Light and Greasy

After passing through the underground passage beneath the arena and following the members-only corridor, Lin Feng quickly left Thunder Martial Arts Hall.

"Gao Hai, I'm..."

In a corner, Lin Feng took out his phone and contacted Gao Hai.

He had not gone through the main entrance, instead taking a special passage, because quite a few people had gathered outside the main entrance of Thunder Martial Arts Hall.

These people were cursing and glaring viciously. From their words, he could vaguely make out the phrase "high school student." Clearly, they had come looking to cause trouble for Lin Feng.

These gamblers had lost until their eyes turned red and needed somewhere to vent their rage. They were soon dispersed by the martial arts hall's security guards, but they did not go far, still searching through the crowd for their target.

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

"Brother Feng, how much did you make?"

Gao Hai's face was full of excitement. The moment he appeared, he could not wait to ask.

"180,000."

Lin Feng scanned their surroundings. His phone had received a message from the bank earlier.

"Why only 180,000? That little?" Gao Hai asked doubtfully.

"My Combat Card only had a maximum betting limit of 10,000," Lin Feng said regretfully.

He had originally thought he would make nearly a million. Only after asking the staff did he learn that bets had an upper limit.

For low-level members like him, who had only just registered, the maximum limit was only 10,000. This was also to prevent people from organizing fixed fights. With a limit of only 10,000, there was naturally no need to rig a match.

As for higher betting limits, they required layer upon layer of review. Ordinary people had no way of obtaining them.

"What a pity. If our bet had been 10,000, we could have made at least another hundred thousand or so."

After realizing this, Gao Hai sighed regretfully.

Still, he did not dwell on it for long. This much money had already far exceeded what he had expected at first.

This was Lin Feng's first time coming to a martial arts hall, which was why he had been able to play the pig and eat the tiger. He would not have another chance like this in the future.

"You get half of this money. But I have some plans recently that need this money, so I'll give it to you after some time."

Lin Feng draped an arm around Gao Hai's shoulders.

Toward Gao Hai, toward this good brother who had grown up with him since childhood, he had always felt indebted. He could not make up for it in his previous life, but now that he had the chance, Lin Feng would give him everything he could. This little bit of money was naturally nothing.

"Hehe, I don't need that much. Just give me some of it."

Gao Hai's fair, chubby face had flushed slightly from excitement. He chuckled awkwardly and said, "I didn't even do anything. How could I take that much?"

Like Lin Feng, Gao Hai came from an ordinary family. It could be said that everyone living in Anbian Residential Area was poor.

Besides Gao Hai, there was also a younger brother in his family, who was in his first year of middle school. Like Gao Hai, he was chubby as well.

With both brothers in school, the expenses were huge. Gao Hai's family might not even be able to save 90,000 yuan in ten years, which was why he was so excited.

Seeing how hard his parents worked, Gao Hai also wanted to do his part. That was why he had not refused.

"Hehe, no need to get so excited. This is just small money."

Seeing Gao Hai so excited, even somewhat anxious over gains and losses, Lin Feng laughed. Gao Hai had no way to respond to that, and could only chuckle without arguing—or allowing anyone else to argue.

At this moment, he absolutely worshipped Lin Feng. He had made 180,000 in a single afternoon. What could possibly be impossible after that?

"It's almost five. We made money today, so we should celebrate. Is there any good big restaurant nearby? Let's get some food to take home."

Lin Feng declared grandly.

Not spending money after earning it was not his style. Even though he was desperately short of money right now, he was short of big money. He really was not lacking this little bit of meal money.

"Forget a big restaurant. That'd be too wasteful. There's a Jue Wei Restaurant nearby that tastes pretty good. The prices are mid-to-high range, and the decor and class are about four-star, but I heard the food meets five-star standards," Gao Hai quickly suggested. He was quite knowledgeable when it came to food.

Besides genetics, part of the reason Gao Hai was fat was because he loved eating. It was his hobby.

He had never eaten at this Jue Wei Restaurant, but he had heard his classmates mention it many times and had long been yearning for it.

"Then let's go there and eat."

Naturally, Lin Feng had no objections. Under Gao Hai's guidance, the two headed toward Jue Wei Grand Hotel.

Inside private room 201 of Jue Wei Restaurant, an open-style private room separated by simple Chinese folding screens, the situation within could still be clearly seen from outside.

There were more than twenty people inside. The elderly and the adults sat around a large round table, while children occasionally chased each other about. Men and women, young and old, chatted and laughed. It was clearly a family gathering.

"Sorry, I'm late."

Just then, footsteps sounded at the entrance, followed by a young man walking in. He looked around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, about 1.72 meters tall. Though not particularly handsome, he had the kind of face that grew more pleasing the longer one looked.

"Chen Hao, why are you only getting here now? The dishes are about to be served," someone in the private room said as soon as he arrived.

"Exactly. You even made Grandpa and Grandma wait for you. Three cups of punishment wine later!"

"Sorry for making the elders wait so long. Today was a special case. I accept the punishment, I accept it."

Chen Hao hurriedly begged for mercy, drawing a burst of laughter.

"Why aren't you coming in? What are you doing standing outside?" Seeing that Chen Hao had still not entered the private room, a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair lightly rebuked him.

"Coming, coming."

Chen Hao walked out of the private room with a smile, then returned while holding a young woman's hand.

The young woman looked around twenty-three or twenty-four. She wore a pale yellow dress, with a tall figure, long hair draped over her shoulders, and delicate features. She was clearly nervous, and a slightly awkward yet sincere smile rested on her lips. It was obvious that she was a very gentle girl.

"Since it's a family gathering today, I brought my girlfriend for Grandpa and Grandma to meet."

Holding the young woman's hand, Chen Hao solemnly introduced her to everyone. "My girlfriend, Lin Kerou. She's beautiful, right?"

"You brat, when did you find such a beautiful girlfriend? Hurry up and tell us about it."

"Yeah, Sister-in-law has such great poise. Sister-in-law, do you have a younger sister or any classmates?"

Lin Kerou's appearance caused several younger relatives to cry out, and quite a few people eagerly asked her to introduce someone to them.

"Xiao Hao, you've got good taste. Just like me."

A plump middle-aged man joked, prompting another round of laughter. Even his wife, a woman even fatter than he was, became a little embarrassed and repeatedly slapped her husband.

The atmosphere seemed pretty good?

This made the originally nervous Lin Kerou quietly sigh in relief. Her body relaxed slightly, and she felt more at ease. But when she looked up and observed the room, her face turned faintly pale.

Because the couple seated across from her—the two people who truly mattered—had remained calm the entire time, without the slightest smile on their faces.

"Let's go. Everyone's hungry."

Just as Lin Kerou subconsciously wanted to flee, her palm was clasped tightly, and her boyfriend's comforting voice sounded by her ear.

"Mm."

Suppressing the sorrow and unease in her heart, Lin Kerou forced a smile, unwilling to make her boyfriend feel troubled or worried.

From the very first moment Chen Hao's parents saw Lin Kerou, the smiles had vanished from their faces. They had not even greeted the young woman from beginning to end. At this point, aside from the young children, everyone understood what that meant.

The previously lively atmosphere became somewhat awkward, and everyone seemed to deliberately avoid mentioning the young woman's name or discussing her.

"Kerou, right? How long have you and Xiao Hao known each other? What kind of work do you do?" At the table, a white-haired grandmother with a kind face asked with a smile.

"Hello, Grandma. We've known each other for four years. I work at a Garment Factory as an ordinary worker."

After that question, the atmosphere began to turn somewhat strange.

"Four years? That's quite a long time. Where does your family live?"

"Anbian Residential Area."

After those two questions and answers, there was no follow-up.

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

Though the Chen Family was not some great Lineage, they still had a modest business and belonged to River City's upper-middle class. Quite a few family members also worked in government departments, so they naturally placed considerable importance on matching social standing in marriage.

Having been introverted and sensitive since childhood, Lin Kerou could sense the shifts in the emotions and attitudes of the people around her.

She said nothing. Though she felt restless and uneasy, she kept trying to maintain a gentle smile on her lips.

"What's wrong? You've eaten so little. Are you feeling unwell?"

Chen Hao placed food in Lin Kerou's bowl, his expression carrying a trace of apology and heartache.

Today's Chen Family gathering had been arranged at short notice. Everyone had gathered not only to maintain family ties, but also to discuss certain business matters.

In order to make his parents accept his girlfriend, Chen Hao had deliberately brought Lin Kerou to meet the relatives, hoping to save the country by a roundabout route. Yet he had never expected his parents to pull such long faces directly, giving him no face at all.

He was already beginning to regret it. He could feel his girlfriend's sorrow, but with the relatives and elders present, he could only endure silently and could not leave early.

"I'm fine. I just don't have much appetite," Lin Kerou said with a smile.

"Miss Lin, is the food not to your taste?" Mother Chen, who had been silent all this while, suddenly asked.

"Uh..."

Lin Kerou was clearly stunned. Mother Chen's sudden question caught her off guard. Then, seeing Mother Chen frown slightly, she hurriedly said, "No, Auntie. These dishes are all delicious."

"Is it too greasy? Are you used to eating too lightly, so you can't handle greasy food?"

Mother Chen asked with a smile.

The instant those words fell, the atmosphere froze solid. Everyone looked at one another, surprise in their eyes, but no one said a word.

"No."

The smile on Lin Kerou's face stiffened. At some point, the chopsticks in her hand had fallen to the floor.

She was not stupid. How could she fail to hear the hidden barb in those words?

She simply had never imagined that Mother Chen would be so direct, humiliating her like this in front of all the relatives and friends.

All her patient humiliation and deliberate attempts to please them were so insignificant.

At that moment, Lin Kerou did not know that while she was being humiliated, a young man stood silently outside the screen. He had been there for some time without saying a word, his face icy cold.