Next to them, Zhao Bin and others also turned their heads to look, only to see that on the suspended stage directly ahead, the previous female singer had left at some point, replaced by a man in a casual suit.
He looked to be in his early twenties, with a tall and straight posture, deep eyes, and short, clean-cut hair. Along with a well-defined face, he appeared as if he had stepped off the cover of a magazine, instantly becoming the focus of everyone’s attention upon his arrival.
When he appeared, somewhere in the restaurant, faint screams from some young girls could be heard.
"Is he an internet celebrity too?"
"I really envy people who can make a living just by their looks..."
"Brother Bin, you could too. I remember you have eight-pack abs; take off your shirt, and you’ll at least have a hundred thousand followers!"
"Hahaha, never mind. How long can you make money like that? It’s not secure..."
Out of some group psychology for finding self-confidence, all the guys except Young Master Jian instinctively started joking.
Because they noticed not only Huang Hui and Wang Lijia but even Xu Wenqian was firmly attracted to the handsome young man, appearing somewhat absent-minded.
Zhao Bin felt a sting when he saw this; he remembered Xu Wenqian wasn’t such a shallow girl...
If she were, back in university, she wouldn’t have turned down so many suitors and chosen Cheng Zhe from a small county.
Only Wang Lijia knew that Xu Wenqian wasn’t a sucker for looks. Over the past couple of months, she had seen countless so-called handsome guys trying to hit on Xu Wenqian, even those extremely handsome ones, yet Xu Wenqian’s indifference towards them made even Wang Lijia feel pity for those guys.
So, who is this young man?
Wang Lijia looked curiously, and saw the young man already seated at the piano, with his hands resting on the keys.
A smooth and familiar prelude started, and many of the dining guests couldn’t help but hum along.
When the prelude paused, the young man suddenly looked up, his gaze falling on the private room where Wang Lijia and others were, or more accurately, on Xu Wenqian.
"I came to your city, walked the roads you once wandered."
"Imagining the days without me, how lonely you must have been..."
As the young man’s first gentle, deep lyrics resonated, Xu Wenqian immediately let out a muffled sound, covering her mouth tightly.
As the second line followed, Xu Wenqian couldn’t hold back any longer, and tears flowed like rain.
The others in the room were a bit stunned... Was it really necessary?
Though Dr. Chen’s "Long Time No See" is indeed a classic among classics, isn’t this taking resonance too far?
"Would you suddenly appear at the corner café, I’d greet you with a smile and a wave..."
At this point in the song, the piano music abruptly stopped, and the young man also smiled and stopped, raising his hand to wave remotely at Xu Wenqian.
At that moment, Xu Wenqian was both crying and laughing, as many scenes flashed through her mind.
There she was, under the scorching sun, shuttling between office buildings just to find a suitable office location...
There she was, enduring the pain of her period while smilingly running errands for fund procedures...
And there she was, slipping in her high heels and sitting embarrassingly in the mud during a torrential rain in Magic City...
Zhou Wang never checked her attendance, never deducted her pay, but she always clocked in for herself. If Zhou Wang ever opened her phone and launched the "DingTalk" app, dedicated to workers, he’d see she was always fully present every day.
No overtime, but no vacation either.
She wasn’t made of steel; after coming to Magic City, due to poor appetite, she’d fallen ill twice, got an IV once, and often suffered from insomnia.
Of course, Zhou Wang never knew these details, nor could he have known.
She was someone who could endure grievances well, but that didn’t mean she was without grievances.
In many instances, she simply wouldn’t show it.
At this moment, feeling the longing in Zhou Wang’s eyes and seeing the familiar smile at the corner of his mouth, the emotions she had suppressed flooded out, yet in this instant, they all turned into nothingness, leaving only uncontrollable joy and excitement.
Zhou Wang indeed came to Magic City.
And indeed never told her.
But it was all to give her a huge surprise.
Then, after waving to Xu Wenqian, Zhou Wang continued playing the piano, but the rhythm changed to another softer and more soothing song.
"Books always love writing about surprising evenings, riding bikes and their conversations, the girl’s white dress the boy loved so much..."
"Slowly Fall in Love with You."
A song themed around love and confession.
Xu Wenqian could no longer contain herself; she dashed out of the private room, but in her panicked rush, she didn’t know which corridor led to the suspended stage.
By the time she came to her senses, she had already collided with Zhou Wang’s solid chest.
When Xu Wenqian looked up, Zhou Wang, who had come over at some unknown time, stated helplessly, "Hey, I hadn’t even gotten to the best part of the song, and you already ran out?"
Xu Wenqian couldn’t hear what Zhou Wang was saying; she just hugged him tightly, with such force that Zhou Wang was a bit surprised.
After all, the Xu Wenqian he knew had always been meek and timid, seemingly frail...
"Alright, alright, so many people are watching, aren’t you embarrassed..."
Zhou Wang finally spoke after letting Xu Wenqian hug him for a while.
Xu Wenqian was startled, noticing her classmates in the private room were looking at her in astonishment, especially Wang Lijia, whose eyes were practically glued to the glass. She quickly released Zhou Wang and carefully observed his expression, afraid he might be upset.
Zhou Wang didn’t say anything, just curiously asked, "Are those the college classmates you mentioned on the phone? Can I join you to eat? I’m starving; damn, even the food on my own plane tastes terrible. The first thing I’ll do when I get back is to change the chef..."
Xu Wenqian didn’t quite understand what Zhou Wang was saying, but she naturally wouldn’t refuse his request, so she immediately led him over.
On her way, Xu Wenqian was still struggling; she seemed too impetuous just now, her reaction a bit inappropriate due to the sudden surprise of seeing Zhou Wang...
How should she explain her relationship with Zhou Wang to Wang Lijia and others?
While Xu Wenqian was troubled, Zhou Wang, who had entered the room first, was already smilingly greeting Wang Lijia, Young Master Jian, and others:
"Hello, I am Zhou Wang, Xu Wenqian’s boyfriend..."
What... did he say?
Xu Wenqian stood there in disbelief.
Although Zhou Wang had repeatedly emphasized their relationship, and he had even met her parents, Xu Wenqian always felt inadequate. She knew Zhou Wang had more than one woman.
But this was different.
It was a public setting, surrounded by her college classmates, and half of her social circle was present.
Zhou Wang, openly declaring his relationship with her in such a setting, was undeniably powerful.
"Hey, Wenxi, what are you standing there for?"
Wang Lijia waved her hand persistently in front of Xu Wenqian, finally snapping her out of it, "Hmph, I knew you weren’t telling me the truth. Caught you red-handed this time, didn’t I..."
"I, I didn’t... Zhou, Zhou Wang is my..."
Xu Wenqian instinctively wanted to explain, but Zhou Wang cut her off.
"We’re also hometown fellows; I’m from Ming City too."
Having already greeted Xu Wenqian’s classmates, Zhou Wang explained with a smile.
Only then did Xu Wenqian understand that Zhou Wang didn’t want to expose the other layer of their relationship.
In an instant, Xu Wenqian’s feelings were more complicated than ever.
She thought Zhou Wang wanted to make her feel more comfortable and avoid others scrutinizing their relationship with prejudice. Such attention to detail touched Xu Wenqian beyond measure.
But Zhou Wang hadn’t considered that much at all.
Faced with Wang Lijia’s cheerful barrage of questions and while observing the table of male classmates with their awkward yet polite smiles tinged with a bit of distance, Zhou Wang found it all genuinely amusing.
How long had it been...
Since he last socialized in public as an ordinary person.
His primary goal for visiting Xu Wenqian today was to surprise her, but he also saw it as a chance to relax.
He seemed carefree while in Beidou, but every day he walked a tightrope.
Interacting with these fresh graduates, absorbing their remnants of clear, bright spirits, Zhou Wang felt very comfortable.
This was the atmosphere he was after!