I'm back in 1990

Chapter 593: The Past That Still Cannot Be Let Go

"Ah—! Qin Yu! Is it really you?!"

When Ren Yangyang received the call from the gatekeeper, she initially thought it was a student's parent. But when she arrived at the school gate and saw that still elegant figure in a beige dress, her heart skipped a beat, followed by an overwhelming surge of joy. She practically rushed over and hugged her long-lost best friend tightly.

"Yangyang" Qin Yu was bumped by Ren Yangyang and took a slight step back. Then she hugged her best friend back tightly.

"You scared me to death! You really scared me to death!" Ren Yangyang loosened her embrace, but her hands were still tightly gripping Qin Yu's arms. Her eyes instantly reddened, and her voice became much louder. "I saw the news, those two buildings collapsed on TV! I suddenly remembered, you're in New York! I immediately started calling your place, calling for days! Day and night! But no one answered! I was going crazy! My mind was filled with..." She couldn't continue, patting her chest in lingering fear, and couldn't help but hug Qin Yu again. "Thank goodness you're alright! Thank goodness! Thank God!"

Seeing Ren Yangyang's undisguised worry and agitation, Qin Yu felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She gave Ren Yangyang a reassuring smile: "Of course I'm fine. On the day of the incident, I was in Boston handling some business, which is far from Manhattan. It's just that communications were completely down, the airport was closed, and I couldn't get in touch with anyone." She lightly glossed over the panic she felt upon first hearing the news and the anxiety she endured while waiting for her connecting flight in Toronto. "Later, when flights resumed slightly, security was incredibly strict, and my family was urging me to come home, so I flew to Toronto first and then took a detour back from there. It was a bit of a hassle, but I finally arrived home safely."

"It's good that you're safe! Safe is the greatest blessing!" Ren Yangyang nodded vigorously, looking Qin Yu up and down to make sure she was really unharmed. "Wait for me! I'll go ask for leave right now! I don't have any classes this afternoon, and the grade leader is easy to talk to!" Without waiting for Qin Yu to stop her, she turned around and ran towards the teaching building in a hurry.

Watching her best friend's still energetic figure, just like in high school, Qin Yu's smile deepened, and the tension that had been building since 9/11 eased considerably. She stood quietly outside the familiar school gate, looking at the familiar yet slightly changed sycamore trees lining the street, a strange feeling of being in another world washing over her.

Not long after, Ren Yangyang came running back like a gust of wind, her face beaming with relief: "All done! Let's go! Let's find a quiet place, we sisters need to have a good chat! How long has it been? I'll treat you to a nice meal tonight, how about some crayfish? It'll be a welcome-back dinner!"

Qin Yu, however, took Ren Yangyang's arm and pulled her in another direction: "Come with me. My aunt doesn't run a coffee shop anymore; she opened a restaurant instead, not far ahead. It'll be quiet there, and we can talk in a private room. We'll eat there tonight; I heard her chef is very good. You can treat me next time!"

"Auntie opened a restaurant? Great! Great!" Ren Yangyang readily agreed, taking Qin Yu's arm tightly. "Perfect timing to go check it out, and then we can bring our colleagues to patronize the business!"

The two chatted and laughed all the way, and soon arrived at Qin Yu's aunt Dong Qin's restaurant, "Qin Yun Xuan". The restaurant was elegantly decorated with a touch of Jiangnan charm. Dong Qin was doing the accounting behind the counter when she looked up and saw Qin Yu bringing Ren Yangyang in. Her eyes lit up immediately.

"Oh my! Isn't this Yangyang?" Dong Qin greeted her warmly, taking Ren Yangyang's hand and examining her closely. "You've really blossomed into a beautiful young woman! I heard from Xiaoyu that you've become a teacher? That's wonderful! Are you married now? How old are your children?" Dong Qin's gossipy nature was piqued again.

Ren Yangyang replied with a smile, "I had a daughter, and she's already old enough to run errands."

Upon hearing this, Dong Qin was happy for Ren Yangyang, but her gaze swept back and forth between Qin Yu and Ren Yangyang before finally settling on Qin Yu with a hint of barely perceptible regret—look at her, and then look at her own niece!

Qin Yu understood the meaning in her aunt's eyes, and quickly changed the subject: "Auntie, quickly find us a quiet private room. Yangyang and I haven't seen each other for years, and we have so much to talk about! Also, bring us a pot of good tea and some snacks to tide us over."

Dong Qin glared at Qin Yu with annoyance, but still quickly led them to a small private room by the window. Outside the window was the restaurant's meticulously maintained courtyard, with a few green bamboo stalks and Taihu stones, exuding a touch of elegance. She personally brought over a pot of tea and several plates of exquisite pastries.

"You two chat for a bit, and I'll have the head chef prepare some of his signature dishes for you. You can eat here tonight!" Dong Qin said, then considerately closed the door for the two sisters, leaving them alone to enjoy their reunion.

Ren Yangyang couldn't wait to pour tea and begin their long-awaited "bestie time." She chattered on about her life over the past few years: her mischievous daughter had started kindergarten, her husband had a relatively stable job at a bank, the joys and sorrows of being a teacher, and complaining that students these days are getting harder and harder to teach.

Qin Yu listened with a smile, occasionally interjecting with questions about the details, and also sharing glimpses of her work and life in the United States: the pressure of work, the loneliness of being in a foreign land,

The clash of cultures, and the enormous impact and psychological trauma of the 9/11 attacks.

As they chatted, they inevitably drifted back to the boy who had left a deep impression on their youth. Ren Yangyang put down her teacup, leaned forward slightly, her eyes sparkling with disbelief and amazement:

"Qin Yu, do you know what? Huang Xiaochuan is just unbelievable right now!" She couldn't find the right words for a moment, gesturing excitedly as she spoke. "I don't even know how to say it! Wasn't he doing so well as a professor at the University of Finance and Economics? Teaching, writing papers, so respectable! And then, my goodness! Just last month, the news was everywhere! Asia's richest man! The second richest man in the world! That 'Dadao Group'! Assets of hundreds of billions of dollars! My God!"

Ren Yangyang swallowed hard and continued, "How did he do that? Back in school, we knew he was smart, good-looking, and a great swimmer, but who would have thought he'd turn out like this? It's like a fairy tale! I almost dropped my teacup when I saw it on TV the other day! Tell me, how is his brain even working? Hundreds of billions of dollars! How many zeros is that?"

She spoke rapidly, her tone filled with pure shock, curiosity, and even a touch of pride and excitement—after all, he was their classmate, someone who had truly existed in their youth.

Qin Yu listened quietly, her smile fading. She picked up her teacup, her gaze drifting to the few stalks of green bamboo swaying gently in the breeze in the courtyard outside the window. Ren Yangyang's words were like pebbles thrown into her seemingly calm heart, stirring up complex ripples.

Shocked? Of course. But beyond Ren Yangyang's pure disbelief, her shock contained something more. She recalled that summer afternoon in 1990, after the college entrance exams, in her aunt's coffee shop, "Back in the Day." Sunlight streamed through the lattice window, illuminating the handsome profile of a young man. He spoke to them with a youthful spirit, yet also a certainty beyond his years, saying, "I plan to graduate with a doctorate before I'm twenty-five, become a university professor before I'm thirty, and a world-renowned economist before I'm thirty-five."

At that time, she only felt that it was a young person's beautiful aspirations and bold words, carrying a captivating light, yet as distant as stars in the sky. She never doubted his excellence, but she never imagined that he could not only achieve, but also far surpass, his initial "plans" in such a rapid, dazzling, and astonishing way. Doctor, professor, world-renowned economist (Clark Prize!), and now, he has to add a world-shaking title—Asia's richest man.

However, she still offered an explanation: "This is a common situation in the United States. Many people become billionaires in just a few years after starting their own businesses. Bill Gates is one of them."

Although Qin Yu said it that way, it also made her clearly feel an unreachable distance. The boy who once caught her gaze by the pool, the classmate who talked about the future in the coffee shop, the old friend who had dinner with her in the Harvard night, now stood high in the clouds, looking down on all living beings.

A faint, indescribable sense of loss and melancholy quietly crept into Qin Yu's heart.

The private room fell silent for a moment.

Ren Yangyang suddenly realized that her excitement might have unintentionally touched a soft spot in her best friend's heart. The excitement on her face faded, replaced by a hint of apology.

"That Qin Yu," Ren Yangyang's voice softened, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring him up. It's just that what that guy did was so shocking that I couldn't help myself."

Qin Yu waved her hand gently: "It's alright, Yangyang." Her tone was calm, with a deliberate air of relief. "Don't overthink it. It's all from many years ago, it's all in the past."

Just then, the door to the private room was gently pushed open a crack, and Dong Qin peeked in, her face full of curiosity: "What are you talking about that's so quiet? What 'past'? Who's past?" Her curious gaze swept over Qin Yu and Ren Yangyang's faces.

Qin Yu quickly composed herself, picked up the teapot to add some tea for Ren Yangyang, and poured a cup for her aunt. She replied in a relaxed tone, "They were talking about an old classmate! They said he's changed so much."

"An old classmate?" Dong Qin walked in, her gaze finally landing on Qin Yu. She almost blurted out, "Is it Huang Xiaochuan?" She sighed, shook her head, her tone full of regret, "Ah, what a pity, we just weren't meant to be, otherwise..."

Aunt Qin Yu couldn't help but speak up to stop Dong Qin from continuing.

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything, alright?"

Seeing the somewhat tense atmosphere, Qin Yu took the initiative to speak, "Auntie, my mom said you've struck it rich! Your restaurant business is booming!"

Upon hearing this, Dong Qin beamed and said, "Don't listen to your mother's nonsense, it's just so-so!"

After the topic changed, the atmosphere in the private room returned to normal, and the three women chatted animatedly.