Age of Legends

Chapter 260 Testing
"Sister, how are you doing at Yude Hospital lately?" Qin Tangxi saw Shen Nuoyi again at the family dinner after New Year's Day.

The restaurant was a Cantonese hot pot restaurant called Yue Tang Huang, located in a prime commercial area. It was a two-story stand-alone building, a rather upscale establishment. Qin Tangxi arrived first and overheard people from the Qin family mentioning that they knew the owner. The owner had spent tens of millions on the renovation and design, and the restaurant was now quite famous in Rongcheng, often with long queues and extremely difficult to book private rooms. It was only after Qin Tangxi's father, Qin Liping, made a phone call that the owner prepared the best private room.

Her family flattered her, which Qin Tangxi was used to. When her family ate together, everyone was in business, and the conversation revolved around various people, opportunities, profits, and wealth.

Upon seeing Shen Nuoyi and her family arrive, the atmosphere became lively once again. Shen Nuoyi is outstanding, and her academic performance at Yude High School is excellent; everyone believes her future is limitless. Putting everything else aside, her looks alone have been well-known among relatives and friends in this extended family since she was a child.

Furthermore, given the Qin family's previous connections with the empress-like chairwoman of Taixun Group, and the close relationship between Taixun Group's heir and Shen Nuoyi—all of which the shrewish woman hadn't created any obstacles—everyone knew that while Shen's father's wealth might not be outstanding among their peers, let alone compared to Qin Liping, the eldest son of the Qin family, within the clearly defined hierarchy of the Qin family, no one looked down on Ning Wenjing and Shen Mingbo's family. Even the usually arrogant Qin Liping was incredibly polite and respectful to Shen Mingbo. Everyone understood that perhaps one day, the Shen family could, through Taixun, rise to the highest echelons of their families.

The atmosphere is a bit strange now, stemming from what happened at Yude School last time, which has spread among the parents. Unlike the parents of boarding students who are delayed in receiving information, Yude School also has many day students. Many day students talk about school matters with their parents when they get home, and that's how the news spread.

It caused quite a stir in the parents' group. The initial news was that Pei Yan had won first place in the provincial physics competition. Such an outstanding student was already well-known among the parents, and everyone who heard it would sigh and call him a prodigy. What was even more astonishing was that his family was quite wealthy, owning a well-known company in Fuzhou. Needless to say, this became the subject of much discussion.

This matter naturally reached the ears of the Qin family, leading the second uncle to tentatively ask Qin Tangxi, "Tangxi, do you and Pei Yan chat when you meet at school?"

Or perhaps her own mother and other relatives would subtly inquire about Shen Nuoyi's situation and her relationship with Pei Yan.

In fact, Qin Tangxi herself was caught in the middle and had no idea how much she knew. Her older sister wouldn't tell her anything, and she was always on edge when talking to her.

Right now, it's just a flattering inquiry.

Shen Nuo, who sat down next to her, nodded slightly. "It's alright."

Her tone was light and unrestrained. From childhood, Qin Tangxi's ability to read her older sister's expressions had become extraordinary. Just from Shen Nuoyi's response, she could already tell whether Shen Nuoyi was in a good mood, whether she was on her period, and whether she would become impatient after a few words.

Qin Tangxi was quite shocked. She had always thought that Pei Yan held a significant place in Shen Nuoyi's heart, and that her previous dissatisfaction stemmed from Pei Yan's lack of initiative. She even suspected that Zhang Chen's appearance was a replacement for Pei Yan. But Pei Yan's setback at Yude wasn't actually Shen Nuoyi being capricious?

Because if she had been constantly arguing with Pei Yan, her older sister would definitely be feeling uncomfortable right now, but this wasn't the case with her.

So... her relationship with Zhang Chen... is real?

"How did Nuoyi get his monthly exam score this time?"

"Second in the class, 675." This is what Ning Wenjing said; she always liked to announce Shen Nuoyi's grades on such occasions.

As expected, it drew gasps of admiration from the entire audience.

Then... Qin Tangxi started to bury her head. Because a group of people started to turn around.

"Tang Xi...look at you, look at you..." "You're only a little over five hundred, you should learn more from your sister!"

"It's still Nuoyi! With those scores, he's got the makings of Tsinghua and Peking University... Our family is going to have someone get into Tsinghua or Peking University!"

Ning Wenjing smiled slightly, "It's still not very certain. This child's grades fluctuate quite a bit. Last semester, he was a little short. Now, we can only say that he's just barely touching the edge of Tsinghua and Peking University. It would be good if he could make steady progress!"

"Of course! Our Nuoyi is fine, we'll definitely be stable. We built our business step by step, we'll definitely succeed!"

The intermission turned into another routine boasting session, with Qin Tangxi once again silently playing the supporting role, forcing a smile.

At this moment, Second Uncle Qin Yu said, "Sister, isn't it Nuoyi's coming-of-age ceremony in a couple of days? You can celebrate at home on the day itself, but invite her friends a day in advance. I happen to have a friend who just opened a restaurant. Why don't you arrange for Nuoyi to have a meal there? I'll take care of the arrangements."

His wife, Feng Feng, immediately chimed in, "Yes, it's a restaurant owned by a friend. I heard the environment is very nice. Anyway, Nuoyi is with his friends, so we're the ones who take care of things. You don't need to show up. At their age, it would be stressful for them to see you there."

Ning Wenjing raised her eyebrows and said, "How could I possibly accept that?"

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's a rare coming-of-age ceremony for Nuoyi, and she's having dinner at your house that day, so we uncles want to do our part. We'll take care of everything for her."

"How can I let you cover everything?" Shen Mingbo said. "How about this, you just provide the location, and Nuoyi will pay. I'll give her the money to carry with her, and she can treat herself. I can't let your uncle spend so much!"

"Oh, it's no trouble at all. I can help out! I can help set up the venue and greet her friends."

"I couldn't possibly accept that," Ning Wenjing said.

"Hey, didn't you have an event the other day? Just keep busy. President Shen also has company matters to handle. These are small things, your uncle can help you out," Qin Yu said.

Shen Nuoyi's dinner party was on a Saturday, and Ning Wenjing had a task party that day where she would be acting as a ghostwriter. Shen Mingbo, on the other hand, was dealing with company trade matters and had to go on a business trip, not returning until Saturday. Sunday was Shen Nuoyi's family dinner, her official eighteenth birthday. So, Qin Yu's offer to volunteer made them hesitate.

"Then... thank you in advance, Second Uncle." Ning Wenjing finally relented and nodded.

"Hey, it's nothing, it's my duty. My family's Wenquxing (a popular Chinese educational tool), the giant panda, I have to serve him well the whole time!" Qin Yu said with a smile.

The Qin family members present all gave him instructions, and Qin Yu responded to them all.

This second son, well, he's had a bit of a spoiled brat attitude since childhood, and he's always been a bit of a busybody in the family. But there's nothing we can do about it; he's family, so sometimes we have to take care of him. However, he's quite good at socializing, and there's a saying outside that the second son of the Qin family is very eloquent. In the eyes of Qin Tangxi's father, Qin Liping, the eldest son, he used to look down on him, but after taking a second look at him today, it seems this guy has matured a bit.

(End of this chapter)