Chapter 1: The Weight of Choice and an Unexpected Reunion

It was late autumn.

The wind, as night approached, carried a distinct chill.

A young man, impeccably dressed in a suit, strode along a neat and picturesque cobblestone path.

His dark hair and ink-black eyes complemented his height of over a meter eighty and slender physique.

His handsome and valiant demeanor was unreservedly evident, his almost perfect aura seemingly overshadowing the two rows of towering pine trees lining the path. He drew numerous glances from young women passing by.

The young man had just emerged from the skyscraper behind him.

It was the city’s premier enterprise, and those employed there were, if not considered favored children of heaven, certainly worthy of being called outstanding individuals.

Even fewer young people managed to secure a position within its hallowed halls.

This young man was one of them.

His name was Bai YuYang, and this was his first year after graduating from university.

From high school through university, his academic achievements and overall performance had been nothing short of astonishing.

Indeed, the company behind him, with its high threshold that deterred many social elites, had made an exception and hired him with generous terms.

Bai YuYang’s life had undeniably accelerated since his university graduation. It was only his first year of work, yet it could already be described as exceptionally smooth sailing.

However, despite a promising future and immeasurable potential, he now walked at a remarkably slow pace.

Bai YuYang kept his head down, gazing at the small pebbles one after another on the path, his mind heavy with worry.

His furrowed brow remained unrelaxed for a long time, all because he had just made a decision that pierced his heart like a knife.

He had chosen one girl from several who had confessed to him, to be his official girlfriend and begin a relationship.

This decision, truly, was agonizingly difficult.

Some of the girls Bai YuYang knew intimately since childhood, while the latest acquaintance dated back seven years, to their high school days.

He shared many memorable, often amusing, experiences with each of them.

Of course, these were merely ordinary experiences.

Playing with affections was the mark of a ‘sea king,’ and while Bai YuYang possessed all the qualities to be one, he utterly lacked their despicable habits.

Love was not a game; it required principles before a relationship was established.

However, Bai YuYang swore that if he were to commit to any of them, he would ensure she ‘grew up’ that very day.

Years of accumulated emotions, if given an outlet, would undoubtedly ignite a battle that wouldn’t cease until dawn.

Cough… In any case, Bai YuYang had made his choice.

He had gritted his teeth and sent the results of his decision individually to each of them.

His phone’s notification chime for message replies had been ringing for a long time, but he hadn’t dared to look until now.

Finally, he stopped, pulled out his phone with immense hesitation, and held it before his eyes.

A quick scan revealed that all the girls had sent messages.

From top to bottom, Bai YuYang squinted, meticulously reading each message they had sent.

[YuYang? You must be joking, please don’t joke about things like this, okay?]

[Brother… you’re probably still half-asleep, hmm… where are you? Go home first, let’s talk.]

[Bai YuYang! You scoundrel! What kind of outrageous nonsense did you send me! Get back here! Do you believe I’ll bite you to death?!]

[Brother YuYang… are you serious? Do you really want to choose her? Although I have no right to say this, I still want to say, I don’t agree…]

‘But what can I do?’

Messages continued to pour in.

But Bai YuYang couldn’t bear to read on. He silenced his phone, slipped it into his pocket, and continued along the cobblestone path.

During his high school years, he never would have imagined that these girls, after so many years, would still love him so devotedly, and that their feelings would only intensify.

Even now, as Bai YuYang recalled their expressions of love, he felt both comforted and nostalgic, yet also somewhat breathless.

Last year had been fine, still in university, with less to ponder.

But once he started working, he immediately felt an immense pressure.

Responsibility, life, the future. These words weighed heavily on his heart, compelling Bai YuYang to make a painful choice. He knew he couldn’t keep them waiting indefinitely without a reply.

They weren’t children anymore.

Even though Bai YuYang shared deep bonds with each of them, that didn’t mean he could selfishly make them wait forever.

The choice he had made with such pain left him almost unable to breathe.

‘Indeed… perhaps I should just go home and sleep. Maybe after I wake up, I’ll be able to calm down a little.’

Just as he thought this.

Suddenly.

“Ding-a-ling-ling…”

Bai YuYang’s phone rang.

If it was one of the girls, he would simply hang up; he wasn’t in a suitable state to talk to them right now.

But when YuYang looked.

The name on the caller ID read “Luo Hao.”

“……”

This guy was his good friend from high school. For those three years, they had always sat one behind the other, a rather coincidental friendship, perhaps.

Besides him, Bai YuYang had kept in touch with a few other boys they used to hang out with.

“Hello?” Bai YuYang answered the call.

From the other end, Luo Hao’s boisterous voice immediately came through.

“Hey, hey? Brother Yang? Are you still in Qifeng City?”

“I work here… where else would I be? What’s up?”

“How come Brother Yang sounds like he’s not in a good mood?”

Luo Hao paused, then continued,

“Haha, actually, Brother Yang, I don’t know if you’re free later. You’re a busy man, and opportunities to find you are rare these days. I’ve called up a few of our high school buddies, and we’re at that BBQ place in Qifeng we used to frequent. If you’re free, want to come have a couple of drinks?”

Feeling down and only wanting to go home and sleep, Bai YuYang’s first instinct was to refuse.

“I suppose… sigh, just send me the address. I’ll be there in a bit.”

“Brother Yang, you’re quick! Alright, we brothers will have a good few drinks today, it’s been so long since we last met!”

“Alright, see you later.”

No sooner had he hung up than the location for the BBQ restaurant was sent.

‘I should still go.’

Sleeping would only make him feel worse. Perhaps this dinner gathering, catching up with old classmates and having some drinks, would alleviate his distress.

Besides, it had indeed been a long time since he’d seen these old friends. If he refused this time, who knew when they would be able to gather again?

Having made his decision, Bai YuYang hailed a taxi and headed towards the BBQ city.

During the ride, he took out his phone again to glance at the girls’ questioning messages, but he still couldn’t bring himself to say the words of rejection a second time.

‘A reply is definitely necessary… I’ll just wait until I’ve had a few drinks, when I’m a bit hazy, then it surely won’t be so hard to refuse.’

***

“Hahahaha! Brother Yang! It’s really been a long time!”

“Ah, I’m here, I’m here. Are they all here?”

“They arrived ages ago! We’ve just been waiting for you to start eating!”

Luo Hao was already waiting at the entrance of the BBQ restaurant.

He was on the thin side, half a head shorter than Bai YuYang.

Luo Hao’s appearance could only be described as ordinary, dressed in a simple shirt and trousers, making him hard to spot in a crowd, yet certainly not bad-looking.

When YuYang stood beside an ordinary guy like Luo Hao, YuYang’s dashing handsomeness naturally became even more prominent.

He led Bai YuYang past the open-air BBQ stalls outside and stopped in front of a private room.

Then Luo Hao recalled how he used to act in front of their classroom door in high school.

With a slightly exaggerated bow, he gestured towards the doorframe with both arms.

“Come! Brother Yang, please enter first!”

“Then I won’t be polite. Haozi, you bring up the rear.”

“Wah, I say, Brother Yang! Shouldn’t you show some humility here?”

YuYang wasn’t in much of a mood for jokes today. He pushed open the door and stepped into the private room.

Inside were familiar faces: three or four boys, all good friends of Bai YuYang from high school.

It wasn’t YuYang boasting, but he had genuinely been quite popular in school back then, and having so many friends was the best proof of it.

Seeing YuYang enter, they all rose to greet him.

“Brother YuYang is here, brothers!”

“My goodness, look at Bai YuYang, isn’t he even more handsome than before?! And then look at us misfits, tsk tsk tsk.”

“Is that a suit?!”

‘No, no, don’t be so dramatic. I refuse to believe you’ve never seen a suit.’

“Haha, everyone, stop talking for now. Let Brother Yang sit down first. Come, Brother Yang, sit in the middle!”

Luo Hao deliberately left the guest of honor’s seat for YuYang, knowing that YuYang had been the undisputed leader among their classmates back then.

YuYang greeted each of his buddies in turn, then sat down in the central position without much ceremony.

After he sat, he let out a long sigh, trying his best to adjust his demeanor so they wouldn’t notice his current worries.

Everyone had come to gather and have a good time; there was no need to discuss unpleasant things.

With this thought, YuYang was the first to open a topic of conversation.

“Luo Hao, why did you get a buzz cut? Didn’t you used to have a 7-3 split? I heard you wanted a slicked-back style. Have you returned to simplicity?”

“Not at all, Brother Yang.” Luo Hao gave a wry laugh.

“Didn’t I take the postgraduate entrance exam last year? I didn’t get in, so I plan to try again for another year. To avoid distractions, all these external things have to make way for the exam. Lightening the load, you know? So, when it came to cutting my hair, I just did it!”

Another boy picked up the conversation:

“Exactly. Among us at this table, only Luo Hao is still thinking about postgraduate studies. The rest of us wanted to go straight to work, but we couldn’t find good companies, unlike Brother Yang. No need for postgraduate exams, straight into being a specially hired employee at Kongfeng Group! We can’t even compare!”

YuYang raised his glass and gave a bitter laugh. “Perhaps I’m just lucky, and opportunities came quickly. Come, to celebrate our reunion today, let’s toast!”

“Cheers!”

“Come on!”

YuYang had come specifically to drink, but even after downing that glass of beer, he didn’t feel much relief.

Even with his phone on silent, the vibrations from incoming messages had been incessant.

But YuYang concealed it well; no one noticed.

They reminisced about old anecdotes and looked forward to the future, taking a drink with each topic.

After another round of drinks, Luo Hao put down his glass and sighed with emotion.

“Ah, speaking of which, time really flies. So much has changed. Brother Yang hardly used to drink at all, and now this is almost three bottles? Your alcohol tolerance has really improved.”

“No, I just felt like drinking today, that’s all.”

At this point, another boy sitting opposite Bai YuYang suddenly asked.

“Hey, by the way, Brother Yang, who did you finally end up with? There hasn’t been any news since graduation.”

As soon as this question was posed, the beer glass in Bai YuYang’s hand paused.

It was as if one stone had stirred a thousand ripples.

Gossip was always highly contagious.

Even Luo Hao teased, “Exactly, you’re too distant, Brother Yang. You never tell us anything! Back then, you were definitely Qifeng No. 1 High School’s absolute campus heartthrob! So many girls were chasing you!”

The others chimed in.

“Yeah, back then, Brother Yang was the school’s star. Having a beautiful and cute younger sister was already enviable enough, but I heard that the student council president, that blonde young lady, was also pursuing Brother Yang?”

“More than that! There was also the school beauty, Mo Sishi; it was a confirmed fact that she was chasing Brother Yang!”

“Cough, cough!”

Bai YuYang finally couldn’t sit still.

He didn’t want to hear these words, at least not today.

He stood up, forcing himself to maintain a smile.

“Ah, haha… I’m really sorry, everyone. Please continue to eat and drink well. I’ve had quite a bit to drink myself, and I just remembered I have something I need to take care of, so I have to head back first.”