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On the eighth day of the first month, most companies had resumed work. Jiang Chen's Shengda Group was also back in operation. As the boss, he made a brief appearance at the office in the morning, mainly to distribute some red envelopes and boost morale. After that, he returned to his Huafei Villa. His mind was no longer focused on the company, so he entrusted a few people to manage things.
Jiang Chen lay alone on the sofa in the living room, feeling bored. He took out his phone; he rarely checked it. When he opened WeChat, he found that he had been added to a group chat for Class Seven of Qingcheng Middle School. The group was lively, with someone having sent a red envelope that sparked a scramble among the members. Jiang Chen scrolled through the chat history, quietly observing.
To be honest, there were over fifty students in his middle school class, and now Jiang Chen could hardly remember many of them. Half of those chatting were unfamiliar to him. However, as he reviewed the messages, he realized they were discussing this year's class reunion. Most of his middle school classmates had graduated from high school by now; some had entered university to continue their studies, while a few who hadn’t passed were either preparing to retake exams or looking for jobs.
Jiang Chen wasn't particularly interested in attending the reunion; after all, there would be too many people, and he wasn't close to many of them. He thought it would be better to meet up with a few friends he used to get along with instead.
Just as Jiang Chen was about to exit the group chat, he noticed a girl with the username "Lin Xiaohui" had sent a message. He remembered Lin Xiaohui as his deskmate during their third year of middle school—a quiet girl who wasn’t particularly outstanding in appearance but did well academically. After the high school entrance exam, Jiang Chen transferred to Nangang High School while Lin Xiaohui continued her studies at Qingcheng High School.
In the group chat, she mentioned that she was getting married on New Year's Day and hoped everyone could attend her wedding celebration.
Jiang Chen was taken aback; it had only been half a year since high school graduation—was she really getting married already? She was still so young! He speculated that perhaps it was due to her family's financial struggles. Lin Xiaohui's father had been sentenced to life imprisonment for a crime when she was very young, and her mother remarried, leaving Lin Xiaohui to live with her grandparents. Her life had been quite difficult growing up. It seemed likely that she hadn’t been accepted into university or perhaps hadn’t even finished high school and was eager to marry in hopes of improving her family’s situation.
After Lin Xiaohui's message, the once lively chat fell silent; no one responded.
Jiang Chen frowned slightly but soon understood why. Because of her father's imprisonment, everyone labeled him as a murderer and deliberately distanced themselves from her. Lin Xiaohui had always been very self-conscious at school and rarely spoke to anyone; she focused solely on her studies and had hardly any friends during those three years in middle school. The only person she was somewhat familiar with was Jiang Chen since they often discussed problems together while sitting at the same desk.
Seeing no one respond, Jiang Chen couldn't help but reply: "Okay, send me the location, and I'll come."
Once Jiang Chen chimed in, several classmates from high school with whom he had good relationships and played basketball together also replied, saying they would definitely show up to support her.
Lin Xiaohui sent a grateful emoji and explained: "I have always lived with my grandparents since I was little. My grandfather passed away due to illness while I was in college, and now my grandmother is sick too. Her only wish is to see me get married, which is why I am marrying so early. Although I have been shy and rarely communicated with everyone at school due to my insecurities, I cherish our friendship; you are like family to me. I want my wedding to be lively and make my grandmother happy; I hope everyone can help me out—gifts are not necessary; I just want you all to come."
Reading Lin Xiaohui's message moved Jiang Chen deeply. Fate had been unfair to her; however, if Jiang Chen remembered correctly from his past life, Lin Xiaohui ended up living quite happily despite her difficult family circumstances back then.
Though her family situation had been the worst among their class, she managed to thrive through her own efforts—Jiang Chen reflected that even in his past life, he hadn't done as well as she did.
Perhaps touched by Lin Xiaohui's words, other classmates who had been lurking began expressing their intention to attend her wedding.
Sometimes, friendships among classmates can be quite pure; as long as you are sincere, you can earn others' genuine affection in return.
With ten days left until New Year's Day on the eighteenth day of the first month, Jiang Chen—now capable of helping Lin Xiaohui—felt compelled to do so as her former deskmate.
Moreover, Jiang Chen originally planned to return to Qingcheng because his grandmother was celebrating her seventieth birthday. He had attended his grandfather's seventieth birthday celebration last year and naturally wanted to return for his grandmother's milestone as well.
Jiang Chen privately messaged Lin Xiaohui asking if there was anything he could help with. She replied with a smiling emoji saying that just showing up would be enough support for her.
Jiang Chen inquired again about Lin Xiaohui's grandmother. Lin Xiaohui mentioned that her grandmother is in the late stages of liver cancer, and the doctor said she has less than three months to live. This is why she wants to get married as soon as possible. Her boyfriend is very considerate and agreed to hold the wedding in Qingcheng County.
However, there are very few relatives in her family, and many of them are unwilling to associate with her. Her boyfriend, whom she met while working, is from Guangdong Province, and it's unlikely that all of his relatives will attend. Moreover, almost all of her boyfriend's family members oppose their relationship. Nevertheless, her boyfriend insists on being with her. It seems that this wedding might not receive much blessing from others, which is why Lin Xiaohui mustered the courage to invite classmates in the group chat. She doesn't want the wedding to be attended by only a handful of people; she wants it to be lively and to bring some joy to her grandmother.
Lin Xiaohui considers Jiang Chen a true friend, which is why she shared her feelings with him. After reading her message, Jiang Chen replied, "Trust me, you will be happy." Lin Xiaohui responded with gratitude, "Thank you, Jiang Chen."
After finishing the conversation with Lin Xiaohui, Jiang Chen thought about how to surprise this old classmate and make her wedding unforgettable while also gaining the genuine recognition of her boyfriend's family, ensuring they wouldn't look down on her because of her family background.
Some superficial gestures are beneath Jiang Chen at his level, but since his classmates are still ordinary people, if he can bring them happiness and satisfaction, it wouldn't matter if he did it once.
Jiang Chen searched online for ways to make the bride feel special at her wedding. There were many methods, but the most effective way to elevate the bride's status is naturally by inviting celebrities to attend. Many wealthy individuals hire celebrities to host or sing at their weddings or have them record congratulatory videos.
However, for Jiang Chen, this task poses some difficulty; he would need to enlist some influential figures to help invite those singers and stars. If too many celebrities show up, it might overshadow the event itself. But if he only asks them to record videos, people might suspect it was fabricated.
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