A few days passed after we had returned to Earth, and Vivian had managed to get settled comfortably in the new accommodation that Sprue provided her. They even succeeded in creating a brand-new identity for her, forging a British passport and having her stay here as a European permanent resident.
Well, all that administrative stuff was none of my business, so I didn't bother to find out about the details. I did know the basic details of Vivian's new identity, especially about her supposedly being British and having relations to the royal family, but other than that, it wasn't necessary for me to know.
Vivian wasn't unreasonable enough to demand the best or most expensive accommodations available. She was all right with a cheap apartment as long as it was furnished and clean, and while Sprue didn't blow the budget to provide her some luxurious suite in a posh neighborhood for super rich expatriates, they didn't assign her to the cheapest possible location either. In the end, Vivian was given an apartment in a privately own condominium with great amenities and convenient facilities. A little out of the way, but safe, clean and comfortable.
Distance, though, wasn't a problem for Vivian. I have no idea how she managed it, but it appeared that she simply teleported to wherever I was from wherever she lived with the snap of her fingers. More advanced technology that looked like magic. How convenient. I was going to use that to explain everything that didn't make sense in this story going forward, and there was nothing the readers could do about it. Heh.
Anyway, she seemed pretty happy, aside from when she was beating me up with her sword. Well, actually, she also looked pretty delighted even during those times while she was smacking me around, her Excalibur glowing brightly as it clashed against my Arondight.
"Not like this! Plant both feet in the ground! Keep your center of gravity firm! Don't let yourself be thrown off so easily! Your reflexes are too slow! I'll keep slashing you until your responses become muscle memory!"
And on and on it went. Before I knew it, several days had passed, and I was dragging my bruised and battered body around after each training session. I didn't know how useful this one-sided beating would be, but I had to keep my faith in Vivian.
And then, Liu Zhi Yong called me one night, when I was resting after a grueling training session with Vivian. I say resting, but I was actually watching replays of Starcraft 2 professional gamers. After becoming world champion, Oliveira was performing well, but he hadn't quite reached the heights he did at IEM Katowice. Oh, well. His matches were still pretty impressive, though. There was a lot I could learn from him. It was a pity he lost to Serral and a rematch best of 5 against herO in the latest Korean League. He also lost to Gumiho, who was my favorite Starcraft 2 player because he was known for his creative builds and favoring mech over bio.
Yeah, I could hear nationalistic readers screaming at me for being a traitor because my favorite Starcraft 2 player was a gamer from Han Country instead of the world champion from our very own Hua Xia. They could fuck off. Nationality had nothing to do with gaming. Take pride in Oliveira's achievements if you wanted, but he was the one who won IEM Katowice, not you. And while I respected him, it wasn't as if I knew him personally, so why was I obligated to be his avid fan just because we came from the same country? Seriously, some netizens had nothing better to do than to bitch about every trivial thing under the sun.
Anyway, I chose to watch one of Gumiho's games when Liu Zhi Yong's call interrupted my time of fun and rest.
"Hey, Tian Xing! I heard that you finally came back! I tried calling you over the last few weeks, but your parents told me you were overseas! Something about your new company sending you on an expedition or something? How lucky."
"Oh, yeah. For research purposes." There was no sense in telling Liu Zhi Yong the truth. Not that he would believe me either. "What's up? Why are you looking for me?"
"Oh, we're getting an invitation to a high school reunion from Hui Zhang," Zhi Yong explained. "He has been trying to get ahold of you, but you were MIA. So I told him I'll keep an eye out for when you return and let you know."
"Why would you do that?" I tried not to groan. I wasn't a big fan of Hui Zhang, and the student council president appeared to have a grudge against me for some reason. I didn't know why he hated me. Probably the same reason why all the manhua antagonists hated the protagonists. Because I was "trash."
"Why not?" Liu Zhi Yong sounded genuinely confused. "Huang Xiang Jun will be attending as well. don't you want to see her?"
"No."
"Really?" Liu Zhi Yong blurted out incredulously. "You're kidding! Did you meet someone overseas when you were on your expedition?"
"Something like that." I deliberately left it vague. "Also, isn't Huang Xiang Jun dating Hui Zhang?"
"Well…" Liu Zhi Yong sounded uncomfortable. "Not really, but there are rumors that say he plans to confess to her in a big way during this high school reunion."
"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow. This was growing increasingly suspicious. "If that's the case, why would he go out of his way to invite me?"
"He needs your help, apparently. He's been begging me to find you. Come on, this is your last chance to confess to Huang Xiang Jun before Hui Zhang steals her away from you!"
"Sorry, bro, but I'm no longer interested in her." I sighed. "But fine, all right, I'll go."
This stank of a trap, but I was amused to see what Hui Zhang was up to. Maybe I could turn the tables on him and use whatever he was plotting to my advantage. I had a feeling he was trying to humiliate me or something.
If he tried to do that, then he would be the one falling flat on his face in front of everyone instead.
"Really?! Thank you!"
"Why are you thanking me?" I couldn't help but ask wryly as Liu Zhi Yong celebrated on the other end of the phone. Then I shook my head. "Anyway, when is it?"
"After the results of Gao Kao are released, next month. He says it's also a reunion party to celebrate our Gao Kao scores."
"I see." I sighed and nodded, not looking forward to it. "Okay, just email me the details and venue. I'll be there."
The Gao Kao scores were released next month, as Liu Zhi Yong said, and I managed to avoid my peers by checking online. Even though they posted the scores on the bulletin board in school, I evaded the crowd. Not that I needed to. I was already roughly aware of what my scores were. To my surprise, I did better than I had expected, scoring a bunch of A's, and that all but secured my entry into Chao University for Special Students.
"You're really going there?" Liu Zhi Yong asked when he caught me returning home before I could get stuck in the crowd. I nodded.
"Why wouldn't I? I have a job there, and they're paying for my scholarship and everything. And stipends too. There's no reason for me to refuse."
"But with your grades, you can go anywhere you want! Tsing Hua! Bei Jing University! Hong Kong University! Why would you go to some university no one has ever heard of before?"
"It's an overseas university," I said with a shrug. "I think that's why you haven't heard of it. But I'll just go wherever my department wants to send me, I don't really care if it's prestigious or not. I owe my company too much."
Apparently, Chao was just a cover, and the actual name was Cassell College. No, I was joking. What, did you think I was going to rip off Dragon Raja? Anyway, go watch the animation, it has an awesome opening by Sawano Hiroyuki and we're all waiting for a second season.
"Can you stop promoting donghua and manhua in your monologue?" Aegis asked, exasperated. Right now, I had a tiny component of her in my pocket, along with Arondight. It was so I could summon them whenever I needed to. Fortunately, Liu Zhi Yong didn't overhear my conversation with them.
"I still think you should stick around here. We're going to miss you."
"No, you won't." I wasn't very close to most friends from high school. I wasn't exactly a loner, but I didn't go out of my way to be buddies with them. Probably because I spent so much time on my hobbies instead of socializing.
"Yes, we will." Liu Zhi Yong threw an arm around me. "All the more you should come for the high school reunion tomorrow, or we will miss you. Make sure you show up! Don't just disappear on us like that, at least show your face before you go overseas."
"Yeah, I intend to." I tried not to smirk. "It seems that Hui Zhang is going all out. He actually booked an entire ballroom in Crown Plaza Hotel? How much is he spending?"
"A ballroom reservation in a famous hotel chain is nothing more than a drop in the vast fortune of the Hui family," Liu Zhi Yong replied seriously, though I could hear the envy in his voice. "He says it's his treat."
"I see. Well, I should enjoy myself and not hold back if he's treating us. It's not everyday we get to party in a luxurious ballroom."
"That's the spirit, man!"
That spirit was shared by Vivian when she appeared the next day, waiting for me outside my house before I left for the high school reunion.
"Tian Xing, before you leave, here's a gift you should bring. It's not nice to go emptyhanded."
"Oh, thanks. I was planning on buying something from the store to bring over there. Snacks or fruits, but I guess…" I held up the bottle of fruit juice and peered at the label. There was exquisite script across the label, written in a foreign language I didn't recognize. It definitely wasn't English, Chinese or Japanese – the three languages I was well versed in. "Oh, fruit juice? Nice. I don't think I've seen this brand before, though."
"Let's just say it's a famous brand," Vivian replied with a knowing smile. "Now go and have fun. Make sure to display some dignity and remember your manners, though. Don't embarrass yourself."
"I'll do my best." I wondered why the hell I would need dignity or manners for a local high school reunion, but whatever. "Sorry. I prefer spending more time with you, but…"
"You flatter me." Vivian giggled and gave me a gentle push. "But I am not so selfish that I will hog you entirely to myself. You have friends there, at least say goodbye to them before you leave for Cassell College…ahem, I mean Chao University."
"You just said Cassell College, didn't you?"
"Did I? You must have misheard."
"I'm pretty sure…"
"You. Must. Have. Misheard."
"Okay, okay." I knew better than to argue with a lady. "Thanks for this fruit juice. I'll get going then!"
Even though I had worn a more formal suit with leather shoes, dinner jacket and the like, I wasn't some spendthrift, and so I took public transport. More than a few people stared at me in bewilderment when I sat on the bus and the train, but I ignored them, instead focusing on my eBook and reading a Black Library novel while on the way there.
"Tian Xing! Over here!"
Liu Zhi Yong jumped up and down, waving at me when he caught sight of me walking the huge distance from the nearest bus stop toward Crown Plaza Hotel. I nodded and waved back, noting that he was wearing a red suit and tie. In contrast, my jacket and pants were black, and my tie was the same blue color as Vivian's eyes. The two of us formed an odd red and black pair as we strolled into the lobby.
"I'm so glad you can make it, Tian Xing!"
"Yeah, you were the one who called me. I can't refuse your invitation."
"Is that the case? I'm so glad you can make it today, Li Tian Xing. I have a favor to ask."
The both of us turned at the new voice. Hui Zhang was standing in the middle of the lobby, wearing an oily smile that sent chills down my spine. He smirked and gestured for us to join him as he sauntered toward the ballroom. As we followed him, I noticed that a large crowd of my schoolmates had already gathered within, enjoying themselves on the expensive drinks and cocktails that the staff had prepared.
And there was a huge stage at the back of the ballroom, adorned with flowers…and a massive silk banner that read, "Happy birthday, Huang Xiang Jun!"
Wait, it was her birthday today? Why didn't Liu Zhi Yong tell me? When I glanced at him, he looked pretty uncomfortable, unable to meet my gaze.
Hui Zhang turned to me, probably because he sensed my shock and discomfort, and continued.
"A very small favor, Tian Xing. I'm sure you wouldn't mind helping me out, for old time's sake?"