The old me was carefree, the current me is mature and sensible.

He combed his hair into a mature middle part, put on a suit, and fastened a wristwatch.

Gazing at his reflection in the mirror, Ye Liangchen smirked. At this moment, he felt closer than ever to the version of himself he dreamed of—the one who had reached the pinnacle of life.

If he showed up to the class reunion dressed like this, he could hardly imagine the stunned, bewildered looks on everyone’s faces!

Satisfied, he nodded, took out his phone, and snapped a selfie in the mirror.

Then he posted it to his long-dormant social media feed.

"The old me was carefree; the new me is mature and responsible. Thank you, time, for the changes. I’ve changed, yet in some ways, I haven’t. If only everyone could be like me."

After reviewing the post, Ye Liangchen smiled confidently. Not only did this statement convey his unchanging youthful spirit, but it also subtly mocked those who had broken their promises and become unrecognizable.

He hit Post.

Perhaps because he hadn’t posted in so long, likes poured in almost immediately.

With the class reunion approaching, old classmates he hadn’t seen in years had been reconnecting lately.

Scrolling through the likes and comments, Ye Liangchen closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"It’s back. It’s all back. This confidence, this intoxicating feeling—everything’s coming back!"

He turned and glanced at the bottle of "See You Tomorrow" on his bedside table. On reunion night, when everyone’s drunk, things might get a little wild, right?

Just then, Gao Quan’s voice echoed from outside.

Auntie, is Brother Chen home?

He is! Oh, Gao Quan, look at you—you’ve lost weight, gotten handsomer, and even dyed your hair!

Hearing his mom’s exchange with Gao Quan, Ye Liangchen adjusted his wristwatch and slowly opened the door.

"Aren’t you cold dressed like that?" His mother blurted out when she saw him—wearing a suit jacket on top but only boxers below.

Ye Liangchen’s poised smile froze. He looked down.

Oh no.

He hurried back to his room. In his excitement over his upper half, he’d forgotten to put on the suit pants!

Instead of dressing immediately, he grabbed his phone to check the photo he’d just posted.

His legs gave out, and he slumped to the floor.

He deleted the post in a panic.

"Brother Chen, what’s wrong? Why are you sitting on the floor?" Gao Quan asked, amused.

Ye Liangchen took a deep breath, steadying himself with sheer willpower. His expression smoothed over as he stood up calmly and pulled on his pants.

"Nothing. Just remembered something."

"What brings you here?"

"The class reunion. I wanted to buy some new clothes and thought you could help me pick something out."

At this moment, Gao Quan still saw Ye Liangchen as the same dependable guy who’d taken him to bars, hooked him up with one-night stands, and carried him back to the hotel when he blacked out last time—along with Xue Shaohua.

No one else knows my build like I do.

It must’ve been a struggle for them to haul me back.

The next morning, though, his butt had hurt so much he almost thought he’d gotten hemorrhoids.

But Brother Chen and Xue Shaohua explained he’d fallen onto a beer bottle opening after missing his stool while drunk. Luckily, they’d helped him right away...

So, for now, Gao Quan still trusted Ye Liangchen completely.

Once dressed, Ye Liangchen studied Gao Quan’s outfit. "You don’t need new clothes. This casual look suits you—it’s carefree..."

Flowers need leaves to shine.

If he showed up to the reunion polished and confident, standing next to this sloppily dressed, greasy-faced Gao Quan, the contrast would be undeniable.

But as he stared at Gao Quan, he coughed and looked away. That night, I was completely out of it.

Thankfully, after he and Xue Shaohua had taken turns with Gao Quan, they’d retreated to their own rooms—even prepared an excuse in advance.

True to form, gullible Gao Quan bought it.

Still, ever since, Ye Liangchen had felt awkward around him, avoiding contact since returning home.

How do I even face him? Every time I see him, I remember that night.

"Brother Chen? You spacing out again?" Gao Quan waved a hand in front of his face.

Why’s he zoning out just looking at me?

Watching Gao Quan's hand sweep past his face, Ye Liangchen shook his head: "Actually, upon closer look, you’re quite handsome. You don’t need too much embellishment—being yourself is best."

At the words "quite handsome," Gao Quan suddenly furrowed his brows.

Then, for some reason, a dull pain flared up from behind.

He felt like he’d heard those words somewhere before, but he couldn’t remember where.

But why did it suddenly hurt back there? Hadn’t it already healed? It hadn’t bothered him for a while now—in fact, even his bowel movements had become much smoother.

"Quan, do you think this outfit works for me?"

Gao Quan studied him carefully, then mimicked a line from the movies: "I think Brother Chen is missing a striking tie."

Hearing this, Ye Liangchen agreed. So the two of them headed out together to buy him a tie.

Go big or go home—that had always been Ye Liangchen’s life motto!

"Oh, I almost forgot why I came to see you in the first place. I heard the class monitor will be at the reunion tomorrow. Brother Chen, if you’re worried about it being awkward, we could just go to an internet café instead."

Back in the capital, they’d seen the class monitor get into Long Aotian’s car with their own eyes.

Brother Chen had tried to get back at Long Aotian, only to end up beaten up by him.

Gao Quan was afraid that running into her at the reunion would make things uncomfortable for Ye Liangchen.

After all, losing a girl to someone else and then getting your ass kicked—if it were him, he’d feel awkward too.

Ye Liangchen’s gaze drifted to the "See You Tomorrow" note on the nightstand, and the corners of his lips curled slightly. "Awkward? She’s the one who broke her word and threw herself away. If she’s not embarrassed, why should I be?"

"If anyone should feel awkward, if anyone should be afraid to face the past—it’s not me. It’s the one who betrayed her promises..."

......