Translator: imperfectluck Editor: Kurisu

  Anyone’s life would be filled with countless potholes that they would trip over. They would have to crawl back up again and continue proceeding forward regardless. Nobody would be able to have it good for every single day of their whole life. People would need to adamantly persist onward and continuously mature through hardship.

  Now that the flu epidemic in Chasu City was over, more people started returning. Plenty of former classmates, friends, and relatives would see each other again after one year.

  Not many of Shao Hua’s former classmates had remained behind in Chasu City. Jia Suyue was the person that Shao Hua was the closest to. After that, due to Zhang Fan’s connection, Shao Hua also started interacting more with her former classmate Wang Yanan. As time passed, Shao Hua gradually drifted apart from her other former classmates.

  Friendship over a lifetime could often be described as a strange curved graph. As a teenager, it would be common to have many friends—your classmates would be friends. As time slowly passed, a person in their 20s would usually only be close to around four, five people. A person in their 30s would usually be close to even fewer as family and work pressure made friend relationships ever more complex. After entering their 60s and retirement, the number of friends would slowly increase again.

  Previous childhood friends would slowly gather together again. Meanwhile, people in their 20s were still youthful and energetic. They still weren’t socially experienced enough. They would often be the type to want to let everyone around them know about even the slightest accomplishment so that all their friends could clap and cheer. This was simply a normal mentality.

  There would be far too many gatherings around New Year’s. This was especially more so for Shao Hua, Jia Suyue, and Wang Yanan, three women from their class who had remained here in Chasu City. They were relatively beautiful to begin with, so several of their former classmates who were interested in them back in the day but had gone to other cities kept summoning them over for class reunions.

  “I refuse to go anymore! Who does he think he is? What’s so incredible about working for a foreign company?” Jia Suyue, Wang Yanan, Shao Hua, and Jingshu were currently eating hot pot together at a restaurant.

  Women typically weren’t big eaters. However, they really loved to eat hot pot. They could chat together while eating, which they really enjoyed. However, the atmosphere was a bit awkward today because Jia Suyue had become really angry over all of the class reunion meetings over the past few days.

  So many of their former classmates, no matter how well or poorly they were doing, especially other women, looked down on the three of them who had stayed behind in their hometown. Plus, all three women were relatively beautiful, which made other women ostracize them even more.

  “No need to mind such things. Why mind it so much? If you like them, you can chat a bit more, and if you don’t feel anything, then just nod your head. Why compare with others?” Shao Hua kept putting meat on Jingshu’s plate. Since this was a meeting for the four women, Zhang Fan didn’t go. Instead, he stayed at home and ate with Shao Hua’s parents.

  “Just look, Wang Hongmei used to be such a normal person. But now? Look at how arrogant she is! Isn’t she just working in Beijing? What’s incredible about that? Oh, her boyfriend purchased a home that cost 3,000,000 yuan in Beijing! Oh, they’re planning on getting married in the Maldives next year, and we must come and participate? Heavens! I can’t listen to any more of this.” Jia Suyue exaggerated her classmate Wang Hongmei’s expression at the time.

  “Haha, Yueyue, it’s such a pity that you didn’t become an actress. Just look at what a good imitation you’re doing!” Wang Yanan laughed so much that she almost spat out her drink.

  Jia Suyue pointed at herself while exclaiming, “I’m so angry! Jingshu, study properly and stay in Shanghai. If anyone tries to show off in front of me in the future, I’ll just say, is that so! I have a sister who’s in Shanghai. Her house isn’t very big. She can just shower in her own swimming pool, something like that. I’ll make them really angry!”


  “Haha! Oh, you!”


  Jingshu had a sweet mouth and really knew what to say. The three older women all really liked her. Jia Suyue and Wang Yanan treated Jingshu quite well also because of giving face to Zhang Fan and Shao Hua. Jingshu didn’t have much to say about the main topic of conversation between the other three women who were already in the workforce, since she was only in her first year of college.

  “By the way, Wang Hongmei is inviting us to a meal tomorrow. Are you all going?” Jia Suyue inquired.

  “Of course! It’s always nice to get a free meal!” Wang Yanan answered.

  “You’re the only one who can take it. Eating a meal from her will equal listening to her brag for half the day. She just wants us to listen. It’s not like I’m so poor that I can’t afford my own meal.”


  “Let’s all go. We haven’t seen her in many years. At most, we can pretend not to hear her. We’re going mostly in order to meet our other classmates,” Shao Hua said.

  “Tomorrow, have your Zhang Fan drive us in his luxury car! He can stop right in front of the restaurant while we wait on his car for Wang Hongmei. We can all get off the car together when she arrives. Let’s see if she still shows off then!”


  “Haha, that’s enough. Is that really necessary? She’s the one spending money to treat us to a meal, yet you’re trying to anger her so much!”


  “I really don’t like how arrogant she is. Who knows what she’s really doing in Beijing? Besides, we’re all classmates, so is there such a need to show off!?” Jia Suyue was still rather angry. This was because she used to be the center of attention among the classmates, but now everyone had matured. They no longer focused mainly on beauty, but rather overall abilities instead. Or, to be even more direct, some would simply look at whether someone else was useful to them or not!

  “Actually, she’s still a nice person. Everyone has their own little faults,” Shao Hua said as she poured drinks for everyone.

  “You’re the only nice person around. I think that you’re becoming more and more like your Zhang Fan. You smile at everyone.”


  “Well, Shao Hua doesn’t like showing off. Otherwise, she could probably suppress everyone easily by showing Zhang Fan,” Wang Yanan mumbled while eating some meat. She knew quite well just how amazing he was, but she also knew that Zhang Fan was the type who liked to keep a low profile. Other people who liked to show off would have long since done so already in his place.

  “Just look at what you’re saying. How is Zhang Fan supposed to suppress others? With his dark face?” Shao Hua commented.

  “Teehee!” Jia Suyue chuckled at this without saying anything. Shao Hua had gotten acquainted with Zhang Fan through her. He had fallen in love with her best friend Shao Hua at first sight. Meanwhile, Jia Suyue was now single again after recently breaking up with Le Jie over his cowardice during the incident where Zhu Bing was stabbed. Although Jia Suyue didn’t really regret it, she still felt something indescribable at hearing others praise Zhang Fan, who had originally been her marriage candidate.

  Women’s hearts were the most complex thing in the world. Sometimes, they could be incredibly simple, yet at other times, they could be deeper than the ocean.

  It was now New Year’s, so there were many pre-New Year’s official meetings. This type of meeting was different from ordinary gatherings to meet friends and relatives. These official meetings were all about various companies greeting highly useful or highly influential people.

  In just two years, Zhang Fan had gone from a recent graduate to an expert doctor of Chasu City Hospital. Some people now viewed Zhang Fan as having some influence. At the very least, for most smaller city hospitals’ superintendents’ name lists, Zhang Fan was on the list of names of people to send gifts to.

  Superintendent Shi Lei of Kuake City Hospital had long since given orders to his hospital general affairs department director. Zhang Fan’s New Year gifts were to be of the highest level. Chark City Hospital under Kang Hua’s jurisdiction valued Zhang Fan even more. They called him beforehand, and then had a van filled with goods bring all the gifts to his home. This was simply how Chinese society worked. Who knew when it might be necessary to use a connection to a skilled doctor like Zhang Fan? Besides, they were all sending him gifts using public funds, so why not!