Chapter 48: Class Reunion (Part 3)
At Qi Rouyun’s suggestion, they ordered several bottles of beer. After everyone had a glass, the atmosphere in the private room became even livelier.
Su Xiaofan did not say much. Whenever someone spoke to him, he would answer a few words; when nobody talked to him, he simply sat quietly to the side, drinking and eating.
After observing for a while, Su Xiaofan realized that his classmates who were staying in Yanjing probably got together often. They were very familiar with one another, and they were also quite close with Sun Jiajia’s boyfriend.
Liu Fei and Zhang Ji had spent most of the previous semester trying to arrange to stay in Yanjing. Judging from their situation, they planned to develop their careers there in the future.
As for his male classmate Wu Xiaobo, Su Xiaofan did not have a particularly strong impression of him. Back in high school, Wu Xiaobo had not stood out much, but he had performed quite well on the college entrance examination and had been admitted to Beihang University. He was now also a student union cadre and had matured considerably.
Wu Xiaobo also wanted to stay in Yanjing. Recently, he had successfully passed an interview and gotten an internship at a listed company in the cultural tourism industry. He spent most of his time in Miyun and had only hurried over today after hearing from the class monitor about the gathering.
Zhao Yu had apparently gotten a boyfriend as well, but he had returned to their hometown during the vacation. Zhao Yu was interning at the very famous Dami Technology company and might be able to stay in Yanjing in the future. Her prospects were clearly quite good.
As for Sun Jiajia and Zhou Siwei, they had been stuck together ever since they arrived, and they seemed to have a very good relationship.
From their conversations, Su Xiaofan could tell that Zhou Siwei was a native of Beijing. His family seemed to have quite a lot of influence within the government system. Apart from Qi Rouyun and Mo Zixuan, everyone else noticeably lowered their attitude when speaking with Zhou Siwei.
However, children from official families were not necessarily as spoiled and arrogant as people imagined. Zhou Siwei did not put on an air of superiority. He chatted and joked with everyone, and the atmosphere around the table was quite lively.
Whether during their student years or after entering society, social classes had actually already begun to form quietly.
At today's dinner table, although Mo Zixuan spoke the least, whenever she opened her mouth, she would immediately become the center of the discussion. It was obvious that she held the highest position among everyone present.
Next was Zhou Siwei. Although Liu Fei and Zhang Ji tried very hard to act naturally, Su Xiaofan could tell at a glance that they were deliberately trying to curry favor with Zhou Siwei.
Wu Xiaobo and Zhao Yu were relatively normal. Both planned to join companies after graduation, and they behaved neither arrogantly nor submissively at the dinner table.
“Su Xiaofan, I completely forgot to ask—why are you staying at Yanjing University’s guesthouse this time?”
Qi Rouyun raised her glass and clinked it against Su Xiaofan’s. Her question also attracted the attention of several people at the table. Normally, Yanjing University’s guesthouse was only available to students and their parents.
“My younger sister was admitted to Yanjing University, so I brought her here to register,” Su Xiaofan said, putting down his chopsticks.
“Oh? Your younger sister is that good at studying?”
Qi Rouyun was surprised, then said, “Give me her name and contact information. If she ever has any problems at school, tell her to contact me.”
“Okay. Thanks, Qi-ge. With you looking after Xiaoxiao, I can rest easy.”
Su Xiaofan nodded and used his phone to send his sister’s WeChat contact to Qi Rouyun. He then sent his sister a message as well.
“Su Xiaofan, isn’t it still too early for registration? Why did your sister come so early?”
Sun Jiajia, who had come to the dinner with her boyfriend, looked at Su Xiaofan curiously.
“Yeah. Enrollment registration isn't until the end of August. The university is still on vacation right now.”
Sun Jiajia’s boyfriend, Zhou Siwei, said, “Classmate Su Xiaofan, did your sister perhaps enroll in some training institution under Yanjing University? Some organizations recruit students using Yanjing University’s name.”
It wasn't that Su Xiaofan’s classmates were deliberately questioning him. The truth was that registering in early July was unheard of at universities. At a top university like Yanjing University, such a mistake was even more unlikely.
“I’m not really sure about that, but she’s already registered. She registered inside Yanjing University itself, so it should be fine.”
Su Xiaofan smiled and did not explain further. Some things simply did not need to be said.
Aside from keeping in relatively close contact with Qi Rouyun, Su Xiaofan basically had no connection with the other classmates at the table. He probably would not have much contact with them in the future either.
“Su Xiaofan, did your sister pay her tuition when she registered? How much was it?”
Zhao Yu, who had arrived later, asked Su Xiaofan.
She had been the study committee member of their high school class and was also one of the girls who had once liked Su Xiaofan.
However, Su Xiaofan had been somewhat of a straight-laced guy back then. Apart from being slightly closer to Qi Rouyun, he had never been particularly interested in anyone.
“The tuition is 100,000 yuan a year.”
Su Xiaofan thought for a moment before saying, “Thanks for everyone's concern. My sister's enrollment has already been taken care of, and the university waived her tuition. It shouldn't be a scam. Thanks for worrying about her.”
Su Xiaofan really did not want to discuss his sister's schooling at the dinner table. Her special admission class was also rather unusual, and there was no need for ordinary people to know about it.
“It's still better to be careful. There are a lot of scammers nowadays. The more they initially claim they don't want any money, the more they may try to scam you later.”
Zhao Yu was genuinely trying to warn Su Xiaofan. Seeing that he did not want to talk about it, however, she stopped.
“Do you want me to ask around for you?” Zhou Siwei offered.
“Yeah, Su Xiaofan. It's just one phone call. Let Siwei ask about it for you.”
Women generally hoped that their boyfriends would demonstrate how capable they were in public. This had nothing to do with age or character—it was simply connected to a little vanity.
“Brother Zhou, let me toast you. Having a former classmate like Jiajia here in Yanjing is really lucky for me.”
Su Xiaofan stood up and toasted Zhou Siwei before saying, “But my sister's situation really has already been taken care of, so I won't trouble you, Brother Zhou. If I run into any problems in the future, I'll definitely ask for your help.”
“Sure. We're all classmates. It's just a matter of saying the word.”
Su Xiaofan’s words clearly made Sun Jiajia and Zhou Siwei feel good about themselves. Both drank the wine in their glasses, and they could also tell that Su Xiaofan did not want to discuss the matter any further.
People who managed to do well at university were generally quite perceptive. Someone quickly changed the subject, and the conversation moved elsewhere.
“Su Xiaofan, is she in a special admission class?”
Qi Rouyun, sitting beside Su Xiaofan, quietly asked when she noticed that the other classmates were not paying attention.
“Oh? Class Monitor, you're doing pretty well. You even know about the special admission class.”
Su Xiaofan looked at Qi Rouyun in surprise. Even the teachers and students responsible for receiving students at Yanjing University did not know much about this matter, yet Qi Rouyun knew about it.
“Zixuan is the counselor for the special admission class. She can really look after your sister.”
Qi Rouyun glanced at Mo Zixuan beside her. Seeing that she did not stop her, she continued, “My internship this summer also has something to do with the special admission class. But don't tell people about this. They told us to keep it confidential.”
“Oh, I actually ran into Xiaoxiao's teacher. Then I have to toast the two of you.”
Su Xiaofan immediately raised his glass toward Mo Zixuan. He knew just how high the standards were for the special admission class. He had never expected Mo Zixuan to be able to become a counselor there. Clearly, she was no ordinary person herself.
“Your sister must be very outstanding to get into the special admission class.”
Mo Zixuan raised her glass and took a sip. She wasn't the stereotypical academic goddess type of student union president. Although she did not talk much during the dinner, she gave everyone a very comfortable feeling, as if being around her was like bathing in a gentle spring breeze.
“Teacher Mo, please take good care of her in the future. If there are any problems, please contact me directly.”
Having encountered his younger sister’s counselor, Su Xiaofan immediately took out his phone and asked to add Mo Zixuan’s contact information.
After hesitating slightly, Mo Zixuan did not refuse and added Su Xiaofan’s phone number and WeChat.
There was much less emphasis on practical benefits at a high school class reunion. Everyone enjoyed the meal very much.
After dinner, Zhou Siwei suggested going singing. He said that a top-class entertainment club had recently opened in Beijing where they could sing, and he wanted to take everyone out to experience Beijing's nightlife.
Liu Fei and Zhang Ji were eager to establish themselves in Beijing, so they immediately agreed. Zhao Yu and Wu Xiaobo also nodded. Su Xiaofan and Mo Zixuan, however, hesitated.
Although Su Xiaofan had acted as though he could talk comfortably with everyone and had been polite to everyone throughout the evening, in reality, he still felt somewhat out of place among these students. Their experiences in society were clearly very different.
Mo Zixuan simply did not particularly like this kind of setting. Given her identity, she had plenty of admirers and had experienced far more situations than anyone else present. She had little interest in some so-called entertainment club.
“Su Xiaofan, come on. Tonight's gathering was organized because of you.”
Sun Jiajia spoke up. “Senior Sister Mo, you should come too. You're the person here who held the highest position while still a student. We have lots of things we'd like to ask you about.”
Although Sun Jiajia knew that the men at the table would occasionally glance at Mo Zixuan, she understood even better how much weight the president of Yanjing University’s student union carried.
The president of Yanjing University’s student union could no longer be regarded as merely a student.
After all, the president could establish connections with graduates from previous generations of Yanjing University. That network was enormous, and the resources and influence such a person could mobilize were beyond ordinary people's imagination.
For people like Zhang Ji and the others who wanted to remain in Yanjing, their future plans were hardly worth mentioning to Mo Zixuan. Whether they stayed at the university or entered government agencies would depend entirely on her choices. Not only would the process be exceptionally smooth, but they could also gain access to top-level resources.
If they could establish a good relationship with Mo Zixuan, they might be able to turn to her if they encountered difficulties in Yanjing in the future.
In fact, Zhou Siwei had suggested going singing partly because he wanted to build a relationship with Mo Zixuan. Although his family background was quite good, his future development might not necessarily surpass Mo Zixuan’s.
“I don't have a problem with it. It just depends on whether Senior Sister Mo has time.”
Su Xiaofan spread his hands. If he refused to go tonight, he would probably offend people.
“All right. Let's all go together. Don't stay out too late. Everyone has things to do tomorrow.”
Mo Zixuan nodded. Apart from anything else, everyone present had come from Luochuan, so the bond of being fellow townspeople was still worth maintaining.
Although Qi Rouyun had organized the gathering, before everyone left, Zhou Siwei quietly paid the bill.
After leaving the restaurant, they discovered that Zhou Siwei had driven there. Since they had been drinking, they needed to call a designated driver. His car could only fit four people at most, so after everyone discussed it, Qi Rouyun and Mo Zixuan got into his car.
That left five people, including Su Xiaofan. After finding out the address of the entertainment club, Su Xiaofan called a van.
(End of Chapter)
Comments
Post a Comment