Farce

"Teacher Li."

Seeing Chen Yun's urgent, signaling gaze, Chen Feng politely called out to Teacher Li.

"Ah, Xiaofeng."

"Not bad. Looks like you've found the right goal."

Teacher Li smiled and nodded, his tone gentle as he accepted the changes in Chen Feng.

He prided himself on being a good judge of character.

At first, he had worried Chen Feng might go down the wrong path, but after just a few looks during this meeting, he basically knew he had worried too much.

Chen Feng neither confirmed nor denied it, merely nodding lightly in response.

After the three finished chatting outside the Hotpot Restaurant, they soon entered together.

A glance inside revealed a bustling crowd, with the rich aroma of hotpot rushing at them.

Beef, beef tripe, pork ribs.

The decor was simple and ordinary. Brown square wooden tables stood in neat rows, each flanked by matching long brown benches, and nearly every seat was occupied.

Fortunately, Chen Yun had reserved a table in advance. It was the third square table by the window.

Wooden railings and potted plants separated it from the surrounding tables. A girl sat there holding their seats, boredly playing on her phone.

"Li Wei, hurry and greet them."

Teacher Li walked over with a smile and spoke.

The girl looked up. She wore a light-colored short-sleeved shirt and a denim long skirt, with shoulder-length short hair and silver earrings. Her nose bridge was high, and her eyes and brows carried a hint of indifference.

As their eyes met, Chen Feng realized that she was Teacher Li's daughter, Li Wei.

He had seen her a few times before. She should have been in college now, only one or two years younger than him.

"Chen Feng?"

Li Wei raised her brows, clearly surprised. Her gaze lingered for several seconds on Chen Feng's physique, so different from before.

Chen Feng nodded and gave a brief response.

He was not very familiar with her. In the original owner's memories, she had left a far weaker impression than Teacher Li.

"Xiaofeng has been practicing boxing and working out lately. He's making great progress."

Teacher Li sat down at one side with a smile and explained.

Li Wei gave an "oh." The surprise on her face gradually faded, and she did not ask any more questions before lowering her head to play on her phone again.

Teacher Li shook his head at that, but did not want to say much.

In the end, he picked up the menu and handed it to Chen Feng. "Xiaofeng, take a look and see what you want. We ordered a few things before you arrived."

"Okay, thank you, Teacher Li."

Chen Feng did not stand on ceremony. Before long, he ordered beef, beef tripe, and other meat dishes.

He ordered quite a lot, leaving both Chen Yun and Teacher Li somewhat surprised.

But then they remembered that he was practicing boxing now, so they did not ask further and quickly had the waiter take the menu away.

"Xiaofeng, boxing must be tough, right?"

Chen Yun asked from beside him, her eyes full of concern.

She believed that rewards were proportional to sweat. For him to have changed this much, he must have put in a great deal of effort.

"It's not too tiring."

Shaking his head with a smile, Chen Feng briefly described his current routine.

Every day was the same three-point routine, but it was more fulfilling than exhausting.

"That's good. Young people should have spirit."

Teacher Li chuckled and said a few words. He could tell that Chen Feng was not lying, and the worries in his heart naturally dissipated.

"But there's one thing. Boxing cultivates one's temperament. I once heard some friends say that the farther one goes in martial arts, the more one must restrain oneself."

"An armed man is easily stirred to kill, but this is modern society now, and the laws are comprehensive. If you encounter conflicts in private, try to reason things out and don't resort to violence."

It was well-meaning advice, but Chen Feng only listened to the first half.

He knew Teacher Li was an intellectual elite with a refined temperament, so he still nodded lightly on the surface to avoid making him awkward.

Seeing this, Teacher Li assumed Chen Feng had taken his words to heart. His smile grew broader as he kept nodding, his eyes full of appreciation.

Perhaps boxing really can change a person's temperament.

A thought flashed through his mind. He remembered that Chen Feng had never been very receptive to advice and had been quite stubborn.

But now, he had clearly improved a great deal.

Soon after, the Hotpot Restaurant proved highly efficient.

A steaming yin-yang hotpot was brought over, and before long they could start adding ingredients.

"Eat more meat. It's on me today, so don't be polite."

"If it's not enough, we can order more."

Teacher Li said with a smile, quickly adding several plates of beef and beef tripe to the pot.

"I want soda."

Li Wei, who was playing on her phone, suddenly said without even lifting her head as she continued tapping at the screen.

Teacher Li frowned, and Chen Yun quickly stood up to smooth things over. "I'll get it. Teacher Li, Xiaofeng, what would you like to drink?"

"Anything is fine."

Chen Feng and Teacher Li answered in unison. The former discreetly glanced at Li Wei.

"Okay."

Chen Yun nodded and quickly left the table.

Watching her leave, Teacher Li fell silent for a moment. Finally, he put down his chopsticks and said to Chen Feng, "Xiaofeng."

"Your sister is very outstanding."

His tone was serious. Chen Feng could only hurriedly swallow a piece of beef, pausing his meal as he looked at Teacher Li.

"The Advanced Metal Project research we're conducting now is highly valued by the higher-ups, and it will have a certain impact on the development of Chi Kingdom Mechanical Technology."

"If we can achieve positive research results, your sister should have a chance to go to Central City for further study for a few years."

As his voice trailed off, Chen Feng raised his brows.

Central City?

Memories flickered. It was a term that had not left much of an impression on the original owner.

Even he himself had only occasionally seen it in the news and did not know much about it.

Noticing his confusion, Teacher Li remembered that Chen Feng had little social circle to draw from. He softened his tone and patiently explained:

"Central City is a super city completely different from this place."

"Technology, lifestyle... it's practically another world. If your sister can go there for further study, it would absolutely be a good thing."

Chen Feng understood and nodded lightly, planning to search for more information about it when he returned later.

Then the two chatted about the topic for a while, before Chen Yun soon returned.

"Here are your drinks, and these are the straws."

Chen Yun smiled as she handed out drinks to everyone. Aside from one bottle of soda, the rest were canned herbal tea in red packaging.

Chen Feng and Teacher Li both accepted theirs with thanks.

"Why is it Juzi-flavored? I wanted lychee."

Li Wei glanced at the flavor of the drink before her while holding her phone and said unhappily.

Chen Feng narrowed his eyes.

"Li Wei!"

Teacher Li frowned, preparing to lecture her.

Chen Yun looked embarrassed and hurriedly reached for the drink, trying to ease the unpleasant atmosphere.

"Then I'll get you another one. Sorry, Li Wei."

"Forget it. I don't want to drink it anymore."

Li Wei shook her head and said impatiently. Then she lowered her head again with her phone in hand and continued tapping on the screen as she chatted.

At this sight, Teacher Li's brows nearly twisted into a deep furrow, and his expression visibly darkened.

He put down his chopsticks, intending to snatch away her phone and properly correct her attitude.

Bang!!

Then, in the very next moment.

A dull sound suddenly rang out. But he saw that customers at two nearby tables had abruptly started arguing, and an empty beer bottle was smashed.

"Fuck you!"

"I just asked for your WeiChat! What's wrong with that? Why the fuck are you acting so high and mighty?"

"I just won't give it to you. So what?"

"Fuck your mother!"

Bang!!

At once, the two groups began fighting inside the Hotpot Restaurant.

Tables, chairs, and benches were overturned everywhere as cries of alarm erupted from all around.

Then, a beer bottle was hurled through the air.

Its aim was off. It grazed past someone, then shot straight toward Teacher Li's head.