The Brothers' Dinner

The four returned to the dining room with two bottles of 1976 Moutai and two cases of Edelweiss beer.

Wang Chao looked at Ye Feng and grumbled, "You filthy rich bastard, you really know how to live! It's my first time seeing a villa with an elevator! Just wait till I drink you under the table today!"

"Not to brag, but if you manage to get me drunk today, I'll write my surname backward!" Ye Feng said arrogantly. As a cultivator at Peak Qi Refining, it would be disgraceful if ordinary people got him drunk.

The group took their seats one after another, and the spread of delicacies on the table whetted their appetites.

"Not bad, Fourth, these dishes are fantastic! These huge lobsters and abalones are just what your Brother Chao likes. Oh, and get me two more tins of caviar. But something's missing, haven't you noticed?"

Ye Feng looked over the rare delicacies on the table and slapped his forehead repeatedly. He hurriedly asked Bai Jie to arrange a plate of smashed cucumbers and one of fried nuts. How could they drink without those two dishes?

"Brothers, we graduated today. From now on, we'll each go our separate ways, and there won't be many chances to see each other. Let's have a toast! May our brotherhood last forever!" Ye Feng proposed.

The four raised their glasses and drained them, exchanging smiles before refilling them. When Wang Chao saw Yang Dong about to raise his glass again, he hurriedly stopped him. "Boss, let's slow down. If we keep drinking glass after glass, we'll all be flat on the floor in no time. Let's have a bite first. It'd be a terrible waste of heaven's gifts not to touch this whole table of delicious food."

Hearing that, Yang Dong put down his glass and said with a laugh, "I think you're just craving the food, you rascal. Oh, I forgot to tell you guys—I'm getting married in the second half of the year. Make sure you all come!"

Cheng Wen asked in confusion, "Boss, you're getting married already? We haven't even heard that you have a girlfriend."

A faraway look came into Yang Dong's eyes as he said slowly, "Our families arranged it. We've known each other since we were little. She's a year older than me, and I used to follow her around when we played. Sometimes she'd even give me a beating. I don't know if I like her; I just feel comfortable when I'm with her. She'll be coming back to the country in a while, so our families settled the marriage. Actually, now that I think about it, marrying her isn't a bad thing."

"Boss, here's to a happy marriage. Cheers!"

They downed another glass each. Apart from Ye Feng, the other three began to flush, and the conversation gradually turned to life after graduation.

A little tipsy, Yang Dong patted Cheng Wen on the shoulder and said, "Second, how's the exam for a government post going? If your chances aren't good, come with me to Northeast China and bring your mom and dad along. You might not become rich and powerful, but you definitely won't do badly either."

Cheng Wen was touched, but it was hard to leave his homeland, and his parents were unlikely to go with him. After all, when people grew old, the place they missed most was their hometown.

"Boss, I want to go home and give the exam a try. After all, parents in Lu Province are obsessed with getting their children into government posts. Don't worry, if I run into trouble later, I'll come to you guys and ask for help. None of you will get away."

Wang Chao, who was eating a king crab leg, looked at Yang Dong reproachfully. "Boss, why didn't you ask me? Maybe if you had, I would've gone with you."

"Get lost, get lost! Haven't you already decided to stay in Demon City? What's the point of asking you? Besides, Fourth is in Demon City too. You've got a powerful thigh right there to hug, and you won't take it? Are you stupid?" Yang Dong teased.

Ye Feng picked up his glass and drained it.

"Boss has called on me, so I'll say a few words. Forgive me, brothers, if I don't say it well. We've been together for four years, supporting one another without parting ways halfway. I think you're the brothers heaven gave me, and this was also our chance to choose our own brothers. So I'm laying it down today: no matter which of you it is, if you have trouble in the future and don't tell me, I'll turn the natural order upside down! I'll slap you across the face!"

Ye Feng cherished these brothers of his deeply. Brotherhood was an unspoken understanding, a strength that carried them forward side by side through wind and rain, a warmth that held them up in times of hardship. They might have had very different personalities and backgrounds, yet they could find common ground in one another. They had laughed, cried, and struggled together, sharing life's ups and downs. When one of them needed help, the others would reach out without hesitation, no matter how many difficulties and dangers lay ahead. Their friendship transcended blood ties, distance, and self-interest, becoming an emotional bond that could not be severed. Even as the years passed, their affection remained as it had always been, their trust and understanding unchanged.

"Third, how about coming to help me? I've opened an investment company here in Demon City. Think about it," Ye Feng said seriously.

Top students from Demon City University were in high demand, and Wang Chao was his own brother to boot. If he trained under Shen Haoyue for a couple of years, he would definitely be able to hold his own afterward.

"Fourth, I'll be counting on you from now on. It'd be best if you set me up with a pretty young lady. I still don't have a girlfriend."

Wang Chao had been unhappy with his internship, where his superior often bullied him. Now that Ye Feng had mentioned coming to help him, he took the opportunity to agree.

"Haha, there is a young lady, and she's a real beauty too. It'll depend on whether you have what it takes to win her over. I'll take you to meet her tomorrow. You'll report directly to her."

"Haha, don't worry. Don't you know how charming your Brother Chao is? Just watch me conquer my beautiful boss. Haha, let's have a toast, everyone! Here's to me finding a girlfriend soon!"

As they passed their cups around, the three grew a little drunk, while Ye Feng remained sober. None of them wanted to leave the table, perhaps because once they parted, there was no knowing when they would meet again. Since ancient times, parting had brought a chill; who could know what year would see them reunited?

Looking at the three who had passed out at the table, Ye Feng declined Bai Jie's help and supported them back to the guest rooms one by one.

In an old-fashioned estate in Demon City, a gloomy-faced old man was loudly berating the middle-aged man before him. The old man was Fang Hongye, head of the Fang Family, while the middle-aged man was Fang Zhongyi, Fang Zhiping's father.

"Do you know the Fang Family's assets have shrunk by almost a third in a single day? Out of two hundred downstream suppliers, a hundred and thirty-six have stopped supplying us! Tell me why!"

Sweat streamed down Fang Zhongyi's forehead. He was terrified of his father, and the matter had started because of his youngest son.

"Father, we appear to have come under attack from the Shen Family."

Fang Hongye cursed, his face filled with anger. "'Appear to'? Is this how you fucking handle things? The Fang Family has suffered such a huge loss, and you can't even be sure who did it! What use are you to me? How did I end up with such a useless son?" With that, he picked up a tea bowl from the table and hurled it at him!

Fang Zhongyi did not dare dodge, letting the tea bowl strike him. Scalding tea splashed across his face, but he did not dare make the slightest sound.