Light and Greasy

Lin Feng quickly exited the Thunder Martial Arts Hall through the underground passage beneath the arena and along the members-only corridor.

"Gao Hai, I'm at..."

Lin Feng pulled out his mobile phone in a corner to contact Gao Hai.

He hadn't used the main entrance but a special passage because quite a crowd had gathered at the main entrance of the Thunder Martial Arts Hall at that moment.

These people were cursing and looking hostile. From their words, Lin Feng could vaguely hear the phrase "high school student." It was obvious they were there to cause trouble for him.

These gamblers, having lost heavily, needed to vent their anger. However, they were quickly dispersed by the martial arts hall's security guards. They didn't leave far, though, and continued to search for their target in the crowd.

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

"Brother Feng, how much did you win?"

Gao Hai asked excitedly the moment he appeared, unable to wait.

"180,000."

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

"Why only 180,000? That's so little?" Gao Hai asked, confused.

"My combat card has a maximum bet limit of 10,000," Lin Feng said regretfully.

He had initially thought he would win close to a million. Later, he learned from the staff that there was a limit on the bets.

For a low-level member like him who had just registered, the maximum limit was only 10,000. This was the martial arts hall's way of preventing fixed fights. With such a low limit, there was no point in rigging fights.

As for higher betting limits, they required layers of verification, and ordinary people couldn't obtain them.

"What a shame. If our bet had been 10,000, we could have earned at least another hundred thousand."

Gao Hai realized the situation and felt a bit regretful.

However, his regret didn't last long. This amount of money already exceeded his initial expectations.

This was Lin Feng's first time at the martial arts hall, which allowed him to play the underdog. There wouldn't be such an opportunity again.

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

Lin Feng said, putting his arm around Gao Hai's shoulder.

He always felt he owed Gao Hai, his good brother since childhood. He couldn't make up for it in his past life, but now that he had the chance, Lin Feng wanted to give him everything he could. This small amount of money was nothing.

"Heh heh, you don't have to give me that much. Just give me some."

Gao Hai's chubby face was flushed, a sign of excitement. He chuckled, a little embarrassed. "I didn't even do much, how can I take so much?"

Like Lin Feng, Gao Hai's family background was very ordinary. It could be said that everyone living in the Anbian Residential Area was poor.

Besides Gao Hai, his family also had a younger brother who was in his first year of junior high and, like Gao Hai, was also chubby.

Both brothers were in school, and the expenses were high. 90,000 yuan was an amount Gao Hai's family might not even save in ten years, which was why he was so excited.

Facing his parents' hard work, Gao Hai also wanted to contribute his part, which was why he hadn't refused.

"Heh heh, don't get so excited. This is just a small amount of money."

Seeing Gao Hai so excited, even a little anxious and lost, Lin Feng smiled. Gao Hai couldn't respond to this and could only chuckle, not arguing, nor accepting any arguments.

At this moment, he was absolutely worshipful of Lin Feng. Earning 180,000 in just one afternoon, what else was impossible?

"It's almost five o'clock. We earned money today, we should celebrate. Is there any good grand hotel nearby? Let's get some takeout."

Lin Feng said domineeringly.

It wasn't his style to have money and not spend it. Even though he was short on cash right now, that was for big money; he wasn't short on meal money.

"Let's skip the grand hotel; it's too wasteful. There's a Jue Wei Restaurant nearby that tastes good. Its prices are mid-to-high, and its decor and grade are considered four-star, but I heard the taste meets five-star standards." Gao Hai was quite knowledgeable about food and quickly made a suggestion.

Gao Hai's chubbiness was partly due to genetics and partly due to his gluttony, which was his hobby.

He hadn't eaten at this Jue Wei Restaurant before, but he had heard about it many times from classmates and had longed to try it.

"Then let's go to this place. We'll eat there."

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

In private room 201 of the Jue Wei Restaurant, it was an open-style room separated by simple Chinese screens. However, the situation inside the room could be seen from the outside.

There were more than twenty people in the room at the moment. Elders and seniors were seated around a large round table, while children ran around chasing each other. There were men and women, old and young. Everyone was chatting and laughing; it was clearly a family gathering.

"Sorry, I'm late."

Just then, footsteps were heard from the doorway, and a young man walked in. He looked about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, around 1.72 meters tall. While not handsome, his appearance was the kind that grew on you.

"Chen Hao, why are you only arriving now? The food is almost ready to be served." As soon as the young man entered, someone in the room said.

"Yeah, your grandparents are waiting for you. You'll have to drink three cups of penalty wine later!"

"I apologize for making the elders wait so long. It's a special circumstance today. I'll accept the penalty, I'll accept it."

Chen Hao quickly pleaded for mercy, drawing a burst of laughter.

"Why aren't you coming in? What are you doing standing outside?" A middle-aged man with a slicked-back hairstyle reprimanded slightly as he saw Chen Hao lingering outside the private room.

"She's here, she's here."

Chen Hao walked out of the private room with a smile, but he was holding a young girl's hand as he entered.

The girl looked about twenty-three or twenty-four. She was wearing a light yellow dress, was tall, with long hair cascading over her shoulders, and had delicate features. She was clearly a little nervous at the moment, a slightly awkward yet sincere smile on her lips. It was evident she was a gentle girl.

"It's a family gathering today, so I brought my girlfriend to meet Grandma and Grandpa."

Chen Hao held the girl's hand and introduced her grandly to everyone: "This is my girlfriend, Lin Kerou. Isn't she beautiful!"

"Good boy, when did you find such a beautiful girlfriend? Tell us quickly."

"Yeah, Sister-in-law really has a great temperament. Does Sister-in-law have any younger sisters or classmates?"

Lin Kerou's appearance caused some of the younger youths to shriek, and many eagerly asked for introductions to potential partners.

"Xiao Hao, you have good taste, just like me."

A middle-aged, plump man joked, causing a burst of laughter. Even his wife, who was even fatter than him, looked a bit embarrassed and repeatedly hit her husband.

The atmosphere seemed to be quite good?

This made the originally nervous Lin Kerou heave a sigh of relief. Her body relaxed slightly, and she felt a bit more at ease. However, when she looked up to observe, her face paled slightly.

This was because, across the table, the couple she cared about most remained completely calm, their faces devoid of any smiles.

"Let's go, I'm starving."

Just as Lin Kerou subconsciously wanted to escape, her palm was gripped tightly, and she heard her boyfriend's comforting voice in her ear.

"Mhm."

Forcing down the sadness and unease in her heart, Lin Kerou put on a smile, unwilling to make her boyfriend feel troubled or worried.

From the moment they saw Lin Kerou, Chen Hao's parents had lost their smiles. In fact, they hadn't greeted the girl at all from beginning to end. At this point, everyone except the young children understood what that meant.

The previously lively atmosphere became awkward for a moment, and everyone seemed to deliberately avoid the girl's name and the topic.

"Kerou, right? How long have you and Xiao Hao known each other? What kind of work do you do?" Grandma, with kind eyes and white hair, asked with a smile at the dinner table.

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

After this question, the atmosphere began to feel a bit subtle.

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

"Anbian Residential Area."

Two questions, one answer, and then there was no follow-up.

At this point, the relatives finally understood the attitude of Chen Hao's parents.

Although the Chen family wasn't a large clan, they were considered to have some business and belonged to the upper-middle class in Jiang City. Many of them even worked in government departments, so they naturally placed importance on the concept of matching social status.

Lin Kerou, who had been introverted and sensitive since childhood, could feel the change in the emotions and attitudes of those around her.

She remained silent. Although she felt a bit restless, she tried her best to maintain a gentle smile on her lips.

"What's wrong? You're eating so little. Are you feeling unwell?"

Chen Hao served Lin Kerou food, his expression tinged with apology and concern.

Today was an impromptu family gathering for the Chen family. Everyone gathered not only to strengthen their bonds but also to discuss some business matters.

To get his parents to accept his girlfriend, Chen Hao had specifically brought Lin Kerou to meet his relatives, hoping for a roundabout way to gain their approval. He never expected that his parents would directly show their displeasure and give him no face at all.

He was already regretting it. He could feel his girlfriend's sadness, but with elders and relatives present, he could only endure it silently and couldn't leave early.

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

"Miss Lin, is the food not to your liking?" At this moment, Mother Chen, who had been silent, suddenly asked.

"Uh..."

Lin Kerou was obviously taken aback. Mother Chen's sudden question caught her off guard. Seeing Mother Chen frown slightly, she quickly replied, "No, Auntie, these dishes are all very delicious."

"Is it too oily? You usually eat very light, so you can't handle oily food."

Mother Chen asked with a smile.

As soon as she finished speaking, the atmosphere froze. Everyone exchanged glances, their eyes filled with surprise, but no one spoke.

"No."

Lin Kerou's smile became stiff. Her chopsticks had fallen to the floor at some point.

She wasn't stupid; how could she not understand the hidden meaning in her words?

She just never expected Mother Chen to be so direct, to humiliate her like this in front of all her relatives and friends.

Her efforts to endure and her deliberate attempts to please were so insignificant.

At this moment, Lin Kerou didn't know that while she was being humiliated, a young man was standing quietly outside the screen. He had been there for a while, silent, his face icy cold.