"Be careful when you go, and make sure to protect yourself. Call me anytime if something happens," Shen Yin advised.
"Okay, got it. I'll head over now."
It had been many years since she had been to Rong City No.3 Middle School. That area was the old town. After she graduated from university, her parents sold their house there and rented an apartment near her university to live with her. Later, when she started making money from acting, she bought her parents a new house.
If there was anything that kept her going through those insecure years of her life, it was the company of her parents.
When Shu Yi arrived at the hotel across from Rong City No.3 Middle School, it was already quite late. Wei Yuan kept messaging her to hurry up.
She wanted to hurry too, but she had to avoid being recognized. In the past few days, Shu Yi's drama "Yanxi Biography" had become a huge hit, propelling her to the ranks of A-list celebrities. She didn't want to be recognized before she even made it to the private room.
Shu Yi put on her bluetooth earpiece and called Shen Yin. She felt that hearing Shen Yin's voice would give her more confidence.
"Shu Yuerou, don't be afraid. Believe in yourself," Shen Yin encouraged her.
After parking, Shu Yi looked around to make sure there were no paparazzi. She then put on an oversized pair of sunglasses, a fisherman's hat, and a face mask, grabbed her bag, and headed towards the private room. As she approached the door, Shu Yi took a deep breath and said, "It seems like no one has recognized me. I'm going in now."
Shu Yi opened the door to find a large round table with around thirty people inside, all of whom had graduated six or seven years ago. It was unlikely that everyone from their class would be present.
"Hello, did you come to the wrong private room?" the class president from high school asked.
Shu Yi recognized him and replied softly, "No, I didn't."
"So I guess everyone who's coming has arrived?" the class president turned and asked the other classmates behind him.
Before anyone could answer, Shu Yi took off her hat and said, "Hello everyone, I'm Shu Yuerou."
The chatter in the private room fell silent instantly. Everyone's reaction was: "What? Shu Yuerou? I don't really remember her... Oh, wait, wasn't she that dark-skinned, chubby girl in our class?"
Wei Yuan stood up from her chair and walked over to Shu Yi, asking uncertainly, "Are you Yuerou?"
Shu Yi removed her hat, mask, and sunglasses.
"Oh my god, Shu Yi!" the class president exclaimed in shock.
The others were naturally drawn to the commotion. Everyone knew Shu Yi now – she had been the campus goddess from the moment she debuted, even if her career wasn't particularly hot. But her recent hit drama "Yanxi Biography" had propelled her into the A-list. What they couldn't believe was that this beautiful A-list celebrity was their high school classmate.
Even Wei Yuan couldn't process the situation. She was probably the only one in the class who had kept in touch with Shu Yuerou, but even their contact was limited to a sentence or two per year. She had no idea that Shu Yuerou had changed so much.
"Have a seat, have a seat," the class president said eagerly, adjusting a chair for Shu Yi.
The private room remained silent. Shu Yi sat down and smiled at Wei Yuan, "Wei Yuan, you should have a seat too."
Wei Yuan was still in a daze. A table full of food, but no one had started eating yet.
This was supposed to be a reunion, but in reality, many reunions were just occasions for classmates to compare their achievements. Everyone in this class had done well academically, and they now worked in various professions – some were teachers, lawyers, doctors. And now, one of them was even a celebrity.
The comparisons were indeed quite intense. Everyone in the room was well-dressed, with the men wearing luxury watches and the women carrying expensive handbags, all signaling that they were doing well in life.
Only Shu Yi wore unbranded clothes and carried an ordinary bag.
"Is Zhai Minghao still in the restroom?" one of the male classmates asked.
Upon hearing that name, Shu Yi felt a pang of nervousness. She had moved on, but she could never completely forget her old crush.
"He's back," Zhai Minghao had just opened the door when he heard someone mention his name.
All two or three dozen people turned to look at him, including Shu Yi.
Zhai Minghao was taken aback when he saw Shu Yi. He hadn't come to the wrong place, but the woman in front of him seemed to be a celebrity. What was going on? Who had brought her?
"Minghao, do you remember Shu Yuerou from our class? She's a big celebrity now," the class president explained.
Zhai Minghao paused, feeling a sense of familiarity with the name Shu Yuerou. Wasn't she the girl who had a crush on him back then?
Shu Yi responded with a smile. "Long time no see."
When they met again, she had truly let go of her feelings. Shu Yi greeted him casually. What had drawn her to him in her youth – was it his good grades, his fair looks, or the fact that he seemed like the ideal literary young man? In any case, Shu Yi had completely moved on.
"Dr. Zhai is back!" one of the male classmates called out to him.
A doctor, Shu Yi thought to herself. It seemed her taste in men back in high school wasn't bad after all.
Messages flooded the class group chat:
[Oh my god, the change is insane!]
[Did she get plastic surgery?]
[I heard the entertainment industry is not a clean place.]
[Wei Yuan, have you been in touch with her all these years?]
[No.]
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, the class president spoke up loudly, "Everyone's here now, let's eat."
Shu Yi wasn't in the group chat, so she was unaware of the messages. From time to time, someone would try to get her to drink alcohol, but she politely declined.
"Shu Yi, don't drink. Don't trust anyone," Shen Yin warned her through the earpiece.
"Sorry, I can't drink because I'm driving," Shu Yi told the person offering her a drink.
"It's okay, it's been so many years since we last saw each other, and you're a big celebrity now. We've never had a chance to dine with a celebrity before. Just have a little drink, we can always get a designated driver later," one of the men said.
"Yeah, exactly. Aren't you people in the entertainment industry always drinking with others? If you can drink with them, why not with your old classmates?" another man chimed in rudely.
Their words and tone made Shu Yi uncomfortable. Shen Yin regretted letting Shu Yi go alone. She was still too young and naive about the ways of the world. Shen Yin had wanted Shu Yi to follow her heart and bid a proper farewell to her old classmates, to stand before them without feeling inferior. But some people's hearts were just impure, not worth bidding farewell to, not even worth meeting.
"Yuerou, it's been so long since you've been here. Have a drink?" Wei Yuan spoke up.
Shu Yi felt torn, as if she had been transported back to high school and was experiencing that same sense of inferiority all over again.
"If she doesn't want to drink, then she doesn't have to," Zhai Minghao interjected.
"Oh, look at the top student trying to play the hero and shield the celebrity from drinking. What about our class beauty Wei Yuan then?" the rude man retorted, glancing at Wei Yuan.
Wei Yuan was fuming with embarrassment. She and Zhai Minghao had broken up a long time ago, shortly after entering university.
Zhai Minghao was at a loss for words.
Shu Yi hadn't expected some people to be so vulgar. It was an awkward situation – leaving would be rude, but staying wasn't ideal either.
"Just have a drink," Wei Yuan said again. She wanted to see Shu Yi make a fool of herself. Wei Yuan had always been the most beautiful girl in their class, so how dare Shu Yuerou come in and steal the spotlight?
