Fatty Lin took the four invitations and immediately opened them, the glaring red characters jumping out.

“This invitation is extended by me, Leng Yue, to invite all classmates to my birthday party. As seniors who are about to enter university, I hope we can gather one last time to reminisce about these three years of high school! —Signed: Leng Yue, Grade Two (Class Three). The gathering will be held on the evening of the sixteenth at seven o’clock. Please arrive on time. Address is…” “Holy crap!” Ye Xiaohou suddenly yelped from the side. “Beauties, oh, beauties!” Fatty Lin began to dream with a lovesick expression, his hand trembling as he held the invitations. “Damn, you shameless swine,” Xu Ming laughed and cursed upon seeing the lovesick smiles on Ye Xiaohou and Fatty Lin. But this guy stood there speaking as if he felt no pain in his back, which earned him two looks of utter disdain from Fatty Lin and Ye Xiaohou. They scoffed, “Third brother, don’t stand there acting like it’s no big deal for us. Damn it, of course you’d say that since you have your own beauty. In fact, when it comes to shamelessness, we’re merely the tip of your iceberg!” “Ugh!!!” Xu Ming knew he was in the wrong and didn't press the issue, especially since he was currently under the implied control of Liu Qingqing’s charm—tsk, tsk! “Qianqian!” Liu Qingqing shot an annoyed look back at the three shameless guys before turning to the somber Li Qian. “Hm?” Li Qian responded weakly. “Come on now, since we already know Yang Yi is fine, why are you torturing yourself like this?” Liu Qingqing seemed annoyed. She didn't feel much for Yang Yi herself, only seeing him as a friend, but she genuinely couldn't understand why Li Qian was suffering so much over him; it almost seemed like jealousy on her part. “Qingqing…” Li Qian called out softly upon hearing Liu Qingqing, understanding that her good friend was worried about her. “Alright, alright, the exams are over for today, how about we go grab a nice meal?” Liu Qingqing said softly. “Mm,” Li Qian found no reason to refuse her and replied quietly.

Meanwhile, back in the dorm room of Fatty Lin and the others, the three perverts were completely absorbed in whatever they were admiring, their faces lewd, their eyes shining green as they stared intently at Ye Xiaohou’s computer screen, panting heavily. “Damn, this one is so perfect, she’s just missing a bra!” Fatty Lin suddenly shook his head in dismay mid-viewing. “Yeah, speaking of which, I think too much exposure on a beauty ruins it. Being completely naked isn’t attractive at all,” Xu Ming commented with what seemed like professional insight. Hearing this, Ye Xiaohou immediately clicked the mouse and said, “There’s nothing there. Those adult pictures were probably photoshopped by someone else. I told you there was nothing stimulating, but you insisted on looking. Can’t help it if you find something imperfect now and start criticizing!” “Haha, that’s because Fourth Brother has no taste. Back in the day, when Yi Ge and I…” Fatty Lin stopped mid-sentence. This was a childhood memory belonging only to him and Yang Yi; if Yang Yi found out he was broadcasting it everywhere, he’d probably lose a few layers of skin. “Damn, Second Brother is at it again, stopping halfway through his story!” Xu Ming gave Fatty Lin a look of profound contempt. “Exactly, every time he brings up the Boss and his stories, he clamps up like that.” “Go to hell,” Fatty Lin muttered, clearly attempting to change the subject, “Third Brother, when are you finally going to confess to Liu Qingqing?” “Yeah, yeah, Third Brother, we’re almost graduating high school, and summer vacation is coming up soon. Are you really going to let things end in this awkward ambiguity?” Ye Xiaohou agreed, realizing the urgency. Liu Qingqing was still in her second year, while Xu Ming was about to start university; their relationship had been ambiguous, but now the deadline was looming. “I don’t know!” Mentioning this, Xu Ming seemed like a deflated ball, appearing utterly confused and listless. “Sigh, we bros can’t help you with matters of the heart. If you truly like her, you need to get an answer. At least then you can make arrangements—whether to wait or to go your separate ways—that part you have to figure out yourselves,” Fatty Lin hit the nail on the head. Indeed, Xu Ming was heading to university while Liu Qingqing was just about to enter her final year. They would certainly be separated by distance, and the change their relationship might undergo then was unpredictable. Sometimes people say love is like aged red wine, growing richer and more enduring, but others often claim it’s like a block of ice: seemingly solid, yet slowly melting and fading away over time. This is the so-called long-distance romance. If it can withstand the storms, everyone is happy; if not, one can only stab their own heart with a knife. “I really don’t know what to do, sigh,” Xu Ming sighed softly. He liked Liu Qingqing more than words could say, but right now, he truly didn't know how to approach her. “Third Brother, we still suggest you confess to her. Don't let this first love slip away, especially since you like her,” Ye Xiaohou suddenly sounded like a love expert, having finalized his decision based on all his pick-up theories. “Alright, forget that for now. We haven’t eaten yet. Let’s go out for a good meal now? We just finished the exams, my stomach is practically shriveled up from hunger,” Fatty Lin said. “Fine, a good meal it is, but who’s paying?” Xu Ming seemed to realize overthinking wasn't helping and immediately asked with renewed energy upon hearing about food. “You are, of course!” Ye Xiaohou laughed. “Second Brother, don’t be polite this time. Third Brother here has plenty of cash.” “Deal! Don’t worry, today will definitely not be like last time where we only ate a few hundred yuan. This time, it’ll be at least double that,” Fatty Lin said with a wicked grin to the momentarily stunned Xu Ming, then linked arms with Ye Xiaohou and headed out. Xu Ming only snapped back to reality when they reached the doorway. With a jolt, he scrambled after them, shouting, “I’ll murder you two! You ate 999 yuan last time, and now you want to double it? No way, it’s your turn to treat this time! I’m eating several thousand yuan worth!” “Dam—!”

In the dormitory adjacent to Fatty Lin’s, two students hearing their loud conversation nearly tumbled down the stairs. “Brother, there’s no helping it. Comparing people is what kills you. Let’s just quietly go to a cheap restaurant for two buns and some porridge and head home,” one student said with a bitter face. The other nodded, his face equally etched with bitterness. “Sigh, one meal cost three nines—that’s months of our living expenses!” “Oh, right, how much money do you have on you? Let’s check quickly. If we don’t have enough for the bill and bus fare later, we might have to walk back.” “Okay!” The second student immediately dug into his pocket, pulling out one hundred thirty yuan. “Ah, that’s barely enough for the bus fare?” That student quickly patted his own pocket, retrieving a bright red bill and a few scattered coins. “I only have one hundred forty.” The two stared at each other and simultaneously cried out, “Damn this miserable fate!”

Just as the two finished speaking, three black-clad figures suddenly and eerily appeared before them. One of them, with a cold expression, asked, “Do you know those three guys just now?” “……” The two students were so terrified by the sudden appearance of the three men that they were almost wetting themselves, certainly not in the mood to answer. “Speak up!” Another man in black suddenly reached out and gripped the neck of one student. Perhaps spurred by this physical threat, the terrified student reacted, slightly trembling as he tried to pry the man’s hand away. “What are you doing? Let him go quickly, someone could die!” “Are you going to talk or not? Are those three connected to Yang Yi?” the man choking the student asked coldly. “Yang Yi?” The student’s mind raced. He quickly said, “Yes, they are Yang Yi’s brothers. That’s all we know.” The black-clad man snorted coldly, released the student’s neck, and glanced back at his superior. “Big Brother, look!” “Mm, let’s follow them and see,” the other man in black said. “Yes!”

After these three mysterious figures vanished as eerily as they appeared, the two students were left gasping for air, saying, “Damn it, it was a ghost! Brother, I think we just escaped death. Let’s scram!” “Mm,” the student who was rubbing his neck responded weakly.