Chapter 3: Past
This is a restaurant and bar of one of the Super Casinos. Located in a prime location, surrounded by flourishing car parks, with varieties of luxury cars can be seen.
Just out of College for three years, most of the students were not yet successful, Yefan thinks this gathering place is a bit too extravagant.
When you come out of the parking lot, arriving at the Bright moon over the sea city, he soon saw familiar figures coming to the party, some of which he had not seen for three years.
“Yefan!” Then a delicate and gentle young man found him, and was greeted with a smile on his face and said, “This is your fault, being a landlord in this city, you should be the one who initiated and organized the party.”
This youth was named Ziwen also known as Wang Ziwen. He is one of the organizers and sponsors of the party. When I was in College, he was a very active person. It is said that in the three years in another city is going really well for him, a lot of assets bringing lots of money in.
While several others are also coming over, although they have not seen each other for a long time, it was still a warm meeting for most.
Apparently Ziwen Wang was here waiting for someone to let him stand in the Bright moon over the sea city. Specifically waiting to meet other people, it is easy to guess he is limited to two to three people only.
Ziwen Wang is a wise man who does not remain here alone waiting for someone, while laughing at the way, he accompanied the crowd entering the Bright moon over the Sea city. The fifth floor contained a business centre available for 30 to 50 people for meetings.
It was already dark outside at the moment, students have almost all arrived to the party.
The arrival of several people makes the atmosphere lively, greetings from here and there, after a long time can get together again, the feeling of spatial mismatch, stories about their college life is again reiterated to see if the memory coincides with others.
Graduation occurred three years ago, everyone is already 25 to 26 years old. There are a few who have been married, and two even became young mothers.
Everyone has their own different aspiration, but most of my school friends are ordinary people, ideals and aspirations of the past has been polished almost completely disappeared. Dull and normal life is now there thing.
Dreams are now gone, most people are now awake to realize, they are just an ordinary person.
Ye Fan and Ziwen Wang to the other side, with careful observation found that most classmates do not have a career background.
“You came so late, be sure to drink three cups as punishment.”
“Three cups is too little, you overlooked Yefan when it comes to liquor.” Lin Jia sat down on one side, with her pheonix eyes, sex appeal.
“What woman, you want to punish me?” Yefan and a few male students eyes fall on the beautiful girl.
“It’s hard to come by, so I must punish you! ”
“That opinion is why we start to differ.”
Liu Zhi that had some background in this city, naturally, casually said, “You went for a taxi to delay your arrival here.”
The words that went out suddenly just got a little colder. The present Liu Zhi and Yefan in College had an animosity between each other. Now that he is successful in the city, he blatantly pointed out the taxi incident with an attitude.
Other students were aware of the situation and looked to the side, but Yefan didn’t care, he just smiled, said nothing.
“I’m going to pick Zhouyi.” Ziwen Wang suddenly said, then turned and walked away …
Lin Jia and two female students were talking about cosmetics, but were also talking about several designer clothing, trying to ease up the situation. The momentarily cold atmosphere returned to its warm feeling.
After the scene, the atmosphere became more subtle. No one again mentions the punishment for Yefan and Liu Zhi lessened his cockiness in his speech.
Ye Fan while at the University, was considered popular, but all that won’t matter after leaving campus. Now having a career is the most important.
From time to time he looked around with his eyes, as if there are special groups, students making circles of discussion, but at the moment, YeFan didn’t care about the ongoing trends.
In this regard, Fan Ye has been very calm, but in the end he got up and left the table, and most other students still sitting together. He did not want to be marked as part of a special group.
Cosmetics and designer clothes are always the girls favorite topics. While the boys discussed things from football players, to news, current affairs and other broader topics.
Half an hour later, a total of 25 people came to the party. There were 33 students in the class, including three abroad, while five others failed to arrive to due to some special reasons.
The party has several initiators and organizers that had speeches. The atmosphere was very warm, and then the crowd divided into several small circles of people, chatting with each other.
Before they leave the small business center, the students will toast to celebrate the reunion. There was no deliberate arrangement, however the grouping of the people showed status.
Fan Ye did not sit with Lin Jia and Liu Zhi, who had their own little group together. Natural, he sat in another table.
After the speeches, then casually, people toasted across the various tables, due to the round tables, it was difficult to move around. Across the place, people were toasting to each other again and again.
Many things happened in three years, everyone changed largely. Perhaps because of alcohol, many student spoke about their lives, frustration and irritations.
One of them, hates his very demanding boss. Always asking for overtime, and often paid very little for the effort.
One girl said her boyfriend was a well-known Manager in the enterprise. Another classmate said her husband has been promoted to Corporate Vice President, while another said his fiancee was a Bank Executive’s niece.
After listening to the silence, it seemed like most people were not happy about their current lives.
Especially there was a female classmate who looked gaunt. Some people say she does not like her husband, it was not a happy marriage. The husband drinking all day, some students passing the city went to see her, they saw her body filled with bruising injuries.
“If you need help, you can find me …” Yefan said to the gaunt woman student. Yefan had sympathy for the woman, he remembered the shy innocent look she had at the University. Standing outside the soccer field waving and cheering for him.
The outlook of her life is really unhappy, she sadly nodded in gratitude, quietly said thank you.
“Yefan, you still need to change yourself..” That said, her husband has been promoted to deputy chief of female students somehow, a classmate said:”You see people like Liu Yunzhi is doing so well right now. ”
Students look at Yefan in this table, then look into Liu Yunzhi not far from the table, he now os developing a good life.
“Yefan I will say to you, while at the University, you were somebody to look up to, but out of the campus everything is different, having effort won’t do.” The one who spoke in the table was the one with the fiancee that’s a Bank Executive’s niece, he had a look of preaching.
The table referred to Liu Yunzhi as classmates sighed, they used to be classmates but they now can’t compare to him.
People started to become cynical, extremely drunk started to show of their potential wealth.
More female students joked about Yefan, thankfully in school they only liked him secretly, now they regretted rejecting Liu Yunzhi’s pursuit of them.
Be it the original city, or the original people, after meeting each other again everyone’s mood became different.