It was January.
The French Phoenix trees lining Huanling Road at the entrance of Zhongshan were bare, their leaves all withered.
Chen Pingjiang returned to school very discreetly.
Although graduation wasn't until June next year, students would no longer need to stay at school after this semester.
Some chose to intern locally, while others returned to their hometowns.
Everyone just needed to return to school in May-June next year for their thesis defense, take a graduation photo, and receive their diploma to be officially graduated.
"Lao Dong, when is your bus back?"
Chen Pingjiang asked after passing around cigarettes one by one.
Dong Tinghui took a deep drag, slowly exhaling only after it had circulated in his lungs.
"My ticket's for the day after tomorrow. I'll pack up my stuff these two days, taking back whatever I can."
Zhao Shaoyang sighed, looking a bit melancholic:
"It feels like three and a half years of university just flew by. Especially after you, Chen Ge, moved out, life gradually became boring."
Dong Tinghui's father found him a job in his hometown, and he was preparing to go back for an internship.
He Siyu planned to go home and diligently review for his postgraduate entrance exams next year.
Wang Lei hadn't found an internship either, but since everyone else was leaving, he had no choice but to go back too.
Guo Dewen and his partner had decided to stay in Dongjiang to develop their careers, so they weren't leaving for now.
Those staying in Dongjiang didn't bother Chen Pingjiang, mainly because Chen Pingjiang was now at such a high level that they felt embarrassed to.
Renren.com's recruitment requirements were quite high now; without considerable skill, it might be genuinely difficult to get in.
The entire sixth floor was filled with a sense of farewell.
Many people were packing clothes in large and small bags, at least taking their winter clothing with them, as they wouldn't be staying at the school for another winter.
"I should have studied harder. It's only when you need knowledge that you regret having too little. I feel like my resume is completely unpresentable,"
Wang Lei shed "tears of regret."
Unexpectedly, Zhao Shaoyang on the other end laughed and cursed:
"Can you stop being so shameless? You're the most active online, and you failed the most courses."
Class monitor Wang Liwen came to the boys' dormitory at this time.
As soon as Dong Tinghui saw Wang Liwen, his expression became a little unnatural, containing melancholy, regret, and more.
He had been pursuing Wang Liwen since he entered school but never managed to "get on board."
At first, he thought Wang Liwen was playing hard to get, but later he realized she just wanted to focus on her studies and had never dated anyone during her university years.
"What do you need me for?"
Chen Pingjiang asked.
Wang Liwen said,
"I plan to organize a dinner gathering, to say a proper farewell to our four years of university life."
Chen Pingjiang smiled:
"It's a farewell dinner, why make it sound so refined? Besides, shouldn't farewell dinners be held after taking graduation photos?"
"Some people definitely won't be able to make it next year, so many suggested we do it this year. But I can't find such a large private room around the school; they're all small individual rooms, and the atmosphere can't be created properly."
"You're booking too late, aren't you? I just heard Lao Dong say his train leaves the day after tomorrow. Where are you going to book now?"
Chen Pingjiang thought for a moment:
"How about this, you inform everyone, and tomorrow everyone puts aside their tasks and comes to my house for it."
Wang Liwen paused:
"Wouldn't it be inconvenient? With so many of us."
Chen Pingjiang shook his head:
"It's fine. Afterward, we can just arrange for a few more people to clean up. It's my small gesture, as I haven't really helped the class much in the past two years."
If time wasn't so tight, Chen Pingjiang wouldn't mind taking the whole class on a vacation or hosting a yacht party.
This small amount of money was nothing to him, but he believed this unique farewell dinner would remain fresh in everyone's memory for years to come.
"Alright then, thank you."
"You're being formal with me again."
Knowing they were going to Chen Pingjiang's large villa for a day tomorrow, the class QQ group erupted in cheers.
"Be sure to arrive by noon tomorrow. Students already interning, find a way to take leave. Students leaving tomorrow, change your tickets yourselves. This might be the last time we're all together."
"Oh, Wang Liwen, tomorrow is a happy, joyful day. Don't speak so solemnly."
"I never thought we'd get to experience what a rich person's life is like before graduating from university."
"Class monitor, class monitor, can we bring family members!?"
Chen Pingjiang typed with a smile:
"Yes, those who want to swim can bring their swimsuits."
"Holy cow, a swimming pool at a rich guy's house."
...
Early in the morning, Chen Pingjiang was busy, with deliveries constantly arriving.
Various drinks and beers, and beyond that, Zhizhen Catering's central kitchen directly sent people to transport all the ingredients, accompanied by several chefs.
Before noon, the residents of dormitory 603 were the first to arrive.
As soon as Zhao Shaoyang entered, he was like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, exclaiming "Holy sh*t" on the left and "Oh my god" on the right.
"Chen Ge, are you still short of a nanny at home? If not, I can be a bodyguard too. I think this room suits me perfectly."
"Go away, go away! You're so thin you look like a bamboo stick, how can you compare to me? I'm much more suitable than you."
Chen Pingjiang took them on a tour, showing them around one by one, making the group envious, jealous, and hateful.
The main group arrived around 1-2 PM.
Exclamations of "Wow" rose and fell.
Fortunately, Chen Pingjiang's house was large enough that even with so many people, it wasn't crowded at all.
People gathered in twos and threes.
Some were shouting and cheering in Chen Pingjiang's e-sports room.
Some were gathered around the living room sofa, chatting and playing cards.
Some were playing in the heated swimming pool.
Some were watching recently released movies in the private cinema.
And some bold, cold-resistant ones were strolling in the courtyard.
The gathering was in the form of a buffet.
Even though it wasn't mealtime yet, a large array of pastries, snacks, and drinks was laid out, much to everyone's delight.
Zhao Shaoyang, Dong Tinghui, and Wu Zhaogang, among others, excitedly followed Chen Pingjiang to the cigar room to puff away.
"What's so good about this stuff? It tastes pretty ordinary."
"It smells good, but it's really harsh, cough, cough, cough, cough."
Wu Zhaogang took a deep drag like smoking a cigarette, resulting in loud coughing, almost coughing up his lungs.
Chen Pingjiang chuckled:
"Don't you dare waste my cigars. They're a hundred dollars each. Don't inhale cigar smoke into your lungs; just swirl it in your mouth and exhale."
"Class monitor, can I tour your bedroom? I haven't been upstairs yet,"
Cong Nini asked from the cigar room doorway at this moment.
Chen Pingjiang immediately saw that this femme fatale had ill intentions, but with so many people watching, he could only nod and led Cong Nini upstairs.
The whereabouts of these two were only known to those in the cigar room; everyone else was having so much fun that no one paid attention.
As soon as they reached Chen Pingjiang's bedroom, Cong Nini turned around and clicked the door shut, locking it.
This made Chen Pingjiang somewhat amused and exasperated:
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing, really. If you must blame someone, blame yourself for insisting on taking Lao Da to our store to shop last time. I originally thought there was no chance with you, who knew you'd appear before me again?"
Clearly meticulously dressed, Cong Nini was dazzlingly beautiful, her eyes practically wanting to devour Chen Pingjiang.
Chen Pingjiang frowned:
"I'm warning you, don't mess around. Whatever it is, we can talk about it later. So many people are waiting downstairs; it'll be awkward if they realize we've been gone for a long time."
Cong Nini giggled:
"I'm not someone who doesn't know better, don't worry."
She walked around Chen Pingjiang's master bedroom for a while, exclaiming in amazement:
"Oh my god, this is huge! It's much bigger than my house."
"I'm so envious of Lao Da."
Chen Pingjiang said,
"What do you mean by always calling her Lao Da?"
Cong Nini said nonchalantly:
"She's the big one, I'm the small one. You take care of the inside, I'll take care of the outside. I can't wait for you to take me in, I, your servant, don't want to strive anymore."
Chen Pingjiang: "..."
Seeing tears welling up in Cong Nini's eyes, Chen Pingjiang quickly unlocked the bedroom door and rushed out.
If he didn't leave immediately, something was bound to happen, something he wouldn't be able to control.
...
The evening banquet featured substantial dishes: three whole roasted lambs, specially prepared.
After roasting, the chefs would carve one and bring it into the living room.
Around 40 people gathered in the living room and surprisingly didn't feel crowded.
"Who knows when we'll see each other again next time?"
"Definitely at the thesis defense."
"Everyone defends their thesis in batches, and people leave right after their defense. You might not even see your roommates, let alone classmates."
"Then it'll be when we take graduation photos, right?"
"Class monitor, I toast you. I'm very happy to have had your care over the past four years of university. You're a legend among us, and you'll always have something to boast about wherever you go."
"Huh? You're going to wait until you start working, right? I'm already using the class monitor's name to rally support during my internship."
"Haha, me too."
"It's a shame, though, that the class monitor rarely attended classes, and even before junior year, spent very little time at school."
Everyone chattered on, one after another.
They laughed heartily when talking about funny things that happened during their university years.
But when they talked about the future, they seemed confused, unsure of what tomorrow would bring.
Some girls started crying as they spoke, and then several emotional close friends hugged each other and wept.
The boys walked around, clinking beer bottles and toasting each other; everything was conveyed through the alcohol.
"Chen Ge, can I bother you with something?"
"Tell me!"
Chen Pingjiang looked at Guo Dewen, his dorm mate.
This guy's face was as red as a monkey's butt.
Three parts drunk, he used his inebriation to say:
"To be honest with you, my partner found an internship, but I haven't. I'd like to work for your company. Don't worry, I'll work hard and won't embarrass you."
Chen Pingjiang nodded:
"My phone's charging. When we leave later, I'll give you a number. After you get through, just say I introduced you. But I'll say this first: the opportunity is yours; whether you can seize it is up to you."
Being in the same school, same class, and same dormitory was a form of destiny.
Chen Pingjiang would help if he could, but he wouldn't do so without limits.
He would give Guo Dewen a chance to enter Renren's Iron Army training camp.
As for whether he could withstand the drills and stay, that would be up to him personally.
That's all Chen Pingjiang could do.
When everyone was about four or five parts drunk, someone started a song.
"I'm afraid I won't have the chance
to say goodbye to you
Because perhaps
I'll never see you again
Tomorrow I'm leaving
this familiar place and you
My tears fall as we part ways..."
The singing grew from soft to loud, finally with the entire class singing together.
Many girls were quietly sobbing, their faces streaked with tears like pear blossoms in the rain, as they sang.
After "Goodbye," they sang "Friends," and after "Friends," they sang "Wish You a Smooth Journey."
Suddenly, Dong Tinghui, not far from Chen Pingjiang, flushed red, clenched his fists, gathered his courage, and shouted:
"Wang Liwen, I like you!"
During the spring outing at the resort, Chen Pingjiang had once stopped Dong Tinghui from confessing in public.
Today, he didn't stop him again; he couldn't have stopped him even if he tried.
Wang Liwen was slightly moved, then turned her head away and remained silent.
The crowd's cheers gradually died down.
Everyone knew that Wang Liwen had rejected Dong Tinghui more than once, and there was no future for them.
At the moment of farewell, Dong Tinghui was simply unwilling to give up without one last cry.
To alleviate the awkwardness, Zhao Shaoyang also shouted to Gao Yan, the plumpest student in the class:
"Gao Yan, I like you too! I've liked you for four years, liked you to the point of going crazy!"
Unexpectedly, Gao Yan immediately shot back:
"Bullshit! Don't mess with me, be careful I take you seriously, then you'll regret it."
"Haha..."
Laughter erupted continuously.
The reckless Zhao Shaoyang felt no embarrassment at all; instead, he struck a very dashing pose.
Face after face was continuously imprinted in Chen Pingjiang's mind, hoping to remember these people for a long time.
Even knowing this was futile, in just a few years, he might not remember the appearance or even the names of many of them.
(End of Chapter)