Urban System: Beautiful lady, I really didn't steal your black stockings!

Upon confirming that Shen Yating hadn't come, Cheng Zhe felt an indescribable sense of loss, as if a long-awaited journey had suddenly lost its direction.

He let out a soft breath, suppressing the melancholy in his heart, and followed Zhao Yu to an empty seat and sat down.

His classmates gathered around him to greet him and ask about his recent situation, speaking warmly and familiarly.

"Cheng Zhe, long time no see! Where are you working now?"

"Yeah, judging by your outfit, you're doing pretty well, aren't you?" "Back in our class, you were the top student. I thought you'd end up in a research institute!"

Cheng Zhe forced a polite smile and responded to everyone's comments, speaking calmly about his work and life over the years. However, he felt empty inside and couldn't keep up with the lively atmosphere.

When someone hands him a glass of wine, he takes it casually and takes a symbolic sip; when someone talks about funny things from high school, he just laughs along, but his thoughts always drift away uncontrollably.

Just as Cheng Zhe was absentmindedly responding to everyone's pleasantries, the door to the private room creaked open again.

The previously noisy private room fell silent again briefly because of the sound of the door opening, and everyone's eyes turned to the doorway.

Cheng Zhe also subconsciously looked up, and a faint sense of expectation inexplicably rose in his heart.

Standing at the door was a girl wearing a beige dress, with long hair that reached her waist and the ends of her hair had a slight natural curl.

She wasn't wearing heavy makeup, just lightly touched up her eyebrows and eyes, and had a slightly awkward smile on her face. She was also carrying a small handbag.

The moment Cheng Zhe saw the girl's face clearly, his breath hitched, and his heart inevitably raced.

It's her, it really is Shen Yating.

"Sorry, sorry, there was a bit of traffic on the way, I'm late." Shen Yating's voice was still gentle, with a hint of apology. Her eyes swept around the private room, as if searching for someone familiar.

Zhao Yu, who was in the main seat, immediately stood up with a smile: "Ya Ting! You've finally arrived! Come in and sit down, we've been waiting for you!"

As she spoke, she specifically pointed to the empty seat next to Cheng Zhe, "Perfect timing, Cheng Zhe just arrived too, you two can sit next to each other!"

Shen Yating looked in the direction Zhao Yu pointed, and when her gaze fell on Cheng Zhe, she was slightly taken aback.

A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, followed by a polite and gentle smile. She nodded slightly and walked towards him.

Cheng Zhe sat there, feeling as if all the blood in his body had frozen.

His previously empty heart was instantly filled, and all his previous disappointment and irritability disappeared without a trace.

He opened his mouth, wanting to greet her, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Shen Yating walked to the empty seat next to him, placed her handbag on the corner of the table, turned her head to smile at him again, and said softly, "Cheng Zhe, long time no see."

Those five simple words, like a feather, gently brushed against Cheng Zhe's heart, instantly relaxing his tense nerves.

He took a deep breath, finally found his voice, and replied, "Long time no see, Ya-ting."

Shen Yating sat quietly beside him, mostly listening to the conversation with a faint smile on her lips, rarely initiating a topic herself.

She would only respond softly when someone specifically asked about her recent situation, her tone still gentle and with just the right amount of politeness.

Cheng Zhe's tense nerves gradually relaxed, and he was thinking about whether to find a suitable topic to chat with her when a boy who used to love to join in the fun suddenly spoke up.

The voice wasn't quiet, just enough for the people around to hear: "Hey, I suddenly remembered something. I remember Cheng Zhe used to like Ya Ting, right? Look at Cheng Zhe now, why doesn't he talk much anymore?"

All eyes turned to Cheng Zhe, filled with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

Cheng Zhe's face flushed instantly, and the words he had prepared in advance fell apart.

He hurriedly avoided everyone's gaze, picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and said vaguely, "It was all during my student days, so long ago, I can't remember it anymore."

As he spoke, he could feel a gentle gaze fall upon him, and he knew without a doubt that it was Shen Yating.

That gaze made him feel uneasy and restless.

He was feeling embarrassed when Shen Yating, who was standing next to him, spoke up. Her voice was still soft, but loud enough for everyone to hear: "Is that so? I think I heard someone mention it casually before, but I thought they were just making it up."

As soon as Shen Yating spoke, everyone became interested and started making a fuss.

"I'm not making this up! It's true!"

"I can testify! I was the first to realize that Cheng Zhe liked you back then!"

A slightly chubby boy squeezed through the crowd. It was the same chubby kid who used to sit behind Cheng Zhe. He slapped his thigh and laughed, "That kind of look doesn't lie! I've seen Cheng Zhe secretly glancing at Ya Ting several times during class, his eyes practically glued to her. I knew it all along, hahaha!"

The chubby boy's words made Cheng Zhe's face turn even redder, so embarrassed that he wished he could disappear into the ground.

He really didn't know how to respond, so he picked up his chopsticks, put a piece of food in his bowl, waved his hand at everyone, and said awkwardly, "Stop joking about what happened back then, it's been so many years."

"Come on, everyone, let's eat! Stop talking!"

Cheng Zhe used the act of picking up food to calm his embarrassed mood slightly. His gaze inadvertently swept across the private room, and he gradually discovered a different scene beneath the surface of the dinner party.

Several boys at the next table, under the pretext of toasting, approached the girls, whispering something to each other. Their phone screens were lit up, clearly trying to secretly ask for or add their contact information. The girls reacted in different ways; some were half-heartedly refusing, while others smiled and declined.

There was also a boy who had been unremarkable back then, who was now casually adjusting his cuffs, revealing a gleaming, expensive watch on his wrist with a clearly visible logo on the dial.

The two girls next to him immediately noticed, their eyes flashing with surprise, and they exclaimed in exaggerated terms, "Wow, is that a Rolex?! It looks extraordinary!"

The boy said, "It's nothing, it's just a few hundred thousand," but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up, and his eyes couldn't hide his smugness.

Cheng Zhe sighed inwardly. This class reunion had ultimately become tainted by worldly pragmatism.

He looked away, about to pick up his teacup for a sip, when Shen Yating suddenly leaned closer and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "What are you doing right now?"

Cheng Zhe was taken aback, not expecting her to suddenly ask about these things, but he still told her the truth: "I am currently a manager at a company. In addition to work, I also take some time to study stocks and invest some money. I've been quite lucky and have made a lot of money."

He spoke calmly, yet his confidence was undeniable. These tangible qualities were already impressive, so there was no need to hide them.

But Shen Yating seemed intrigued and pressed for more details: "What company is it? What industry does it operate in? The manager's salary must be very high, right? How much did you specifically earn from stock investments?"

A series of questions were thrown at me, with an overly exploratory tone.