The next afternoon, Lu Liang went to Yingdi Hotel according to the address on the invitation.
As he drove into the parking lot, he realized he'd forgotten to bring money, having gotten used to scanning codes and swiping cards; his wallet only contained a little over a thousand yuan in cash for ergencies.
When Lu Liang got married, Liu Mingxuan had given him an 1,800-yuan red envelope, the most generous gift from among his friends.
Lu Liang looked around and saw an ATM across the street, where he withdrew 2,000 yuan and then bought a red envelope from the small shop next door, upon which he wrote his na.
Upon leaving the shop, Lu Liang ran into a female classmate who looked familiar, but for the life of him, he couldn't recall her na.
The woman also seed to be in deep thought, but then suddenly clapped her hands together and exclaid with surprise, "Lu Liang, am I right?"
"Are you also here for Mingxuan's wedding?"
Lu Liang chuckled awkwardly, the most embarrassing part of reunions being when soone rembered him but he couldn't rember them at all.
Although her na seed on the tip of his tongue, he still couldn't rember it.
"Looking at you, you couldn't possibly still be trying to rember who I am, could you?" the female classmate said with a less-than-friendly look in her eyes.
"Little Huang, how could I ever forget you?" he said, as he suddenly rembered her upon hearing her familiar catchphrase.
Huang Lihui was thrown into nostalgia upon hearing this and said with a sigh, "What a na to rember, but now they all call Big Huang."
"Well, it looks like you're living the good life, free from worries about food and clothing, so it's only fitting to evolve a bit," Lu Liang teased with a smile.
The main reason he couldn't rember her was that his forr classmate had beco more and more affluent-looking over the years.
At a height of around 1.6 ters, her weight looked to be about the sa as his, he guessed roughly 150 pounds.
Dressed in gold and silver with jade for decoration, she was the picture of a wealthy lady.
"Your mouth is still as sharp as ever," she retorted, giving him a harsh stare. "I just heard you might have gotten divorced?"
She had arrived half an hour earlier and had been upstairs catching up with old classmates for a while.
She had just co downstairs to move her car at the request of a phone call and decided to buy sothing at the store on the way.
Lu Liang nodded. "Lu, how have you been doing recently, been making money sowhere? Still selling houses?" Huang Lihui asked.
"After the divorce, I lost the mood to work, so I quit my job. Now I'm doing so small business to make ends et," he replied.
"That's a pity, I was actually planning to buy a few houses in Modu and wanted to consult with you," she said with a nonchalant air, her peripheral vision keen on Lu Liang, as she secretly gauged his reaction.
At weddings and funerals, old acquaintances reunite, so to catch up with old classmates, and others to satisfy their vanity and show off.
She had been unremarkable during college, never experiencing the fresh rain of youth, so she was always keen to attend reunions and weddings.
The saying "Thirty years on the east bank of the river and thirty years on the west bank, do not take the poverty of youth lightly" undoubtedly serves as the driving force for every ordinary person's progress.
"If you really need it, I'll introduce you to so forr colleagues later," Lu Liang offered absentmindedly, looking toward the lobby's display board and noting Liu Mingxuan's wife's na was Liu Yuzhen. "It's on the third floor, right?"
Huang Lihui grunted, already feeling a bit upset.
When she had ntioned buying several properties in Modu earlier, her forr classmates had all been extrely eager, asking her where she made her fortune and actively handing out business cards.
Lu Liang's lukewarm attitude was a blow to her proud self-esteem. Huang Lihui then asked with a smile, "Lu Liang, what kind of small business are you running recently? My husband's in the building materials business in Puxin District, fairly well-known; maybe there's a chance to support each other."
"Well, please thank your husband for , but selling grilled gluten at the subway entrance rarely involves partnerships," Lu Liang replied with a faint smile, noticing Big Huang's eager desire to boast, so he simply played along.
It had been ten years since graduation, and the only classmate he was still in touch with was Liu Mingxuan; the others didn't really matter.
After today's al, the next eting might be in three years, five years, ten years, or perhaps there might never be another chance to et again.
Lu Liang didn't care about the impression he'd leave; he just wanted to offer his best wishes to the newlyweds, eat his al and leave—that was his sole purpose for this trip.
"It's good to be the boss, right? One person full, the whole family isn't hungry. You can set up shop when you want to and rest when you don't. Unlike us, from the mont we wake up, we're responsible for the livelihood of hundreds of people. The pressure is real," said Huang Lihui, her pride imnsely satisfied.
"Indeed," Lu Liang replied, offering sporadic responses as they reached the third-floor banquet hall and saw Liu Mingxuan and his wife, both dressed in traditional Chinese red wedding attire, warmly greeting guests at the door.
When Liu Mingxuan saw Lu Liang, he ca forward with big strides and whacked him on the back, "Making a grand entrance, aren't you? Playing the star of the show?"
"Who dares? I just had a few more words with Big Huang downstairs," Lu Liang gestured with his mouth, signaling him to look behind.
Liu Mingxuan showed a strange expression on his face and asked in a low voice, "Didn't she boast about her construction-materials tycoon husband or talk about how she's about to buy several more properties?"
Lu Liang nodded with a smile, "She did."
"And you didn't deflate her tires?"
Liu Mingxuan looked gleefully schadenfreude, completely disregarding the fact that today was his own wedding.
"Can't be bothered."
Lu Liang gave him a look, walked up to the bride, and revealed a smile, "Happy wedding, it's the first ti we et. My na is Lu Liang, and I'm Mingxuan's good friend."
The bride seed a bit shy, returning a bashful smile, "Hello, I frequently hear our Mingxuan talk about you."
Lu Liang turned back to look at Liu Mingxuan and patted his shoulder, "Happy wedding, no need to entertain , I'll go over myself."
He spotted a few familiar faces at the classmates' table, left a red envelope, signed his na, and then walked over.
Liu Mingxuan eyed the thickness of the red envelope and revealed a satisfied smile, "No need to entertain acquaintances, go enjoy yourself."
Around two thousand, never less, only more, he felt quite content.
A true friend is about heartfelt connections and mutual respect, not about neglecting the other person's feelings after having money and giving whatever amount you want.
Lu Liang being wealthy was his own business; Liu Mingxuan enjoyed hanging out with him because they shared everything from the very beginning, from smoking the sa cigarette to now casually having drinks and late-night snacks without fussing over the costs.
After more than a decade of friendship, what he valued was his character.
When he truly needed help, he would ask, rather than expecting Lu Liang to bestow charity on him whenever he wanted.
Luckily, Lu Liang also understood this.
"Lu, you're late."
"It's been a few years, and you seem to be getting younger."
"The belly is gone, and even the skin is getting better. Could this be what they call reverse aging?"
Upon arriving at the classmates' table, Lu Liang imdiately beca the center of attention.
Being thirty is rare, not just physically but spiritually too. Tied down by family, one loses autonomy.
Engulfed in work, afraid to quit; sick, yet afraid to take a break. With parents to support above and young children clamoring to be fed below, not to ntion looking after the wife's emotions, one could hardly be considered a complete person but rather a re tool, barely hanging on by a thread.
Almost buried neck-deep in the yellow soil, the ti will co to send off the parents and raise the children until they are settled. By then, it's almost ti to rest in peace.
One's own priorities get pushed far back, to the point where most have no sense of self, unconcerned about appearance or physique.
Hence, a balding pate and potbelly beco the norm.
Knowing everyone's life conditions were similar, yet to see Lu Liang seemingly living a "second life" in reverse, how could they not be envious?
Huang Lihui was both envious and spiteful; she went from Little Huang to Big Huang, so why could Lu Liang still seem so youthful?
"Maybe it's because I've had more ti to work out recently. Losing weight does make one look younger."
Such cases like Huang Lihui's were rare, and when Lu Liang shared his experience, everyone started to share their differences between then and now.
Soone ntioned a stark decrease in digestive capacity—able to devour two pounds of at in one al without needing staples or vegetables in their youth, but not anymore. Overeating now caused discomfort and even constipation; they had to eat fewer portions along with staples and veggies.
Another lanted that the most painful mont of the day was washing hair, watching the white foam mixed with dozens of black strands slide away, fearing that soon each hair might be allotted its own number.
After sharing ailnts, they started to discuss causes and redies, from daily routines to dietary supplents, and even old family recipes.
Li Luang listened, smiling.
This was the scene that should unfold when old friends reunite, speaking freely about their lives, temporarily breaking free from the pressures of life and work, reminiscing about their youthful days.
Huang Lihui was quite frustrated; she was so wealthy and yet nobody was fawning over her, what was the point of money then?
"In my opinion, it's still best to visit the beauty salon and gym more often, spending so money on professional personal trainers to tailor-make your workout programs."
Huang Lihui spoke casually, hinting that she spends at least several hundred thousand, if not millions, every year on such expenses.
This yearly expense alone could equal the entire inco of an average person for two or three years.
However, before her tablemates could exhibit their envy, Lu Liang interjected with a laugh, "But it doesn't seem to be very effective, does it?"
At that remark, the old classmates couldn't help but burst into laughter.
It seed true; if those things were effective, Little Huang wouldn't have beco Big Huang.
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