Chu Rong's words did not move Quan Jiu. She leisurely swirled her wine glass, her tone distant and indifferent, "Mr. Chu, with so many people watching, don't let them misunderstand. We are not close."
Chu Rong sat down beside her, crossing his legs, his nobility evident.
He smiled softly, "It's alright. I'll wait slowly, and we'll get closer."
Quan Jiu took a shallow breath, trying to maintain her distant expression, "Mr. Chu, please help yourself." With that, she stood up to leave.
Chu Rong, however, grabbed her hand, "This is your reunion. I'm the one who should leave." Then, as if five years ago, he reached out and stroked Quan Jiu's hair, "I'll wait for you outside."
Everyone in the hall watched this scene in astonishment.
Had the CEO of Chu Group really been hooked by Quan Jiu?!
Liu Jun's face was filled with embarrassment. Compared to the CEO of Chu Group, he was truly insignificant. He didn't even have the courage to confess his feelings. He could only turn to chat with other male classmates.
The girls started chattering and discussing.
"Is that really Chu Rong? Isn't he from a wealthy family? How could someone so easily get involved with a wealthy family?"
"Heh, if you had her face, you could get involved too. Having a pretty face is just that, and in a few years, you'll still be old and faded."
"But even if they become old and faded, they'll still look better than you do now." Someone spoke the truth.
For a moment, no one said anything more. Anything more they said would only reveal their envy.
"Alright, alright, let the waiter serve the food. I'm starving," someone led the way to sit down.
Liu Jun went to notify the hotel staff to start serving.
Wu Yue, Fan Qiu, and Zhong Hong gathered around Zhang Ling.
Wu Yue said disbelievingly, "She actually hooked up with Chu Rong? How is that possible? She's an orphan with no background. How could she marry into a wealthy family?"
Zhong Hong said with disgust, "Are you out of your mind? At most, she got a ring. She didn't even graduate from medical school. He's just tricking her with an accessory. Do you think it's that easy to get into a wealthy family?"
Fan Qiu saw Zhang Ling's dazed expression and advised, "Don't worry too much. He's probably just saying it casually. How could he acquire it for no reason?"
These words made Zhang Ling regain some composure. She subconsciously evaded, "Yes, it's impossible. My father's company is not a small one. It's impossible to acquire it just like that. What is she?"
"Let's go eat. The food is being served," Wu Yue said.
The four of them sat at the dining table.
"Quan Jiu, let's go eat."
Quan Jiu looked up and saw Guo Dongmei.
She smiled slightly, "Let's go."
The two of them sat at a different table, away from Zhang Ling and the other three.
"Thank you," Guo Dongmei whispered.
Quan Jiu shook her head, "I was just venting my anger for myself. I didn't want to cause trouble at school before, so I endured them. Now that I've dropped out, I don't care about school rules anymore."
Guo Dongmei lowered her head, still vigorously wiping the stain on her skirt with a tissue.
"Where... did you go in these five years?" she suddenly asked.
"Abroad. I changed my major."
Guo Dongmei was surprised, "Changed your major? You were the top of the class before. Why didn't you continue studying medicine?"
Quan Jiu's expression paused slightly, "It's nothing. I just didn't want to study anymore."
"Then what are you doing now..." Before Guo Dongmei could finish, a group of people at the table erupted in noise.
"Xie Yao, you're amazing! You got into the First Hospital. Your future is limitless!"
"My salary is only ten thousand. Compared to the beautiful Quan, mine is nothing." Xie Yao looked at Quan Jiu with a smile, "Beautiful Quan, the top of the entire department. Where are you working now?"
"Freelancer. It's not worth mentioning," Quan Jiu smiled slightly.
Chen Jun laughed, "Freelancer is good. Unlike us office workers, who work nine to five with weekends off. Life is too boring."
Seeing that Guo Dongmei wasn't speaking, Xie Yao said proudly, "Guo Dongmei, what do you do now? What's your salary?"
Guo Dongmei's eyes immediately lit up, "People's Hospital. The monthly salary isn't much, fifteen thousand."
Xie Yao raised an eyebrow, feeling displeased. She couldn't believe that this ugly girl had a higher salary than her.
"Haha, you're really lucky," Xie Yao said with a fake smile.
"Quan Jiu's salary is higher than mine, so mine is nothing," Guo Dongmei said humbly.
Quan Jiu's eyebrows twitched slightly, and she smiled without speaking.
Guo Dongmei, not receiving a response, felt awkward and asked again, "Your current job should be very good, right?"
"It's okay. I have enough to eat and wear," Quan Jiu nodded slowly.
"As long as it's stable. Although my salary is fifteen thousand, I have to work overtime every day. Actually, I really envy people like you who earn a few thousand a month. I'm afraid I'll die from overwork one day," Guo Dongmei laughed.
Xie Yao snorted inwardly but said aloud, "I just don't want to work overtime. My boss has offered me raises and promotions several times, but I refused. I'm naturally not cut out for hard work."
"Guo Dongmei, you're amazing. I want to go to People's Hospital too. Can you introduce me?" A girl from the next table overheard and spoke to Guo Dongmei.
Guo Dongmei immediately smiled, "Okay. I'll recommend you to our director later. You can send me your resume."
The girl immediately exclaimed happily, "Thank you, Dongmei. Classmates, Dongmei is amazing now. She used to be so quiet, I never expected her to do so well after graduation."
Guo Dongmei's smile grew even brighter, "I work overtime every day, exhausted like a dog."
Xie Yao was filled with jealousy and resentment, but outwardly she smiled, "Dongmei, you can't just help others. You should introduce a good job to the beautiful Quan too. Weren't you Quan beauty's shadow before, always needing her to stand up for you? Now that you've succeeded, you can't forget Quan beauty's past kindness."
Guo Dongmei's smile seemed to freeze. She tried to maintain her smile, clenching her fists, "Quan Jiu changed her major. The jobs I can introduce won't be suitable."
Xie Yao immediately looked gossipy, "Beautiful Quan, you actually changed your major? What major did you change to?"
"Literature," Quan Jiu replied.
Xie Yao, thinking that Quan Jiu might have Chu Rong backing her, didn't dare to provoke her too much, so she could only chuckle, "A cultured person."
Everyone at the table was playing on their phones, waiting for the food to be served.
Xie Yao scrolled to the trending searches and started gossiping, "Today is all about Jin Xue's trending searches. And this 'nine' is also strange. She hasn't even shown her face, but she's been on the trending searches several times. I really want to see what she looks like."
Chen Jun was also curious, "Me too. She's not a celebrity, so why is she on the trending searches every time?"
Another girl explained, "This 'nine' has very strong backing. As soon as she returned to the country, she became the pride of the nation. The dramas she wrote were invested in by all the big families in City A, such as the Chu family, the Jiang family, and the Wang family... Although we don't know who she is, everyone is guessing that only that family could have such influence in City A."
The crowd was in an uproar.
Xie Yao suddenly rejoiced, "Oh right, my cousin is in the performing arts department at City A University. I heard from her that 'nine' is currently a lecturer at their school. I'll call her over and ask."