Atlas of Heaven and Man

After Chen Chuan and Sheng Hai parted ways, he was looking for his classmates. He hadn't walked more than a few steps when he suddenly heard a shout from behind: "Chen Chuan!"

The shout was so loud that classmates dozens of meters away turned their heads.

He turned around and saw a tall, sturdy-looking boy running over. He was casually wearing a blue and green tracksuit with the zipper open. It was Ding Jiao, his middle school deskmate and good friend.

Ding Jiao came up and put his arm around Chen Chuan's shoulder, laughing and saying, "I knew you'd be here early."

Chen Chuan suddenly said, "Your zipper's open." Ding Jiao was startled and looked down.

Chen Chuan said expressionlessly, "I was talking about your jacket." Ding Jiao cursed, "Trying to mess with your bro, huh?" He laughed and playfully put him in a headlock.

At this moment, he suddenly looked surprised, took a few steps back, and gestured with his hand between his own head and Chen Chuan's. "Whoa, I haven't seen you in a month, bro, and you've gotten a lot taller. Let's compare again in a couple of months. I can't let you leave me behind."

Chen Chuan smiled and said, "How have you been lately?"

Ding Jiao said nonchalantly, "You know me, the same as always. I'm messing around with those two-wheeled vehicles with my old man all day long. Even my meals taste like machine oil. It's kind of interesting, and I can occasionally go for a ride, but it's just so-so. I can already imagine myself being just like my old man in twenty years. But it's good to earn money, so it's not bad. By the way, enough about me, what about you?"

Chen Chuan said, "I've found a place to go, but it's going to be difficult to get settled there. I'll probably have to spend the next few months working on it. I'll tell you when the results are confirmed."

Ding Jiao knew that Chen Chuan's aunt's husband worked at the police station and guessed that Chen Chuan might be trying to find a way to go there. It wasn't easy to talk about, because Chen Chuan also had a cousin there, so he patted Chen Chuan sympathetically. "I'll say it again, if you need anything, look for your bro. I'll definitely help if I can."

Chen Chuan nodded. He glanced around and said, "Did you see anyone from our class when you came?"

Ding Jiao said, "I know, come on, everyone in our class is at… oh, wait…" He grabbed Chen Chuan's hand and started to walk, but he couldn't move him. As a result, he stumbled and almost fell.

Chen Chuan supported him, saying calmly, "Be careful." He had been practicing with Lu Ke recently, and in order to prevent throws, he always subconsciously controlled his center of gravity. This had almost become an instinct. When Ding Jiao pulled him just now, he naturally resisted.

Ding Jiao didn't think much of it and said, "It's not that I'm weak, bro, it's just that the bricks are too slippery. Let's go, let's go…"

The two walked towards the location arranged for their class. After a few minutes, they found a shelter in an eastern location. There were two rows of tables inside, one row arranged along the edge of the platform, and the other row separated by a passage wide enough for three people to walk through.

This place could probably seat sixty people. There were only thirty-nine people in their class, so there was more than enough space.

When Chen Chuan and Ding Jiao walked in, several classmates had already arrived. Seeing the two of them, they happily came up to greet them.

It had been more than a month since they had seen each other, and the classmates were very enthusiastic. After talking about what they had been doing since graduation, they quickly started talking about other classmates. The topic mainly focused on the few people who had found particularly good jobs after graduation. Besides envy, these classmates also felt honored.

Chen Chuan and these classmates usually had an average relationship, neither good nor bad, because they all had their own small circles, so after chatting for a few sentences, they separated and sat down.

Because they arrived early, there were empty seats everywhere. Chen Chuan and Ding Jiao chose a table next to the platform railing with a good view.

After Ding Jiao sat down, he picked up a bottle of Shazhen soda on the table and shook it vigorously. He skillfully opened the bottle cap, poured a cup for himself and Chen Chuan, and then couldn't wait to take a sip. He burped and said loudly, "Awesome!"

Chen Chuan also took a sip. The taste reminded him of a certain carbonated drink from his previous life, but the taste was more refreshing. He said, "Will everyone in the class come this time?"

Ding Jiao casually said, "They should all come, right…" Then he reacted, wiped his mouth, "Are you talking about those few? They don't usually come, so I guess they won't show their faces this time."

Chen Chuan hummed in agreement. There were usually thirty-nine people in their class, but there were actually forty-two names on the roster.

The three extra people didn't usually come to school because they had special tutors. The reason they were registered at the Municipal No. 1 High School was because No. 1 High School had quotas every year to recommend students to study at higher institutions in the Central City. These quotas were reserved for them.

They were different from ordinary students from the beginning. In fact, this had been the case in Yangzhi City's middle schools for decades, so no one felt that there was anything wrong.

"By the way." Ding Jiao winked at him, "Since you're here today, maybe she'll come too."

Chen Chuan shook his head and said, "I don't have anything to do with her." He knew who Ding Jiao was talking about, but even if the former Chen Chuan had some interaction with her, it wasn't the kind of relationship that outsiders thought it was.

Ding Jiao looked like he didn't believe him.

Just as the two were chatting, the classmates in the class arrived one after another, greeting each other, exchanging recent situations, and occasionally someone opened a bottle of drink and clinked glasses. The atmosphere became lively.

Ding Jiao had already drunk a bottle of soda at this time, and he didn't seem to be satisfied. He took another bottle in his hand, opened the bottle cap, and drank half a bottle in one breath. He asked again, "By the way, is Gao Ming coming today?"

Chen Chuan thought for a while and said, "He seems to be out of town. He probably won't be able to make it back."

Gao Ming was a classmate in their class, but Gao Ming's mother and his mother were cousins. He and Gao Ming were not only classmates, but also relatives, and their relationship was quite good.

The Gao family were all lawyers. He himself had been spotted by a senior lawyer and taken as a student early on. He had been studying with him since middle school, and after graduation, he followed the lawyer, so he was someone who had a way out early on.

Ding Jiao said "Oh" and thought for a while, then whispered, "Do you know that Guan Xiaohui from Class Three? I heard that her dad owes a lot of gambling debts and is said to have used her as collateral to the gang. Her stepmother also ran away with her sister. Now the gang members are harassing her every day, so she had to hide with her relatives in the countryside. What a mess."

Chen Chuan recalled that she was a girl with a gentle smile and an introverted personality. Ding Jiao seemed to have had a crush on this girl, but the reason he had a deeper impression was that this girl also practiced martial arts.

Just as Ding Jiao was talking, he glanced to the side, slapped the table, and said to the outside, "Hey, hey! Look over there, Han Lao San! He's become presentable since he joined Molan Company. I heard that this time it was his dad who works at the Water Affairs Bureau who found him the connection."

Chen Chuan turned his head and saw a boy walking over with a middle part in his hair, wearing a black foreign suit. He looked decent, but he walked and talked very affectedly, a bit pretentious.

Several classmates surrounded him, not from their class, but it was obvious that they were trying to please this boy. When the classmates under the shelter saw him coming, some of them immediately stood up, took the initiative to go up to greet him, and asked him for his contact information.

This boy seemed to enjoy this kind of flattery. He lingered outside for a full ten minutes before being surrounded and walked in. As he walked, he raised his hand to greet the classmates sitting there and said, "I'm late, I'm late. I was delayed by something at the company. Sorry, everyone, sorry."

Ding Jiao said with some sourness, "Look at how smug he is. He's not even a formal employee of Molan, he's just in training in the company."

Chen Chuan learned from the memories of the former Chen Chuan that this boy was called Han Shu. Because his grades were always surpassed by the former Chen Chuan and another girl, he was always ranked third, so Ding Jiao jokingly called him Han Lao San.

Perhaps because of his personality, Han Shu, Ding Jiao, and the former Chen Chuan always didn't get along well in school, and their classmate relationship wasn't very harmonious.

Han Shu also noticed Chen Chuan and the two at this time. He paused, pulled up his sleeves a little, revealing the silver-cased watch on his wrist, and then walked towards them.

…