Covering the sky

Although Ye Fan couldn't be considered to have a successful career, due to various reasons and experiences, he had accumulated some capital. Not long ago, he happened to buy a Mercedes, which cost more than Liu Yunzhi's Toyota. However, Ye Fan felt that using this to judge one's status and position was rather vulgar.

After a ten-minute drive, Ye Fan arrived at the venue for the gathering—Haishang Mingyue City.

This was a super-entertainment complex that combined dining and leisure, located in a prime area surrounded by bustling streets. From the variety of mid-range to high-end cars in the parking lot, one could tell that the target customers were affluent.

Having just graduated three years ago, most of Ye Fan's classmates hadn't yet achieved significant success, so he felt that choosing such an extravagant venue for the gathering was somewhat excessive.

As he walked out of the parking lot and approached Haishang Mingyue City, he quickly spotted a few familiar faces—classmates attending the gathering, some of whom he hadn't seen for over three years.

"Ye Fan!" A young man with a clear and refined appearance noticed him and smiled as he approached, saying, "This is on you. As the landlord of this city, you should've been the one to organize and initiate this gathering."

The man, Wang Ziwen, was one of the organizers and initiators of the gathering. He had always been an active figure during university, and it was said that he had done quite well in another city over the past three years, amassing quite a fortune.

Other classmates soon joined them, and despite the long time apart, everyone was in high spirits.

It was evident that Wang Ziwen had been waiting for someone. Those who could have him wait for them in front of Haishang Mingyue City were very limited—probably only two or three people, which was easy to guess.

Wang Ziwen, a smart person, didn't stay there waiting by himself. Instead, he chatted casually as he led the group into Haishang Mingyue City. The fifth floor of the complex had a small business center that could accommodate 30 to 50 people for meetings, and it had already been reserved.

By now, the sky had darkened, and most of the classmates had arrived at the venue.

As a few more classmates entered, the atmosphere in the room grew lively. Being able to reunite gave everyone a strange sense of the passing of time, with moments from university seemingly overlapping with the present.

Three years had passed since graduation, and everyone was now around 25 or 26 years old. Some had already married, and two had even become young mothers.

Each person had followed a different life trajectory, but overall, most of them were ordinary people. The ideals and ambitions they once held had been nearly completely worn away by time, and they had settled into a plain and mundane life.

Dreams had faded, and most people were now fully aware that they were just ordinary individuals.

Ye Fan was led by Wang Ziwen to another area, where he observed that the classmates gathered there were either successful in their careers or came from influential families.

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

"Three drinks are too few; you're underestimating Ye Fan's alcohol tolerance," Lin Jia also chimed in, with her almond-shaped eyes glancing at him. She had a slender figure, with a graceful curve and an alluring presence.

"Which beautiful lady wants to punish me?" Ye Fan jokingly included several male classmates in the "beautiful lady" group.

"Just arrived and already taking advantage of us? You must be punished!" A group of both male and female classmates responded, preparing to have some fun at his expense.

Liu Yunzhi, who had a certain background in the city, was naturally in this small group. He casually remarked, "I thought you'd be delayed by the taxi ride."

His comment immediately caused a bit of an awkward silence. Everyone in the room knew about the past rivalry between Liu Yunzhi and Ye Fan during university. Now that Liu Yunzhi had done well in the city, mentioning that Ye Fan had come by taxi made the intent quite obvious.

The other classmates also noticed the situation and looked over. However, Ye Fan just smiled nonchalantly and said nothing.

"I'm going out to meet Zhou Yi," Wang Ziwen quickly changed the subject and left.

Lin Jia and two other female classmates began talking about cosmetics and brand-name clothes, while the other classmates started reminiscing about past events, and the brief awkwardness faded. The conversation soon became lively again.

However, after what just happened, the atmosphere had become somewhat subtle. No one mentioned punishing Ye Fan again, and the conversation began to center more around Liu Yunzhi.

Although Ye Fan had been a prominent figure during university, that didn't matter much after graduation. Now, what was truly valued was how successful one had become.

Around him, many classmates occasionally glanced his way. This was obviously a special small circle of people, and Ye Fan felt increasingly marginalized.

Despite this, Ye Fan remained calm. Eventually, he stood up and moved away from that group to sit with some other classmates. He didn't want to be marked as part of a special group.

Cosmetics and brand-name clothing were topics that always fascinated the female classmates, while the male classmates' conversation ranged from soccer to current affairs, covering a broad array of topics.

Half an hour later, all 25 classmates had arrived. There were 33 in total, but three were studying abroad, and five couldn't make it for various reasons.

The organizers and initiators gave their speeches, and the atmosphere became very warm. Then, everyone broke into smaller groups and started chatting.

Eventually, they left the small business center and were ready to raise a toast to celebrate the reunion. There was no formal arrangement, but the seating arrangements clearly reflected the hierarchy.

Ye Fan did not sit with Lin Jia and Liu Yunzhi's small group. Instead, he naturally took a seat at another table.

After another round of speeches, things became more casual. Some people moved between tables to offer toasts, while others were surrounded and had difficulty moving, being continuously toasted.

A lot had happened over the past three years, and everyone had changed greatly. Perhaps it was the effect of alcohol, but many classmates began sharing details about their lives. Some were proud, others were frustrated.

One classmate complained bitterly about how his boss was extremely demanding, always requiring overtime, yet paid him very little.

A female classmate said her boyfriend was a department manager at a famous company, while another said her husband had been promoted to vice president. There were even those who mentioned that their fiancée was the niece of a high-ranking bank executive.

However, more classmates remained silent, as many of their lives weren't as fortunate.

One female classmate looked especially haggard. Someone mentioned that she had married a man she didn't love and was unhappy in the marriage. Her husband drank heavily, and when a classmate had visited her city, they had noticed bruises on her body.

"If you ever need help, feel free to reach out to me…" Ye Fan, feeling compassion for this classmate, remembered her shy and pure demeanor during university. He recalled how she had waved fervently from the sidelines, cheering for him during a football match.

It was evident that her life wasn't going well. She glanced at him, grateful but sorrowful, and whispered a thank you.

"Ye Fan, you really should change yourself first…" The classmate who had mentioned her husband's promotion to vice president said somewhat bluntly, under the influence of alcohol, "Look at how well Liu Yunzhi is doing now."

The classmates at this table all turned to look at Ye Fan, then glanced toward Liu Yunzhi's table in the distance, where everyone had already achieved a certain level of success.

"Ye Fan, it's not that I'm criticizing you. You were quite a figure in university, but once you step out of campus, everything changes. You have to work hard." The classmate who had mentioned his fiancée's high-ranking bank executive uncle also lectured him.

Mentioning Liu Yunzhi's table seemed to have an effect. The classmates on this table sighed, reflecting that some of them had once been ahead of others but were now far behind.

Others became cynical, muttering drunken words, saying those people were returning to their hometowns, flaunting their wealth and success.

Some female classmates jokingly said that they were lucky to have only secretly liked him back then, and now regretted turning down Liu Yunzhi's pursuit.

It was the same city, the same people, but after the reunion, everyone's mindset had changed significantly.