To be honest, with only her eyes visible, that half-hidden, enigmatic allure was even stronger.

Old Liuu, ever the conspiracy theorist, asked, "You guys know her?"

Old Wu locked his phone. "Zong Qi knows of her, but she definitely doesn’t know him. She’s super famous online. Go look up the name Ji Li. It’ll absolutely blow your mind."

Old Liuu, skeptical, was just about to search when he heard someone nearby exclaim, "Almost seventy million fans! That’s more than most celebrities, right?"

"Oh, so that’s who she is! No wonder she looked a bit familiar. Why isn’t she staying in her neck of the woods? What’s she doing in the city?"

Old Wu replied, "One of her close friends got married a couple of days ago. She probably attended the wedding and is now out traveling, right? I mean, if you’re always stuck in a village, you need to get out and about sometimes."

Zong Qi set his glass down. "Alright, why is the topic of our gathering always revolving around a woman? Old Liuu, what did you call me about this afternoon?"

The moment he spoke, everyone immediately changed the subject. Only Old Wu still looked intrigued.

Meanwhile, Ji Li jogged all the way to the private room for the class reunion. She was still a little breathless as she walked in, and the first thing she said was an apology. "I’m so sorry I’m late."

"I’m not much of a drinker, and I’m sorry to have kept you all waiting. Tonight’s dinner is on me, by way of apology."

The moment she said that, her classmates erupted in cheers. "You’re the best, Ji Li!"

"Come on, come sit over here!"

"Warm water, it’s not too hot! Here, drink some to soothe your throat."

Ji Li took a sip of the warm water. The girl beside her watched her, noticing her slightly flushed cheeks and the glistening sheen on her lips, which for some reason created a vibrant, sensual picture. As if possessed, the girl reached out and touched Ji Li’s cheek. "So beautiful."

Ji Li smiled. "You’re beautiful, too. You’re our class rep, right? Wu Yi? If I’d known you were going to be there yesterday, I definitely would’ve gone to Yifeng’s wedding."

Wu Yi smiled back. "I didn’t go to Yifeng’s wedding yesterday. We don’t really know each other, and I thought it would be a bit awkward."

Ji Li breathed a sigh of relief. "You’re right. I ran into Wen Zhe yesterday, and I felt a bit awkward when he told me Yifeng was getting married. I don’t really know him either; we’ve only met a few times."

The party livened up as soon as Ji Li arrived. They were all former classmates, and even though their lives had changed significantly over the past two years, they hadn’t become the type of jaded adults who constantly boast and try to one-up each other.

Ji Li had no intention of bringing up her career, either. She just listened intently to everyone’s stories, focusing on being an engaged and validating presence. Naturally, this made everyone like her even more. After all, who wouldn’t get a little giddy being gazed at so earnestly by a beautiful woman?

A class reunion without a focus on material wealth or career one-upmanship is always a pleasant affair. They reminisced about the past and shared funny stories from their current lives, and time flew by before they knew it.

Ji Li stuck to drinking warm water the entire night. A single woman out on her own needs to take extra care of herself. By the time they were ready to leave, a few of her classmates were already drunk.

Wen Zhe, for example.

Ji Li glanced at Lianjie, and he immediately raised his hand as if taking a vow. "I’ll get him back to his hotel room safe and sound. You can count on it."

"There’s nothing for me to worry about," Ji Li said with a smile. "He’s just a classmate."

As she spoke, Ji Li helped Wu Yi to her feet. "I’ll take Wu Yi home. Wu Yi, can you walk?"

Wu Yi slumped against Ji Li’s shoulder. "I can... Ali, let’s snuggle..."

As she spoke, she even nuzzled Ji Li’s cheek, obviously feeling very affectionate. Ji Li smiled. Wu Yi was like a drunken kitten, swaying unsteadily on her feet, her grip on Ji Li’s arm deathly tight.

Ji Li sighed. She slung both her and Wu Yi’s bags over her shoulder, then with a slight exertion of her arm, she steadily scooped Wu Yi up into her arms.

Lianjie’s eyes widened in surprise. "Ali, you’re that strong? Drunk people are dead weight."

Ji Li gave a wry smile. "Which is why I can only focus on her. I’ll take her home first."

Thankfully, she had already paid the bill; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to do anything while carrying Wu Yi.

She carried Wu Yi out of the private room bridal-style. Wu Yi quietly clung to Ji Li’s neck. Ji Li felt a dampness on her own neck and glanced down to see Wu Yi’s face streaked with tears.

Ji Li started to put her down, but Wu Yi only clung to her tighter, low whimpers escaping her throat.

Ji Li sighed. ’This is clearly a case of heartbreak,’ she thought. After carrying Wu Yi into the elevator, Ji Li set her on her feet, letting her lean against her for support. "Do you know your address? I’ll take you home."

"I don’t want to go home... Li Li, my heart hurts so much..." Wu Yi sobbed, gripping Ji Li’s hand. "I don’t want to go home."

Ji Li patted her head gently. "Alright, we won’t go home. Just give me one of your family member’s phone numbers so I can let them know what’s going on."

Wu Yi didn’t put up a fuss about that. She recited a phone number. "It’s my cousin’s."

"Okay, I’ll call him." Ji Li didn’t hesitate, dialing the number right away. Wu Yi leaned on Ji Li’s shoulder, staring blankly at the elevator’s mirrored surface, lost in thought.

"Someone’s calling. I gotta take this." Old Wu was drinking and chatting with the guys when his phone rang. He quickly answered it. "Hello, who’s this?"

"Ji Li? What’s up?"

"Wu Yi’s drunk and doesn’t want to go home?"

"Hang on, I’m coming to get her right now."

Old Wu’s expression changed rapidly. After hanging up, he snatched his jacket from the back of his chair. "Alright guys, I’m calling it a night. Wu Yi got drunk at her class reunion and I have to go get her."

"Wait, what does Ji Li have to do with this? Why is she calling you?" Old Liuu was confused. ’How is Ji Li involved in this now?’

Old Wu said, "She and Wu Yi are classmates. Come to think of it, why didn’t I realize that? Wu Yi was at a class reunion tonight, too."

"I’m heading out. Sorry for the rush, I’ll treat you all to dinner another time to make up for it."

As Old Wu hastily threw on his jacket, Zong Qi unexpectedly stood up as well. "Let’s call it a night. Everyone, let’s head home."

"Sounds good. We’ll get together another time."

The group quickly went their separate ways. Zong Qi fell into step beside Old Wu. "Is Wu Yi in some kind of trouble?"

Old Wu cursed under his breath. "Who else could it be but that bastard Feng Yi? They’re engaged, and he’s still messing around. Got some girl pregnant. I have no idea what Wu Yi sees in him. I told her long ago he was no good for her, but she refused to listen."

Zong Qi flexed his fingers. "So she’s using this as an excuse to have a drunken meltdown?"

As he spoke, he glanced ahead of them. Wu Yi was clinging to Ji Li’s neck like a piece of taffy, refusing to let go no matter what. Ji Li could only let her hang on, trying her best to keep Wu Yi from bumping into anything, looking rather beleaguered in the process.

Old Wu heard the displeasure in Zong Qi’s voice and thought, ’Ji Li herself hasn’t complained, yet you’re the one getting upset. And another thing—does Ji Li even know who you are?’