After Gu Xijue's invitation, everyone began to take their seats in turn.
Soon, everyone was seated.
Gu Xijue called over a waiter and distributed the menus to everyone.
"Everyone, please order whatever you'd like to eat. It's on me today."
With Gu Xijue's words, the atmosphere instantly became lively, as if the little incident just now had never happened.
As the food was served and the drinks were enjoyed in succession...
The men huddled together, boasting and complimenting Gu Xijue. The women, on the other hand, gathered together, discussing celebrities and gossip.
Qiao Zhen sat among the women, glancing at Gu Xijue every now and then.
She really wanted to ask Gu Xijue if he knew Lu Zheng.
"Excuse me, I need to go to the restroom."
Qiao Zhen wasn't interested in the gossip. After saying something, she got up and walked out of the private room.
Many of the men who saw it began to whisper among themselves.
"I didn't expect that after all these years, Qiao Zhen is still so beautiful. I have to say, look at her chest and legs, tsk tsk tsk, I just don't know what kind of man can have such a perfect woman."
"Tch, don't even think about it. Even if the Qiao family has fallen on hard times, a beauty like Qiao Zhen is not someone a loser like you can even dream of."
"That's true. With Qiao Zhen's looks, she might have already been kept by a rich older man."
When men get together, they talk about nothing but money and women.
Gu Xijue glanced indifferently at the men discussing Qiao Zhen and coughed lightly.
"We're all classmates, so let's not discuss others with prejudice."
It was a perfectly normal reminder, but when Gu Xijue spoke it, it carried an irresistible command. The men exchanged glances and fell silent.
"Xi Jue, speaking of which, everyone knew that Qiao Zhen liked you back then. Now that you're back in the country, and you're both single, haven't you ever considered being together?"
Gu Xijue's dark eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled faintly, "Is that so? Perhaps I was too busy studying at the time to notice Qiao Zhen's feelings."
Everyone then moved on from the topic.
"You guys chat first, I'm going to the restroom."
Gu Xijue stood up, took long strides, and left the private room.
Qiao Zhen was unaware of all this. She had just finished using the restroom and was washing her hands when a gentle male voice suddenly sounded in her ear.
"How have you been these past few years?"
Gu Xijue stood a step away from Qiao Zhen, a faint smile on his lips.
Qiao Zhen felt inexplicably nervous when she was alone with Gu Xijue.
"Fortunately, I got into a good university and found a good job."
Seeing Qiao Zhen's smiling face, Gu Xijue's dark eyes momentarily lost focus. But it was only for a moment, and he quickly regained his composure.
"What about you? You went abroad after the college entrance exam. How are you doing?"
Qiao Zhen swore that she was only asking politely and had no intention of rekindling their old flame.
Gu Xijue smiled and nodded to Qiao Zhen.
"Same as you, not bad."
After they finished speaking, neither of them said anything more, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment.
Qiao Zhen composed herself before slowly speaking.
"Gu Xijue, was there a guy named Lu Zheng in our high school?"
The words Chen Yan spoke that day were like a thorn, deeply embedded in Qiao Zhen's heart. She wanted to understand everything, to find out what kind of past relationship existed between her and Lu Zheng.
Why can't she remember anything about Lu Zheng no matter how hard she tries?
"Lu Zheng?"
Gu Xijue murmured the name, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
"You mean Lu Zheng, the current head of the Lu family, the one known as God Lu?"
Qiao Zhen nodded, her heart suddenly tightening.
Could it be that what Shen Yan said was true? Was there really some connection between Lu Zheng and her back then?
As a result, what Gu Xijue said made Qiao Zhen breathe a sigh of relief.
"Probably not. If there really was such a person back then, he would definitely have been a prominent figure at school, not someone who remained unknown. What, are you very concerned about this Lu Zheng?"
Qiao Zhen's expression changed when her secret was exposed, and she lowered her head.
Seeing Qiao Zhen like this, a possessive glint flashed in Gu Xijue's eyes.
Back then, everyone knew that Qiao Zhen liked him. But what others didn't know was that he also liked Qiao Zhen.
At that time, however, he didn't want to admit his feelings for Qiao Zhen. Instead, he did many things to bully and hurt Qiao Zhen, trying to deny his feelings.
"No, it's just that..."
Before Qiao Zhen could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a rapid ringing of her cell phone.
Gu Xijue frowned slightly, but then caught a glimpse of the name Lu Zheng on Qiao Zhen's phone screen.
Qiao Zhen naturally saw it too.
She knew Lu Zheng's personality; if she didn't answer the phone, she didn't know what Lu Zheng would do to her.
"Excuse me, I need to take this call."
After Qiao Zhen finished speaking, she hurriedly grabbed her phone and ran to the side.
Seeing Qiao Zhen's reaction, Gu Xijue's dark eyes were filled with inquiry.
"Hello?"
Qiao Zhen had just answered the phone when Lu Zheng's voice came from the other end.
"Qiao Zhen, where are you?"
Qiao Zhen bit her lip, not wanting Lu Zheng to appear in front of her old classmates.
Their relationship wasn't exactly honorable; at least, Qiao Zhen felt it hadn't reached the point where it could be made public.
"My high school classmates had a party tonight, and I'm having dinner with them now. I'll head back after dinner, so don't worry, Mr. Lu."
Lu Zheng on the other end of the phone frowned.
"High school classmate? Why didn't you tell me beforehand? Qiao Zhen, was Gu Xijue also there? Did you go without telling me so you could see him?"
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