In a large and extravagant hall, many familiar faces greeted and chatted with each other.
“You still look the same after so long!”
“You didn’t change either! I still remember the time when we were in school, you…”
“C’mon, don’t mention the scandal that happened in school! Hahaha!”
Even though they hadn’t seen each other for many years, they conversed as though they had never split up.
Some of the girls were rather emotional and teary-eyed. After all, it wasn’t the same as holding a reunion party each year. Moreover, not all of their classmates could participate each year. Some brought their family members and children with them. It was really a pity that time passed so fast!
Everyone could still remember their youthful appearance during their schooling days. Yet in the blink of an eye, their children had grown so big!
Some of them looked inside the hotel and sighed with emotion when they saw how grand the party was.
Most of them remembered each other and could still recall their names. However, there were a handful of unfamiliar faces. That was strange-everyone should know each other well!
As they racked their brains for a name, they finally remembered and exclaimed, “Oh! You are ‘so-and-so’ from the next class!”
The reunion party this time was particularly grand. Not only did they invite all the students in their class, but also the students from the next class!
There were too many students who had chosen to pursue the same major and the school had no choice but to split them into multiple classes. However, some major lessons would still be conducted as a whole and the teachers were the same. Therefore, these students knew each other well.
The monitor also didn’t expect it.
Bastian was very generous this year and had arranged everything. In the past, everyone would collectively decide on a random restaurant and they would split the bill individually.
It was strange that Bastian was also absent in the past few years. He would often show up for a short while before leaving in a hurry. Everyone assumed he was busy. It was said that he had been very busy since he came back from studying abroad.
The class monitor was also very curious about it because Bastian always gave him vague answers whenever he asked if he would be attending the reunion party. He always replied that he would only attend if he had time. Therefore, the class monitor assumed he must be super busy.
Susie wasn’t part of the class group chat and she didn’t know that Bastian rarely attended the parties. Moreover, Yilia had never mentioned it to her.
However, even if Yilia had told her about it, it wasn’t a guarantee that Susie would agree to attend. Moreover, Bastian was very elusive. He might decide to show up at the party unannounced and catch Susie unprepared.
Everyone never expected to meet their old acquaintances at this gathering. They were even more surprised as they hugged and shook hands with each other.
At first, everyone was a little estranged from each other and kept their distance. But they soon warmed up to each other and chatted happily.
A lot of people knew that Bastian was hosting the party, so they all came forward to greet him. He also responded politely.
As everyone chatted with each other, Susie and Liam had arrived at the entrance of the hotel. She saw Yilia waving at her from the doorway.
“Why did you arrive so late? I almost thought you had changed your mind and decided not to come!” Yilia said as she rushed forward, ready to take Susie’s hand and escort her into the hotel.
Only then did she realise that there was a tall man standing next to Susie.
“Ah! Susie, is this the person who answered the phone last time? Is he your boyfriend? I knew it! He is very handsome!” Yilia screamed.
Liam looked at the girl. Yilia stared at him with admiration in her eyes. She had no other ulterior motives, unlike some other girls who wanted to pounce on him the moment they saw him.
Liam nodded as a greeting.
“It’s not that, Yilia! He’s my cousin,” Susie said helplessly.
“I don’t believe it!” Yilia muttered.
“This is my cousin, Liam, and this is my friend, Yilia,” Susie introduced.
“Alright, alright. We should head inside. It’s about to begin!” Yilia said as she pulled both of them into the building.
“This way, Yilia!” called a girl that Yilia knew.
Yilia walked over with Susie and Liam.
“Let’s sit here. Everyone at this table is from our class,” Yilia said.
As soon as Susie and the rest took their seats, they attracted people’s attention and they began to whisper amongst themselves.
“This girl looks like Susie.”
“She hasn’t changed much over the years. In fact, she seems to have become more beautiful than before!”
“Who is the man sitting next to her? I don’t think he was in our class! Is he her boyfriend?”
Susie smiled naturally, while Liam put his hands in the pocket of his pants expressionlessly.
“Yilia, who are those people?” Susie asked as she looked around.
“Oh, Bastian was the one who organised this party. He invited our neighbouring classes too,” Yilia said in a low voice.
“No wonder! Here I was wondering why the party is held in such a grand hotel. As it turned out, Bastian is the one behind this!” Susie said. She didn’t know what Bastian was up to. Anyway, it had nothing to do with her. She was quite happy to eat a free meal.
Many people recognised Susie and came over to greet her. It was obvious that Susie was quite popular in her class.
After all, who didn’t like beautiful young girls who had good grades and treated people politely? Back then, many boys in their class had a crush on Susie.
Susie, I knew that Yilia could convince you to attend! If I had known earlier, I would have asked her to invite you all these years! Susie, tell me the truth. Do you hate me?” asked the class monitor,
Susie knew that he was joking. After all, he was a humorous person and got along well with many people.
“It’s not that! C’mon, you’re reading too much into it!” Susie said with a smile. After all these years, the class monitor’s personality hadn’t changed.
Susie felt like she had returned to her student life as she was surrounded by all her classmates. She didn’t expect that some of the people she knew had changed a lot, and even had children!
Soon after their arrival, the food was ready to be served and called everyone to return to their seats.
As everyone toasted their glasses with each other, they wanted to share a toast with Susie too. However, they were scared away by Liam’s eyes.
Although Liam had lost his memory, he didn’t lose his cold aura. Some people couldn’t bear it and gave up immediately, running away with their wine glasses. They didn’t care about persuading Susie to drink.
Susie also thought it was strange that people ran away so quickly. But it was also good that they weren’t forcing her to drink alcohol. She was a lightweight and didn’t like the taste of wine. Susie preferred to drink juice and soda.
“Susie, your boyfriend is so nice to you! He’s much better than Bastian!” Yilia said as she came over.
Although Susie had denied it several times, Yilia didn’t believe her. In the end, Susie gave up and let her assume whatever she wanted to because Yilia was tipsy and her cheeks were flushed. Susie felt rather helpless about it.
“C’mon, Yilia. You’ve had enough to drink. You’ll be drunk if you keep drinking,” Susie said.
When Yilia didn’t give her a proper response and giggled, Susie began to suspect that she was drunk.
“I’m not drunk… Susie, why don’t we share a toast with Mr. Will, our teacher?” Yilia asked suddenly, startling Susie.
Susie thought for a moment. Mr. Will was their teacher and was very responsible. He treated every student in the class equally and never showed favouritism towards any particular student.
Back then, he had been very proud of Susie and had praised her a lot. He was the one who recommended her to study abroad. Susie was very grateful to him, but she had never seen him after graduation. This made her feel a little guilty.
“Okay.”
Susie and Yilia got up and walked to Mr. Will’s table. Liam also got up and followed after them slowly.
Susie didn’t expect Bastian to be seated at Mr. Will’s table. Though it was to be expected because he was the one in charge of the party.
There were a few teachers seated at this table, and some of the students used to hold reputable positions within the class. Most of them were part of Bastian’s circle of friends and Susie didn’t recognise them.
“It’s you, Susie! I haven’t seen you in a while,” Mr. Will said kindly.
Susie didn’t expect that Mr. Will could recognise her with just a glance and call out to her without hesitation. She couldn’t help but feel a lump in her throat.
Susie felt extremely guilty when she thought about how she hadn’t paid him a visit since their graduation. Back then, she didn’t want to return to school because of Bastian. She was afraid of seeing familiar sights and being reminded of the events that had occurred.
Mr. Will looked at Susie. Back then, he had a vague understanding of what happened to her. What a pity!
With Susie’s arrival, everyone seated at that table began to converse once more. The former class beauty was still as beautiful as ever, and she felt as though she had returned to her college days. The boys were secretly talking about which girl was the most beautiful and who had the best personality.
“Bastian, you’re a good-for-nothing man! Back in those days, I knew you were the one who had secret plans!”
“And Susie, if only you had…” said a boy who had been pretty close with Bastian.
Just as he was about to continue, the person beside him pulled on his arm. He looked at Bastian’s angry expression and quickly shut his mouth.
“He’s just talking nonsense because he’s drunk,” explained the person sitting beside him.
In the past few years, there were always a few people absent from the reunion party. Susie had never participated in any of them, but she had agreed to attend this year’s party. They no longer had a reason to be absent. That was why the teachers also attended the reunion party.
At that time, Susie was the most beautiful person in her class. Her grades were good, and she was gentle to everyone. She was also a little shy. Many students had a good impression of Susie.
They were a little curious about what Susie was like now. Why was she absent from the previous parties? After all, they hadn’t seen her for several years and were quite curious.