Chapter 181: Chapter 44 Classmate: Jiang Ziyan, your boyfriend is way too rich!
Just as everyone was settling in to watch the drama unfold, another voice suddenly piped up. "Zi Yan, you and your boyfriend can sit with me. I have two empty seats right here."
Everyone turned to look, and realization dawned. So it was her. No wonder she stood up for Jiang Ziyan. The two of them were, after all, close friends and dorm mates.
Jiang Ziyan was surprised but quickly linked arms with Sun Dasheng and walked over, taking the seats. As for the instigator, Bai Feng, he sat back down with an unresigned look on his face.
Once seated, Jiang Ziyan nodded gratefully to her best friend. "Qing Yun, thank you for that." She then introduced her to Sun Dasheng.
Lu Qingyun looked at her best friend with a protective air before replying nonchalantly, "It was nothing."
"Your friend seems a bit cold. I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned her," Sun Dasheng whispered. He felt their relationship was strange, not quite like that of best friends.
"Hmm, we haven’t really kept in touch since graduation," Jiang Ziyan explained.
No wonder! Sun Dasheng nodded.
The class monitor, Xiao Yue, returned, and soon the dishes began to arrive. The old classmates, not having seen each other for three years, were all enthusiastic. However, most of their attention remained fixed on Jiang Ziyan and Sun Dasheng. In the words of the class monitor, Xiao Yue, they were a "golden couple, both talented and beautiful."
Sun Dasheng slowly noticed a pattern: the female classmates were mostly toasting him, while the male classmates were all toasting Jiang Ziyan. They seemed to have an unspoken agreement. However, Sun Dasheng didn’t let Jiang Ziyan drink much, intercepting many of the toasts for her. This only spurred the male classmates on. They came over one after another to toast him, seemingly determined not to stop until they had gotten him drunk.
Sun Dasheng accepted all challenges.
Sitting beside him, Jiang Ziyan was a little worried but didn’t interfere. She knew that in moments like this, a man’s pride was on the line. The best thing she could do was sit gracefully by his side and support him.
"Zi Yan, aren’t you going to stop him? He’ll get drunk if this keeps up," Lu Qingyun finally couldn’t resist saying.
"It’s fine. This much alcohol is nothing to him," Jiang Ziyan replied, full of confidence in his tolerance.
The worried expression didn’t leave Lu Qingyun’s face. "Look at all the guys. Because of you, they look ready to eat him alive. They won’t let him off easy. Even a fierce tiger is afraid of a pack of wolves; it’s better to be careful." She added, "You were always so popular. I can’t believe it’s still the same now."
Jiang Ziyan was surprised. She didn’t detect jealousy in Lu Qingyun’s words, but rather a hint of self-deprecation. Was this still the same Lu Qingyun who had to compete with her for first place in everything?
To be honest, Lu Qingyun was very good-looking. In terms of facial features, they were on par. Unfortunately, Lu Qingyun came from a poor family. Years of farm work had left her skin tanned, and she couldn’t afford good makeup or skincare products. Combined with a less impressive physique and demeanor, she was ultimately overshadowed by Jiang Ziyan. In truth, if she just took better care of her skin and worked on her figure, she would be an absolute bombshell. Her skin was much better now than it had been back then, but her physique was still lacking, and the gap in their overall presence had only widened.
"Qing Yun, you seem to have changed," Jiang Ziyan remarked, feeling a little emotional.
"Oh? For the better or for the worse?" Lu Qingyun laughed lightly.
"You’re not as fiercely competitive anymore," Jiang Ziyan said frankly.
"People have to grow up, don’t they?" Lu Qingyun smiled faintly, then brought up an old memory. "I was wrong about what happened our graduation year. I want to apologize. I’m sorry."
Jiang Ziyan could feel the sincerity in her voice. Being a kind person herself, she quickly waved it away. "That was so long ago. I’ve already forgotten about it."
"You may have forgotten, but I haven’t. I’m so sorry, Zi Yan. Because of that incident, our friendship was ruined. I was so stupid and immature back then. You have to accept my apology today, or I’ll never be able to forgive myself. How could I have been so impulsive, losing my best friend for three years?"
The words moved Jiang Ziyan deeply. That’s right! Her best friend from college... and they hadn’t spoken in three years. All because of an outsider. Was it really worth it? She had once resented her hard-hearted friend, but with time, she had come to terms with it. Now, faced with such a heartfelt apology, she was truly touched.
Under the table, the two women quietly held hands and smiled at each other. It was as if all their past unpleasantness melted away in that single smile.
The drinking at the table had grown quite intense. As the party’s organizer, the class monitor, Xiao Yue, quickly put the brakes on the drinking contest. If anything went wrong, she, the one who arranged everything, would be held responsible.
"Alright everyone, that’s enough drinking for today," she announced. "We have other activities planned, so let’s save some room for the next stop!"
After dinner, the next stop was naturally KTV. Those who had brought their spouses all found excuses to leave, leaving behind mostly the single ones—with the exception of Jiang Ziyan and Sun Dasheng, of course.
In the end, only seven people remained. Besides the couple, there was Lu Qingyun, the class monitor Xiao Yue, and two other women. The last person was Bai Feng, the guy who had given Sun Dasheng a hard time earlier. He seemed to be stubbornly holding onto some hope.
There’s a reason KTV has fallen out of favor with young people. A proper gathering of male and female classmates like this was especially dull. Everyone was just engrossed in their phones.