They're out! They're out!

In the open-air parking lot.

Liu Ming, who had been anxiously watching the hotel entrance, shouted nervously.

It was exactly 10:30.

They had been waiting for four hours.

The class reunion had ended as soon as Lin Mengxi left.

Forget about the planned karaoke session afterward.

Even the feast worth over 20,000 yuan, meant to feed forty to fifty people, had gone to waste.

"What if... what if he insists on holding us accountable?" Xu Cheng stammered.

"Come on, with our teachers here, he'll probably let it slide. Don't just stand there! Hurry up—if the teachers leave, nothing we say will matter!"

Leaving that remark behind, Liu Ming, a state-owned enterprise employee, hurried toward the hotel entrance.

Xu Cheng followed closely.

The smugness from earlier, when he flaunted his BMW 5 Series, was long gone.

All that remained was anxiety.

At the hotel entrance.

Mr. Huang had gone to get the car.

Ye Chen stayed with the teachers, waiting for him to drive up.

"Teachers, don't forget about your health checkups. It's not about anything else—just peace of mind. Especially you, Mr. Gao. You're the oldest; you can't neglect it!" Ye Chen reminded them.

"You still don't trust me, do you? I said I'd go, and I will. Give me a few days, and I'll join them." Mr. Gao shook his head with a helpless smile.

But in his heart, he felt deeply warmed.

Even his own children didn't show him such care.

Just then—

"Teacher!"

Two figures rushed toward the hotel entrance.

The teachers were briefly stunned.

"Xu Cheng? Liu Ming? Why are you here?" Mr. Gao was the first to speak.

"Teacher, we're here to apologize. What happened at the reunion was our fault. We were wrong!"

Neither dared look directly at Ye Chen, choosing instead to apologize to the teachers.

Apologizing to the teachers?

They were clearly here for Ye Chen.

The teachers sighed inwardly.

During the reunion, these two hadn't shown much respect for their teachers.

Otherwise, their words and actions wouldn't have crossed the line.

Now they were apologizing because they realized Ye Chen was no longer the same person.

What the teachers didn't know—

Xu Cheng's company had just lost a major client.

For someone like Xu Cheng, who had only recently started his business and bought a BMW just to show off, this was a devastating blow.

"Apologizing to us is secondary. You're really here to apologize to Ye Chen, aren't you?"

Mr. Gao was blunt, exposing the truth with a smile.

Xu Cheng and Liu Ming felt awkward.

Despite avoiding Ye Chen's gaze, they had no choice but to turn to him.

"Ye Chen, we were wrong. Please, be the bigger person. Don't hold a grudge against us, okay?" Xu Cheng said nervously.

"Ye Chen, I shouldn't have pressured you to drink. I'm sorry, truly sorry. Please don't take it to heart. For the sake of our old friendship, let it go, okay?" Liu Ming added.

Ye Chen smiled coldly inside.

Having lived two lives, he knew better than to believe their apologies were sincere.

He recalled the hotel manager mentioning that the small packaging business at Antai Hotel was contracted to Xu Cheng's company.

Moreover, the manager hadn't followed them out.

The situation was clear.

As for Liu Ming, he was probably worried Ye Chen would use his connections to jeopardize his secure state job.

"You're overthinking. I don't have the time to bother with this, and it's not worth my attention." Ye Chen said indifferently.

The teachers remained silent.

While they didn't want Ye Chen to hold a grudge, they couldn't bring themselves to ask him to forgive Xu Cheng and Liu Ming, given the things they had said at the reunion.

"Mr. Gao, we truly realize our mistake. Ye Chen—"

Before he could finish, Mr. Gao cut him off.

"It's good that you know your mistake. Just don't do it again. This kind of attitude will only lead to trouble. Ye Chen already said he's not bothered, so there's nothing to worry about."

After that, he glanced at Ye Chen with slight embarrassment.

"Ye Chen, you—"

"Mr. Gao, really, I don't care about any of this. There's no grudge, and I'm not planning any revenge." Ye Chen responded.

Just as Xu Cheng was about to plead for mercy regarding his packaging business—

Mr. Huang drove up.

Before Xu Cheng could speak—

Mr. Gao smiled. "Good, the car's here. We'll head back now."

"Alright, take care, teachers!"

Ye Chen smiled as he opened the car door.

Xu Cheng, who hadn't had the chance to speak, watched the car leave with a tearful expression.

"Ye Chen, I was wrong. I'm sorry. Truly sorry. You can hit me or curse me—just please, give me a way out!"

"What did I do to you?" Ye Chen chuckled.

"Antai Hotel terminated the packaging contract with my company. Even Wanan Group's hotels stopped contracting with me. I relied on those to balance my books. Without them, I—"

Before he could finish, Ye Chen raised his hand.

"Stop. What does this have to do with me?"

"Ye Chen, please, I beg you. I know it's not your fault, but if you say a word, the contracts will come back. Please!"

"Sorry, I can't help you."

Ye Chen remained indifferent.

At that moment—

He Shaocong walked out of the hotel with another young man.

Seeing Ye Chen, he brightened up.

"Ye Chen, you're still here!"

"Just about to leave." Ye Chen smiled.

Shaocong glanced at Xu Cheng and Liu Ming, puzzled by their crestfallen expressions.

"Ye Chen, what's up with them?"

Before Ye Chen could reply, Xu Cheng quickly stammered.

"Nothing! We were just saying goodbye to Ye Chen!"

They hurried away.

"Who's that?" Shaocong's companion asked.

"Ah, Qin Lang, this is Ye Chen."

Shaocong smiled.

Turning to Ye Chen, he introduced the man.

"Ye Chen, this is Qin Lang, the prince of wine in Shanghai. His family does foreign trade, mainly wine. They supply most of the wine for Wanan Group."

"Hello, Ye Chen." Qin Lang greeted politely, extending his hand.

"Don't be so formal. Just call me Ye Chen."

Ye Chen smiled as he shook his hand.

Shaocong's mention of Qin Lang's wine business stirred something in Ye Chen's mind.

Wine... This year... This month...

A slight ripple of excitement formed in his heart.