132: School Anniversary Celebration (Part 1)

Qin Yang smiled upon hearing this and wrapped his arm around Deng Yue's slender waist, showering Teacher Wang with a display of affection.

Teacher Wang gave Qin Yang a playful look of reproach. "Alright, alright, I know you two are true love, so stop showing off in front of an old woman like me. Let's go. They've already started setting up the Great Auditorium for the anniversary. I'll go coordinate your seats for you."

Hearing this, Qin Yang's skin was thick enough that he didn't react much, but Deng Yue's face instantly turned bright red like a red apple. She pinched Qin Yang and swatted away his mischievous hand.

Then, the two of them followed Teacher Wang into the campus.

Everything on campus was still the same as when they were students; there hadn't been many changes. If there were any, it was perhaps that after several more years of wind and frost, things had become much more weathered and mottled.

However, walking behind Teacher Wang, the two of them thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of strolling through the campus, experiencing a sense of deja vu as they revisited their youth.

"This school anniversary is the grand celebration of the school's fiftieth year, so it's being held quite solemnly. The school handed down tasks, and every teacher invited their best students to attend. As your counselor, I have a bit of vanity too. Actually, before you two, I invited several seniors from a few classes above yours who are doing well, but unfortunately, they didn't give me any face at all. Hehe, luckily you didn't reject me, Deng Yue, otherwise, I really wouldn't know where to hide this old face of mine," Teacher Wang said with a sudden self-deprecating tone as they walked.

Qin Yang and Deng Yue looked at each other after hearing this, not knowing how to respond. In truth, speaking for the two of them, it wasn't as if they had particularly deep feelings for the school. The majors they had studied back then were niche, and they basically had nothing to do with the jobs they found after graduation. Deng Yue was okay, having found a job at a proper company, but Qin Yang had gone off to deliver takeout after graduating. In short, whether one mixed well or not really didn't have much to do with the school; it mostly depended on individual ability. Of course, if Qin Yang hadn't cheated with his system, it would have been quite difficult for him to turn his life around in this lifetime, so he couldn't really be counted.

Therefore, it wasn't particularly excessive that those capable seniors didn't attend; such things are entirely up to personal interpretation. Of course, it was also because the school itself wasn't particularly outstanding and was far, far behind those prestigious universities. If H City University of Technology invited you to be an outstanding alumnus, then you'd see—it's likely no graduate would refuse. After all, the reputation of a school alone can truly save a person many years of detours.

"Teacher Wang, it's possible the seniors were just too busy with work to make time to come. Please don't overthink it," Deng Yue spoke up to console her.

Teacher Wang smiled and nodded upon hearing this.

Just as they were about to arrive at the Great Auditorium, Teacher Wang's phone suddenly rang. She gave them a quick heads-up and answered the call.

"Principal Li, yes, it's me. What? Deputy High Official Zhou is going to attend our anniversary? Oh, oh, I'll head over for the meeting right away," Teacher Wang said after answering the phone and responding a few times.

Then, Teacher Wang looked at Deng Yue and Qin Yang apologetically. "I'm sorry, I have a sudden emergency meeting I need to attend. You two take a stroll around the campus first. Once I'm done with the meeting, I'll take you in to find your seats."

"That's fine, Teacher Wang. You go ahead and handle your business. We'll take the chance to revisit campus life," Qin Yang replied with a smile.

"Good, then I'll head over first." Teacher Wang then hurriedly walked toward the Administration Building.

Seeing Teacher Wang leave, Deng Yue and Qin Yang walked through the campus hand-in-hand. As they walked, they recalled scenes of their time together in university, feeling very relaxed and comfortable.

Just as they were strolling intimately, a sudden shout from behind broke the quiet atmosphere.

"Deng—Deng Yue!"

The voice sounded somewhat familiar.

The two of them turned back simultaneously.

On the tree-lined path behind them, a girl about their age was looking at them with a face full of surprise. She had a camera slung across her chest, short-to-medium length hair, and a pair of black-framed glasses on the bridge of her nose.

"You are... Lu Xiaohui!" Deng Yue looked at the other person for a few moments before a name surfaced from the depths of her memory, and she blurted it out.

"Wow, wow, wow! It really is you, Deng Yue! And you, you're Qin Yang, right? It's only been a few years, but you've both changed so much!" Lu Xiaohui cried out and quickly ran up to them, speaking with surprise.

"Haha, Xiaohui, I didn't expect to run into you at our alma mater either," Deng Yue replied with a look of joy.

Only then did Qin Yang remember who she was. This was their classmate from university. He remembered she had been on good terms with Deng Yue back then. This girl was always rushing about and was jokingly called a 'tomboy' by their classmates. However, after graduation, they weren't as close, and their contact had dwindled.

"I thought I'd recognized the wrong person. It's a good thing I tried calling out, otherwise we would have missed each other," Lu Xiaohui replied casually with a smile on her face.

She then asked, "Are you here to observe the school anniversary?"

Deng Yue nodded. "Yes, Teacher Wang invited us. What about you?"

"Hehe, through unremitting efforts, your sister here got into the city TV station's career establishment. I'm now a proud journalist! Because of our school anniversary, some major city leaders are coming, so I'm here to do an exclusive interview." After Lu Xiaohui finished speaking, a look of pride hung on her face, appearing like a child waiting for praise.

Deng Yue naturally wouldn't spoil the fun. She cooperatively praised her, "Ah! Xiaohui, you're amazing! I remember you loved taking photos everywhere with your camera back then. I didn't expect you to actually turn your hobby into a profession. You're so cool!"

"Haha, luck, it's just good luck," Lu Xiaohui laughed loudly.

Just as they wanted to chat some more, a sharp voice came from the distance.

"Lu Xiaohui! Lu Xiaohui! Where did you go? The leaders will be here in a moment, and you still dare to slack off? Get back here quickly!"

Hearing the commotion, Lu Xiaohui's face, which had been full of pride, instantly withered. She muttered, "So annoying, they make me, a newcomer, stand in front for everything..."

She then said to Qin Yang and Deng Yue, "Sorry, I have work to do over there, so I'll take my leave. Yueyue, we have each other on WeChat. Once I'm done being busy, we must have a good get-together."

"Okay!" Deng Yue replied with a smile.

Watching Lu Xiaohui leave in a slumped manner, Qin Yang and Deng Yue couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't that they were mocking her; it was just that they both thought of their own situations when they first started working, which was identical to Lu Xiaohui's current state. Newcomers have no rights anywhere! If you want to change that, you either need a backer or you have to grind for seniority. Lu Xiaohui still had a long way to go in her career.

The two of them strolled for a while longer before Teacher Wang finally called and told them to go to the auditorium.

At the auditorium entrance, they saw Teacher Wang again.

However, Teacher Wang's expression was a bit unsightly at this moment.

Then she said with an apologetic face, "Deng Yue, um, I didn't know city leaders would be coming to our anniversary today. I previously said I'd arrange two seats for you, and I did, but after the news of the city leaders' arrival spread, many students who had previously refused to attend wanted to come again. Because of this, the guest seats aren't quite enough. See if Qin Yang could go to the observation seats to free up a spot?"

Deng Yue's face also turned sour upon hearing this. The way the school handled this was a bit disgusting. They had agreed on two seats, but now it had become one. If they weren't going to follow through, they shouldn't have invited them in the first place; this was purely embarrassing people!