Guo Yani arrived at the Yu Yue Fang university town branch in Liu Yutong's car.
They did not choose a private room.
Generally, if there was nothing specific to discuss and the dining party was small, Liu Yutong rarely opted for a private room, preferring to leave them for guests who needed them more.
Liu Yutong ordered several newly launched dishes and three hot drinks, and the three of them sat down to eat together.
As she tasted the food, she picked up the suggestion notebook provided on each table and carefully wrote down her evaluation and feedback.
Seeing her focused expression, Guo Yani couldn't help but laugh.
"You're still the same, taking everything so seriously."
Liu Yutong looked up, her eyes curving like crescent moons. "If you're going to do something, you should do it to the best of your ability. Besides, only when customers eat well and enjoy themselves can a restaurant operate successfully in the long run."
Hearing Liu Yutong's words, Guo Yani felt even more that those rumors were completely unreliable.
How could her childhood friend, who cared so much about the customers' dining experience, be as cold and ruthless as the rumors suggested?
It was likely just haters deliberately smearing her reputation.
After the meal,
Liu Yutong really did drag Guo Yani out shopping.
The two chatted as they strolled.
"You know, it feels like it's been ages since we went shopping together like this."
"Yeah, ever since we started high school, everyone got so busy, especially you."
"Yutong, I don't know if you usually check the group chat messages, but everyone really misses talking with you. It's just that they all feel your status is different now and are afraid of disturbing you."
"I know. Sometimes I look at the chats too. I want to say something, I just don't know what to say."
"When I have time later, I'll treat everyone to a meal to make up for it."
"They'd be over the moon. After all, the famous Chairwoman Liu treating everyone to dinner? That's a huge honor."
Often, the shift in relationships between people from pure to later becoming more calculating tends to start when they enter society.
During school days, everyone's status was the same, and friendships were much more genuine.
But as people grow older and their statuses change, some things can never go back to how they were. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people complaining that class reunions have turned into competitions of one-upmanship.
Of course, if Liu Yutong actually attended a class reunion, it's unlikely anyone would dare try to compete with her.
No matter how successful you are, could you compare to a single strand of Liu Yutong's hair?
When girls go shopping, especially in an era before online shopping was so prevalent and people weren't as homebound, their favorite places are inevitably cosmetics stores, clothing shops, and nail salons.
These two were no exception. They started by browsing the cosmetics counters, trying out the latest spring makeup collections, and helping each other pick out suitable shades.
"This dusty rose color is lovely, it really suits you."
Guo Yani tried it on and her eyes lit up. "It really is! You should try this peach shade, I think it complements your skin tone perfectly."
After buying skincare and cosmetics, the two walked into a clothing store.
Liu Yutong picked up an apricot-colored knit cardigan and held it up against Guo Yani. "This would pair really well. Do you want to try it on?"
Guo Yani glanced at the price tag and hesitated. "It's too expensive, isn't it? Maybe forget it."
Liu Yutong nudged her towards the fitting room. "Just try it on first. If it fits well, it's my treat."
When Guo Yani walked out after changing, Liu Yutong's eyes brightened. The apricot cardigan paired with a white top perfectly accentuated Guo Yani's gentle, soft demeanor.
"Yani, you look absolutely stunning. Come look in the mirror, see for yourself."
Standing before the mirror, Guo Yani was also very pleased with the outfit.
Liu Yutong then handed her a pale pink silk scarf. "Add this, and it'll complete the look."
Sure enough, with the scarf, Guo Yani's entire aura was elevated a notch.
Before Guo Yani could say anything, Liu Yutong asked the shop assistant to wrap it up.
She then turned to Guo Yani and said, "Don't refuse. Consider it an early birthday gift from me."
She remembered Guo Yani's birthday was at the end of this month.
After all, since elementary school, Guo Yani had been very close to her, practically her best friend.
After buying clothes, both feeling a bit tired from shopping, they found a very high-end beauty salon to rest, and conveniently got some skincare treatments and manicures.
Liu Yutong was a premium VIP here.
The two lay on the beauty beds, chatting while enjoying the beauticians' services.
Just then, the evening news from a local TV station began playing on the wall-mounted television, and a familiar figure suddenly appeared on screen.
It was Yu Xin.
Yu Xin was being interviewed by Bright Pearl City's local TV station. The topic was about Wanhui Youxuan, a new project by an entrepreneurial university student at the Finance University.
Wanhui Youxuan's momentum had been incredibly strong lately.
With Series A funding of 50 million, its valuation had soared to over 500 million in just a few months—a feat unparalleled among recent startup projects in all of Bright Pearl City.
Bright Pearl City had indeed produced one or two major fortunes in the internet and tech fields before, but they had all been built by people hustling in big cities. Not a single one chose to base their headquarters in their hometown; at most, they'd set up a subsidiary, create a few jobs, and symbolically give back to their roots—a rather perfunctory effort.
Wanhui Youxuan was the only internet tech company in recent years to locate its headquarters in Bright Pearl City.
Normally, no local official would pass up the chance to attract more tech companies to set up shop, as the potential and comprehensive benefits of tech firms far surpass industries like real estate.
No matter how prosperous real estate is, it's essentially a one-time transaction.
For a city to develop healthily and sustainably, it must prioritize emerging industries.
Although Bright Pearl City had a good geographical location with convenient transportation, the awkward reality was that it was only a third-tier city. It struggled to attract talent to settle down and similarly found it hard to attract internet companies to put down roots.
Precisely because of this, the emergence of Wanhui Youxuan received special attention from local officials.
This level of treatment was something even Wanlong Supermarket had never received.
Under these circumstances, it was entirely normal for Yu Xin, as the person in charge of Wanhui Youxuan, to appear on TV, in newspapers, and so on.
Actually, the TV station would have preferred Liu Yutong herself to appear on camera, but she had refused all such requests.
She did not want to appear in front of the lens and had even specifically arranged for people to clean up her related information online.
At least, apart from locals in Bright Pearl City who might know her name through some hearsay, once you left Bright Pearl City, almost no one recognized her.
This, of course, was mainly at the level of the general public.
For those investors, it was hard to forget her.
In the interview, Yu Xin spoke confidently and fluently, not showing a trace of stage fright.
If you didn't see her face, you wouldn't be able to tell she was still a university student.
If you rewind to last year, no one could have imagined that the once introverted girl would undergo such a dramatic transformation.
Of course, this was also inseparable from her own efforts.
The girl who used to be too shy to speak to strangers later pushed herself by going to the wet market to haggle, nearly driving the vendors crazy.
Step by step, she had demonstrated her capabilities and risen to her current position.
What's even more remarkable is that despite being so busy, Liu Yutong still managed to rank in the top five in her major within her class.
"Yutong, this Yu Xin is your classmate, right? She's really amazing," Guo Yani said sincerely.
After all, what young woman doesn't aspire to be such a confident and dazzling person?
Liu Yutong hummed in agreement and said with a touch of emotion, "Yes, Yu Xin is truly outstanding. But you might not know, last year she was still the kind of girl who would blush and be speechless when meeting strangers."
"Really?"
Guo Yani exclaimed in surprise, "Her transformation is incredible!"
She felt even more admiration for Yu Xin in her heart.
Liu Yutong looked at the TV screen and suddenly asked, "Yani, weren't you doing quite well at the property management company before? Why did you suddenly resign?"
