Reunion

They were quite a distance from Koi Park and spent over half an hour on an electric shuttle before arriving.

The park's entrance was a carp carved from stone, with water trickling from its mouth into a little stream that connected to the park. There were plenty of people here, too. Once they got off, Shi Yuan picked up a map at the entrance as usual and asked Xiao Ying, "Where did you arrange to meet?"

"The Winding Stream Banquet," Xiao Ying answered.

Xiao Wen also took two pink headphone-shaped hair clips from her bag, pinning one onto Xiao Ying's hair and the other onto her own.

"The guys are wearing pink headphones around their necks."

Shi Yuan smiled. "That should make them easy to spot." Men generally wore headphones in only two colors, black or white. Pink was pretty conspicuous.

"The Winding Stream Banquet isn't far from the entrance. We'll walk you over." They were two young women still in college, so he was a little concerned. He could take a look first, and if the group seemed trustworthy, there would still be time for him and You Gui to wander elsewhere.

Xiao Ying and Wenwen were delighted. Having two handsome men escort them certainly made them look good.

Koi Park wasn't S City's largest water park, but it was undoubtedly its most exquisite and elegant.

They followed a covered walkway inside, crossed little bridges, and passed large groves of green bamboo. Wherever there was water, koi glided through it, in black, white, red, yellow, and silver-a dazzling variety. Whenever someone fed them, they swam right over, completely unafraid of people.

Not wanting to keep Xiao Ying from her friends, Shi Yuan and You Gui hurried toward the Winding Stream Banquet, passing plenty of scenery along the way.

"We'll come back from the other end later and take a proper look around."

Shi Yuan said this to You Gui, who nodded in agreement.

"A Thousand... Voices, a Hundred Turns?"

A young man approached hesitantly. He wasn't tall and wore sportswear. He looked about Xiao Ying's age, with a pair of pink headphones hanging around his neck.

Xiao Ying's eyes lit up. "A Thousand Voices, a Hundred Turns" was their group's name.

"I'm Chameleon Xiao Ying. Who are you?"

The young man gave a cheerful smile. "So you're Xiao Ying! I'm Nan Yu. My real name is Lin Yunan."

Xiao Ying and Xiao Wen clearly knew who he was. Xiao Wen stepped forward to introduce herself as well. "I'm Crying Bird. My real name is Zhao Xiao Wen."

"Oh!" Realization dawned on Lin Yunan. "You did say you were coming together."

"Everyone's in the pavilion over there. Almost everyone's here now. I'll take you over."

Xiao Ying and Xiao Wen nodded.

After a couple of steps, Lin Yunan remembered something and looked at Shi Yuan and You Gui. Neither wore headphones around their necks, and You Gui's mature air made her look clearly older than the rest of them. He asked, "And you two are...?"

His gaze moved between the two men and two women. Knowing he had misunderstood, Xiao Ying hurried to explain, "He's like an older brother to me. He and his friend came here to have fun too, so they walked us over."

Lin Yunan scratched his head. He vaguely remembered hearing that Xiao Ying had an older brother.

They weren't far away to begin with. After passing through another covered walkway, they reached the Winding Stream Banquet, where pavilions connected to one another. Seven or eight people sat in an octagonal pavilion nearby. Lin Yunan led them over and called out, "Look, I brought back some handsome guys and pretty girls!"

"Hi, everyone! I'm Chameleon Xiao Ying-Zhang Xiuying. Just call me Xiao Ying." Xiao Ying introduced herself confidently, then pointed to her best friend. "She's Crying Bird, Zhao Xiao Wen."

Xiao Wen was a little shy in a crowd, so she followed behind Xiao Ying, smiling and nodding at everyone.

Most of the people in the pavilion were in their early twenties, and some might not even have been twenty yet. They generally got along well in the group chat, so after a brief awkward spell, everyone began greeting them warmly.

The man in the main seat had a mature air and looked about twenty-eight or twenty-nine, roughly You Gui's age. He stood, his casual clothes showing off his well-built figure. Like Wei Zelin, he wore glasses, but his features were less sharply defined, giving him a polished, smooth manner. He looked every bit the business elite.

His first glance had been at You Gui, but she was about his height and stood silently behind Shi Yuan, prompting him to form another guess.

"And these two are?"

The others turned their attention to Shi Yuan and You Gui as well. Some looked questioning, some curious, some dazzled, while others studied them with less obvious intentions.

Before Xiao Ying could speak, Lin Yunan stepped forward to explain. "Brother Gu, he's her older brother. He came to drop his little sister off."

Gu Chengwang feigned sudden understanding and teased Shi Yuan, "Don't worry, Xiao Ying's brother. We're all good people."

Everyone burst out laughing.

Shi Yuan smiled too. "I'm not worried. We were coming to see the koi anyway, so we walked them over. Now that they're here, we should get going. Have fun."

Gu Chengwang urged him to stay. "Once everyone gets here, we're going to the Comic Convention. Why not join us? The more, the merrier."

The group owner was the oldest member, and this Brother Gu was clearly him. He had also joined the fandom earliest and often helped everyone out. They all respected him and chimed in with invitations.

"We have other places to visit, so we won't join you." Shi Yuan had no desire to go with them. Even setting himself aside, You Gui would certainly feel awkward among so many strangers.

Seeing how firm he was, the others couldn't press him further. Shi Yuan said goodbye to Xiao Ying and Xiao Wen, then took You Gui with him and left.

After they were gone, Gu Chengwang casually asked Xiao Ying, "I remember you saying your brother likes men. Was that his partner?"

Xiao Ying hurried to explain, "He's not my actual brother. We're just close, and I think of him as an older brother."

She said nothing more and didn't explain that the two weren't a couple. It wouldn't be right to reveal someone else's private affairs to outsiders.

Meanwhile, on a street somewhere, the four-seater electric shuttle carrying Meng Zhenzhen was driving farther and farther from their destination, but none of its four passengers realized it.

Huang Zhenru looked thoroughly aggrieved. She had only gone to grab the seats because Meng Zhenzhen told her to, yet she was the one who offended people and got hit!

Li Da sat beside her, soothing her carefully in a quiet voice. The more he said, the more wronged she felt. But Lu Hao had some local influence, and she didn't dare offend him, so she could only curse Meng Zhenzhen inwardly.

Meng Zhenzhen was chatting with Lu Hao when Lu Hao suddenly remarked, "That guy didn't know how to watch his mouth, but he really was good-looking. As good as the young stars our company's been grooming. Especially the one standing quietly in the back."

Meng Zhenzhen instantly grew wary. "That one's nothing special. So skinny and tall, like she's malnourished. Maybe behind closed doors..."

Unable to hold her tongue, Huang Zhenru jumped in. "What does she do behind closed doors?"

Meng Zhenzhen gave her a meaningful look. "What do you think? Why would a healthy adult be that scrawny...?"

"You mean she takes drugs!" Huang Zhenru exclaimed in shock. She and Li Da hadn't gotten a clear look from inside the shuttle, so she actually half believed it.

Lu Hao's family ran an entertainment company, and some of the good-for-nothings in the industry had gotten mixed up with that stuff. He had seen drug addicts before.

"I doubt it. She's thin, but her complexion looked pretty healthy."

Meng Zhenzhen frowned. He didn't want to annoy Lu Hao by making an unreasonable fuss, but hearing him defend You Gui left him feeling uncomfortable.

He turned toward the window and only then noticed that the view was wrong.

"Driver, is this the way to Times Square? Why aren't we there yet?"

"Oh, the battery's running out. I have to charge it over here before we can go."

"What?"

"Then why didn't you say so earlier?"

"How long will charging take? Can't we just switch vehicles?"

All four were shocked and angry. When they checked the map, they discovered they were heading in the opposite direction from Times Square.

The driver said helplessly, "Come on, you have no idea how short we are on these shuttles. Where would I find a spare for you?"

"You have two choices now. Either wait until I've charged it, or I drop you off here and you find your own ride."

The fish in Koi Park were adorable and enchanting. Shi Yuan splurged on fish food and fed them from one end to the other, feeling as though every single one was the fish of his dreams.

"When I get back from S City, I'm going to the pet and flower market to buy a couple."

You Gui agreed with him. "It's not just you. I want some too, but looking after them must be a lot of trouble."

"I heard guppies are hardy and easy to keep. We could get those..." Halfway through, Shi Yuan's phone rang.

It was Wei Zelin.

"I was in meetings all morning. What happened? Did those people upset you?"

Now that his earlier indignation had faded, Shi Yuan felt embarrassed instead. "Oh, not really."

He changed the subject. "What time are you coming tomorrow?"

"In the morning, probably. I can't say exactly when."

On the other end, Wei Zelin's lips curved into a smile. "Miss me?"

Shi Yuan's cheeks flushed faintly. Feeling as though he'd been caught doing something wrong, he glanced behind him, only to find that You Gui had already given him some privacy and gone onto the bridge to feed the fish.

"Mm. I do," Shi Yuan said very quietly.

The faint sound of breathing on the phone suddenly vanished. A long while passed before Wei Zelin said in a low voice, "Good boy..."

-Wei Corporation Group, Capital City.

"Manager Wei?"

A bright female voice sounded beside Wei Zelin's ear. He looked away from his phone screen and discovered that the woman who had been following him had somehow moved to his side.

"Are you really unable to take me to Rubik's Cube Headquarters? You know what I'm capable of."

The smile remained on Wei Zelin's lips, but a flicker of mockery crossed eyes that had been tender just moments before.

"Supervisor Wang, the company has already settled on the future direction of the newly merged Shi Corporation. This is precisely when we need capable people. We still need you to stay and contribute."

Wang Liya was disappointed that she couldn't go to Rubik's Cube with Wei Zelin, but his words of appreciation secretly delighted her.

Of course, only an accomplished career woman like me deserves to stand beside Manager Wei. The others, whether a rich girl who despises the poor and chases wealth or a fallen wastrel of a man who can't bear children, aren't worthy!