Chapter 32: Old Classmate 老同

He had changed significantly. One should indeed view people differently after not seeing them for a while.

他真的变了很多，果然是士别三日，当刮目相看。

The version of him that Gu Xiang remembered was utterly ordinary, with no standout features.

从前的他顾湘记忆中的他太过于平凡，没有任何闪光点。

He had average academic performance, average looks, and was generally forgettable.

学业平凡，成绩平凡，长相平凡，所以顾湘都记不太清了。

But now, he had undergone a remarkable transformation.

却没有想到现在的他居然发生了天翻地覆的变化。

Was this the influence of success? Yes, a successful person walks with confidence, growing more charming day by day, year by year. That''s the essence of success.

难道这就是成功的影响力吗？是啊，一个春风得意，仕途顺利的人走路都是带着风的，这样的人会日复一日，年复一年的变得更有魅力，这就是成功的意义。

A successful individual finds success within reach in every undertaking. At the same time, a person who faces failure encounters hurdles at every turn, compounding the difficulties.

一个成功的人，无论做什么事情都容易成功，一个失败的人做什么都是步步坎坷，难上加难呀！

This illustrates the adage that "the beginning is always the hardest," whether in the first taste of success or fame.

这就是万事开头难，难在第一次的成功，难在第一次的出名。

After listening to his parents'' chatter for so long, Gu Xiang gained a rough guess of his accomplishments.

听他爸妈唠叨了那么久，顾湘也猜出个大概。

He had been successful in both academics and his career since graduation, progressing steadily.

他毕业之后一路顺风，无论是学业还是事业，步步高升。

He was just a nobody back then, but he now surpassed Gu Xiang. She used to be the top student in the class, proud and ambitious, but now she found herself in a state that embarrassed her to face him. Her current predicament made it difficult to hold her head up high.

当年名不见经传的他现在已经比顾湘要强多了。而顾湘当年是班上的第一名，眼高于顶，心比天高，如今却成了这幅模样，顾湘有点不好意思见他了，自己如今的落魄让她抬不起脸来。

As he approached, Gu Xiang instinctively took a few steps back, not daring to admit that she was his former classmate or that she was Gu Xiang, who once ranked first and excelled at everything.