His originally plain, neat clothes... actually looked rather rumpled... and his hair was a little disheveled too. Judging by his appearance alone, there was the subtle impression that he had just been raped by ten burly men...
But looking at the way he sat so upright and proper, it seemed like an illusion again, with nothing out of the ordinary.
Just then, Zuo Changlu and Wu Yuting spoke up. "Ah, so it was a case of mistaken identity? What a terrible shame."
Wu Yuting played along admirably. "What's a shame? What's there to regret?"
"Today is a big day, with such a grand auditorium and such a huge venue... It makes me think of our old friends, those who fought shoulder to shoulder with us, those with whom we shared bonds of life and death."
Zuo Changlu looked wistful. "Life is but a dream. Who knows where they all are now..."
"Yes, I miss them very much too."
Wu Yuting sighed as well. "Speaking of them really stirs up so many feelings... White clouds turn into gray dogs; the world changes in such unpredictable ways."
At the three neighboring tables, some people remained outwardly composed, but their bodies had already begun to stiffen silently.
Holy shit, they're starting already?!
"At last, someone claimed to be an old acquaintance, swore up and down that he'd met me, then turned around and denied it. Where am I supposed to go for justice?! Still, it has to be said, at a wonderful moment like this, how lovely it would be if all those old friends of ours were here."
Zuo Changlu sighed. "Friends ought to be together. That's what makes things lively."
"Yes, if they were all here, it really would be wonderful." Wu Yuting sighed.
Zuo Changlu's voice grew even more melancholy.