123: Chapter 123 When the Plums Ripen: Childhood Sweetheart Male Lead 1

"If you like butterflies, do not chase them; you should plant flowers."

— — Meng Xiujie

...

"Cheers!!"

Midsummer, Jinling University.

A dozen or so young people were laughing and joking without restraint, the crisp sound of clinking glasses ringing out from time to time.

This was a class reunion, though not of a single class; it was just a group of friends who were relatively close.

Strictly speaking, it was also a farewell dinner.

Everyone present was a senior student from the Communication University.

As everyone knows, by the fourth year of university, students basically have no classes and are mostly looking for companies to start internships.

At the table today, several classmates had received internship offers in Jingzhou and would be packing their bags in a few days to head thousands of miles away.

"Once we are scattered to the corners of the earth, it will be hard to get everyone together like this again!"

"So tonight, we don't go home until we're drunk! Whoever falls first is a dog!"

The sorrow of parting was mixed into the alcohol, and everyone was showing their enthusiasm.

In the crowd, Nan Li was undoubtedly the most eye-catching presence.

The girl was wearing a simple white dress, her long, raven-black hair draped casually over her shoulders, and her unadorned face was fair to the point of being almost transparent.

Do university campus beauties actually exist?

Anyway, Jinling University has them, and Nan Li is one of them.

Her beauty lies not in her appearance, but more in her temperament.

She possessed the grace and charm of the Jiangnan water towns—gentle, soft, and delicate—yet at the same time, she was exceptionally clever, bright, sunny, and lively.

She was a complete contradiction.

Every time someone mentioned this, she would always say that it wasn't about the local environment shaping the person, but rather that one becomes like those one associates with.

If asked further, there would be no more to say.

At the table at this moment, she was holding a can of ice-cold beer, her eyes curving into crescents as she was amused by a joke told by her best friend, Lin Xi, her clear eyes filled with laughter.

"...Hahaha, Xi Xi, where did you hear such an old joke!"

Nan Li laughed until she couldn't straighten her back, gently punching her best friend's arm.

"The old ones are the classics!"

Lin Xi lifted her chin triumphantly, then leaned into her ear and lowered her voice.

"Actually, I wasn't planning on inviting you today. I was really afraid that since some of them are leaving, they might burn their bridges and confess to you today; that would be a classic."

"Pfft!"

Nan Li almost spat out the sip of alcohol she had just taken.

Just then, Zhang Wei, his face flushed red, stood up unsteadily.

He raised the beer glass in his hand and shouted with a slurred tongue:

"Brothers and sisters! Everyone quiet down!"

The private room instantly quieted down quite a bit, and everyone's gaze focused on him.

"This glass of wine, I... I toast everyone!"

Zhang Wei took a deep breath, his eyes filled with a bit of drunkenness, but even more so with reluctance.

His gaze swept over the crowd, then stared blankly at Nan Li, but in the end, he turned his head away.

He didn't have the courage, even though he had been drinking.

Many people at Jinling University know that the hardest campus beauty to pursue is Nan Li.

When she is gentle, she is like a noble celestial being; when she is lively, she is like a mischievous elf.

The only thing she doesn't resemble is a mortal, yet among all the common people, we are all mortals.

"Alright, here's to our four years of youth! In the future... when we all go our separate ways, please don't forget me! Let's keep in touch!"

As his voice trailed off, everyone stood up and raised their glasses high.

"Safe travels!"

"Cheers!"

The crisp sound of clinking glasses rang out again, and the emotions catalyzed by the alcohol reached their peak; the atmosphere was lively yet carried a hint of sadness.

Immediately after, the number of people toasting and drinking with Nan Li today seemed to be exceptionally high.

"Sigh, we're really going to part ways now."

Lin Xi put down her glass and sighed softly.

"What are you saying? It's not like it's a permanent separation."

Nan Li patted her shoulder and comforted her with a smile.

"When you have time, I'll take you to Suzhou to hang out with me."

"Are you talking about Qinghe Garden?"

Lin Xi's eyes lit up.

"Mm-hmm!"

Nan Li nodded with a smile.

Lin Xi knew about Qinghe Garden.

It was an ancient architectural garden in Suzhou.

It was Nan Li's home and also the ancestral land of the Meng Group in Suzhou.

[Don't push, don't push, I've blocked so many people, why is there still no room to stand?]

[This is a lot? There's still half over at Meng Zhu's side. Don't you see what kind of movie this is? The attention is so high.]

[Indeed, and this is just watching the live stream. There are still a large number of 'oxen and horses' waiting to watch the video!]

[Stop, stop, stop, stop saying this nonsense. Everyone quiet down for a second. I have a question: why has the female lead's name changed?]

[It's the same name as the female lead in "Living Better Than You"]

[It's just a name, don't make such a fuss.]

[Exactly, such a beautiful and cute female lead, I wouldn't care even if her name was Er Gou.]

[Exactly, a name is just a code name. I actually think she could be called Wang Dong's wife.]

[Question: Who is Wang Dong? This time everyone has basically read the original work, and I haven't seen this person.]

[Ahem, yours truly is Wang Dong.]

[You're full of it, I am the real Wang Dong.]

[I am also Wang Dong.]

[Get lost, all of you, get lost. The more you talk, the more ridiculous it gets. Can we just watch the movie properly? I am the real Wang Dong.]

[You f***...]

[Shut up everyone, look at the female lead, she seems to be drunk.]

[Holy crap, don't tell me the opening is going to be some melodramatic cliché.]

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, and sure enough, Nan Li was already tipsy.

By this time, the wine had been served three times, and the dishes had been tasted.

The enthusiasm of the gathering gradually faded, replaced by a scene of people slumped over in drunken states.

Some were mumbling to themselves while slumped on the table, others were leaning on the sofa, fast asleep. Only a few people in the private room were still relatively sober.

Nan Li had also drunk quite a bit; her fair cheeks were flushed with a cute rosy glow, her eyes were a bit hazy, but she was still somewhat conscious.

At this moment, Zhang Wei, who had mustered the courage to toast earlier, took another deep breath, his face flushed.

"Nan Li, Lin Xi, it's getting late. How about I... I take you back to the dormitory?"

He had mustered the greatest courage of his life.

Who would have thought that upon hearing this, Lin Xi waved her hand and laughed with a slurred tongue.

"What dormitory? Our Ah Li doesn't live in the dormitory!"

She wrapped her arm around Nan Li's shoulder and said with a hint of showing off.

"She has her own apartment off-campus, and it's huge! You didn't even know that, did you?"

The expression on Zhang Wei's face froze.

He stood there stunned, thinking he had been paying attention to her for four years, yet he didn't even know such a simple thing as her not living in the dormitory.

It turned out that the distance between them was even further than he had imagined.

An indescribable sense of shame welled up in his heart. He opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word, and could only stand there awkwardly.

Just in this awkward atmosphere, the phone Nan Li had placed on the table suddenly vibrated with a "buzz," and a simple name jumped onto the screen—Brother Xiujie.

Lin Xi, who was closest, picked it up without thinking, swiped to answer, and even drunkenly turned on the speakerphone.

"Hello? Who is this?"

There was no immediate answer from the other end of the line. After two seconds of silence, a gentle and magnetic male voice came through the receiver, echoing clearly in the private room.

He only asked three words: "Where are you?"

Lin Xi was stunned for a moment. Who was this? And what kind of question was that?

Before she could organize her thoughts, Nan Li beside her seemed to have been pressed by some switch, her eyes instantly becoming much clearer.

She snatched the phone from Lin Xi's hand, brought it to her lips, and in a soft, sweet voice still tinged with alcohol, clearly recited the address of the restaurant.

As soon as she finished speaking, the other end of the line was hung up cleanly and decisively, without even a "Okay" or "Wait for me." Only the "beep—beep—" busy signal remained in the receiver.