Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 362: Class Reunion

In truth, the Xuhuai Association was not some illegal or disorderly organization. Although Liu Shuo would boisterously spout on about brotherhood, anyone with half a brain knew it was merely a regional fellowship. The reason the Xuhuai Association had grown so massive was that many people who joined simply hoped to use the network to find better part-time jobs. It was safe to say that most members did not harbor the deep emotional attachment to the organization that outsiders imagined.However, everything is relative. While some could see through to its true nature, others could not. Take Xie Lei, for instance. He had been a delinquent back in high school. Because his family had a bit of money, his parents pulled some strings to get him into a junior college in Jinling, originally intending for him to learn a technical skill.

But a guy like him would just mess around wherever he went.

When he had nothing better to do, he loved bragging to others.

"Oh, I know about this."

"Then those blind fools at the agency actually dared to deduct the part-time wages of the Xuhuai Association's people!"

Xie Lei had laughed when he first heard this. Taking a drag from his cigarette, he said, "Isn't the boss a rich second generation? Why would he even care about that kind of pocket change?"

"Are you an idiot! Just because the boss is a rich second generation doesn't mean his underlings are. The main point is that someone was bullying his underlings! Do you know what happened next?"

"What happened?"

"Then Boss Zhou rallied his underlings and led them straight to that agency's door. They nearly beat the guy to death!"

"Damn, aren't we in a civilized society now?!"

"Civilization is relative, alright? Go out and ask around. Among all the agencies operating in the university town right now, who would dare offend anyone from the Xuhuai Association!"

All bragging inevitably underwent some artistic embellishment, but there was just a certain crowd that loved listening to these sorts of mindless, exaggerated tales.

After listening to these guys brag, Xie Lei felt his blood boil with excitement. Without another word, he joined the Xuhuai Association!

Then, because he was a Xuhuai local, he received some preferential treatment within the group. When taking on part-time jobs, he did not have to work on the assembly line and could instead take on supervisor-type roles.

How much money he made was secondary; the main thing was that Xie Lei really enjoyed the work of supervising others. It made him feel powerful and prestigious.

Although it was named the Xuhuai Association, it contained people from all corners of the country. Naturally, those from the same hometowns still tended to stick together.

As a Xuhuai native, Xie Lei felt a sense of superiority. Because the Xuhuai Association brought him honor, he naturally developed a sense of loyalty and pride toward the group.

When others bragged to him, he would naturally brag even harder when he went out.

For example, when facing Sun Bo and Jin Kai today, Xie Lei felt a strong sense of superiority. In his eyes, Sun Bo and Jin Kai were just country bumpkins playing a child's game of house.

'I am now a member of the Xuhuai Association. I have status!'

And when Sun Bo heard Xie Lei bragging about just how badass the Xuhuai Association was, he immediately grew excited and said, "Brother Lei! Brother Lei, let us join the Xuhuai Association too!"

"Yeah, Brother Lei, let us join the Xuhuai Association too! We'll both be your underlings!" Jin Kai added.

Xie Lei sat there smoking his cigarette, putting on a highly pretentious air as he said, "I already told you, do you think our Xuhuai Association just takes anybody? The minimum requirement is a junior college degree!"

"Ah!" Sun Bo and Jin Kai exclaimed, thinking to themselves, 'As expected of a high-level gang, they even have educational requirements.'

They exchanged a glance. Jin Kai pondered for a moment, then handed Xie Lei a cigarette, grinning as he said, "Brother, I know you are incredibly resourceful and definitely have a say in the Xuhuai Association. Please help a brother out. We will absolutely show you our utmost respect in the future!"

"Hmph, you are going to show respect with just this?"

"Brother, how about we hit up a karaoke club tonight? I will call a few girls over?" Jin Kai suggested.

Xie Lei looked at him with disdain and said, "Alright, alright, consider yourselves lucky! To be honest, I do not really have much of a say in getting you into the Xuhuai Association, but today happens to be the day of our annual gathering!"

"The Xuhuai Association even has an annual gathering!" Jin Kai muttered to himself.

"Hmph, country bumpkins."

"Great, great, great! Thank you, Brother Lei!"

"Brother Lei is the best!"

Jin Kai and Sun Bo were overjoyed. Then Xie Lei took a sip of water and complained, "This is so boring. There isn't a single girl around."

Hearing this, Jin Kai rolled his eyes as an idea struck him. He kept quiet about it; after all, if he spoke up now, Sun Bo might try to steal the credit.

Instead, he secretly contacted that blonde delinquent girl, Zhao Rui.

Originally, Zhao Rui had brought a few other delinquent girls to ambush Liu Yilin today. They were already at the campus gates keeping an eye on her target.

Right at that moment, she received Jin Kai's message.

Jin Kai texted, "Babe, hurry up and bring your little sisters over. Your big brother is going to take you out to see the world today!"

"See what world, bro? I have business to handle here. I absolutely have to tear up that bitch from last night!"

Jin Kai fired back a bunch of random nonsense over the phone, insisting that he was taking her out to broaden her horizons.

A delinquent girl like Zhao Rui absolutely loved the gangster-boss types straight out of mafia movies. Upon hearing Jin Kai mention that some big boss was coming over and treating them to a meal, her imagination began to run wild.

Wasn't there a writer online named Fishman who wrote stories about big shots falling in love with delinquent girls?

Who knows, maybe the big boss would fall for her too?

At that thought, Zhao Rui put away her phone and shot a vicious glare at Liu Yilin. "I will let you off the hook today! Tomorrow! If I don't tear you apart tomorrow, you can be my mother from now on!"

Having made her declaration, Zhao Rui waved her hand in high spirits. "Let's go!"

She then departed with her crew of little delinquent girls.

Zhou Yuwen drove his car with Su Qing, only arriving at the restaurant entrance at noon.

Along the way, Su Qing had been constantly touching up her makeup.

She had not been joking yesterday; today she had truly put on a full face of makeup. She wore a black round-neck base shirt paired with a red tight skirt.

Her beautiful jade-like legs were wrapped in nude stockings.

At first, Zhou Yuwen thought they were the thick, fleece-lined kind, but when he placed his hand on them while driving...

He discovered they were actually sheer pantyhose!

The texture felt completely different.

Yet, verbally, Zhou Yuwen remarked, "Aren't you afraid of catching a cold wearing so little?"

Hearing this, Su Qing hummed a laugh and blinked at him. Applying her lipstick in the small vanity mirror of the passenger seat, she replied, "What is there to be afraid of? The room has an air conditioner anyway."

"You are really going all out," Zhou Yuwen said, his hand resting on Su Qing's thigh, giving it an affectionate squeeze.

Su Qing felt Zhou Yuwen's hand inching toward her inner thigh. Secretly amused, she swatted his hand away and teased, "If you don't like it, then what are you touching it for!?"

"Did I ever say I didn't like it?" Zhou Yuwen countered.

"Hmph!"

Su Qing pouting her small lips looked rather adorable.

While looking for a parking spot at the restaurant entrance, Zhou Yuwen noticed a polite-looking boy wearing glasses in the parking lot. The boy kept staring at his car. It took Zhou Yuwen a long moment to recall who he was. He gave Su Qing's thigh a squeeze and pointed, "Hey, look, who is that?"

"Who?" Su Qing tilted her head to look but did not recognize him.

Zhou Yuwen said, "Didn't you say you knew him?"

"When have I ever known this guy?" Su Qing stared for a long time but still could not remember.

Zhou Yuwen revealed, "It's Luo Jialiang."

"That is Luo Jialiang?" Su Qing was somewhat surprised.

Zhou Yuwen teased that she had practically boasted about knowing him.

"It has been so many years, how could I possibly recognize him!" Su Qing huffed.

Zhou Yuwen chuckled and rolled down his window.

At that moment, Luo Jialiang was still admiring the majestic and domineering BMW X7, probably wishing he could drive a car like that someday.

So when the window suddenly rolled down, it made Luo Jialiang quite embarrassed. He made eye contact with Zhou Yuwen, but not recognizing him right away, he merely tried to turn his head away.

That was until the other party called out softly, "Jialiang, right?"

"?" Luo Jialiang blanked out for a second and looked back at Zhou Yuwen.

Zhou Yuwen's aura had changed drastically, but after all, they had only been apart for half a year. It was impossible for Luo Jialiang not to recognize Zhou Yuwen; what shocked him was, why was Zhou Yuwen driving a BMW!?

"Zhou Yuwen?" Luo Jialiang's voice was thoroughly filled with disbelief.

He looked at Zhou Yuwen, then glanced at Su Qing in the passenger seat.

Well, he had been wanting to peek at the passenger seat all along.

His old classmate.

Not only was he driving a luxury car.

But he also brought along a stunning passenger in the front seat...

"Hi~" Su Qing blinked at Luo Jialiang. Her brilliant smile and captivating gaze made Luo Jialiang blush furiously, and he quickly turned his head away, too intimidated to keep looking.

"Pfft!" Seeing the boy's inexperienced bashfulness, Su Qing could not help but burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yuwen's hand was still resting on Su Qing's beautiful legs adorned in nude stockings.

He could not help it; the texture felt far too incredible.

Zhou Yuwen gave her beautiful leg another squeeze and said, "Stop teasing him!"

"How am I teasing him? You're the one teasing him, alright? Hey, Luo Jialiang, do you still recognize me?" Su Qing asked Luo Jialiang.

"?" This time Luo Jialiang was even more bewildered.

He stared at Su Qing for a long time but could not figure out who she was. "Are... are you from our class?"

"Pfft! I am Su Qing! Jialiang, it has only been half a year and you already don't recognize me!?"

"Su Qing!?" Luo Jialiang suddenly remembered, his face lighting up with genuine joy. He said, "Oh right, I remember now, you're Su Qing from the class next door. How could it be you? Why are you here!?"

"Your class is having a reunion, isn't it? I came to accompany my hubby!" Su Qing said, blinking innocently. "Hubby?" The joy of reuniting after a long separation instantly vanished into thin air at Su Qing's single word.

Before Luo Jialiang even had a chance to ask.

He heard Su Qing grab Zhou Yuwen's hand and cheerfully declare, "Yep! Zhou Yuwen and I are dating now!"

"..."

Zhou Yuwen, with his luxury car and beautiful woman by his side, left a profound and indelible impression on the young Luo Jialiang.

Zhou Yuwen waved his hand at Luo Jialiang. "Alright, Jialiang, I'll stop chatting with you for now. I need to find a place to park. Which room are we in?"

Having said that, Zhou Yuwen drove off toward the inner lot.

Today, Luo Jialiang had driven his father's Passat over. He had meticulously chosen his outfit as well, proudly celebrating that he had joined the university's organizational department and was slated to become the vice minister next semester.

This class reunion was his idea; he originally wanted to see how all his former classmates were faring in life now.

However, after stepping out of his car full of self-satisfaction, only to run face-first into Zhou Yuwen with his BMW and beautiful companion, he suddenly no longer felt like hosting this reunion.

Luo Jialiang's expression grew visibly despondent.

Fortunately, just as he exited the parking lot, he spotted a few female classmates who had just arrived at the restaurant entrance.

The female classmates excitedly greeted Luo Jialiang. Seeing him come out of the parking lot, they chimed in, "Jialiang, did you drive here!?"

"Wow, Jialiang, you're amazing! Even though I got my driver's license, I don't even dare to drive yet."

Yet Luo Jialiang, who typically loved chatting with girls, suddenly found himself lacking the desire to speak.

Zhou Yuwen finished parking the car. Recalling Su Qing's enthusiastic display just moments ago, he remarked, "I never knew you were so bubbly."

Su Qing blinked rapidly. She said, "Bubbly? I suppose it's fine. Hubby, give me a kiss."

Saying this, she opened her arms wide in an adorably demanding posture for a hug.

Zhou Yuwen didn't hold back; he leaned over right there in the car and gave her a forceful, passionate kiss.

"Mmph, my makeup... my makeup is ruined."

Zhou Yuwen asked if she wanted more.

"N-no more?"

Zhou Yuwen whispered, "What should I do if I suddenly want to take you right now?"

Su Qing blinked her eyes seductively. "My Mom has classes tonight. She will be back very late."

"Really?"

"Mhm."

"Alright."

Zhou Yuwen and Su Qing made out intimately in the car for a while. He even pulled Su Qing's pair of gorgeous, stocking-clad legs over to his driver's seat to thoroughly appreciate and fondle them.

Afterward, Su Qing spent some time completely re-touching her makeup.

Only then did the two finally step out of the car.

By this time, quite a few people had already gathered in the private room for the class reunion, both men and women. Li Shiqi had also arrived. She was dressed elegantly and plainly, with a delicate, pitifully beautiful face that was more than enough to captivate anyone.

Luo Jialiang had taken a heavy blow to his ego from Zhou Yuwen in the parking lot, but among this student peer group, he was still considered outstanding. After entering the private room and chatting casually with his classmates for a bit, he quickly fell back into his habitual, boastful rhythm.

That was, until Zhou Yuwen and Su Qing walked in hand-in-hand.

"Oh?"

"Wow~"

When they first saw Zhou Yuwen, the classmates did not look particularly surprised. However, when they noticed that Zhou Yuwen was holding Su Qing's hand, the entire room instantly erupted.

Wasn't that the class beauty from the class next door, Su Qing!?

Immediately, everyone started jeering and whistling.

"Way to go, Zhou Yuwen!"

Some of the class clowns among the boys began screaming in excitement.

Even though Su Qing had anticipated this, she still could not help but feel a bit shy.

"Hurry, come sit over here."

Two girls eagerly gestured for Zhou Yuwen and Su Qing to come sit with them.

They loved gossip and had never imagined in their wildest dreams that Zhou Yuwen would end up dating Su Qing from the adjacent class. From what they recalled, these two rarely interacted back in high school.

Coincidentally, because Zhou Yuwen brought his girlfriend along, he sat near the girls' side, placing him right next to Li Shiqi.

A few gossip-hungry girls in the class then began showering Zhou Yuwen and Su Qing with questions.

Su Qing told them that the two had actually started dating back in high school.

This revelation left everyone so shocked they could hardly believe their ears.

Luo Jialiang, who had been having a lively conversation with everyone just moments before, was instantly marginalized and ignored.

At that point, someone seemed to suddenly remember something and asked, "Oh right, Jialiang! Half of your freshman year is over already. Have you found a girlfriend yet?"

"I... I haven't," Luo Jialiang stuttered, momentarily caught off guard by the question.

Because Zhou Yuwen had brought his girlfriend, everyone suddenly shifted the topic to dating and relationships.

At this stage in their lives, there were actually quite a few people in relationships.

Yet the fact that Zhou Yuwen and Su Qing were together was undeniably shocking.

But then, remembering that Zhou Yuwen was currently a bestselling writer, it somehow all seemed perfectly reasonable.

Luo Jialiang did not usually pay much attention to the class group chat messages. Listening to his classmates talking back and forth, he finally realized just how impressive Zhou Yuwen had become.

At this moment, however, all Luo Jialiang could do was sit in silence.

Just as everyone was chatting happily, the door was pushed open once again.

Three burly men stood in the doorway. The one in the lead was wearing sunglasses, giving everyone a slight scare.

That was until the man took off his sunglasses.

Only then did everyone realize that it was actually Liu Shuo.

Holy crap! What a poser.

"Heh heh!"

Liu Shuo chuckled and announced, "My good classmates, long time no see!"

"Hey, Liu Shuo, what is the meaning of this!?" a girl huffed, eyeing the two formidable men behind him.

Tucking away his sunglasses, Liu Shuo explained, "I was just worried you guys wouldn't have enough to drink, so I brought some extra for my brothers to enjoy!"

With a wave of his hand, the two men behind him stepped forward and set down a case of beer each.

Afterward, they addressed Liu Shuo respectfully, "Brother Shuo, shall we head back now?"

"Wait in the room next door," Liu Shuo ordered.

This entire flashy display of bravado earned roars of laughter from his classmates. One classmate joked, "Not bad, Liu Shuo! You've actually managed to become 'Brother Shuo' now!"

"Brother Shuo, how much did you spend? Did you give them fifty bucks a piece to act this out for you?"

"Get out of here! What the hell are you talking about!"

The joke made Liu Shuo frown in mock annoyance.

As everyone chuckled, Liu Shuo spotted Luo Jialiang. He snorted, marched right over, and slapped Luo Jialiang firmly on the shoulder. "Jialiang! Long time no see for the two of us as well!"

Truth be told, you couldn't blame Luo Jialiang for not calling out to Liu Shuo; Liu Shuo had always loved bullying him back in high school.

When he saw Liu Shuo walk in, Luo Jialiang had already shrunk his head down like a turtle hiding in its shell.

Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to hide in time.

Now that Liu Shuo had cornered him, Luo Jialiang could only muster an awkward smile and stammer out a meek, "Brother Shuo."

Liu Shuo huffed a laugh and sat down imposingly right next to Luo Jialiang, throwing his arm around him. "We absolutely must have some good drinks today! My dear brother Jialiang!"

"Please don't, Brother Shuo, I am allergic to alcohol!"

"Oh? You are perfectly fine drinking with everyone else, but you are magically allergic when it comes to me?" Liu Shuo demanded.

"I..."

For a moment, Luo Jialiang was completely lost for words.

Right then, Zhou Yuwen called out Liu Shuo's name.

"Hey, what's up, Brother?"

"Stop bullying him. Come sit over here by me," Zhou Yuwen said calmly, his tone light and indifferent.

"Oh, right away, Brother!" Seeing that Zhou Yuwen had spoken, Liu Shuo instantly agreed.