On the way to the printing plant, Ma Daqiang grabbed Chen Yu and said miserably, "Godfather, you've got to stand up for me. Heaven-and-Earth True Person stopped talking to me after our video call. What does that mean?"
"It means he has a functioning brain. He knows to steer clear when he sees a turd, rather than squat down and give it a taste."
"Hahaha, how can you slander your master like that? As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a wife for life. Aren't you betraying your master and ancestors?" "It's a father for life! You're the one betraying your master and ancestors. Seriously, with your intelligence, you could swagger through Righteous Qi Prefecture unchallenged. Even the strongest corruption would slip and fall on that smooth brain of yours."
"Godfather, are you calling me brilliantly clever?"
"...As long as you're happy. Xu Feng, what are you writing down?"
Xu Feng took notes without even looking up. "I'm recording how you normally chat with your buddies. I plan to study it properly in my spare time." "Why would you write that stuff down?"
"To be honest, I think we could be closer, so I need to understand how you normally chat. Don't mind me. Just pretend I'm not here, and call me whenever you need me to do something."
Chen Yu looked at Xu Feng and found him utterly focused on taking notes, as earnest as a fresh graduate at his first job.
He thought being earnest was a virtue, but surely making friends didn't call for this much seriousness?
And what exactly did he mean by closer?
Why do you need to study how I chat with Ma Daqiang, anyway?
Aren't you afraid it'll make you stupid?
Still, Xu Feng was just that sort of earnest