Initial Abnormalities Appear, University Goddess

A typical class reunion involves just a few things.

Eating, singing, and chatting about how everyone's lives have progressed since graduation.

Yunzhong, as Shanghai City's top five-star hotel, boasts complete facilities.

The rooms are stocked with drinks, fruit, expensive liquor, and more.

You name it, they have it.

However, the most important person hadn't arrived yet, so after entering the pre-booked room, everyone mostly chatted amongst themselves.

And because of the recent commotion, some classmates couldn't help but gravitate towards Lu Yuan.

They wanted to know how he managed to afford a luxury car in just one year.

Others subtly probed if he could give them a boost.

Led by Li Sisi, the female classmates directly asked if he had a girlfriend.

Lu Yuan politely responded to each of them, but he didn't want to elaborate on his own affairs.

After all, he had other plans for attending this reunion; improving relationships with his former classmates was completely out of the question.

"Class monitor Li, look at the girls flocking to Lu Yuan."

In the hotel.

Wang Zibo watched Lu Yuan, who was surrounded, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

In college, his lively and bold personality made him very popular with the female classmates, but now it was different; everyone was focused on money.

"So what?" Li Hansheng sneered as he opened a bottle of wine. "He just rented a car worth four million. When Li Sisi and the others find out, let's see how Lu Yuan handles it."

He was naturally displeased that someone else was stealing the spotlight, but he couldn't say anything at the moment, so he just drank his liquor sulkily.

"How do you know Lu Yuan's car is rented? It doesn't look like it," Wang Zibo asked, confused.

"Let me tell you..."

Li Hansheng was about to explain when his eyes lit up after receiving a message on his phone.

He immediately stood up, held up his hands to get everyone's attention, and announced loudly, "Everyone, please be quiet for a moment. Yunqiong is on her way. Let's order some food while we wait for her."

As soon as he said this, the classmates fell silent and quickly moved to the nearby dining area to prepare.

Zhou Yunqiong was not only the class beauty but also the campus belle of the entire university.

More importantly.

Her family's Wuzhou Group was a prominent entity in Shanghai City, making her a typical rich and beautiful girl, the goddess in the hearts of all the male students.

Therefore, her arrival would naturally draw everyone's attention, and they wouldn't dare to be negligent.

Seeing this, Li Hansheng's previously gloomy mood improved significantly.

After all, he was the only one currently in contact with Zhou Yunqiong.

With that thought.

He couldn't help but glance at Lu Yuan, a hint of smugness in his eyes.

But Lu Yuan seemed not to notice and ignored him, heading to the restaurant with the others.

When it came to choosing seats, he didn't join the group of students from wealthy families. Instead, he sat next to Chen Song, smiling as he said, "Chen Song, long time no see."

"Ah, classmate Lu, long time no see."

Chen Song was taken aback, then immediately nodded in response.

Due to his family's financial situation, he was mostly ignored at gatherings and usually sat quietly on the sidelines.

But Lu Yuan's proactive approach surprised him, and thinking about the luxury car Lu Yuan was driving, he became a little nervous.

His mind raced, recalling that his relationship with Lu Yuan in college was just average.

"Yeah, it's been over a year."

Lu Yuan understood Chen Song's thoughts perfectly. In fact, his objective for attending this reunion was precisely Chen Song.

Not long after, the food was ordered, and the classmates resumed their idle chatter.

"Did you hear? They found those two tourist groups in the Taihang Mountains," Wang Zibo, the active one, spoke up first.

"I saw the news too. Someone online claimed those people had gone mad, saying they saw talking tigers."

"Right, right! Some even said they found a sea in the mountains. That's hilarious, how could there be a sea in the mountains?"

The classmates became interested one by one and started discussing recent strange events.

"You know about the news of the theft of India's national treasure, the Bodhi tree? It's hilarious. People are still stealing trees these days, what a bizarre world."

"What's so strange about that? I heard the Pope of the Vatican knelt before a teenage boy, calling him an angel sent to save humanity. I even have a video on my phone."

"And there's more! Remember that ancient book that caused a stir a while back, the one supposedly related to the Classic of the Way and its Virtue?"

"Definitely! Didn't they say Christie's was going to auction that book soon? How did that go?"

"Some fool bought it. Rumor has it they spent over thirty million?"

"What? Over thirty million?"

"That's so stupid! Our domestic experts all said it was a fake, and he still fell for it."

"You guys just don't get it. If they don't bid that high, how else are they supposed to launder money?"

Li Hansheng chimed in, believing that auctions, especially for items with no apparent value that still fetched sky-high prices, were often used for money laundering. He figured there had to be something fishy going on.

"Yeah, yeah, it's for money laundering," a classmate agreed.

Not far away.

Lu Yuan overheard their conversation and smiled.

Indeed, when there's an information asymmetry, some people simply won't understand your methods.

But it's understandable. No one could have imagined that in just two months, the world would undergo a drastic change, and the very thing they were mocking would reveal its true, mystical properties.

Of course, Lu Yuan wouldn't explain any of this. He continued to hold his wine glass, watching quietly.

As for the complete version of the Classic of the Way and its Virtue from Christie's, he had naturally arranged for it to be acquired.

It was finalized the day before yesterday, and it was probably on its way back home by now.

However, these people's idle chatter...

made Lu Yuan even more certain that the global changes might have already begun, even if ordinary people were unaware.

Like the two tourist groups in the Taihang Mountains, the Pope's unusual actions in the Vatican, or the Loch Ness Monster phenomenon reported in the news before.

To most people, these would just be interesting news items.

But to him, an experienced observer, they held a different significance.

Creak~

Just as everyone was engrossed in their conversation.

The room door opened, and a faint, pleasant fragrance wafted in.

Everyone turned their heads, their expressions varying – some with pleasant surprise, others with shock, some with admiration, and some with a hint of inferiority.

The person who entered was a woman, appearing to be in her early twenties. She had a slender figure, delicate and fair skin, and her hair was tied up high in a ponytail. She exuded a cold aura, making her seem untouchable, like a fairy from the moon palace descended to earth.

Her stunning beauty far surpassed that of Li Sisi and others of her ilk.

The moment she appeared, everything else seemed to dim.

She captured the attention of everyone in the room.

"I'm sorry, I'm late."

The woman spoke, her voice like a clear mountain spring, refreshing and soothing.

"Classmate Zhou."

"Zhou Yunqiong is here."

"Yunqiong."

These different forms of address represented different past relationships.

The last one was naturally called out by Li Hansheng. He looked somewhat excited and, like a gentleman, immediately stood up and walked towards her.

But just as he was about to approach, his heart suddenly trembled, and he involuntarily took two steps back.

Because.

There was someone else behind Zhou Yunqiong.