"The class monitor should be arriving soon, right?"
Hearing Derek Zhang's question, another woman on the other side spoke up first.
Originally, Sharon Xiao and Stella Cui planned just a small dorm reunion, but after hearing that Joy Zheng—the former campus beauty—hasn't had it easy these years, they changed their minds and invited a whole bunch of classmates for a big get-together.
On one hand, they wanted to show off their current lives; on the other, they really wanted to see Joy Zheng again.
"She should be arriving soon—she's catching an earlier train than Lyu Shu and the others," Sharon Xiao nodded.
"Mom, what does your class monitor do now?" A sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl stood next to Sharon, wearing a red t-shirt and jeans—her style a bit trendy, but her looks only average.
Her name was Ivy Zhang, a pampered rich girl by nature. Right now, she was chewing gum and curiously asking questions.
"The class monitor's name is Ken Kong. Back then, he was the best student in our class. Later, he went to Jinnan and started his career there. He's the 'Uncle Kong' I mentioned before—he's even visited our house, remember?" Sharon deliberately spoke loudly.
The others nearby chimed in after hearing Sharon: "Yeah, I heard Ken Kong's doing really well—he even started his own company!"
His wife's family is pretty loaded, too. I remember Ken Kong even tried to chase Joy Zheng back in the day, but she turned him down. I wonder if she'll regret it when they meet later!
She probably does regret it. Joy Zheng was undeniably beautiful back then, but I heard she had a kid out of wedlock, and the guy ran off. Life must be tough for her now—just dealing with daily expenses, she probably can't even afford to take care of herself.
Sigh, it's hard to believe. So many people chased after Joy Zheng back in the day, and now she's that kind of person? I heard she even broke with her family just to keep the baby.
The group started chattering all at once. When Joy Zheng was mentioned, some people looked genuinely sympathetic, but a few were just enjoying her misfortune.
Back in school, Joy Zheng, Lyu Shu, and a few other girls were so popular that most of the other girls felt overshadowed. Whenever the boys walked in, they always looked at Joy and Lyu first.
Derek Zhang didn't say much. The real reason he'd come today was to get closer to Ken Kong, the class monitor.
Ken Kong married well, and his business is said to be booming. Whenever Derek met him before, he couldn't even stand tall. But now, with the Summer Group growing stronger, Derek felt he finally had some leverage to talk business with Ken and maybe climb higher in the company.
Nearby, Ivy Zhang, seeing no one paying attention to her, turned to look at a girl not far away. Her name was Yolanda Wang, Stella Cui's daughter. She looked decent and was fiddling with her phone.
Soon after, a train arrived at the station.
A family of three stepped out.
The man was about 1.65 meters tall—not very tall, and a bit thin. He wore glasses and looked shrewd. His tailored suit and flashy Rolex on his right wrist caught the eye.
Next to him stood a middle-aged woman, stylish and well-maintained, her skin smooth and youthful—you'd never guess she was married with a child. To outsiders, she seemed a bit aloof.
Between the man and woman was a boy dressed all in Western style—slicked-back hair, shiny with gel, holding the latest iPhone X and wearing new studio headphones, listening to music with a proud look on his face.
"Class monitor!"
On Sharon Xiao's side, as soon as she saw them come out, she waved and called out.
"You're all here already? That was fast," Ken Kong said, smiling broadly.
"Of course! We couldn't let the class monitor wait," Stella Cui laughed, covering her mouth.
"How's your wife doing lately?" Sharon Xiao asked, looking at Sharon Chen—Ken Kong's wife, a true heiress. Her family was originally from Oceanport City, but her branch had settled in Jinnan.
After Joy Zheng turned Ken Kong down, he shouted 'Don't look down on me just because I'm poor!' Then, as fate would have it, he ended up with Sharon Chen, married into her family, and quickly rose in the world—started a company and became quite the big shot.
Plenty of people privately called Ken Kong a kept man living off his wife, but money brings respect. In public, most just flattered him—and honestly, some were genuinely jealous.
"Not bad. I just went shopping in America and bought a bunch of new bags," Sharon Chen nodded. Her words left Stella Cui and the others a bit embarrassed.
They were doing well, sure—but only compared to Joy Zheng. Women like Sharon Chen, born rich and destined to enjoy life, were in a whole different league.
Derek Zhang was the first to react, laughing: 'Ken, you really care about your wife. While you're busy with work, you let her enjoy herself. That's the kind of role model we all need!'
"That's right. Our class monitor was always so warm-hearted," Sharon Xiao nodded, quickly joining in the conversation with Sharon Chen.
Ivy, didn't you say you wanted to hang out with Ryan Chen? Well, he's here now—go talk to him." Sharon Xiao reminded Ivy Zhang.
Yolanda, same goes for you—it's your first time meeting Ryan Chen, you should say something," Stella Cui told Yolanda Wang.
Both mothers were determined to have their daughters get to know Ryan Chen—Ken Kong and Sharon Chen's son. Since Ken married into the Chen family, Ryan naturally took his mother's surname.
By the way, Lyu Shu and Joy Zheng aren't here yet?" Ken Kong glanced around, his eyes flashing with a hint of sharpness.
He was living large now, and this time, he'd come just to make Joy Zheng regret her choices.
Ken Kong had always been a petty man. Now that he'd finally made it, he couldn't help but want to shout, 'Don't look down on me just because I'm poor!' After all those years of swallowing his pride, he deserved to show off a little.
He was already imagining how he'd act when he saw Joy Zheng looking all worn out—how exactly should he talk to her?