148: Chapter 148 Gathering

After Mother Chen informed the relatives, Chen Youhua originally thought he could have a few quiet days.

However, the relatives' enthusiasm far exceeded his expectations.

Seeing that phone calls weren't working, some relatives changed their strategy and decided to visit in person, using excuses like "it's been a long time, I just want to see Youhua" or "setting an example for the children," attempting to play the emotional card face-to-face.

In their eyes, Chen Youhua was now a formidable figure; even a tiny benefit leaking from between his fingers would be enough for them to enjoy for a lifetime.

This mentality spawned a strange anxiety, as if by arriving late, Chen Youhua's favor would be exhausted by others first, leaving them with nothing to gain.

All sorts of plans were made under the guise of caring, but they were actually intended to get close, ask for favors, or even borrow money.

Mother Chen's phone almost never stopped ringing, as she repeatedly and firmly, yet apologetically, refused various requests for visits.

Some wanted to book a private room at a restaurant directly and invite Chen Youhua's entire family for a simple meal.

A few families didn't even call and just knocked on the door carrying large bags of gifts.

As soon as the door opened and they saw Chen Youhua, their eyes looked as if they had seen some rare treasure or a mobile wishing well, and they immediately crowded forward with smiles to shake hands and greet him.

After a few pleasantries, they would begin to complain about their hardships, how difficult their families were, how their children hadn't found jobs yet, and how the elderly were in poor health.

Others came purely to deepen the connection, recounting vague memories; the level of awkward small talk made Chen Youhua's scalp tingle.

He was truly dazed and annoyed by this "familial care" and also felt bad for his mother, who had to constantly entertain all the relatives who showed up.

Chen Youhua made a prompt decision, picked up his phone, and opened a WeChat group chat named "The Friendship Boat Won't Sink."

He @all members in the group.

"Is anyone back in Taizhou? Come out and play, come out and play! I desperately need refuge!"

As soon as the message was sent, the silent group instantly boiled over.

Lin Wei was the first to respond: "Wow! Chen Youhua is back? I've been in Taizhou all along!"

Fatty Wang followed immediately: "You're back and didn't say a word! The few of us have all been back these past few days, just waiting for you! Hurry up, Central Prosperity, likely a meeting point it is?"

Li Qiang also sent a message immediately: "Exactly! That's not cool! Let's eat first. Have you guys had lunch? Let's get together for a meal, then watch a movie, and then figure out where to go for the second half!"

Lin Wei suggested: "That works! Didn't Ne Zha 2 just come out? I don't know if it's released yet, let's watch that!"

Fatty Wang said: "It should be out. Chinese New Year is almost here, and there are a bunch of blockbusters being released these days. Let's go, let's go, it's settled!"

Seeing his old friends' familiar tone, Chen Youhua breathed a long sigh of relief; this was the kind of socializing that truly relaxed him.

He replied quickly.

"I just got back a few days ago and was tied up with family matters. Let's go, meet at Central Prosperity, likely a meeting point?"

With the plan set, Chen Youhua said goodbye to his parents and prepared to slip out.

However, as soon as he went downstairs, two lean security personnel in plain clothes appeared behind him as if they had been waiting, maintaining a polite but absolutely effective distance.

Chen Youhua helplessly touched his forehead and said to the security captain, Mountain Eagle, who was an old acquaintance.

"Um... I'm going to meet some old friends and hang out. Do you guys have to follow?"

Mountain Eagle took a step forward, his attitude respectful but his tone firm.

"Professor Chen, I'm sorry, but those are the rules. We must ensure your safety throughout the process to prevent any accidents.

Please understand. However, we can keep our distance and try not to disturb your gathering with friends."

Chen Youhua naturally understood; such was the nature of their work. His current status was sensitive, and if anything went wrong—even if it was just harassment—it would be a major failure on their part.

He nodded: "Thank you for your hard work."

Ultimately, he still got into his private car and headed to the agreed location.

Zhongsheng City Plaza.

This was a bustling commercial landmark in Taizhou.

Chen Youhua remembered that back in middle school, this area was mostly old village workshops or empty lots.

Back then, when they hung out, they mostly went to the Jiefang South Road and Gongren Road area in the old city district, or sat in Phoenix Park; the scale and grandeur were nowhere near what they are now.

Today's Central Prosperity, likely a meeting point Plaza was a completely different sight, with the chill of late winter in full force.

As the vehicle approached, the massive complex of buildings stood under the somewhat pale winter sun, their glass curtain walls reflecting the cold light.

In the plaza, the bare branches of the roadside trees sketched clear lines, while the evergreen camphor trees stubbornly retained their deep green leaves, trembling slightly in the cold wind.

Although it was a weekday afternoon, with Chinese New Year approaching, there was still a significant flow of people in the plaza.

Most people were wrapped in thick down jackets and coats, hunching their necks and walking briskly, their breath condensing into small clouds of white mist in the air before quickly dissipating.

Red lanterns were hung at the entrances of some shops, and "Fu" characters were pasted up. LED screens scrolled with Chinese New Year promotion advertisements, and the background music was a mix of pop songs and festive New Year overtures, making it very lively.

Chen Youhua got out of the car, and a blast of cold wind immediately hit his face, making him instinctively tighten his collar.

He had the security vehicle wait nearby while he walked to the sculpture fountain in the center of the plaza to wait for his friends.

After waiting for a while, a figure in a cream-colored long down jacket and a pink scarf came running over; it was Lin Wei, the tip of her nose frozen a bit red.

"Oh my, it's freezing! How did you get here so early?" Lin Wei asked, rubbing her hands.

"My house is close; it's just a few steps away. You should wear more; this weather is really bone-chilling," Chen Youhua responded with a smile.

"Exactly!" Lin Wei stomped her feet.

"Didn't that guy Fatty Wang buy a car? Next time we hang out, we must make him the driver and have him pick us all up! In this freezing weather!"

"Oh? Fatty bought a car? What kind?" Chen Youhua was curious.

"I don't know the specific model, the logo looks like an X or something, just a commuter car," Lin Wei tried to recall.

"XPeng?" Chen Youhua guessed; he knew this domestic electric car brand.

"Yes, yes! It's XPeng! He saved up a bit himself, and his family chipped in some, so he got one, saying electric cars save on fuel," Lin Wei confirmed.

"That's good then. Next time we'll catch him to be the driver, hahaha," Chen Youhua laughed.

"Wait a minute, Youhua,"

Lin Wei suddenly blinked mischievously.

"Are you putting on an act with us? You're a great scientist who's been on CCTV News and solved world problems! Can you still look at our little broken car?

You don't know, the day after you were on the news, our class group and grade group all exploded! Everyone was talking about you! The messages hit 99+ in an instant!"

Chen Youhua smiled helplessly.

"I know. When I woke up, my phone was almost blown up by @mentions, and every group was calling for me."

"Hahaha," Lin Wei was overjoyed.

"You're now a legendary figure among our batch of classmates! Even our middle school teachers were stirred up.

Hey, do you still remember our middle school homeroom teacher, Teacher Qu?"

"Of course I remember, he was a very responsible teacher," Chen Youhua nodded.

"He didn't seem to be a teacher later on. After hearing your news, he even sent a message in the group to congratulate you, even though you didn't show up."

"Why isn't he a teacher anymore?" Chen Youhua asked further, having a vague memory of it.

"It's his leg... Sigh, back then we were young and ignorant, and even gave him some pretty nasty nicknames..."

Lin Wei's tone dropped slightly.

"He taught two more batches after ours. Later, I heard his legs were becoming more and more inconvenient, and it was too strenuous to stand for long, so he stopped teaching. I think he was transferred to some idle position."

Chen Youhua fell silent.

Recalling the rebellion and blind following of his teenage years, only guilt remained now.

Those insulting nicknames given because of the teacher's slight inconvenience seemed so excessive and hurtful now.

As time passed, he gradually understood the greatness of being a teacher.

While the two were chatting and lamenting the passing of time, Fatty Wang and Li Qiang arrived arm-in-arm.

Fatty Wang had indeed rounded out quite a bit, with a face full of prosperity, while Li Qiang was much leaner.

"Yo! Our great mathematician! I finally get to see you in the flesh!" Fatty Wang came up and punched Chen Youhua's shoulder, not hard, full of familiarity.

"Get lost! None of that!" Chen Youhua laughingly punched him back.

Li Qiang smiled as he looked him over.

"Not bad, Youhua. This style, going out with... uh, assistants?"

His eyes glanced at the security personnel maintaining their distance nearby.

Chen Youhua waved his hand: "That's security, arranged by the higher-ups. Let's go, let's go, it's freezing. Let's find a place to eat first and chat while we eat!"

The four of them discussed and ducked into a seemingly popular local restaurant in the plaza.

Taizhou is near the sea, so seafood is naturally a specialty. They sat down and ordered.

Home-style yellow croaker, salt-water razor clams, braised Wangchao (small octopus), Wenling Qian Gao (stuffed rice cake), specialty squab, and Ginger Juice Egg.

The food came quickly, and everyone chatted while eating; the atmosphere soon became lively.

The conversation naturally shifted from recent events to the past, with the focus almost entirely on Chen Youhua, digging up his "dark history" from middle and high school.

"Youhua, do you remember the beginning of tenth grade?"

Li Qiang started the conversation with a wink.

"You were tanned like charcoal from military training, but after a few weeks, you suddenly turned fair again! Man, you were a real 'little fresh meat' back then!"

Fatty Wang immediately picked up the thread, slapping the table and laughing.

"Yes, yes! I remember! About a month after military training, there were girls from other classes—several of them! They blocked our classroom door just to find you! They insisted you come out!"

Chen Youhua certainly remembered this incident.

He had fair skin, and the effects of the sun during military training faded particularly quickly on him.

That day, he was buried in his seat working on physics problems when a sudden commotion broke out in the class, and his classmates winked at him to go out.

He walked to the door with a dazed expression and saw three girls from other classes standing there, their expressions both nervous and expectant.

Then came the ridiculous part: these three girls weren't together, but somehow they seemed to have reached some kind of consensus. One of them said softly:

"Chen Youhua, the three of us... why don't you get to know all of us? You could... pick one?"

That was roughly what it meant.

Back then, Chen Youhua, only fifteen or sixteen, had never experienced such a situation.

He was dazed on the spot, not knowing what to do.

A teenager's mind is both simple and complex; on one hand, there was a bit of secret vanity, but on the other, there was immense embarrassment and loss.

Later, perhaps out of a vague problem-solving mindset, or perhaps unable to withstand the teasing of his classmates, he agreed to the invitations of all three girls at once one weekend to go to a KTV to sing.

When he arrived, he found that he didn't know more than half of the people in the private room—they were all their respective friends or classmates. The scene was so awkward he could have dug out a three-bedroom apartment with his toes.

Fortunately, later on, Chen Youhua clearly stated that he only wanted to study hard at this stage. The three girls probably also felt the whole thing was a bit absurd and didn't pester him further.

This confession incident became an interesting anecdote from his high school days.

Now that it was being brought up by his old friends, Chen Youhua could only rub his forehead with a bitter smile.

"Please, let it go... don't mention the dark history... what did I know back then..."

Everyone burst into a round of laughter.

Chen Youhua certainly didn't want them to continue talking about him, so he asked:

"Stop digging into my past. What about you guys? How have you been lately, and where are you working?"