Liang Zhirou tilted her head curiously, as if she was thinking about something.

The WeChat notification on Chen Lu's phone doesn't sound like this; it seems to be a text message notification...

Is this a coincidence? Or...?

A bizarre guess suddenly popped into her mind.

Wasn't it the surgeon who praised Chen Lu for making money at such a young age, even though they weren't very familiar with each other?

"Zhirou! Could you please help me move the box that's holding the figurines over here?" Chen Lu's voice came from the bedroom.

Liang Zhirou took one last look at her phone lying on the coffee table, then hurriedly walked towards the bedroom.

"Oh...it's here!"

......

The sixth day of the first lunar month.

The last day of the statutory holidays for the Spring Festival.

Jiang Chao stayed at Liu Yan's house for an unusually long time and only returned today. Li Sinian, who happened to be returning to Hangzhou on the same day, mentioned it, and the three of them decided to get together for a meal.

After graduation, I encountered people with whom I had some kind of business dealings.

College roommates are much better.

So the group still managed to get together, reminiscing about the days when they skipped class to play games at internet cafes.

We decided to eat at a roadside food stall near the school, right next to the riverside and a bridge. The food was delicious and the scenery was beautiful.

That evening, Chen Lu came here alone, walked slowly along the riverbank, stared at the shimmering surface of the river, and tried to recall where the body of his cell phone was.

As he walked, he wrapped his coat around himself again.

Eating by the river is great everywhere, except it's too cold in winter.

"Brother Lu! Over here!" Li Sinian, who had already taken his seat, waved to him with a smile.

"They're here."

Chen Lu shivered as he sat down. "Don't you want anything?"

"I've finished ordering," Li Sinian said.

A few of us ate here for three years when we were in college, and we knew each other's favorite foods perfectly, so we didn't need to wait for everyone to arrive.

Even as soon as he sat down, the boss asked if he wanted to continue as before.

After Chen Lu sat down, he looked around and saw that it was still just the two of them. "That guy hasn't arrived yet?"

“He said there was traffic, after all, it’s right around the time people get off work.” Li Sinian sniffed, feeling cold. “Did he really spend the New Year at his girlfriend’s house?”

"How could this be fake? It's just a coincidence, otherwise I guess he would rather sit on the side of the road eating instant noodles than go home for the New Year."

As they were talking, Jiang Chao, carrying a large box, walked up to them from where Chen Lu had just come from.

"This is the one I gave to your girlfriend." Jiang Chao waved the item in Chen Lu's face, then sat down next to him.

"She doesn't know how to do makeup, and she hasn't even used the ones she had before."

Chen Lu took it and examined it briefly. Goodness, even if it was purchased through a proxy, this was worth at least several thousand yuan. If Liang Zhirou found out, she would definitely keep it as a family heirloom.

Jiang Chaoyue sensed something was off. "Are you showing off how pretty your girlfriend is?"

"Huh?" Chen Lu blinked blankly. "Really? It's alright."

Jiang Chao's words were stuck in his throat; he didn't want to say anything more.

Li Sinian snorted and said to Jiang Chao, "You don't really associate with the school's social circles anymore. I used to go to the library every day. His girlfriend is famous throughout the school. Everyone says that no one can get her contact information. She's the most aloof school beauty in history, without a doubt."

"Chen Lu is just born that way," Jiang Chao commented simply.

“He was indeed born.” Li Sinian finished cursing, then raised his wine glass. “Let’s go first, without him.”

Chen Lu rested his chin on his hand and reminded him, "He just finished celebrating the New Year at his father-in-law's house."

Li Sinian's hand, which was raised in mid-air, suddenly stopped. "Damn it! I'll drink it myself!"

"Stop it, stop it."

After laughing and joking, the group finished their first drink before starting to eat their skewers.

"Hey, by the way, how did your civil service exam go?" Jiang Chao suddenly asked after a while.

Li Sinian pushed up his glasses with a bitter expression. "I didn't pass the exam."

"It's alright, it's fine if you're unlucky in love here, but lucky in real life too. You and that Qin something-or-other..."

"Qin Wenxi," Chen Lu casually reminded her.

"Oh right, Qin Wenxi, how have you been lately?"

"I deleted her."

Li Sinian was quiet for a while, then let out a long breath and laughed self-deprecatingly, "I spent a lot of time and money on her, and I didn't even pass the civil service exam. In the end, I got nothing."

Jiang Chao was incredibly frustrated. Why did Li Sinian keep acting so foolishly instead of admitting it to himself?

Chen Lu didn't ask a single question.

Chen Lu rested his chin on his hand without saying a word, but silently filled the wine glass in front of Li Sinian.

"It's okay, I've learned my lesson. I've come to terms with it." Li Sinian sniffed and drank the glass of wine. "From now on, I'll only invest in myself. As long as I become good enough, love will come sooner or later, won't it?"

"My son has grown up," Chen Lu said, resting his chin on his hand and a slight smile on his lips.

"XXX," Li Sinian said with a laugh, "your relationship is pretty stable, isn't it?"

Jiang Chao's eyes darted around. "It's alright... right?"

"That's good."

"Just wait to come to my wedding," Chen Lu said.

Jiang Chao spat at him, "You're not even old enough, what are you pretending to be? Your dad was definitely older than you."

"Dead Sea King, who believes you?"

Jiang Chao's temper flared up, and he stared straight at him, "What kind of bet?"

"Fine, I won't bet with you."

Why?

Chen Lu pointed to his back and said, "I feel like you're an old general on a stage right now, covered in flags."

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