The call rang out clearly, with a touch of deliberate surprise,
cutting through the noise at the boarding gate.
Everyone turned toward the voice.
A man and a woman were walking toward them,
the man handsome and upright, the woman strikingly beautiful, both dressed in glamorous clothes.
Before Wang Xiaoliang recognized them, he heard Zeng Haiyan beside him mutter very softly, just loud enough for their little group to hear.
"She just won't go away. Why is she everywhere?"
Her words were sour, clearly the product of a long-standing grudge.
Wang Xiaoliang had now recognized the woman as Chen Xiaoying and the man as Zhao Shengkai.
Chen Xiaoying reached them. Completely ignoring Zeng Haiyan's eye roll, she walked straight past her, spread her arms, and gave Li Lanxiang a warm hug.
"Lanxiang! It really is you! I thought I was seeing things!"
Then she released Li Lanxiang and turned to Wei Zijin, giving her an equally affectionate hug.
"Zijin! You're here too! This is our first time seeing each other since graduation, isn't it? I never imagined it would be at the airport!"
"Just a few days ago, I was telling Shengkai we should ask you two out for a get-together!"
Chen Xiaoying let go of Wei Zijin and only then pretended she had just noticed,
her gaze sweeping over Zeng Haiyan,
most of her enthusiasm instantly fading,
leaving only perfunctory politeness.
"Oh, Haiyan, you're here too."
Those casually tossed-out words,
compared with the warmth she had shown Li Lanxiang and Wei Zijin,
made it obvious even to an idiot who she was close to and who she wasn't.
Zeng Haiyan curled her lip, not even bothering to respond.
Zhao Shengkai followed behind Chen Xiaoying, pulling two suitcases that looked expensive at a glance,
and stepped forward, maintaining a charming