Jacob intentionally brought up the forest, eager to witness the blush creep across Matilda’s cheeks.


    Despite her typically calm andposed demeanor, the memories of their youthful indiscretions and the sweet, ambiguous moments they had shared would inevitably cause her embarrassment.


    Jacob thought it wise to prompt Matilda to reflect more on their past. He believed that by continuously stirring those memories that made her heart flutter, he could rekindle the passion that hadin dormant in her heart for over twenty years.


    Matilda quickly grasped Jacob’s intentions and, feeling flustered, swiftly redirected the conversation. “By the way, how is our former head teacher doing?” she inquired.


    “He’s doing quite well,” Jacob replied. “However, he’s having some difficulty getting around these days. During ourst ss reunion, we made a special effort to invite him back to our alma mater to give us a lecture in the ssroom!”<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    “Oh, really?” Matilda sighed, expressing her regret. “It’s such a shame I couldn’t attend thest reunion!”


    Jacob smiled and said, “It was just a small gathering. We only met with a few old ssmates who are still in Aurous Hill or nearby. Plus, it was just the guys who got together that day!”<fn663f> Newest update provided by ?ovelFind</fn663f>


    Matilda nodded slightly and added, “It seems like many of our old ssmates will be joining today’s reunion. I’ve reached out to several girls I was close with back then, and they’re all excited toe!”


    “That’s fantastic!” Jacob beamed. “It’ll be great for all of us to reunite and catch up!”


    Matilda then brought up, “I heard that Aaron is currently in custody and awaiting prosecution for corruption?”


    “Yes,” Jacob said, feeling a surge of anger at the thought of how Aaron had unted his sess at thest reunion, bringing his son-inw along to overshadow Jacob. That old scoundrel had even ndered him in front of their ssmates.


    Now that Aaron was behind bars, Jacob couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy.


    “Aaron absolutely deserves this,” Jacob chuckled. “We should be striving to lead honorable lives, not scheming to exploit our positions for corruption and deceit. Our teacher taught us to pursue righteousness over wealth!”


    Matilda nodded in agreement, noting that most of their generation’s intellectuals were indeed principled andmitted to serving their country and society.


    Despite having lived in the United States for over twenty years, Matilda remained deeply connected to China. She consistently donated money and supplies during major natural disasters, earningmendations from her homnd—though she kept her charitable actions under wraps, leaving Jacob and their ssmates unaware of her contributions.


    Just then, Jacob’s cell phone rang.


    When he checked, he saw a notification from his university student union group chat, which had been quiet for several days. Suddenly, a message appeared: “ssmates! Matilda has organized a ss reunion at noon today. Who’s going to attend?”


    “I’m in Aurous Hill and getting ready for the reunion!”


    “I’m on my way to Aurous Hill, about a hundred kilometers left. I should arrive in an hour and a half!”


    “I justnded! I flew in from Eastcliff today!”


    Then someone tagged Jacob specifically, saying: “Jacob,e out now! Your first love is back! Bet you didn’t even know, huh?”


    This message came from Zane Colton, a close friend of Jacob’s who had stood by him during his troubles with Aaron.


    Rolling his eyes at Zane’s message, Jacob replied, “Why would you think I didn’t know? Would you believe me if I told you I’m with Matilda right now?”


    Zane responded with a voice message,ughing, “I believe you! Of course! What’s the deal with you two? Back in the day, everyone thought you were the perfect couple!”


    Jacob felt a wave of happiness wash over him and responded with a voice note, “Hahaha! That’s true!”


    At that moment, Leah, a female ssmate who had been close to Matilda, sent an angry emoji to the group chat. “Jacob Wilson! How dare youugh when you’re such a scumbag? I’m furious with you! You’re the reason I haven’t seen Sister Matilda in years!”


    Jacob felt a flush of embarrassment. He recalled the incident when he had inadvertently cheated on Matilda with ine while drunk—an event that had quickly circted throughout the university. The memory was one of his greatest shames and left him at a loss for words in response to Leah’s message.


    As he struggled to find the right words, someone in the group chat who had been silent until now sent a red envelope to everyone.<h3 ss="has-text-align-center" id="chapter-list"><strong></strong>