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The next day was a beautiful one.
Shen Yihuan, for once, felt like really putting effort into her appearance.
She was more precocious than most girls, developing an interest in beauty in middle school. She wore clothes that were somewhat flirtatious and mature, yet her face kept her from looking out of place. Instead, she possessed a captivating charm that surpassed others.
She wore a light pink camisole, layered with a loose blue and white checkered shirt, and black skinny jeans underneath.
Her makeup was exquisite, she wore earrings and a necklace, and she had even gotten her nails done last night.
She could have easily used work as an excuse to decline Teacher Xu, but she still decided to attend the school anniversary, even dressing up meticulously, despite knowing there would be a group of classmates waiting to laugh at her.
She knew why.
But she couldn’t say.
Because of the school anniversary, a long banner hung over the entrance of No. 1 High School. Drones conducted aerial photography. Every tree was adorned with small flags for the 60th-anniversary celebration, creating a vibrant, festive atmosphere.
Various luxury cars came and went, with many alumni returning to school.
No. 1 High School was the best high school, and now it boasted numerous outstanding talents.
After Shen Yihuan and Qiu Ruru arrived at the school gate in Gu Minghui’s car, Gu Minghui was called away by a group of boys to play basketball, members of the same basketball team from back then.
Shen Yihuan also knew a few of them. They teased her and greeted her, and Shen Yihuan simply smiled back at them.
She felt a little nervous.
Qiu Ruru asked, “Should we go see Teacher Xu first?”
“Mm.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been back. I heard the entire school was renovated last year, and the dorms aren’t bunk beds anymore.”
Shen Yihuan never lived in the dorms before, so she wasn’t particularly sentimental about it.
She rented an apartment outside the school gate. Her parents didn’t really supervise her much. Sometimes, when she was bored on weekends, she would even invite Lu Zhou over, buy a few movie discs, and snuggle up in the small apartment to watch them together.
Sometimes, they watched so late that Shen Yihuan would fall asleep, and Lu Zhou would have to stay up late to finish his homework.
As they walked to the office door, they saw Teacher Xu with shoulder-length hair. She looked much older than before but was still vibrant and energetic.
After so many years of teaching, her students were everywhere. Many students of various age groups surrounded her.
Shen Yihuan easily spotted Lu Zhou in the crowd, and her heart skipped a beat.
He stood in the corner, leaning against the window, his gaze fixed on Shen Yihuan, then casually shifted away.
Qiu Ruru squeezed Shen Yihuan’s hand, lowering her voice. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! So handsome! The class monitor is indeed the class monitor!”
Teacher Xu caught sight of Shen Yihuan and immediately broke into a smile, waving. “Yihuan, you’re here! Come here, let Teacher see you. You’ve really changed so much, getting prettier and prettier.”
Qiu Ruru teased, “Teacher Xu, that’s not right. Yihuan was a beauty before, too; ‘changed so much’ doesn’t apply to her.”
“She used to be too naughty; I couldn’t control her!” Teacher Xu recalled those times, often exasperated by Shen Yihuan, but now able to mention it as an amusing anecdote. “Her temperament is different now. She’s grown up, so it still counts as ‘changed so much’.”
Shen Yihuan maintained a facade of composure, putting on her old brazen persona.
“Teacher Xu, you’ve also ‘changed so much’! You look even more charming with age.”
“You’re just sweet-talking,” Teacher Xu laughed, beaming. “Oh, right, Lu Zhou!” She turned her head and waved at the man by the window.
Shen Yihuan’s heart was silently clutched by a pair of hands.
“Teacher Xu.”
The man walked over. Today, he wore a black short-sleeved shirt with a brand logo on the chest, clean and tidy, unlike others in their suits and ties.
“You two used to be deskmates, didn’t you? You really caused me a lot of trouble. Shen Yihuan caused problems every day, and Lu Zhou, as class monitor, still protected his classmate. You really thought I couldn’t see anything!”
Teacher Xu shook her head with a smile, then, seeing Shen Yihuan’s slightly awkward expression, she understood.
She didn’t know the complexities of their relationship, only assuming it was a normal teenage crush.
“I always said it, puppy love rarely lasts, but it’s good to have the experience, right? Some people want puppy love but don’t even get the chance!”
There were a few other classmates from their class, whispering and gossiping behind them.
Shen Yihuan nodded. “Yeah.”
Qiu Ruru noticed Shen Yihuan’s discomfort and deliberately changed the subject. “Someone like me, who wanted puppy love, never even got the chance!”
“Qiu Ruru, right? I remember you were quite troublesome back then too. Weren’t you with... that guy... the one who played basketball really well, Gu Minghui? Was that his name?”
She had taught too many students to remember all their names.
“Me and Gu Minghui?! Teacher Xu, please, don’t joke. We were never together! You must be confusing me with someone else!”
“Oh? I remember back then you two...”
Shen Yihuan didn’t really hear the rest of what was said. She only remembered Lu Zhou’s phone ringing. She glanced at it; the contact was “Zhang Tongqi.” Then Lu Zhou walked out of the office to answer the call.
A suffocating feeling built in her chest, neither rising nor falling.
After staying in the office for a while longer, she bid farewell to Teacher Xu.
“Teacher, I brought my camera. I’ll go around and see what kind of photo series I can take.”
________________________________________
She wandered around campus with her camera bag, shooting aimlessly.
The summer campus was beautiful, trees lush and green, with new growth. Vibrant lotus flowers bloomed in the pond, their leaves round and verdant.
“Did you guys see Shen Yihuan today?”
“Saw her. Dressed really cool. She’s in her twenties now, no shame at all.”
“Lu Zhou looked at her as if he didn’t see her at all. Looks like the breakup rumors are really true.”
“With her kind of reputation, the class monitor only liked her when he was young in high school. What respectable person would like her?”
“This morning I even saw her getting out of Gu Minghui’s Land Rover. You think after her dad’s company went bankrupt, she could still make it like this? No telling what shady deals she’s done behind the scenes.”
...
Halfway through taking photos, these whispers reached Shen Yihuan’s ears.
She looked down at what she was wearing: a camisole that wasn’t low-cut. It was just that the girl was too thin, and that delicate collarbone was quite suggestive.
She let out a faint scoff, pretending not to hear.
She had often heard such remarks while studying; she was long used to it.
Only then it was jealousy; now it was kicking someone when they were down.
She continued taking photos.
The auditorium.
The sports field.
The teaching building.
The basketball court.
The gymnasium.
The cafeteria.
A few years ago, No. 1 High School expanded, enclosing a piece of empty land behind it within the school boundaries.
A new laboratory building was constructed, and it was the only place with current students on this summer anniversary day.
They were all top students in their grade, a group participating in competitions.
Lu Zhou also participated in competitions back then, both physics and math. Originally, the chemistry teacher also wanted him to go, but signing up for three subjects was too much to handle, so he had to give up.
When they went to competitions, they had to go to another province. The school arranged a bus to take them, and they would stay there for over a week before returning.
Shen Yihuan was quite displeased then. She ignored Lu Zhou the day before he left and spent an afternoon playing at an internet cafe with her bad company. When she returned to school, the bus had already left.
She only found out the next day.
In her desk drawer, there was an extra bag of White Rabbit milk candies, the 24-piece kind.
And a note—
Three pieces a day. I’ll be back when you finish them.
________________________________________
The school anniversary day ended quickly.
Shen Yihuan didn’t attend any school anniversary song and dance events. She spent the entire day wandering around campus, taking many photos.
In the evening, a group of people suggested having dinner together, seizing the opportunity for a class reunion while everyone was there.
Back in school, their class wasn’t particularly cohesive, especially among the girls, who formed many small cliques.
Shen Yihuan, Qiu Ruru, and Gu Minghui formed an independent clique that others couldn’t really integrate into.
However, Gu Minghui was good-looking, and many girls liked him. He also played basketball well, so he always had good social connections. And Qiu Ruru’s personality wasn’t as flamboyant as Shen Yihuan’s back then, allowing her to converse with many people in class.
Gu Minghui treated everyone, inviting them to a high-end dining hotel under the Gu family’s assets.
“Anyone who didn’t know would think this was Young Master Gu’s large-scale blind date and social mixer,” Qiu Ruru quipped.
Shen Yihuan glanced at her, smiling. “It’d be a shame not to freeload on a free meal.”
Young Master Gu, with a grand gesture, was generous with his spending, immediately captivating many unmarried women who gathered around him, chatting.
“Box 888, top floor. You guys go ahead. I’ll order the food,” Gu Minghui said.
Shen Yihuan followed the crowd towards the elevator. As she passed, Gu Minghui grabbed her shoulder and lowered his voice.
“If they dare to bully you or say anything out of line, don’t hold back. You don’t have to suffer grievances on your ‘Dad Gu’s’ turf.”
Shen Yihuan blinked, understanding his meaning, but she hadn’t expected Young Master Gu to be so considerate one day.
“Dad Gu?” she raised an eyebrow slightly. “They probably think I should call you ‘Mr. Sugar Daddy.’“
After saying that, she waved away Gu Minghui’s hand and walked off. The elevator was still open.
The moment she stepped inside, it closed precisely, and at the same time, a hand reached out, barely brushing the stray hairs on her cheek. She could only make out the faint blue veins on the hand.
She looked up. Lu Zhou held the elevator door with one hand and pressed the open button with the other, his face expressionless.
Shen Yihuan froze for a moment, then quickly stepped inside.
Soon after, Gu Minghui came up. With the young director personally giving orders, the dishes were served quickly.
After a few rounds of drinks and dishes, the conversation flowed freely.
From the moment Shen Yihuan washed her hands and entered, discovering that the seat next to Lu Zhou was still empty, she knew this class reunion would inevitably satisfy everyone’s curiosity.
Next to her were Qiu Ruru and Lu Zhou, and on Lu Zhou’s other side was Zhang Tongqi.
“I really didn’t expect a celebrity to come out of our class,” someone said to Zhang Tongqi. “The male lead you’re acting with is my sister’s idol. Tongqi, can you get me an autograph?”
Zhang Tongqi smoothed her hair. “Sure, but I’m quite busy lately. Maybe next time when I have free time.”
She was peeling shrimp, her fingers long, slender, and fair, wearing a pinky ring. She then changed the subject. “I was shooting a magazine a few days ago, and Shen Yihuan was in charge of it.”
“Really? Shen Yihuan, where do you work now?”
Shen Yihuan hadn’t touched her chopsticks, only drinking her beverage, and calmly replied with the name of her photography studio.
“Never heard of it. Is it famous?”
Qiu Ruru pouted. “Yes, it’s very famous. If you don’t know, don’t comment.”
The person’s face stiffened. Zhang Tongqi smiled, finished peeling the shrimp in her hand, and placed it on Lu Zhou’s plate. “Here, this shrimp is very fresh.”
Lu Zhou remained silent and didn’t touch his chopsticks.
Zhang Tongqi didn’t mind. “Yihuan, have you really broken up with the class monitor?”
Shen Yihuan frowned in annoyance, looking at her. “What’s it to you?”
“Of course it’s my business. Our class monitor is so excellent. If it’s confirmed he doesn’t have a girlfriend, a lot of people will want to seize the opportunity, don’t you think?”
Her words were blunt, and everyone’s eyes lit up. There was drama to watch.
The girl sitting on Zhang Tongqi’s other side chimed in, “Exactly! Oh, right, why did you two break up? Who initiated it?”
Shen Yihuan looked at her with a cold expression.
On the other side, Gu Minghui also frowned, considering whether to just flip the table and curse someone.
The private room fell silent for a moment, everyone afraid to miss the slightest micro-expression from the protagonists.
Just then, the male protagonist of the conversation, who had been lazily leaning back in his chair, sat up a little, tugged at his collar, his brows hinting at anger, his slender chin tilted up.
He turned his head and, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, said, “What do you want to eat?”
Shen Yihuan looked at the peeled shrimp on his plate and, as if possessed, answered, “Shrimp.”
Lu Zhou picked up two, peeled one, leaving only the head, and as if no one else was there, placed it in Shen Yihuan’s bowl.
Zhang Tongqi’s face instantly froze.
Lu Zhou then unhurriedly peeled the other shrimp, wiped his hands clean with a napkin, leaned back in his chair, and when he looked up, he appeared cold and arrogant, exuding an intimidating presence without needing to be angry.
He licked his lips and smiled, his voice slightly nasal.
“She dumped me.”
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