Soon, the day of the annual meeting arrived. Mu Wan got ready in her outfit and, along with Li Yue and others, took a car to the event venue. It was a large conference hall on the eighth floor of a hotel. Mu Wan was only performing as a musician, and all the other tasks were handed over to the company’s agents, so she felt at ease wandering around the venue.

Suddenly, someone approached her.

“Wan wan, long time no see?”

Mu Wan looked up in confusion and saw a man in a black suit holding a champagne glass, looking mature and composed. He looked somewhat familiar. After a moment, her eyes widened slightly.

“You’re the class monitor?”

Kong Shuai smiled. “You’re really surprised! You recognized me so quickly. I must look very different from before, right?”

Mu Wan nodded. Kong Shuai had been shorter and chubbier before, with acne on his face. He looked nothing like the tall, confident man standing in front of her now, with a presence that screamed success.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m an employee of this company. I saw your face and came over, and I didn’t expect it to really be you. You’ve really changed! You’re still as beautiful as ever.”

Mu Wan hadn’t been very close to Kong Shuai before, so hearing his compliment made her a bit awkward. But she still politely replied, “You’re handsome too.”

The conversation died there. Mu Wan, feeling slightly uncomfortable, was about to excuse herself when Kong Shuai suddenly said, “Wan wan, the New Year is coming soon, and we haven’t seen each other in five or six years. How about I organize a class reunion and we all catch up?”

In Mu Wan’s memory, it hadn’t been five or six years since she’d last seen these people—it had been more like seven or eight. However, considering how busy she was with her company, she didn’t immediately agree.

“I’ll definitely try to attend if I have time.”

Kong Shuai took out his phone. “Let’s add each other on WeChat, and I’ll let you know when the reunion is.”

Mu Wan nodded. After adding him on WeChat, someone from the band called her over. She gave Kong Shuai an apologetic smile and walked away.

The moment she turned her back, Kong Shuai’s expression softened immediately. There was no coincidence here—he had actually planned this annual meeting. Ever since Mu Wan returned to the country, he had been following her news. When he learned she had opened a talent agency, he decided to seize this opportunity to meet her. Originally, he just wanted to see her once, but now that the man Mu Wan liked, Kuang Shuyu, had been exposed as a scumbag, did that mean he had a chance?

—

The annual meeting began, and after a series of performances, Mu Wan finally took the stage. To match the festive atmosphere of the event, she wore a rose gold sequin gown, with a hollowed-out back and long hair cascading down her back. Just standing on the stage, she took everyone’s breath away.

As the music began, the other instruments joined in harmoniously. Under the dazzling lights, Mu Wan stood tall, flawless in every way. Even the way she played the violin was perfect, her movements precise and graceful. The music flowed beautifully, and the audience subconsciously stopped what they were doing, captivated by the dual feast of sight and sound.

—

Kong Shuai stood among the crowd, mesmerized as he watched Mu Wan. In the past, people had said Mu Wan was like a rose, with thorns all over her. Anyone who got too close would be pricked and hurt. He had believed that, too. But when he was bullied because of his weight, called a “fat pig,” and had his carefully prepared test papers torn up, Mu Wan had stepped in and stood up for him, even though they had never interacted before. That was when he realized that she was indeed like a rose—only, she didn’t actually hurt anyone. People were just intimidated by her thorns and chose not to get close and understand her.

—

On the other side, Mu Wan’s assistant was on a video call with Kuang Ye. Since Mu Wan sometimes got so busy that she turned off her phone without realizing it, Kuang Ye added her assistant on WeChat to stay in touch. When he heard that Mu Wan was performing today, he immediately called for a video chat, asking the assistant to point the camera at the stage so he could watch the performance live.

Kuang Ye: “Jiejie is so beautiful.”

He was absorbed in Mu Wan’s wonderful performance, mesmerized through the screen.

By now, the assistant had long since become immune to Kuang Ye’s sweet words. But then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kong Shuai’s gaze fixed on Mu Wan. Quietly, she adjusted the camera to focus on him.

Kuang Ye: “!!!”

That look—he knew it all too well. It was the same look he used to give Mu Wan.