Just as he was thinking, the music next to him suddenly stopped.

　　Swing time was over.

　　But Ethan Foster was still riding on the Hello Kitty, unwilling to get off, her eyes still sparkling with excitement.

　　William Carter smiled helplessly, fished a coin out of his pocket, and placed it in her palm.

　　"Come play with me." Ethan Foster pointed to another one nearby.

　　"Me? I'm a grown man, Mr. Strong, the ultimate tough guy, don't joke around..."

　　Three minutes later, a duet of "What Is Daddy's Daddy Called" rang out at the entrance of the small shop.

　　William Carter sat in a compartment that didn't fit him at all, swaying along with Hello Kitty, a look of surprise on his face.

　　This thing...

　　Is actually fucking fun!

　　After swaying for a while, the two crazy Kitty Cats finally came to a stop, and the shop owner came out, frowning deeply, his eyes full of murderous intent.

　　How much does a kid weigh?

　　How much do you, a big strapping young man, weigh?

　　Don't you have any self-awareness, damn it!

　　But William Carter didn't notice the shop owner's expression. Instead, he reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out the Nokia his dad had left him.

　　While he was on the kiddie ride, he kept feeling something vibrating. When he opened his phone, he realized it was a QQ notification—the 2008 version of Mobile QQ, retro to the extreme.

　　"Brother Carter, guess where this class reunion is!"

　　"Alright, alright, no more suspense—the reunion is also at City Center. Isn't that a coincidence?"

　　"Andrew Bennett booked the class dinner at Longwei Hotel next door. I'm heading there now. Today, we have to make that dumb dog cry!"

　　"By the way, aren't you near City Center too? After I eat, I'll come find you, and we'll go home together!"

　　David Harris's profile picture was a long-haired guy in sunglasses, with an Abao color filter—totally non-mainstream.

　　William Carter couldn't understand it. He himself was short, fat, and dark, yet insisted on using a profile picture of a guy as skinny as a chick. What was that about?

　　Typing nonsense...

　　Damn, this nine-key physical keyboard is a pain in the ass!

　　William Carter just pressed the hang-up key and returned to the home screen, having no patience to reply.

　　"Little rich lady, where do you want to go next?"

　　"To eat junk food!"

　　Ethan Foster reached out, her slender, fair fingers pointing to the snack shop ahead, her eyes sparkling brightly.

Chapter 13: Graduation Reunion

　　At the same time, while William Carter and Ethan Foster were wandering and eating, in the middle section of City Center, inside the Zhuangyuan Hall of Longwei Hotel.

　　People from Class 2, Grade 3 arrived one after another and took their seats.

　　This reunion was initiated by Andrew Bennett, who booked the best private room and the finest banquet.

　　These days, teenagers with underdeveloped worldviews all learn to behave by imitating their parents. Andrew Bennett's father was a real estate developer, so Andrew Bennett already had the air of a high-quality man at a young age—slicked-back hair, a suit, and a gold watch on his wrist.

　　"Everyone, three years of high school isn't short, but it's not long either. But having the chance to be in the same class with you all, I feel very honored."

　　"From today, we're adults, so I propose we all raise a glass together. No one is allowed to drink soda—you must drink alcohol, because what we're drinking today isn't just wine, but maturity."

　　"I once wrote this in my QQ space: 'Drink away half a lifetime of hardship, drink away a lifetime of loneliness.' This glass, I'll down first as a toast to you all."

　　Andrew Bennett raised his glass and downed the beer in one go.

　　Imitating his father doing business at the dinner table, he turned the glass upside down to show everyone not a drop was left.

　　At this, the Zhuangyuan Hall erupted in applause.

　　"Brother Bennett, you really don't seem like a student at all—everything you do is so mature."

　　"That's right, compared to you, we seem so childish."

　　"Someone like Andrew will definitely be an elite once he enters society—so cool."

　　"'Drink away half a lifetime of hardship, drink away a lifetime of loneliness'—that's the most badass status I've ever seen."

　　Andrew Bennett waved his hand modestly, saying it was just something he felt, and quietly glanced at Sophie Clark sitting across from him.

　　A peacock spreads its tail to attract a mate; high schoolers act mature for the same reason.

　　2008 was the peak of the non-mainstream era, and non-mainstream quotes were all the rage. Andrew Bennett felt he really had the aura of a king, so he always kept a slight smile on his lips.

　　But Sophie Clark's expression was calm, looking rather uninterested.

　　She was looking at her phone, because William Carter hadn't come. His QQ profile was also gray, which made her worry whether William Carter even knew about the reunion.

　　At that moment, the private room door was suddenly pushed open by a chubby hand. David Harris rushed in, apologizing as he came.

　　"I went to the wrong place just now. It took me ages to find it."

　　"Hey, David Harris, why did you come alone? Didn't William Carter come with you?"

　　"Oh, he went to do business. He's been really busy lately, so he won't be coming."