Chapter 5. Signs of Change, The Campus Goddess

Class reunions were always the same. The activities didn't differ much. Dinner, karaoke and catching up on what everyone had been up to since graduation.

As the top five-star hotel in Hu City, Yunzhong had every possible facility available. The private room they'd booked came fully stocked with refreshments, fresh fruit, and even high-end liquor.

Everything one could ask for was readily available.

However, the most anticipated guest hadn't arrived. So even after the group had settled down in the room, they mostly just mingled and chatted.

Because of the earlier appearance of the G-wagon at the hotel entrance, some classmates naturally gravitated toward Lu Yuan. They couldn't help but want to know how he managed to go from an ordinary student to driving a luxury car in one year.

Some of them even tried their luck to see if Lu Yuan was willing to lend a helping hand or a connection.

The girls, especially with Li Sisi as the lead, were more direct. They even asked if he had a girlfriend.

Lu Yuan answered each question politely, but if it got too personal, he would keep things vague and ambiguous.

After all, he came to this reunion for another reason. He wasn't here to rekindle old ties with his classmates.

"Class Rep Li, look. The girls are all crowding around Lu Yuan now," Wang Zibo commented with a hint of frustration in his eyes.

Back in college, he had earned quite a popularity among girls with his bold and easygoing nature. However, that didn't work now. Everyone else only looked at money.

"So what?" Li Hansheng asked with a cold smirk as he uncorked a bottle of wine. "It's just a rented car worth four million or so. Once Li Sisi and the others find out, let's see how Lu Yuan is going to explain."

Naturally, Li Hansheng was displeased that the spotlight had been stolen away from him, but he couldn't say it outright. All he could do was to stay silent and drink.

"How do you know it's rented? Doesn't seem like it to me," Wang Zibo said, his face painted with doubt.

"Let me tell you—"

Before Li Hansheng could complete his explanation, a message notification popped up on his phone. His eyes lit up instantly.

He stood up immediately and raised his hand to quiet the room before saying, "Everyone, let's settle down for a moment. Yunqiong said she's on her way. She asked us to go ahead and order first. She'll be here soon."

As soon as he finished his announcement, the group separated and headed to the adjoining dining area to settle down.

Zhou Yunqiong was not only the class belle, but was also the campus goddess. Most importantly, her family owned the Wuzhou Group. And Wuzhou Group was one of the top-ranking conglomerates in Hu City.

She was the very definition of a wealthy heiress, a goddess in the hearts of every male student. As such, it was a given that her arrival commanded attention. No one dared to neglect her in the slightest.

The sight of everyone springing into action somehow slightly eased the frustration in Li Hansheng. After all, he was the only one whom Zhou Yunqiong stayed in contact with.

At this thought, he couldn't help but glance at Lu Yuan. A hint of pride flickered across his eyes.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan feigned ignorance. He merely followed the others into the dining room without another word.

When it came to choosing a seat, he didn't sit with those from well-off families. Instead, he took a seat next to Chen Song.

With a smile, he greeted, "Chen Song, long time no see."

"Ah," Chen Song was momentarily stunned, but he immediately composed instead and nodded. "Yeah, long time no see, Lu Yuan."

Because of his family background, most ignored Chen Song throughout the gathering and he could only silently sit to the side. He was rather surprised that Lu Yuan had chosen to take the seat next to him. However, he couldn't help but grow nervous at the thought of the latter arriving in that luxury vehicle.

Chen Song's mind then started to race. He didn't remember himself being close to Lu Yuan back in college. They were merely casual acquaintances.

"Yeah, it's been over a year," Chen Song added.

Of course, Lu Yuan could roughly guess Chen Song's thoughts. In fact, Chen Song was exactly the reason he'd come to this reunion.

Soon, the food was ordered. Chatter and laughter filled the air once again.

"Hey, did you guys hear? The two missing groups at Hangtai Mountains have been found," Wang Zibo spoke first. He had always been the talkative one proactively engaging everyone.

"Yeah, I saw the news," a classmate chimed in. "Someone online exposed that those people had gone insane. They said they saw a talking tiger."

"Yes yes! And someone else said they found an ocean deep within the mountains. What a joke. How could there possibly be a sea in the middle of a mountain range?

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The topic clearly stirred everyone's interest and they started to talk about the strange happenings that had made it on the news recently.

"By the way, have you guys heard about the Bodhi Tree? Tianzhu's national treasure? Someone actually stole it. What the hell. To think someone would actually steal a tree in these times. That's a whole new level of weird."

"That's nothing! Have you heard that the Pope actually knelt before some ten-year-old boy and called him an angel. He said the boy was sent down to save humanity. I even got the video on my phone."

"Oh oh! And that ancient manuscript that has been the hot issue online. The one that's supposedly related to

Dao De Jing.

"

"Yes, I heard about that one. But I remember Christie's has put it up for auction recently. What's the latest update?"

"Well, some idiot bought it. Rumors are saying that that dude paid over thirty million."

"What? Thirty million?"

"Oh man. Is he stupid? Our experts have already denounced it as a fake. He actually still fell for it?"

"Guys, you don't get it," Li Hansheng interjected. "It's all just a front for money laundering."

To Li Hansheng, he truly believed that auctions were merely for money laundering, especially when something clearly worthless was being sold at a sky-high price. Anyone could sense something fishy was going on behind the scenes.

"Yeah. Exactly, it's gotta be laundering," a classmate concurred.

Not far away from the group, the corners of Lu Yuan's lips curled up slightly as he listened to their conversation.

Indeed, when information was unevenly distributed, most wouldn't be able to comprehend the reasoning behind certain actions. But it was understandable as no one could have possibly imagined that the entire world would undergo a cataclysmic transformation in two month's time.

And when that time came, all these things that they ridiculed now would soon reveal their true, divine nature.

Of course, Lu Yuan had no intention of revealing or explaining anything. He merely picked up his wine glass, took a sip and continued watching in silence.

The complete version of

Dao De Jing

at Christie's? He was that buyer. The man he had entrusted the bidding task to had secured the item two days ago and was already en route back to the country.

Still, hearing all this casual chatter only further solidified Lu Yuan's suspicion: The global awakening had started, just that the ordinary commoners were being kept in the dark.

The missing tour groups in Hangtai Mountains, the Pope's bizarre actions, and the Loch Ness Monster from the news...

Those were just interesting headlines to the average person out there. But to someone like him—someone who had returned from the future—those were unmistakable signs. Subtle clues that the tide was already beginning to turn.

Creak.

Just as everyone was passionately engaged in conversation, the door slowly swung open and a faint, elegant fragrance drifted in.

Heads turned to the door in unison. A variety of expressions marred the faces of those present. Some were surprised, some delighted, some stunned, and some suddenly self-conscious.

A woman stood at the door. She looked to be in her twenties with a tall and slender build. Her skin was fair and smooth and she had her long hair tied into a high ponytail. Like a celestial maiden who had descended from the moon itself, she exuded an air of cold, untouchable aura that surrounded her and kept people at a respectful distance.

Coupled with her peerless visage, her beauty utterly eclipsed that of Li Sisi and the others—by far.

The moment she stepped into the room, it felt as though everything else had lost its luster. Every pair of eyes was drawn to her.

"Sorry, I'm late," she said softly. Her voice was crisp and refreshing, like that of a mountain spring.

"Hi, Zhou Yunqiong."

"Zhou Yunqiong is here."

"Yunqiong."

The different names clearly echoed the kind of relationship each individual once shared with her.

Of course, the final greeting came from Li Hansheng. He looked visibly excited as he rose from his seat like a perfect gentleman and moved toward her.

However, just as he was about to take another step closer to Zhou Yunqiong, a sudden chill struck his heart and he instinctively took two steps back.

Because there was another figure standing behind Zhou Yunqiong.