Chapter 1: Visiting Friends

"Damn it, she's such a bitch!" Xiong Lei Lei stormed into Lan Xin's room, seething with anger.1

Lan Xin was sweetly dreaming when she was abruptly awakened by the sudden noise. She sat up, blinked her eyes a few times, and took a while to fully come to her senses.

Pointing at the computer, Xiong Lei Lei cursed beside Lan Xin's bed, "All you know is to play these damned games."1The computer screen displayed the game "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 5: Prequel." Lan Xin had just taken a break from playing and dozed off. She asked Lei Lei, "What's wrong? Why are you so angry?"1Lei Lei continued to rant, "Sisi, our company is too much. They announced that starting this month, they will increase the base salary for employees. But although the base salary has increased, the performance subsidy has been reduced. It's as if there was no increase at all!"1Lan Xin responded helplessly, "Dear, this is called 'top-level policies, bottom-level countermeasures.' I've already lost hope in our company. I'm just waiting to take my annual leave and then resign."1Xiong Lei Lei started complaining again, "You say we take calls every day, getting yelled at by all sorts of jerks. It's really torturous, physically and mentally. The company makes so much profit every year. Couldn't they give us a little more money? It's really frustrating!"1Lan Xin knew that Xiong Lei Lei was the type to complain but never resign, so she just listened without saying anything.1After ranting, Lei Lei quickly changed her tune, "Although this company is disgusting, we still get a salary every month, and we won't starve. Now, prices are so high, and it's hard to find a job. It's not a solution for you, Sisi, to stay at home all the time playing games."1Lan Xin knew all this too, but she didn't want to do things she disliked anymore. She played games just to temporarily forget her troubles.1Lei Lei asked again, "Where's Xiao Zhu?"1Lan Xin replied, "She went to her boyfriend's place."1Lei Lei started complaining again, "I mean, we're both good-looking and have nice figures. Why don't we have boyfriends?"1Lan Xin looked at her helplessly. Lei Lei continued, "It's all because we're surrounded by nuns, with hardly any men around. I need to find a new job soon. Maybe at a new company, there will be many handsome guys. With my conditions, I'm sure to be very popular." She laughed at the thought.1Lan Xin said to her, "Beautiful lady, I'm going to Jia Jia's place tomorrow. Do you want to come with me since you're off these two days?"1Lei Lei asked, "You mean that girl who stayed at school as a class teacher after graduation? What are you going to do there?"1Lan Xin answered helplessly, "I'm going to hang out there for a while to clear my mind, and then when I'm in a better mood, I'll look for the next job."1Since Lei Lei had nothing to do if Lan Xin wasn't around, and she had heard that there were many young men at Jia Jia's school, she agreed to go together.1Lan Xin, Xiong Lei Lei, and Zhu Li were good friends. They rented a three-bedroom apartment in the west second ring road of the city. Zhu Li was the youngest of the three and already had a boyfriend. Xiong Lei Lei was the oldest, tallest, and prettiest, with a lively and cheerful personality, although she was actually quite a nerd. Lan Xin was the most artistic of the three; after starting work, she used her earnings to learn musical instruments like the guzheng and dizi, and she also enjoyed painting and writing poetry in her spare time.1They arrived at an inopportune time. The school was approaching the end-of-term exams. The diligent students were in the library studying, while the less studious ones were cramming at the last minute. Lei Lei had dressed up in a pure and innocent style, hoping to attract some young hotties, but it seemed her efforts were wasted.1Upon arriving at the school, they saw a group of students taking photos in front of an old stone plaque with the school's name, 'XX,' inscribed on it, probably meant to showcase the school's long history. The students were posing with cute heart-shaped hands and the classic scissors hand gesture.1Lei Lei cursed them as 'losers, never seen the world before,' but Lan Xin envied them. She used to be like that, but youth passes quickly, and new faces replace the old. Time moves on, and everything changes.1