Su Xingwan faced Wu Qian's provocation without a trace of fear: "There's no rule against bringing children to a class reunion."
At the reunion, many couples had brought their children along, and because the host of the reunion, Senior Brother Fang, also has kids, he had specially prepared a table for children and a play area for them.
Upon hearing this, a hint of embarrassment appeared on Wu Qian's face.
The host, Senior Brother Fang, mediated: "We're all classmates, we should be cordial and happy."
"Yes, yes!"
The others chimed in, their smiles carrying a bit of flattery.
Senior Brother Fang was the wealthiest among them, having inherited a large hotel right after graduation, married early, making them all envious.
Sitting at the table was a young photographer, who graduated in the same year as Senior Brother Fang. He was quite talented, having entered a major entertainment company in Beijing right after graduation, shooting magazine covers and ads for many celebrities.
Later, he started his own business, opening a studio, and was reportedly doing well.
This person was the well-known photographer whom Su Xingwan had once rejected.
Yang Meng had noticed Su Xingwan as soon as she arrived. Just a few days ago, he had received a request from Su Xingwan to add him on WeChat.
When Wu Qian mentioned that she seemed to have changed, he didn't believe it.
From the moment she walked in, he sensed, as a photographer, that though she looked like her old self, something seemed different, an indescribable feeling.
Su Xingwan's target today was him, so she approached boldly, took the seat next to him, and smiled politely:
"Senior Brother Yang, I apologize for the past, and now that I have the chance, I want to express my apologies to you."
With that, she drank a glass of wine as self-punishment, without mentioning the modeling opportunity.
A look of confusion flashed through Yang Meng's eyes.
Soon, as people filled the table with drinks and grew more daring, they began to speak freely.
They chatted and laughed about their life after graduation—work, careers, husbands, families, children. Everyone's faces beamed with smiles, showing off their hard-earned wealth, fame, and family status.
Su Xingwan listened silently to each round of stories.
Indeed, this high-end circle was different, and today she got a glimpse of it.
As they talked, their focus eventually shifted to the silent Su Xingwan.
"Xingwan, what are you doing after graduation?"
Su Xingwan opened her mouth: "I currently don't…"
Before she could say "work," Zhang Qiaoqiao snickered beside her: "She doesn't even have a job right now. She wanted to sign with Yuehua Entertainment before, but they rejected her."
Everyone was surprised, watching her as if expecting a spectacle.
Today, her clothing was plain, compared to the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars worth of designer bags and clothes on the others.
The cotton jacket on Su Xingwan was clearly an outdated, cheap design from a few years back.
The Su Xingwan they saw a few months ago wasn't like this. Back then, she was full of spirit, looking down on everyone.
It seemed she was indeed abandoned by her patron, just as people in the group said.
Yet they didn't see any sign of defeat or resentment on Su Xingwan's face. Instead, she exuded calmness, creating a beautiful picture by just sitting there silently.
This… Su Xingwan seemed different now.
The current Su Xingwan was more attractive compared to before and better suited for the magazine cover themes Yang Meng's studio was looking for.
Yang Meng had started his own business now. Despite his experience photographing major celebrities for magazines, he lacked connections since leaving the major entertainment company and had to build everything from scratch.
This was why he initially considered the then-unknown Su Xingwan. Who would have thought she'd reject and insult him when he first approached her?
He was infuriated and depressed for a long time.
Unexpectedly, after some time, she tried to add him through Wu Qian on WeChat, wanting to rehash the part-time model job opportunity.
Having been insulted, he naturally didn't want to approve her friend request so quickly, waiting for her apology call instead.
But that call never came, and today, here it was, at the classmates' reunion.
He actually regretted not accepting her WeChat request the other day, and now seeing her like this, he felt embarrassed to bring it up.
Wu Qian: "She still needs me to introduce her to jobs. Does anyone here have any job opportunities to recommend to her?"
After saying that, Wu Qian glanced at Yang Meng: "This great photographer once wanted her to be a model for his studio, but unfortunately, she rejected him."
Just showing how foolish Su Xingwan was, with no foresight, even if Yang Meng was not famous yet, he at least photographed ads for many big stars.
Su Xingwan, with no reputation to her name, thought she was above it when even Yang Meng wanted to photograph her for a magazine.
Wu Qian silently fumed.
Originally, people wanted to recommend jobs to Su Xingwan, but after hearing Wu Qian, their enthusiasm dwindled.
"Su Xingwan, it's a good thing that Senior Yang Meng invited you to be his model. Why refuse? Do you think he can't photograph you?"
Zhou Zhu suddenly intervened, seemingly on purpose.
The others nodded, following suit: "Yes, you two are classmates; it would be nice to help each other out."
Wu Qian: "I think so too, but Su Xingwan doesn't seem to think so. What a pity."
Hearing everyone going back and forth, Su Xingwan spoke up:
"I agree, coming from the same school as Senior Yang, we should help each other. Last time, it was my mistake for not recognizing the opportunity and refusing Senior Yang. I wonder if he still needs me as a model."
At her words, everyone was stunned.
They expected to see an awkward scene for Su Xingwan but were surprised by her response, directly joining their conversation and leaving them speechless.
Seeing Su Xingwan's response, Yang Meng, who already regretted his earlier decision upon seeing her today, smiled: "Since Su doesn't mind now, how about we exchange WeChat later to discuss the work?"
Su Xingwan: "Sure."
The two exchanged smiles, burying the hatchet.
Everyone: "..."
It turned out that while they were saying this much, eventually, it was to pave the way for someone else, creating an opportunity for their collaboration.
It turned out they were the real clowns!!!
Wu Qian's face didn't look too good.
In this verbal sparring, she lost once again.