Chapter 310: Chapter 309: "Even If It’s Your 2nd Sip, I’ll Still Drink With You.

Xu Su refused. "That’s not necessary. We can just go Dutch for our class reunion."

"I have the final say on this." Shen Chen glanced sideways at her. "My turf, my rules."

Xu Su said, "...Fine. Whatever you say."

’It really is nice having a filthy rich friend...’

Huang Feng’s hand on her arm tightened slightly, and Xu Su suddenly remembered that she hadn’t properly introduced them to each other. She hadn’t given them a proper introduction at the wedding banquet in Kang County last year either.

She quickly made the introduction. "Oh, right. This is my best friend from high school, Huang Feng."

Shen Chen paused for a moment, then looked at Huang Feng with a smile. "Hello, I’m Shen Chen."

Huang Feng’s face immediately flushed red, and she squeaked out a soft, "Hello."

’...’ Alarm bells started ringing in Xu Su’s head again.

The elevator quickly arrived at the third floor. As if she were being chased by a ghost, Xu Su grabbed Huang Feng and practically bolted out.

The moment they stepped out of the elevator, they saw several familiar male classmates chatting in the corridor. Xi Zirong was there too, standing sideways. The lines of his shoulders and neck were elegant, and his back was straight and lean, giving him an incredibly youthful look.

Hearing their footsteps, the boys turned to look, and the group fell silent at once.

Xi Zirong’s gaze lingered on Xu Su for a few seconds. After a moment of silence, he pushed open the door to the private room behind him. "Let’s go in. It’s about to start."

The private room was huge, with two large round tables that could each seat more than twenty people. A folding screen stood between them. The original plan was for students from the advanced class to sit at one table, and students from Class One at the other.

But by now, everyone had mixed together and sat down randomly. After all, the students from both classes knew each other well; before the classes were separated in their second year, many of them had been in the same class.

Just like Xu Su and Huang Feng, who had a bond forged through shared struggle.

As soon as they went inside, classmates started greeting them. Xu Su pulled Huang Feng along and found two seats together.

The teachers had arrived as well and were surrounded by students, chatting away. The room was bustling with energy.

Just as she sat down, Xu Su was about to go and greet some of the teachers when Huang Feng tugged on her arm. "Susu, does that Shen Chen guy have a girlfriend?"

"!!!" Xu Su’s eyes widened. She said sternly, "Why are you asking? Don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for him. Fengfeng, don’t be a fool! He’s bad news."

"He seems great to me. He was so handsome when I saw him fighting last year, and he looks even more handsome now."

Huang Feng looked unconvinced. "Besides, he has such a gentle smile. He’s not intimidating at all. Susu, just tell me, does he have a girlfriend or not?"

"Zhou Mochen told me that Shen Chen never has official girlfriends. He just keeps lovers on the side. He’s a total player."

Xu Su, afraid that her friend would fall under Shen Chen’s spell just like Shi Lin had, tried to talk some sense into her. "Just find someone else to like. Once you get to college, you’ll have your pick of guys."

"Keeps lovers?" Huang Feng faltered, a hesitant look on her face. "Is he... really rich?"

"Extremely rich! The Junyue Hotel belongs to his family, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg." Seeing her friend’s hesitation, Xu Su decided to strike while the iron was hot. "Seriously, don’t fall for him. You could never handle a guy like that. God knows how many women he’s been with."

Xu Su was being incredibly blunt. Huang Feng glared at her, embarrassed. "It’s not that I like him... I just think he’s handsome."

"There are plenty of handsome guys out there. We should find you a decent one. You can ask your brother; I’m sure he knows what Shen Chen is like. Believe me, if you even thought about liking Shen Chen, your brother would be the first one to shut it down."

Xu Su brought up Huang Chao, then tried to entice her with a tempting picture of the future. "Trust me, college is full of handsome guys. Shen Chen is nothing special in comparison."

"What are you two whispering about?" Rao Lu suddenly leaned in. "Enough chatting. Come on, Susu, let’s have a drink."

’A drink?’

Xu Su looked up. The table was already covered with dishes. Red wine and beer had been laid out, and there was even a bottle of baijiu.

The physics teacher loved baijiu, so that bottle was all his.

Rao Lu came over with a bottle of cold beer and filled Xu Su’s glass to the brim. "Susu, this is my first-ever beer, and I’m sharing it with you. You’re going to drink with me, right?"

"..." Not sure whether to laugh or cry, Xu Su stood up with her glass. "Even if it were your second, I’d still drink with you."

After downing the glass of cold beer, Xu Su squinted her eyes in satisfaction.

Few people in the class knew that Xu Su enjoyed drinking, so they were a little surprised to see her down a glass of beer so readily.

Soon, more people came up to her with their glasses for a toast. Before Xu Su could even get a few bites of food in, she was swamped by wave after wave of enthusiastic classmates.

When things finally quieted down, she had already finished two bottles. Huang Feng, beside her, had also had quite a bit to drink, and her face was flushed.

Teacher Wu, sitting at the head of the table, addressed some of the more enthusiastic students making toasts. "Watch yourselves, now. Don’t get drunk."

Xu Su quickly ate a few bites of food to line her stomach. Hearing Teacher Wu’s words, she remembered that she hadn’t toasted the teachers yet.

She quickly stood up, raised her glass with both hands in the direction of the teachers, and offered a toast. "Thank you to all our teachers for your care and support over the last three years."

Teacher Wu smiled and drained his glass. "I grew especially fond of your class. Remember to come back to your alma mater and visit us in the future."

He looked at Xi Zirong. "The school is already preparing to have a banner made. Barring any surprises, this year’s top scorer in the city for the science stream will be from our school."

As soon as he said this, the surrounding classmates erupted in cheers.

Even though they had all guessed as much—with a score that left everyone else in the dust, it was only natural for Xi Zirong to take first place—it was still incredibly exciting to actually be classmates with the city’s top scorer.

Everyone started calling for Xi Zirong to have a few more drinks...

Xu Su listened from the side, a silent thought on her mind...

’More than just the city...’

There was a small stage in the private room where people could sing or perform.

At the students’ urging, several teachers took to the stage to sing, creating a warm, happy scene between students and faculty.

Xu Su was already slightly tipsy. She listened quietly to the music, feeling nostalgic for her high school days, when a can of beer suddenly appeared before her.

"Xu Su. How about a drink, you and me?"

Xu Su looked up. Gu Yunjia had appeared from out of nowhere and was standing in front of her, holding a can of beer in each hand.

When Gu Yunjia saw her look over, she held out the can in her right hand to Xu Su. "Wanna drink?"

"..." Xu Su took the beer. Thinking back to their conversation on the rooftop, she couldn’t help but ask, "How did you do on your exams?"

Gu Yunjia said, "Pretty good. I should be able to get into a good university."

"That’s great."

Xu Su nodded, genuinely happy for her.

’Even now, Xu Su couldn’t figure out if she and Gu Yunjia were actually friends. On the one hand, they hadn’t said a single word to each other in six months. On the other hand, Xu Su knew Gu Yunjia’s deepest secret.’

’And Gu Yunjia had been the one to willingly tell her those secrets...’

’Wasn’t that a form of trust in itself...?’

Xu Su pulled the tab, about to pour the beer into her glass, but Gu Yunjia stopped her. "What’s the fun in using a glass? Let’s just drink straight from the can."