Shen Qiwen arrived looking travel-worn, dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase.
"Shen Qiwen! It really is you!" The class monitor was the first to rush forward, looking Shen Qiwen up and down. "We haven't seen each other for years."
Shen Qiwen looked like he had just come from his way home from get off work. He wore gold-rimmed glasses on his high nose and smiled at the class monitor: "It's only been two years."
After speaking, he looked around to the back, seemingly searching for other figures.
At the entrance, everyone started exchanging pleasantries, while Yan Miao and Song Qingyou sat in a corner.
Yan Miao poked her head out: "Youyou, it's Shen Qiwen."
Song Qingyou looked helpless: "Shen Qiwen is Shen Qiwen, what's so special about him?"
Yan Miao winked at her: "Didn't you have a crush on him back then? Even if you don't like him anymore, old friends reuniting shouldn't have a spiritual meeting."
Seeing her teasing her, Song Qingyou raised an eyebrow slightly: "How about you and Fu Wenzhou have a spiritual meeting?"
Yan Miao: "..." There's no need for that.
Song Qingyou curled her lips into a smile. Suddenly, the lights in front of her dimmed, and shadows enveloped the surroundings. She slowly raised her eyes and smiled slightly, saying, "Shen Qiwen, it's been a long time."
Shen Qiwen extended his hand to her, his gaze obscure and dark: "Long time no see."
Those four words had already rolled around in his throat several times.
Song Qingyou stared at the outstretched hand, paused for a moment, then grasped it, the touch was so quick that Shen Qiwen didn't even have time to feel the temperature of the palm.
Shen Qiwen was quickly called away. The class monitor had drunk a bit too much and, in a familiar manner, put his arm around Shen Qiwen's shoulder, saying that he hadn't changed at all and was still as aloof as when they were in school.
Shen Qiwen responded politely throughout, his mood unreadable, but he accepted every toast offered and finished every drink.
Yan Miao glanced over there and whispered, "I didn't expect Shen Qiwen to be such a heavy drinker now. I remember when we had a dinner party in school, he would blush when he drank low-alcohol fruit wine, but now he drinks baijiu without blushing or his heart skipping a beat."
Song Qingyou smiled faintly and said, "People always change."
Yan Miao sighed with some emotion, "But we haven't changed."
Song Qingyou paused for a moment, then said, "You think I haven't changed because I changed before I even met you. You think you haven't changed because you've been well protected since you were little. As for Shen Qiwen, the class monitor, the academic representative, and the class beauty, they don't have our background or our connections. They only have their own hard work. Miaomiao, hard work is important, but in this society, hard work alone isn't enough. Once you enter society, if you don't have the ability to be charming and shrewd, it'll be hard to get things done."
Discussing business over drinks is a bad habit, but it has been difficult to change for over a century.
Even someone as revered as Shen Qiwen couldn't escape the commonplace.
Song Qingyou couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
A complex society can indeed change many people, but Shen Qiwen still forges his own path in medicine, overcoming numerous difficulties and obstacles, and never forgetting his original aspirations, which is truly commendable.
In fact, Song Qingyou's feelings for Shen Qiwen were more of an admiration, but this admiration was not enough to grow into liking.
Yan Miao seemed to understand but not quite, but she could vaguely grasp the meaning behind Song Qingyou's words. She glanced at Shen Qiwen and said, "Seeing Shen Qiwen makes me regret not going to the hospital after graduation."
Song Qingyou refilled her empty glass with orange juice and chuckled softly, "There are many paths in life. Just be happy. It's not like you have to make a contribution to society. Everyone's ideals and aspirations are different."
Yan Miao affectionately hugged Song Qingyou's arm: "Youyou, you're right. Then I'll just stay at home and be a good-for-nothing. Anyway, if the sky falls, my brother will hold it up."
Song Qingyou sometimes envied the relationship between Yan Shaoqin and Yan Miao; she saw kinship in them.
Sometimes, the less people have, the more they crave.
The class reunion was about to end, but everyone was still gathered together, seemingly unable to stop chatting. Yan Miao extended the dinner time by another hour, and Shen Qiwen was surrounded by people the whole time. Many people even came to Song Qingyou, trying to get closer to her.
After all, among the current group, Yan Miao and Song Qingyou have the strongest backgrounds. No matter how powerful Shen Qiwen is, he can't compare to the status of the Song and Yan families in the capital.
After some maneuvering, Song Qingyou made an excuse to go to the observation deck outside.
Song Qingyou was worried that Fu Wenzhou would get even angrier if he couldn't wait for her at home, and that she might end up upset again.
She had just taken out her phone to call Fu Wenzhou when a soft voice called out from behind her.
"Song Qingyou".
Upon hearing this, Song Qingyou paused, turning halfway around: "Shen Qiwen? What's wrong?"
Shen Qiwen took a few steps forward and stopped a meter away from Song Qingyou, maintaining a sense of propriety: "I heard you're getting married."
Song Qingyou couldn't figure out what he meant by asking this question suddenly, but she still readily admitted, "Yes, it should be in September, but the specifics depend on my husband's arrangements."
Shen Qiwen's eyes behind his glasses darkened, his gaze fixed on Song Qingyou's face: "Is it him?"
Song Qingyou was taken aback, not expecting that Shen Qiwen would still remember.
Shen Qiwen didn't hear a reply, so he patiently repeated, "Is it him? When you rejected me, you said you promised someone you would wait for him to come back, so is it still him?"
The sun sets above the observation deck, the stars twinkle, and the wind rustles in your ears.
Song Qingyou paused for a long time before speaking: "Yes, it's him."
She paused, then looked at Shen Qiwen, a faint smile playing on her lips: "I broke my promise while waiting for him, but thankfully, he remained steadfast in his choice of me."
Shen Qiwen felt a sudden tightness in his chest, his gaze intense: "If I hadn't chosen to study abroad and had stayed in China instead, would I be the one with you?"
Song Qingyou felt a little embarrassed. So much time had passed, and she didn't know why Shen Qiwen would bring it up again.
“I rejected you before not because you were going abroad to study, but because we weren’t a good match, and…” Song Qingyou said, laughing and crying at the same time, “I don’t like you.”
Shen Qiwen suddenly frowned: "How could that be? Didn't Yan Miao say that you have feelings for me?"
Song Qingyou shook her head: "I only admire you. There are many kinds of liking, not the kind between men and women. Yan Miao misunderstood."
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