同学聚会，我被嘲笑送外卖，默默离场后，酒店经理追了出来

手机在口袋里震了第三次。

我划开屏幕，还是班级群里那个顶着卡通头像的组织委员，艾特了全体成员。

“各位老同学！周六晚七点，帝豪酒店三楼牡丹厅，十年之约，不见不散！@全体成员”

下面一连串“收到”“一定到”“必须给面儿”。

我把手机扔在副驾上，叹了口气。

红灯亮起。

我看着车窗外人来人往，每个人都行色匆匆，脸上带着一种被生活打磨过的疲惫。

我的脸上，应该也是这种表情吧。

帝豪酒店。

光听名字，就知道那不是我该去的地方。

我现在的座驾，是一辆跑了八万公里的二手国产车，当年创业失败，剩下的最后一点体面。

车里还残留着中午送过的那份酸菜鱼外卖的味道，酸、辣，混着一点若有若无的腥气。

绿灯亮了，我踩下油门，车子发出不堪重负的呻吟。

去，还是不去？

这个问题，从三天前就开始折磨我。

不去，显得我心虚，怕见人。

去，我又拿什么去见人？

大学时，我也是学生会里叫得上名号的人物，组织过晚会，拉过赞助，毕业演讲稿都是我写的。

那时候，谁不夸我一句“陈阳前途无量”？

前途无量。

这四个字现在听起来，像一个无比巨大的讽刺。

我今年三十二岁，创业失败，欠了一屁股债，老婆也因此跟我离了婚，女儿跟着她。

我现在的工作，是送外卖。

更准确地说，是自己注册了个账号，什么平台的单都接，送外卖，跑腿，代驾……什么挣钱干什么。

手机又响了，是私聊。

王磊，我大学时最好的哥们儿。

“阳子，周六去不？一起啊，我开车接你。”

我盯着那行字，手指悬在屏幕上，不知道该怎么回。

“我……”

我打了一个字，又删掉。

“再说吧，最近有点忙。”

我最终这样回了过去。

王磊很快回了个“OK”的表情，没再多问。

他现在是市里一家设计院的副院长，春风得意。他大概也能猜到我的窘境，所以才想开车来接我，给我留点面子。

但我这仅存的一点可怜的自尊心，却让我连这点善意都想拒绝。

周六下午，我送完最后一单外卖，浑身是汗。

我把电动车停在出租屋楼下，那辆二手车，我轻易不开，费油。

回到那个十几平米的小单间，我冲了个澡，站在衣柜前发呆。

衣柜里，寥寥几件衣服。

最体面的一套，还是三年前买的，为了参加一个创业论坛。

一套仿版的西装，当时花了我五百块，现在看，款式已经有些过时，肩膀的地方也因为经常骑车，磨得有些发亮。

我还是把它穿上了。

对着镜子，我扯了扯嘴角，想笑一笑。

镜子里的人，眼角有了细纹，眼神里满是藏不住的疲憊和落寞。

这哪里还是当年那个在毕业典礼上意气风发的陈阳。

我开着那辆二手车，去了帝豪酒店。

把车停在角落里，看着旁边一辆辆的宝马、奥迪、奔驰，我感觉自己的车像个误入天鹅湖的丑小鴨。

走进金碧辉煌的大厅，水晶吊灯的光芒刺得我有些睁不开眼。

我低着头，快步走向电梯。

牡丹厅门口，已经站了不少人，三三两兩地聚在一起聊天。

一张张既熟悉又陌生的脸。

十年，足以改变很多东西。

有人看到了我，愣了一下，然后热情地招呼：“哎？这不是陈阳吗？”

我挤出一个笑：“是啊。”

“哎呦，大才子来了！快进来快进来！”

我被簇拥着推进包厢。

巨大的圆桌，几乎坐满了人。

空气里弥漫着昂贵的香水味、酒菜的香气，以及一种叫做“成功”的味道。

组织委员李静看到我，立刻夸张地喊：“哎呀，陈大主席，您可算来了！我们还以为您贵人多忘事，不肯赏光呢！”

她的话里带着刺，我听得出来。

当年在学生会，我跟她因为工作理念不同，有过不少摩擦。

我笑了笑，没接话，找了个靠门边的空位坐下。

王磊坐在我对面，他冲我举了举杯，眼神里有些担忧。

我回以一个“我没事”的眼神。

人到齐了，酒菜也开始流水般地端上来。

气氛很快热烈起来。

话题无非是那么几个：谁升职了，谁买房了，谁家孩子上的哪个贵族幼儿园。

我默默地坐在角落里，喝着面前的茶水，感觉自己像个局外人。

这个世界的热闹，与我无关。

“陈阳，你现在在哪高就啊？”

终于，话题还是引到了我身上。

问话的是赵鹏，当年睡在我上铺的兄弟，现在挺着个啤酒肚，戴着块明晃晃的金表，据说是自己开了家公司，做得风生水起。

所有人的目光，瞬间都聚焦在我身上。

我端起茶杯，喝了一口。

茶水是温的，可我感觉喉咙里一片干涩。

“没在哪高就，自己瞎混。”我含糊地说道。

赵鹏显然不满意这个答案，他提高了音量：“瞎混？阳子你这就不够意思了啊！当年你可是咱们系的骄傲，现在肯定是大老板了吧？跟兄弟们说说，也让我们沾沾光。”

他的话音刚落，旁边立刻有人附和。

“就是啊，陈阳，别谦虚了！”

“听说你前几年自己创业了？现在公司上市了吧？”

一句句“恭维”，像一根根针，扎在我心上。

我放下茶杯，看着赵鹏那张油光满面的脸。

“我创业失败了。”

我决定说实话。

因为我知道，谎言只会被拆穿得更难看。

“现在……在送外卖。”

我听到自己声音平静地说出这几个字。

空气，仿佛在一瞬间凝固了。

所有人的脸上，都露出了精彩纷呈的表情。

有震惊，有错愕，有同情，但更多的，是掩饰不住的幸灾乐祸和鄙夷。

“送……送外卖？”

赵鹏像是听到了什么天大的笑话，他夸张地掏了掏耳朵。

“我没听错吧？陈阳，你？送外卖？”

李静“噗嗤”一声笑了出来，她用一种怜悯的眼神看着我：“哎呀，陈阳，你怎么混成这样了？送外卖多辛苦啊，风里来雨里去的。”

“是啊是啊，”另一个女同学接话道，“我上次点外卖，那个小哥为了赶时间，在楼下摔了一跤，餐都洒了，看着可怜见的。”

她说这话的时候，眼睛却瞟向我，那意思不言而喻。

我感觉自己的脸在发烫。

不是羞愧，是愤怒。

我没有偷，没有抢，我靠自己的双手挣钱，有什么可笑的？有什么可怜的？

王磊看不下去了，他重重地把酒杯放在桌上：“说什么呢！职业不分贵贱，陈阳靠自己本事吃饭，比那些啃老、投机取巧的强多了！”

他的话，让桌上的气氛更加尴尬。

赵鹏皮笑肉不笑地说：“王磊你别激动嘛，我们也没别的意思，就是关心关心老同学。再说了，送外卖能挣几个钱？阳子，你这一个月下来，能挣到今天这顿饭钱吗？”

他指了指满桌的菜。

“哈哈哈哈……”

人群中爆发出一阵哄笑。

我看着他们一张张扭曲的笑脸，感觉胃里一阵翻江倒海。

这就是我曾经的同学？

这就是我曾经想要维系的“情谊”？

我忽然觉得很没意思。

我为什么要来这里？

为什么要坐在这里，任由他们像观赏猴子一样观赏我的落魄？

我深吸一口气，从椅子上站了起来。

“你们慢用。”

我说。

“我还有个单子要送，先走了。”

我编了一个蹩脚的理由。

但在这个时候，真假已经不重要了。

所有人都愣住了，大概是没想到我会这么干脆地离场。

赵鹏的脸上有些挂不住：“哎，陈阳，你这是干什么？开个玩笑而已，至于吗？”

“就是啊，大家都是老同学，说两句怎么了？”李静也帮腔。

我没有理会他们。

我转身，走向门口。

我能感觉到，背后无数道目光像芒刺一样扎在我身上。

有嘲讽，有鄙夷，有看好戏的兴奋。

我拉开包厢沉重的木门。

门外的走廊，安静得仿佛另一个世界。

我终于可以呼吸到新鲜的空气了。

我没有回头。

我一步一步，走向电梯。

我只想尽快离开这个让我窒息的地方。

电梯门打开，我走了进去。

看着镜面里的自己，西装有些皱，领带也歪了，脸色苍白，眼神黯淡。

像一条落荒而逃的狗。

电梯下到一楼。

我走出电梯，穿过金碧辉煌的大厅，走向门口。

晚风吹在脸上，凉飕飕的。

我长长地吐出一口气，感觉胸口的郁结之气，也散去了不少。

就在我即将走出酒店旋转门的时候，身后传来一阵急促的脚步声。

“先生！先生请等一下！”

一个穿着黑色西装、打着领结、看起来像是酒店管理人员的男人，气喘吁吁地追了上来。

我停下脚步，心里咯噔一下。

怎么了？

难道是赵鹏他们恶作剧，说我吃了霸王餐？

我转过身，警惕地看着他。

“有什么事吗？”我的语气有些冷。

经理跑到我面前，站定，他先是喘了两口气，然后对我鞠了一躬。

一个标准的九十度鞠躬。

我愣住了。

“您好，请问您是陈阳，陈先生吗？”他抬起头，语气恭敬得让我有些不知所措。

我点了点头：“我是。怎么了？”

经理的脸上露出一种混合着激动和歉意的表情。

“陈先生，您……您还记得我吗？”

我仔细地打量着他。

三十多岁的年纪，面容白净，戴着一副金丝眼镜，看起来很斯文。

我搜遍了记忆，确定我从没见过这个人。

我摇了摇头：“不好意思，我不认识你。”

他的眼神里闪过一丝失望，但立刻又恢复了热情。

“没关系，没关系！您不记得我，但我记得您！我永远都记得您！”

他有些语无伦次。

“陈先生，我叫张伟，是这家酒店的餐饮部经理。”他自我介绍道，“我找您找了好久了！”

我更糊涂了。

“你找我？找我干什么？”

张伟深吸一口气，似乎在组织语言。

“陈先生，大概是半年前，一个下着暴雨的晚上，您还记得吗？”

半年前？下暴雨的晚上？

我的工作，让我经历了无数个刮风下雨的夜晚。

我努力回忆着。

“那天晚上大概十点多，您往城南的‘静安小区’送了一份外卖，是一份皮蛋瘦肉粥。”张伟补充道。

皮蛋瘦肉粥？静安小区？

我的脑子里“轰”的一声，一段记忆被唤醒了。

我记得那个晚上。

雨下得特别大，像瓢泼一样。

我穿着雨衣，骑着电动车，在积水的路面上艰难地行驶。

那个订单，地址很偏，是个老小区，没有电梯。

我爬上六楼，浑身都湿透了。

敲开门，开门的是一位头发花白的老大爷。

他接过外卖，连声对我说谢谢。

我当时准备走，但无意中瞥了一眼，看到老大爷的脸色非常差，嘴唇发紫，额头上全是冷汗。

我职业的敏感……不，是做人的本能让我多问了一句。

“大爷，您没事吧？是不是不舒服？”

老大爷摆了摆手，说自己是老毛病了，胃疼，喝点热粥就好。

可我看着不像。

我坚持要帮他打120。

老大爷怕花钱，说什么都不肯。

我没办法，只好一边安抚他，一边偷偷用手机报了警，也打了120。

我还翻了他的手机通讯录，找到了一个备注为“儿子”的电话，打了过去。

电话接通后，我把情况简单说了一遍。

对方在电话里焦急万分，说他正在外地出差，马上往回赶，求我一定帮忙照看一下。

后来，救护车来了，我陪着把老人送上车，跟急救人员交代了情况，才默默离开。

那时候，我手里的另一个订单已经超时了半个多小时。

被客户投诉，罚了一百块钱。

我当时有点郁闷，但很快就忘了这件事。

对我来说，这只是工作中一件微不足道的小事。

我没想到，会在这里，以这种方式，被人再次提起。

我看着面前的张伟，有些不敢相信。

“你是……那个老大爷的儿子？”

张伟的眼圈红了。

他用力地点了点头。

“是！陈先生，我就是！我爸那天是突发性心梗，医生说，幸亏您送医及时，再晚十几分钟，后果不堪设想！”

他的声音有些哽咽。

“我爸抢救过来后，第一件事就是让我一定要找到您，好好感谢您！可是我打您电话，已经是空号了。我去那个外卖平台查，也查不到您的信息。”

我恍然大悟。

那件事发生后不久，我的手机坏了，换了新号码。

而且我只是个人接单，没有固定挂靠哪个平台，所以他找不到我也很正常。

“我后来又去了那个小区好几次，问了保安和邻居，都没人知道您的信息。我爸一直念叨着，说这辈子欠了个大恩情没还，心里不安。”

张伟的声音里充满了感激。

“今天，我们酒店接了这个同学聚会的单子，我在后台核对客人信息的时候，看到了您的名字‘陈阳’。我当时就觉得，会不会是您？我就抱着试一试的心态，一直在门口等着。”

他指了指不远处的一个监控摄像头。

“我刚才在监控里看到您从包厢里出来，脸色很不好，我怕您直接走了，就赶紧追了出来。”

原来是这样。

我心里五味杂陈。

我没想到，我一个无心之举，竟然救了一个人的命。

我也没想到，我的这点微不足道的善意，会被人如此郑重地记在心里。

“你父亲……他现在身体怎么样了？”我问。

“托您的福，恢复得很好！现在每天还能去公园遛弯呢 instructing the chef to prepare a special meal. The chef, a burly man with a white hat, nodded and immediately got to work.

Manager Zhang led me to a quiet and elegant small private room. The decoration here was completely different from the noisy牡丹厅. It was antique and full of scholarly atmosphere.

"Mr. Chen, please have a seat. The dishes will be ready soon. They are all my father's favorite home-style dishes. I hope you'll like them."

I sat on the rosewood chair, feeling a bit constrained.

"Manager Zhang, you're being too polite. It was just a small thing."

"To you, it might have been a small thing, but to me and my family, it was a life-saving grace." His expression was extremely serious. "My mother passed away early, and my father raised me and my sister by himself. He is our everything. If anything had happened to him that day, I... I really don't know what I would do."

As he spoke, his eyes turned red again.

I didn't know how to comfort him, so I could only hand him a tissue.

Soon, the dishes were served.

Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried shredded potatoes, braised pork ribs with potatoes... they were all the most common home-style dishes, but they were exquisitely cooked and smelled delicious.

"These are the dishes my dad taught me to cook when I was a kid. He said, no matter how successful a person is outside, they can't forget the taste of home." Manager Zhang picked up a piece of pork rib for me. "Mr. Chen, try it. See if it's to your taste."

I picked up my chopsticks and took a bite.

The ribs were tender and flavorful, melting in my mouth.

A warm current flowed from my stomach to my whole body.

I hadn't eaten a proper meal like this in a long time.

Usually, to save time, I would just gobble down a bun or a bowl of instant noodles on the side of the road.

"It's delicious." I said sincerely.

Manager Zhang smiled, a smile of genuine happiness.

We ate and chatted.

He told me about his struggles after graduating from university, how he started as a waiter, and how he worked his way up to his current position step by step.

I also briefly talked about my own experience, my entrepreneurial failure, my divorce, and my current situation.

I didn't hide anything, nor did I complain.

I just stated the facts calmly.

Manager Zhang listened quietly, his eyes full of understanding and respect.

"Mr. Chen, I've also failed in business before, and I know how hard it is." He said, "But you didn't give up on yourself. You relied on your own hands to support yourself. This is more respectable than anyone else."

His words hit the softest spot in my heart.

For so long, I had been met with either pity or ridicule.

He was the first person to say that I was "respectable."

My nose felt a bit sour.

"Manager Zhang, thank you."

"Don't call me Manager Zhang. If you don't mind, just call me Xiao Zhang, or Zhang Wei." He said with a smile. "I should be the one thanking you."

He poured me a cup of tea.

The tea was fragrant and refreshing.

"Mr. Chen... no, Brother Chen." He changed his address. "I have an presumptuous request. I wonder if I should say it."

"Go ahead."

"Our hotel's logistics and purchasing department is short of a deputy supervisor. This position requires someone who is responsible, careful, and has a strong sense of integrity. I've been looking for a suitable candidate for a long time, but I haven't found one."

He looked at me, his eyes sincere.

"Brother Chen, from what you did that day, I can see that you are such a person. I wonder if you are interested in giving it a try?"

I was stunned.

He was offering me a job?

A deputy supervisor of the logistics and purchasing department of a five-star hotel.

This was a position that many people couldn't get even if they tried.

My first reaction was to refuse.

I was just a food delivery man, what did I know about logistics and purchasing?

"Xiao Zhang, thank you for your kindness. But I... I'm afraid I'm not competent."

"Brother Chen, don't rush to refuse." Zhang Wei said, "Experience can be learned, and skills can be honed. But character is the most important thing. This position holds a lot of power, and there are many temptations. If the person in charge is not upright, it will cause huge losses to the hotel. I believe in your character."

He paused, and then said, "Of course, I'm not forcing you. You can think about it. The salary for this position is about 15,000 a month after tax, with five social insurances and one housing fund, and year-end bonuses. If you are interested, you can come to work anytime."

15,000 a month.

With five social insurances and one housing fund.

This was a treatment I didn't even dare to dream of.

My heart was beating fast.

This was not just a job, but a new opportunity, a new life.

An opportunity to get out of my predicament and start over.

But... could I really do it?

I was silent.

Zhang Wei didn't urge me. He just quietly refilled my teacup.

"Brother Chen, I know you may have concerns. How about this, you can come and try it for a month first. If you feel it's not suitable, you can leave at any time. I will still pay you the salary for this month. What do you think?"

He had thought of everything for me.

This sincerity, this trust, moved me deeply.

I looked up at him.

I saw trust and encouragement in his eyes.

A long-lost passion and courage slowly surged in my chest.

Why not give it a try?

I've already hit rock bottom, what else is there to lose?

I took a deep breath and stood up.

I bowed deeply to Zhang Wei.

"Xiao Zhang, thank you. I... I'm willing to try."

Zhang Wei was overjoyed. He quickly stood up and helped me up.

"Great! Brother Chen, I believe you can do it!"

That night, we talked for a long time.

It was like we were old friends who had known each other for years.

When I left the hotel, it was already past eleven o'clock.

Zhang Wei insisted on seeing me to the parking lot.

When he saw my old second-hand car, he didn't show any surprise or contempt.

He just patted my shoulder and said, "Brother Chen, drive safely on the road."

I nodded, got in the car, and started the engine.

As the car drove out of the parking lot, I looked in the rearview mirror.

Zhang Wei was still standing there, waving at me.

My eyes suddenly became blurry.

I drove the car, wandering aimlessly on the streets.

The neon lights of the city flashed outside the window, creating a dreamlike scene.

Everything that happened tonight felt like a dream.

The ridicule at the class reunion, the sudden appearance of Manager Zhang, the truth of the past, the new job opportunity...

It was a roller coaster of emotions, a mix of sorrow and joy.

My phone vibrated.

I picked it up and saw it was a message from Wang Lei.

"Yangzi, are you okay? Don't take what they said to heart. They're just a bunch of snobs."

A few seconds later, another message came.

"I just scolded Zhao Peng. That guy is too much. I've decided to block him. I won't associate with such a person in the future."

Looking at his message, a warm feeling flowed through my heart.

In this cold world, there was still true friendship.

I replied: "I'm fine. Don't worry. Thank you, brother."

He quickly replied with a "fist" emoji.

Then, the class reunion group, which had been quiet, suddenly became lively again.

Someone艾特ed me.

It was Li Jing.

"@陈阳, Chen Yang, Manager Zhang from the hotel just came to our private room. He said your meal tonight is waived, and the entire bill for our reunion is also waived, as a token of his gratitude to you. What's going on?"

Her message was like a bomb thrown into the group.

The group exploded in an instant.

"What? The whole bill is waived? That's tens of thousands of yuan!"

"Chen Yang knows the manager of the Imperial Hotel? And the manager is so polite to him?"

"What's the gratitude about? What did Chen Yang do?"

Zhao Peng also popped up.

"@陈阳, Yangzi, what's going on? You know Manager Zhang? Why didn't you say so earlier? You're being secretive!"

His tone was a mix of surprise, confusion, and a hint of flattery.

It was completely different from his arrogant attitude before.

I looked at their questions, their probing, their sudden change in attitude.

A sarcastic smile appeared on my face.

This is human nature.

When they thought I was down and out, they trampled on me without hesitation.

When they found out that I might have some "connections" they could use, they immediately came to curry favor.

How ridiculous.

How pathetic.

I didn't reply.

I just quietly looked at the messages scrolling on the screen.

Someone in the group, who might have heard some gossip from the hotel staff, revealed a part of the truth.

"I heard that Chen Yang saved Manager Zhang's father's life before!"

The group fell silent for a few seconds, then exploded with even more intensity.

"What? Saved his life? My God, that's amazing!"

"No wonder Manager Zhang is so grateful to him! Waiving the bill is nothing, this is a life-saving grace!"

"Chen Yang, you're too low-key! You did such a big thing and didn't even mention it!"

Li Jing immediately艾特ed me again.

"@陈阳, Chen Yang, so that's what happened! You're really our hero! I apologize for what I said before, don't take it to heart!"

Zhao Peng also followed suit.

"@陈阳, Yangzi, it's my fault tonight. I drank too much and talked nonsense. I'll treat you to a meal another day to apologize! Please give me a chance!"

Looking at their 180-degree turn, I felt no pleasure of revenge.

I only felt tired.

I exited the chat interface and was about to put down my phone.

A friend request popped up.

The profile picture was a selfie of a woman with delicate makeup.

It was Lin Wei, the "class beauty" I once had a crush on.

Her verification message was: "Chen Yang, it's me, Lin Wei. Can we chat?"

I remembered her embarrassed and evasive look at the dinner table.

I smiled, and without hesitation, I pressed "ignore."

Some things, once missed, are missed forever.

Some people, once you see them clearly, you no longer have any expectations.

I turned off the class reunion group's notifications.

The noise of that world was finally muted by me.

I parked the car by the river, got out, and leaned against the railing.

The river breeze blew on my face, carrying a hint of moisture.

It was very comfortable.

I looked at my reflection in the dark river.

The person in the reflection was still wearing the ill-fitting suit, and his face was still tired.

But his eyes were different.

They were no longer empty and numb, but had a renewed glimmer of light.

It was a light called hope.

I didn't become rich overnight. I didn't suddenly become a big shot.

I was still the ordinary Chen Yang.

But I knew that from this night on, something was different.

My dignity was not given by others, but earned by myself.

My value is not defined by my profession, but by my character.

I took out my phone and sent a message to Zhang Wei.

"Xiao Zhang, I will report to the hotel's personnel department tomorrow morning."

A few seconds later, he replied with one word.

"Okay!"

I smiled, put my phone back in my pocket, and took a deep breath of the night air.

The air was fresh and a little sweet.

I turned around, got back in the car, and started the engine.

This time, the old car didn't groan.

It started smoothly and drove steadily onto the road ahead.

The road ahead might still be full of challenges and difficulties.

But I was no longer afraid.

Because I knew that as long as I held onto the kindness and principles in my heart, I would eventually find my own light, even in the darkest night.