Tian Lingli was surrounded by a group of female classmates and naturally didn't notice the two of them being targeted.
They bustled into hotel room 888.
Inside, ribbons and balloons had already been arranged. There were a total of four tables and sixty-seven people.
Many were even unfamiliar to Tian Lingli herself, possibly family or friends accompanying the guests.
Within the room, the attendees were visibly divided into several major factions.
Those who had achieved success in their careers sat at one table, those in ordinary attire at another, and there was yet another table whose composition was unclear but occupied the furthest corner, presumably the ostracized ones.
As the protagonist, Tian Lingli was naturally assigned to the main table.
However, Zhou Yacheng and Li Chonglou were relegated to a secondary table.
"You son of a bitch, how dare you insult old..." Zhou Yacheng's face turned ashen with anger, about to explode on the spot.
In Qinzhou, he was a notorious young master and a playboy; everyone gave him some face.
When he went out to eat, he always sat at the main seat.
Now, to come to a county town and be treated like a nobody.
Given his personality, it was impossible for him to tolerate this.
However, before he could finish speaking, Li Chonglou placed a hand on his shoulder, "This is fine. No noise, no attention, no need to be the center of focus. Why would we go there to join the excitement?"
Li Chonglou was not a person who liked lively occasions, nor did he care about so-called face. He was determined to be an invisible person, so he had no objections to being assigned to the second table; in fact, he felt much more at ease.
He understood Zhou Yacheng's anger. He had been hurt earlier and now felt ignored. With his youthful pride, he was bound to be displeased.
But this was in Shuyu County, not Qinzhou. Most importantly, they were here to find hidden treasures, not to show off.
Low profile was beneficial and harmless.
Zhou Yacheng was filled with indignation, but he dared not defy his junior grand-uncle. He could only suppress his anger and endure.
"My two brothers, you're not classmate Tian, are you?" At this moment, a gentle voice came from the side.
Then, two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes were offered.
Li Chonglou turned his head upon hearing the voice and saw a well-dressed young man wearing glasses. He gestured with his hand, indicating that he didn't smoke.
Zhou Yacheng, however, accepted one, gave a firm nod, and took a deep drag, as if the cigarette was the man who had squeezed his hand.
"Yes, we are Tian Lingli's assistants, and we're returning to her hometown to handle some matters," Li Chonglou said, half-truthfully.
This statement excited everyone at the table.
"No wonder, you two clearly aren't ordinary people."
"Classmate Tian is doing so well now, is she quite successful out there?"
"We poor classmates can only watch, we don't even have the chance to sit at the same table. Things are so different now."
...
Some sighed, some were amazed, and some leaned closer to Li Chonglou and Zhou Yacheng.
"My name is Huang Jian, and I was good friends with Classmate Tian when we were studying, but... I'm not doing very well now, and I feel too embarrassed to even say hello to her," the young man said somewhat sheepishly.
"There is no low or high in work, and income does not represent personal ability. There is nothing to be embarrassed about," Li Chonglou said after a deep look at him, feeling that this young man had a good disposition and added a few words.
"We understand what you're saying, but people always have pride. Everyone at this table is either a delivery driver or a courier, or doesn't even have a formal job," Huang Jian said with a wry smile. "No one respects us. If it weren't for fear of offending the class monitor, very few people would be willing to come here and embarrass themselves."
"This is outrageous!" Zhou Yacheng was even more enraged.
To be seated at the same table as delivery drivers and couriers, it was as if they weren't treated as human beings at all.
But to the people at the same table, they thought Zhou Yacheng was speaking up for them.
Immediately, a common sentiment was found, and they echoed, "Exactly. Society is this realistic. Money and power are everything."
"People like us are looked down upon by relatives and friends at home, and humiliated by customers when we go out."
"All the money we earn goes towards mortgage payments."
"You're still good, you have a wife, kids, and a warm bed. What's a mortgage payment? I'm almost thirty and don't even have a girlfriend. I came to the class reunion today, I don't know if anyone will fancy me..."
"Dream on. You didn't even date in school, and you're thinking of going back to old flames?"
...
Everyone began to voice their grievances in low tones.
Huang Jian said in embarrassment, "Don't mind them. These classmates have been too repressed, and they just vent when they get a chance to balance themselves out."
"I've been through that too," Li Chonglou smiled. "You're different from them. What kind of work do you do?"
"I collect junk in the countryside and run a scrap metal recycling station. Although I can make a little money, it's not something that can be brought to the table, so they don't want to be near me," Huang Jian said, nodding towards the main table.
He had an unutterable expression.
Li Chonglou was truly surprised. If he hadn't said it, others wouldn't have guessed he was in the scrap metal recycling business.
To him, scrap metal recycling was much more useful than those high-and-mighty businessmen.
In the early days of the 80s and 90s, those who scoured the corners of cities and villages were mostly junk collectors.
Firstly, it was convenient to go door-to-door. When collecting paper and scrap metal, they could also get a glimpse of people's belongings. With a bit of discernment, they could find treasures easily.
Now, with the advancement of information, there was much less of that.
But it didn't mean it was gone, especially in the mountains. Collecting scrap metal might even yield some good things.
A thought struck him, and he asked, "When you collect junk, have you ever collected anything like antiques?"
"Of course, our Shuyu County has such a long history, there are plenty of antiques!" Huang Jian's eyes lit up, unable to hide his excitement.
For ordinary people to transition to higher society, the first and foremost necessity was culture.
Reaching nearly thirty years old and having a little money, it was almost impossible for him to go back to school.
So, he found an alternative path, and antiques and curios became his interest.
Many people actually didn't know why they liked these things. Subconsciously, they might feel that these items could help them achieve a leap in class and a qualitative improvement.
So, Huang Jian was no exception. Ever since he encountered his first antique while collecting junk, he became fascinated with this line of work.
However, in a small place like Shuyu, there were too few like-minded individuals, and people were too pragmatic.
He had even less in common with his classmates.
He hadn't expected Li Chonglou to immediately ask him about antiques; it meant they shared a common interest!
"What have you collected?" Li Chonglou also became interested.
"Brother, I'm going to check out that table," Zhou Yacheng couldn't sit still anymore. He quietly greeted and stood up.
Li Chonglou's attention was currently on Huang Jian, so he didn't stop him.
"Three years ago, I collected a bronze pot. I searched online for a long time, and it was said to be a Zhengde stove. I was so excited then. Later, I found out it was a modern imitation," Huang Jian said, pushing his glasses up, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "But it was because of that item that I fell in love with antiques, and I've been paying close attention when collecting junk for the past three years."
"Heh, I actually managed to collect some small items."
"If you're interested, how about you come to my place tomorrow to take a look?"
He spoke halfway, casting a bait, hoping to invite Li Chonglou.
As Tian Lingli's assistant, perhaps he could even bring Classmate Tian along. That way, who would dare look down on him in the future?
"Okay, I'll come take a look tomorrow!" Li Chonglou agreed after a moment's thought.
Bang!
As soon as the words fell, there was a sudden bang of a table from the adjacent table behind them. Everyone turned to look.