Hu City.
Although it doesn’t have the same long history as Jinling, with its centuries as an ancient capital.
But due to its advantageous conditions, its economy has soared over the past century, earning it the nickname "Magic City."
Cloud Hotel is located within the inner ring of Hu City, occupying a vast area and luxuriously decorated.
At this moment, there are dozens of young people gathered at the hotel’s entrance.
"Li Sisi, you’ve become even prettier. If I had known, I would have made a move on you back in college. We might be married by now," joked a young man in casual clothes with somewhat dark skin.
"Wang Zibo, it’s not too late to make a move now. Let me tell you secretly, Sisi doesn’t have a boyfriend yet."
A girl spoke, her arm linked with Li Sisi’s, who stood beside her, her eyebrows dancing with excitement.
"Luo Xuan, what are you talking about? We’re just old classmates."
Li Sisi blushed slightly, spitting out the words.
I have to say, she really looks good, with fair skin, long eyebrows, and a pair of tight jeans that highlight her figure.
"Haha, who said old classmates can’t date?" The dark-skinned young man, Wang Zibo, spoke with a smile on his face.
"So... sorry, I’m late."
At this moment, a taxi arrived, and someone got out.
Seeing the group, he hurried over and said, "My home is quite far, and the traffic was jammed. I should have taken the subway."
"You’re Chen Song, right? No worries, not everyone’s here yet." Someone reassured him, indicating it was still early.
"Yeah, who knows how long we’ll have to wait."
"We’re bored anyway, so why not talk about what we’ve been up to since graduation?"
It’s been a year since graduation, and everyone here is around 24-25 years old, naturally more concerned about their jobs.
However, compared to their youthful ambitions, many have had their spirits dampened by a year in society. Most are leading ordinary lives, though some have secured decent jobs through family connections.
So, the conversation soon naturally split into two small groups.
One centered around Wang Zibo and Li Sisi, lively and buzzing.
The other was Chen Song and the others, who remained relatively silent.
"What are you all chatting about? It’s so lively."
Just then, a voice chimed in, drawing everyone’s attention.
They saw a young man in a suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, step out of a BMW with a smile, looking every bit the successful professional.
"It’s... It’s Li Hansheng, Squad Leader Li." Wang Zibo was the first to recognize him, shocked, rushing over to touch the car’s hood: "Nice one, Squad Leader, driving a BMW! Seems like you’ve done well since graduating. Where are you working now? Should we start calling you President Li?"
The other classmates crowded around, all curious.
"Oh, nothing much, a relative opened a company, and I’m just helping out."
Li Hansheng adjusted his glasses and smiled, "The car’s only worth a bit over three hundred thousand, and it was provided by the company."
His words seemed humble, yet carried a subtle hint of boasting, as his eyes swept the circle, enjoying the admiring gazes.
"That’s more than three hundred thousand! With my salary, I’d have to save for a couple of years without spending anything," Wang Zibo expressed envy.
In truth, all the surrounding classmates felt the same. After all, they had only graduated a year ago.
Some were still renting apartments, while Li Hansheng was already driving a BMW.
Naturally, that earned him a bit of admiration.
Even Li Sisi’s eyes sparkled, and she took the initiative to join the conversation.
In fact, at a five-star hotel like Cloud, luxury cars coming and going wasn’t unusual, but for these people, such things were still far from their reach. Knowing someone like Li Hansheng changed their perception.
"Alright, let’s not stay outside talking all night, let’s go in." The moment Li Hansheng appeared, he became the center of attention, addressing the group.
"But Squad Leader, not everyone’s here yet." Chen Song spoke softly from the side.
"Who are we still missing?"
"Zhou Yunqiong and Lu Yuan, they’re the only ones missing now," Li Sisi said after glancing around.
"Yunqiong told me she had some family matters and would be a bit late," Li Hansheng smiled, seemingly showing off his not-so-ordinary relationship with Zhou Yunqiong, and continued, "As for Lu Yuan, maybe he’s been held up waiting for a taxi; he does live quite far away."
"In that case, let’s go in first, and later we’ll send the room number to the class group for him."
Upon hearing this, Li Sisi, Wang Zibo, and the others immediately agreed.
Only Chen Song lowered his head slightly.
"Look, over there, a big car is coming our way."
Just as everyone was about to enter, the girl beside Li Sisi suddenly spoke.
"What big car? That’s a Mercedes G-Class, the latest 25-year model, over four million," Wang Zibo said.
"Never mind the car, let’s go in."
Li Hansheng shook his head, urging everyone along.
"The car stopped, and the person inside looks familiar," Chen Song squinted, trying to get a good look.
"Oh, do you know someone driving a big G? Let’s go," Wang Zibo said nonchalantly.
"It really does seem familiar," even Li Sisi joined in.
Immediately, all eyes were drawn to the car, interest piqued.
Before long, the car came to a gentle stop in a parking spot, and out stepped a casually dressed young man in his twenties, standing tall and with striking features, exuding a rebellious, bold aura.
"It’s... Lu Yuan, am I seeing things?"
"No doubt about it, it’s Lu Yuan."
"Wasn’t he from an ordinary family? How’s he driving a G-Class?"
Once everyone got a clear look, surprise was evident in their eyes.
Even former class leader Li Hansheng was stunned, hardly believing it.
During their university days, Lu Yuan had been too low-key.
In every way, he was quite ordinary, never garnering much attention. The only topic of note was his rumored crush on Zhou Yunqiong.
But now, just a year post-graduation, he was quietly driving a car worth over four million...
The male classmates couldn’t resist gathering around, curious to inspect.
"Lu Yuan... is this car yours?"
Wang Zibo hurried over, inspecting every detail before finally asking.
"Mm."
Lu Yuan anticipated this reaction, merely nodding.
He truly didn’t wish to flaunt wealth or attract attention, but this was the only car available to him.
He didn’t see the need to explain further and continued, "Weren’t we all going inside? Let’s go together."
With that, he ignored their reactions and headed toward the hotel’s entrance.
"Impressive," Wang Zibo couldn’t help but remark quietly, "What did you do after graduation? Did you win the lottery or something?"
From his perspective, Lu Yuan’s family could never afford such a car, unless he’d struck lucky.
"Could it be that Lu Yuan really is capable?"
Li Sisi chimed in, countering the argument, though her eyes never left Lu Yuan’s back.
"Maybe, but I’ve heard from friends that renting a luxury car isn’t too expensive for a day," Li Hansheng suddenly remarked, not elaborating further as he walked into the hotel.
The other classmates exchanged glances and then followed suit.