Family's Shock

After Lin Feng and the other two left, a strange atmosphere fell upon the private room.

"These students have quite the big mouths nowadays."

After a moment, the fatty, who had been livening up the atmosphere earlier, raised his wine glass and broke the ice.

"Yeah, saying they can't afford small families? How ridiculous."

"Kids like to brag, don't take it seriously. Everyone, keep eating, this place's 'Jue Wei' really does taste good."

The relatives chimed in, but this did not ease Chen Hao's parents' expressions, as they felt they had lost face completely. In the eyes of some relatives, there was even a hint of mockery and schadenfreude, making them wish this family gathering would end quickly.

In the Chen family, although Chen Hao's father wasn't the eldest son, ranking third, his status in the family was still very high due to his economic strength. He liked to make decisions, which many relatives found displeasing. Seeing him in an awkward situation now, while not outright ridicule, carried a sense of watching a good show.

"You need to break up with that woman completely today. How many times have I told you not to let her pester you anymore?"

Chen Hao's mother said sternly to Chen Hao, her tone somewhat exasperated.

She had disliked her son's girlfriend from the start.

Although Lin Kerou was attractive, and after so many years of getting to know her, she was indeed a gentle woman.

Even when they disagreed with the two dating, and sometimes spoke coldly, that girl had always shown them respect. It was clear she was a well-brought-up girl.

Such a girl was very suitable to be a wife!

This was a fact they could not and would not deny.

But her education and background determined that she was just an ordinary factory worker.

If Chen Hao married her, it would not help his career in any way; it might even drag him down.

After all, that family lived in the Anbian Residential Area.

For poor people, there were always various troublesome matters.

After today's incident, Chen Hao's mother's resolve was further strengthened.

Facing his mother's demands, Chen Hao lowered his head and remained silent. He didn't want to leave his girlfriend, nor did he want to directly refute his mother.

"Alright, stop talking. Xiao Hao, you're still young, you can consider it more. No need to rush into marriage."

At this moment, his grandfather, who had been eating and had not offered any opinions, spoke up.

As the eldest elder of the family, his words meant the end of the topic.

"Understood, Grandpa," Chen Hao nodded.

"Everyone, let's eat, or the dishes will get cold."

Just as Chen Hao's mother was urging everyone to eat, a waitress knocked on the screen and pushed in a mobile dining table.

"Excuse me, we'll be serving your dishes now."

The waitress served seven or eight dishes in succession, all heavy dishes, big fish and big meat, and she showed no signs of stopping.

"Wait, we didn't order this many dishes?" At this moment, Chen Hao's mother quickly reached out to stop the waitress, asking in confusion.

She had ordered the dishes today, and they had already been eating for a while, so the dishes should have been served.

"That's right, they are for your private room," the waitress replied politely.

"You ordered them?"

Chen Hao's mother asked her husband and relatives in confusion, but received negative answers.

"Are you mistaken? We won't pay if you served the wrong dishes." Chen Hao's mother asked again, her temper flaring as she was already in a bad mood.

After serving the last dish, the waitress smiled and said, "That's right, someone has already paid for these."

"Who paid?"

Chen Hao's mother asked, her face looking very displeased.

She seemed to have guessed the answer, and many others had also guessed, but were just a little disbelieving.

"A student ordered them. They've already packed their own food to take away,"

The waitress said with a smile, "He also said your dishes were too bland and ordered some greasy ones to supplement."

After delivering her lines, the waitress happily left the private room with the 200 yuan tip in her pocket.

In the private room, looking at the round table filled with meat dishes, everyone exchanged glances, speechless.

Nearly fifteen to sixteen dishes of big fish and big meat, and not a single green vegetable.

Everyone looked at Chen Hao's parents. Is this how you mocked that girl for not being used to greasy food?

What's the deal with this table of greasy meat dishes?

These dishes alone must have cost thirty to forty thousand.

This was a slap in the face so hard that even they felt pained.

Anbian Residential Area.

Lin Feng's family of five gathered around the dining table. The table was laden with dishes emitting an enticing aroma. Six dishes and one soup, a spread even more luxurious than during the New Year.

Although very hungry, no one touched their chopsticks. Instead, all eyes turned to Lin Feng.

"Alright, everyone's here. What good news are you going to announce?" Lin Fang asked Lin Feng, her tone a mix of helplessness and anxiety.

Yesterday, Lin Feng's failed awakening had kept Lin Fang awake all night, worried about her son. After a full day of work, she returned home exhausted. Just as she was about to start cooking, she was startled by the sight of a table laden with delicious food.

How much did this cost?

This was clearly the work of Lin Feng and Lin Kerou, who had returned home early. When she asked, she received no answer. Her daughter, with a mysterious smile, said they had good news to announce once the family was all together.

"Brother, did you win the lottery?"

Ma Lele exclaimed excitedly, unable to stop swallowing. She had never eaten so much good food before. She patted her stomach, feeling it had shrunk.

"This table must be two or three thousand, right? You really won the lottery?" Old Ma also asked curiously.

This meal alone was almost his monthly salary.

As a minor clerk in a low-ranking government department, Old Ma might not have tasted such delicacies, but he had a good eye.

"Kerou, why are you smiling? Do you know something?" Old Ma asked Lin Kerou, as she had been smiling the entire time, as if she knew what was going on.

Facing Old Ma's confusion, Lin Kerou smiled without answering.

She had already recovered from her sadness and unease. All previous obstacles were gone.

Life was suddenly filled with hope.

She was proud to have such a brother!

When she first heard the news, she was also shocked and disbelieving. She was curious to see what expressions they would have later.

Under everyone's gaze, Lin Feng smiled and said, "This afternoon, I challenged someone at the Thunder Martial Arts Hall arena and earned 180,000."

"How is that possible?"

Lin Fang exclaimed in disbelief as soon as Lin Feng finished speaking.

Although she wasn't a Martial Artist and didn't pay attention to Martial Arts, she was familiar with Martial Arts Halls.

She knew that bets could be placed at Martial Arts Halls, but how could a high school student at Body Cultivation Seventh Stage earn so much money?

Lin Feng didn't explain his mother's doubts. Instead, he continued, "Actually, I didn't fail my awakening on Awakening Day."

"What?"

This time, even Old Ma exclaimed in surprise.

Yesterday, they had all been saddened by Lin Feng's failed awakening. His wife, Lin Fang, had even tossed and turned sleeplessly all night.

Coupled with Lin Feng's dejected, weak, and sleepless appearance that morning, everyone was very worried about him, fearing he might be stimulated.

If he didn't fail, did he succeed?

"Actually, I could have refined a Ninth-grade Demon Spirit, or even a Demon Spirit from the Earth Ranking. I just had bad luck and couldn't find one with a suitable attribute, so I gave up."

Lin Fang and Old Ma were a bit dazed. Only Ma Lele, after a moment of slight surprise, quickly reacted and shouted, "I knew my brother was the most amazing!"

Ma Lele waved her little hands, jumping up and down excitedly.

After a long while, Lin Fang finally came to her senses and asked, "Then why didn't you say anything yesterday?"

"I did!" Lin Feng said helplessly. "I told Lele that those Demon Spirits were too low-level and I couldn't find a suitable one."

At this moment, Lin Fang and Old Ma seemed to realize that Lin Feng had indeed said that yesterday.

They had thought Lin Feng was just trying to maintain his image as an older brother or comforting Lele with an excuse. They never imagined it was actually true.

Upon learning that Lin Feng's martial arts talent was also extraordinary, Lin Fang and Old Ma didn't feel happy. Instead, they felt scared. They suspected Lin Feng might have been stimulated or that this was a prank.

A martial arts prodigy?

Refining a Demon Spirit from the Earth Ranking?

This felt like listening to the news.

And this news was from yesterday, with the protagonist named Ye Qiu.

That Ye Qiu had exceptional martial arts talent, reaching Body Cultivation Ninth Stage at just fifteen years old, just one step away from becoming a Martial Artist. He had refined the Thorn Demon Dragon, ranked 46th on the Earth Ranking. Wasn't he exactly this kind of genius?

Was their son also a genius like Ye Qiu?

"Then why are you..."

This dinner lasted for over an hour. Even though Lin Feng had explained a lot, Lin Fang and Old Ma still found it hard to believe.

The dinner was extremely lavish, but Lin Fang and Old Ma both found it rather tasteless.

Originally, their expectations for Lin Feng were that he would be admitted into one of the Nine Elite Joint Schools, and after graduation, the family could move into the inner city.

But now, all of this seemed within reach, even far exceeding their hopes, making it all feel too unreal.

"You don't have to look at me like that."

Seeing his mother staring at him, Lin Feng showed a wry smile and shook his head helplessly.

He knew the news was too exaggerated and hard for people to believe.

Lin Feng hadn't originally planned to let his family know so soon. He intended to refine the Nightmare and get admitted into one of the three Hero Academies first.

At that time, with the facts laid bare, it would be more credible and easier for his family to accept.

However, plans couldn't keep up with changes. Due to the conflict at school and his elder sister's situation, Lin Feng had to reveal it early.

Starting from tomorrow, everything would begin to change.