"Co on, co on! Jiang Yu, let’s have a toast!"
"Lao Jiang, wishing you a bright future ahead, may flowers accompany you all the way!"
"May you et only kind people, may your life be free of sorrows and joys!"
"..."
In the private room, laughter and joy were resounding, as classmates raised their glasses of beer to give Jiang Yu their blessings.
Only He Tao sat alone, tightly pursing his lips, feeling sowhat uneasy.
He had shared a dorm with Jiang Yu and Hu Zhihai for four years. Although they were not particularly close, they managed to maintain a surface relationship without any major conflicts.
But this ti, upon returning and suddenly seeing soone he never quite admired "turn the tables" and leap ahead of him, both he and Wang Xueyi suddenly felt unbalanced, leading them to speak recklessly and utter things they normally wouldn’t.
To make things worse, those words were overheard by Hu Zhihai.
Now facing Jiang Yu again, He Tao felt sowhat awkward and didn’t quite know how to respond.
"Alas, it all boils down to my own unwillingness."
Seeing it was almost his turn, He Tao struggled internally for a mont, then gritted his teeth, stood up, and like everyone else, raised his glass towards Jiang Yu, saying with a slightly dry throat:
"Jiang, Jiang Yu, we shared a dorm for four years, that’s fate. I wish you everything you desire, may your journey be smooth!"
"Thank you, Lao He! I also wish all your dreams co true, and all your efforts pay off!"
Jiang Yu smiled warmly, raising his glass towards He Tao. His gaze was calm and kind. Jokingly, he said,
"But Lao He, you’re being a bit naughty, you know. Everyone is toasting with a full glass, and here you are, raising an empty one! Who are you trying to fool?"
Everyone turned their heads upon hearing this and imdiately burst into laughter:
"Lao He, you’re quite the sly one, raising an empty glass!"
"Today, Lao He drank the least. While everyone was toasting, he was busy sneaking food, haha!"
"That’s not right, Lao He, you must drink three penalty glasses!"
"..."
The classmates laughed and joked, catching He Tao off guard. He hadn’t even realized he was holding an empty glass, and now, prompted by Jiang Yu’s comnt, he hurried to grab a bottle to pour so wine.
Whether it was hearing he had to drink three penalty glasses or feeling too flustered inside, his hand shook and knocked the glass over, spilling wine all over the table.
Everyone burst into laughter again at his clumsy state.
"Alright, alright, Lao He has an average tolerance, maybe he drank a bit too much earlier and is a bit tipsy now. There’s no need for penalties."
Jiang Yu said with a smile, raising his glass again. Reflectively, he added,
"We’ve been schoolmates for four years, and today we’re graduating. From tomorrow, we’ll all go our separate ways. Here, I wish you all success in your future endeavors, may you see all the beautiful sights in Chang’an in one day!"
"On the road of life, don’t look back because the past holds nothing of value; only the future is worth anticipating! I hope five years, ten years from now when we reunite, everyone can live their lives to the fullest!"
"Co! Drink this glass; don’t fret about having no friends along the way!"
As soon as he finished speaking, classmates one after another raised their glasses, excitent filling the air as they shouted:
"Cheers, cheers! The past can’t be chased, but the future is promising!"
"Well said! Only the future is worth looking forward to, everybody cheers!"
"Co on, co on! Finish this glass, and then three more!"
"..."
"Co on, cheers!"
Jiang Yu smiled and drank the wine in his glass in one go along with everyone else, then said with a laugh,
"Alright, everyone drink slowly, if there’s not enough food, just let know, I’ll go next door and have a drink with the other classmates!"
"Lao Jiang, co back later, I haven’t had a drink with you alone yet!"
"Yes, Jiang Yu, co sit here with us for a chat later!"
"Jiang Yu, we’ll still be classmates next sester, we have to get along well!"
"..."
"Alright, alright!"
Jiang Yu smiled and nodded at each classmate who spoke to him, then left the room with his glass to toast in another room.
Once Jiang Yu had left, He Tao breathed a long sigh of relief, staring blankly in the direction Jiang Yu had gone, feeling increasingly uneasy inside.
He had thought Jiang Yu wouldn’t spare him a glance, wouldn’t mock him in front of so many classmates, but would at least give him the cold shoulder, or ignore him completely, as if he didn’t exist.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Yu acted completely normally. He laughed and joked with him just like he did with other classmates, even making jokes, and when others laughed at him, Jiang Yu ca to his rescue.
This left He Tao sowhat puzzled.
Did Jiang Yu not hear that he had mocked and ridiculed him before, or did he not know that he never really thought much of him?
After thinking for a while, a thought suddenly occurred to He Tao:
Perhaps Jiang Yu was fully aware of his past actions and words, but simply didn’t bother to stoop to his level.
Comparing himself with the current Jiang Yu, he realized they were not on the sa level at all.
After today, perhaps two people on different levels would never cross paths again, so why would Jiang Yu care what he had done or said?
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