A sudden feeling of awkwardness began to set in.

Tears continued to roll down Fan Mengxue's face.

Xue An let out a sigh. "You're still such a crybaby?"

Deep down, Fan Mengxue knew she only cried in Xue An's presence. Other times, however, she'd always keep her head up and smile no matter how sad she was, since she knew no one would care about her even if she cried, apart from Xue An.

"Papa, who is this lady? Why is she crying?" Xue Xiang asked softly.

That was when Fan Mengxue took notice of the two little girls.

"They're…"

Xue An smiled and said, "They're my two little daughters!"

Fan Mengxue's face turned pale for a minute, then she regained her composure, bowed her head to Xue Xiang and Xue Nian, and spoke to them.

"I'm your Papa's friend. I was so happy to see your Papa after such a long time that I cried!"

Xue Nian tilted her head sideways and asked in astonishment, "You're… Auntie Mengxue?"

Fan Mengxue's popularity transcended age and gender. Even little girls like Xue Nian recognized who she was.

Fan Mengxue beamed. "That's right!"

"Papa, Auntie Mengxue is your friend?!"

Xue An nodded his head.

"That can't be right. Isn't Auntie Mengxue already dead in the TV show?" said Xue Xiang with a perplexed look on her face.

Fan Mengxue couldn't help but laugh at the two whimsical angels.

Nevertheless, their harmonious reunion had left Song Jing, who had been expecting drama, staring with her mouth agape.

"What's going on?

"How come Fan Mengxue doesn't mind Xue An having kids?" she thought.

As for Hong Ming, his eyes were already seething with murderous rage.

Even still, he kept a smile on his face as he approached the group. After sizing Xue An up, he snorted disdainfully. "Xue An, I heard you were gone for four years. Did you go off to become a janitor? You look so terrible."

Hong Ming's snide remark made Fan Mengxue's eyebrows furrow with so much anger that she almost snapped.

But Xue An smiled calmly. "Hong Ming? What a surprise it is to see you again!"

During Xue An's journey to becoming an immortal, one of his inner demons was Hong Ming.

Back in their school days, Hong Ming, backed by his wealthy and powerful family, would constantly bully and humiliate Xue An.

Especially after Fan Mengxue fell madly in love with Xue An, Hong Ming became even more jealous and went out of his way to make life hell for Xue An.

Ironically, Xue An was pleased to see him again, as it was an opportunity for him to confront one of his inner demons.

However, Hong Ming had a different view. He mistook Xue An's pleasantry for a sign of submission, and his face was visibly triumphant.

By then, the other ex-classmates were starting to catch on to their banter.

Hong Ming was taunting Xue An!

On one hand, there was the highly revered Young Master Hong, while on the other hand, there was the broke Xue An.

To most people, the victor was already decided.

Song Jing giggled with her hand over her mouth. "Young Master Hong, when I first saw Master Xue over there, I thought I had the wrong guy! He looked so dirty and poor, I didn't expect him to be Xue An! No offense, Xue An! I'm just keeping it real."

"Looks like our dreamboat has finally become a father. Raising kids must be tough for him. Young Master Hong, why don't you give him a job at your company!"

Hong Ming nodded and said flatly, "I'm always glad to help an ex-classmate in need. I happen to be looking for a couple of office boys. Xue An, if you come and work for me, I'll give you a ten thousand dollar salary."

But Xue An said nothing. He merely looked at Hong Ming and Song Jing with an amused look on his face.

Hong Ming took his silence as a sign of weakness and surrender.

The thrill of crushing his rival in front of his lover had left him ecstatic.

Right at that moment, the food was served.

Hong Ming had spent a fortune just to impress Fan Mengxue. Even the banquet was unbelievably extravagant.

"Everyone, please, take a seat!" said Hong Ming as he entertained his guests.

Fan Mengxue gave Xue An a concerned look. Xue An gave her a knowing nod before sitting down at the table.

The two little girls began to chow down, but meanwhile, Xue An didn't even touch his chopsticks.

To add insult to injury, Song Jong remarked, "Xue An, eat up. I bet you seldom have such nice meals. Try it!"

Suddenly, a strange tension filled the air.

Tang Xuan'er had seen enough. She was about to stand up and give Song Jing a piece of her mind when Xue An waved his hand at her and raised his eyebrows.

"If I remember correctly, you're Song Jing, aren't you?"

"Haha, yes!"

Xue An nodded. "I see you haven't changed a bit. Looks like a leopard never changes its spots."

His rebuttal caused many guests at the table to crack up in laughter.

Uneasy, Song Jing's face turned green.

"Why, you—"

At that instant, Hong Ming appeared with a couple of wine glasses.

"Here, Xue An. It's good to finally see you again. Let's have a toast!"

Xue An lounged on his chair and said plainly, "Why should I drink with you? What are you? Are you even worthy enough to propose a toast to me?"

As soon as he said that, the entire private suite fell silent.

Hong Ming's face turned a dark shade of purple.

Just a minute earlier, he had thought he had Xue An eating out of his hand. In fact, he intended to humiliate him further by offering him some wine.

Little did he know that he would be on the receiving end of the insult.

He let out a few short, cold chortles. "Fine! I like your nerve! You want to know what I am? Let me tell you, my family is about to collaborate with the Longtai Group. Our next plan is to enter the provincial capital market, and when that happens, we'll be one of the most renowned companies at the provincial level. We might even go public!"

His words left Song Jing, who was standing by his side, flushed with greed and excitement.

She could just imagine it, the young chairman of a listed company.

If she could win his heart, wouldn't that make her the chairman's wife?

With that, Song Jing decided to back Hong Ming up. "Oh my, Young Master Hong is so successful, even at such a young age. Xue An, did you hear that?"

A discussion ensued among the other ex-classmates.

"The Hongs are going to collaborate with the Longtai Group? My goodness, the Longtai Group is a giant in the industry!"

"Yes! Young Master Hong has it made in Beijiang!"

Hong Ming couldn't have been more pleased with himself. He intentionally cast a glance at Fan Mengxue, but to his disappointment, she wasn't moved at all by his supposed accomplishment. Instead, her eyes were constantly glued to Xue An, refusing to spare Hong Ming even an ounce of her attention.

Hong Ming was struck with jealousy.

At that point, a few of Hong Ming's bootlickers even tried to coerce Xue An to give in.

"Xue An, why don't you apologize to Young Master Hong? We're all ex-classmates here. Young Master Hong is a real gentleman, so he won't hold it against you!"

"That's right! Apologize to him already. Young Master Hong, if there's anything you need, please don't forget about me!"

Xue An sat back and watched in disgust as his classmates so readily pandered to the rich and powerful.

Then, he slowly stretched his body and let out a big yawn. "I take back what I said just now!"

Hong Ming began to smile complacently.

The crowd breathed a sigh of relief, convinced that Xue An was finally going to submit to Hong Ming.

Only Fan Mengxue and Tang Xuan'er kept watching Xue An with concern.

Xue An said coolly, "I shouldn't have asked you what you are! Because you're nothing!"

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