Chapter 003: Past and Present

Although Ye Fan could not be described as having achieved great success in his career, due to certain reasons and experiences, he now had some capital and had recently purchased a Mercedes-Benz, which was more expensive than Liu Yunzhi's Toyota. However, he felt it was quite vulgar to judge one's status and position based on this.

A short while later, Ye Fan arrived at the designated meeting place, known as the Moonlit City by the Sea. This was an expansive entertainment complex that combined dining and leisure facilities, situated in a prime location encircled by vibrant surroundings. The assortment of mid-range to high-end sedans in the parking area was a testament to the primary consumer demographic.

Just three years out of college, most of the classmates could not be said to have achieved much in their careers. Ye Fan thought that choosing such a luxurious venue for the gathering was somewhat extravagant.

Upon exiting the parking lot and arriving in front of the Moonlit City by the Sea, he quickly spotted several familiar figures, all classmates who had come to the gathering, some of whom he hadn't seen in three years.

"Ye Fan!" A young man with a gentle and cultured appearance noticed him, approached with a smile, and said, "This is your fault. As the local host of this city, you showed up late. You should have been the one to initiate and organize this gathering."

This cultured-looking young man was named Wang Ziwen, one of the organizers and initiators of the gathering. He was a very active figure in college and was said to have developed very smoothly in another city over the past three years, amassing considerable assets.

A few others also came over, and although it had been a long time since they last met, everyone was very warm and friendly with each other.

It was obvious that Wang Ziwen was waiting for someone here, and the number of people he would specially greet in front of the Moonlit City by the Sea was limited to just a few, making it easy to guess.

Wang Ziwen was a smart person. Instead of continuing to wait alone, he chatted and laughed with everyone, leading the way into the Moonlit City by the Sea. The fifth floor had a small business center suitable for meetings of thirty to fifty people, which had been booked.

By now, it was dark outside, and the classmates attending the gathering were almost all present.

The arrival of the group immediately livened up the atmosphere. Many people came over, and the reunion felt like a passage of time and a displacement of space, momentarily overlapping with certain scenes from college days.

Three years after graduation, everyone was in their mid-twenties. Some had already married, and two had become mothers.

Each person had their own distinct life path, but overall, most of the classmates were ordinary people. The ideals and ambitions of the past had been almost completely worn away by time, returning to the ordinary in their plain lives.

Dreams had faded, and most people had come to the sober realization that they were just ordinary people.

Ye Fan was taken to another side by Wang Ziwen. Upon careful observation, he noticed that the classmates here were either successful in their careers or had some family background.

"Ye Fan, you arrived so late; you must be punished with three drinks."

"Three drinks are not enough; you're underestimating Ye Fan's alcohol capacity." Lin Jia was also sitting on this side, with her almond eyes glancing sideways, a slender figure, and a seductive charm.

"Which beautiful lady wants to punish me?" Ye Fan included several male classmates in the category of beautiful ladies.

"Just arrived and already taking advantage of us, punishment, we must severely punish you!" Both men and women unanimously agreed and began to "sharpen their knives."

Liu Yunzhi, who had some background in the city, was naturally part of this small group. He casually said, "I thought you would be delayed waiting for a taxi."

His words immediately caused a bit of a cold spell. Everyone present knew about the grudge between Liu Yunzhi and Ye Fan in college. Now that he was doing well in the city, his unintentional mention that Ye Fan had come by taxi was quite obvious.

Other classmates also noticed the situation here and looked over, but Ye Fan just indifferently smiled and said nothing.

"I'll go outside to pick up Zhou Yi," Wang Ziwen changed the subject and then turned to leave.

Lin Jia and two other female classmates talked about cosmetics and mentioned several famous brand-name clothes. Others shared some old stories, and the brief cold spell just passed, and the atmosphere became lively again.

However, after what happened, the atmosphere became somewhat subtle. No one mentioned punishing Ye Fan anymore, and there were more words around Liu Yunzhi.

Although Ye Fan was a prominent figure in college, once out of campus, all that no longer mattered. Now, success in one's career was the most valued.

From time to time, glances were cast in this direction. This side had become a special small circle, with everyone seated being classmates who were currently doing well. At the moment, Ye Fan seemed to be on the verge of being marginalized.

Ye Fan remained calm about this, but eventually, he stood up and left, sitting with some other classmates. He didn't want to be labeled as part of a special group by his peers.

Cosmetics and branded clothing always remained the favorite subjects for the female classmates, whereas the male classmates engaged in discussions on a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from football to the latest news and current affairs.

Half an hour later, the twenty-five people attending the gathering had all arrived. There were thirty-three classmates in total, with three studying abroad and five unable to make it due to special reasons.

The initiators and organizers of the gathering gave speeches one after another, creating a very lively atmosphere. Then the group split into several smaller circles, each chatting freely.

A long time later, everyone left the small business center, ready to toast their reunion. Without any deliberate arrangement, the hierarchy and closeness of each table were revealed.

Ye Fan did not sit with Lin Jia, Liu Yunzhi, and their group but naturally sat at another table.

After another round of speeches, the gathering became more casual. Some people went from table to table toasting, while others were surrounded at their tables, unable to move a step and being toasted continuously.

A lot had happened in the past three years, and everyone had changed significantly. Perhaps due to the stimulation of alcohol, many classmates began to talk about their lives, with some feeling proud and others disappointed.

Some hated their boss for being extremely demanding, always requiring overtime with meager pay.

A female classmate mentioned that her boyfriend was a department manager at a famous company, another said her husband had been promoted to vice president of the company, and someone else mentioned that her fiancée was the niece of a bank executive.

However, many people remained silent after hearing these stories, as life was not very satisfying for them.

One female classmate in particular looked haggard. It was said that she had married someone she didn't love, and her marriage was unhappy. Her husband drank all day, and when a classmate visited her in her city, they saw bruises and injuries on her body.

"If there's anything I can help with, feel free to ask me..." Ye Fan felt compassion for this haggard-looking female classmate. He still remembered her shy and innocent appearance in college, standing outside the football field and waving her hands vigorously to cheer him on.

It was clear that her life was very unsatisfactory. She nodded gratefully and whispered a thank you.

"Ye Fan, you should change yourself first..." The female classmate whose husband had been promoted to vice president of the company spoke somewhat rudely under the influence of alcohol, "Look at how well Liu Yunzhi is doing now."

All the classmates at this table looked at Ye Fan and then at Liu Yunzhi's table not far away, where classmates who were doing well now gathered.

"Ye Fan, it's not that I'm saying this to you, but you were indeed a figure in college, but everything changes once you leave campus. You have to work hard," the male classmate whose fiancée was the niece of a bank executive also lectured.

Mentioning the people at Liu Yunzhi's table, some classmates here sighed, saying that some people were not as good as themselves back in school, but now they were incomparable.

There were also cynical and radical individuals, speaking drunkenly and accusing those people of showing off their wealth and status.

Some female classmates joked with Ye Fan, saying they were glad they had only secretly liked him in school and now somewhat regretted rejecting Liu Yunzhi's pursuit back then.

It was still the same city and the same people, but when they met again, everyone's state of mind was quite different.