"That Lin Qiang has been going on and on about his car and his family's lobster restaurant all night."
"Sigh, what can you do? His family's rich."
After Lin Qiang finished speaking, a few classmates started whispering among themselves.
It was mostly the male students. Now that they had finally graduated, everyone wanted to show off a little, but Lin Qiang kept flaunting his family's wealth, stealing all the limelight.
Hearing this, Li Yang said calmly, "No, thanks."
"It's no big deal."
Lin Qiang waved his hand dismissively. "You happen to need a job, and my family's lobster restaurant happens to need people. It's a perfect match. I think you should give it a try."
A wide grin split his face. He felt like this was finally his day to be proud and vindicated.
Before, everyone was focused on studying, mainly paying attention to grades. They didn't care too much about family background.
Even if you had a good family background, if your grades were bad, people would still look down on you.
But now that the college entrance exams were over, they were taking their first steps into society, and suddenly family background seemed to carry much more weight.
"Hmph, Li Yang, back then your grades were good. You beat me up, and everyone still took your side. But now? You didn't even take the college entrance exam, and you're not studying anymore. What advantage could you possibly have over me now?"
He had gotten into a fight with Li Yang before. He had been the one to provoke it, but Lin Qiang didn't see it that way.
He had held a grudge ever since, bottling up his resentment. Now, he felt that resentment being released all at once, and his whole spirit seemed to be walking on air.
Li Yang clearly understood what Lin Qiang was thinking. Given his current state of mind, he couldn't be bothered to deal with him.
He didn't say anything, but Sun Datao, who was next to him, retorted angrily, "Lin Qiang, with Brother Li's abilities, do you think your lobster joint could even afford him?"
He had a short temper and couldn't stand the sight of Lin Qiang.
Hearing this, Lin Qiang laughed out loud. "Sun Datao, you're wrong there. My family's restaurant just hired two university students a few days ago, and from top-tier universities at that. How could we not afford him?"
A smug look crossed his face as he continued, "Compared to those two university students, what does Li Yang have? He's not even going to college anymore, so at most he'll have a high school diploma. Go out and look. What major company is going to hire someone with just a high school diploma? These days, even university graduates have a hard time finding jobs. There are countless people who can't find work, even graduates from 985 universities who end up as delivery drivers. My offering Li Yang a job at my family's lobster restaurant is a sign of respect. Other people have to go through a rigorous screening process to get in."
A smile on his face, Lin Qiang said, "So, Li Yang? How about it? I'm showing you respect, right? With only a high school education, the only jobs you'll find are the most grueling ones."
"I'm giving you this chance for the sake of our old friendship as classmates."
At that moment, Lin Qiang was acting high and mighty.
But that was exactly what he wanted. He didn't have to care about Li Yang's feelings in the slightest.
He used to be a little afraid of Li Yang and didn't dare to provoke him.
But now the college entrance exams were over. No matter how poorly he did, he could still get into a vocational college. There was no way he'd ever be in the same class as Li Yang again. He couldn't win a fight against Li Yang, but Li Yang couldn't get to him anymore either, so he wasn't worried about a thing.
He could say whatever he wanted. His goal was to belittle Li Yang, and judging by the looks of the surrounding classmates, their gazes toward Li Yang were also starting to shift slightly.
"This Lin Qiang is such a petty person who's struck it rich! So what if his family opened a lobster restaurant? He's offering Li Yang a job like it's some kind of handout."
"No matter how bad things get for Li Yang, with grades as good as his, there's no way he can't find a job."
"Sigh, it's tough. What Lin Qiang said was harsh, but he has a point. These days, even graduates from top-tier universities aren't guaranteed a good job, let alone someone with only a high school education. Who knows what will become of Li Yang in the future?"
Some classmates clearly felt Lin Qiang's words were harsh, but others thought he had a point.
Previously, Li Yang held a high status in his classmates' eyes. He was handsome and a good student. Many girls in the class had a crush on him, and some had even written him love letters.
But now, after Lin Qiang's words, Li Yang's status in everyone's eyes had clearly dropped a little.
Li Yang's brows furrowed slightly. It seemed Lin Qiang had gotten completely carried away today, constantly showing off in front of him.
He said calmly, "Lin Qiang, are you feeling a little too good about yourself? Giving me a chance? I thought your family had opened a five-star hotel or something."
"Haha, Li Yang's right! It's just a lobster restaurant, and Lin Qiang is hyping it up to the heavens."
"And he's talking about 'giving him a chance'? Who does Lin Qiang think he is?"
As soon as Li Yang spoke, several people immediately voiced their agreement.
In response, Lin Qiang, unusually, wasn't angry. He smiled. "Li Yang, there's a saying about lacking self-awareness. The moment you open your mouth, it's about a five-star hotel. I think that saying was made for you."
"Lin Qiang, that's enough."
Just then, a cold female voice suddenly cut in.
Under everyone's gaze, the class president, Zhou Yao, walked over and stood beside Li Yang.
She frowned at Lin Qiang and said, "We're all classmates. Why do you have to be so nasty?"
"The class president is stepping in."
"The class president is actually speaking up for Li Yang."
"What Lin Qiang said earlier really was harsh."
Seeing Zhou Yao step forward, all the classmates' eyes turned to her.
Li Yang also looked at Zhou Yao, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
His gaze shifted back to Lin Qiang. "Lacking self-awareness? I think you should be saying that to yourself."
A dangerous glint appeared in his eyes. "Because if you had any self-awareness, you wouldn't have thought to provoke me."
He shot both hands out, placing his left on Lin Qiang's shoulder and grabbing his wrist with his right. "Didn't you want to drink? Here, you drink this one first."
Li Yang wasn't exactly a good-tempered person. With Lin Qiang bullying him to this extent, was he supposed to just take it without any reaction?
When Li Yang grabbed his wrist, Lin Qiang tried to pull free, but his expression changed drastically. He felt as if his wrist was locked in a steel vice; he couldn't break free at all. He could only follow Li Yang's movement as the glass in his hand was forced steadily closer to his own mouth.
The surrounding classmates noticed the scene. After a moment of shock, some of the male students couldn't help but start laughing.
"Haha, this Lin Qiang is so weak! He actually dared to provoke Li Yang, and now he can't even move after having his wrist grabbed."
"He's got a weak constitution."
"Speaking of which, Li Yang is crazy strong."
"Li Yang has always been strong. Other people could only do ten pull-ups, but he could easily do dozens."
The male students were delighted.
Lin Qiang had been showing off nonstop, and many of them were annoyed with him. Now, seeing him in this state, they couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.
It wasn't just the male students; several of the female students also looked at Li Yang with a gleam in their eyes.