10 o'clock.

Qin Zhen turned off the alarm. She would have loved to sleep a bit longer, but then she remembered that she had promised Zhu Xin Qing to attend high school reunion. Annoyed, she rolled out from the warmth of her duvet.

After spending three years in G City where one could wear t-shirts year-round, Qin Zhen couldn't adapt to the cold winter in T City right after she returned.

She was still living in the original old house with no heating. The air-conditioner hadn't been used for many years, and was covered with a thick layer of dust inside. Once turned on, the room was filled with dust. After only two minutes, she dared not use it, and decided to tidy it up when she was available in the next few days.

Wrapping herself in a down jacket that reached her ankles which she just bought the day before she returned, and zipping up to the top, Qin Zhen braved herself and stepped outside.

Whether there was sunshine, the temperature was too low and the chilly winds were blowing constantly. Qin Zhen tightened her jacket and hurriedly hailed a taxi right after she left her apartment building.

Qin Zhen and Zhu Xin Qing had agreed to meet at the hotel's lobby, but she didn't see Zhu Xin Qing upon her arrival. Zhu Xin Qing was stuck in traffic, as she learned from a phone call.

"Ah Zhen, why don't you go upstairs first? You know all those classmates anyway," Zhu Xin Qing suggested.

Qin Zhen didn't like to stand in the hustle and bustle of the hotel lobby like a fool, so she agreed to the proposal, "All right, just tell me the room number."

"..."

608.

Qin Zhen stared at the number on the door for a few seconds, verifying it in her mind several times before finally confirming it generally, and pushed open the door of the private room.

The people inside all paused due to the sudden opening of the door and unanimously turned to look at Qin Zhen.

"Yo, isn't this the top student from our class?" a shrill voice came from the room.

Qin Zhen immediately recognized that the speaker was Du Chen, who always seemed to have a problem with her back in the days.

"Hi." She ignored her, simply giving everyone a smile and a greeting.

Qin Zhen was previously well-liked in her class. She was an amiable person and, despite being a top-performing student, she never set herself too far above others and could get along with just about anyone...with the exception of Du Chen and her clique of "besties".

Du Chen disliked her out of jealousy. Qin Zhen had always maintained the top spot in the class, while Du Chen was relegated to second place. Over time, the two ended up at odds with each other.

"Qin Zhen, sit here!" someone called to her.

Qin Zhen waved her hand to politely refuse the offer and found an empty seat, making sure to leave the seat next to her available for Zhu XinQing.

"Du Chen, are you sure Su Yi will come today?" someone asked.

Hearing Su Yi's name again after so many years, Qin Zhen's heart skipped a beat. She saw the image of a cold-faced teenager from many years ago.

He had said, "Qin Zhen, go. If you leave, don't come back."

Eventually, she did leave. But now, she had returned to T City, where he resides.

Du Chen was clearly pleased with herself and the boasting in her tone was obvious to all: "Of course, when I saw him the other day, I told him and he agreed to come."

With this sudden news, Qin Zhen felt a jolt of unease, her heart pounding fast. Zhu XinQing had previously guaranteed with great conviction that Su Yi wouldn't be attending this gathering. Only then had she agreed to attend. But now… she really wanted to grab Zhu XinQing by the lapel and demand, "Is this your 'absolutely not'?"

"You're fortunate to have jumped ship to Su Yi's company. Having old classmates protect you must be great, right?" A classmate asked enviously.

"It's not bad. Su Yi is quite fair." Du Chen responded as if trying to hide the truth, obviously wanting people to think Su Yi treated her differently.

Just as her voice fell, the door to the private room was pushed open yet again. The person who came in was the topic of everyone's discussion: Su Yi.

Not the hot-blooded teenager from memories, the current Su Yi exuded a more calm and steady demeanor. He was dressed in a crisp black suit, a white shirt underneath, and sported a perfectly tied necktie.

Qin Zhen glanced at him a few more times, but unexpectedly met his eyes. Her heart missed a beat, and she quickly turned her head to look at the mobile phone in her hand.

As soon as Su Yi walked in, everyone's attention was focused on him. They all greeted him one after another and he responded to each of them with good temper. This once again refreshed Qin Zhen's understanding of him. Back in the day, he used to ignore everyone with an arrogant attitude that almost made everyone dare not initiate a conversation with him.

"President Su," Du Chen called him somewhat shyly.

"We are not at the firm now, and our relationship is that of high school classmates. There is no need for such formalities." The tone of Su Yi's speech now is much softer.

Qin Zhen tightly held the strap of her backpack with one hand and rapidly tapped her phone screen with the other, asking Zhu Xin Qing how much longer it would be before she arrived. She felt like she was about to be suffocated by the atmosphere here, and desperately needed someone to chat with.

"Is anyone here?" Su Yi's voice suddenly rang out over Qin Zhen's head, startling her so much that she almost dropped her phone.