Chapter 35: Attending Class

With Diao Jun’s two lines of verse, the atmosphere at the scene finally warmed up. The group clinked glasses, and whenever someone wanted to eat, they would walk a couple of steps to the grill to prepare their own food, while the rest sat around the table, chatting and joking.

The topic at the table hadn’t shifted; it remained centered on the thirty-year-old bachelor Ah Hua and his quest to find a partner. It was no wonder they were talking about this; of the six men present, everyone except Gao Yun and Ah Hua was single.

Diao Jun, thirty, had a handsome face reminiscent of Yin Zheng and a well-muscled physique that made him very popular with women. He had been through several failed relationships, the last one ending a year ago when he was cheated on. Now, he was completely disillusioned with love, wanting only to get married and settle down, yet he had never met the right person.

Zhou Tian, twenty-five, had been in two relationships and still held a beautiful longing for love. Unfortunately, his current size made most girls shy away. After all, in modern society, there was no lack of rich food, and few people were fond of eating fatty meat.

Liu Ximing, twenty-eight, had been in four relationships. In his younger years, his status as a rich kid meant he had seen and experienced plenty—flight attendants, teachers, students, domestic and foreign—he had encountered all sorts of girls. Half a year ago, he had finally settled his restless heart and wanted to find someone to take seriously, but he ended up meeting a heartless woman. He was currently in his refractory period, quietly licking his wounds.

Wang Xiaole, thirty-five, had been in seven relationships, and the number of women he had been intimate with was countless. His identity as a wandering singer and his handsome face in his youth had made him invincible. He had been a jerk and had been hurt by jerks, claiming to have seen through women entirely. He occasionally engaged in three-hundred-yuan-a-night flings and was a dyed-in-the-wool bachelor.

"Damn it, you two traitors." Wang Xiaole shoved Gao Yun, who was sitting next to him gnawing on a lamb chop, then pointed at Ah Hua and said indignantly, "Change the group name. Stop calling it 'The Off-Key Band and Three Dogs'; call it 'The Off-Key Band and Two Traitors'."

"Pfft." Gao Yun took a sip of his drink and smiled nonchalantly. "Unlike you old fogey, I haven't had enough of the bitterness of love, and I'm sure Ah Hua hasn't either."

"Mm-hmm, you have to suffer more!" Ah Hua, holding a chicken wing in his right hand, nodded and chewed with a smile. "Old Wang, you just stay single. Being single is actually quite good; you don't have to suffer."

"Screw you." Wang Xiaole wore an expression of exasperation, not knowing what else to say, and sat there drinking his sorrows away.

"Here, freshly grilled beef skewers." Diao Jun walked over with a handful of hot, fragrant skewers, placed them on an empty plate on the table, and sat down in the chair next to Gao Yun. He picked up two skewers and, while eating, peered at Gao Yun and asked, "What's the deal with you and Daria? Did you really get back together? Where is she? Not here?"

The meetings, romances, and final breakups of Gao Yun and his five exes—the entire saga of love and hate—were known in bits and pieces to the brothers present. They were all brought up in these kinds of casual gatherings, and the same went for the others; they all knew each other’s stories.

Talk to Mom about life’s troubles, talk to Dad about work matters...

The song *Visit Home Often* actually got it wrong—at least for these six men. Whether it was life or work, they rarely talked to their families. Whenever something happened, the brothers would get together to eat meat and drink, and once they were sufficiently tipsy, they would start pouring their hearts out to one another.

Happy things, everyone rejoiced together; sad things, they offered a few words of encouragement:

"Brother, you look like a total idiot. What is this even worth? Back in my day... start over, it’s nothing!"

Hearing the encouragement, the person would be heartened, brush off the dust, and continue moving forward. That’s just how men are.

"We got back together."

Gao Yun picked up his chopsticks and ate a few bites of smashed cucumber. He looked at the several cameras with red lights blinking to record their work, thinking to himself that this part would have to be edited out later. He added casually, "She’s gone to Shanghai now for a studio shoot. She’s expected back in a month, though she might not come back and just head straight to the next city to continue her business trip."

The others looked at each other, thinking that this didn't look like the behavior of a couple who had reconciled. Since when did people get back together only to be in a long-distance relationship so quickly?

Liu Ximing couldn't hold back and brought up the question everyone wanted to know: "What is actually going on? How did you two get back together? Did you go find her after you got rich? That doesn't sound like your style!"

"Sigh." Gao Yun sighed meaninglessly. He picked up his bottle, realized it was empty, and waved his hand. "More booze!"

By this time, the six of them had already polished off two cases, averaging four bottles each. With similar tolerances, they were all in a state of mild intoxication.

"Bang!"

Wang Xiaole, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, reached into the beer case beside him, pulled out two bottles, aligned the bottle caps, and with a flick of his wrist, pried one open. He handed it to Gao Yun. His fat face and bald head were flushed, his eyes bright. "There’s plenty of booze. Tell us your story."

"Tsk."

Gao Yun raised the bottle and took a gulp, let out a hiccup, and then recounted the whole story from start to finish—how they got back together and how they met the parents.

After listening, everyone marveled at Gao Yun’s immense charm, which had actually made Daria, who had been broken up with for a year, miss him enough to take the initiative to reconcile. At the same time, they felt like something was off.

Recalling the calm tone Gao Yun had used to talk about these things, and looking at him now—mindlessly stuffing his face with meat—they finally realized what was wrong.

Zhou Tian didn't usually smoke, but he took one from the pack on the table and lit it with a lighter. He took a deep drag, his face full of confusion, and asked perplexedly, "When she left, didn't you try to persuade her to stay? If you had, there’s a good chance she wouldn't have gone."

Ah Hua, also with a cigarette in his mouth, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Daria is great. Stunning looks, an amazing body, those long legs—wow. To be honest, I haven't seen a girl prettier than her. Most importantly, she’s straightforward. She says what she means, unlike our local girls who make you guess their feelings. You ask, and they won't say; they’re just all twisty and difficult."

"You have a girl like that and you don't find a way to keep her by your side? What kind of girl do you actually want?"

Seeing everyone starting to puff away, Gao Yun felt his own nicotine craving kick in. He took a big gulp of beer to suppress the urge. With a hazy look in his eyes, he said softly, "Persuasion—or rather, reconciliation—is a trap. It’s a false proposition."

"Here we go! Here we go!"

The others perked up, shouting, "The Scumbag's School of Romance is now in session!"

"Listen well, learn well!"

"Brother, are you the legendary 'King of the Seas' of Hu City? May I ask, can a stinky fish like me swim into your ocean?!"

"Screw you!" Gao Yun had been lost in his own emotions, but the jeering and teasing made him lose his mood. He slammed the table in dissatisfaction. "Just because I can talk well, am humorous, and know how to date, you guys can't just call me a scumbag!"

The men at the table all looked at him and laughed. Some continued to yell, "Scumbag! Scumbag!"

He didn't answer, picking up the skewers from the plate to warm them on the grill.

The group intentionally shouted even louder, "You’re definitely going to dump your girlfriend again!"

Gao Yun widened his eyes and said, "How can you slander my innocence out of thin air? It’s always others who dump me..."

"What innocence? If you don't even say a word to make her stay, it means you want to dump her."

Gao Yun’s face flushed red, the veins on his forehead bulging. He argued, "I sang to make her stay! A song to express my devotion! What else do you want me to do? Besides, 'dumping' or not is such an ugly word. It’s just... we weren't a good fit, so we split! ...In matters of love, two people are together because they enjoy each other; if they aren't a good fit, they split." He followed this with more incomprehensible remarks, things like "Women are like sand; if you grip them too tightly, you can't hold them," and "You can only make them wet," which sent everyone into fits of laughter, filling the air with joy.

Gao Yun put the warmed skewers back on the plate and sat down at the table. Wang Xiaole opened a new bottle for him and said, "Come on, Professor Gao, start the lecture. Give these romance novices a proper lesson; they’ve experienced too little and don't understand. I’m tongue-tied and don't know how to explain it. If you miss anything, I’ll fill in the gaps."