It was a middle-aged man built like an iron tower.
Dressed in a sharp black suit, he looked to be around two meters tall.
He stood right behind Zhou Yunqiong, with a dark complexion and sharp, piercing eyes. Even without speaking a word, he radiated a powerful sense of intimidation that made people instinctively want to back away.
No wonder Li Hansheng had retreated two steps.
"This is Uncle Zuo. My family was worried about me being out alone, so they had him accompany me," Zhou Yunqiong explained with a gentle smile, reassuring everyone in an approachable tone so they wouldn't feel intimidated.
"Ah, I see!" Li Hansheng gave a dry laugh to cover his embarrassment, then turned to the room. "Yunqiong is here, everyone! Let's give her a warm welcome!"
"Welcome, welcome!"
"You're finally here, Yunqiong!"
"We've been waiting for you! Come, have a seat, have a seat!"
Nearly everyone in the room stood up, smiles plastered across their faces as they showered her with polite greetings.
Zhou Yunqiong's family background was well-known to her former classmates. In today's society, wealth and connections naturally commanded respect, so everyone was eager to greet her. As for Uncle Zuo, they understood he was simply a bodyguard.
Of course, Lu Yuan stood apart from the rest. He remained seated in his chair, quietly sipping his drink with no intention of standing up.
This sight caused several classmates to furrow their brows in slight disapproval, feeling that he was putting on far too many airs. Even if he had come into money, could he really compare to someone with Zhou Yunqiong's family background?
Zhou Yunqiong, however, didn't mind in the slightest.
At everyone's invitation, she took the seat of honor in the room.
By then, all the dishes had been served, though no one dared pick up their chopsticks yet; everyone was waiting for her lead.
"We're all old classmates, there's no need to stand on ceremony. Let's eat," Zhou Yunqiong said with a faint smile, taking the initiative to reminisce about their college days, which quickly livened up the atmosphere.
She was exceedingly beautiful, and though she carried a naturally aloof demeanor, she showed a warm and approachable side at that moment.
Soon, the other classmates shed their restraint and joined in the conversation.
Naturally, the discussion still revolved around Zhou Yunqiong.
Back in college, this never would have happened; after all, none of them had stepped into the real world yet. But things were different now. Only after suffering the harsh beatings of reality did they truly understand how the world worked.
Some female classmates were already scheming on how to curry favor with her. If getting on her good side could secure them a position at Wuzhou Group—even at a minor subsidiary—it would be enough to change their fortunes. After all, Wuzhou Group was a conglomerate that ranked among the top three in all of Shanghai.
Therefore, many people took the initiative to toast her, exchanging cups and heaping flattery upon her.
Li Hansheng and Wang Zibo were the most active among them, steering the conversation toward amusing anecdotes from college.
Their banter coaxed a genuine smile from Zhou Yunqiong—a smile so radiant it seemed to outshine the suite's lights.
"Hey, remember during the first semester of freshman year? It was an afternoon, and Lu Yuan walked into the classroom holding a bouquet of flowers, saying he wanted to confess his feelings to Zhou Yunqiong," one of the female classmates blurted out in high spirits.
The entire room fell dead silent in an instant, and everyone instinctively turned their heads.
Yet at that moment, Lu Yuan kept his head down, quietly eating his food beneath everyone's gaze, completely deaf to the comment.
This reaction left everyone feeling deeply puzzled.
Lu Yuan had harbored feelings for Zhou Yunqiong for four years—a fact all their classmates knew. Yet seeing her today, why didn't he react in the slightest? Shouldn't he have been the most eager to fawn over her?
Zhou Yunqiong looked over, her brow furrowing slightly. In truth, she had noticed it early on: from the moment she entered the room, Lu Yuan was the only classmate who hadn't initiated a single word with her, nor had he even raised his head. He was unnervingly quiet.
That clearly wasn't like him.
"That's all in the past. Let's talk about something else," Zhou Yunqiong said, changing the subject while shooting a deep, lingering glance at Lu Yuan.
"Lu Yuan, reunions don't happen often. Why aren't you chatting with everyone?" Chen Song whispered from beside him, puzzled.
"Haven't you barely said anything either?" Lu Yuan replied in an indifferent tone. He had zero interest in this kind of gathering; had he not had business to attend to, he wouldn't have wasted a second here.
"I... I..." Chen Song faltered, lowering his head into silence. His family circumstances were the worst among their classmates, leaving him ridden with an inferiority complex. Wherever he went, he was merely an extra—utterly ordinary and thoroughly overlooked. Even if he were to get up and leave right now, no one would notice or care.
Lu Yuan understood this all too well, so he didn't press the matter. Instead, he kept up an idle conversation with Chen Song, quietly asking about his family situation.
Time slipped by, and before long, everyone had eaten their fill. Li Hansheng suggested singing karaoke, a proposal met with unanimous approval.
They had booked the most luxurious suite at the Yunzhong Grand Hotel, which had an adjoining karaoke room.
"Lu Yuan, let's head over too," Chen Song said, standing up as he watched the other classmates file into the adjacent room.
"No rush." Lu Yuan shook his head and said, "If I remember correctly, your family has an heirloom—a small ancient cauldron, right?"
"Yeah, it's still kept in my dad's chest. What about it?" Chen Song blinked in surprise, nodding before asking, "Are you interested in that thing, Lu Yuan?"
"That's right." Lu Yuan didn't deny it, finally revealing the true objective of his trip.
Attending the class reunion was merely incidental; what he was truly after was the ancient cauldron belonging to Chen Song's family.
Though it wasn't a treasure that would grant him terrifying benefits after the global mutation like the Ancient Bodhi Tree would, it was an exceptionally mysterious object closely tied to his subsequent series of plans—something of paramount importance.
"Well..." Hearing this, Chen Song hesitated.
"I know someone once offered two hundred thousand to buy that small cauldron, but your father turned it down," Lu Yuan cut in, continuing, "I can offer a higher price. From what we were just chatting about, your father has diabetes and your household expenses are heavy. You're in urgent need of money to get by, aren't you?"
"But..." Chen Song tried to argue.
"Five hundred thousand." Lu Yuan held up three fingers and added, "And I can give you three hundred thousand right now as a deposit."
With that, he said nothing more and waited quietly. In moments like this, one couldn't afford to seem too eager.
The reason he had been so patient earlier was precisely to suit the remedy to the case: identify the other person's needs, then make the offer. That was the wisest approach.
Admittedly, Lu Yuan had plenty of money and could keep raising his offer, but if there was a better way, why not use it?
"I... I want to go home and discuss it with my dad."
Chen Song's mouth opened and closed. He was clearly stunned by the figure, and his family truly did need that kind of money. Still, he didn't agree right away, insisting on discussing it with his father first.
"Give me your bank account number first, then."
Lu Yuan smiled, asked for his account details, and directly transferred three hundred thousand yuan over. "I'll wait for your news."
Having done that, he gave Chen Song a slight nod and walked straight out of the room.
He knew his objective for this trip was practically achieved.
"Wait, uh... Lu Yuan, aren't you coming to sing?"
"No, I have other things to take care of."
Chapter 6