Chapter 61: Lingyun

“Tang Zuming, did you just call Chen Jin?” Du Xiaoyu heard the voice, walked to the private room’s door, and looked down the long hallway where lights were flashing. All she could see were hurrying waitstaff and a few middle-aged men with their arms around each other.

She thought she must have misheard. How could Chen Jin be here?

Today was a class reunion organized by the class monitor. The last reunion was during the New Year, when most people hadn’t secured jobs yet, and they all unexpectedly learned about Chen Jin’s family relocating, which left everyone with mixed feelings. Now that everyone had settled into their jobs, the class monitor organized another reunion.

However, not as many people showed up this time. Some old classmates couldn’t make it, even though it was the weekend, because they had just started at their jobs and needed to prove themselves. Others simply felt embarrassed about their job situations and didn’t want to lose face at the reunion.

Tang Zuming pursed his lips and stared at the private room at the end of the hallway.

All these years, and Chen Jin still wouldn’t show him a friendly face. Hmph, he didn’t like her either! If it weren’t for the fact that she was close to someone he knew, he wouldn’t even bother acknowledging her if they met on the street.

Did Chen Jin even know she was back?

That damned Chen Jin! Couldn’t she at least hear him out first?!

Tang Zuming glanced at Du Xiaoyu, expressionless. “Yes, I’m standing right here. I don’t believe she won’t come out of that room!”

Du Xiaoyu frowned, confused. “Since when were you and Chen Jin so close? Didn’t you say last time that you weren’t…”

“Don’t talk nonsense! I have no feelings for her! I’m looking for her to ask something else.” Tang Zuming irritably ruffled his hair, which he’d styled with mousse before coming out, leaving it a bit messy. “Don’t worry about it, go sing your songs.” He then crossed his arms and leaned against the wall by the door, staring intently at the room where Chen Jin was.

“But…” Du Xiaoyu wanted to say more but was called back inside by a classmate. She glanced one last time at the frustrated and expectant Tang Zuming, feeling uneasy. And he said he had no feelings for Chen Jin? If he didn’t, why was he so fixated on her?

Meanwhile, in the other room, as soon as Chen Jin and the others entered, Zhuang Yao asked, “Just now, there was a guy calling for you. Do you know him?”

“A guy? Who?” Chen Yongxin asked, turning around at Zhuang Yao’s words.

Chen Jin shrugged. “Just some rich kid, a high school classmate. He used to always ask me to pass love letters to my friend. People even thought he was pursuing me because of it, which hurt my reputation.”

“Why didn’t he just pursue your friend himself? You’ve all gone through four years of college by now. Surely, he’s not still asking you to pass love letters to your friend, right? Are you two at the same school?”

Chen Jin chuckled, “My friend went to military school, so even if he wanted to pass a letter, he wouldn’t know where to send it. He’s probably just looking to get some information from me now.”

“Oh, sounds like he’s been pretty persistent, still pursuing after all these years.”

“Let him be persistent. My friend would never be interested in someone like him. He’s lazy, unmotivated, and always getting into fights.” Actually, Chen Jin didn’t know much about Tang Zuming, especially since they hadn’t had any contact for the past four years, so she had no idea what he was like now. But in her mind, Tang Zuming wasn’t good enough for her friend.

Oh, and her friend wasn’t interested in him back then either. She even joked that with Tang Zuming’s knack for causing trouble, once she finished military school and returned to the province as a police officer, she might end up arresting him herself.

Once the waitstaff came to set up the sound system, Chen Jin called everyone to pick songs. But when she turned around, she saw everyone hesitating. Oh well, only she and her cousin were carefree since neither of them had partners. The others, either newly married or about to be, were more concerned about their image.

“Faint stars dot the distant night sky, so closely connected…”

“Forgive me for a lifetime of unruly indulgence in my love for freedom…”

Chen Yongfei held the microphone, looking at Chen Jin, who was singing passionately in front of him, and sighed helplessly. Is this what she meant by showing off her recent progress in learning Cantonese songs?

If it weren’t for the lyrics prompts on the screen and the melody being on point, he wouldn’t have been able to guess what she was singing. And besides! In the whole song, she only knew the few lines that everyone else knows, and the rest she was practically reciting.

Behind Chen Jin, the others were holding back their laughter as well. They decided not to burst her bubble, lest someone throws a fit later.

“Ahem! I’m tired. It’s your turn, I’ve already queued up the songs for you.” Chen Jin gulped down a few sips of her drink and then said, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

After leaving the bathroom, she saw Tang Zuming staring at her with a resentful look. Chen Jin shook the water off her hands, completely ignored him, and prepared to walk past.

Tang Zuming quickly opened his arms to block her, “Do you know that Ling Yun is back?”

“Really?” Chen Jin’s eyes lit up with excitement as she pressed him, “Really? How do you know?”

Tang Zuming closely observed her expression, “You didn’t know?”

Then he had wasted his time coming here to block her. He thought Chen Jin knew Ling Yun had returned, otherwise why would she run away whenever she saw him? Wasn’t it because she was afraid he’d ask her for information about Ling Yun?

But she really didn’t know! She was less informed than him!

After confirming that Chen Jin truly didn’t know, Tang Zuming turned and walked away. Let her gloat for now, but he wouldn’t tell her! Let her stew over it!

Chen Jin wasn’t worried at all. If Tang Zuming knew more, he wouldn’t have come to ask her. If Ling Yun had really come back and wanted to catch up with old classmates, would she reach out to Tang Zuming instead of her?

Hmph, there’ll be a time when he comes asking for information.

From that day on, Chen Jin started waiting for the day she’d reunite with Ling Yun, wondering what the scene would be like when they met again.

That friend with ambitions soaring high like an eagle in the sky, she really wanted to know if she was flying planes by now. Although returning to Southern Province to become a police officer was great, she still hoped she was really chasing her dreams.

Chen Jin didn’t attend Chen Yue’s second graduation party, because most of the attendees were Chen Yue’s friends, and now that she was an adult, she didn’t have much to talk about with the younger college students.

Besides, she was about to head back to school for work. Taking advantage of her free time, she made another trip to Jinxiu (Splendid) District to check things out.

Other than the shop next to the supermarket, which was reserved for Meng Chong’s cousin, the eight rental units had all been leased out.

She didn’t bother visiting Xiuli (beautiful) District, as her third uncle, third aunt, and little aunt were there, and she felt at ease. As for Qiaoxi Village, Meng Chong’s cousin now called her every Sunday to update her, and even though her grandpa had called to apologize and asked her to visit the village more often, she had decided not to go unless there was a serious reason.

After receiving a call from the minimalist store manager, Chen Jin glanced at the empty space in her closet after organizing it, then headed out.

However, she couldn’t meet up with anyone. Yang Qian was too busy preparing for her wedding, aiming to hold it before the new semester started. Even Lin Xinran was using her free time to practice driving.

Even Zhuang Yao had to work…

Alright then, seems like she was the only one with plenty of free time.

Chen Jin picked out quite a few clothes, but she noticed the store manager didn’t seem as energetic as before. Especially when she asked when the minimalist branch store would open, the manager gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

Seeing that the manager didn’t volunteer more information, Chen Jin didn’t push further.

As for Baiyou Garment Factory, it was still a state-owned enterprise. If such an unremarkable factory, without policy, financial, or technical support, didn’t innovate and seize the momentum of reform, it would inevitably be left behind.

She had heard from the store manager that the factory had been saved by a new director, but mere survival wasn’t enough. With so many garment factories springing up like mushrooms after the rain, the former advantages of state-owned factories were gradually disappearing. Skilled workers with families to support might choose to go where the conditions were better, often in private factories.

Chen Jin left feeling somewhat melancholic. She sincerely hoped that those old brands from her memories would catch up and ride the wave of reform to success, so that they could continue to grow and thrive.

But Chen Jin soon had no time to dwell on such thoughts, as she was heading back to work at the school!

Mr. Chang was right: once the new term started, she’d be busy. The first week of work was filled with various freshman counselor training sessions, student information, and dormitory arrangements.

There were more than one major per year, not just Chinese literature but also psychology, music… Fortunately, after a week of hard work, all the senior students assigned as class counselors had returned. These were typically seniors from the various majors, with one male and one female counselor for each freshman class.

Chen Jin was so busy that she couldn’t even find time to attend the dinner hosted by her cousin Minmin. But according to Chen Jia, who went, their eldest uncle had scolded Minmin’s parents when they tried to throw a fit, and Minmin’s in-laws were pleasant people. They even gave a generous dowry specifically for Minmin, not to be included in the couple’s household expenses.

Chen Jia said contentedly, “We all think it’s great. Cousin Minmin made the right choice this time. She’s also gone to Quanshi with her in-laws, and the wedding will be held on National Day. We’ll all go together to Quanshi. Dad says we should prepare a dowry for her from our families.”

Chen Jin was relieved and said happily, “Great! I’ll get her a gold bracelet!”

Freshmen would start arriving on campus next Wednesday. With rare time to rest before the busyness began, Chen Jin planned to stay home and recharge.

After a trip out to buy some fruit, she came back feeling more wilted than the flowers in the yard from the sun.

And in the midst of this hot, cicada-filled afternoon, she received a long-awaited call.

“Chen Jin.”

“…Ling Yun?” Chen Jin’s breath caught. Was it really Ling Yun? Calls always had a slight distortion to the voice, and it sounded very much like her, but not entirely. It had been so long since she’d heard her voice that she couldn’t be sure.

The voice on the other end of the phone was cold yet carried a hint of laughter. “It’s me. You haven’t forgotten me, have you?”

“How could I?!” Chen Jin also laughed.

Speaking of it, if they weren’t friends, they had indeed encouraged each other to progress together in the past. Chen Jin felt there would never be such a perfectly matched friend again. But if they were friends, aside from studying together in school, they hardly had any other contact. Their graduation was hasty; Ling Yun was recruited by a military academy ahead of time, and after Chen Jin finished her college entrance exam, she lost contact with her classmates. Neither of them had any means of communication, making them friends who hadn’t been in touch for four years…

Chen Jin found it somewhat amusing, but hearing her friend’s voice suddenly after four years actually made her a bit teary-eyed.

“I searched a lot before I found your contact info; it wasn’t easy to find you. I heard your family is being relocated. You’ve become a rich lady now?”

Chen Jin laughed heartily. “Yes, my dream has come true!”

Ling Yun laughed as well, suddenly remembering when Chen Jin stood on the flag-raising platform, seriously proclaiming her great ideal of “studying hard and serving the country,” and then, after getting off the stage, told her, “My biggest dream is to be a rich lady!”

There was only a light chuckle on the phone, indicating that the call hadn’t been hung up. After a long pause, Ling Yun said, “I’m going back to the third high school the day after tomorrow to give a speech about recruiting pilots. Chen Jin, do you want to come and watch?”

“So, have you started flying planes now?”

“Yes! Otherwise, how could I ask you to come watch my speech?”

“Then I have to go!”

High school seniors at City No. 3 High School always had to start classes two weeks earlier, so Chen Jin sighed at the hard work of the students there while also asking her supervisor for leave.

Before leaving, she ran into Shen Baichuan and greeted him with a radiant smile.

Shen Baichuan was taken aback and asked what good thing had happened to Chen Jin today.

“I’m going to meet an important friend.” To be precise, she was going to meet the youth she had been striving to catch up with!

“Goodbye, Teacher Shen.”

Shen Baichuan furrowed his brow. What important friend was she meeting? Why was she dressed more beautifully than usual and looking so happy? When she mentioned her friend, her eyes sparkled like stars.

Shen Baichuan’s alarm bells went off.

Sitting in the auditorium of her alma mater, Chen Jin watched the most beautiful female hero on stage dressed in an air force blue uniform and blinked rapidly, thinking how wonderful it was!

The things Ling Yun spoke about were all areas she hadn’t known before, but hearing her powerful voice felt like time had flowed back to when she was eighteen, listening to her speak of her grand ambitions on the flag-raising platform. The applause at this moment was just as thunderous as before, echoing in her heart.

“Chen Jin!” As students streamed out, Ling Yun, striking a heroic pose on stage, waved at her and began walking over.

Chen Jin’s eyes were still red. She reached out and gave her a light punch. “You’re amazing, Ling Yun!”

Ling Yun laughed and confidently put her hand on Chen Jin’s shoulder, shaking it playfully. “You’re not bad either, rich lady. You haven’t forgotten that when you get rich, you’ll treat me to a big meal, right?”

“Do I need to worry about the money for that meal? You pick what you want to eat!”

The two walked side by side, discussing their lives over the past few years, as if they had still been moving forward together during those four years.

Shen Baichuan finally waited for Chen Jin’s car to return. He was already quite familiar with the sound of her car. Just as he was about to go downstairs to greet her, he saw a man in military uniform get out of the passenger seat?

Before he could say anything, the man directly approached, wrapped his arm around Chen Jin’s shoulder, and followed her home.