Chapter 8: The Class Reunion

Yang Wei lowered his head and whispered, “President Yang, I just received word that Allgrid International Trade Group is helping the Baili Group. They’re out of trouble now.”

“Impossible.” Yang Zhiyi grabbed the phone and called to verify; discovering it was true, he smashed the phone to the floor in rage, sending its pieces scattering.

“Yang Wei, call the police immediately. Have them arrest He Haoxuan. He beat me up like this; at the very least, he should go to jail,” Yang Zhiyi said with a vicious edge to his voice.

Yang Wei nodded and quickly called the police.

Just as Yang Zhiyi waited eagerly to hear news of He Haoxuan’s arrest, Yang Wei walked over with his phone. “President Yang, things have taken a turn for the worse. He Haoxuan denies ever being at the Starlight Club. Li Qingying claims you got drunk and tried to take advantage of her, then hurt yourself in the process. The Starlight Club’s security testified that they saw you fall by yourself. Most importantly, their surveillance was down last night—there’s no footage.”

“What?” Yang Zhiyi was so furious he could almost cough up blood.

All his life, he had only ever framed others—when had anyone ever dared frame him?

He snatched Yang Wei’s phone and called the Starlight Club himself, only to find that not only would they not testify for him, they even threatened to teach him a lesson if he dared cause more trouble there.

Again, he hurled Yang Wei’s phone to the ground. Yang Wei’s heart ached—it was his brand new iPhone.

“Yang Wei, find someone—no matter the cost, I want He Haoxuan to suffer. I want revenge,” Yang Zhiyi’s face twisted with malice.

“Yes, President Yang, I’ll take care of it right away. As long as we’re willing to spend, He Haoxuan will be finished.” Yang Wei nodded vigorously.

Meanwhile, He Haoxuan lounged comfortably on the leather sofa in the first-floor lobby, savoring a glass of Lafite ’82 discreetly sent over by Fang Yongsheng.

These days, Li Qingying had been busy with company matters. Shage tried to invite him out to dinner, but after being scolded once, dared not call again. It was said he was now working on some project with Baili Group.

He Haoxuan was unconcerned. In just a few months, after fulfilling his father’s wish, he would divorce and leave.

Now, with Shage assisting Li Qingying, Yang Zhiyi likely wouldn’t dare pull any tricks in business.

At that moment, a slender figure dashed down from the second floor. Her long, ivory-like legs drew a spontaneous whistle from He Haoxuan.

“Useless bum.” A delicate, oval face, tall and slim, her entire being radiated youthful brilliance.

Li Qingwan, Li Qingying’s younger sister, was a sophomore at Qingshan University—famous for her rebelliousness.

Li Qingwan looked down on her brother-in-law as well. He was idle and good-for-nothing; aside from his looks, he was utterly useless. They said a brother-in-law should give his sister-in-law spending money, but he was always asking her for cash instead.

“Hey, little sister-in-law, all dressed up so beautifully—off to a date? Come here, let your brother-in-law give you a hug,” He Haoxuan teased deliberately.

“When you become a billionaire, not only can you hug me, I’ll even let you—” Li Qingwan provocatively straightened her chest.

Though she didn’t quite have Li Qingying’s voluptuous curves, there was a budding allure of her own. She was slender and tall, her beautiful legs especially striking in the short skirt—enough to capture any man’s gaze.

“Alright then, you can start by giving your brother-in-law ninety-nine million, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand,” He Haoxuan laughed.

“Hmph.” Li Qingwan ignored him and skipped out. The sway of her figure made He Haoxuan take two more sips of wine.

His phone rang—a number he didn’t recognize.

“Who is this?” He Haoxuan answered.

“Haoxuan, it’s Cao Dawei. You’re a hard man to find! If I hadn’t just seen your father setting up his stall on the street, I wouldn’t have known you were back in Qingshan City,” came a cheerful voice.

Hearing it was his high school classmate and old desk mate Cao Dawei, He Haoxuan exclaimed happily, “Dawei, you’re in Qingshan too? Let’s have a good drink tonight—how about the Starlight Club?”

“Oh, come on—do you think people like us can get into those places?” Cao Dawei replied, half-joking. “Tonight we’re actually holding a high school reunion at Star Hotel. Why don’t you join us?”

“High school reunion?” He Haoxuan frowned slightly.

After graduating, he’d gone abroad and only returned this year. During those three years, his most vivid memories were of Cao Dawei and another girl.

How was she now? Married with children, most likely.

“Yeah, it’s been years since we’ve seen each other. You should come,” Cao Dawei urged.

“Will everyone be there?” He Haoxuan asked cautiously.

“Most of us. Class president Chen Hanfei organizes one each year, but she never comes. Don’t worry,” Cao Dawei reassured him, knowing exactly whom he was thinking of. “You need to move on, too. She hurt you deeply back then, but so many years have passed—you should find someone and settle down.”

Hearing that she wouldn’t be there, He Haoxuan felt a wave of relief, tinged with a trace of disappointment. “Alright, Dawei, see you tonight.”

Back then, Cao Dawei had been exceptionally kind to him. His family was poor; at school, he ate only vegetables for lunch. Cao Dawei found out and shared half his meat with him—such camaraderie was rare indeed.

“Good. I’ll call the class president now—he said you’re the only one he hasn’t heard from.” Cao Dawei hung up.

That evening, He Haoxuan rented a shared e-bike and headed to Star Hotel.

Along the way, Cao Dawei called him twice, anxiously asking why he hadn’t arrived yet.

At the hotel entrance, He Haoxuan looked for a designated parking spot—unlike shared bicycles, you couldn’t leave the e-bike just anywhere or you’d be fined.

“Look at that guy—so funny! Wearing beach shorts and slippers, riding a shared bike to dine at a four-star hotel?” A group of well-dressed young men and women ahead pointed and laughed at him.

Most of them wore suits and ties; the women, long dresses and high heels, radiating an air of sophistication.

“Is he a food delivery guy?” a plainly attractive but flamboyantly dressed girl asked.

“Delivery workers at least have delivery boxes—how could he come empty-handed? Besides, who delivers food on a shared e-bike?” another young man, with an official air, shook his head. “Enough, let’s not talk about uncultured people. Dawei, call He Haoxuan again and ask where he is.”

This young man was Chen Hanfei, their old class president. Now, he worked at the Qingshan City Personnel Bureau and, at a young age, was already a section chief—not a simple accomplishment.

Of course, elsewhere, a section chief might not be much. But in the personnel bureau, where one held the keys to personnel decisions, it meant everything.

Except for the long-lost He Haoxuan, Chen Hanfei had already looked into the rest of his classmates—none had done better than himself.

But, according to Cao Dawei, he’d run into He’s father and heard that He Haoxuan was doing quite well now. So Chen Hanfei made a special effort to wait outside, curious to see what kind of car He Haoxuan would drive to their reunion.