Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 1047: Long Time No See, How Are You?

Chapter 1047: Chapter 1047: Long Time No See, How Are You?

Gu Fan stared at the beautiful journalist, and she stared right back at him, both seemingly unable to believe their eyes. Once they recognized each other, their faces lit up with surprise, as if to say, "How coincidental to run into you here."

"You are Li Shi!" Gu Fan could hardly believe it. She was so different from how she had been in high school.

"You are Gu Fan!" Li Shi said before extending her hand, "Old classmate, I’ll be expecting a lot from you today."

Gu Fan was initially stunned, then shook hands with Li Shi, feeling a strange emotion stir within him. He had never had the chance to hold Li Shi’s hand in high school, and he couldn’t believe it was happening now.

Another person nearby chimed in, "So you two were classmates? That’s great, you’ll probably work well together during the recording."

"Of course," Li Shi nodded and then gave Gu Fan a slight smile. "Right, Gu Fan?"

Gu Fan nodded, though inside he was very nervous. Now what was he supposed to do, with his little experience, what would he talk about during the recording? Perhaps, the things he knew might even be less than what Li Shi, with her extensive knowledge and experience, knew.

Feeling like he was about to make a fool of himself, Gu Fan started to resent Boss Ding for assigning him such a task.

However, Gu Fan was used to being in high-pressure situations, and he quickly regained his composure. He began to share his views on economics, finance, and investment, among other topics. Desperate, he blurted out everything he had seen, understood, and could conjure up on the spot,

Li Shi cooperated well, constantly deepening the discussion, making Gu Fan seem like he really knew his stuff, which made him incredibly nervous. "Sister, don’t guide the topic any further. I only know these basics; if we go further, I’ll blow my cover."

When no one else was paying attention, Gu Fan gave Li Shi a look. It was a secret signal that only they understood from their high school days, meaning, ’don’t make this harder for me.’

Li Shi quickly understood that Gu Fan was struggling to keep up. She then shifted the topic and began to speak eloquently to the camera herself.

"Well played," Gu Fan still appeared composed, although no one could have guessed how close he was to running out of steam and breaking into a cold sweat.

The interview finally ended. Gu Fan breathed a huge sigh of relief. Before she left, Li Shi politely shook his hand and they exchanged contact details in case they could be of assistance to each other, being in the same line of work.

After seeing Li Shi out of the building, Gu Fan returned to his desk and sat as if his soul had left his body.

Boss Ding happened to pass by and, seeing Gu Fan’s state, kindly asked, "What’s wrong, Gu Fan? Has the interview ended? You look like you’ve been through a lot. Are you alright?"

Gu Fan snapped out of it then quickly said with a grin, "Nothing much. The interview went smoothly. I’m just thinking about what else I can do for the company."

Boss Ding nodded. "That’s what I expect from a good employee of our company. Keep up the good work."

As Boss Ding walked away, Gu Fan wasn’t sure whether to thank him or to make a rude gesture at his retreating figure.

Afterward, as Gu Fan looked at Li Shi’s contact information on his phone, he was overwhelmed by memories of high school. Scenes from the past played in his mind, unshakeable, rekindling fireworks in his heart that he thought had long been extinguished.

"What’s going on?" Gu Fan had finally managed to bury those memories, but the sudden appearance of Li Shi brought everything rushing back.

In life, each phase has its regrets. For Gu Fan, perhaps the regret of his high school days was never having said those three words to Li Shi.

When it was time to leave work, Gu Fan decided not to stay late today and to head home early. His thoughts were in turmoil, not because he was loath to part with Li Shi, nor because he had any feelings for her, but because he felt that her sudden appearance might affect his life, especially since he had planned to propose to Lin Xi soon.

"Destiny Stone, why did you make Li Shi appear? What are you trying to do?" Gu Fan hoped he was overthinking it and didn’t want Li Shi’s appearance to stir up too much and ruin the beauty of their high school days.

As he walked, Gu Fan saw a stall selling stinky tofu across the street, crowded with several high school students, which suddenly drew his thoughts back in time.

Back then, with his backpack slung over his shoulders and riding his bicycle, Gu Fan arrived at a stinky tofu stall, took out the little pocket money he had left, and bought some, dousing it in sauce. The tantalizing aroma whetted his appetite.

Just then, Li Shi arrived, but her bicycle brakes failed, and she crashed into Gu Fan’s bike, causing him to lose balance. It seemed like he and his bike were going to topple over, and the freshly bought stinky tofu was about to hit the ground.

At that moment, Li Shi reached out her hand and said with a smile, "Quick, give me the stinky tofu. I’ll save it."

Without a second thought, Gu Fan handed over his stinky tofu to Li Shi, and then he and his bike fell over.

Although Gu Fan wasn’t hurt, he was somewhat angry. Why was Li Shi so reckless when she rushed over, not at all like the quiet girl he knew?

But when Gu Fan saw Li Shi leisurely eating the stinky tofu, he couldn’t contain his anger, "Li Shi, you’re going too far."

To which, Li Shi replied confidently, "I’m the savior of this stinky tofu. What’s wrong with me taking a few bites?"

"What savior? You were clearly robbing and harming beforehand," protested Gu Fan, stretching out his hand to reclaim the stinky tofu.

"So petty. Are you even a boy?" Li Shi retorted, continuing to eat and casting a disdainful glance at Gu Fan.

Gu Fan countered, "This has nothing to do with being petty; it is about..."

"Oh, the class monitor is coming to round us up for cleaning duty. Run!" said Li Shi, and with that, she hopped on her bike and sped off.

Gu Fan looked back, but there was no class monitor anywhere. Realizing he had been tricked again, he angrily picked up his bike and chased after her furiously.

Much later, Gu Fan had realized just how naive he had been back then. If he had understood that it was not just about a portion of stinky tofu, he might not have missed out.

Now, seeing a similar scene, Gu Fan couldn’t help but smile, "So high school was this fun, even eating a bowl of stinky tofu could be this enjoyable."

Feeling the burdens and troubles of adulthood, Gu Fan sighed deeply, knowing he could not return, never return.