The City Pedigree

"To be honest, Shen Chen, booze isn't good for you," said Lin Xiaomiao, "too much of it could harm your body."

Despite knowing she was a wolf in sheep's clothing, Shen Chen was still very polite to her. "I know." 

Xia An'an secretly glared at Shen Chen, then asked everyone else, "Do you guys all have a job now or what?"

"What else if not working and studying?"

"Yeah, it sucks…"

"We are nowhere near as good as you, Xia An'an. You really have a good life there."

"Don't forget Xiaomiao, too. She was the it girl in school back then, not very good in her studies but she has gotten herself a wealthy boyfriend!"

"So, you'll never know what you're going to get in life."

Then their attention shifted to Shen Chen.

"What about you, Shen Chen?"

In what might seem to be an innocent question, Xia An'an found the moment she had been waiting for. She remained silent with an evil smile hanging on the corners of her lips. 

All eyes were on Shen Chen, waiting for her to speak.

"Let's not dig at her," Xia An'an was hypocritical, "she might have some secrets which are too embarrassing to talk about." 

Lin Xiaomiao was puzzled. "What secrets?"

A few female classmates could not stand the suspense. "All of us are not outsiders. Why can't you tell us? We just want to know if everyone is doing well. Even if not, no one will laugh at you!"

As Xia An'an let out a suggestive smile, her mobile phone on the table suddenly rang. 

"I'm sorry, I've got to take this call."

She then went out to answer her phone.

As soon as she left, everyone seemed to have forgotten where they had left off and started to talk about something else.

Less than a minute later, Xia An'an had finished on her phone. Her expression changed. As she walked back in, she told them that something had happened to her family, and that she needed to go at that instant. She then grabbed her handbag and ran out like a whirlwind.

As Xia An'an looked in a hurry, Lin Xiaomiao and others decided not to ask her to stay. Without her presence, the atmosphere had become less tense. No one knew what Shen Chen did for a living even after the reunion ended.

Before they went, Lin Xiaomiao said to Shen Chen, "Where do you stay? I can drive you home."

"That won't be necessary," Shen Chen replied.

"Shen Chen, aren't we friends?" Lin Xiaomiao appeared not too happy.

Shen Chen did not say a word nor have any emotional fluctuation on her face. The atmosphere was pretty awkward. The rejection was deemed a slap in the face. Lin Xiaomiao's face collapsed, but Shen Chen was not prepared to give in.

"Chen."

A voice, gentle like a breeze in the spring, came. Shen Chen looked back and saw a familiar yet strange face before her eyes.

It brought her back to when she was sixteen, a less than perfect encounter. She was down and out; he was the child of a distinguished family, smart, handsome, good-natured, and the prince in every teenage girl's heart. His words could make his admirers chortle for a week. Shen Chen was no exception.

But the days of ignorance and naivety had worn away.

His name was Mu Bai.