Restart life

Chapter 587 0575 [A Ten-Year Dream]

Liu Shuying and Gao Zhan, a married couple, came from a school in a neighboring county. They drove over after finishing their first class in the afternoon.

The Chery QQ of yesteryear has been replaced by the BYD F3 (2012 model).

"The third floor is already booked. Are you here for an activity?"

"Class reunion".

"Mr. Chen's classmate?"

"teacher."

"Hello, teachers. Please follow me."

The waiter led them upstairs. It wasn't lunchtime yet, so everyone was in the card and board game hall, eating sunflower seeds, playing cards, and chatting.

"Teacher Liu and Teacher Gao are here!"

"Teachers, I've missed you all so much."

"You are... Zhu Qiang? You used to be so thin, I almost didn't recognize you now."

"I work in sales and often drink with people, which has given me a beer belly."

"Teacher, do you still recognize me?"

"Who are you? Let me think."

"I am Wei Lingling!"

"Girls change so much as they grow up, I really didn't recognize you. I remember you used to have short hair and looked like a tomboy. Now you have long hair and wear makeup, you're like a completely different person. Haha, you've become a great beauty."

"..."

The atmosphere became increasingly lively.

Gao Zhan looked at Guan Zhiqiang and joked, "You've tucked your white shirt into your trousers, you look like a leader."

Wang Siyu said, "Teacher Gao, Guan Zhiqiang is very capable now. He graduated with a master's degree last year and is now the head of the secretariat in the principal's office."

Guan Zhiqiang smiled modestly and said, "It's an in-service master's degree, not a proper graduate degree."

Li Junlai remarked, "With your painting skills, you claim to have a master's degree? Your diploma was obviously bought."

“You’re so great, go buy one yourself,” Guan Zhiqiang immediately retorted. “Don’t even mention a master’s degree, get your bachelor’s degree first.”

Li Jun said, "I didn't cheat; I was promoted to teller supervisor based on my own abilities."

Guan Zhiqiang laughed and said, "You're really capable. You couldn't get promoted in your original unit, and you had to be transferred to a remote branch first if you wanted to become a teller supervisor."

Li Jun was furious: "I'm going to report you for getting promoted with a fake diploma!"

Guan Zhiqiang said, "My master's degree can be found on the China Higher Education Student Information System (CHESICC). Why don't we go to an internet cafe now and I'll check it for you right here?"

The other students were all laughing and watching the show. These two were so funny; they always managed to start arguing whenever they met.

Class teacher Liu Shuying quickly tried to smooth things over: "They're all old classmates, let's not argue today."

Li Jun muttered to himself, "Your deputy section chief position must be due to Chen Daxia's influence."

That's true; Guan Zhiqiang did indeed benefit from Chen Guiliang's influence.

Xu Fengyin was recommended to Chen Guiliang by Guan Zhiqiang—Xu Fengyin was Guan Zhiqiang's senior in college.

Guan Zhiqiang also actively contacted Chen Guiliang, as ByteDance and Youke conduct campus recruitment every year, mainly recruiting recent graduates in art.

These actions earned Guan Zhiqiang the principal's high regard, leading to his rapid promotion to head of the secretariat in the principal's office. Even his pursuit of a part-time postgraduate degree was personally arranged by the principal.

For this class reunion, the principal directly granted Guan Zhiqiang a five-day vacation.

"Master Chen and the others have arrived!"

Before the words were even finished, everyone stood up and rushed over to greet him.

Liu Shuying and Gao Zhan, a married couple, stood up with smiles and walked over a couple of steps behind the students.

Many old classmates came with a mission, but when they actually saw Chen Guiliang and Xie Yang, they were genuinely excited and showed their true feelings.

"Teacher Liu, Teacher Gao."

"Good, everyone has made something of themselves."

Liu Shuying was particularly moved, recalling that Chen Guiliang, Xie Yang, and Qin Shanshan were all "problem" students in her eyes back then.

Chen Guiliang loved reading all sorts of random extracurricular books and often got into trouble and was punished, causing his academic performance to decline sharply in his second year of high school.

Xie Yang often falls asleep in class, and even snores in one class. It's because he's been staying up all night at internet cafes and is so sleep-deprived.

Qin Shanshan seemed very obedient, but in reality, she had a serious aversion to studying. Her grades, which were initially guaranteed to get into a top-tier university, plummeted to only getting into a third-tier university in her first college entrance exam.

Chen Guiliang is now the richest man in China, and Xie Yang has become the vice president of ByteDance.

Who could have guessed that back then?
Li Jun didn't treat himself as an outsider, and suddenly asked during the conversation, "Why didn't Bian Guanyue come?"

Chen Guiliang said, "She has health issues."

Li Jun asked again, "Are you sick?"

Chen Guiliang was speechless, but there was no point in hiding it: "I'm pregnant."

"Wow!!!!"

Wang Siyu, who used to sit in the row in front of Chen Guiliang and Bian Guanyue, exclaimed with delight and envy, "You two, a talented man and a beautiful woman, have truly made it work! Congratulations!"

The other classmates also offered their congratulations, especially the female classmates who were filled with envy for Bian Guanyue. Their return this time was partly motivated by a desire to reminisce with Chen Guiliang.

Chen Guiliang's high school dormitory had eight students, but only five came today. Besides Chen Guiliang and Xie Yang, there were also Xu Haibo, Yang Hao, and Li Yulin.

Xie Yang asked Xu Haibo, "Where are the other three?"

Xu Haibo said, "I don't know, I can't get in touch with them."

Yang Hao said, "Liu Zhihong has cancer, it's in its late stage. He was planning to get married, and he broke up with his girlfriend."

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" Xie Yang asked.

Yang Hao said, "My maternal grandmother is from the same village as him. I only found out when I went to wish her a Happy New Year. He told me to keep it a secret and not to tell you."

Chen Guiliang asked, "Are you short of money for treatment?"

Yang Hao said, "He gave up on treatment a long time ago. He said chemotherapy is just spending money to suffer, and he might as well enjoy life before he dies."

What was supposed to be a joyous class reunion suddenly turned somber. Chen Guiliang didn't mention donating money or anything like that, as bringing it up on the spot could easily be seen as moral blackmail. He planned to contact Liu Zhihong another day to help him find a reputable hospital for a checkup, and then discuss the specifics after the test results were available.

Although most of the time it didn't end well, at least they did their part.

Everyone chatted about old stories of Liu Zhihong, lamenting that he had been diagnosed with cancer at such a young age. But after only a few minutes, the conversation shifted to other topics, and the class reunion became lively again.

Aside from reminiscing about high school, the rest of the conversation revolved around work and marriage.

So-and-so got married, so-and-so got a promotion, and some people are even sending out wedding invitations. Everyone probably doesn't have time to attend the wedding, but on the wedding day, they'll always have to send a WeChat red envelope as a gift.

Chen Guiliang asked Xu Haibo, "You're already pursuing a doctorate, and you still haven't dated?"

Xu Haibo said, "I had a girlfriend when I was doing my master's degree. We broke up when she went abroad."

"How about you come to my company after you graduate with a PhD?" Chen Guiliang said.

Xu Haibo laughed and said, "What could I, a PhD in political science, do at your company? Give political lectures to the employees, of course."

Chen Guiliang said, “How could you think you have nothing to do? If you went to ByteDance, there would be plenty of suitable positions. Policy analysis and judgment, position paper writing, stakeholder communication, platform governance and content security, strategic analysis and investment, corporate social responsibility and research cooperation... there are so many things you can do!”

"What you're saying is a bit confusing." Xu Haibo really didn't understand those things in big companies.

When it was time for lunch, everyone moved to the dining room and filled three large round tables.

After a few drinks, the atmosphere became even more lively.

Even the usually reserved classmates, emboldened by alcohol, put their arms around Chen Guiliang. Some girls even laughed and joked about who had a crush on whom back in school.

Xie Yang was somewhat disappointed that he didn't see Zhou Jing.

Xie Yang couldn't help but ask Wang Siyu, "Why didn't Zhou Jing come?"

Wang Siyu shook her head: "I don't know."

One girl said, "Zhou Jing is in her postpartum period."

Xie Yang: "..."

Qin Shanshan laughed and said, "You're still thinking about it? Come on, let's have a drink."

"I'm not thinking about anything, I just wanted to check on my old classmate." Xie Yang clinked glasses with Qin Shanshan and downed his drink in one gulp.

"Bang bang bang bang!!"

An explosion was heard from the direction of the school; fireworks had started.

Everyone left their seats and went to the windows, watching the dazzling fireworks while reminiscing about the school's centennial celebration ten years ago. At that time, SARS had just ended, and everyone was transitioning from their junior year to their senior year, taking advantage of the centennial celebration to have a blast.

Chen Guiliang remained silent, watching the fireworks in quiet contemplation.

At the time of the centennial celebration, he had not yet been reborn, and the memories seemed so distant; a total of thirty years had passed between the two lifetimes.

Before the fireworks display was over, everyone went back to the table to continue drinking.

As they were drinking, someone started crying; two girls hugged each other and sobbed. It's unclear what they were talking about before they started crying.

Bian Guanyue made a WeChat video call, and Chen Guiliang showed the scene on his phone. Teachers and students chatted with Bian Guanyue.

Gradually, some people got drunk and ran to the toilet to vomit.

Some people even asked the waiter to bring them microphones and started singing in the restaurant, and then more and more people started singing.

Xie Yang, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, said, "I guess this is the last class reunion. Even if there are more reunions in the future, we'll probably only be able to sit at one table at most."

Qin Shanshan laughed and said, "That's not necessarily true. If it was Master Chen who started it, there wouldn't be enough room at both tables."

Chen Guiliang smiled.

Gradually, the music ended and the audience dispersed.

Some old classmates, seemingly not having had enough fun, made plans to go to a karaoke bar or take a walk along the riverside in groups of three or five.

Chen Guiliang returned to his hotel room, feeling somewhat melancholy.

"You're finally back." Tao Xue was lying in bed playing on her phone.

Chen Guiliang asked, "When did your class finish?"

Tao Xue complained, "Don't even mention it. Besides me, only one other person from our class came back. I wasn't close to him when we were in school, but he insisted on treating me to dinner. I said I didn't want to go, but he dragged someone from the next class along too. During dinner, he asked for my phone number. It's obvious he wants to pursue me."

"How did you refuse him?" Chen Guiliang asked with a smile.

Tao Xue laughed too: "I showed him a photo, a picture of me and Xu Fengyin. I told him I was gay, and you have no idea what his expression was like... hahaha! He was completely stunned!"

Chen Guiliang said, "Anyone would be stunned."

Tao Xue said, "This lousy class reunion was so boring. My three high school roommates promised to come back, but they all stood me up. I'm so angry!"

Chen Guiliang chatted with her for a while, then went to the bathroom to wash off the sweat and alcohol.

Back in bed, Chen Guiliang hugged Tao Xue and sighed, "Sigh, ten years have passed in the blink of an eye."

“Didn’t you only graduate nine years ago?” Tao Xue asked.

Chen Guiliang thought to himself: Ten years have passed since I was reborn.

Chen Guiliang laughed and said, "I mean, we've known each other for ten years."

"Hehe, you still remember?" Tao Xue felt incredibly sweet inside, snuggling into Chen Guiliang's arms as she said, "There's still a little over a month until the tenth anniversary. I remember it so clearly, it was during PE class, you were selling books near the newspaper stand, and you tricked me into buying a copy of 'Dream of the Red Chamber'..."

Tao Xue started talking, recounting various events from high school to the present.

She became more and more emotional as she spoke, then rolled over and straddled Chen Guiliang, pulling open his bathrobe and kissing him.

After a thrilling battle, the two embraced, panting and whispering sweet nothings.

I don't know how much time passed before a WeChat notification sounded.

Chen Guiliang picked up his phone and saw that it was a message from Ye Peng: "Mr. Chen, I'm sorry to bother you so late. I just received news that Microsoft has announced its acquisition of Nokia's mobile phone business. It's caused a sensation in the industry, and many people in the industry are making phone calls and posting on Weibo."

Chen Guiliang replied with a smile, "Give him a proper burial."

Ye Peng said, "Microsoft may make a major foray into the mobile phone market."

"Microsoft's mobile operating system? It can't build an ecosystem," Chen Guiliang said.

Ye Peng said, "Our mobile phone will also be launched in North America. The HarmonyOS ecosystem is even more difficult than Microsoft's."

Chen Guiliang said, "Go to sleep, we'll talk about it tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)