Deng Yazi didn’t lift her head, keeping her eyes on the "key points of the report" document from the city propaganda department on the screen.

While comforting, she said, "Xiaonan, hang in there a bit longer. Director Liu is famous for being ’sensitive to drafts.’ Just jot down his opinions for now. Once I finish this draft, I’ll help you revise it."

She had long been accustomed to this kind of high-intensity grind.

From an out-of-town contract worker to passing the exam for the coveted Quan City TV Station position, she cherished this hard-won job more than anyone else.

"Alright..." Sun Xiaonan sighed. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Time slowly passed with the sound of keyboard typing and occasional sighs.

It was eleven thirty at night.

Only then did the two finally send the revised news draft and documentary script to Director Liu’s email.

Deng Yazi dropped into her chair with relief, stretching lazily.

Sun Xiaonan, having washed up in the bathroom, paused abruptly as she passed by Deng Yazi’s computer.

"Yazi! Who’s this handsome guy?! Is he a new celebrity? His vibe is just amazing! Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs... Wow, totally my type! Wait, is this from his high school days? Still so handsome! But... now he’s even more stunning!"

Saying this, she almost pressed her face against the screen.

Seeing her colleague’s "star-struck" expression, Deng Yazi immediately showed a proud look, smugly raising her chin. "Handsome, right? My high school classmate, Tang Song. The photo on the right, I just took it downstairs tonight."

"Your classmate?!" Sun Xiaonan’s eyes widened instantly. "Really?! Quick, quick, WeChat it to me! I want his contact info!"

Deng Yazi laughed and pushed away her approaching head. "Don’t even think about it. He’s already taken. Back in high school, he was with our class’s top scholar."

"Huh? Are they boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

Deng Yazi hesitated for a moment, but decided to be honest, "Well... I’m not sure."

She had been working in another province and only returned to Quan City this year after joining the city TV station.

Back then, she was so excited that she specifically posted the cherished high school graduation photo in her social circle.

She thought about taking the time to see these old classmates and see how everyone had changed.

She even wanted to take another photo of them, making an interesting comparison photo.

But due to being too busy with work, that plan had been shelved.

So, she truly didn’t know the current situation between Tang Song and Liu Qingning.

Sun Xiaonan’s eyes lit up suddenly, continuing to ask, "So there’s still a chance. By the way, what’s his job? Is he working in Quan City too?"

Deng Yazi shook her head, "He’s in computer science, a programmer. He was at a big company in the Imperial City but later returned to Yan City. He should still be there."

"Programmer? That’s great! They earn a lot!" Sun Xiaonan was delighted, "Is he coming to the school anniversary tomorrow too?"

"Come on, he’s very committed, you better not mess around."

"Oh, come on, let me know! Tell me more about Tang Song, let me get the intel beforehand."

Deng Yazi smiled, a glimmer of memory flashing in her eyes, and softly began describing Tang Song as she saw him.

She was placed in the same class as Tang Song after the arts and science division in the second semester of sophomore year.

At that time, Tang Song was sunny, cheerful, and handsome, with a lively youthful essence, the type that made girls want to sneak a few extra glances.

In the third year, he started working desperately hard to be in the same city as Liu Qingning, almost transforming himself.

Unfortunately, the gap in talent was too wide. In the end, he fell short and went to Yan City University of Science and Technology, barely missing his dream.

During university, he seemed to become a different person, silent, introverted, unkempt, and lost touch with many classmates.

At the time, Deng Yazi, worried about her old classmate’s mental health, specifically visited him a few times.

After starting work, they rarely contacted each other.

But she knew Tang Song had still followed Liu Qingning’s footsteps to the Imperial City.

As she spoke, she opened a seven-year-old "interview video" from the cloud.

In the footage, a youthful boy sat at a desk, being coaxed by classmates to speak about his future aspirations.

Deng Yazi looked at the screen, lightly sighing.

Over the years, she’d intermittently kept track of some high school classmates’ status.

Aside from Liu Qingning, the exceptionally outstanding one, the most successful might be Sun Jiayue, working in a good financial company’s fundraising department in Shanghai.

And many others...

Some who failed in the college entrance exams stepped directly into society, now drifting from one construction site to another, their skin tanned dark and losing their past appearance;

Some enrolled in good universities but ended up as ordinary workers struggling in big cities after graduation;

Others had already married and had children, their social media showing only kids and Pinduoduo links.

One should know the aspirations of the young, once promising to be the best in the world.

At seventeen or eighteen, it was their boldest time.

Who hadn’t made those seemingly unrealistic grand vows for the future?

But looking back now, more often, there’s deep sighs and helplessness from the corners smoothed by reality.

After all, while dreams are plump, reality is bony.

How many can truly become the self they most wanted at that young age?