Do you know Jiang Chen?

Huli, the classmate who had previously mocked Jiang Yuan, had fallen silent and stopped smiling. She only turned her head occasionally to glance at Ye Mian.

Meanwhile, Ye Mian leaned back in her chair, staring blankly at her phone.

Someone began talking about the career paths of their classmates with a smile, and another boy soon brought up Jiang Chen.

"Class One is the real powerhouse. Have you guys heard of Jiang Chen? Right, the absolute top student in our entire school. He's working in finance now and even made it to the trending news."

Since he was a standout figure from the school, people might not have heard of the campus belle or known the principal, but everyone knew Jiang Chen.

"I've heard of him! I even brought him water back then, though he was so ice-cold and aloof. If I had known things would turn out like this, I would have pursued him relentlessly no matter what!"

"I wish I'd known too. If I had known, I would have made a proper effort to befriend him back then. Being his brother would have gotten me somewhere by now."

Hearing this, Huli quietly shifted her gaze toward Ye Mian once again.

Her tone suddenly softened as she asked, "I remember Ye Mian used to sit right in front of or behind Jiang Chen, so you two knew each other, right? Ye Mian, are you still in touch with him?"

Her words always managed to draw attention, and the other classmates turned their eyes back to Ye Mian.

Ye Mian said nothing, acting as if she hadn't heard.

She took a photo of the dishes on the table and sent it to Jiang Chen.

Very soon, Jiang Chen replied.

[Jiang Chen: Having fun?]

Ye Mian lifted her gaze toward the table where Class One was seated. The top students over there seemed to be having a pretty good time, so she continued typing.

[Hao Mian: Not bad, except you're not here, and everyone is talking about you.]

[Jiang Chen: I'm not very popular, so I didn't get an invitation.]

Seeing that, Ye Mian chuckled instantly. Leaving aside whether Jiang Chen was even free with how busy he was, she knew for a fact that he had changed his contact information the moment he graduated, meaning nobody could have invited him even if they wanted to.

Yet, why did his words carry a faint hint of grievance?

After sending that message, Ye Mian raised her glass and took a sip of sparkling water.

The atmosphere at the table fell dead silent.

Everyone present looked like they were waiting for a good show.

Huli’s face darkened as if it were about to crumble.

Naturally, Ye Mian knew she had killed the mood. Not wanting to ruin the atmosphere of the class reunion over personal matters, she finally offered a delayed, ambiguous response.

"Well, we haven't seen each other much since graduation."

Hearing this, Huli's expression eased a little, and she gladly took the out.

The classmates who had originally wanted to chat with Ye Mian about Jiang Chen didn't dare speak to her for a while, wishing to avoid the awkwardness.

Everyone else at the table was chatting away, but the low air pressure around the three of them made it feel like they were in an entirely different dimension, and the atmosphere grew increasingly bizarre.

This situation lasted until the teachers arrived.

Teacher Hu was the head teacher of Class Two, so naturally, he visited Class Two's table first. Jiang Yuan enthusiastically rushed over to exchange a few words with him.

After the meal, she said to Ye Mian with a mixture of satisfaction and melancholy, "I finally got to see Teacher Hu. It feels like only after seeing him has my ordinary middle school era truly come to an end."

Outside the window, a gentle drizzle tapped desolately against the ground.

Ye Mian understood her friend's sorrow. Reaching out to hold Jiang Yuan's hand in a comforting gesture, she looked at the familiar faces before her.

Their youth hadn't been filled with melodramatic love triangles, roaring rock bands, or hot-blooded youths riding motorcycles.

Instead, it consisted of a passionate summer.

Endless stacks of test sheets, the panic of running out of pads, sweat glistening on foreheads during physical education class.

And countless moments that could never be shared with anyone else.

Youth didn't end in a single flash, either; it slowly drifted onto a different trajectory, step by step.

Suddenly, an old song began to play over the speakers.

*The Story of Time*

Though it was an unfamiliar version sung by a deep, magnetic male voice—far from a classic—the emotion within the lyrics touched everyone present.

Jiang Yuan felt a sting in her nose and told Ye Mian she needed to use the restroom.

Dazed, Ye Mian watched her retreating figure and slowly curved the corners of her lips.

Given a second chance within her decades of lonely time, it seemed she finally had everything.

As the song ended, the crowd began to disperse.

Yet Jiang Yuan still hadn't emerged from the restroom, so Ye Mian picked up her bag and headed after her to check.

The hotel's restroom was nicely decorated, but no matter how nice it was, it was still a restroom—spacious with poor soundproofing.

The moment she drew near, Ye Mian saw Huli and a few other girls standing in front of the vanity mirrors touching up their makeup. They were chatting and laughing, but their words were utterly unbearable to listen to.

"That Jiang Yuan... kills me. Used to be a total fatty, but now she actually knows how to dress up. I mean, it's normal enough, but why do I keep picturing what she used to look like?"

"Probably figured out how to look pretty now that she's older. I never really liked her back then; she always looked so clueless, like a total nerd. How on earth did her grades always manage to be so good?"

Huli's voice stood out clearly. "Her dad is some kind of government official, right? Her resources were totally like she was hacking the game. I went to the same school as her—her boyfriend has a pretty good background, way out of her league from before. Figures, right? You have to risk a sheep to catch a hawk; she probably only lost weight to reel in a sugar daddy."

"And what about that Ye Mian? What's she acting all high and mighty for? Putting you on the spot in public like that. I don't see what's so great about her; didn't she just go to Cloud University?"

Huli gave a short laugh. "I remember seeing Jiang Chen come to the classroom to find her back then and give her money. I only tolerated her because I thought she knew Jiang Chen. Looking at how things are now, she was probably dumped ages ago."

Her words were heavily laced with ambiguity, easily prompting people to imagine the worst—such as swindling people out of money at a tender age.

Ye Mian: "..."

Jiang Chen giving her money...

She remembered that incident.

Huli had been drawing the blackboard bulletin at the back of the class at the time, so it made sense that she knew.

Only, you shouldn't just tell half a story, should you? That money had been hers to begin with!

Huli's remarks were sharp and pointed, full of malicious speculation and deliberate guidance that made everyone else burst into laughter.

"She must be kicking herself to death right now. Whatever pocket change she got back then is nothing compared to how filthy rich he is now."

Ever since opening her studio, Ye Mian had dealt with plenty of clients, and among them, weirdos were far from rare.

Her surrounding environment had long since ceased to be what it used to be.

As for her... she had grown a lot fiercer, too.

In the past, she might have chosen to ignore it.

But now, she could clearly sense that Jiang Yuan was trapped inside the restroom, listening to all this sour drivel. Just how hurt and wronged must Jiang Yuan be feeling?

There was a very true saying.

One must never show gentleness toward malicious attacks.

Without hesitation, she stepped into the restroom in her small high heels, deliberately making her footsteps a bit heavy.

The sound startled Huli and the others.

Turning around and seeing that the newcomer was Ye Mian, they instantly swallowed their words.

Then, wearing masks of pleasantry just like before, they looked at her.

"Oh, are you here to use the restroom too?"

Staring straight into the mirror, Ye Mian pulled out the hair tie from her wrist to gather her loose hair into a ponytail, and said casually with a faint smile, "What kind of question is that? Am I supposed to be here in the restroom to gossip about other people?"

The expressions of Huli and her group flickered slightly, and they all took a step back, still forcing smiles. "Ah... go right ahead, then."

The ultimate awkward moment in life: speaking ill of someone right as the person in question walks in.

Without rushing to look for Jiang Yuan, Ye Mian set her handbag down on the sink and challenged Huli, "Hey, were you talking about me just now?"

Huli looked blank. "You must have heard wrong, right? We were talking about someone else."

Dropping her smile, Ye Mian looked at her sternly. "Is that so? Then who were you talking about? Let me check if there's a second Ye Mian in this room today."