A red taxi pulled up to the entrance of the Kempinski Hotel, and a woman who appeared to be in her twenties stepped out. She wore a simple white cotton dress, her slightly curled long hair flowing loosely. Unpretentious and unluxurious, her attire was utterly simple yet remarkably attractive. With light makeup, a white clutch in hand, and a pair of somewhat plain black high heels, she exuded an ethereal aura.
While not possessing a beauty that could topple nations, her features were refined and highly distinctive, giving off a refreshing and pleasant vibe. There are indeed women in this world who aren't strikingly beautiful yet are captivating, and Huo Mian happened to be one of those rare individuals whose unique charm could enthrall.
"Oh, Huo Mian, you're here! Quickly, head straight up to the Peony Room on the second floor; everyone's waiting there. They'll be so happy to know you've arrived." A classmate at the lobby entrance warmly directed her. Huo Mian smiled and nodded, then slowly walked towards the second floor. For some reason, an inexplicable unease began to stir within her, a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time.
Actually, she rarely attended high school reunions. It wasn't because Huo Mian was unsociable, nor because she considered herself too important. It was simply because, during her three years of high school, there was someone who had left an indelible mark on her life, and so she instinctively avoided these gatherings.
Her acceptance of this invitation was solely due to her high school homeroom teacher, Mr. Yao, who had personally called her. Mr. Yao, over sixty, had long since retired and was said to have emigrated to New Zealand with his daughter. His sudden return to China and organization of a reunion left Huo Mian with no reason to refuse. Although she had never been the kind of outstanding student in his eyes, her affection for Mr. Yao was no less than that of her other classmates.
Besides... that person had disappeared seven years ago; surely they wouldn't appear at the reunion, right?
Huo Mian tried to comfort herself with these thoughts, attempting to alleviate the nagging unease in her heart.
When she pushed open the door, there were already over twenty people in the private room. Hearing the door open, everyone looked towards the entrance. Huo Mian smiled somewhat shyly.
"Hi everyone, long time no see," she greeted proactively.
"Oh, isn't this the great beauty Huo Mian? How rare, you actually came to the reunion! The sun must have risen from the west today," a female classmate said in a sarcastic tone.
Huo Mian smiled awkwardly, remaining silent. At that moment, the class monitor, Han Xu, stood up and walked over, warmly greeting her, "Huo Mian, it's been a long time. Everyone has missed you. How are you? Are you doing well?"
"Yes, I'm doing great, Class Monitor. Where's Mr. Yao?" Huo Mian glanced around and, not seeing her homeroom teacher, couldn't help but ask.
"Oh, Mr. Yao just called. He said he's stuck in traffic and will be here shortly. Come, find a place to sit down first."
Huo Mian nodded and then found a quiet corner to sit, listening to her classmates' lively conversations.
Many years had passed since high school graduation, and everyone had changed a lot. Some had become famous entrepreneurs, some had become civil servants, and others had gone abroad for further studies. In contrast to them, Huo Mian, once a brilliant girl with an IQ of 130, seemed remarkably unremarkable.
After high school, she surprisingly opted out of a prestigious university in Kyoto and chose to study advanced nursing at a medical college. Upon graduation, she became a probationary nurse at the provincial hospital, signing a three-year contract.
She now also had a stable relationship with her boyfriend, a neurosurgery intern at the same hospital. Although his family background was ordinary, his future prospects were quite good. Huo Mian felt that her life was already content; she didn't seek great wealth or status, only a stable and peaceful existence.
Just then, someone suddenly tapped her on the back. Huo Mian was startled and turned around in a fright.
Upon seeing who it was, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lingling, you almost scared me to death!"
"Ha, we agreed you'd wait for me at the door so we could go in together, but you just ran ahead by yourself." Zhu Lingling said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Huo Mian.
"I was going to wait for you, but I happened to see the welcoming classmate at the door. He said everyone was upstairs, so I came up," Huo Mian replied with a gentle smile.
Zhu Lingling, her best friend from high school, was now a flight attendant for a civil airline. She was a very pretty girl and one of Huo Mian's few close friends, simply because, like Huo Mian, she was kind-hearted to her core.
"Lingling, aren't you busy these days?"
"How could I not be? I'm swamped! I was supposed to fly to Xingcheng today, but this reunion conveniently came up, so I switched shifts with my colleague. Oh, by the way, where's your doctor? Why didn't you bring him?"
"He has surgery today, he couldn't get away."
"Ha, not bad, not bad, he has a promising future. Speaking of which, how's the house hunting going for you two?"
"Almost done. We looked at three, and one of them is quite good. We'll discuss it with his parents later and pick one from there."
"That fast? Which area is it in? Buying a house is a big deal, so you should really think it through," Zhu Lingling advised.
"It's in the Third Ring Road area. It takes about twenty minutes by bus to get to work, so it's quite convenient," Huo Mian said with a faint smile.
"The Third Ring Road is good. The average price must be around eight thousand, right? Your boyfriend is quite capable, isn't he?" Zhu Lingling said enviously.
"We're not paying the full amount, just a down payment. The rest we'll pay off slowly, since we're still young."
"So, after you buy the house, you'll be planning the wedding, right?" Zhu Lingling asked, holding Huo Mian's hand.
"Yes, if there are no surprises, that should be the case," Huo Mian nodded.
"Xiao Mian."
"Hmm?"
"You're just going to get married... are you truly content?" Zhu Lingling suddenly asked with a serious gaze.
"Heh, at this point, what's there to be content or discontent about?"
"Xiao Mian, you know what I'm asking. Have you truly forgotten him?" Zhu Lingling's voice was very low, but Huo Mian still heard it clearly. Upon hearing 'him,' a trace of sadness and an elusive hint of heartache flickered in her eyes.
"What if I'm content? What if I'm not? This is fate, and I've accepted it, Lingling. I accepted my fate seven years ago," Huo Mian said, a bitter, slight smile on her lips.
Zhu Lingling was about to say something else when the private room door opened. All the classmates immediately stood up. Huo Mian and Zhu Lingling also rose with everyone and looked towards the door. There, at the entrance, she finally saw her grey-haired homeroom teacher, Mr. Yao. And beside Mr. Yao... that person... it was him!
The man who had disappeared for seven years, the man who was once the most important person in Huo Mian's life... he appeared in this manner, as if in a dream, catching her completely off guard.
Huo Mian instantly felt her mind go blank.