Professor Gordon Gu was chatting with Old Man Liu about a female teacher at the school who, a few years back, fell in love with her own student. That teacher was one of Gordon's star pupils—at first they kept things hush-hush, but after the student graduated, the two just went straight to get a marriage certificate.
Gordon always gets a bit sentimental about this, bringing it up now and then. His tone is hard to read—neither happy nor sad—just a little envious of people still in their youth.
As they were talking, Gordon caught sight of three figures approaching in the distance. His cheerful face instantly turned cold, his eyes narrowed in disgust and vigilance as he stared at them.
"What kind of wind is blowing today? Three familiar faces all at once—elders aren't much, and the juniors have zero manners. Family education like this really is a case of 'the upper beam is crooked, so the lower beams are crooked too.'"
Gordon's voice was tinged with frustration. He'd always had some prejudice against Maya Meng, but figured old-generation grudges shouldn't drag down the younger ones.
But ever since Old Man Liu showed up, Maya Meng's sharp tongue and repeated digs had pushed Gordon's patience to the limit. He was thoroughly disgusted with her by now.
"Watch your mouth! You're just a professor—outside of math, what use do you even have?"
Maya Meng's pretty face twisted as she shouted back at Gordon, "You talk about 'crooked beams,' but look at yourself! You're an old man with no respect, dragging people here just to annoy my aunt!"
That really got Gordon fuming, but since Maya was Dean Martin Ku's student, he couldn't just flunk her out of the subject.
"Maya!"
Helena Meng snapped at Maya Meng, who pouted and finally backed down with a disgruntled huff.
"Don't mind her, Gordon. I've spoiled this kid rotten since she was little. When we get home, I'll make sure to teach her properly."
Helena Meng spoke softly, bowing slightly in apology, then turned her gaze to Old Man Liu, who sat there looking complicated.
Last time they met, Old Man Liu had told her the math modeling contest had nothing to do with her. But now, seeing Helena Meng standing before him again—even after so many years, and even though her once-beloved face had aged a bit—he still felt a pang of bitterness deep down.
"Old Liu, I came today mainly to apologize to you."
Helena Meng carefully chose her words: "I was immature back then. If I hadn't messed with you, you'd probably be a famous professor now. It was my fault—I'm sorry."
After speaking, she bowed deeply.
Maya Meng's face was full of resentment; seeing this, she grew even more agitated, but didn't dare say a word.
Dean Martin Ku stood silently to the side, not uttering a single word the whole time.
Gordon Gu looked at Helena Meng in surprise, unable to figure out why someone of her current status would bother bowing to two old geezers like them.
The Shang family is huge and powerful—there's no way Gordon Gu or Old Man Liu could ever shake them, no matter how much resentment there is on the ground. It's just reality.
"You... you don't need to say all that. It's been so many years, and honestly, I was at fault too back then."
Old Man Liu froze for a moment, hesitated a long time, then shook his head. "You were beautiful back then. Honestly, I shouldn't have overestimated myself."
His words were light, but back then Old Man Liu tried to take on Mason Shang and steal his girl—a move that caused a huge stir at the time.
But once the drama faded, most people found their own happy ending. Helena Meng became a famous woman, and she married Mason Shang after everything settled down. Their wedding was a big deal, drawing blessings from all sides.
Rumor had it Mason Shang and Helena Meng were a match made in heaven—he was talented and rich, she was beautiful and had a strong background. It was a perfect fit.
Meanwhile, Old Man Liu—the loser—got branded for years as a 'toad wanting to eat swan meat,' a scheming Phoenix-man who thought he could leap to greatness.
In the end, everyone else saw it as a happy ending: the scheming Phoenix-man got kicked out of Beijing by the domineering CEO and forced to leave town in disgrace.
And that was that—for decades.
"If you're here to apologize, then I'll accept it for Old Man Liu. You can go now!"
Gordon Gu snorted, still fuming, and waved his hand dismissively.
"My birthday is in a few days."
Helena Meng straightened up, standing right in front of Old Man Liu. The green dress she wore was obviously old—no matter how carefully she'd kept it, the yellow stains from years gone by stood out, and the style was nothing like the bright, youthful skirt she once had.
"What are you getting at? You want Old Man Liu to celebrate your birthday for you?"
Gordon Gu's face changed at her words; he stood up angrily and pointed at her. "That dress—Old Man Liu bought it for you by eating just one bun per meal for a whole month! So what, Madam Shang? You still need a poor teacher's salary to buy you gifts?"
"Can you have a little dignity?"
Gordon Gu was so furious he exploded again, barely able to keep his temper under control.
"You!"
Maya Meng's face changed; she stepped forward, but Helena Meng pulled her back before she could say anything.
"That's not what I meant."
Helena Meng shook her head. "Over the years, Yueshan and I have talked about what happened back then many times. Honestly, we both still feel a lot of regret."
"You know, Yueshan never really became the head of the Shang family. Even now, he lives a life that's not his own."
"He actually feels deeply sorry about it—especially now that he's older, he can't help but think about the past."
As she spoke, Helena Meng looked sad and helpless, her eyes reddening. Old Man Liu felt his heart ache seeing her like that.
"My birthday's coming up. I'd like to invite you to dinner."
"Yueshan knows I'm here today—he asked me to apologize to you on his behalf."
"He had something urgent to deal with, so he couldn't come in person. But when you meet later, Yueshan will apologize again—for all the years you've suffered, and for our uneasy consciences."
Helena Meng took out an invitation, stepped forward, and gently placed it in Old Man Liu's hand.
"Come or not—it's up to you."
"Brother Liu."
Helena Meng finally spoke in a low voice.
Brother Liu.
Hearing those words, Old Man Liu felt as if he'd been transported back to his college days.
Even after Helena Meng and the others left, Old Man Liu still clutched the invitation in his hand. Gordon Gu opened his mouth, wanting to tell him to throw it away—but thinking of his friend's decades of suffering, he just got angry all over again.
"If they're brave enough to invite us, we're brave enough to go!"
"Later, I'll have my wife take you shopping for some new clothes. Don't be afraid of them! If Mason really tries anything, I'll fight him for you!"
Gordon Gu shouted, his voice resolute.