As the helicopter landed on the lawn, Shen Li was still a bit stunned. The maids and assistants from inside the house all came out to see her off, and Shen Li unconsciously followed suit.
Huo Siyu beckoned her over, and between her surprise and confusion, Shen Li stepped forward, only to be enveloped in a deep kiss as Huo Siyu encircled her waist, saying, "Wait for me to return."
In her daze, Shen Li had only one thought—could he not come back?
Huo Siyu and Situ boarded the helicopter, and Shen Li had thought that the head housemaid would follow them, but not a single servant left. Instead, they started to gather around her, asking, "Miss Shen, do you have any orders for us?"
"I have no orders," Shen Li said, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "My handbag that I brought when I came yesterday, do you know where it is?"
"I've put it in your room for you, I'll go get it right now," Maid A said.
Shen Li immediately said, "No need to get it, take me to the bedroom, I need to change clothes."
"Please follow me," the maid replied.
Taking the elevator to the second floor, Shen Li's room was the second one on the left, designed in pink and light blue with a girly style. There was a large terrace with a tea set arranged on it.
The maid took the handbag out of the wardrobe, and after Shen Li thanked her, she hurriedly asked the maid to leave. She closed the door to change clothes; not bothering with her hair, but she definitely couldn't leave wearing these clothes.
She had been working all along, and had just received her salary before the incident; there was still one thousand yuan in her wallet. After the new year, she was to intern and didn't need to attend school, giving her a lot of free time.
The problem was, what should she do about her current situation?
Carrying her bag, she ran out of the villa, refusing the butler's offer to arrange a vehicle. With Huo Siyu returning to the country for the New Year, it would be about half a month before he returned. She needed to make good use of this time.
It took her half an hour to walk to the entrance of the estate. The road was wide, without any taxis or buses in sight. Shen Li, on the brink of tears but relieved that the rain had stopped and her handbag wasn't too heavy, thought that with four to five hours of walking and a bit of luck, she might eventually find a taxi.
After walking for a while, a call from her good friend Suo Luo came in: "The day after tomorrow is our high school reunion; you must remember to come, and dress pretty."
"A reunion, huh..." Shen Li wasn't particularly interested, but she merely asked, "Is there any place that's hiring?"
"It's just ten days till New Year's; you still want to work? I have some money here; you can use it first if you're short," Suo Luo offered, having grown up with Shen Li and being very aware of the Shen family's circumstances; it was normal for Shen Li to be short of money.
"I still have money... I'm just looking for a place that provides room and board," Shen Li said. Although she had the keys to her family's house, she really didn't want to go back there.
After thinking for a moment, Suo Luo suggested, "A relative of mine runs a talent agency; during the New Year, there's a lot of activity among the artists, I don't know if they need temporary assistants. Although the work is tiring, I heard the pay is good."
"I'll take it," Shen Li said. She needed to find a place to stay first and just get through the New Year.
"Forget the job for now; the key thing is the five-day reunion," Suo Luo insisted, and then in an exaggerated tone she added, "It's at Imperial Capital Hotel, at noon, 12 o'clock."
"Imperial Capital Hotel?" Shen Li exclaimed in surprise. It was the best and most luxurious hotel in N city, where even a carved radish cost thousands; she immediately said, "That kind of place for a reunion, how much is the participation fee? I don't want to go."
"It's Fang Ze who's treating; you don't need to pay," Suo Luo said loudly, becoming excited, "Fang Ze has come back, and the Fang family is super rich now, media tycoons. He called me especially before the reunion to ask about you. This reunion is also for you to meet him; you really need to show up."
"Fang Ze?" Shen Li was taken aback, hearing a name she hadn't heard in four years suddenly sprung on her, was a little unexpected. "Didn't he go abroad to study? So soon?"
"Hey, hey, the point is his family is really rich, they own a mining business," Suo Luo said, pausing for a moment before continuing, "Back then, you and Fang Ze almost became an item, but that little bitch Chen Na messed it up. Now Fang Ze has come back as a tall, rich, and handsome guy, and from what he says, he seems to miss you a lot. Don't miss out on this opportunity."
"Haha..." Shen Li gave a dry laugh, indifferently saying, "Fang Ze and I never dated, and Chen Na... it's not right to say she interfered. Anyway, it's all in the past. It's nice to see old classmates, and I'll go if I have time."
"What do you mean 'if you have time'? You must go," Suo Luo pressed, adding, "Chen Na will definitely be there; she's always been after Fang Ze."
Shen Li couldn't help but sigh and said, "Let her go then. It's all from four years ago, and for all I know, Fang Ze might even have a son by now. Besides, with his family being so wealthy, who knows how many girlfriends he has. If I get all dressed up and he shows up with his girlfriend, I'd just embarrass myself."
"Fang Ze isn't that kind of person, you know. He even asked about you specifically," Suo Luo said, then continued, "With Fang Ze being so handsome and his family so rich, and he's interested in you too, a guy like that isn't easy to find. Grab onto him if you can."
"Well, we'll see what fate has in store," Shen Li said, pausing before adding, "Think about the job for me, I'll wait for your call."
"If you can land Fang Ze, you'll be a lady of a prominent family," Suo Luo said with a tone of frustration.
Shen Li chuckled dryly, suddenly remembering that morning when Situ told her that in a year's time, she could earn a lifetime's worth of money. She said, "These things still depend on fate; we'll see."
After hanging up the phone, Shen Li let out an involuntary sigh and couldn't help but reflect on the past.
She used to sit in front of Fang Ze in school. At the time, she was a top student, while Fang Ze was at the bottom of the class. When the teacher suggested good students help the weaker ones, Fang Ze had approached her for tutoring. Back then, her family wouldn't give her money, and even her living expenses were a problem, not to mention that as a high school student, there were no jobs available.
Fang Ze's family was already wealthy back then, paying twenty yuan an hour for four hours every weekend. If Fang Ze's ranking improved, there would be a hundred yuan reward for each rank he climbed. Although looking back, it might have just been a way to woo girls, for Shen Li at the time, that income was vital for her living and tuition fees.
So, for two years, they went in and out of school together, and many people said they were dating. Although Shen Li never confirmed it, she didn't completely deny it either. To say she really liked Fang Ze might not be true, but she didn't dislike him. If Fang Ze had confessed, they could have started dating officially.
But before Fang Ze's confession came, Chen Na appeared. She pursued Fang Ze openly which, in those relatively conservative times, was rare as it was usually men who chased women. Many people started egging them on, and Shen Li could clearly sense Fang Ze wavering.
Choosing between someone she liked and someone who liked her was a dilemma.
As Fang Ze hesitated, Shen Li stepped back. She felt she didn't like Fang Ze that much, certainly not enough to fight over him, especially since Fang Ze was wavering, so there was no point in her sticking around.
Since she had never confessed, she didn't need to make things clear. She quit tutoring, as it was her senior year anyway, and she needed to focus on her college entrance exams; the school had high hopes for her. If she got into a top university, there would be plenty of rewards, and she wouldn't have to worry about money.
At the time, Shen Li naively thought that by withdrawing, Fang Ze would surely start dating Chen Na smoothly. But to her surprise, Fang Ze didn't choose Chen Na either, and he didn't even stay in the country—he went abroad right away.
Shen Li remembered the day Fang Ze left for abroad, he seemed to have looked for her. But she was visiting her homeroom teacher's house at the time. When her deskmate told her afterwards, although she felt a bit let down, she wasn't overly sad.
It must not have been love that was strong enough; if it wasn't enough, it was better to let go early.
"Beep, beep..."
The sound of a car horn came from behind her.
Shen Li was taken aback when suddenly a silver Ferrari stopped beside her.
The driver took off his sunglasses, and Shen Li was stunned. Indeed, one should never speak ill of others behind their back.
It was Fang Ze.