On February 2nd, which was the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, Xu Xiuwen arrived at the dining location twenty minutes early as instructed by the class monitor.
It was worth mentioning that the time and place He Yu had informed him of were exactly the same as in his previous life.
However, in his previous life, Xu Xiuwen had taken the bus to attend the gathering.
Today, he drove there.
In 2006, the number of cars in Langya wasn't high, so it was easy for him to find a parking spot on the street near the restaurant.
Xu Xiuwen got out of his car and looked up to see the restaurant's sign.
The neon-lit sign read "Small Town Restaurant" in large characters.
This gathering was organized by the class monitor, He Yu.
Since He Yu's family wasn't well-off, he couldn't afford to treat everyone, so the gathering was on a pay-your-own-way basis.
He Yu chose a modestly priced restaurant but still reserved a private room.
As soon as Xu Xiuwen walked into the restaurant, he encountered a high school classmate.
However, the classmate obviously didn't recognize him.
The two of them arrived at the designated private room one after the other.
The male classmate reached the door first, grabbed the handle, and pulled the door open.
After entering, he let go of the handle, and Xu Xiuwen quickly stopped the door from closing.
It was only then that the classmate noticed Xu Xiuwen following him into the room.
The classmate frowned and stared at Xu Xiuwen for a moment before exclaiming in surprise, "Are you Xu Xiuwen?"
Xu Xiuwen smiled at him and nodded.
Their conversation caught the attention of the classmates already in the private room.
Several classmates, both male and female, looked at Xu Xiuwen in astonishment.
Xu Xiuwen had indeed changed a lot since their last high school gathering.
From head to toe, he was dressed in branded clothes.
His hair had grown longer, and his overall demeanor and aura had undergone a significant transformation.
They couldn't immediately believe that Xu Xiuwen was the same person.
Class monitor He Yu had already arrived. He stood up immediately and walked over, saying, "Wow, Xu Xiuwen, you've changed so much."
Xu Xiuwen smiled at the classmates in the private room and greeted them, "Hello, everyone."
Then he turned to respond to the class monitor, "Haha, not really, I just take better care of myself now."
The girls who were already present snapped out of their daze, each one staring at Xu Xiuwen with wide eyes, all thinking the same thing: Xu Xiuwen was incredibly handsome now.
They had always known he was good-looking back in school, but he hadn't been this stunning.
His entire demeanor and presence were completely different from before.
They really liked the way Xu Xiuwen looked now.
Class monitor He Yu invited Xu Xiuwen to sit down.
Two girls immediately suggested to the monitor, "Let Xu Xiuwen sit here."
They pointed to an empty seat between them.
Xu Xiuwen smiled and said, "It's an honor to sit between two beautiful ladies, but I'm afraid it might make the others jealous. I'll sit with the guys instead."
Xu Xiuwen's words gracefully declined the two girls while simultaneously praising them.
The two female classmates, who had just started university and had little social experience, didn't realize that Xu Xiuwen was merely speaking casually.
They thought he genuinely meant it and immediately beamed with smiles.
Xu Xiuwen walked over to sit among the boys.
Someone struck up a conversation with him, asking how he had changed so much.
Xu Xiuwen responded amiably to his high school classmates.
As the gathering time announced by the class monitor drew closer, more and more people arrived.
Xu Xiuwen glanced around and saw that about thirty classmates had shown up.
Their high school class had over sixty people, so more than half of the classmates had come.
Xu Xiuwen kept a low profile, choosing a seat that faced sideways to the door.
But at some point, he noticed that some female classmates started whispering and occasionally sneaking glances at him.
Xu Xiuwen responded to these peeking looks with a smile.
Then he saw his former female classmates shyly lowering their heads.
Xu Xiuwen found it strange. Had his charm increased so much now?
Before the dinner began, Xu Xiuwen had not seen Xiao Youran.
He remembered that in his previous life, Xiao Youran attended this gathering.
Could it be that she wouldn't come in this life?
If she didn't come, Xu Xiuwen knew it must be related to that day.
Perhaps she didn't want to see him again.
Xu Xiuwen sighed helplessly.
He could only say they were fated but not destined to be together.
It was five minutes before the appointed time, and Xiao Youran still hadn't shown up.
Xu Xiuwen thought she probably wouldn't come.
Then, the door was pushed open.
Xiao Youran walked in.
Xu Xiuwen was stunned the moment he saw Xiao Youran!
His heart started pounding uncontrollably.
Xiao Youran looked stunning today!
She was naturally beautiful, not losing to any girl in terms of looks. Though she usually didn't wear much makeup, tonight she had put on exquisite makeup. Her hair was styled up instead of her usual flowing long hair.
She was wearing a khaki wool coat and a pair of black velvet sock boots with high heels.
The boot shafts looked of good quality, very elastic, like stockings, tightly wrapping around her calves, perfectly showcasing the lines of her legs, making them look slender and long, extremely aesthetic.
Today, Xiao Youran had shifted from her usual pure style to a slightly more intellectual and mature look.
Xu Xiuwen really liked her outfit today.
As soon as Xiao Youran entered, she amazed everyone.
Even the class monitor was stunned for a moment before greeting her.
With the class monitor's greeting, she found a seat and sat down.
As soon as she sat down, the vice class monitor Yang Xiaoxiao, who was also her close friend, smiled and said, "Youran, you look so beautiful today."
Xiao Youran smiled lightly and replied, "It's okay."
A girl beside her asked, "Xiao Youran, did you dress up so beautifully today to meet someone special?"
Since Xiao Youran's entrance, she had become the focus of everyone's attention.
So everyone was now paying attention to her.
Moreover, the classmate who asked didn't deliberately lower her voice, so everyone present heard it.
Many people immediately glanced at Xu Xiuwen.
Faced with the classmate's question, Xiao Youran didn't answer, just smiled lightly.
Not denying it naturally meant admitting it.
At least that's what most people thought.
So a wave of teasing and jeering erupted.
At this point, there were only a few minutes left until the announced time.
Some classmates started urging He Yu to start the dinner.
He Yu reassured them, "Let's wait a bit more. Cao Yu said he's almost here."
When they heard that Cao Yu was coming, a boy immediately shouted, "Class monitor, why did you invite him? Have you forgotten how overboard he was last time?"
The boy's words were met with approval from many.
Everyone didn't understand why He Yu had invited Cao Yu.
He Yu explained, "Cao Yu said he would apologize for what happened before. We're all classmates, why make things so unpleasant?"
Hearing He Yu mention that Cao Yu would apologize, everyone's attitude softened.