Shanghai.
Though it lacked the ancient history of a six-dynasty capital like Jinling, its exceptional geographical advantages had driven explosive economic growth over the past century, earning it the reputation of the Magic City.
The Yunzhong Grand Hotel was situated within Shanghai's Inner Ring, sprawling across a vast property with lavish decor.
At that moment, dozens of young people had gathered by the main entrance.
"Li Sisi, you've gotten even prettier! If I'd known, I would've made a move on you back in college. Who knows, we might already be married by now," teased a dark-complexioned young man dressed in casual clothes.
"Wang Zibo, it's not too late to make your move now. Word is, Sisi still doesn't have a boyfriend," chimed in a girl linking arms with Li Sisi, her face beaming with amusement.
"Luo Xuan, what are you saying? We're just old classmates," Li Sisi said, her cheeks reddening slightly as she playfully scoffed. In truth, she was undeniably attractive, with fair skin, slender eyebrows, and a pair of fitted jeans that accentuated her figure.
"Haha, who says old classmates can't date?" Wang Zibo, the dark-complexioned youth, chuckled.
"S-sorry, I'm late!"
Just then, a taxi pulled up, and someone stepped out. Spotting the group, he hurried over. "I live pretty far, and the traffic was awful. If I'd known, I would have taken the subway."
"Chen Song, right? Don't worry about it. Not everyone's here yet," someone called out, reassuring him that it was still early.
"Yeah, wonder how much longer we'll have to wait."
"Well, since we're just waiting around, what's everyone been up to since graduation?"
A year out of university, everyone present was twenty-four or twenty-five, and their chief concern naturally revolved around their careers. Yet compared to the lofty ambitions they had held upon graduating, a year of being battered by reality had blunted their spirits. Most led ordinary lives, though a few had used family connections to land respectable jobs.
Before long, the chatting classmates drifted into two distinct circles.
One bustled with lively conversation centered around Wang Zibo and Li Sisi, while the other, made up of Chen Song and a few others, remained rather quiet.
"What's everyone chatting about? It sounds lively."
A voice suddenly carried over, turning everyone's heads.
A young man wearing a sharp suit and gold-rimmed glasses stepped out of a BMW, greeting them with a confident smile that made him look every bit the successful professional.
"It's... Li Hansheng, our class monitor!" Wang Zibo recognized him first. Looking astonished, he hurried over and patted the car's hood. "Not bad, Class Monitor! Driving a BMW already? Looks like you've been doing great since graduation. Where are you working? Should we be calling you Boss Li now?"
The other classmates gathered around as well, their faces filled with curiosity.
"It's nothing. A relative opened a company, and I just went over to lend a hand," Li Hansheng said, adjusting his glasses with a modest smile. "The car's only worth a bit over three hundred thousand yuan, and the company provided it anyway."
His words sounded modest, but carried a distinct undertone of bragging. His eyes swept across the group, feeling a quiet thrill of satisfaction at the eager, admiring gazes fixed on him.
"That's still over three hundred thousand! With my salary, I'd have to save for nearly two years without eating or drinking to afford that," Wang Zibo remarked enviously.
In truth, the surrounding classmates felt much the same. After all, they had only graduated a year ago. Some were still renting cramped apartments, while Li Hansheng was already behind the wheel of a BMW. Naturally, they looked at him with newfound respect.
Even Li Sisi's eyes sparkled with interest, and she took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him.
As a five-star establishment, the Yunzhong Grand Hotel saw plenty of luxury cars coming and going, but to these young graduates, those vehicles belonged to a distant world. Li Hansheng, on the other hand, was someone they actually knew, which made all the difference in their perception.
"All right, let's not stand around outside. Let's head in," Li Hansheng said, effortlessly taking center stage.
"Wait, Class Monitor, not everyone's here yet," Chen Song spoke up quietly from the side.
"Who's missing?"
"Zhou Yunqiong and Lu Yuan. Just the two of them now," Li Sisi said after glancing around.
"Yunqiong told me she had something to take care of at home and would be a little late," Li Hansheng replied with an easy smile, subtly hinting at his close relationship with her. He then continued, "As for Lu Yuan, he's probably just held up waiting for a cab. He does live pretty far away. How about this: we head inside first, and once we're settled, we can send him the private room number in the group chat."
Li Sisi, Wang Zibo, and the others readily agreed.
Only Chen Song lowered his head in silence.
"Hey, look! There's a huge vehicle heading our way!" the girl beside Li Sisi suddenly exclaimed just as the group was about to step through the main entrance.
"That's not just a big vehicle, that's a Mercedes G-Wagon—the latest 2025 model! It costs around four million yuan!" Wang Zibo pointed out.
"Never mind whose car it is. Let's just go inside," Li Hansheng urged, shaking his head.
"Wait, it stopped! The person inside looks really familiar!" Chen Song said, craning his neck to get a better look.
"Come on, since when do you know someone driving a G-Wagon? Let's go," Wang Zibo said dismissively.
"No, he really does look familiar," Li Sisi added.
The group halted, turning their curious gazes toward the vehicle.
A moment later, the SUV pulled smoothly into a parking space, and a casually dressed young man stepped out. In his twenties, he stood tall and straight, with sharp, well-defined features. Combined with his handsome face, he exuded an aura of wild, untamed sharpness.
"Is that... Lu Yuan? Am I seeing things?"
"No, that really is Lu Yuan!"
"Doesn't he come from an ordinary family? How can he be driving a G-Wagon?"
As they got a clear look at him, stunned murmurs rippled through the crowd. Li Hansheng, their former class monitor, was particularly dumbfounded, unable to believe his eyes.
Back in university, Lu Yuan had kept an extremely low profile. He had been thoroughly unremarkable in every respect and had never drawn much attention, with the only thing worth mentioning being his quiet crush on Zhou Yunqiong. Yet now, barely a year after graduation, he had quietly turned up in a four-million-yuan vehicle...
The male classmates instinctively clustered around, staring with wide-eyed curiosity.
"Lu Yuan... is this your car?" Wang Zibo hurried over, scanning the vehicle up and down before finally asking.
"Yeah."
Expecting this reaction, Lu Yuan simply gave a brief nod. He had no desire to flaunt his wealth or draw attention, but this was literally the only car he currently had on hand. Seeing no need to explain, he looked at them and said, "Weren't you guys about to head in? Let's go together."
Without waiting for their response, he strode toward the hotel entrance.
"Incredible..." Wang Zibo breathed, lowering his voice to mutter, "What on earth has he been doing since graduation? Did he win the lottery or something?"
In his mind, there was no way someone from Lu Yuan's background could afford such a car unless he had struck it rich in a lottery.
"Maybe Lu Yuan is just really capable," Li Sisi countered, her eyes never leaving Lu Yuan's retreating back.
"Maybe," Li Hansheng spoke up suddenly. "Though I've heard from a friend that renting a luxury car for a day doesn't cost that much these days." Leaving it at that, he turned and walked into the hotel.
The classmates exchanged glances before hurriedly following behind him.
Chapter 4