By the time the train reached the city, it was only around eight in the morning.
It was still early. The eastern sky was bright, and the morning sun slipped in and out of the clouds, casting down shafts of light.
Outside the train station, things were just as they had been back then. A crowd of drivers clamored for passengers, surrounding the exit as though they wanted to drag everyone who came out straight into their cars.
After leaving the station and squeezing through the crowd of drivers surrounding him, Li Xingkong finally heard less of their noisy cries of "Where are you going? Where are you going?" and felt a little less irritated.
Nearly ten years later, he was setting foot on this road to school again, and everything felt both familiar and strange.
The buildings along the street were utterly unfamiliar, all having sprung up in recent years. The pedestrians passing by were utterly unfamiliar too, and eight or nine out of ten had heads of gray hair. But the everyday life of the little city felt just as familiar as ever. He had thought he had forgotten it, but the memories remaining in his body were waking him up.
He took a bus that went straight to the school and, after a long journey, finally got off in front of his old high school. The broad school gates were still magnificent, though they had acquired a weathered look, and the teaching building facing the entrance also looked as though it had endured years of wear and tear.
"Class rep, I'm at the school gates. Where are you?" Standing outside the school, Li Xingkong sent the class rep a message.
He actually wanted to go inside and have a look, but unfortunately, classes had already started for the seniors. The security guard at the gate was diligent and wouldn't let an outsider like him take a single step inside.
The school was completely closed off, with one day off a month. He still remembered that summer during his senior year, when a whole roomful of people who hadn't bathed for a month were crammed together. The smell had really been unpleasant.
"Come on over. I'm in the school's family housing complex. Wait at the entrance, and I'll come down to get you."
The reply came promptly, temporarily putting an end to Li Xingkong's thoughts about how to get into the school. For him now, climbing a wall would be ridiculously easy, but he also felt it wasn't really necessary.
He put away his phone and took a few steps toward the family housing complex. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead, remembering something, and turned to run to the grocery store across from the school. He came out carrying a case of milk.
That was right. How could he visit someone's home without bringing something? After all, this was a teacher who had taught him for three years.
After that detour, he couldn't keep them waiting any longer, so he hurried to the entrance of the housing complex.
From a long way off, Li Xingkong spotted the familiar figure. When he got closer, sure enough, it was the class rep. He hadn't changed much since their school days: about 175 centimeters tall, with short hair and a round head that made him look a little fierce.
Maybe it was because he hadn't been worn down by society since leaving school, but in both bearing and appearance, he was just like he had been when they were striving together back then, still full of youthful energy.
"Hey, Bade, long time no see! It's been quite a few years since you came back."
The class rep had also spotted Li Xingkong and hurried over. When they got close, they each punched the other on the shoulder.
"What did you bring this stuff for? There's no need for that between us," he said, noticing the gift in Li Xingkong's hand.
"It's been so long since I came to see the teacher. It's only right, only right."
The two exchanged a few pleasantries, then went upstairs together to the class rep's home.
After seeing the teacher he hadn't seen in years, the two sat on the sofa and chatted for a long time, reminiscing and catching up. Li Xingkong felt as though he had returned to those days.
They stayed from the morning until lunchtime, then got up together and prepared to head to the restaurant where they had arranged to meet.
"Come on, I'll drive." The class rep waved the car keys in his hand. "Let you enjoy the services of yours truly as your driver."
"Look at you! When did you buy a car?"
"Ah, it's my dad's. I'll buy one once I land a government job."
They chatted all the way as they drove to the restaurant.
When Li Xingkong reached the private room, he found that everyone else was already there. Apparently, the two of them had been pretty slow.
"Whoa, you've changed so much I hardly recognized you!"
At the sight of Li Xingkong, a tall, thin young man sitting across from the entrance jumped up and strode over.
"Wen Yi!" Li Xingkong called out his name too. "Hey, what brought you here? Aren't you a busy man?"
Li Xingkong liked playing single-player games to relax, and Wen Yi was a single-player game fan too, so the two often discussed games together. But ever since Wen Yi joined Huami, he hadn't had time to play anymore.
"It's a long holiday, so I came back for a look. Come, sit here with me."
After sitting down, Li Xingkong exchanged pleasantries with several classmates. Not many had come, only seven or eight. There was no showing off or face-slapping, and no conflicts either. The people who could sit here together were all from their old circle.
Some people were born to be friends and wouldn't look down on one another because of money or status.
After all, everyone was reasonably smart. From high-ranking officials and nobles to street thugs, it was always good to have a friend.
Besides, young people nowadays were full of energy, and with everyone sitting together, it felt just like old times.
After asking around, he found that everyone had much the same goal. Some had already landed government jobs, some were still in school, and others were working and planning to come back and land government jobs in a few years.
No wonder Hedong Province was known for producing officials. Everyone from the same class had pretty much the same goal.
"How much is your annual salary now? Five hundred thousand?"
As they ate and drank, Li Xingkong and Wen Yi began chatting.
"Not even close. I'm only on four hundred and thirty thousand." Even though they had started working, there were still no barriers between the friends, and something like salary wasn't a secret.
"Nice. Keep that up for a few years and you'll be financially free," Li Xingkong said, making a quick calculation in his head. For what he wanted to do, even ten times that four hundred and thirty thousand might not be enough.
He had even thought about relying on his ability to learn to get a job for a few years, but now that seemed like a joke.
"That salary is earned through hard work. How could I get rich on that?"
"You can't get rich working for someone else," Wen Yi said.
"Quit bragging. You're the richest one sitting here." The class rep leaned over too, smiling. "At next year's gathering, we're going to eat you into bankruptcy."
"Don't worry, eat all you want. It's definitely my treat," Wen Yi readily agreed. "Speaking of which, didn't you invest some money last year? How did it go?"
"Ah, investing? My ass. I didn't have much money to begin with, and now it's all trapped in the stock market." The class rep wore a bitter smile as he spoke.
"Same here. I lost money on every stock I bought, but I bought a few coins last year, and they went up a hundredfold." Wen Yi shared the results of his investments, and it was obvious the guy was showing off.
That's right, I could try trading stocks! The two men's chat had given Li Xingkong a good idea.
With stocks, you could make a lifetime's worth of money in a year, but when you lost, you might keep losing for years.
In Li Xingkong's view, it really was a quick way to make money, and he already had the vague beginnings of an idea.
After the meal, the group found a teahouse and spent the rest of the afternoon there, drinking tea, chatting, and talking about the old days. The whole afternoon passed in a very pleasant atmosphere.
During that afternoon of chatting, Li Xingkong also roughly worked out version 1.0 of his plan to make money.