At the start, I had to choose one of four options, and I immediately picked the Brahmin from the cou

Li Xiao paused slightly, his gaze lingering briefly on Xia Kexin's flushed face, which was flushed with nervousness.

"Another one trying to climb the social ladder."

Actually, when the girl timidly approached to offer a toast, Li Xiao had sensed something was off. But seeing her stammering and flustered appearance, unable to utter a coherent sentence, he thought he was just overthinking things.

From the moment Lin Xiaoran walked over with her wine glass, Li Xiao's relationship with these people underwent a fundamental change.

A person who shows up at a class reunion driving a Panamera is no longer someone who can be simply described as a classmate in the eyes of others.

In some people's eyes, he is more like a cake with a price tag already marked, a ticket to a certain kind of life, a high branch that can be climbed without any effort.

Especially for someone like Xia Kexin, who dresses plainly and clearly comes from a family that isn't particularly well-off.

During their three years of high school, they barely spoke a few words to each other, to the point that Li Xiao couldn't even remember her name. But today, she suddenly came over with a cup to greet him and even wanted to add him on Feixin (a Chinese instant messaging platform). He could guess the motive behind this sudden enthusiasm with his toes.

Just as he was about to send her away like he had with Lin Xiaoran, he suddenly noticed her eyes.

Those were beautiful almond-shaped eyes, but now they were bloodshot, and their sockets were filled with tears that were about to fall.

But her trembling eyelashes betrayed her inner fear, yet the corners of her mouth were desperately trying to turn upwards, forcing out a thin smile that looked worse than crying.

She was desperately trying to maintain what little dignity she had left, trying to make herself look less pathetic, and trying to get through this precarious and embarrassing situation.

Those were definitely not eyes filled with calculation and materialism.

That's something that only happens to people who are seventeen or eighteen years old. They keep their feelings hidden for three whole years, only to have them crushed by a casual remark from the person they secretly love at the moment of parting, and then have to pretend that nothing happened, feeling wronged and sad.

Li Xiao paused for a moment while holding the wine glass.

Having lived two lives, Li Xiao boasted that he had seen through the true nature of this world, where everyone is driven by self-interest.

He habitually used leverage, class, and interests to measure everyone around him, but he hesitated for once when faced with Xia Kexin's clear, almost broken eyes.

The girl's nervousness didn't seem feigned.

"Xia Kexin, Xia as in summer, Ke as in 'okay', and Xin as in 'joyful'. Am I right?"

Li Xiao's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Xia Kexin's ears in the noisy banquet hall.

She was stunned.

The tears still lingered in her almond-shaped eyes, and she opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.

Without wasting any words, Li Xiao took out his phone and scanned Xia Kexin's old phone, whose screen edges were even chipped from years of use.

A pop-up window appears on the screen with the nickname "Summer Without Ice" and an avatar that is a simple line drawing of a rabbit.

In front of her, Li Xiao solemnly typed the three words "Xia Kexin" in the notes section.

"The lighting in the private room was too dim just now, so I didn't recognize you at first. I'm sorry, Kexin."

Li Xiao picked up his wine glass, gently pressed the rim down, and lightly touched the slightly swirling orange juice in her hand with the rim, showing the girl in front of him the utmost respect in a slightly apologetic tone.

"Let's get to know each other again. My name is Li Xiao. It's nice to add you as a friend, Kexin. I wish you a happy graduation."

When Li Xiao finished speaking, Xia Kexin finally couldn't hold back her tears. Like a child who had done something wrong, she hurriedly lowered her head and frantically wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

But the pent-up grievances and ecstasy of the past three years intertwined, causing tears to flow like a broken string of pearls, more and more more, impossible to stop.

"Thank you, Li Xiao, thank you."

Li Xiao didn't say anything more, but simply picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and calmly glanced at the classmates in the banquet hall who were looking in his direction.

Among those gazes were those of curiosity, those of amusement, and even a few of obvious displeasure, such as that of Lin Xiaoran, who was holding a wine glass in the corner and whose expression was not very pleasant.

He could even sense the subtle embarrassment and jealousy that came from being treated differently in Lin Xiaoran's gaze.

When she saw Li Xiao looking in her direction, Lin Xiaoran looked away, her face still bearing that calm and composed smile, as if the scene just now had nothing to do with her.

She turned her head and asked Zhao Yue, who was sitting next to her, "Do you know that girl who just added Li Xiaofei on WeChat? I don't think I've ever seen her before."

Zhao Yue followed her gaze and saw Xia Kexin smiling at Li Xiao with red eyes.

"Her name is Xia Kexin. She's usually quite close to Zhang Qian."

Zhao Yue swallowed the rib in her mouth and then continued.

"I heard her family isn't well-off. I really don't understand why Li Xiao is suddenly being so polite to her. Could it be that he's been a rich young master for too long and suddenly wants to experience the role of a savior, to do some good deeds?"

Is your family poor?

Lin Xiaoran seemed to have grasped some key point: what does it mean to have a poor family background?

If Li Xiao were to treat a wealthy and influential woman differently, she might feel more at ease, since she knows that in this circle, marrying someone of equal social standing is the norm.

But now, why should Li Xiao treat a poor, nobody who hides in a corner all day like this? This is absolutely unacceptable!

"Who knows? Maybe Li Xiao is used to eating rich and fatty foods and wants to try something simpler sometimes. But it's hard to say how long this kind of charity obtained by feigning helplessness can last."

Zhao Yue sensed the sourness in her words and wisely refrained from continuing the conversation. Instead, she picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of pork rib, and stuffed it into her mouth, vaguely changing the subject, "By the way, I heard we're going to karaoke after dinner, are you going?"

"Go, why not go? It's rare for everyone to get together like this. After today, it will be hard to see each other again."

She wanted to see what Xia Kexin, who couldn't even afford a decent outfit, would have to offer when they got to a KTV, a place that valued performance and atmosphere more.

Zhao Yue, who was standing nearby, saw all of this and knew perfectly well that Lin Xiaoran was really going all out.

She had been best friends with Lin Xiaoran for three years, so she knew the literary and art committee member's temperament all too well. She usually seemed unassuming and uncompetitive, but deep down she was very proud and had an extremely strong competitive spirit.

During the New Year's Eve party in her first year of high school, the class next door put on a piano solo. In order not to be outdone by others, Lin Xiaoran practiced the guzheng for two months without hesitation. On the day of the performance, her piece "Fighting the Typhoon" amazed the audience and completely overshadowed the other team.

When others asked her afterward how long she had been playing and how she played so well, she would simply reply that she was just practicing casually. But only Zhao Yue had ever seen her practice until her fingers were covered in bandages and she didn't even dare to write.

How could someone with such a strong competitive spirit possibly be willing to lose to Xia Kexin, who can't even afford a decent dress?

Zhao Yue shook her head inwardly; she couldn't dissuade him, and she didn't intend to try again.

Seeing her best friend's defiant attitude, Zhao Yue hesitated for a moment before advising her, "Take it easy. Li Xiao doesn't seem easy to fool. If you go against her, you might end up losing face."

Lin Xiaoran smiled slightly at her, her face showing no displeasure whatsoever. "What are you talking about? I'm not trying to compete with anyone. I just feel that it will be hard for us to see each other again in the future, so I'm just going to sing a song. What are you thinking?"

Ugh! Why does she have to be so talkative? She's such a jerk.

Zhao Yue wisely shut her mouth, thinking to herself, "If you're really not going to argue, then stop glancing at Xia Kexin all the time."