cover the sky

Chapter 3: Past and Present

Although Ye Fan could not be said to have achieved much in his career, due to some reasons and experiences, he now has some capital in his hands. Not long ago, he happened to have purchased a Mercedes, which was more expensive than Liu Yunzhi's Toyota in terms of price. However, he felt it was rather vulgar to judge one's status by such means.

Ten minutes later, Ye Fan drove to the gathering place - the Seascape Moon City.

This was a super entertainment city that combined catering and leisure, located in a prime location surrounded by a bustling area. One could tell from the various mid-to-high-end cars in its parking lot who the main consumers were.

Just three years after graduation, most of the classmates could not be considered successful in their careers yet. Ye Fan felt that choosing such a gathering place was somewhat extravagant.

As he walked out of the parking lot and approached Seascape Moon City, he quickly spotted several familiar figures. They were classmates who had come to attend the gathering, some of whom he hadn't seen in three years.

"Ye Fan!" At that moment, a handsome and gentle-looking young man spotted him and came over with a smile, saying, "It's your fault for being late, as a local landlord. It should have been you who initiated and organized this gathering."

This young man with the gentle appearance was named Wang Ziwen, one of the organizers and initiators of this gathering. He was a very active person during his college years, and it was said that he had been very successful in another city over the past three years, and his assets were already quite substantial.

The others also came over, although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, they were still very warm towards each other.

Obviously, Wang Ziwen was waiting here for someone, and there were only a limited number of two or three people who could make him stand in front of Seascape Moon City to greet them, which was easy to guess.

Wangziwen a clever man, did not stay alone here waiting for people. Instead, he led the way inside the Hai Shang Ming Yue City while chatting and laughing with everyone. There was a small business center on the fifth floor, which could accommodate 30 to 50 people for meetings, and had already been reserved.

At this point, the sky outside had already turned dark, and most of the classmates who came to the gathering had arrived.

The arrival of several people suddenly made the atmosphere lively, and many people came to greet them. It felt like time had passed and the space had shifted as some scenes from university overlapped.

It had been three years since graduation, and everyone was now around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. Some had already married, and two had become young mothers.

Everyone had their own different life trajectory, but overall, most classmates were ordinary people. The ideals and aspirations of the past had been polished away by time and were now almost completely gone, settling into a mundane life.

Dreams had faded away, and the vast majority of people were acutely aware that they were just ordinary people.

Wang Ziwen led Ye Fan to the other side of the venue, where he carefully observed that most of the classmates here were either successful in their careers or had some background.

"You came so late, we have to punish you with three cups," someone joked.

"Three cups are too little, you guys are underestimating my drinking capacity," Lin Jia joked with a slight glance, her slender figure and beautiful curves captivating.

"Which beautiful lady wants to punish me?" Ye Fan classified several male classmates as beautiful ladies as well.

"Just came and already taking advantage of us, we have to punish you severely!" The men and women unanimously began to sharpen their knives.

Liu Yunzhi had some background in the city, so he naturally belonged to this small group. He casually said, "I thought you would be delayed waiting for a taxi."

His words caused an awkward silence. Everyone present knew about the past animosity between Liu Yunzhi and Ye Fan, and now that Liu Yunzhi was doing well in the city, his comment about Ye Fan taking a taxi was a bit pointed.

Others also noticed the situation and looked over. However, Ye Fan just smiled indifferently and didn't say anything.

"I'll go outside to pick up Zhou Yi," Wang Ziwen changed the topic and then turned and left.

Lin Jia and two female classmates talked about cosmetics and several branded clothing, while the others shared stories from their past. The short-lived awkwardness was soon forgotten, and the atmosphere became lively again.

However, after the incident just now, the atmosphere was somewhat delicate. No one mentioned punishing Ye Fan anymore, but there were more comments about Liu Yunzhi's words.

Although Ye Fan was a popular figure in university, everything became unimportant after leaving campus. Now, whether someone has achieved success in their career is what matters most.

There were occasional glances over here from the surrounding people, and it was evident that this was a special small circle. Everyone present was doing well in their current life, and Ye Fan seemed to be on the fringes.

However, Ye Fan was always calm about this. Eventually, he stood up and left to join another group of classmates. He didn't want to be labeled as part of a special group by his peers.

Cosmetics and branded clothing were always the favorite topics for female students, while male students talked about football, current events, and otHalf an hour later, the 25 people who came to the gathering had arrived. The entire class had 33 students, three of whom were studying abroad, while the other five were unable to make it for various reasons.

The organizers of the gathering gave speeches one after another, and the atmosphere was very lively. Afterwards, everyone divided into several small groups and chatted happily.

It wasn't until much later that everyone left the small conference center, ready to toast to this reunion. There was no deliberate arrangement, and the respect and familiarity of each table showed itself naturally.

Rather than sitting with the small group of Lin Jia, Liu Yunzhi and others, Ye Fan naturally sat at another table.

After another round of speeches, things became more casual. Some people were toasting between tables, while others were surrounded at their table and couldn't move, being toasted repeatedly.

A lot had happened in the three years, and everyone had changed a lot. Perhaps due to the stimulation of alcohol, many classmates talked about their lives, some boasting and some lamenting.

Some people bitterly complained about their bosses, who were extremely demanding and always required overtime, but paid meager salaries.

One female classmate said that her boyfriend was a department manager at a famous enterprise, while another said that her husband had been promoted to the position of vice president in their company. Someone else said that their fiancé was the niece of a high-ranking bank executive.

But more people listened in silence, realizing that their lives were not as ideal as they had hoped.

One female classmate in particular appeared very haggard. Some said she had married someone she didn't love and was unhappy in her marriage, with her husband drinking heavily all day long. When some classmates passed through her city to visit her, they saw bruises and scars on her body.her broad topics.

"If anyone needs any help, feel free to come to me..." For the very tired-looking female classmate, Ye Fan sympathized with her. He still remembered her shy and innocent appearance during their university days, standing outside the football field and cheering him on with all her might.

It was clear that her life was really difficult. Some classmates said that she had married someone she didn't like, and after marriage, she was unhappy. Her husband drank heavily all day and some classmates who passed through the city where she lived saw bruises on her body.

"If you want to change your life, you should start with yourself, Ye Fan..." The female classmate who said her husband had been promoted to vice president of a company under the influence of alcohol was a bit rude: "Look at how successful Liu Yunzhi is now."

All the classmates at this table looked at Ye Fan and then turned to look at Liu Yunzhi's table, where there were many successful classmates.

"I'm not saying that you weren't someone in university, Ye Fan, but everything changes after you leave campus. You have to work hard," said the male classmate at this table who said his fiancée was a niece of a certain bank executive.

When the people at this table mentioned the classmates at Liu Yunzhi's table, some classmates felt emotional, saying that some people who were not as good as themselves in university were now incomparable.

There were also some classmates who were very cynical and extreme, saying that those people were showing off their wealth and property.

One female classmate even joked with Ye Fan, saying that fortunately, she only secretly liked him during university, but now regretted rejecting Liu Yunzhi's pursuit.

The same city, the same people, but everyone's mentality was vastly different after reuniting.