“You’re just too kind and naive. For a woman, marriage is like a second birth!” Wei Fang shook her head and sighed.
“His brain damage is permanent. How could he possibly recover? And you say he’s improving? He’s so out of control that he beat someone to the point of severe injury. If Old Li had pressed charges, he’d be in jail right now!”
“But he did it to protect me…” Zhao Xueqing pleaded.
“Ah, I was just like you back then. I insisted on marrying your father for love, even though he already had you,” Wei Fang said, her eyes softening as she reminisced about the past. “Back then, my family didn’t approve of our relationship. That’s why I worked so hard to prove them wrong. But in the end, all I have is a measly hundred million in assets. My family still looks down on your father!”
She let out a bitter laugh. “Xueqing, I’m telling you this as someone who’s been through it. Sometimes, making the right choice is more important than working hard. You have to choose the right person!”
“Auntie, I understand,” Zhao Xueqing nodded, but her resolve didn’t waver.
Wei Fang knew her advice hadn’t landed, but she wasn’t in a rush. She smiled faintly and said, “By the way, Liu Wangfeng from the Liu family wants to discuss a collaboration with me tomorrow night, but I’m too busy. Can you go in my place?”
“Ah? Him? Auntie, can’t you send someone else?” Zhao Xueqing’s face fell.
Liu Wangfeng was one of Linzhou’s top young elites, second only to the likes of Tang Jianfeng from the Tang family and Long Gaitian from the Long family. The Liu family’s Ren’ai Pharmaceutical Trading Group was ranked among the top ten in the country, with assets worth billions.
Liu Wangfeng had pursued Zhao Xueqing multiple times in the past, but she had always turned him down, disliking his personality.
“Xueqing, the development of your skincare product has stalled. The board has been considering removing you as department head for a while now. And with Jiang Tian’s violent outburst, he’s going to be fired. If you don’t produce some results soon, how can I protect you?” Wei Fang crossed her arms and frowned.
“Fine, I’ll go,” Zhao Xueqing reluctantly agreed, her heart heavy with bitterness.
With no savings left and their jobs on the line, she and Jiang Tian would be left with nothing.
—
That afternoon, Jiang Tian received a call from his university classmate, Yuan Yuan, informing him of a class reunion at the Imperial Club.
“Looks like I’m fated to cross paths with this Imperial Club,” Jiang Tian thought to himself. He quickly called Zhao Xueqing to let her know and left the office.
The money he had taken from Zhao Xueqing over the weekend was already spent, so Jiang Tian had to walk to the club.
By the time he arrived, most of his classmates were already in a private room. The “Supreme Emperor” room was extravagantly decorated and exorbitantly priced. Just the room fee alone was 50,000 yuan—equivalent to half a year’s salary for an average white-collar worker in 2007.
Hou Tianlai, the organizer of the reunion, sat at the center of the room, boasting about his entrepreneurial journey. Yuan Yuan sat beside him, playing with the large diamond ring on her finger, looking quite pleased.
“These years haven’t been easy…” Hou Tianlai sighed, though the pride in his eyes was unmistakable.
“Come on, Boss Hou, you’ve got it made!”
“Yeah, you’ve got a mansion, luxury cars, a beautiful girlfriend—what more could you want? We’re all jealous!”
The classmates chimed in with flattery.
Liu Yating and a few other female classmates sat in a corner, chatting.
“Well, well, look who’s here—our big shot, Jiang Tian!” Hou Tianlai sneered as soon as Jiang Tian walked in.
Everyone turned to look.
Jiang Tian’s cheap, plain shirt, black trousers, and scuffed old shoes made him look more like a laborer than the wealthy young master he once was.
“Jiang Tian!”
“Is that really Jiang Tian?”
“My God, he used to be such a big deal in university. How did he end up like this?”
Many of the classmates exclaimed, their voices laced with mockery.
Back at Jinling University, Jiang Tian had been a prominent figure, arrogant and aloof. Many of his classmates had resented him, and now that he was down on his luck, they were eager to kick him while he was down.
Liu Yating stared at Jiang Tian in shock.
The young man she remembered was gone. The once flamboyant and radiant Jiang Tian now looked dull and ordinary. What had he been through these past few years? His eyes were calm, like an ancient well with no ripples.
Jiang Tian walked over slowly and smiled. “Sorry, I didn’t take a cab, so I’m a bit late.”
“Not at all, not at all!” Hou Tianlai feigned enthusiasm, pulling Jiang Tian to sit down. “You walked here?”
Jiang Tian nodded silently, meeting the gazes around him.
Surprise, mockery, ridicule, disdain…
Jiang Tian found it all amusing.
These people thought that money was everything, but they had no idea that with his abilities, he could dominate the world if he wanted to. However, he had been reborn to pursue the ultimate path of cultivation, to reach the pinnacle of the universe, and to protect his loved ones. Their petty judgments meant nothing to him.
“Tsk, tsk, Jiang Tian. You used to drive a BMW and live the high life. How did you end up so pitiful that you don’t even have a car now?” Hou Tianlai looked Jiang Tian up and down, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Look at what you’re wearing. Even my gardener wouldn’t wear that. It’s fit for a dog, haha!”
“Haha, Boss Hou, you’re too funny!” Several classmates laughed along with Hou Tianlai.
Jiang Tian remained unfazed.
After cultivating for millennia, he had seen too much ugliness and malice. He had long since reached a state of inner peace.
Perhaps they had groveled before him for too long in the past, and now that he was down, they were eager to pay him back a hundredfold.
“Enough! You’re going too far!” Liu Yating stood up and slammed the table, her face flushed with anger.
Hou Tianlai’s eyes turned cold. “Liu Yating, what’s the big deal? We’re just telling it like it is!”
Liu Yating glared at Hou Tianlai. “No matter what, Jiang Tian is our classmate. It doesn’t matter if he’s doing well or not. How can you humiliate him like this?”
“Alright, alright. I know you’ve always been sharp-tongued. I won’t argue with you,” Hou Tianlai said, changing the subject. “Let’s eat and drink. Waiter, bring us a bottle of Mouton Rothschild!”
“That bottle alone costs at least 100,000 yuan!” one of the male classmates exclaimed, clearly impressed.
“Wow, that’s like burning money!”
“Boss Hou, you’re so generous!” The girls clapped, their faces filled with admiration and envy.
“Order whatever you want, eat and drink to your heart’s content!” Hou Tianlai waved his hand grandly. “After dinner, we’ll head upstairs and keep the party going. No one leaves until they’re drunk!”
Liu Yating pulled Jiang Tian to sit in the corner and smiled. “Don’t mind him. He’s just showing off because he has a bit of money now.”
“It’s fine,” Jiang Tian said with a faint smile. “I came here just to see you, my kind old classmate.”
“Where are you working now?” Liu Yating asked, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Back in university, she had had a crush on Jiang Tian, but fate had kept them apart.
“I’m working in public relations at Zhao’s Pharmaceutical Company. What about you?”
“My husband and I run a beauty salon, but we don’t have a core product. We’re struggling to make ends meet,” Liu Yating sighed.
“You’re having financial troubles?” Jiang Tian’s heart tightened.
In his past life, she had lent him money without hesitation. It seemed she had already been struggling back then, and his borrowing had been the final straw that broke the camel’s back.
Thinking of this, Jiang Tian felt a surge of gratitude. “Thank you for helping me back then. Now that I’m back, I’ll repay you. I’ll give you a great opportunity.”
“Repay me? What are you talking about?” Liu Yating laughed. “Because I helped you beg the dean not to expel you for cheating? That’s all in the past…”
“Ah, you have no idea how much you helped me in my past life…” Jiang Tian shook his head, sighing inwardly.
He picked up a notepad from the table, wrote down a prescription, and handed it to Liu Yating. “This is a formula for a beauty cream. Follow the instructions to make it. It’s incredibly effective for moisturizing and rejuvenating the skin.”
“You’re still playing the mystic, huh?” Liu Yating chuckled, rolling her eyes at Jiang Tian.
Back in university, Jiang Tian had always fancied himself a healer, but he had no real medical skills to speak of.
Once, a classmate had eaten something bad and gotten a stomachache. Jiang Tian had prescribed a remedy, claiming it would improve the classmate’s eyesight so they wouldn’t mistake food in the future.
Another time, a classmate had appendicitis, and Jiang Tian had prescribed a laxative, nearly dehydrating the poor guy. When the classmate confronted him, Jiang Tian had simply said, “You just needed to flush out the toxins.”
But seeing the sincerity in Jiang Tian’s eyes, Liu Yating took the prescription and tucked it into her pocket.
By then, the food had started arriving, and the classmates began eating and chatting.
After graduation, everyone had taken different paths in life, but most were living ordinary, unremarkable lives.
Zhao Dan, who had been the most materialistic in university, had vowed to marry only a rich second-generation heir. She was now married, but her husband was just an ordinary civil servant.
As Zhao Dan put it, she had been blind to marry him, but the smile on her face betrayed her true happiness.
Zheng Li had dated the handsome and talented student council president in university, but they had since broken up. She was now struggling to make it on her own in Linzhou.
Whenever the topic of her ex came up, Zheng Li would get furious. Who would have thought that the man who had been so popular in university would turn out to be a womanizing gambler?
But Zheng Li had channeled her pain into her career and was now doing fairly well as an HR manager at Guangsha Group, earning a decent income.
—
However, the most successful among them was still Hou Tianlai.
Backed by Zhou Zhenghao, the top boss of Xicheng District, Hou Tianlai had monopolized the sand, gravel, and cement business in the entire district. His company had dozens of employees, and his assets had reached 20 million yuan. He had bought a garden villa and drove an Audi TT.
“My brother Hao is incredible. He’s connected to Long Wu, the underground emperor of Linzhou, and even has ties to the mayor!” Hou Tianlai boasted, his face glowing with pride.
“Really? You know Brother Hao?” The others gasped in awe, unable to believe it.
“Of course! I’ve had drinks with him several times!” Hou Tianlai said, placing an exquisite gift box on the table. “This is a hundred-year-old wild ginseng. Brother Hao said he’s trying to impress a big shot recently and asked me to help him find some rare medicinal herbs. He’ll be coming over later to pick them up. I’ll introduce you to him!”
“Wow, being able to drink with Brother Hao? Boss Hou, you’ve really made it big!” The others were filled with envy.
Even Liu Yating was slightly moved. “Brother Hao runs a financial company, right? Can I borrow some money from him?”
“He’s into private lending. I’ll put in a good word for you and get you a discount on the interest rate!” Hou Tianlai said confidently.
Suddenly, he turned to Jiang Tian, who had been quietly eating. “Jiang Tian, you’ve never had the chance to meet someone as important as Brother Hao, have you?”
“What does he amount to? He’s not worthy of my attention,” Jiang Tian said calmly, picking up a piece of stir-fried lotus root and chewing it slowly.
The room fell silent.
Everyone stared at Jiang Tian as if he had just grown a second head.
