Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Targeting
During every holiday, the university classmates group is always lively.
This year is no exception.
They were discussing the time and place of the class reunion in groups of three or four, and they seemed to be having a lot of fun. The messages in the group did not stop until midnight.
The viewing room was dimly lit with warm light.
Lin Qingxu and Kan Zhao huddled together on the sofa, watching the unfinished horror movie they'd just finished. They made bets on how the film would unfold. After all, most movies like this were repetitive, and the plot's direction could be discerned logically.
Jin Yuanbao snuggled in Lin Qingxu's arms, his orange fur fluffy and shiny, his chin being tickled comfortably, and he watched the LCD screen with the two of them with great interest.
The film's later plot focuses on deciphering the mystery, and the horror scenes never reappear. Jin Yuanbao soon grew sleepy, snoring softly as he rested his head on Lin Qingxu's arm, his eyes half-closed, ready to drift off to sleep.
Suddenly, accompanied by a scream on the screen, a woman with long hair, split lips, and an exposed eyeball suddenly appeared in front of it, and then exploded into a bloody mess.
Jin Yuanbao suddenly woke up, and his fur stood on end. "Awoo, awoo!" he cried, turning around and trying to get into Lin Qingxu's arms.
"Are you scared?"
"Probably." Lin Qingxu stroked its fur to comfort it.
"You're so timid." Kan Zhao chuckled and stroked it twice.
Jin Yuanbao turned his head away and groaned in protest while eating and taking.
Jin Yuanbao is overweight and greedy, but for the sake of his health, he has a fixed diet. He is only coaxed with cat food when he is wronged or rewarded.
Jin Yuanbao had watched the movie countless times, both fondly and adorably. There were also some cat strips left in the storage box in the cinema room. Kan Zhao tore open the package and fed one to the cat.
But Jin Yuanbao was really scared this time. He stretched out his tongue listlessly and licked it slowly. Usually he could finish a whole bag in a few seconds, but now he only licked a little bit each time.
Lin Qingxu's phone received a message alert. Someone in the university class group @ her, asking her if she would come to the party this time.
In previous years, Lin Qingxu had always refused, not because he didn't want to go, but because he was busy with some trivial work matters in the past two years, and later he happened to be traveling abroad with Kan Zhao.
There happened to be nothing to do this time, and Kan Zhao seemed to be flying to Sweden in a few days.
Lin Qingxu typed back: [Yes.]
At the same time, a message from someone nicknamed Yang Yi in the group also came out: [Forget it, the beautiful lady is busy all day long, how can she have time to get together with us?]
Lin Qingxu paused.
Is it her illusion?
She felt as if the other party was always trying to squeeze her.
But there seems to be no reason for this to happen.
College wasn't like high school, where we were all together every day. By the time we graduated, aside from our roommates, we couldn't guarantee we'd be able to call each other's names when we met face to face; we could only recognize each other by face.
Lin Qingxu had no impression of Yang Yi at all.
A few people came out to have a laugh, and the chat conversation refreshed the above information, and then a heated discussion began again.
Her college roommate, He Jia, also sent her a private message: "Oh my god, does Yang Yi know how to talk? I heard she's getting a divorce from her husband recently, and she's probably taking her anger out on you."
[ah? ]
Lin Qingxu felt that this was an unexpected disaster. As far as she could remember, she and Yang Yi seemed to have never spoken to each other.
He Jia: [Didn't she find a rich second-generation guy to marry after graduation? She's always showing off her designer bags and stuff on her WeChat Moments. It seems she discovered her husband was cheating a few days ago, and the mistress is always trying to get ahead, openly challenging him. I have a lawyer friend, Yang Yi, who recently secretly consulted about divorce and property division, but she signed a prenuptial agreement, so it's not easy to handle.]
Lin Qingxu was puzzled: [What does that have to do with me?]
He Jia replied: [Well, I suddenly can't remember his name. Oh, I remember now. Do you still remember Fan Yao? The one who confessed his feelings to you at the beginning of freshman year. Yang Yi was attracted to him at first, but he was pursuing you, so he was heartbroken and remained single for a few years. He seems to have gotten married a few months ago, and he and his wife seem to be having a good relationship.]
He Jia added: [Perhaps Yang Yi feels that if you weren't there, she would be with Fan Yao, and her marriage wouldn't be broken up now?]
Truly an innocent person caught in the crossfire: Lin Qingxu.
He Jia also thought it was ridiculous: "Haha, what a ridiculous plot. Well, we're not her worms. By the way, Qingxu, are you coming to the party this time?"
[bring it on. ]
I have already agreed, so I can't break my promise.
I heard Senior Qu recently returned, and the class invited him this time. I haven't seen him in a while, and I don't know how the handsome guy has become. The water quality in the UK is not very good, and I don't know if he's bald.
Lin Qingxu's finger on the screen paused.
He Jia sighed: [Time flies by so fast, I've kind of forgotten how it felt to be supporting this couple.]
"I'm going to a class reunion in a few days." Lin Qingxu looked up and said to Kan Zhao.
Kan Zhao stroked the cat's head and asked, "Party?"
He put down the cat note with his right hand and reached for his phone to check the group message. Before they were eighteen, they were both in the same school, grade, and class.
"From university." Lin Qingxu added.
Kan Zhao stopped and continued to feed the cat, as if life was peaceful and tranquil.
"Go ahead." He thought it was just a casual reminder from Lin Qingxu.
"It seems that the senior will also go."
Kan Zhao paused holding the cat strip. He naturally knew which senior she was talking about.
"Meow?!" Jin Yuanbao screamed at the top of his lungs. His head was aching and he felt like he was going to turn into a Mediterranean cat.
This is domestic violence! Ten cat strips are needed, no, twenty, at least twenty to appease him.
Kan Zhao realized that he had unconsciously increased the strength just now, so he loosened his hand and rubbed Jin Yuanbao's fur a few times.
"What time does it end? I'll pick you up." Kan Zhao mentioned it casually.
"No need." Lin Qingxu brought the gold ingot over, "You must have been on a business trip at the time."
*
The venue is set at the Montehill Hotel in the city center.
Lin Qingxu put on light makeup and casually wore a skirt.
She drove over and as soon as she entered the hotel lobby, a waiter bent forward to greet her. After asking for the room number, he led Lin Qingxu there.
The room was almost full of people, chatting and laughing. They asked about each other's work and were much more familiar with each other than when they were in college.
After all, when you are away from home, anyone you know is a connection, not to mention classmates with similar majors and with whom you have had some contact before.
"Please come this way." The door of the box was pushed open by the waiter and waitress.
All conversations stopped abruptly, and everyone's eyes turned to the door.
They all knew that the only person left who hadn't come was Lin Qingxu, and they were looking forward to seeing the talented school beauty in her current state again. Of course, Lin Qingxu wasn't late, but they were well versed in the rules of the workplace and had already developed the habit of arriving early.
"Thank you." It was still a cold yet gentle voice.
Under the breathless gaze of the crowd, Lin Qingxu walked in.
The woman's skin was as smooth as cream, her long, silky hair fell naturally, curling slightly at the ends, her eyelashes were long and thick, and her nose was straight and graceful. The faint smile she had just given the waiter still lingered on her lips, and her entire body seemed shrouded in a soft halo, as if suffused with crushed moonlight.
"Qingxu! Over here." He Jia waved at Lin Qingxu.
Everyone woke up as if from a dream.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, they officially started eating. As the dishes were served one after another, Lin Qingxu looked around inconspicuously and asked He Jia softly, "Senior hasn't arrived yet, so should we start eating first?"
"I heard he's not sure whether he'll come or not, so let's eat first and ignore him."
As he spoke, the squad leader stood up and toasted Lin Qingxu: "Beautiful Lin, it's been a long time since we last met."
"Long time no see." Lin Qingxu was not very good at handling this kind of situation, so he just took a sip of the red wine in the goblet in response.
"Where is Miss Lin working now?" someone asked.
"You don't even know Mumuzi. A few months ago, she was a great beauty who dominated the charts at Station C for several days!" This sentence denied all of Lin Qingxu's strength and directly labeled her as a vase with the term of a great beauty.
Lin Qingxu looked at the person who was speaking. She didn't know him and there was no grudge between them.
"The Internet is so fast-paced right now that the new generation is pushing the old generation out. This kind of job with no security is gone in an instant. Otherwise, let us, Yiyi, introduce you to a job?" another woman chimed in.
The woman sitting between them wore delicate makeup, her face bearing obvious traces of cosmetic surgery. Her fingers seemed to casually brush against the designer bag at her wrist, then she smiled and said, "Oh, forget it. My husband's company has very high requirements for hiring. Even though someone like Miss Lin had good grades in school, she lacks a few years of experience, so I'm afraid she's out of the running."
As if aware of the confrontation at the table, the others remained silent.
He Jia was about to stand up and explode when Lin Qingxu held her wrist. She shook her head gently. It was best not to ruin the atmosphere at a party, even though she'd already decided not to come again. It wasn't about trying to keep things quiet for a while. Besides, Yang Yi's husband's monthly salary at her company probably wouldn't even cover the cost of her a commercial copy. There was no need to get angry about this.
It is really troublesome to deal with quarrels and reconciliations that arise from anger.
"Eat your food."
"This black truffle cod tastes good."
Several people smoothed things over
Taking a step back only makes things more pressing. Yang Yi shook the goblet and said with a smile, "But with Miss Lin's looks, does she still need a job? My husband happens to have a few partners, I'd like to introduce them to you. She's a bit older and divorced, so she's in her twilight years. But I think a beautiful woman would welcome anyone who comes her way."
In college, except for a few friends who were familiar with Lin Qingxu, no one else knew that Lin Qingxu was married, so there was no need to tell them.
Pretty girls are always surrounded by a little bit of gossip, and sometimes explaining it doesn't help. In college, sometimes Lin Qingxu would wear the logo-free clothes that Gao Luo had custom-made for her, and sometimes she would buy designer clothes herself or go shopping with He Jia and the others.
I don't know why others think that. She's clearly wealthy, yet others are more willing to link her to some illicit affair. So much so that when Kan Zhao first appeared before the couple, when he saw Lin Qingxu getting into his car, rumors started circulating that he was Lin Qingxu's financial backer. After the official announcement, rumors started circulating that Lin Qingxu was hooking up with a wealthy second-generation man.
There is so much malice towards women. Why didn't anyone say that Kan Zhao hooked up with a rich woman?
Some people at the party had brought their families, and several women tried to speak up for Lin Qingxu, but were held back by their husbands. At their age, they'd already been in the workplace for years, and everyone was a shrewd person by now. Even if they saw Yang Yi's malicious intent, they could only turn a blind eye.
After weighing the pros and cons, Yang Yi's husband, the president of a listed company, is more worthy of their interaction and flattery than a painter who is just good-looking and somewhat famous.
Lin Qingxu didn't show any resentment when he finished speaking. Although it felt like a punch on cotton, it didn't hurt, but it finally let out the anger that had been lingering in his heart for many years.
Yang Yi smiled, "Hey, why is the atmosphere so depressing? Let's eat. I'll pay for today's meal."
The woman next to her echoed, "Yes, yes, you're welcome. The private room at the Montehill Hotel can only be booked six months in advance, and it's all thanks to Yiyi. Otherwise, some women wouldn't be able to enjoy this three-digit dish."
He Jia couldn't bear it anymore, "I really..."
At the same time, Lin Qingxu's voice sounded softly.
“This one is a bit expensive.”
Yang Yi looked at her with a smile, but heard:
"So... you're using the money you saved from buying fake bags to treat us?"
The box was already silent, so although Lin Qingxu's voice was not loud, his words were clear and everyone could hear them clearly.
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