The clown turned out to be me

Buxiangju Restaurant.

A server led Luo Yang to a private room. Before he even stepped inside, he could hear lively chatter and laughter coming from within.

The server opened the door and bowed, extending a hand with polished professionalism.

Luo Yang walked in.

Three men and one woman sat in the private room.

Luo Yang knew all four of them. The three men had shared a dorm room with him at university. Yang Long was tall and skinny, never gaining weight no matter how much he ate. He came from Luo City and ran an aluminum window and door factory. Zhang Bai had a round face and skin fairer than a woman's. Both his parents worked at major public hospitals, and his family also ran a sizable pharmacy. Han Shaokun was tall, muscular, and fairly handsome. He had dated the most girls during university and was known as the "hundred-girl slayer."

The woman was Wu Shenglan. Pretty and fair-skinned, she had an oval face and two dimples that made her smile especially sweet. Back then, the boys pursuing her could have formed a line fifty meters long. She had been romantically linked to quite a few people, though no one could tell which rumors were true. She had unquestionably been the campus beauty of their year.

All four classmates turned their eyes toward Luo Yang.

Luo Yang greeted them with a smile. "Long time no see. What's the occasion? How did you all end up together today?"

"Come sit over here." Yang Long beckoned, pulling out the chair beside him a little.

Luo Yang walked over and sat beside Yang Long.

The food and drinks on the table were nearly finished. There was a bottle of Jiannanchun's Eastern Red and a bottle of red wine he couldn't name, probably costing several hundred yuan, if not a thousand.

The situation was clear at a glance.

These four classmates hadn't originally invited him. Someone had probably mentioned him over drinks, prompting Yang Long to call him.

"Come on, you're late. One penalty drink." Zhang Bai picked up the bottle of Eastern Red and poured some for Luo Yang. "This is good stuff. We saved it especially for you."

There was a message beneath those words: Luo Yang normally couldn't afford liquor like this.

Luo Yang didn't mind. He smiled calmly. "Thanks."

Han Shaokun lit a Huazi cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke. Looking Luo Yang over, he asked casually, "Luo Yang, I heard you followed Professor Wang to Wise Heaven Hospital. From what I know, the pay there is much better than at public hospitals. Not bad, man. You actually caught Professor Wang's eye."

"Does that even need asking?" Wu Shenglan said. "Luo Yang was always at the top of our year, either first or second. Who else would Professor Wang take with him?"

Luo Yang picked up his glass, then set it down again.

"But then I heard Wise Heaven Hospital fired you. What happened?" Han Shaokun asked again.

Now Luo Yang understood. These classmates hadn't called him out to drink and catch up. They wanted to feel superior at his expense and impress Wu Shenglan.

Sure enough, Wu Shenglan looked stunned. "Luo Yang, is that true?"

Luo Yang nodded. "It happened a few days ago. But I wasn't fired. I resigned."

"So what are you doing now?" Zhang Bai asked, putting on a concerned expression.

"Even though I've left the hospital, I still treat patients," Luo Yang said. "I suppose you could call me a freelancer."

"Oh, listen to our star student! Even now, Luo Yang knows how to make it sound classy. A freelancer! Haha!" Yang Long laughed and clapped Luo Yang on the shoulder. "Buddy, we're all old classmates here. You're among friends. If you're having any trouble, just say the word. We'll help however we can."

Luo Yang simply listened. Such insincere words meant nothing. He was already regretting leaving Ye Zi behind to attend this gathering. It was a complete waste of time.

"Luo Yang, why don't you come work as the resident doctor at my pharmacy? Given our friendship, I'd pay you at least ten thousand a month." Zhang Bai seized the chance to show off his resources, his face brimming with pride. "Both my parents work at Huaxi Hospital, and my pharmacy is right outside it. Last month, we brought in over two million. I'm planning to open two more branches next year."

Luo Yang smiled faintly. All this showing off over a pharmacy? Is that really the extent of his ambition?

Wu Shenglan glanced at Zhang Bai.

"Does graduating from medical university mean you have to become a doctor? Spend all day dealing with patients, and sooner or later you'll become one yourself. Luo Yang, come to my factory. My dad just handed our aluminum window and door factory over to me, and I need a capable assistant." Yang Long wasn't about to be outdone.

Wu Shenglan's gaze shifted to Yang Long.

Han Shaokun chuckled. "My family doesn't own a window and door factory or a pharmacy. All I have are a few connections. I work at the Tobacco Company now. The boss served in the military with my dad, so he looks after me. Luo Yang, if you want to join the Tobacco Company, one word from me will get you in."

Wu Shenglan glanced at Han Shaokun too.

"I'm doing pretty well right now," Luo Yang said mildly. "Thanks for looking out for me."

"Come on, no need to be so formal with us." Zhang Bai suddenly noticed Luo Yang hadn't touched his drink and added, "Go on, drink it. That glass alone costs over a hundred yuan."

Only then did Luo Yang lift his glass. "To our university days."

Only Wu Shenglan lifted her stemmed glass, which held a little red wine. She joined Luo Yang's toast and took a small sip.

Luo Yang drained his glass, but no one refilled it.

He saw right through Yang Long, Zhang Bai, and Han Shaokun. He had been the top student in their year and the best-looking guy, undoubtedly the most outstanding in the eyes of their teachers and classmates. These three were now taking veiled shots at him for one simple reason: to send Wu Shenglan a message. See? So what if he had good grades? So what if he's handsome? What ultimately matters for a man is what he has to offer!

Although Luo Yang understood perfectly, he didn't react at all. After Liang Hong's betrayal and discovering the true face of his "mentor," Wang Shunli, he understood human nature more deeply and had grown far more mature. These three were flaunting their supposed superiority and desperately showing off to attract Wu Shenglan's attention. It was downright pathetic.

"Luo Yang, why don't you come work for our company?" Wu Shenglan said. "I work for a medical equipment company, and they've sent me here to develop the Southwest Region market. You present yourself very well. If you don't mind, you could start in sales."

Luo Yang smiled back. "Thanks, but I'm doing pretty well right now. If I need anything, I'll ask you all for help."

"Let's drink, let's drink." Yang Long glanced at Luo Yang.

Luo Yang picked up the Eastern Red bottle, only to discover it was empty. "We're out."

Zhang Bai declared generously, "Luo Yang, go ask the server to bring another bottle. It's on me today. Drink all the Eastern Red you want."

Luo Yang actually stood up. He planned to order the liquor, then have the server pass along a message saying something had come up and he'd left.

Just then, the door opened. Seven or eight servers entered, along with a man who was clearly a chef, followed by a serving cart.

Everyone in the private room, including Luo Yang, was bewildered. None of them knew what was going on.

A tall, thin floor manager came in as well and bowed elegantly. "Ladies and gentlemen, our owner has specifically asked our chef to prepare our restaurant's finest dishes here for you. The ingredients include authentic Wagyu from Fusang and Bluefin Tuna from the Atlantic. Our owner has also sent you two bottles of wine and spirits: a bottle of undiluted liquor from the Jiannanchun distillery's thirty-year-old fermentation pits, and a bottle of red wine from a French Winery."

"Could your owner be one of my dad's old army buddies?" True to his reputation as the hundred-girl slayer, Han Shaokun was usually the first to show off in front of a beautiful woman.

Yang Long and Zhang Bai both glanced at Han Shaokun.

Your dad has army buddies all over the world. Why doesn't he just fly up to heaven while he's at it?

"Who is your owner?" Zhang Bai asked, not forgetting to make himself look good. "Perhaps he's a patient my dad or mom treated. This is too kind of him. There really was no need to go to all this trouble."

Yang Long's expression soured a little. He wanted to claim some credit too, but surely he couldn't suggest that the restaurant owner had ordered windows from his family's aluminum window and door factory?

"If it's convenient, could you invite your owner over so we can meet him?" Wu Shenglan asked. "We'd like to thank him in person."

As expected of someone in marketing, she thought differently.

"Of course. I'll go invite our owner over right away." The floor manager turned and left.

The servers got to work together, swiftly clearing away the leftovers and laying a fresh tablecloth. They even replaced the tableware.

The chef began cooking in front of them, his practiced movements displaying the skill of a true professional.

A possibility suddenly occurred to Yang Long. He asked with a smile, "Shenglan, could he be your... boyfriend?"

Zhang Bai and Han Shaokun also turned their eyes toward Wu Shenglan, both feeling uneasy. If that was true, their hopes of getting close to her were finished. They couldn't compete with a display like this.

Wu Shenglan smiled with her lips pressed together. "Don't be ridiculous. I don't know the owner of this restaurant, and I don't have a boyfriend."

Smiles slipped onto Yang Long's, Zhang Bai's, and Han Shaokun's faces. They still had a chance.

Just then, the floor manager returned with a middle-aged man. His face was unfamiliar; none of them recognized him.

The middle-aged man stepped inside, glanced around, and headed straight toward Luo Yang.

Han Shaokun stood with a smile and held out his hand. "Uncle, I'm Han Shaokun. May I ask who you are?"

But the middle-aged man walked straight past Han Shaokun without shaking his hand. He stopped beside Luo Yang and bent his upright torso into a twenty-five-degree bow, his plump face covered in an ingratiating smile. "Mr. Luo, I didn't know you were coming. My apologies for the poor reception."

The three men and one woman were all dumbstruck.

Han Shaokun, in particular, looked awful, his hand still hanging outstretched.

After all that, the clown turned out to be me!