After graduation, Gao Shuai went abroad to study, and the two gradually lost contact.
Now that Gao Shuai has returned, and his family's business has become stronger, they naturally want to stand on Gao Shuai's side. Perhaps if he is happy, he might even let them work for him, holding a minor leadership position.
The others also echoed, agreeing with whatever Gao Shuai said.
Teacher Xiong finally accepted it, saying, "Alright, Teacher will accept it, but you are not allowed to buy any more gifts for me in the future."
After speaking, he reached out and took the gift from Gao Shuai's hands.
Seeing this, Liu Yifeng stepped forward and asked with a smile, "Teacher Xiong, do you still remember me?"
Teacher Xiong looked up at Liu Yifeng and immediately showed a kind and amiable smile, "You are Liu Yifeng, aren't you? You've come too."
Liu Yifeng nodded, "It's your birthday today, I definitely had to come.
This is my birthday gift for you. I hope you like it."
"And me, I am Liu Qiang. This is a gift I personally selected for you. Please don't find it too shabby, Teacher."
"Just having you here makes me very happy, Teacher. You've all gone to great expense to buy me gifts, which makes me feel uneasy," Teacher Xiong said.
"Teacher, turning sixty is a major birthday and should be celebrated well. I hope that when you turn seventy, we can all gather together again," Gao Shuai said.
"Then you all must come to Teacher's house, and no gifts are allowed, understand?" Teacher Xiong said, accepting the gifts from Liu Yifeng and Qiangzi.
"Liu Yifeng, when you were studying, Teacher took good care of you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gotten into university. Today is Teacher's sixtieth birthday. I wonder what gift you've brought me?" Zhang Shuixin asked with a smile.
Gao Shuai didn't like him back in school, so he wanted to embarrass Liu Yifeng in public, considering it his first gift to Gao Shuai.
"It's not a valuable gift. The most important thing about giving gifts is the thought behind it!" Liu Yifeng did not mention that he had bought a massage chair, which was quite expensive.
But to others, it sounded different.
It seemed as if he was saying that his gift was cheap and not presentable, which was why he was unwilling to reveal what he had given.
Zhang Shuixin, upon hearing this, pressed on, "Since it's the thought that counts, then we should definitely see what it is. What do you all think?"
The others chimed in, "Yes, yes, Yifeng, hurry up and let Teacher unwrap it for us to see."
"It's not impossible to see Yifeng's gift, but shouldn't we unwrap your gifts first before looking at ours?" Qiangzi knew what Yifeng had given, and its price alone was enough to outshine most people.
So, let them unwrap first, and then when they see Yifeng's gift, they will know what it means to be slapped in the face.
"Certainly, our gifts were also carefully selected. Let's let Teacher Xiong see if he likes them," Zhang Shuixin immediately agreed.
Even if their gifts were not as expensive as Liu Yifeng's, as long as Gao Shuai's gift was more valuable than his, it would suffice.
This was also why Zhang Shuixin wanted to see Liu Yifeng's gift.
"What's there to see in these gifts? I like all the gifts you've brought!" Teacher Xiong, being experienced, naturally understood their intentions.
However, he did not want them to compete even when giving gifts. He just hoped they could be as pure and friendly as they were when they were studying.
But he didn't know that even back then, they already had their own little agendas and were no longer innocent children.
"Teacher, please open them. It will give us a chance to see what classmate Gao Shuai has given you."
"Teacher, since they want to see, then you should open them for them!
Coincidentally, if there's anything you don't like, we can exchange it," Gao Shuai also chimed in.
Teacher Xiong remained silent, looking at Liu Yifeng, afraid he might be embarrassed later.
Liu Yifeng smiled indifferently, "Teacher, since they want to see so much, then show them."
Seeing that Liu Yifeng had said so, Teacher Xiong opened them one by one.
"Teacher, this is a radio I got for you. You can listen to opera when you're bored!"
"Teacher, this is a shirt I got for you. I hope it fits you well."
"This is mine..."
...
As Teacher Xiong unwrapped each gift, someone would speak up.
They were all relatively ordinary gifts, not very expensive. Seeing the gifts they had brought, Qiangzi was no longer worried about being outshone by most people.
To be honest, most people's gifts were not even as valuable as his.
Finally, only Gao Shuai, Liu Yifeng, and Qiangzi remained.
Teacher Xiong first opened Gao Shuai's gift, which was a string of prayer beads.
"Teacher, I picked this for you at a jewelry store. You can wear it on your wrist.
It is said that these beads also have health benefits," Gao Shuai explained.
Upon hearing that it was bought from a jewelry store, Zhang Shuixin immediately asked curiously, "Classmate Gao, this string of beads must be quite expensive, right?"
Gao Shuai smiled nonchalantly, "It wasn't much, less than two thousand. Teacher, please don't dislike it."
"Such an expensive gift, Teacher cannot accept it!" When Teacher Xiong heard how expensive it was, it was equivalent to his monthly salary. He insisted on returning it.
"Teacher, please wear it. It's a gesture from me," Gao Shuai insisted.
In the end, unable to refuse Gao Shuai, Teacher Xiong accepted it and carefully placed it back in the box.
"Teacher, I know you usually like writing calligraphy, so I specifically bought you a good brush. It only cost two hundred yuan. I hope you can write beautiful characters with it."
Before Teacher Xiong could unwrap his gift, Qiangzi spoke first.
This was because he wanted Teacher Xiong to open Yifeng's gift last, as the best should always be saved for last.
His gift had already made many classmates feel embarrassed.
Many people's gifts were less than a hundred yuan.
When Teacher Xiong heard it was a brush, his eyes lit up. He eagerly opened the box, picked up the brush, and praised it profusely, "This is indeed a good brush. Liu Qiang, it's thoughtful of you to remember Teacher's hobby."
Liu Qiang was a bit embarrassed by the praise, "Ac... Actually, it wasn't me who remembered. It was Yifeng who reminded me, and then I bought the brush."
Teacher Xiong then looked at Liu Yifeng, "You are very thoughtful."
"I just mentioned it casually, and Qiangzi took it to heart," Liu Yifeng did not want to take credit from Qiangzi, as it was he who had bought the brush.
"Teacher, please see what Liu Yifeng has bought for you." This was what all the classmates were most curious about.
Teacher Xiong put away the brush and then opened Liu Yifeng's gift box. The moment he opened the lid, everyone saw a beautifully packaged massage device.
However, they did not know the price of this massage device. They just felt it was definitely not as expensive as Gao Shuai's.
It wasn't until Qiangzi's introduction that everyone was astonished.