Sail across the sea

Chapter 495 Where is there any high position?
"Zhang Wei, you're an American now, that's impressive."

"In our grade, you and Fang Rui are probably the most successful right now, aren't you?"

“I remember your former homeroom teacher, Lao Yang, once said in our class that Zhang Wei was no ordinary person. Well, after spending a few years at the teachers’ college, he went abroad in one fell swoop, and now that he’s back, he’s enjoying the treatment of a foreign guest.”

"So, having good grades really does mean you can do whatever you want!"

In a large private room, a dozen or so men and women of similar age were chatting and drinking, and seven or eight out of ten sentences were compliments to Zhang Wei, who was sitting at the head of the table.

Zhang Wei accompanied Skelly for two days in the province, meeting with many provincial officials. He only informed Mo Xiaobo, a high school classmate with whom he had a good relationship when they studied in Ruizhang, about his return to Maolin. Mo Xiaobo then contacted a classmate who was currently working in Ruizhang and arranged a welcome banquet for Zhang Wei.

Those attending the welcome banquet were all students from the Class of '82 of Cangtang No.1 Middle School, not just from Class 7, but also some from other classes. Class 7 was an elite class back then, and Zhang Wei was also among the top students in the class, so he was quite famous in the grade, and even many students from other classes had heard of him.

As for Zhang Wei having a lot of good interpersonal relationships, well, that's laughable.

Zhang Wei was quite arrogant in high school and didn't like to interact with his classmates much. Many students from other classes had only seen Zhang Wei's name in the announcements of competition awards published by the grade, but didn't know what he looked like.

During the college entrance examination, Zhang Wei was admitted to Maolin Teachers College instead of his desired university. Feeling humiliated, he vowed to pursue a master's degree in Pujiang University from the day he entered university. For several years, he barely contacted his high school classmates who were also studying in Ruizhang. During those years, only Mo Xiaobo would visit him frequently at the teachers' college; Mo Xiaobo was his only friend from his time in Ruizhang.

However, that's all in the past. Mo Xiaobo told me that Zhang Wei now works for a large company in the United States. He accompanied the company's CEO back to China this time to prepare for a major project in the province. Rui Zhang's classmates are all very envious and happily agreed to attend the banquet.

We're no longer the naive high school students we once were; we've gained considerable life experience. Why would anyone pass up the opportunity to befriend a capable classmate who might prove useful someday?
Besides, even if I don't have any relationship with Zhang Weipan, it's still necessary to get together with my high school classmates in Ruizhang. We don't usually have any reason to visit each other, so this opportunity for classmates from other places to come back is a chance for us to meet up and get together.

Zhang Wei's personality has changed quite a bit compared to a few years ago. At least when faced with compliments from his classmates, he now responds enthusiastically and says humble things like "I'm just messing around" or "America isn't all that great."

Zhang Wei didn't know some of the students from other classes, but when they chatted, he would mention the other class's homeroom teacher or a classmate he knew, and they could always chat enthusiastically for a while to avoid awkward silences.

After a round of drinks, the table was divided into several groups according to their relationship to each other, and the original Class 7 members naturally gathered together.

"Gao Fan, I really didn't expect to see you in Ruizhang. I thought I wouldn't run into you this time I came back," Zhang Wei said to Gao Fan.

Gao Fan laughed, "I heard you were back, so I came all the way here to see you. Xu Dan also came all the way here." "Yeah, yeah, I came all the way from Cangtang after receiving a call from Mo Xiaobo," Xu Dan chimed in. "You can ask Xiao Pei if you don't believe me."

Xiao Pei nodded repeatedly: "I can testify that Dandan was still in Cangtang yesterday and only arrived in Ruizhang this morning."

"I'm so touched." Zhang Wei raised his glass, gestured to Gao Fan and Xu Dan, and downed it in one gulp—that was his way of expressing gratitude. Actually, there was only a little wine left in his glass; the symbolism outweighed the substance.

Zhang Wei naturally knew that his relationship with Gao Fan and Xu Dan wasn't that deep. Living in the same city, it was fine for them to come and welcome him, but to say they traveled four hours by train from Cangtang to see him was just empty talk. Gao Fan and Xu Dan were probably just in Ruizhang on a business trip and came to the gathering after hearing the news.

However, since they were being so enthusiastic, it was a gesture of respect, and I couldn't refuse. So, I had to have a drink with them.

It has to be said that this is the kind of enlightenment one gains after being tempered by time. If it were Zhang Wei 10 years ago, he would have offended everyone with just one sentence.

Gao Fan and Xu Dan also drank with them, and Xu Dan quickly grabbed the bottle and refilled everyone's glasses. At this moment, Zhang Wei turned his gaze to Xiao Pei and asked, "Beautiful Xiao, where are you working now?"

Xiao Pei was the prettiest girl in the class back then. Whether to add "one of" or not depends on individual aesthetic standards. Back in high school, no one dared to use the term "great beauty." Firstly, it wasn't allowed for high school students, and secondly, society wasn't as open back then; using the term "great beauty" would be considered pretentious.

It was already 1992, and everyone was an adult who had been working for six or seven years. Calling each other "beautiful lady" or "handsome man" was commonplace. Today, as soon as Xiao Pei entered the private room, Mo Xiaobo called out, "The beautiful Xiao Pei has arrived!" Xiao Pei accepted it with a smile, so Zhang Wei started calling her that too.

Xiao Pei was very pleased with the title of "great beauty." She was already pretty, and after entering university, she gradually realized that beauty was also a resource, so she paid more and more attention to her appearance. Over the years, she gained many benefits from her beautiful face, which further strengthened her determination to make the most of her looks.

Upon hearing Zhang Wei's question, Xiao Pei subconsciously replied in a coquettish voice, "What high position do I hold? I just do some errands and odd jobs in the provincial foreign trade department. How can I compare to the great talent Zhang? The great talent Zhang is now a representative of foreign merchants. If he were to come to our foreign trade department, even the director would probably have to come out to entertain him. I could only help out by serving water."

“The Foreign Trade Department is a great unit,” Zhang Wei said. “Even though I’m abroad, I’ve heard people say that the foreign trade department is the most lucrative department in the country right now. This time, I accompanied my American boss to the province and tried to arrange a meeting with the leaders of the Foreign Trade Department, but I only managed to get an appointment with one section chief. If I had known that Miss Xiao was in the Foreign Trade Department, I would have asked you to arrange an appointment with your leader.”

Xiao Pei covered her mouth and laughed, "Zhang Dacaizi, please don't joke with me. I'm just a nobody in the Foreign Trade Department now. The section chief you mentioned is a big boss to me. If you want to make an appointment with the leaders of the Foreign Trade Department, why not go to someone with a relationship like General Manager Gao instead of me, a mere clerk?"

(End of this chapter)