Chapter 39: The Gathering, Falling into the Water
Nan Xun sighed. “As for me—I’m working at a bar called Wenxiang. To put it nicely, I’m a resident singer; to put it bluntly, I’m just singing for money. After graduating from high school, I lost touch with everyone and don’t know how people are doing now. What about you, Fu Yu? What are you doing these days?”
Her impression of Fu Yu wasn’t particularly deep. He seemed to be a quiet type, always sitting alone in a corner of the classroom, never paying attention in class, never playing with anyone after school, his whole body exuding a thick aura of gloom.
Despite that, his grades had been exceptionally good.
After high school, with Little Eight as a cheat, Nan Xun had jumped straight ahead four years, so she wasn’t very clear about Fu Yu’s current situation. However, before she left, she had heard that Fu Yu had been admitted to the best university in the city. He clearly could have gone to one of the top universities in the country, yet he chose to stay in this city.
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line before the man’s calm voice sounded. “After graduating, I founded my own company—Simo Group.”
Because he paused after saying that, Nan Xun couldn’t help but freeze. He was waiting for her reaction. She quickly exclaimed in surprise and sighed admiringly, “Wow, really? Fu Yu, that’s amazing!”
The person on the other end didn’t speak, and the atmosphere suddenly grew a little awkward.
Nan Xun let out a dry laugh to break the stalemate and said teasingly, “If you ever need an employee, I can come work for you. Just so you know in advance, I can’t handle any high-tech stuff, but pouring tea and running errands—I’m definitely qualified.”
Only then did the man’s voice come again, tinged with a faint smile and a trace of nostalgia. “Bai Mo, you’re still the same as before.”
Nan Xun didn’t quite understand what he meant.
But he clearly had no intention of continuing that topic. He got straight to the point of the call. “There’s a high school reunion the day after tomorrow. Everyone will be there. Will you come?”
Nan Xun wasn’t very interested. Her goal was simply to wait for the big boss to come to her on his own, quickly clear the malice points, and move on to the next world.
“Sorry, Fu Yu. I’ve been pretty busy lately, so I won’t be going. And you know, I didn’t even go to college—wouldn’t it be embarrassing to show up?”
Fu Yu fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, “You really won’t come? Everyone really misses you…”
Nan Xun actually heard a hint of loneliness in his words. Thinking that it wouldn’t hurt to spare just one day, she changed her mind. “Then I’ll go.”
As she spoke, she smiled slyly. “Since it’s the big boss himself inviting me, of course I have to give you face. But you’ll have to look out for me then—don’t let anyone bully me.”
Fu Yu chuckled softly. “Alright.”
Nan Xun asked, “Where’s the reunion? Is it far?”
“Not far, it’s in this city.” The man on the other end lowered his voice. “I’ll send you the address in a bit.” After a slight pause, his voice grew a little deeper. “Bai Mo, I’ll be waiting for you…”
Nan Xun found his words a bit strange, though she couldn’t quite say what felt off. Still, since he had specially called her and sounded so sincere, she patted her chest and promised again that she would definitely go that day.
The call ended.
With a ding, the reunion address was sent over.
Nan Xun looked at it—it really wasn’t far, just in the outskirts of the city, at a well-known farmhouse resort.
She found it rather interesting. She had thought the class monitor would choose some upscale restaurant; who would have guessed it’d be such a place full of natural charm?
Still, Nan Xun couldn’t help wondering how Fu Yu had gotten her phone number.
Back in high school, unless you were wealthy, most people didn’t even have a mobile phone. And even if you did, the school didn’t allow students to bring them. She hadn’t left any contact information at all back then.
Unable to figure it out, she stopped thinking about it. Maybe since he was a big boss now, he could easily look it up.
After resting on the lounge chair for a while, Nan Xun began rummaging through boxes and cabinets, planning to find something presentable to wear. She couldn’t help it—being poor, she couldn’t exactly show up to such an occasion looking too shabby, right?
Her roommate, Lin Jingwan, seemed to hear the noise and yawned. “Momo, why are you rummaging around at noon instead of resting?”
Without lifting her head, Nan Xun continued searching. “There’s a high school reunion the day after tomorrow. I don’t really have anything suitable to wear.”
Lin Jingwan thought it was something serious and immediately said, “Stop looking, stop looking. I’ve got tons of clothes here—there are a few that would suit you perfectly.”
Nan Xun felt a bit embarrassed and smiled. “Thanks, Jingwan. I’ll cook a big meal for you when I get back.”
Lin Jingwan was straightforward and easygoing, got along well with Nan Xun, and was very loyal. But there was one thing Nan Xun really couldn’t stand—Lin Jingwan’s private life was far too chaotic. She was a hedonist, indulging not only materially but also physically.
The first time Nan Xun walked in on her bringing some random man home and going at it on the couch, her eyes were practically scorched. She strongly voiced her opposition. Lin Jingwan laughed at her for not understanding romance, but after that, she rarely brought strange men home.
Nan Xun had thought about finding another place to live, but she was lazy. Once she settled down, she didn’t like moving again, so she just stayed.
On the weekend, Nan Xun took leave and hailed a taxi straight to the reunion venue.
As soon as she got out of the car, she saw from afar that quite a few people had already gathered—at least thirty at a glance.
“Hey, look who’s here—our big beauty Bai Mo!”
A heavily made-up woman rushed over, hugged Nan Xun, and pulled her inside with great enthusiasm. “Boss Bai, do you still remember me? I’m Jiang Wenwen.”
Nan Xun burst out laughing. Back in school, she really had had a little fangirl. She hadn’t expected that the former chubby girl had grown into a great beauty.
Time truly was a sculptor.
Student days seemed to be the purest period of a person’s life, especially high school, when everyone was still naïve about the world. Though they hadn’t seen each other for years, they quickly became familiar again, chatting animatedly.
Tasks were divided up—women boiled water and washed vegetables, men went to catch chickens and fish. Nan Xun belonged to the small group with nothing particular to do.
She strolled along the country path with Jiang Wenwen, chatting casually about their recent lives.
At some point, Nan Xun glanced toward a certain spot. She didn’t know what she saw, but her eyes suddenly widened, and she dashed forward.
With a splash, she jumped into the pond.
Nan Xun saw a little boy who had fallen into the water, struggling desperately.
She swam toward him. Just as she was about to reach the child, she suddenly felt something underwater coil around her leg, yanking her downward with relentless force.
