The Altered Reception

Pa-chi

Ye Feng, who was kicked forcefully by his master, finally landed safely at the courtyard gate after a long time in the air.

Alas, if it weren't for the upcoming final exams, he would have loved to seclude himself with his beloved junior sister.

That was no ordinary junior sister, but a betrothed junior sister.

People need to communicate their feelings.

Thinking of this, Ye Feng couldn't help but harbor deep resentment towards his master, the light bulb kicker.

He should visit the funeral home someday to investigate.

Come to think of it, his father seemed to have gone through this process too. He should ask his sister Yujie about it when he returns home.

With a tinge of confusion, a tinge of bewilderment, and a tinge of longing,

Ye Feng strode to the sports car parked by the roadside.

"Hey, long time no see."

The person who greeted him was none other than Ye Feng's inseparable good friend, Zhao Zhou.

"You finally came out. You wouldn't believe it, but these past few days, people have been pestering me, asking about your whereabouts. It's been driving me crazy."

Zhao Zhou had not had an easy time these past few days.

The location of Ye Feng's seclusion was in a semi-secret state.

Apart from the Mu family, only Zhao Zhou, who had driven him there, knew about it.

But for someone to simply disappear would undoubtedly raise concerns.

Like his disciple Dong Meng, or the Liu sisters he had saved, or...

"This... never mind that for now, let me see your tomb raiding notes... oh no, class notes... The exam is tomorrow, and I need to burn the midnight oil."

If it weren't for the exam, Ye Feng would still be diligently secluding himself.

These past few days, because of his junior sister, he had extracted many good things from his master.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have progressed so quickly.

Only, his current strength was still far from being a match for Ling Feng.

"Notes? What are those...?"

Although Zhao Zhou had come to attend class, his main purpose was to recruit future talent.

His focus remained on business studies.

As for Traditional Chinese Medicine, he only needed to scrape by.

How could he possibly have any notes?

"Never mind, I'll just flip through the books myself."

Ye Feng felt helpless, thinking of the thick pile of books.

He grit his teeth in hatred, tonight would be another sleepless night.

Burning the midnight oil

Insomnia

Having finally emerged from the thick tomes that required reading ten lines at a time,

The sky was already bright.

"Ah..."

Zhao Zhou crawled out of bed, yawning.

"Hey? What are you reading, Ye Feng?"

Zhao Zhou curiously asked, looking at the textbooks on Ye Feng's desk.

"Textbooks, of course. Aren't we about to have an exam?"

Ye Feng said weakly.

"Huh, didn't I tell you last night that today's exam is in Advanced Mathematics? Why are you holding medical textbooks?"

Zhao Zhou asked curiously.

"What? Advanced Math???"

Ye Feng's head was filled with question marks.

"Do I still have time to review?"

Ye Feng asked weakly.

"Alas, better take the make-up exam."

Zhao Zhou didn't think Ye Feng had the ability to master everything in half an hour.

As expected, Ye Feng struggled for ten minutes before giving up in despair.

Money might solve most problems in the world.

But something like mathematics, if you don't know it, you don't know it.

No matter how much you're given, only one can remain between Advanced Math and you.

With a face full of fatigue and dejection, Ye Feng walked out of the exam hall.

"How did it go?"

Dong Meng, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, skipped over to Ye Feng.

"Sigh... I just guessed everything."

Ye Feng's head was buzzing.

Apart from the multiple-choice questions, he didn't do a single one.

"Ah... then you'll have to take a make-up exam..."

Dong Meng covered her mouth, shocked.

"Yes... By the way, did you need to see me about something?"

Ye Feng was exhausted in body and mind, wanting nothing more than a good sleep.

"Yes, yes, would you like to come to my home for the New Year?"

Dong Meng looked at Ye Feng expectantly.

"The New Year? No, I can't."

Ye Feng flatly refused.

He hadn't been home for an entire semester.

He didn't know how his sister Yujie was doing.

Thinking of his master still guiding his junior sister in martial arts,

He would definitely not be able to go home for the New Year this year.

Does this mean his happy life with just Yujie would start again?

Thinking about it, Ye Feng felt a little excited.

"Ah... but it's my eighteenth birthday, how can you as my master not attend?"

Dong Meng said unhappily.

"Eighteen for the New Year? You..."

Ye Feng was a bit confused.

"I started studying early, so are you coming or not?"

Dong Meng pouted.

"Alright, alright."

Ye Feng had initially thought it was for the entire New Year at the Dong residence.

He didn't expect it to just be attending her birthday party.

"Okay, it's settled then."

Dong Meng turned and skipped away.

"Ah..."

Yawning, Ye Feng returned to the dorm and fell straight into bed.

Although his inner energy allowed him to have abundant vitality, nothing was as comfortable as sleep.

Apart from mathematics, he had reviewed the other courses last night.

He might as well slack off.

Night fell

Zhao Zhou hurried back to the dorm and gently nudged the dozing Ye Feng.

"Wake up, time for dinner."

He had specifically returned to the dorm to accompany his brother for a meal.

"Huh? Dinner?"

Ye Feng rubbed his sleepy eyes.

"Yes, today's banquet is specifically arranged for you. To celebrate your successful seclusion, and introduce you to someone I know."

It had been a long time since they last met, and Zhao Zhou missed him dearly.

As soon as he heard that Ye Feng had emerged from seclusion, he booked the celebratory banquet early.

He was just waiting to share a drink and merriment with him.

"Alright, give me a moment."

Ye Feng struggled to get up and headed to the washroom.

------------

Bangwan Grand Hotel

Zhao Zhou and Ye Feng, neatly dressed, entered the establishment.

"Let me tell you, the Boss Bing you'll meet tonight has some discreet health issues. If you think you can handle it, give him some treatment."

"By the way, he's quite wealthy too. We're discussing a multi-billion project together."

"If you can really cure him, our business will be easier to seal. Rest assured, I'll make sure to reward you generously, brother."

On their way upstairs, Zhao Zhou cautiously briefed Ye Feng.

This was a multi-billion project, he couldn't afford to be careless.

Originally, this celebratory banquet was only meant for him and Ye Feng. But this deal was a bit too big for him, still in the family's probation period.

It was a huge accomplishment, he had to seize the opportunity.

Boss Bing was a busy man, and tonight was a rare chance to meet him for dinner.

Reluctantly, Zhao Zhou had to add Boss Bing to Ye Feng's celebratory banquet at the last minute.

"Alright, alright."

Ye Feng was a bit absent-minded, not fully awake yet.

"Greetings, greetings, we've kept Boss Bing waiting here for us, terribly sorry about that."