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On the afternoon of the next day, Liu Ping was thinking about what to have for dinner when Zhuang Teng called.
Liu Ping answered the phone, already prepared with an excuse: "Oh, I'm so sorry, but my child has a heavy study load and can't get away."
Zhuang Teng laughed and said, "It's the New Year, give the kid a break. And give yourself a break too. Tutoring homework is the quickest way to ruin a mother-daughter relationship. Bring your little princess out for some fun. Uncle Zhuang is treating."
Liu Ping said it was too much trouble and declined politely, suggesting they do it another time.
Unexpectedly, Zhuang Teng was persistent. He said, "I'm already downstairs at your place. I brought a car to pick you up. If you don't believe me, just look out the window."
Liu Ping actually leaned out to look and saw a silver stretch limousine, incredibly luxurious. Zhuang Teng poked his head out of the car and waved up at her.
With such sincerity, it would be rude for Liu Ping to refuse again. She asked Zhuang Teng to give her half an hour to change, and he readily agreed.
Liu Ping applied makeup every day, so she only needed a slight touch-up. The real challenge was her outfit. She opened her wardrobe and tried on one outfit after another—fur coats, cashmere, Burberry scarves—but nothing satisfied her. What kind of occasion was a class reunion? It was a battlefield of competing glamour. She had to dress to impress.
For every outfit, she asked Mei Yuliang for his opinion. As the head of the propaganda department, he had some sense of style. He smoothed the tuft of hair on his forehead and said, "Your strength is that you look young. If you dress too extravagantly, you'll lose that advantage."
Liu Ping agreed wholeheartedly. She put away the mink coat and LV bag and opted for a dark green houndstooth midi skirt with boots, paired with a sweater and a classic Burberry trench coat. This coat had cost her over 8,000 yuan through a Purchasing, but the European sizing meant the sleeves were too long and had to be rolled up.
By the time she finished, forty-five minutes had passed. Liu Ping descended the stairs with her Gucci tiger-head bag. The stretch Rolls-Royce was waiting in front of her, its front adorned with two license plates: one reading Yue Zxxxx Macau and the other a combination of letters and numbers. Zhuang Teng didn't get out of the car; instead, a driver in a black suit and white gloves opened the door for her. Liu Ping, enveloped in a cloud of perfume, stepped inside.
The car was fragrant too, a mix of the fine leather seats' natural scent, an unknown high-end car fragrance, and the crystal wine glasses on the bar, all exuding an indescribable sense of luxury.
Zhuang Teng was the epitome of a nouveau riche, covered from head to toe in recognizable luxury brand logos. The most eye-catching was the gold-engraved "H" belt buckle at his waist. On his left wrist was a glittering Rainbow Daytona watch. He wore Ferragamo loafers without socks, seemingly unfazed by the cold. His hair was styled in an exaggerated, three-dimensional way. He sat across from Liu Ping, legs crossed, holding a glass of champagne in one hand and a cigar in the other, the very image of a tycoon.
Liu Ping accepted the champagne and smiled sweetly, "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"The wait was worth it," Zhuang Teng said. He held the cigar but didn't light it, as if it were just a rented prop.
"Is this your car?" Liu Ping asked, feigning curiosity.
"Drove all the way from Macau. It's been a long journey," Zhuang Teng said. "It's under the company's name, used to entertain clients. Normally, I drive a GTR."
Liu Ping didn't know what a GTR was but made a mental note to look it up later. She said, "You've really made it big, old classmate."
"Just earning a hard-living wage," Zhuang Teng replied. Suddenly, his phone rang—a diamond-encrusted Vertu. He answered in fluent Cantonese, sounding just like the characters in Hong Kong dramas. Liu Ping couldn't understand a word but sensed his commanding tone, as if he were giving orders to subordinates.
By the time the call ended, they had arrived at their destination. Zhuang Teng had chosen the shipyard's guesthouse, a place of understated luxury. The largest private room came with its own bathroom and a mahjong room. A few people had already arrived and were engrossed in a lively game of cards.
Zhuang Teng had pulled out all the stops, inviting their retired homeroom teacher and the former principal. Gradually, more than twenty classmates showed up, including even the ever-busy Ma Xiaowei.
"Thank you, teachers and classmates, for giving me the opportunity to host this gathering. Before we start, I have some small gifts for everyone," Zhuang Teng said, snapping his fingers. A server brought out a tray covered with red silk. Zhuang Teng lifted the silk to reveal thirty of the latest model iPhones.
Liu Ping's jaw dropped. This was beyond generous—thirty iPhones! That was like giving away thirty kidneys!
Even Ma Xiaowei furrowed his brow slightly. He had only come to make an appearance, not expecting Zhuang Teng to be this extravagant. Spending tens of thousands on gifts without batting an eye—if this were about currying favor, iPhones might not be the most impressive gift, but this was a class reunion. There was no need to suck up to anyone. Zhuang Teng was simply showing off.
Everyone received an iPhone, and the room was filled with smiles. Even Ma Xiaowei couldn't resist taking one. After all, only a fool would pass up free stuff. But he had no idea this was just the beginning.
Zhuang Teng scanned the room. Less than 70% of their former classmates had shown up, which was a shame. Most of those who came were women, now in their late thirties, with few having achieved much success. Even the attractive ones were few and far between.
"To make things more fun, I've also arranged a raffle," Zhuang Teng announced. "Everyone wins something. The third prize is an iPad, the second prize is a MacBook, and the first prize is a Hermès Kelly bag."
Liu Ping's heart felt like it had been struck by a hammer. A Hermès bag! That was the ultimate goal for any woman. Hermès was on a whole different level compared to LV. She had visited the Hermès store in Jinjiang, but they didn't even display bags—not even samples. If you wanted to buy one, you had to be a regular customer and wait in line. To even be considered, you had to become a member and spend hundreds of thousands annually. The sales staff's attitudes changed completely then. But Liu Ping's financial situation was far from supporting such extravagance. She had bought a fake one once but rarely dared to carry it, afraid someone might recognize it as counterfeit.
The room erupted in excitement, the atmosphere lively. Zhuang Teng signaled the servers to start serving the meal. The dinner was of the highest standard—Australian lobsters, king crabs, XO cognac, and Moutai liquor. Cigarettes were the duty-free version of soft-pack Chunghwa, with two packs placed in front of each person, regardless of gender. Many of the women immediately stashed the cigarettes in their bags, planning to toss them to their husbands later, like throwing a bone to a dog.
After three rounds of drinks, the old classmates' camaraderie was rekindled. They chatted about their husbands, children, and old times. Zhuang Teng sat between Ma Xiaowei and Ma Junhou. These two Ma classmates had been in the same class in middle school and now worked in the same company, but their statuses were worlds apart.
Ma Xiaowei had graduated from Tsinghua University, while Ma Junhou had gone to a technical school. Ma Xiaowei was the deputy chief engineer of the group, while Ma Junhou was just an ordinary workshop worker.
But in Zhuang Teng's eyes, there was no hierarchy. He only saw them as classmates. In fact, he was even closer to Ma Junhou, as they had been desk mates back in the day.
Zhuang Teng chatted with Ma Junhou about trivial matters at the factory, then turned to Ma Xiaowei to discuss the latest international shipping index and eventually the Ou Group. Ma Xiaowei mentioned that the Ou Group might place an order with their company. Zhuang Teng said he knew a senior executive at Ou Group who could be helpful. When he mentioned the name, it turned out to be the right person. If they could win this person over, the chances of securing the contract would increase significantly.
"Xiaowei," Zhuang Teng said, using a more familiar tone, "In business, flexibility is key. Building relationships is more important than technical details or cost-cutting. I'm quite close with Director Henry. If you need help, just let me know."
"I'll report this to the leadership," Ma Xiaowei said.
Zhuang Teng then went to toast the teachers. During the casual conversation, the teachers brought up a recent internet café fire that had caused casualties. Some of the burn victims, because the café owner had been imprisoned and gone bankrupt, couldn't afford treatment and might face lifelong disabilities.
"That's just not right," Zhuang Teng said. "Here's what I'll do—I'll donate one million Hong Kong dollars in our school's name to help these people."
The teachers were stunned. Donating one million to complete strangers? This man was a true philanthropist.
Joyful times always pass quickly, and the banquet was coming to an end. There was no after-party; these homemakers had to rush back to take care of their husbands and children. The raffle began, with Zhuang Teng using the seating chart to draw the winners. The third and second prizes were announced. Liu Ping won an iPad, but she sighed inwardly, knowing she had missed out on the Hermès bag.
Even Ma Xiaowei felt a twinge of anticipation. After all, Hermès wasn't an ordinary brand. If he won, he planned to gift it to the wife of Director Gao Ming.
But he only won the second prize. Zhuang Teng took out the last slip of paper, unfolded it, and announced, "First prize, number one!"
Number one was the person who had arrived first. Everyone's eyes turned to Ma Junhou, who was in the middle of chugging a large bottle of coconut juice. He turned his head and blinked, "What?"
"Ma Junhou, you've won the grand prize," Liu Ping said, her voice tinged with envy.
Zhuang Teng brought out an orange-red box tied with a ribbon. Inside was the Hermès Kelly bag.
Liu Ping's eyes practically reached out to snatch the box. Ma Junhou didn't even have a wife—what use did he have for such an expensive women's bag?
Another female classmate immediately called out, "Ma Junhou, you don't need that. I'll give you 500 yuan for it."
Ma Junhou hid the box behind his back and scoffed, "Not a chance. Do you think I'm stupid? The first prize is definitely worth more than the second prize. This bag is worth at least 20,000 yuan."
Liu Ping wanted to say she'd buy it for 20,000, but Ma Xiaowei beat her to it, offering 25,000 yuan.
"Not even 25,000," Ma Junhou said, shaking his head like a rattle-drum.
Everyone laughed at Ma Junhou's greed. The reunion ended without any rekindled romances or dramatic twists. After all, they were all nearly forty, burdened by the pressures of life, and lacked the energy or means for any mischief.
Zhuang Teng saw everyone off at the door. He had rented several luxury cars to shuttle people home. When it was Liu Ping's turn, the stretch Rolls-Royce from earlier was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she was offered a regular Audi A6.
"Take care, drive safely, and text me when you get home," Zhuang Teng said, personally opening the car door and shielding the frame with his hand as Liu Ping got in. "I won't see you off."
Liu Ping felt a pang of bitterness. The former "simp" had transformed into a respectable man, while the goddess had aged. Was there anything more tragic in the world?
After seeing everyone off, Zhuang Teng returned to the banquet hall. He found Ma Junhou packing up the leftover Moutai and XO into a bag. Seeing Zhuang Teng return, Ma Junhou looked a little embarrassed and chuckled, "There's still some left. It'd be a shame to waste it. A few buddies at my workshop have never tried Moutai before."
"No problem. Take the leftovers, and the lobster too... Oh, the lobster's already been packed by the others. Never mind, I'll have the driver deliver a case of Moutai to your house."
Ma Junhou said, "You're too kind."
Zhuang Teng replied, "Back in school, you were the only one who treated me with respect. I remember when some guys from the neighboring class tried to corner me after school, and you stepped in to help me out. For that alone, isn't a case of Moutai worth it?"
Ma Junhou said, "Zhuang Teng, there aren't many people as decent as you."
Zhuang Teng said, "Don't call me Zhuang Teng. I don't use that name anymore. Now, I'm Zhuang Longbao."
Ma Junhou asked, "What business are you in now? Can you take me along?"
Zhuang Longbao avoided the question and instead asked Ma Junhou if he was full. "How about we go somewhere else for another drink?"
Ma Junhou perked up at the suggestion. "I'm actually still hungry. Let me take you to try some Da Hong Pao (a premium oolong tea). My treat."