Chapter 9: One with intention, one without

  When Wan Chao Hui and the other three arrived at the gate of the Cultural Palace, they saw Class Leader Gao Qing Sheng leading a group of boys and girls who had been waiting for a long time.

  "Dai Xin, you're here too!" Wan Chao Hui's eyes scanned the crowd and landed on a familiar figure, and he excitedly walked up to grab Dai Xin's hand. Dai Xin was a female classmate from high school who had sat at the same table as Wan Chao Hui. She was average-looking but clever and resourceful, not the book-smart type of student, but rather one with a natural talent for learning. Later on, she replaced Ye Cai Yun to get admitted to Suzhou Railway Normal University's math department.

  "Zao Hui, hello!" Dai Xin said with a big smile, pulling Wan Zao Hui's arm, then whispered in his ear: "Where is your Lin Boyang? Why haven't I seen him?"

  "Hey, what do you mean? Don't talk nonsense, I and he don't have anything going on, we're just ordinary friends!" Wan Chao Hui said with embarrassment, this was facing Dai Xin, if it were someone else, she wouldn't even bother to explain.

  "Ah, still a bit shy, sorry about that!" Dai Xinhui said with a smile to Wan Zhaohui. She carefully looked at Wan's appearance and thought he was indeed handsome. Luckily, her grades weren't good, so she didn't get into a good university; otherwise, who knows how many boys would have liked him? Lin Boyang still had an impression on Dai Xinhui - he was a handsome boy, resembling Guo Fu Cheng, very smart. Dai Xinhui always liked to tease handsome boys to prove her own importance and charm. However, whenever she tried to tease Lin Boyang with her wit, he didn't seem to care, not even responding, but instead looked at her with a mischievous grin, making Dai Xinhui's heart flutter and her face turn bright red, as if her intentions had been seen through. So, she didn't dare make any moves on Lin Boyang again. It seemed that handsome boys liked beautiful girls after all - Lin Boyang was interested in Wan Zhaohui, which made Dai Xinhui a bit jealous of Wan, but at least her poor grades balanced out her discontent.

  "We're really just ordinary friends!" Wan Zhaohui said with a forced smile, she lowered her guard in front of her friend, and didn't overthink or speculate about Dai Xin's psychology, simply thinking that she was concerned about herself.

  "Zao Hui, I think Lin Boyang is quite interested in you. Is it that you don't like him? Now that we've been in university for half a year, have you met someone suitable?" Dai Xin asked tentatively.

  "None! How about you?" Wan Chao Hui still smiled and asked.

  "I've got a boyfriend, he's a sophomore in our school, and he looks quite handsome!" Dai Xin somewhat exaggeratedly praised her current boyfriend, who was actually more refined than handsome.

  "That's great, congratulations!" Wan Chao Hui said happily to Dai Xin.

  "Ah, Chuihua, it seems your standards for selection are quite high!" Dai Xin continued to ask tentatively.

  "Dai Xin, we're friends, don't you understand me? I don't have high standards, it's just that I'm not in the mood for that right now! Emotions are about fate!" Wan Zhaohui was always reluctant to talk more when discussing emotional matters, only Ye Caiyun knew her heart. Although they sat together at the same desk for a semester in high school, Wan Zhaohui and Dai Xin's relationship remained on a friendly level, not yet reaching the point of sharing everything. Wan Zhaohui had some reservations, once during physical education class, while playing volleyball with everyone, Wan Zhaohui inadvertently turned around and saw Dai Xin looking at her with her single-lidded eyes narrowed, her gaze filled with hostility. Her intuition told her that Dai Xin had prejudices against her, but she wasn't sure what the reason was. Wan Zhaohui didn't like to dwell on such trivial matters, fearing it would harm the harmony between friends. As long as it wasn't a matter of principle, she usually ignored it and didn't hold onto it in her heart.

  Not far away, Han Bin was facing away from Wan Chao Hui and Dai Xin, seemingly chatting with Zeng Tao, Ye Caiyun and several other classmates, but in fact he was fully focused on eavesdropping on the conversation between Wan Chao Hui and Dai Xin.

  At this time, the head teacher Pan Jianguo and his most proud student, who was admitted to the Department of Politics at Peking University, appeared in the crowd. Wan Zhaohui looked at Pan Jianguo's small eyes and couldn't help but laugh, with a flash of disdain in his eyes. The class monitor Gao Qing began to count the number of people, and there were thirty-six in total. Wan Zhaohui had received Lin Boyang's phone call the day before, that kid was proud and sensitive, and didn't want to come to the reunion. When he knew Wan Zhaohui was going to attend the reunion, he was surprised and secretly admired Wan Zhaohui's courage.

  Everyone walked into the recreational hall, Wan Chao Hui originally thought that her classmates would sit together under Pan Jian Guo's leadership, chat and talk about their new university life. But as soon as they sat down, class monitor Gao Qing Sheng asked the waiter to set up two tables, one for playing mahjong and the other for fighting landlords. A group of boys, even with a few girls mixed in, excitedly gathered around the tables and started playing. What's more surprising is that they were playing with real money, putting stacks of cash on the table. Wan Chao Hui's eyes immediately flashed with disdain. She secretly admired Lin Bo Yang's decision to skip the gathering. If she had known it would be like this, she wouldn't have come either. It seems that she overestimated the cultural level of these top students!

  Wan Chao Hui reluctantly followed Ye Caiyun to the karaoke room, where several classmates were enthusiastically singing. Wan and Ye sat down on an empty sofa, listening to the elegant melody. Her mind was filled with two words: boredom!

  Suddenly, the door of the room was pushed open and Zeng Tao and Han Bin came in. They sat down next to Wan Chao Hui and Ye Cai Yun.

  "This is the song I ordered, hurry up and give me the microphone!" shouted Tong Li, a classmate who was an only child and had previously sat at the same table as Wan Chao Hui. Originally, Wan Chao Hui didn't have a bad impression of her, just thinking that she was a bit competitive and liked to be in charge. However, when Wan Chao Hui saw a handsome male classmate carelessly using Tong Li's stationery, Tong Li pretended to be angry and said: "How can you casually use my things as if they were your own?" The handsome classmate felt embarrassed and immediately returned the items, but then Tong Li voluntarily handed them back to him. Wan Chao Hui thought that Tong Li was really shameless and should have had more self-control when dealing with a self-important male student. So, deep down, Wan Chao Hui always looked down on Tong Li's way of handling things with males.

  At this moment, Tong Li's boastful shouting was particularly piercing to Wan Chao Hui's ears. She sat there calmly and quietly, passing the time, waiting for the countdown to the end of this boring gathering.

  "Sing if you want to, no one's competing with you, it's so noisy it's killing me!" Han Bin muttered under his breath. Wan Zhaohui heard him clearly, and her eyes sparkled for a moment because she heard the resonant voice. She couldn't help but look at Han Bin, this introverted guy didn't seem to be really introverted after all! A faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

  Tong Li was almost a rock star, singing one song after another. Her hoarse voice was not suitable for singing romantic songs, but she didn't think so. The two boys next to her took turns accompanying her in duets. Others were mostly chatting and laughing together, not really listening to the music.

  Just as the waiter was about to change the MTV song, "The Love of a Concubine" flashed on the screen. "Don't rush to change it, I'll sing this one!" Wan Zhaohui said with a smile, she was rebellious like that, deliberately expressing her disgust in a special way, satirizing others' vulgarity and dullness.

  "Let's have a sing-off!" The speaker was unexpectedly Han Bin, and Wan Zhaohui's eyes flashed with surprise. She hadn't expected that Han Bin would also be able to sing such folk songs.

  When the lively music came up, Han Bin picked up the microphone and sang loudly in a thick and slightly magnetic voice: "Sister, you sit at the bow of the boat, brother is walking on the shore, loving and affectionate, drifting and swaying... Sister, you sit at the bow of the boat, brother is walking on the shore, loving and affectionate, drifting and swaying..." Wan Zhaohui pretended to be calm while listening to Han Bin's imitation of the tune, her heart moved by the unusual joy and surprise he brought her. What kind of boy was this? Why could she always feel a familiar flavor on him?

  It was Wan Chao Hui's turn to sing, she couldn't help but pick up the microphone, and with the music, she sang in her standard sweet and beautiful voice, shocking everyone around her: "Little sister I'm sitting at the bow of the boat, brother you're walking on the shore, our love is swaying gently on the rope, oh swaying gently, you take one step and kowtow, no other requests, just hoping to hold my little sister's hand, and walk side by side with you!"

  Han Bin's eyes were fixed intently on the screen, but his heart was deeply attracted to Wan Chao Hui's sweet and clear voice, which lingered in his mind for a long time. When no one was paying attention, he secretly glanced at Wan Chao Hui beside him, only to see her staring intently at the screen, her profile looking very good. At first, Han Bin was captivated by Wan Chao Hui's trendy and elegant appearance, but now he was also won over by her traditional ethnic singing voice. He felt a strong novelty towards Wan Chao Hui and hoped she could focus her attention on him, taking a closer look at him. Was this possible?

  It's Hwang Bin's turn again, his enthusiasm was mobilized, and his voice sounded more excited.

  I don't know why, but as Wan Chao Hui listened on, her emotions became agitated. What's wrong with me? How can I have such strange feelings towards a stranger? What is this? Seeing the puzzled eyes around her, Wan Chao Hui felt uneasy and couldn't sit still anymore. She covered her chest, pretending to be uncomfortable: "Oh no, excuse me, I feel suffocated in my chest, I need to go out for some fresh air!" As she said that, she handed the microphone to Ye Cai Yun beside her and quickly rushed out of the room. Han Bin looked at Wan Chao Hui's departure with disappointment.

  Wan Chao Hui came alone to the plum blossom tree in front of the house, smelling the faint scent of plum blossoms, taking a deep breath of cold air, and suddenly feeling calm and relaxed. She liked the plum blossoms' proud and strong spirit as they bloomed alone in the cold winter.

  "Zao Hui, don't be anxious!" Ye Caiyun was a true friend, hurrying out to ask with concern.

  "I'm fine, I just felt a bit stuffy earlier! Now that I've taken a breath of fresh air, I feel much better!" Wan Chao Hui didn't tell Ye Cai Yun the truth, she didn't want to be thought of as being overly sensitive because of her own emotions, after all, it was just a classmate singing a love song, it couldn't mean anything!

  "Wan Chao Hui, you're here! I was going to say hello when I first arrived, but after coming out of the restroom, I didn't see your shadow!" said Wu Jia Yi, a male student from Wan Chao Hui's high school days who sat in front of him.

  "Wu Jia Yi! Hello! Long time no see!" When Wu Jia Yi appeared, Wan Chao Hui's face involuntarily broke into a bright smile. In Wan Chao Hui's eyes, Wu Jia Yi was an extremely simple-minded boy. She remembered that during their senior year of high school, when she sat in the back row, she would often hear Wu Jia Yi and his deskmate Yu Jing having childish conversations during class, "Come on, give me a bite of your instant noodles, just one bite, I'll return it to you tomorrow!" Wu Jia Yi's childish way of speaking made Wan Chao Hui unable to help but laugh secretly. She didn't expect that a senior boy could be so simple and lovely! Moreover, Wu Jia Yi liked to play pranks on Wan Chao Hui. Sometimes after evening self-study, he would hide behind the dark big tree and shout in a ghostly voice: "Wan...Chao...Hui!" ... Several times, this scared Wan Chao Hui into quickly pedaling her bicycle towards the dazzling neon lights.

  Recalling past events, Wan Chao Hui couldn't help but smile. The years of youth were really simple and interesting!

  "Where's Yu Jing? Why didn't he come today?" Wan Zhaohui casually asked Wu Jiayi.

  "What, you miss him?" Before Wu Jiayu could respond, Han Bin blurted out the question from a short distance away. His tone was very aggressive, his chin still slightly raised, and his eyes staring straight at Wan Zhaohui, with an air of arrogance.

  Wan Chao was stunned, staring at Han Bin, how could he ask her like that, looking very jealous!