Everyone was looking at her as if Xue Lin was going to say something very interesting. However, seeing her so calmly telling them the whole story in a few sentences, they became disappointed. They lost interest soon after. One of the boys came forward and wrapped his hand around Xue Lin’s shoulder as if they were both boys and long time friend. He didn’t notice her stiffness since he was hyped. "I knew you had this in you, Xiao Lin! I can tell you beat the crap out of your family."

  Xue Lin nodded. "You can say that." She tried to move away but the guy didn’t let her. He continued, "Next time, whenever you are free, come to my basketball camp. We will play together like high school." After graduation, he became a professional basketball player.

  "Sounds good to me. Although I’m not sure if I can handle it." Xue Lin spoke truthfully. She hadn’t been playing for some time now. She would be crazy to play against a professional. She thought, ’We have some spaces beside the lake. After I start earning money, I’ll ask Ge Chen if I can make a basketball court there. I can practice there whenever I want.

  Someone called out, "Hey guys, dinner is ready. Let’s eat."

  Everyone sat together around a large round table and traditional Chinese meals were served. The smell was enough to make them all hungry. While they were hungry, they talked about various things.

  Xue Lin said, "I can only see the Humanities group here. What about the Science group? Did they miss out on purpose?"

  A guy answered her, "Oh no, we didn’t invite them. You know how proud they are to have studied science. They think they are geniuses. They always look down at the Humanities group. We didn’t want to spoil the mood."

  Xue Lin chuckled. "Are they stupid or what? They grew up and still think like that? Don’t they know who rules the country?"

  "Let’s talk about you, Xiao Lin. What are you doing now?"

  Xue Lin said, "I’m looking for a job."

  "Huh? But what about studying Masters?"

  "I’ve already completed Ph.D." Xue Lin almost forgot that her friends only graduated. They still have to study Masters and Ph.D. if they want to.

  "Say what?!" They all exclaimed. Immediately the attention went to Xue Lin.

  Xue Lin coughed and told them how she skipped her semesters by passing the exam and studied Masters and completed Ph.D. She even told them that she was working as a counselor in Germany.

  "Wow!"

  "That’s great, Xiao Lin!"

  "You nailed it."

  "Your family must be proud of you."

  "You should have told us when you did it!"

  "You have to treat us, Xiao Lin!"

  They all cheered for her and it made Xue Lin genuinely happy. It was the first time she was praised for her hard work and achievement. She was nervous for nothing. She smiled warmly.

  At that time, someone asked, "Xiao Lin, have you been in contact with Xiao Qing and Xiao Yao? After you left, they vanished too. I heard later that Xiao Yao transferred to another university and now working on Mo Corporation as the Acting President."

  "Oh, I didn’t know that."

  "I guess birds of a feather flocks together. Xiao Lin and Xiao Yao are both outstanding."

  While they all chattered, Xue Lin’s lower part of the body froze. She felt a sudden chill. She thought that Northern Winter wrapped her and made her body numb. Beside her was sitting Puja. She looked at the unusually frozen Xue Lin and asked worriedly, "Hey, are you okay? You don’t look well."

  Xue Lin could hardly move her head. She tried to open her trembling lips when she got a call. Her phone rang and she looked at the screen. It was Ge Chen. She finally found strength and answered the call. "H-hello?"

  "Lin, is everything alright? Why are you stuttering?" Ge Chen thought he would check on her to be sure if she was okay. But to think that her voice was shaking, there must be something that happened. He was sitting on a chair on the bar and stood up abruptly.

  "I-I’m eating……" Xue Lin tried her best to calm down but her heart was racing like a crazy marathon.

  Only then Ge Chen noticed the chattering around her. He calmly asked, "Are you drunk?"

  "……N-no……" Xue Lin controlled her rapid heartbeats by taking deep breathes.

  He asked carefully, "Should I come to get you?"

  ’I cannot depend on Chen too quickly. I mustn’t depend on him. He can’t always be there for me. Sometimes, I need to fight on my own.’ Xue Lin resolved herself and said, "That’s not necessary. I’ll call you. Don’t worry." She spoke casually and quickly hung up. She praised herself in her mind to take over herself sooner than she expected. She had to do it or Ge Chen would come to pick her up. She wanted to be with her old classmates a little longer.