ll send you the manager’s contact. You can ask him. They have two other branches downtown. The décor and food are quite nice—much better than those little hotels specializing in weddings,” Zheng Yichao said, pulling out his phone.

The two exchanged contacts, and Zheng Yichao sent Gao Yan the manager’s card.

“Zheng Yichao, you don’t have a girlfriend yet?” Ding Yi asked.

---

Zheng Yichao smiled, “I’ve dated twice before. Work kept me too busy, so we broke up.”

“Oh,” Ding Yi struggled to find a response.

Du Aiyun said, “Do you want us to introduce someone? Since you work so hard, maybe someone with an easier job. Not like Yaya before.”

“Yaya’s job is more relaxed now,” Ding Yi glanced at Kong Yajie.

Kong Yajie forced a smile. “Yes. The new job’s going smoothly, no overtime.”

“Right, and there’s Tong Bin too,” Ding Yi spotted him and mentioned, “Tong Bin, you don’t have a girlfriend, do you? Your job’s notorious for overtime.”

“It’s not too bad,” Tong Bin replied vaguely.

“Introducing someone to Zheng Yichao is tough, but for you it’s easy,” Du Aiyun laughed, her tone lightening. “I have a colleague, two years younger than us, local, owns a house, pretty, just a bit short.”

Tong Bin said helplessly, “You get married and suddenly want to be a matchmaker?”

“After marriage, women become matchmakers as naturally as men get beer bellies. It’s irresistible,” Du Aiyun said, utterly serious.

Tong Bin managed a bitter smile.

Suddenly, Kong Yajie stood. “I’m going to the restroom.”

She stepped away, scanning for the restroom sign, then walked toward it and turned into a small corridor.

At the main entrance, Sheng Yao entered slowly, a yellow boutonnière pinned to his chest.

His gaze swept the crowd, quickly locating Table 17. Despite the noise and clinking glasses, he picked up Du Aiyun’s laughter. The faces at the table drew closer in his view.

Zheng Yichao was the most conspicuous, followed by Gao Yan. The third was Du Aiyun, whose laughter carried above the rest. Tong Bin, the only familiar face, took him a moment to spot, slouched over.

Sheng Yao soon shifted his gaze, finding Kong Yajie as she entered the corridor.

He only caught her back, but instantly recognized her.

Sensing something amiss, Sheng Yao looked back—just in time to see Zheng Yichao watching him.

Zheng Yichao suddenly raised his hand in greeting.

Sheng Yao’s heart tightened; he quickly hurried forward, slipping into the crowd at the buffet.

At Table 17, everyone followed Zheng Yichao’s gaze toward the entrance.

“The class rep’s here,” Du Aiyun said first.

At the entrance, a man with a thinning crown was walking in. He spotted Zheng Yichao, waved, but was quickly drawn away by enthusiastic classmates.

“Almost everyone’s arrived today,” Du Aiyun remarked.

“Lin Jun hasn’t shown up,” Ding Yi noted.

Du Aiyun looked surprised. “Lin Jun went abroad, didn’t he? I remember he left right after graduation, never came back, never kept in touch.”

Tong Bin, head down, poked at his food, but Ding Yi called his name.

---

“Lin Jun was your roommate, right?” Ding Yi asked. “He never contacted you?”

“No. He moved out during freshman year,” Tong Bin replied.

His answer brought memories of college days to mind.

Back then, Lin Jun entered with the highest score in the department and was assigned to their dorm. The atmosphere was odd from the start. One roommate was planning to drop out and retake the entrance exam, barely spoke to anyone from day one. Another was preparing for military service, up at six, asleep by nine, no gaming, no phone. Lin Jun, too, was the ambitious type; he spent two months before college studying advanced calculus, and once school began, he was always in the library—more driven than the grad school hopefuls. Tong Bin never quite fit in with the three.

Next door, Zheng Yichao would drop by often at first, and they got along well, but gradually, like Lin Jun who suddenly moved out, he stopped appearing in their dorm.

Ding Yi said, “He always seemed... proud. If he hadn’t lost to Zheng Yichao in that exam, he probably wouldn’t have gone abroad.”

Du Aiyun laughed, “Why bring up such old stories? I’m starving. Let’s grab some more food.” She pulled Ding Yi up.

“Who’s Lin Jun?” Ding Yi’s husband asked, puzzled.

Waiting until the two women were gone, Zheng Yichao smiled. “He was the star student of our department—top entrance score, first in the year for freshman and sophomore, joined the associate dean’s research team.”

“Oh?” Ding Yi’s husband exclaimed, “I’ve never heard Ding Yi mention him. She always talked about you, and Tong Bin.”

Tong Bin managed a smile. “I was grouped with Kong Yajie for assignments, so we always ate together.”

“She said as much. She went to an all-girls school for high school, played with girls in middle and elementary school. Only in college did she really make friends with guys,” Ding Yi’s husband replied, smiling at Zheng Yichao. “She often mentions you, says you’re a really good person. We saw you on the evening news—she pointed you out, and that’s when I realized you were the classmate she talked about.”

Zheng Yichao smiled. “I wouldn’t say I’m a good person. I just got used to doing certain things. I was always class rep, student council president, even in college I kept doing those jobs. If you ask Mr. Gao, I’m not so well-liked in the industry.”

Gao Yan laughed, “Just rumors. As they say, ‘Mortals will never understand the world of geniuses.’ People can’t do what you do, so they make snide comments.”

Zheng Yichao chuckled, “That phrase suits you better, Mr. Gao. Your mind is the real genius’s mind. I just do ordinary work.”

Gao Yan shook his head, citing Zheng Yichao’s achievements as counterargument.

When the two started discussing industry matters, Ding Yi and Du Aiyun’s husband couldn’t keep up, but listened with interest.

Tong Bin could follow, but his mind wasn’t on their conversation.

He glanced at the restroom sign.

Kong Yajie had been gone a long time and still hadn’t returned.

Maybe the restroom was crowded?

Tong Bin recalled the fear in Kong Yajie’s eyes earlier.

He lowered his head, noticing the tablecloth had been pulled up at one corner—probably from Kong Yajie, Du Aiyun, and Ding Yi leaving their seats.

Tong Bin thought for a moment, then stood and walked toward the restroom.

The four men left at the table paid no attention to his departure.