"Li Ye, your face hadn't changed. You were still the handsome young man from seven years ago. But your heart had changed—it was slicker than that of a sixty-year-old man."
"..."
Yue Mengmeng left unwillingly. She had arrived brimming with confidence, never expecting Li Ye to no longer be the young man who cared only for "matters of state, family matters, and all under heaven." He had become a coward who feared trouble and only wanted to guard his own little patch of land and live out his days.
But after politely seeing her off, Li Ye immediately called Yang Yumin.
"Brother-in-law, find out Zhu Xinping's recent situation for me right away. Yes, Zhu Xinping from the Class of '79."
"Alright, I'll ask around immediately."
Yang Yumin did not even ask Li Ye why he could not inquire himself. His brother-in-law almost never needed his help. At this moment, let alone asking about someone, even if Li Ye wanted to commit murder and arson, he would lend a hand.
Li Ye had enrolled in 1982. Though he knew some students from the Class of '79, he certainly was not as "well connected" as Yang Yumin. Two hours later, Yang Yumin brought him news.
"Zhu Xinping had been doing rather well for a while, but things hadn't looked too good recently. The person he followed had proposed a series of ideas about lightening the burdens on work units, and many people opposed them. Li Ye, did something happen?"
"It wasn't exactly anything. You hadn't come to see Grandma for a while, had you? You only lived a few streets away, yet you were busy every day like some important state leader."
"Yes, yes, yes. I hadn't thought things through. I'll go see Grandma this afternoon."
After hanging up on Yang Yumin,