Sure enough, the moment Zhao Ping came back to his senses, he saw the Dean of Studies walking past the window. With that look in his eyes, it was as if someone owed him millions. It was terrifying.
Since the final exams were tomorrow, Ling Wanqing was here today as well.
That evening, Ling Feng and Ling Wanqing walked home together. After they got back, Ling Feng didn't see any sign of Ling Xiaoyu. Ling Wanqing told him that she wouldn't be back for a few more days.
Forget it. The exams would keep him busy these next few days anyway. Ling Feng casually cooked a few dishes with ingredients from the refrigerator. He had learned all of this from Ling Xiaoyu before. They didn't look like much, but they should be edible.
Ling Wanqing, on the other hand, disdainfully ordered takeout.
Ling Feng tidied up a little, took a shower, and returned to his room, skillfully locking the door behind him.
He pulled a slightly rusted iron box from beneath his bed. Ling Feng had locked it in advance, precisely to prevent anyone from opening it if they found it.
But it had been sitting there for so long. Why was there so little dust on it?
Ling Feng didn't think much of it and placed it directly on his desk.
"Who didn't have a few copies of the Manual of Youth Cultivation during their youthful years?"
He had bought all of these with the money he saved from selling tea eggs, then asked Zhao Ping and the others to get them for him. Zhao Ping had even thrown in one extra copy for free.
What a true brother! Ling Feng chuckled to himself.
The one at the very bottom had been found by Ling Feng, Zhao Ping, and the others in a hidden little shop back in middle school. In the end, Ling Feng had won it in a game of rock-paper-scissors.
The yellowed pages carried a musty smell. The edges curled slightly upward, while the book's outer wrapper was old and incomplete. What remained hung crookedly from it, covered in fine cracks like a spiderweb.
"These are all memories. Too bad this one's in black and white. Some of them are nothing but line drawings."
Just as Ling Feng was about to flip through the newest issue of the Manual of Youth Cultivation, someone suddenly knocked on his bedroom door.
After hiding the stuff away, Ling Feng went to open it.
"Big Brother, what are you doing?"
When he opened the door, it was Ling Wanqing who had knocked. Of course. Who else could it have been but this girl?
"Looking at study materials," Ling Feng said calmly.
"Oh? Study materials?"
A trace of suspicion flashed across Ling Wanqing's face. Since when had Big Brother Ling Feng started studying seriously?
From what Ling Wanqing knew of Ling Feng before, he didn't seem to like reading much. It had always been Sister Xiaoyu who pushed him to study.
Thinking that, Ling Wanqing casually looked past Ling Feng at the iron box beneath his bed. A faint smile unconsciously curved across her lips.
"I'm going to sleep now. Come tell me a story."
"You're already this old, and you still want to act like a little girl?" Ling Feng said.
"Anyway, I'm just a child in front of you. Or how about you tell me about that thing under your bed?"
Ling Wanqing wore a mischievous smile, but Ling Feng panicked. Could this girl know something? Left with no choice, he could only nod in agreement.
"Let me make this clear first. I've forgotten a lot of the stories from before. All I have now are the plots from the novels I've read. Listen or don't listen, it's up to you," Ling Feng said.
"Got it, I'll listen."
As long as Ling Feng was the one telling the story, Ling Wanqing loved listening to it.
Smiling, Ling Wanqing pulled Ling Feng into her bedroom.
Since Ling Wanqing was wearing pajamas, and she clasped Ling Feng's hands together with both of hers, his hands directly touched the softness of her breasts.
Ling Feng's face reddened slightly. He hadn't expected this girl to be so well-endowed already.
Ling Wanqing seemed to think of something and spoke directly.
"Big Brother Ling Feng, are those study materials any good?"
"Uh... not as good as you."
Hearing that answer, even Ling Wanqing felt her face grow hot.
Ling Feng had only said it casually. Why were girls these days so unable to take a compliment?
Study materials? I'm afraid seeing them would completely shatter your worldview!
Yuwen's Girlfriend
The protagonist woke up one day and discovered that the whole world had changed.
One yuan could buy a Ferrari.
Mothers-in-law shouted that without a fifty-cent bride price, no one could dream of marrying their daughters.
Yet the protagonist had one hundred thousand yuan in savings on his card.
He got on a bus and pulled out a coin to pay, shocking everyone there!
Holy shit!
That sheen! That craftsmanship!
Could it be the legendary one-yuan coin?!
This young man has a fortune of one yuan, yet he's taking the bus?
He must have won the lottery and become rich overnight—with one whole yuan!
Only then did the protagonist react, crying out, "Oh no!"
That model airplane I bought online for 1,000 yuan last night... they couldn't have sent me a real airplane, could they?!
By the bed, Ling Feng narrated with great feeling...
"You usually read books like this?"
Ling Wanqing lay on the bed, turned onto her side, and looked at Ling Feng with a strange expression.
Ling Feng was speechless. Did other people have to comment on what he read too?
It was way more interesting than mathematical functions and classical Chinese, wasn't it?
If he thought about studying all day long, wouldn't his head explode?
Ling Feng returned to his room, and the night passed just like that.
Today was the final exam. Naturally, Ling Feng wasn't going to sell tea eggs. He arrived at the classroom early to cram some more.
"Ling Feng, you're here so early today."
"Yeah," Ling Feng replied.
Since it was still early, there weren't many people in the classroom. Only Tang Ling and the other Magical Girls, along with a few top students, were there.
Sitting at her desk, Tang Ling also seriously began reading.
More and more people gradually arrived, and Ling Feng continued reviewing until the exam began.
At around eleven-thirty in the morning, the first exam ended quickly.
After the second exam in the afternoon, Yuwen and the others called Ling Feng over.
Zhao Ping said Yuwen had recently gotten himself a girlfriend, a gorgeous girl from Class Eight. He wanted to treat them to dinner that night to celebrate, loudly declaring that anyone who didn't come was disrespecting him.
Ling Feng was quite curious. It was already the end of the term, so how had Yuwen managed to get a girlfriend? Still, Ling Feng was happy for him. This really was worth celebrating.
Yuwen had also said that he would bring her along so everyone could get acquainted.
Poor Zhao Ping was still asking around for news of his benefactor, unaware that his benefactor was right beside him.
They chose a seven-star hotel in Biluohu Park as their venue. It was the most upscale hotel in all of Linzhou City. Ling Feng had heard that even a casual meal there started at tens of thousands.
Ordinary people probably couldn't enter the place even once in their lives. Ling Feng had passed by it before and dreamed of the day when he could go in and spend extravagantly. But that feeling had only lasted an instant. Ling Feng felt there was no need for it.
Wasn't a ten-yuan bowl of spicy hotpot from a street stall just as delicious?
Yuwen's family was in business and had made some money. They could afford to come spend a little once in a while.
Ling Feng told Ling Wanqing that he had something to do and told her to go home on her own. The result was that she shouted something about no one being able to understand her before running away.
"It's just going home by yourself once. What's the big deal?" Ling Feng wondered.
When they arrived, Yuwen was chatting and laughing with a girl beside him. Ling Feng and Zhao Ping immediately recognized her as the girlfriend Yuwen had mentioned.
The girl wore an elegant pale yellow dress. Her dark hair cascaded over one shoulder like a waterfall, and her bare, refined face carried a faint smile. She really was beautiful.
What caught Ling Feng's attention most was the Astral Mark Necklace hanging before her chest.
However, Ling Feng kept his expression unchanged. He simply hadn't expected Yuwen's girlfriend to be an Astral Mark Girl.
After exchanging greetings, everyone entered the hotel together.
"Su Yun is a top student in Class Eight, and she has a great personality too," Yuwen happily introduced her to Ling Feng and the others.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Su Yun."
The girl named Su Yun warmly greeted them. She seemed quite kind and approachable, and Zhao Ping returned her smile repeatedly as he began chatting with her.
Ling Feng occasionally added a few words, because he had been somewhat stunned from the moment he entered the hotel.
The hotel was lavishly decorated, with gold as its primary color and ornaments from all over the world.
As the lights came on, everything seemed peaceful. Dozens of luxurious KTV private rooms hid within the royal nightscape. Mirrors, paintings, lighting, ornaments, hanging decorations, displays, furnishings, colors, and spaces formed nine new concepts of entertainment, each crafted with unique ingenuity. It was all gilded splendor and natural harmony.
Although they were in an ordinary private room, its decoration was still exceptionally luxurious.
A beautiful, tall female server led them there.
After Ling Feng and the others sat down, the server began explaining.
"Our food here is all high-end, entirely imported from abroad. Anything not used that day is discarded directly to ensure absolute freshness, so our prices are much higher than outside."
Yuwen didn't care. After all, he couldn't lose face in front of his girlfriend, so he told Ling Feng and the others to order whatever they wanted.
Lobster, abalone, king crab, shark fin, bird's nest, Japanese tomahawk steak, French foie gras, Spanish ham, caviar—every kind of world-class premium ingredient was available.
Zhao Ping was very practical. He ordered two reasonably priced dishes. Even though Yuwen was treating them, Zhao Ping didn't want him to bleed too much money.
Su Yun was also very considerate. She didn't want Yuwen to lose face in front of his classmates either, so she casually ordered two items.
Though none of them made it obvious, Yuwen noticed. He couldn't help frowning slightly as he turned to look at Ling Feng.
"Order whatever you want. Don't save money for me," Yuwen said.
Although Yuwen said that, Ling Feng nearly cursed when he saw that even a plate of lettuce cost several hundred yuan.
Damn it, how long would I have to sell tea eggs to afford this?
Seeing Yuwen's expression, Ling Feng eventually gritted his teeth and ordered a serving of pasta.
Ling Feng couldn't understand why his heart hurt so much when it wasn't even his money.
When Yuwen saw that none of them had ordered much, he simply picked dishes himself and ordered enough to fill the whole table.
Expensive as it was, he had to admit that the food here really tasted good.
Ling Feng felt that the vegetables that cost nearly a thousand yuan per plate were no different from those Ling Xiaoyu cooked. In fact, Ling Xiaoyu's cooking was even tastier.
Maybe he should recommend that his sister cook some to sell?
Ling Feng thought this without saying anything. He only silently judged that the food from a street food stall was no worse than the food here.
Winter Tournament Trouble
The atmosphere at the dining table was harmonious, and soon everyone was full and satisfied.
At that moment, Zhao Ping made a suggestion.
"Ling Feng, Yuwen, how about we find some time to practice again? We could enter the Winter Tournament during this winter break. I heard the prize money is pretty good."
"Sure. This might be the last vacation where we can relax. Senior year will definitely be much busier next year. Su Yun and I actually met through playing SK Era," Yuwen happily agreed.
"Doesn't it require five people? I'll join you too, as long as you don't mind my terrible skills." Hearing Yuwen and the others discussing it, Su Yun smiled and added.
"Of course not. Your skills are about the same as mine. You'll be fine in a tournament."
Yuwen said that, but they only had four people now. Where were they supposed to find one more? The tournament required exactly five players to enter.
SK Era was actually a first-person tactical game that blended many different elements. It was extremely popular on the market.
Ling Feng and the others mainly played this game whenever they went to internet cafés. PvP battles always made their blood race and filled them with excitement.
Before you continue