Chapter 543 - 542: Chance Encounter with a High School Classmate

When Lu Yunque came out, Yun Zijin glanced at Liao Zhuxiu, who was right behind him.

Liao Zhuxiu knew what Yun Zijin was worried about and gave her an irritated glare.

’Who am I worrying so much for, anyway?’

But she understood. It was only natural for a girlfriend to dote on her boyfriend.

It’s just that the degree of doting needed to be carefully managed, or it could easily lead to one becoming completely lovesick.

Yun Zijin had no idea what Liao Zhuxiu was thinking. If she did, she would have surely told her, ’Don’t worry. I’ll never be that lovesick girl.’

Liao Zhuxiu had no intention of interrupting the young couple, so after a brief greeting to Yun Zijin, she went to attend to her own affairs.

Yun Zijin walked over to Lu Yunque’s side. "How about a walk nearby?"

Of course, Lu Yunque had no reason to refuse. It was also a chance to show his face to the people around the orphanage and let everyone know that Yun Zijin was taken.

"Sure! I’m not very familiar with the area, so you can decide where we go."

Although the orphanage had moved, it wasn’t far, and the surrounding people and places were all familiar to her.

So it made perfect sense for Lu Yunque to let Yun Zijin lead the way.

The two quickly left the orphanage. Yun Zijin led Lu Yunque to a famous nearby road known for its pink flowers.

Every winter, the silk floss trees lining the road would bloom, transforming the entire street into a pink paradise.

Many people came here for wedding photos, sightseeing, or filming vlogs.

They were here a bit late in the season, but some of the silk floss trees were still flowering.

"The view here is pretty nice, isn’t it? This is our town’s famous pink flower street."

"Yeah, it’s beautiful."

Lu Yunque was telling the truth. The road was clearly well-maintained. Seeing it in person, he felt it looked almost exactly like the pictures he had seen online.

The biggest difference was probably just the filters.

"Yun Zijin?"

Yun Zijin was holding Lu Yunque’s arm and shuffling along with her head down when she suddenly heard someone call her name.

At first, Yun Zijin thought they were calling someone else with the same name. But the person calling her was persistent, quickening their pace to catch up and stopping right beside her.

As they stopped, they reached out and tapped Yun Zijin on the shoulder.

"Yun Zijin, it really is you! I called out to you, but you didn’t answer. I thought I had the wrong person!"

’If you thought you had the wrong person, why did you still run up here?’

"You are...?"

Yun Zijin racked her brain, but for the life of her, she couldn’t recall who this person was.

"It’s me, Su Xue Mei! Don’t you remember? We were high school classmates!"

As soon as Su Xue Mei said her name, Yun Zijin remembered.

She did have a high school classmate named Su Xue Mei, but back then, she had been completely absorbed in her studies. She remembered the names of her classmates but couldn’t put faces to them.

Yun Zijin was a little puzzled as to why Su Xue Mei had been so insistent on saying hello.

"Ah! It’s Classmate Su. Sorry, I didn’t recognize you for a second."

"No worries, no worries. It’s been four years, so it’s completely normal not to recognize someone at first glance.

Anyway, our class is having a reunion this year. Do you want to come?"

Speaking of reunions, Yun Zijin was reminded of the call from her class monitor, Wang Shuming, inviting her to the Dijing High School alumni gathering. To be honest, it hadn’t been a pleasant experience.

"As you know, I grew up in an orphanage. It’s not often I get to come back for the holidays. The other adults aren’t back yet, so I have to take care of everything, big and small, for the New Year celebration here. I probably won’t have time for the reunion. Could you just say hi to everyone for me?"

When Su Xue Mei heard Yun Zijin mention she grew up in an orphanage, a cunning glint flashed in her eyes.

"Oh, come on. Everyone’s busy, but it’s rare for all of us to have time off together. You should try to make it.

This is your boyfriend, right? You can bring a plus-one to the reunion, you know!"

Only then did Su Xue Mei dare to get a proper look at Lu Yunque, and a single glance was all it took to leave her stunned.

The thought that an orphan like Yun Zijin could land such a handsome boyfriend made her feel a pang of jealousy, strengthening her resolve to persuade Yun Zijin to attend the reunion.

A flicker of impatience crossed Yun Zijin’s face, but Su Xue Mei evidently failed to notice.

And even if she had, she likely would have pretended not to.

"I really don’t have time. You said lots of people are going, right? They won’t miss me."

Yun Zijin genuinely didn’t want to attend such a reunion. She felt that people changed after entering the workforce; they weren’t the same as they were in school.

People with jobs were always more pragmatic and materialistic than students, and reunions always had a pecking order.

Yun Zijin had learned that firsthand at the last Dijing High School alumni gathering she attended in Dijing.

By now, most of their classmates would be doing internships, so the main topic of conversation would undoubtedly be which companies everyone was working for.

"The class monitor said in the group chat that he invited our old teachers, too. Come on, you should go! I remember our homeroom teacher was especially good to you back in high school."

As expected, Yun Zijin paused at Su Xue Mei’s words. Su Xue Mei knew she had struck the right chord.

Yun Zijin didn’t much care for her other classmates, but she was deeply grateful to her homeroom teacher.

"Are you sure our homeroom teacher will be there? If they don’t show, you’ll have to answer for what you just said."

While there was nothing she could do to Su Xue Mei legally, Yun Zijin had plenty of ways to make her pay for her words.

’If you’re going to lie, you have to be prepared for the consequences when you’re exposed, right?’

"Of course! If you don’t believe me, you can ask the class monitor. He said in the group chat that he was trying to contact everyone. Didn’t he call you?"

"I see. I’ll confirm it with the class monitor."

’However, whether I go or not is none of her business.’

"Oh, okay. Well, let’s exchange contact information. If you decide to come, I can drive to the orphanage and pick you up.

I just started my internship, and my dad bought me a car. It wasn’t expensive, just a hundred thousand yuan or so."

Yun Zijin knew Su Xue Mei was hoping to see a flash of envy in her eyes, but she couldn’t have faked it even if she tried.

’100,000 yuan wouldn’t even be enough to buy one of my handbags.’

"That’s nice. It’s getting dark, and it’s not safe for a girl to be out so late. You should get home."

There were many dark, unlit alleys in the area. Who knew if someone might get the wrong idea? It was genuinely dangerous for a young woman to be out by herself.

"You still haven’t given me your number. If not your number, your WeChat ID is fine, too."

Su Xue Mei’s real goal was her WeChat all along.

Yun Zijin ignored Su Xue Mei’s request, took Lu Yunque by the arm, and started walking away.

Su Xue Mei was rather disappointed that she hadn’t managed to get Yun Zijin’s WeChat.