CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 33: LIGHT AND RICH FLAVORS

Walking through the underground passage beneath the ring, along the members’ exclusive passage, Lin Feng quickly exited the Thunder Martial Arts Dojo.

"Gao Hai, I’m at...."

In a corner, Lin Feng took out his phone to contact Gao Hai.

He didn’t go through the main entrance but instead took a special passage because there were quite a few people gathered at the main entrance of the Thunder Martial Arts Dojo.

These people were swearing and looking unfriendly. From their words, the term "high school student" could be vaguely heard, clearly indicating they were there to cause trouble for Lin Feng.

These gamblers were red with loss and needed to vent their anger, but they were soon dispersed by the dojo’s security. However, they didn’t go far and continued to look for a target in the crowd.

"Let’s go." After meeting up with Gao Hai, the two quickly left.

"Brother Feng, how much did you make?"

Gao Hai was full of excitement, eagerly asking as soon as he appeared.

"180,000."

Lin Feng glanced around; earlier, his phone had already received a message from the bank.

"Why only 180,000? That seems too little." Gao Hai asked in confusion.

"My Martial Arts Card has a betting limit of just 10,000," Lin Feng lamented.

Originally, he thought it would be close to a million, but later, the staff informed him that there was a betting limit.

For someone like him with a newly issued low-level membership, the highest limit was only 10,000, which the dojo enforced to prevent organized fixed fights. With only a 10,000 limit, there was naturally no reason to fix matches.

As for higher limits, they require layers of approval, which most people can’t obtain.

"What a pity. If our bets were 10,000 each, we could have made at least tens of thousands more."

Gao Hai realized and regretted it but didn’t dwell on it too long since such an amount already exceeded his expectations.

This was Lin Feng’s first time in the dojo, allowing him to act weak and win big. There wouldn’t be such an opportunity next time.

"Half of this money is yours, but I have some plans that need this money, so I’ll give it to you after a while."

Lin Feng, with an arm around Gao Hai’s shoulder, said.

To Gao Hai, this good brother from his childhood, Lin Feng has always felt a sense of indebtedness. What he couldn’t make up for in their previous life, he aims to give all he can in this one. This small amount of money is naturally nothing.

"Hehe, you don’t have to give so much, just a little is fine."

Gao Hai’s chubby face blushed a little from excitement. He chuckled awkwardly, "I didn’t really do anything, how could I take so much."

Just like Lin Feng, Gao Hai’s family was quite average. You could say everyone living in the Shore District was poor.

Gao Hai’s family had a younger brother who was in his first year of middle school, and like Gao Hai, was also chubby.

With both brothers in school, their expenses were high. Nine thousand yuan was more than Gao Hai’s family could save in ten years, hence his excitement.

Faced with his parents’ hard work, Gao Hai also wanted to help, which is why he didn’t refuse.

"Haha, no need to get so worked up, this is just a small amount."

Seeing Gao Hai so excited, and even a bit anxious, Lin Feng laughed and said. Gao Hai couldn’t really answer to that, he just chuckled and didn’t argue, nor would he accept any argument.

At this moment, he was completely in awe of Lin Feng, who earned 180,000 in just one afternoon. What more seemed impossible?

"It’s almost five o’clock. We’ve made money today, so we should celebrate a bit. Any good restaurants nearby to take out from?"

Lin Feng said boldly.

Not spending money when you have it wasn’t his style. Although he was short of money now, it wasn’t on small amounts like dining expenses.

"Let’s skip the big fancy restaurant, that’s too wasteful. There’s a place nearby called Juewei Restaurant with pretty good food. The price is mid-upper range, and the decor and grade are at four-star level, but I’ve heard the food reaches a five-star standard." Gao Hai, who was quite knowledgeable about eating, quickly suggested.

Besides genetics, part of Gao Hai’s chubbiness was due to his love for eating, which was his hobby.

This Juewei Restaurant, he hadn’t eaten there himself but had heard classmates talking about it many times and had been longing for it.

"Alright, let’s go there and try it out."

Lin Feng naturally had no objections, and under Gao Hai’s guidance, the two headed to the Juewei Restaurant.

...

Juewei Restaurant’s private room 201 was an open-style private room using simple Chinese screens for partitioning, though you could still see the situation inside from outside.

At this moment, there were more than twenty people inside the private room. The elders and seniors sat around a large round table, while children chased and ran around. There were men, women, and children, all chatting and laughing, clearly a family gathering.

"Sorry for being late."

At that moment, footsteps were heard at the door, and a young man walked in. The young man looked about twenty-five or twenty-six, approximately five foot seven, and while not handsome, had a likable appearance.

"Chen Hao, why are you just arriving? The dishes are almost here." As soon as the young man arrived, someone in the private room spoke.

"Right, making grandpa and grandma wait for you. You should be penalized with three drinks later!"

"Sorry for keeping everyone waiting, especially the elders. It’s a special situation today. I’ll take my penalty, no denying."

Chen Hao hurriedly pleaded, eliciting a wave of laughter.

"Why aren’t you coming in, what are you doing outside?" A middle-aged man with a slicked-back hairstyle slightly scolded as he saw that Cheng Hao hadn’t entered the booth.

"Coming, coming."

Cheng Hao smiled while walking out of the booth, but when he came back, he was holding the hand of a young girl.

The girl looked about twenty-three or twenty-four, wearing a light yellow dress, with a tall figure, long hair draped over her shoulders, and delicate features. She was obviously a bit nervous, with a slightly awkward but sincere smile on her lips, which made it clear that she was a gentle-natured girl.

"Today is a family gathering, and I’m bringing my girlfriend to meet Grandpa and Grandma."

Cheng Hao held the girl’s hand and solemnly introduced, "This is my girlfriend, Lin Kerou. Isn’t she beautiful!"

"Good boy, when did you get such a beautiful girlfriend, hurry up and tell us."

"Yeah, sister-in-law is so classy. Does she have any sisters or classmates?"

Lin Kerou’s appearance caused some younger members of the family to squeal, with many asking for introductions.

"Xiao Hao, nice eye, very much up to my standard."

A middle-aged, slightly overweight man joked, causing laughter all around, even his wife, who was heavier than him, felt a bit embarrassed, repeatedly patting her husband.

Is the atmosphere pretty good?

This made the originally nervous Lin Kerou breathe a sigh of relief, her body slightly relaxing, feeling a bit more at ease. However, when she looked up and observed, her complexion turned slightly pale.

Because on the seats opposite her, the two people she really cared about had calm expressions the entire time, without a trace of a smile.

"Let’s go, everyone’s hungry."

Just as Lin Kerou subconsciously wanted to escape, her palm was grasped tightly, and her boyfriend’s comforting voice came to her ears.

"Mm."

Suppressing the sadness and unease in her heart, Lin Kerou put on a smile, not wanting to make her boyfriend feel troubled or worried.

From the first sight of Lin Kerou, Cheng Hao’s parents had no smiles on their faces, and they never even greeted the girl. At this moment, except for the young children, everyone understood what this represented.

The previously lively atmosphere suddenly became a bit awkward, with everyone seemingly making a deliberate effort to avoid mentioning the girl’s name or topic.

"Ke Rou, right? How long have you known Xiao Hao, and what do you do for a living?" At the dining table, the kind-looking, white-haired grandma asked with a smile.

"Hello, Grandma. We’ve known each other for four years. I work at a clothing factory, just a regular worker."

After this question, the atmosphere started to become a bit tense.

"Four years, that’s quite a while. Where do you live?"

"Shore District."

With just two questions, one asking and one answering, there was no follow-up.

At this point, the relatives finally understood why Cheng Hao’s parents had such an attitude.

Although the Chen Family wasn’t a large family, they had some assets and were considered middle-upper class in Jiang City, with many of them working in government positions, naturally placing importance on familial status equity.

From a young age, the introverted and sensitive Lin Kerou could feel the change in the emotions and attitudes of those around her.

She didn’t say a word, although she was a bit restless, she maintained a gentle smile at the corners of her mouth.

"What’s wrong, eating so little, are you not feeling well?"

Cheng Hao served Lin Kerou some food, his expression showing a trace of apology and heartache.

Today was a temporary family gathering of the Chen Family, where everyone reunited not only to strengthen bonds but also to discuss some business matters.

With the intention of having his parents accept his girlfriend, Cheng Hao specifically brought Lin Kerou to meet the relatives, hoping to find a roundabout way to success. However, he never expected his parents to directly show displeasure, giving no face at all.

At this moment, he already felt a bit regretful, feeling his girlfriend’s sorrow, but with relatives and elders present, he could only silently endure, unable to leave early.

"It’s nothing, just not much of an appetite." Lin Kerou smiled.

"Miss Lin, is the food not to your taste?" At this moment, the always silent Mom Chen suddenly asked.

"Uh..."

Lin Kerou was obviously stunned for a moment. Mom Chen’s unexpected question caught her off guard, and only after seeing Mom Chen’s slight frown did she quickly respond, "No, Auntie, the food is all very good."

"Is it too greasy? Maybe you’re not used to it, eating too plain usually, unable to handle greasy food."

Mom Chen asked with a smile.

As soon as she finished speaking, the atmosphere directly froze, and everyone looked at each other in surprise, but didn’t say a word.

"No, it’s not."

The smile on Lin Kerou’s face became a bit stiff, with her chopsticks unknowingly having fallen to the ground.

She’s not a fool; how could she not hear the hidden meaning in those words.

She just couldn’t have imagined Mom Chen would be so direct, humiliating her in front of all the relatives and friends.

Her endless forbearance and deliberate attempts to please seemed so insignificant.

At this moment, Lin Kerou did not know that as she was being humiliated, a young man was silently standing outside the screen, standing there for a while without saying a word, with a frosty expression.