218: Chapter 213 Class Reunion

Cao Xiao spoke bluntly, but Liu Dageng didn't stop there. He continued earnestly, "Mr. Cao, this isn't a matter of money. Since Evil-Dispelling Incense can dispel evil energy from the air and has miraculous effects against sorcery and venomous insects, it means it can create a sterile environment and inhibit the spread of germs, which helps patients recover. Because it's a burnt incense, it's more persistent and effective than disinfectants like sterilization fluids. It has broad application prospects in the medical field and will be a blessing for patients. Once developed, it will benefit all of humanity. Such a meritorious deed will make Mr. Cao a world celebrity. If Mr. Cao is willing to let me handle the operations, I guarantee I can secure a nomination for the Nobel Prize in Medicine for you next year."

Cao Xiao had never considered what Liu Dageng was saying, nor would he. Anyone else might have been ecstatic, but it held no attraction for him. Forget a Nobel Prize nomination—even if he were offered the presidency of the United States, he would refuse without hesitation. Great fame is a burden. In the future, he might consider seeking certain titles if they were of great help to him, but definitely not now. Currently, he couldn't withstand the scrutiny of countless magnifying glasses looking for faults. Furthermore, would Liu Dageng be so eager to take everything on himself if he didn't have his own interests at stake? This was clearly an exaggeration of the Evil-Dispelling Incense's effects, attempting to use moral kidnapping and the lure of fame to entice him. Yet, in the end, he would have to split half of the reputation that belonged solely to him, and even give away a portion of the massive profits generated by the incense. Liu Dageng really thought he was young and easily deceived. This was only because they were at his teacher's house with Chen Huaiyu and the others present; it might have been a different story elsewhere.

It was obvious at a glance that Liu Dageng was an administrator. Cao Xiao really didn't know how he had managed to sneak in at such a critical moment. Since he had set his sights on him, Cao Xiao wasn't going to give him any face. With a darkened expression, he turned to Chen Huaiyu and said, "Big Brother, please see Dean Liu out. Teacher needs peace and quiet."

Chen Huaiyu could naturally figure out the meaning behind their conversation. He was also somewhat annoyed with Liu Dageng for bringing up such matters at a time like this; it was simply too disrespectful of the rules. To harbor ulterior motives toward his Junior Brother right in front of him was as if he considered him a mere decoration! If not for the fact that Liu Dageng had been busy helping out over the past two days, Chen Huaiyu would have kicked him out even without Cao Xiao speaking up.

"Dean Liu, thank you for these past two days. However, my father is now out of danger, and you must be tired. I'll have the driver take you back to rest!"

Chen Huaiyu's words were polite, but his tone carried an unquestionable authority.

Liu Dageng felt a chill in his heart. In his view, this should have been a win-win situation, yet he had somehow offended Commissioner Chen because of it. That Cao Xiao was just one of Old Chen's students; he figured the boy didn't have much of a background, yet he was so ungrateful. He probably couldn't mention it again here today, but he would seek him out alone in a few days. This matter was of great importance; as long as he achieved his goal, someone would naturally back him up, and he wouldn't need to worry about Commissioner Chen anymore. Having decided this, he didn't hesitate and immediately left, pretending to be exhausted.

Seeing Liu Dageng leave so decisively, Chen Huaiyu frowned and warned Cao Xiao, "Xiao Xiao, Liu Dageng is a very calculating man. I can't do anything to him, so I'm afraid you might still face some trouble."

Before Cao Xiao could speak, his Third Brother spoke up first: "Xiao Xiao, the insect-repelling effect of your Evil-Dispelling Incense alone is very useful to us. I'll purchase a batch in the name of the military. If the results are good, it will be listed in the military supplies catalog. Forget private individuals—even local governments wouldn't dare to harbor designs on it then."

Cao Xiao said nonchalantly, "No need for such trouble. Using Evil-Dispelling Incense just for repelling insects is overkill, and besides, I really don't plan on selling it. If any wicked characters are blind enough to try something, I can crush a whole bunch of them with a flick of my hand. Let's go out; don't disturb Teacher's rest."

Chen Huaiyu and the others thought about it and realized he was right. Cao Xiao's status as a Major of the Military Commission alone put him in an invincible position. If he truly exercised his Supervision Department privileges, crushing a bunch of people like Liu Dageng was no exaggeration. They couldn't help but marvel at how much Cao Xiao had grown in such a short time.

After having dinner at the Chen family's home, Cao Xiao didn't stay long. His teacher was out of danger, but having been tortured by the Corpse Venomous Insects for several days, he wouldn't wake up anytime soon. He could just come back to visit tomorrow.

The tires of the mercedes-benz s600 he had driven over were completely ruined, and it had been towed to a repair shop by the traffic police. He didn't abuse his privileges or ask for favors. Because the damage caused was significant and the impact was severe, his driver's license was revoked. He was supposed to be detained, but he had to ask Liao Kai for help to avoid it. Furthermore, he had to pay over a million on the spot to compensate other car owners and for the damage to public facilities before he could get away. Given his current status, a driver's license was optional; as long as he didn't drive illegally or obstruct traffic, no traffic police would check his car. However, for now, he had to take a taxi back.

Just as he got into the taxi, his phone rang. He took it out and saw it was a local unknown number. He didn't have many friends in Huanghe City, and only a few relatives. Just as he was wondering who it was, a long-lost voice came through after he picked up.

"Cao Xiaoxiao, did you crawl into a mine and never come out? I called you so many times and you were always out of service area. You don't reply to my WeChat either. Your wings have grown stiff, haven't they!"

"Uh, Carrot Top, you're in your thirties and you're still calling me Xiao Xiao! You're still as insecure as ever. When did you settle down in Huanghe City? I didn't hear a peep. I was abroad for a while. Is there something urgent?"

Hearing the voice, Cao Xiao suddenly remembered the number was somewhat familiar. It was among the missed calls when he returned to the country last time—more than one, actually—but he hadn't paid attention then. Carrot Top was his college classmate and roommate, and they had a good relationship. His real name was Luo Yu, but he got the nickname 'Carrot Top' because his hairstyle closely resembled Huba from the movie. Cao Xiao's nickname 'Xiao Xiao' was because his 'manly assets' were too large while his age was the youngest; the others gave him a feminine nickname out of envy and jealousy. After graduation, everyone went their separate ways and rarely stayed in touch. He couldn't figure out what urgent matter this guy had that made him so persistent in reaching out.

"Ha! I couldn't stand the hard life in the mines. My family has some money, so after working for six months, I came back to Huanghe City to do some small business and settled down here. Now, get yourself to the Wangjiang Hotel immediately. There's a college reunion today, and everyone who could make it is here. It's lively! No more small talk, we'll chat more later. Get over here quickly, and remember to bring your family. We're going all out today. Call me when you arrive, move it!"

Before he could reply, the other side hung up. Cao Xiao's heart stirred. Not to mention the seven-year itch, it had been several years since graduation, and the good brothers hadn't gathered from across the country. This was a good opportunity to catch up. Without thinking much, he immediately had the driver change the destination and conveniently called He Yueyou.

The Wangjiang Hotel was one of the few five-star hotels in Huanghe City, located right by the south bank of the Second Yangtze River Bridge. Cao Xiao called Luo Yu in advance, and when he arrived, he saw him squatting by the lobby entrance playing with his phone. He still had that conspicuous hairstyle, but his physique had filled out a bit. His tuxedo now looked completely devoid of any formal image.

Cao Xiao walked up and patted Luo Yu on the shoulder. "Hey! Carrot Top!"

Luo Yu stood up in surprise and gave Cao Xiao a hug. "Xiao Xiao, you're alone?"

Cao Xiao smiled and said, "My fiancée will be here in a bit. By the way, why does a class reunion require bringing family?"

Luo Yu gave him a 'you don't understand' look and said, "You don't get it. If you bring your wife along, you won't be nagged to go home while you're having fun, and if you get wasted, someone's there to take care of you. Besides, most people came from out of town; using the reunion as an excuse to take their wives on a trip is a win-win."

Cao Xiao realized and said with a wry smile, "Alright! It seems you're all going all out today. But there must be some other reason for this reunion, right? Otherwise, it's not a long holiday, who would have the spare time to travel so far for a reunion?"

Luo Yu laughed loudly, "Haha! You guessed right. This time it was initiated by our class monitor, Young Master Hu. It's a full package of eating, drinking, and playing, with airfare and accommodation reimbursed. Didn't you know? This Wangjiang Hotel actually has shares owned by his family. You should have seen those waitresses calling him 'Young Master' one after another; it made us so sick of it."

Cao Xiao patted Luo Yu's shoulder and smiled, "You're just green with envy! The guy has a good father; pulling a single hair from him is thicker than your waist. Be careful, if he hears you, he'll give you a hard time!"

Luo Yu said dismissively, "Tch! What does his money have to do with me? If it weren't for the class reunion, I wouldn't come even if he invited me! Cao Xiao, let me tell you something, you need to be mentally prepared."

Cao Xiao frowned. "Go on."

Luo Yu said mysteriously, "Do you know who Young Master Hu's girlfriend is? Wu Jiale! Apparently, they're already engaged! What happened between you two is in the past, and you have a girlfriend now, so try to keep your cool later. If you're really unhappy, the brothers will help you drink him under the table!"

Cao Xiao wondered what the big deal was. Wu Jiale was his girlfriend in college. Although they had a peaceful breakup, Cao Xiao had already been disgusted by how overly materialistic she was back then. Part of the reason for the breakup was also because of signs of flirting between her and Hu Fei. Thinking back now, he felt somewhat lucky; if they were still together, it would definitely be a tragedy. Hearing this news now didn't make him feel depressed, just a bit disgusted. Compared to He Yueyou, Wu Jiale was worlds apart, not even worth a single strand of her hair. It was more likely that Hu Fei and Wu Jiale would be the ones feeling uncomfortable later. So he said nonchalantly, "No need for that. I'm not a petty person. Besides, I expected them to end up together. You won't think that way once you see my girlfriend. Oh! Speak of the devil. Yueyou, over here!"

A Lamborghini pulled up at the entrance. Every time He Yueyou went out, she drove a different car. To this day, Cao Xiao still didn't know how many luxury cars her family had gathering dust in the garage. She wore pure white high heels, a white pleated skirt with blue horizontal stripes at the hem, and a sky-blue shrug. Her hair was tied casually in a ponytail, and she wore no jewelry, carrying only a white chain-strap crossbody bag. She handed the car to the valet and, seeing Cao Xiao waving, walked over with a beaming smile.

"Yueyou, let me introduce you. This is my college classmate and good buddy, Luo Yu, also known as Carrot Top!" Cao Xiao introduced as he held He Yueyou's hand, facing Luo Yu.

"Hello, I'm Cao Xiao's girlfriend, He Yueyou. It's a pleasure to meet you," He Yueyou said with a slight nod and a smile.

"Hello, Sister-in-law. I'm older than Cao Xiao, so you can just call me Brother Luo, but don't use the Qian Province dialect! Xiao Xiao, you're something else! Your lady is practically a princess from the Milky Way. How does that lyric go... right, 'the brightest star in the night sky'! Just how many tens of thousands of years of merit did you accumulate, and how many lifetimes did you kowtow before the Buddha to find her?" Luo Yu was momentarily dazed by He Yueyou's beauty when he first saw her, and after coming to his senses, he praised her without reservation.

"Haha! Enough small talk, let's go in!" Cao Xiao said with a 'go ahead and be jealous' expression, changing the subject.

Luo Yu led the way. As they walked, He Yueyou asked Cao Xiao, "Cao Xiao, how is Old Chen?"

Cao Xiao said, "I just came from there. He's fine now, don't worry. Is Little Guoer okay?"

Speaking of Little Guoer, He Yueyou couldn't stop smiling. "Haha! Our precious daughter can already crawl on her own. She spends all day crawling all over the floor. She's even growing teeth; she bit me today, she's quite a handful. By the way, this class reunion of yours is quite bizarre, actually asking people to bring family. Aren't they afraid of things getting messy?"

Cao Xiao laughed strangely, as if he had thought of something. "You wouldn't know. There's a saying: 'Alcohol gives a coward courage, and makes him ignore his wife's rules!' I reckon a few couples might break up later. Anyway, there'll be a good show to watch. Not everyone is as sensible as you."

"Speaking of which, you're talking about others, but I haven't seen what you're like when you're drunk. You won't be like that, will you?" He Yueyou scrutinized Cao Xiao with sharp eyes.

Cao Xiao said seriously, "Hey! I'm not bragging, but if I really let loose and drink, I guarantee I can knock out every single person here today without feeling a hint of drunkenness. Besides, I'm not the rowdy type when I drink; I just get sleepy. We won't be able to leave this scene easily today, so I've already booked a room online. If you get tired later, just go back to the room and rest on your own, don't worry about me."

"Okay! Just drink less later," He Yueyou replied somewhat shyly, as if thinking of something.

The reunion venue was in a small banquet hall on the fifth floor of the hotel. As soon as they entered, Luo Yu pulled out a microphone from somewhere and pointed toward Cao Xiao and He Yueyou, shouting loudly, "Boys and girls, look over here! Let's give a thunderous round of applause to welcome our Xiao Xiao and his heavenly girlfriend from the center of the Milky Way! Whoo!"

Cao Xiao didn't expect Luo Yu to be today's host or that he would pull this stunt. It startled him. There was no applause, but there was a huge wave of boos, followed by a continuous stream of gasps. The eyes of these brutes were all focused on He Yueyou. Cao Xiao was extremely embarrassed and, in a fit of mock anger, glared at everyone and shouted, "You disloyal bunch! Not only is there no applause for your buddy, but where are your dog eyes looking! Are you all itching for a beating!"