Volume One: High School Days Chapter Thirty-Three: Wang Chen's Invitation

"I've been dumped."
After Ren Xiadong said this, both Liu Meng and Yang Fan looked up simultaneously.
Yoshio, on the other hand, simply continued eating, as if he'd expected this all along.
Liu Meng kept asking Ren Xiadong why, but Ren Xiadong remained silent, busily typing messages on his phone with astonishing speed.
Yoshio, sitting nearby, finally put down his chopsticks and said, "It's no use. She can't handle a long-distance relationship."
"How do you know?!" Ren Xiadong looked up sharply, eyes full of disbelief.
Realizing he'd said too much, Yoshio stammered, "Well... just a guess. You two barely see each other. What's the difference from a long-distance relationship?"
Ren Xiadong paid no attention, lowering his head again and frantically tapping away on his phone.
By the time the other three had finished their meal, Ren Xiadong hadn't touched his food. He sat there, motionless, still absorbed in his phone.
"Brother, you should eat something," Yang Fan urged gently.
Seeing that Ren Xiadong ignored her, she tried to say more, but Yoshio raised a hand to stop her. He grabbed Ren Xiadong's hand and said, "Let me read your palm."
He then pretended to calculate like a fortune-teller.
"From your palm, and the way I see it, after your sophomore year, during the summer break, you'll meet a beautiful new girlfriend."
Yoshio remembered clearly—Ren Xiadong's second girlfriend had been a petite, delicate-looking girl, but in reality, she was a legendary drinker who'd outdrunk herself many times helping Ren Xiadong.
"You can tell fortunes?" Yang Fan asked sweetly.
Yoshio smiled awkwardly without replying, but Liu Meng whispered in Yang Fan's ear, "He's just trying to comfort Ren Xiadong."
"Yoshio, how did you get through it after Xiaoya left?"
Yoshio froze, surprised by the question. After a moment, he replied, "I'm alright now. It's the nights alone that are the hardest. Alright, let's go."
That afternoon, Yoshio's class had PE.
While he was training on the field, Ren Xiadong's voice kept echoing beside him.
"Do you think I should go see Ren Jing tonight?"
"Do you think there's any chance for us?"
Yoshio, squatting under a barbell, was growing impatient. He dropped the weights, stood straight, and glared at Ren Xiadong. "It's no use! It's over! If you can't get used to life without her, then focus on your studies—keep yourself busy."
"She won't reply to my messages, won't answer my calls, and she's blocked me on WeChat. What should I do?" Ren Xiadong rattled on, oblivious to Yoshio's patience wearing thin.

Yoshio sighed, looking at this brother who'd once fought for him, now fallen so low. He couldn't just stand by and do nothing. "Don't go looking for Ren Jing after school. Skip evening study. I'll have a drink with you."
And so, on the second day of term, the very first evening self-study, the two were perfectly absent.
"Liu Meng, why isn't your boyfriend at evening study?"
The class monitor asked from the podium.
"He's not my boyfriend, don't talk nonsense," Liu Meng denied, but inwardly she was delighted.
News of yesterday's parental disciplinary meeting, which had turned into a matchmaking session, had spread throughout the school thanks to a student delivering homework in the office.
Yoshio took Ren Xiadong to his family's Spicy Hot Pot restaurant. They drank late into the night, not stopping until Ren Xiadong was sick.
A month passed. Under Miss Asia's management, Liu Yao World Animation Company was running smoothly.
On the last day of September, Yoshio went to school as usual. During afternoon training on the sports field, a fight broke out.
A group of students chased and beat a classmate, growing more vicious until the PE teacher intervened. As Yoshio approached, he saw the battered boy lying on the ground and smirked.
It was Wan Jiangfei—the very culprit who'd driven Xiaoya away. Part of his current fate was Yoshio's doing. Yoshio watched with satisfaction, knowing he'd ensured Wan Jiangfei would live a life worse than death.
Later, it was revealed that Wan Jiangfei had stolen money from a classmate, inciting the beating. He'd shouted, "When I let you guys spend money before, you didn't treat me this way! Now I take a little, and this is how you act?!"
"Take? You mean steal!"
All those involved in the fight were taken away by their homeroom teachers.
Before leaving, Yoshio approached Wan Jiangfei and said, "You made me lose the one I loved. Now I’ll make sure you lose everything. Enjoy the life you brought upon yourself."
With the seven-day holiday for October beginning the next day, there was no evening study. Yoshio changed clothes and left school early, waiting for Liu Meng and the others to go see the premiere of The Ancient Legend.
A white luxury car suddenly stopped in front of the school gate. A man stepped out, addressing Yoshio. "Want to see The Ancient Legend together? I'm not stingy. If I want to compete fairly with you for Liu Meng, I won't date her behind your back."
Yoshio looked at Wang Chen, who had stepped from the car. "You're afraid that if I don't go, Liu Meng won't go either, right?"
Wang Chen, caught off guard that Yoshio had seen through him, was a bit embarrassed, but quickly recovered. "Yoshio, you're sharp as always. So I've come to take you all together. Join us for dinner first, then the premiere at my family's North-South Cinema."
The North-South Group was the leading enterprise in Xinghai City, mainly running shopping malls but also owning their own cinemas and branching into many industries. If Liu Meng married him, she'd be marrying into wealth.
Yoshio almost felt sorry for Liu Meng—such a good opportunity, yet she didn't appreciate it. Wang Chen, though a rich heir, showed no arrogance, was easy to get along with, and pursued Liu Meng relentlessly—even willing to set aside his status for her.
No matter what, Yoshio thought highly of Wang Chen and was determined to get to know him better, believing only good could come from the acquaintance.
When Liu Meng and the others arrived and saw Yoshio and Wang Chen standing together, chatting as if nothing were amiss, everyone was stunned.

Ren Xiadong whispered, "Weren't they supposed to be rivals in love? And why is Wang Chen here?"
Seeing Liu Meng, Wang Chen quickly called her name, explained why he'd come, and told her that Yoshio had already agreed.
He opened the car door, inviting Liu Meng to get in. She hesitated, so Yoshio glanced inside and said, "There's room for plenty!" and got in himself.
Ren Xiadong called his driver. Since Liu Meng didn't want to ride with Wang Chen, she took Ren Xiadong's car, but Ren Xiadong, impressed by the luxury, decided to join Yoshio in Wang Chen's car instead.
So Yoshio and Ren Xiadong sat with Wang Chen, while Zhou Yi, Li Dong, Tao Nan, and Liu Meng followed in another car to the five-star Century Hotel.
Like the city's largest Century Mall, the hotel was owned by the North-South Group.
Inside, the staff bowed in welcome.
A manager came jogging out, motioning them in. "Mr. Wang, your private room and dishes are ready. Please mind the steps."
Once inside, Wang Chen had a golden card brought over, embossed with "Century Hotel." He handed it straight to Liu Meng. "From now on, whenever you come, meals are free. Bring your family too—it’s all on the house."
Liu Meng didn't want to accept, but couldn't find a way to refuse. Today, Wang Chen wasn't showing off; he simply had the means. In every respect, he outshone Yoshio. Liu Meng worried Yoshio might feel embarrassed, so she said, "Having Yoshio is enough for me. I don't care what I eat or where, as long as I'm with him."
Wang Chen visibly stiffened at her words. Then Yoshio stood, snatched the card from Wang Chen, slipped it into his own pocket, and said, "Thanks, Mr. Wang. Such a generous gift—I'll accept it on behalf of my little brother. Cheers!"
Everyone tensed, expecting Wang Chen to be angry that Yoshio had taken his gift for Liu Meng. After all, this was Wang Chen's turf.
"If you like it, it's yours," Wang Chen said, though obviously frustrated that Liu Meng hadn't accepted the card from his hand. Still, Yoshio had saved him from an awkward moment.
After a feast that showed them the true meaning of gourmet cuisine, they left for the private screening room at the cinema just before midnight.
"Rich people really do live differently—even the screening rooms are private!" Ren Xiadong exclaimed.
Once seated, the film began, and on the big screen appeared the words, "A Yoshio Production."
No one paid it much mind; no one believed a high schooler like Yoshio could have made such a film. But when it ended, the room fell silent. Everyone sat in awe, replaying scenes in their minds, wishing to watch it again.
"By the way, the celebration for The Ancient Legend is on October 31st. Liu Meng, will you come? Yoshio, you have to be there too," Wang Chen insisted, determined to include Yoshio at the event.
Since North-South Films had co-produced the premiere, and Wang Chen was the sole heir to the group, he could bring whomever he wished.
"Of course! Why wouldn't we go? Ren Xiadong will come too!"
Wang Chen felt Yoshio was pushing his luck, but in truth, the two of them would only embarrass themselves at such an event—providing Wang Chen the perfect chance to shine before Liu Meng.