When Lin Bin saw it was Liu Yutong, his expression changed. He instinctively lowered his head, avoiding her gaze.
At the class reunion after high school graduation last year, he had declared with great ambition that he would become the most successful person in their class and buy himself a BMW with his own money after graduation.
But now?
That determination, that soaring spirit, was long gone.
All that remained was a head of dyed blond hair, a cheap T-shirt, and the fresh injuries on his arm from the recent fight—a picture of utter wretchedness.
Looking at Liu Yutong again, she seemed even more radiant than she had been at graduation.
"Lin Bin, long time no see," Liu Yutong spoke up.
Lin Bin ignored her, violently trying to wrench his arm free from the grip of Yun Cheng.
"Let go of me, damn it!"
Even though he used all his strength, he still couldn't break free; Yun Cheng's strength was far beyond his.
"Did you hear me? Let go!" Lin Bin strained again, his anger turning to humiliation.
Yun Cheng's hand didn't budge an inch, his gaze merely fixed on him coldly.
"Let him go."
Only when Liu Yutong spoke did Yun Cheng release his grip.
Lin Bin shot a glare at this cold, stern young man whose strength was monstrous, then without even a goodbye, turned and ran.
Yun Cheng started to chase after him, but Fang Yaqiong's voice stopped him.
"Don't chase him. Let him go."
Yun Cheng instinctively looked toward The Young Lady. Liu Yutong nodded at him, signaling to listen to Fang Yaqiong, and only then did he relent.
Watching Lin Bin disappear down the street without a backward glance, Liu Yutong couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.
The change was simply too drastic.
In high school, Lin Bin had been the class heartthrob, clean-cut with a scholarly air about him, the typical good student.
Zhao Zhu, whom Liu Yutong had later sent to prison, had even pursued him back then.
Later, Lin Bin also got into a university here in Da Nan City. Besides him, their classmate Fang Yaqiong and a few other students from No. 2 High School also got into universities here.
Originally, everyone thought these No. 2 High students, including Lin Bin, would become the most successful among their graduating class.
But in just one year, Lin Bin had completely changed. With his non-mainstream blond hair, ripped jeans, a T-shirt sporting a bold skull print, and what seemed like tattoos on his arms, he had turned into the spitting image of a street thug.
And the hostility in his eyes just now was clearly the look of someone frequently involved in fights and brawls.
Also, the relationship between Lin Bin and Fang Yaqiong seemed unusual.
As everyone knew, Liu Yutong was never one for gossip.
"Yaqiong, what on earth is going on? How did Lin Bin end up like this?"
"And, is there something going on between you two?"
Last time she and Fang Yaqiong had met, it was only briefly, with no time for a proper chat.
Fang Yaqiong bit her lip, her eyes reddening again. Perhaps because she had encountered an old friend, she didn't hold back.
"Let's talk on the way back. I need to head back to campus."
Actually, her earlier stubbornness had been for Lin Bin's benefit; she was about ready to return to school anyway.
"Alright, it's been a while since I've gone for a walk anyway. Let's chat as we walk." Liu Yutong wasn't lying; she genuinely missed those days of strolling around.
Back in the village, she loved walking from the east end to the west end with her village friends, back and forth. Someone would have a phone with flashing LED lights, playing DJ music downloaded from the internet, and the group would chat aimlessly until it was time for everyone to go home.
When she went to school in the county town, every weekend she would also meet up with classmates to walk around the town and chat.
It wasn't that they were particularly bored; it was just the way things were in those days. Besides internet cafes, there weren't many entertainment options, and phones were practically just bricks aside from making calls.
Fang Yaqiong shouldered her backpack and glanced again at the people behind Liu Yutong. "Should your friends head back first..."
Yun Cheng immediately said, "No need. We enjoy walking too. Don't mind us."
The two other female members of the Wanlong Hui also nodded.
Fang Yaqiong thought it a bit strange that Liu Yutong always had 'friends' following her wherever she went, but she didn't dwell on it.
So, she, Liu Yutong, and Gao Min walked ahead, chatting as they made their way toward the university.
Yun Cheng and the two other women followed behind them.
Further back, a Maybach and two brand-new vans with tinted windows trailed them at a distance.
"Lin Bin's parents run a small business here too. It's... well... wholesale women's underwear."
Fang Yaqiong blushed slightly when she said this, as they had nearly become her in-laws.
Liu Yutong and Gao Min showed no particular reaction upon hearing about Lin Bin's parents' underwear wholesale business.
Making money is making money. As long as it's legal, there's nothing to be ashamed of.
"Later, because of overstocking, Lin Bin's parents ran into financial trouble. They took out a loan they couldn't repay. To help his family pay off the debt, Lin Bin, through an introduction, took a part-time job at a small loan company."
"At first, he just worked as a customer service rep. Later, his boss saw he was sharp and got him involved in some loan issuance business. The commission was pretty good, so he kept at it until... until that incident happened."
"What incident?"
"About six months ago, a female university student jumped from the top of the school library. It was later discovered she had taken out a loan off-campus, from the very company Lin Bin worked for."
"After the police got involved, they found the company was involved in illegal lending, and Lin Bin got dragged into it. For his alleged involvement in violent debt collection, he was detained for three months."
"The school expelled him to quell the public outcry. Right after he got out of detention, he was beaten up by the girl's family. His boss, Brother Hu, also demanded he pay compensation—five hundred thousand. It was after all that he seemed to completely change, picking up smoking, drinking, fighting, mixing with the wrong crowd..."
Liu Yutong hadn't expected Lin Bin to have gone through so much. No wonder the hostility around him felt so heavy.
"And what he said earlier about Brother Hu..."
"Brother Hu is the behind-the-scenes boss of that company. His company was investigated, and he had to pay five hundred thousand in compensation to the student's family. Brother Hu put that debt on Lin Bin's head."
Gao Min suddenly frowned and asked, "Then why are you still working here? This has nothing to do with you, right? It's dangerous for a girl like you in a place like this. Don't tell me you owe them money too?"
Gao Min knew of many cases in which university students, lured by "premature consumption" (consuming beyond their means), became trapped in usurious loans, and she had even dealt with some of them herself.
In the end, countless such students, unable to repay, spiraled into ruin. She really had no patience for that kind of student.
Of course, she despised those illegal loan companies even more, the ones that drove people to utter destitution.
Fang Yaqiong felt a sudden, inexplicable flutter of panic at her question, as if facing a police officer.
"I... I don't."
"I just feel guilty towards him... Back when I was sick and had surgery, he helped me, took care of me. I just want to save up some money to help him pay off his debt."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yutong and the others finally understood how these two had gotten together.
"Does he know about it?"
Fang Yaqiong shook her head. "I never told him, and besides, we've already broken up."
"I originally thought that after we parted ways, he would turn over a new leaf. I never expected he would become even more of a scoundrel."
"Regardless, once the money is paid back, we'll be square, and that will be the end of it between us."
