Stepping out of the train station and looking at the land he hadn't set foot on for many years, the Crazy Old Man was overwhelmed with emotion. He then took out his wine flask and prepared to take a big gulp.
" Brother Thigh!"
" Master Li!"
Two familiar voices interrupted his musings.
Before he could say anything, one of them rushed over and grabbed his leg perfectly.
"Aww-- Brother Thigh, you've finally decided to leave Fortress No. 31! Do you know how much I've missed you? If you hadn't forbade anyone from visiting you at Fortress No. 31, I promise I would have stayed by your side every day to take care of you."
Zhou Lingxing spoke with tears streaming down his face, his true feelings evident in every word, completely ignoring the surprised and strange looks from those around him.
Unlike Zhou Yanchen, who clung to Jiang Fan's coattails, the two were both young, and their banter and teasing were normal.
But Zhou Lingxing was an elderly man with gray hair, clinging to the leg of another elderly man dressed like a beggar; the scene looked incredibly bizarre.
"Tsk tsk tsk--"
Zhou Zhengjiao, who had come with him, couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement, and at the same time, he admired this father even more in his heart.
He thought to himself, "As expected, old ginger is spicier. I should learn more from my father in the future."
But now his dad has a powerful backer, where is his Brother Thigh?
"You—let go!" The Crazy Old Man couldn't help but twitch his lips as he said this.
He wanted to pull his leg away or kick the person aside, but thinking of the past and the scenes he couldn't shake off no matter what, he finally gave up struggling.
"Alright, alright." Zhou Lingxing very sensibly let go of the Crazy Old Man's leg, stood up, and immediately took the Crazy Old Man's luggage.
Jin Changfeng, left standing to the side, was furious. He glared fiercely at Zhou Lingxing, thinking, "You always beat me to it! It's so infuriating!"
Fortunately, he had made preparations in advance.
" Master Li, I've booked the best hotel in the fortress and even got the finest wine. It's almost dinnertime, let's go."
The Crazy Old Man's eyes lit up when he heard there was good wine to drink.
Seeing the satisfied expression on the Crazy Old Man's face, Jin Changfeng was overjoyed. Taking advantage of the man's good mood, he immediately introduced his grandson to him.
" Master Li, this is Jin Kai, whom I mentioned to you, my most outstanding grandson."
Jin Kai acted with utmost respect, bowing deeply to the Crazy Old Man.
" Jin Kai, a junior disciple, pays his respects to Master Li."
The Crazy Old Man waved his hand. "I'm just an old drunkard, and I hate all that official stuff. Do as you please."
At this moment, the Crazy Old Man thought of Jiang Fan and felt more comfortable with his own disciple.
"This—" Jin Kai hesitated for a moment, looking at Jin Changfeng, unsure whether to listen to the Crazy Old Man and adopt a more casual attitude.
Jin Changfeng gestured for him to step back, then looked behind the Crazy Old Man and frowned when he saw no one there.
Master Li, where is your apprentice?
"He doesn't know I'm here yet, so I won't introduce you two today. We can find time in a couple of days," the Crazy Old Man said.
"In that case, Master Li, let's go to the hotel first."
"Um."
Zhou Lingxing quietly retreated to Zhou Zhengjiao's side and asked in a low voice, "Where's Yanchen? Wasn't he supposed to come? Where is he? This little brat didn't even show up for something as important as picking up Brother Thigh!"
The reason for calling Zhou Yanchen was to let Zhou Yanchen and Jin Kai compete against each other.
" Yanchen said he'd be here soon, but Dad, don't worry. If Yanchen isn't here, what about me? I'll compete with Jin Kai. I refuse to believe that with your genes, I can't outdo that little brat Jin Kai."
Hearing Zhou Zhengjiao say that, Zhou Lingxing felt a tickle in his fist.
The entrance to a luxury hotel.
Zhou Yanchen dragged Jiang Fan all the way here.
" Brother Thigh, we're here," Zhou Yanchen said, panting.
Jiang Fan was speechless. "Why didn't you just say you were going to treat me to dinner? Why all the secrecy?"
Half an hour earlier, Zhou Yanchen suddenly pestered him, saying that he had to take him somewhere no matter what.
He initially refused, but the other party was so persistent, and since he had been taken away by the Jin Family before, Zhou Yanchen had gone to great lengths to bring Zhou Lingxing, relieving his immediate crisis.
Feeling indebted to the other party, he reluctantly came.
"Listen to me, Brother Thigh, I didn't bring you here just to treat you to a meal."
"Oh?"
Let's talk as we walk.
Zhou Yanchen glanced at the private room number his second uncle had sent him on his phone, and said as he walked:
"Actually, I wanted to introduce you to a very important person, an extremely important person! If you can get in touch with him, I guarantee that no one in the Jin Family will dare to touch you again!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Fan paused slightly, and at the same time, he was somewhat moved.
He really thought Zhou Yanchen had pulled him along; it turned out everything was for his benefit.
"Actually, I also have powerful backers."
The Crazy Old Man is one of them.
Yan Tianyang should also be considered one.
Actually, Jiang Fan was a little embarrassed when he said this.
I always felt that he wasn't quite capable of using powerful backers or influential figures.
Zhou Yanchen really wanted to say, "Can your backers compare to the big shots in the private room?" But he felt that saying that would sound a bit demeaning.
"Since we're already here, we might as well go in and take a look; it won't hurt."
"Since you're already here, this question has an irresistible allure for the Great Xia."
So Jiang Fan had no choice but to follow Zhou Yanchen into the elevator and go to the third floor.
Inside a private room on the third floor, Jin Changfeng gave Jin Kai a look, and the latter immediately understood and stood up to toast the Crazy Old Man.
" Master Li, I also enjoy fine wine, so I'll drink this first as a sign of respect."
After saying that, he tilted his head back and gulped it down.
"Hmm, not bad." The Crazy Old Man nodded, looking at Jin Changfeng, "Your grandson is better than you. He's straightforward, and while he's not exactly handsome, he's decent-looking. In that respect, he's many times better than you."
Both grandfather and grandson, Jin Changfeng, beamed with joy upon receiving the Crazy Old Man's praise.
Not to be outdone, Zhou Zhengjiao also stood up and raised his wine glass.
" Master Li, what do you think of my appearance?"
The Crazy Old Man shifted his gaze to Zhou Zhengjiao's face, guessing that the other party also wanted to curry favor with his apprentice.
So he said in a more neutral tone, "She's quite good-looking, but she's too old."
Zhou Zhengjiao waved his hand dismissively and said nonchalantly, "Age is no problem. As long as I'm thick-skinned enough, I'm not worried about not being able to get on someone's good side."
The Crazy Old Man couldn't help but laugh out loud, looking at Zhou Lingxing, "Your son is just like you."
This could be considered the highest praise, because it was precisely because of this kind of personality that Zhou Lingxing managed to get on the good side of the Crazy Old Man.
If the Crazy Old Man's apprentice shares his temperament, then Zhou Zhengjiao's chances of success would be quite high.
"That's right, that's right. My son looks like me, and my grandson looks like me too. I'll be even more pleased when I see my grandson later."