"Oh, them? They should be arriving soon."
Someone quickly responded when Neil Kong asked.
"I heard Joy Zheng hasn't had it easy these past years. She's been raising a kid on her own for so long—she probably looks nothing like she did back then."
"Yeah, people say time ages everyone. I wonder if we'll even recognize Joy Zheng when she shows up."
"It's a shame, really. Joy Zheng used to be the class beauty. Back then, tons of guys chased after her."
"Lucy Lu's husband seems to be doing alright, doesn't he? I heard he's a manager at a real estate company. Wonder if he'll show up this time."
The people nearby all started chiming in, talking over each other.
Hearing this, Sharon Chen snorted, her tone sharp: "That Joy Zheng you keep talking about? My husband Neil mentions her all the time. I really want to see if she's as pretty as he always says."
Sharon Chen gave a cold, dismissive laugh, tilting her chin up with a hint of disdain.
Back when she married Neil Kong, he used to call out Joy Zheng's name in his sleep for several nights straight. It made Sharon furious—and even after all these years, she hasn't forgotten.
Hearing Sharon Chen, Sharon Xiao and Stella Cui exchanged a glance, then hurried forward and laughed: "No matter how pretty she was, she's nothing compared to you, sis! Seriously, I'm not kidding—Joy Zheng only looked good back then because her vibe was way better than the rest of us. But put her next to you, and it's no contest."
"Exactly, exactly. Joy Zheng was only a bit better than the rest of us, that's all," Stella Cui quickly nodded along.
Sharon Chen's face softened at their words, but that rich-lady arrogance in her eyes never went away.
Sharon Xiao and Stella Cui had their own reasons for buttering up Sharon Chen.
Sharon Xiao's husband, Derek Zhang, might hold a decent position in the Summer Group, but ever since Sawyer Summer consolidated the whole company, some of Derek's old shady accounts have started coming to light.
To outsiders, Derek Zhang looks like he's moving up in the world, but only his family knows the truth: these days, every step is risky, and one wrong move could land him in jail.
Right now, Derek needs to find a partner company, set up a joint project, and use it to bury those bad accounts. If it works, he can pull out a nice chunk of cash—it's not a small sum.
And the company Derek's got his eye on belongs to Neil Kong.
As for Stella Cui, she's always wanted her husband Lawrence Wang to get a better job. Sure, being a university professor sounds great, but you can't eat face, and his salary barely covers her makeup expenses.
If Neil Kong would just hire Lawrence Wang out of old classmates' loyalty, Stella Cui could finally relax.
Everyone here had their own agenda.
Ryan Chen fiddled with his phone, listening to music. Ivy Zhang and Yolanda Wang both tried to chat him up, but Ivy's trendy outfit easily outshone Yolanda, making Yolanda look a bit plain and cutting down her chances to talk to Ryan. Ivy felt smug, while Yolanda was left discouraged.
But Ryan Chen just kept up his cold, aloof act—he'd seen way too many pretty girls before, and Ivy and Yolanda didn't even register.
Right then, a long stretch Lincoln pulled up at the entrance to the waiting hall.
The moment that stretch Lincoln appeared at the door, it instantly drew everyone's attention.
This custom Lincoln, worth several million, usually sits in the White Dragon Mountain Resort's garage. It only comes out for really important guests.
As soon as the car showed up, it caught everyone's eye.
"A stretch Lincoln? Didn't expect to see one here!"
"Who are they here to pick up? Must be someone important."
"Whoa."
Sharon Xiao and the others all turned to look.
Derek Zhang froze for a second—he recognized that Lincoln. It belonged to the White Dragon Mountain Resort. He'd tried to get the resort staff to bring it out before, but didn't have the authority, which left him pretty frustrated.
Derek Zhang might be a manager at a Summer Group branch, but the White Dragon Mountain Resort is Summer Mu's personal property. The connections here are anything but simple.
Then the car door opened, and Henry Zhang stepped out in a suit and tie, his hair specially styled. As soon as he got off, he rushed into the high-speed rail station's waiting hall, praying he wasn't late.
He'd actually been asleep earlier that morning when Summer Mu called him out of the blue. The moment he heard that Summer Mu's terrifying 'friend' was coming again, he jolted awake.
After scrambling around for ages, he finally rushed over. To make things extra formal, he even had the staff set up a small welcome ceremony at the resort entrance—everyone's waiting there now.
"Henry Zhang?"
Seeing Henry Zhang walk in, Derek Zhang was taken aback.
"Manager Zhang," Henry nodded at Derek.
Henry knew Derek Zhang—they were both part of the same big corporation, and Henry had hosted Derek and his clients a few times before.
"Wow, Derek, looks like you really went all out this time. Honestly, you didn't have to do all this."
Neil Kong, standing nearby, watched as Derek Zhang greeted the young man who'd just stepped out of the Lincoln. Neil broke into a big grin and spoke up loudly.
He thought Derek Zhang had arranged for the Lincoln to pick him up.
Sharon Chen's expression softened and she nodded slightly. "It really is quite thoughtful."
Hearing Neil Kong and Sharon Chen, Derek Zhang looked a bit embarrassed. Meanwhile, Sharon Xiao, not knowing the real story, was delighted—those words clearly made her family seem closer to Neil Kong.
Stella Cui and the others glanced at Derek Zhang, their eyes full of envy.
After all, he's still a manager under the Summer Group—doing pretty well for himself.
Plenty of people started envying Sharon Xiao too, and even Ivy Zhang puffed out her small chest with pride.
"Pretty early, actually... um, we still have a few classmates who haven't arrived yet," Derek Zhang said carefully, his nerves on edge.
He was terrified Henry Zhang would blow his cover—if that happened, he'd never live it down.
"Mm-hmm, no worries," Henry Zhang replied offhandedly, but his eyes kept darting to the train entrance and down to his phone, clearly anxious inside.
This time, he'd made up his mind—he had to properly flatter Summer Mu's friend. Even if Evan Lin asked him to go to Minghai and beat up Li Qingsong, he'd buy a ticket and go without a second thought.
After all, Summer Mu's status now is nothing like before. If Henry picked the wrong side, he'd be finished nine times out of ten.