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Lawyer Jin had a deep impression of Doctor Zhen. One could even say Doctor Zhen was one of the reasons he had agreed to attend this Class Reunion. It was not because they had been particularly close at school, but because Doctor Zhen was now a renowned surgeon in the city.

The connections an adult was bound to make at a class reunion were none other than doctors, teachers, and civil servants.

Ideally, the doctor would be a surgeon at a top-tier hospital.

At the very least, the teacher had to teach a core subject at a district-level key school or better.

As for civil servants, tax offices, police stations, and courts were indispensable.

"Old classmate, it's been far too long." Lawyer Jin was slick and socially adept, a textbook social butterfly. The moment they met, he warmly stepped forward, intending to give Doctor Zhen an exaggerated hug, as though they were blood brothers from different parents.

Doctor Zhen, namely Zhen Liu, habitually rejected physical contact and dodged the hug.

This was not particularly abrupt. According to his character profile, Doctor Zhen had a severe obsession with cleanliness. The lingering scent of disinfectant on him came largely not from his hospital workplace, but from personal choice. If he could, he would probably bathe in disinfectant every day.

Lawyer Jin perfectly embodied the saying, "As long as I'm not embarrassed, the embarrassed one is someone else." Even after being avoided so directly, his expression did not change as he enthusiastically continued the awkward small talk. "Are you the only one here?"

"Probably. I'm not sure." Zhen Liu made an inference based on the character profile. "I only got here a few minutes before you."

Lawyer Jin quietly considered this. From the still-wet marks beneath the umbrella stand, he could tell that Doctor Zhen had not lied about that.

Before the two could continue exchanging pleasantries, the voice of someone talking loudly on the phone drifted down from the second floor. The man had not yet appeared, but his voice arrived first, outrageously arrogant. "Oh, come on, man, what are you so anxious about? I guarantee I'm about to come into a huge sum of money. That little bit I owe you is nothing—how could I possibly not pay it back? Why would I lie to you? If I didn't plan to repay you, do you think you'd still be able to reach me by phone? Right? That's exactly how it is. Just put a hundred and twenty percent of your mind at ease. I definitely won't run."

This was Ying De, the victim destined to die tonight.

In Doctor Zhen's character profile, he had only seen Ying De once or twice in the twenty years since graduation. This soon-to-be victim was neither tall nor short, neither thin nor fat—exceptionally average in every respect. Back in school, Doctor Zhen had almost no impression of him, only knowing that he was a terrible gossip. After graduation, Ying De seemed to have actually worked as a tabloid reporter for a while.

What allowed Doctor Zhen and Lawyer Jin to recognize Ying De at a glance was Ying De's distinctive feature: a large black mole on his chin, making him look exactly like one of those traitorous lackeys who fawned over the Japanese army in wartime dramas.

Ying De recognized the two old classmates downstairs at a glance as well. His smile piled across his face—not the smile of intimacy, nor the smile of someone asking for help, but more like he was looking at money stored in his bank account. He came down the stairs with his arms spread wide and declared extravagantly, "A great doctor, a great lawyer, both such busy people! I'm truly so touched that you'd honor the Class Reunion with your personal presence."

They had done more than simply show up. The Class Reunion was actually tomorrow night; the few of them had come a night early to help prepare. It was entirely voluntary, and they were paying out of their own pockets.

The initiator of the Class Reunion was Ying De, who had suddenly struck it rich.

Lawyer Jin put away his earlier disdain and eagerly went up to talk with him, as though they had an ironclad friendship. Calling him "big brother" one moment and "little brother" the next, if there had been yellow paper and a chicken head in the villa, they might have sworn brotherhood on the spot.

Following his character setting, Zhen Liu did not give Ying De a pleasant expression. Doctor Zhen was not the sort of person who could play along with false niceties. Still, when Ying De forcefully demanded a second handshake, Doctor Zhen very reluctantly let his hand barely touch Ying De's, then went up to the third floor to the room arranged for him in advance, ignoring the two men downstairs from then on.

Ying De only laughed louder. He knew Doctor Zhen had a cleanliness obsession, which meant he had done it on purpose.

An hour later, Zhen Liu finally emerged from his room after changing clothes, his hands bright red. The large living room downstairs was quite noisy. It seemed that quite a few people had arrived.

But as soon as he reached the corner of the hallway, Zhen Liu nearly ran into someone.

The other person had suddenly opened a door, catching Zhen Liu off guard.

Doctor Zhen hurriedly stepped back. His first reaction was relief that he had not actually touched the other person and would not have to change clothes again. Only then did he look to see whom he had nearly collided with.

The other man stood half a head taller than Doctor Zhen, who was not short himself. He was somewhat lean, but the muscle lines visible beneath his shirt showed that he was not as easy to push around as he looked. Above that fine physique was an equally strikingly handsome face. Rimless glasses concealed the sharpness in his eyes, leaving only a quiet, gentle warmth untouched by time.

"Are you all right, Zhen...?"

The man accurately called Doctor Zhen by his surname, but unfortunately, Doctor Zhen did not recognize which old classmate he was. "You are?"

"You definitely don't remember me. My surname is Lu. I teach at a university now."

The preoccupied Professor Lu.

Zhen Liu immediately matched him to the character information. The character profile had not said that Professor Lu was this outstanding in appearance. Combined with the arrogant personality Professor Lu had displayed during the quick-answer segment, he now seemed like a completely different person—a truly honest, dutiful professor, quiet and reserved, without the slightest aggression.

As Zhen Liu walked downstairs beside him, he casually asked about the information he already knew. "When did you get here? Have the others arrived?"

Professor Lu was exceptionally cooperative, seeming ready to tell Zhen Liu everything he knew. "I think I arrived after you. Ying De said you'd gone upstairs. It's a pity I couldn't see you right away. Basketball Qiao and Second-generation Zhao both came after me. They said they ran into each other on the road and came together. Basketball Qiao brought milk tea, while Second-generation Zhao had his butler and bodyguards bring ingredients. It was quite the grand affair."