Chapter 27: Class Reunion

After lunch, Guan Ju'er took the elevator back to the office. Just as the doors were about to close, Michelle and another female colleague came running from a distance, shouting, "Wait!"

Guan Ju'er instinctively reached out to press the elevator button but suddenly froze.

And so, the elevator doors closed right in front of Michelle. Coincidentally, she saw Guan Ju'er inside. The two locked eyes, and sparks flew.

Seeing that she had missed the elevator, the colleague said gloomily, "Sigh, so close."

Michelle took the opportunity to stir trouble: "Guan Ju'er was right there in the elevator. She clearly could have held the door. Hmph, she always acts like such a good girl, but she's actually quite dark-hearted."

"Really? How could she be like that? We're colleagues, she could have at least helped out," the colleague said, predictably indignant.

After returning to the office, influenced by Michelle's instigation, the colleague also began to badmouth Guan Ju'er, and naturally, these words reached Guan Ju'er's ears.

In the past, she definitely would have cried from the grievance, but now, whenever she heard such rumors, four words would pop into her mind: *None of your business.*

This scene was witnessed by the manager. Seeing Guan Ju'er continuing to work diligently, the manager nodded slightly.

After work in the evening, Guan Ju'er returned to Happy Melody and shared her ordeal with Qiu Yingying.

Qiu Yingying was furious upon hearing it. "How can Michelle be like that? She's too wicked! Hmph, with that kind of character, no wonder my brother looks down on her."

Guan Ju'er's heart stirred. "Yingying, what kind of girl do you think Big Brother Qiu likes?"

"Hmm, I don't know either." Qiu Yingying pursed her lips. "Probably the kind of girl who is pretty, has a good figure, and a great personality."

Guan Ju'er suddenly thought of what Qin Hao had said to her in the underground garage that day. She couldn't help but look Qiu Yingying over carefully. Could it be... he likes girls who are a bit "dim"?

While they were talking, Guan Ju'er's phone chimed with a WeChat notification. It was a high school classmate organizing a reunion in a group chat, tagging everyone for the upcoming weekend.

Qiu Yingying leaned over to look. "Guan Guan, so many of your high school classmates are in Shanghai. That's so nice."

"Yeah, but everyone is usually quite busy with work, so we don't contact each other much. Sigh, I used to think high school life was pure torture, but now I realize how good it was. You didn't have to think about anything; you just focused on studying, and the relationships between classmates were so simple." Thinking of Michelle's incident, Guan Ju'er couldn't help but feel sentimental.

Qiu Yingying nodded in deep agreement. "True, society is so complicated. Take me, for example—the first person I liked turned out to be a scumbag."

After a round of mutual comfort and solidarity, the two washed up and went to bed.

When the weekend arrived, Guan Ju'er tidied herself up briefly and went to attend the high school reunion.

Qiu Yingying, meanwhile, ran down to Qin Hao's place to play games and grab a free meal.

When Qin Hao heard Qiu Yingying mention that Guan Ju'er had gone to a reunion, he immediately thought of Senior Lin and asked instinctively.

"Yingying, where is Guan Guan's reunion being held?"

Qiu Yingying thought for a moment. "I think it's at a restaurant near the Bund, but I didn't look closely."

"Okay, just order takeout for lunch. I have something to take care of and need to head out for a bit." Having said that, Qin Hao grabbed his car keys and left.

Qiu Yingying made a bitter face. "Sigh, I thought I'd get a good meal this weekend. Takeout again. Wait, that's not right... did he just ask for the address of Guan Guan's reunion and then leave?"

Arriving at the underground garage, just as he was about to start the car, Qin Hao suddenly froze. What was he doing?

Realizing his loss of composure, Qin Hao began to re-examine himself. In his interactions with Guan Ju'er during this period, he seemed to have fallen for the girl without even realizing it.

Perhaps because she had grown up in a happy family environment, Guan Ju'er was the kind of girl who made people feel very comfortable around her. No matter what happened, she always looked on the bright side, so one never had to worry about being affected by her negative emotions.

Qin Hao was not a man to linger or hesitate, and he was the same with matters of the heart. He immediately started the car while dialing Guan Ju'er's number.

On the other side, Guan Ju'er was attending the reunion. Hearing her phone ring in her bag, she reached for it to answer, but a classmate nearby snatched it away and turned it off.

"It's rare for us all to get together today. No one is allowed to be a 'phubber' (phone addict)!"

Immediately, others chimed in and cheered.

"That's right! Turn off your phones. No one is allowed to look at them, and no one is allowed to leave early!"

Guan Ju'er frowned slightly but had no choice but to put her phone back in her bag.

Soon, the food arrived. Everyone reminisced about their innocent high school days, and old classmates were merciless when teasing one another.

However, everyone seemed to be avoiding Guan Ju'er, which made her feel a secret sense of relief, but also a hint of loneliness. In high school, she had been just like she was now: her grades weren't the best, and her looks weren't striking. While others were wildly spending their youth, she had always followed her parents' teachings, being a "good kid" at school—listening attentively in class and not causing trouble during breaks.

She envied those classmates who, even if they weren't good at studying, had great social lives, because their youth was colorful and rich. Looking back now, her high school years had indeed been quite dull.

"Guan Ju'er, what are you thinking about? Quick, raise your glass!" a classmate nearby reminded her.

Guan Ju'er snapped back to reality, suddenly feeling that this boisterous atmosphere was out of place with her.

"Sigh, Guan Ju'er, it's no fun if you only drink juice. Have some beer; it's low alcohol, you won't get drunk from just a little bit." A classmate noticed Guan Ju'er, who had been idling.

Holding her juice, Guan Ju'er hurriedly waved her hands. "I really can't drink alcohol."

"It's fine to have just a little. It's a rare occasion to be this happy, don't be a party pooper." The crowd began to jeer.

Just as Guan Ju'er was at a loss, Senior Lin suddenly stepped forward.

"Stop teasing her. Guan Ju'er probably really can't drink. How about I drink it for her?"

The crowd erupted in cheers again: "Oh! Old Lin, is this a case of a hero saving a beauty?"

Just as Senior Lin was about to take the beer glass in front of Guan Ju'er, she beat him to it.

"Thank you, Senior Lin, but there's no need. I'll do it myself."

Although Guan Ju'er had never been in a relationship, she wasn't stupid; she could naturally tell that Senior Lin was interested in her. But she already had someone she liked.

She was naive regarding love, but she was not ambiguous; she would not comfortably accept the affection of another man.

The smell of the beer was pungent, yet Guan Ju'er drank it in large gulps, continuing until she finished the entire glass in one go.

"Wow, I didn't realize Guan Ju'er was so capable!"

"And she said she couldn't drink? That was a chug!"

Guan Ju'er's face quickly turned bright red, and her thoughts began to blur.

At that moment, a familiar figure suddenly walked toward her. She shook her head, thinking she must be drunk—how could he possibly be here?

(End of Chapter)