Chapter 76

Chapter 76

"Be careful when you go, and make sure to protect yourself. Call me anytime if something happens," Shen Yin advised.

"Okay, got it. I'll head over now."

It had been many years since she had been to Rong City No.3 Middle School. That area was the old town. After she graduated from university, her parents sold their house there and rented an apartment near her university to live with her. Later, when she started making money from acting, she bought her parents a new house.

If there was anything that kept her going through those insecure years of her life, it was the company of her parents.

When Shu Yi arrived at the hotel across from Rong City No.3 Middle School, it was already quite late. Wei Yuan kept messaging her to hurry up.

She wanted to hurry too, but she had to avoid being recognized. In the past few days, Shu Yi's drama "Yanxi Biography" had become a huge hit, propelling her to the ranks of A-list celebrities. She didn't want to be recognized before she even made it to the private room.

Shu Yi put on her bluetooth earpiece and called Shen Yin. She felt that hearing Shen Yin's voice would give her more confidence.

"Shu Yuerou, don't be afraid. Believe in yourself," Shen Yin encouraged her.

After parking, Shu Yi looked around to make sure there were no paparazzi. She then put on an oversized pair of sunglasses, a fisherman's hat, and a face mask, grabbed her bag, and headed towards the private room. As she approached the door, Shu Yi took a deep breath and said, "It seems like no one has recognized me. I'm going in now."

Shu Yi opened the door to find a large round table with around thirty people inside, all of whom had graduated six or seven years ago. It was unlikely that everyone from their class would be present.

"Hello, did you come to the wrong private room?" the class president from high school asked.

Shu Yi recognized him and replied softly, "No, I didn't."

"So I guess everyone who's coming has arrived?" the class president turned and asked the other classmates behind him.

Before anyone could answer, Shu Yi took off her hat and said, "Hello everyone, I'm Shu Yuerou."

The chatter in the private room fell silent instantly. Everyone's reaction was: "What? Shu Yuerou? I don't really remember her... Oh, wait, wasn't she that dark-skinned, chubby girl in our class?"

Wei Yuan stood up from her chair and walked over to Shu Yi, asking uncertainly, "Are you Yuerou?"

Shu Yi removed her hat, mask, and sunglasses.

"Oh my god, Shu Yi!" the class president exclaimed in shock.

The others were naturally drawn to the commotion. Everyone knew Shu Yi now – she had been the campus goddess from the moment she debuted, even if her career wasn't particularly hot. But her recent hit drama "Yanxi Biography" had propelled her into the A-list. What they couldn't believe was that this beautiful A-list celebrity was their high school classmate.

[Did she get plastic surgery?]

[I heard the entertainment industry is not a clean place.]

[Wei Yuan, have you been in touch with her all these years?]

[No.]

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, the class president spoke up loudly, "Everyone's here now, let's eat."

Shu Yi wasn't in the group chat, so she was unaware of the messages. From time to time, someone would try to get her to drink alcohol, but she politely declined.

"Shu Yi, don't drink. Don't trust anyone," Shen Yin warned her through the earpiece.

"Sorry, I can't drink because I'm driving," Shu Yi told the person offering her a drink.

"It's okay, it's been so many years since we last saw each other, and you're a big celebrity now. We've never had a chance to dine with a celebrity before. Just have a little drink, we can always get a designated driver later," one of the men said.

"Yeah, exactly. Aren't you people in the entertainment industry always drinking with others? If you can drink with them, why not with your old classmates?" another man chimed in rudely.

Their words and tone made Shu Yi uncomfortable. Shen Yin regretted letting Shu Yi go alone. She was still too young and naive about the ways of the world. Shen Yin had wanted Shu Yi to follow her heart and bid a proper farewell to her old classmates, to stand before them without feeling inferior. But some people's hearts were just impure, not worth bidding farewell to, not even worth meeting.

"Yuerou, it's been so long since you've been here. Have a drink?" Wei Yuan spoke up.

Shu Yi felt torn, as if she had been transported back to high school and was experiencing that same sense of inferiority all over again.

"If she doesn't want to drink, then she doesn't have to," Zhai Minghao interjected.

"Oh, look at the top student trying to play the hero and shield the celebrity from drinking. What about our class beauty Wei Yuan then?" the rude man retorted, glancing at Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan was fuming with embarrassment. She and Zhai Minghao had broken up a long time ago, shortly after entering university.

Zhai Minghao was at a loss for words.

Shu Yi hadn't expected some people to be so vulgar. It was an awkward situation – leaving would be rude, but staying wasn't ideal either.

"Just have a drink," Wei Yuan said again. She wanted to see Shu Yi make a fool of herself. Wei Yuan had always been the most beautiful girl in their class, so how dare Shu Yuerou come in and steal the spotlight?