I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

Xia Nan exclaimed "Wow!"

Gu Pengfei didn't know what she was "wowing" about. He only knew that he couldn't stay in this place any longer—they were supposed to come and test Yin Mingyang's abilities, but now they've made such a mess of the atmosphere, what's the point?

He felt that Cheng Haohao and Chen Yue were unreliable, and he had to do it himself.

Gu Pengfei stopped twirling the lighter.

He was about to slam the lighter on the table, stand up, and shout to start the next round.

But before taking the picture, he suddenly remembered something, took out his phone with his other hand, and started sending text messages.

After sending messages for a while, Gu Pengfei's expression calmed down, as if he had accomplished something. He then finally put away his phone and began the next action.

"Snap"

He slammed his lighter on the table, stood up, and shouted, "It's getting late, guys and girls, let's go eat!"

……

More than twenty minutes later

Shen Kang and his group appeared in front of a restaurant.

Looking up, the restaurant in front of me was quite spacious, with large areas of wooden decoration on the exterior, giving it a stylish look. There was a small parking lot in front of the door, which was already full of cars.

The tall entrance is marked by a dark red plaque with three large, gilded characters reading "Fu Lin Xuan" in a bold, flowing script.

At the main entrance on the first floor, there were two female greeters wearing cheongsams even in the dead of winter, though they wore thick undershirts underneath. Nevertheless, they were quite attractive and graceful, which did not diminish their elegance.

Yin Mingyang stopped and looked up at the restaurant in front of him.

They had just arrived in two or three taxis. Yin Mingyang, Cheng Haohao, and the girl named Xu Siyu were in one car, chatting enthusiastically the whole way, feeling as if they had completely integrated into Huang Jing's circle of friends.

When he arrived at the place, his heart skipped a beat.

Yin Mingyang also grew up in the High-tech Zone, so he knew about Fulinxuan. It was a high-end restaurant; even in the main hall, a meal there would normally cost over 100 yuan per person. If you booked a private room and ate a quick meal, the average cost per person would probably be over 200 yuan!

Yin Mingyang had assumed that their group of students dining together at a place like Zhang Laosi's Restaurant would cost around 20 or 30 yuan per person. He had even anticipated it would be significantly higher, perhaps 50 or 60 yuan per person? But he hadn't expected it to start at double that…

"Is this place alright?"

Gu Pengfei turned to look at Yin Mingyang, and added with a smile, "We always come here for our get-togethers."

After saying that, he didn't wait for Yin Mingyang to say whether it was okay or not. He just asked casually and walked towards the main entrance.

"I'm gone."

A group of people followed.

:

Shen Kang followed in the crowd, two thick books tucked under his arm. He glanced at Yin Mingyang, who was lagging behind—this old guy was lost in thought and had slowed down, falling behind the crowd. Huang Jing also slowed down and stayed beside Yin Mingyang, glancing at him from time to time with an apologetic look in her eyes, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Shen Kang didn't go over to say anything to Yin Mingyang; he just glanced at him and continued to follow the main group ahead.

Upon reaching the hotel entrance, Shen Kang noticed that Gu Pengfei, who had been leading the way, had not gone inside.

A male employee in uniform, who looked like the lobby manager, was standing in front of Gu Pengfei and talking to him.

As I got closer, I could hear a little more clearly.

"...We're really sorry that the large table for ten people is no longer available."

The male employee, who appeared to be the lobby manager, looked apologetic.

Gu Pengfei didn't say much to him, but simply took out his wallet, took out a silver card, and handed it to the other person.

Shen Kang's gaze lingered on the silver card for a moment, as if deep in thought.

The male employee took the card, looked at it, picked up the walkie-talkie, said a few words to someone, and then returned the card to Gu Pengfei with a smile, "Please come in."

Then, he stepped aside and led the way, guiding them inside.

As Xu Siyu walked along, she asked Gu Pengfei curiously, "Dafei, what kind of card do you have?"

Gu Pengfei initially wanted to speak loudly, but then felt that shouting in Fulinxuan would make him look like an idiot, so he lowered his voice and said, "It's an Anjia Local Community card. You know Anjia Home Services, right? They created an online community, and only a very small number of people can join and become members. My family is a member. Recently, they launched a card that comes with some privileges, such as six opportunities to use the business class lounge each year, and some restaurants also have partnerships with them and will reserve some seats for them..."

Xu Siyu said that she knew Anjia Housekeeping, and her family used it, but she didn't know that they had recently come up with these new schemes.

As Gu Pengfei spoke, he made a point of glancing at Yin Mingyang at the back of the crowd.

However, Yin Mingyang kept his head down, seemingly lost in thought, and appeared not to have heard his "pretentious display of privilege," which made Gu Pengfei feel slightly disappointed.

However, when he thought about the text message he had sent earlier, he immediately stopped caring.

A group of people walked inside.

Shen Kang quietly followed in the crowd.

He certainly knew about the Anjia Local Community card, since he was the one who had it made. Even the final design of the card was approved by him, the big boss.

From this incident, he also noticed some subtle differences in how Zhong Weiting and Kang Zhengyang handled things:

Kang Zhengyang was quite cautious when doing things, and everyone, regardless of whether it was a big or small matter, reported to him.

Zhong Weiting was more flexible; he would make decisions on many minor matters himself and then report back to Shen Kang afterwards. However, on more important matters, Zhong Weiting was more tactful and would always report to Shen Kang in advance.

As for how Zhong Weiting negotiated those business partners, he knew it clearly from Zhong Weiting's report—simply put, it was a resource exchange.

We at Anjia have a group of high-end clients who are exactly the kind of people that airports, upscale restaurants, beauty salons, and tea houses want most.

:

You need foot traffic, you need repeat customers, you need people willing to spend five dollars on a dish of steamed grouper, and we have that. So let's all sit down and lay out our resources.

You contribute your resources, and we contribute our customer resources. It's a win-win situation where neither of us loses out.

It's that simple and straightforward, but given the reputation Anjia Housekeeping has built in Yangcheng over the past six months, and in the face of those data reports, it's quite effective.

Two of them were insatiable, so Zhong Weiting didn't waste any more words with them and just left—"Don't you even know how many companies in Yangcheng City have these high-end customer resources? And how many businesses like yours are there? We've already shown great sincerity. Since you can't even see the market clearly, there's no need to talk anymore. There are plenty of alternatives."

Judging from the matter of the Anjia Tongcheng Hui physical membership card, Shen Kang was quite satisfied with Zhong Weiting's work.

……

Fu Lin Xuan ultimately arranged for them to be in a semi-private area—a place similar to a large hall, but with each table spaced apart by chest-high partitions.

It's clear that Fu Lin Xuan is doing quite well; it was indeed packed. However, there's some space between each table, so it's quite comfortable.

After everyone was seated, they ordered food and then started chatting.

While chatting casually with someone, Gu Pengfei was also silently observing Yin Mingyang sitting opposite him:

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Earlier, at the coffee shop, for some reason, Yin Mingyang suddenly became "at home" and kept talking.

Now, Yin Mingyang was clearly deflated. Even with Cheng Haohao and Xu Siyu talking to him from time to time, he spoke much less, becoming much more silent and listless. As a result, Cheng Haohao and Xu Siyu gradually stopped trying to engage Yin Mingyang in conversation, making him appear even more silent. Only Huang Jing kept trying to talk to him.

Even when the dishes were served, Yin Mingyang barely picked up any food, seemingly hesitant to use his chopsticks.

Gu Pengfei was satisfied now—that's more like it, that's what "weighing" should be like.

What were those before? The art style has been completely skewed!

Thinking of the "off-track" style, Gu Pengfei looked at Shen Kang sitting next to Yin Mingyang.

Strictly speaking, Shen Kang was the "loneliest" person at the table.

At least Yin Mingyang had Huang Jing trying to talk to him, but Shen Kang, from the moment he arrived by car and entered the restaurant until now, has hardly had anyone say a word to him.

We have to thank Yin Mingyang for this.

……

Half an hour ago, outside the coffee shop

"...A top student like him, must he have taken a lot of notes, the kind that fill a whole box?"

Xu Siyu rested her chin on her hand, her eyes full of curiosity.

Yin Mingyang paused for a moment, and the image that flashed through his mind was the day he graduated from high school. Old Shen lit a textbook with a lighter and threw it like a playing card, shouting, "Burn, my youth!"

:

But when he spoke, his tone had become resolute:

"He never takes notes."

"Never take notes?" several people asked in unison.

"I won't write it down." Yin Mingyang waved his hand. "He said notes are for people who can't remember things. His brain is his notebook."

"What about his classes? Does he listen to everything the teacher says?"

"He wouldn't listen. He would sit in the last row during class and do his own thing. Once, the teacher called his name and asked him what the teacher had just said. He stood up and recited everything the teacher had said in that lesson from beginning to end, and even pointed out a mistake the teacher had made."

"What was the teacher's reaction?"

"The teacher looked through the textbook and said, 'Yes, I did make a mistake.' Then he said, 'This student doesn't need to come to my class anymore.'"

Huang Jing stood to the side with her head down, her lips pressed tightly together, almost losing her composure.

Everyone believed it.

Cheng Haohao gasped, "That's incredible?!"

Chen Yue couldn't help but ask, "What kind of entertainment does he have? Does he play basketball, soccer, or even video games?"

"No."

Yin Mingyang shook his head. "His only form of entertainment is taking exams."

"He said that for him, taking exams was like playing video games. Others were there to be tested, but he was there to clear levels. Every time a paper was handed out, he would glance at it, smile, and then start answering the questions."

"Smile?"

"Yes, he felt the questions were too easy and was a little embarrassed."

Yin Mingyang's explanation became more and more convincing, and even he himself began to believe it.

Huang Jing lowered her head even further.

Xu Siyu moved her chair back a little from the table and glanced at Shen Kang with some fear. "Huang Jing, your friend's friend... is too scary."

Huang Jingqian smiled and said, "Yes, I see."

Seeing that he had become the center of attention, Yin Mingyang became even more enthusiastic and added, "Actually, Lao Shen has another habit: he never uses scratch paper when he takes exams."

"What about his math problems?"

"Mental arithmetic." Yin Mingyang pointed to his temple. "He has a calculator in his head. No, a whole computer room."

Cheng Haohao turned his head and glanced at Shen Kang at the next table, and whispered, "I'm a little scared when I see him now."

:

Chen Yue nodded, "Me too. I feel like we're not even the same species."

Xu Siyu asked in a low voice, "Is he the kind of person who has never been second in any exam from childhood to adulthood?"

Yin Mingyang sighed softly: "Actually, he came in second once."

Everyone was surprised.

"Huh? When?"

"In his first year of high school, he came in second place in a monthly exam."

Why?

Yin Mingyang lowered his voice: "Because he helped a girl."

"What do you mean?"

"That girl was his deskmate, and she was second in the grade. Before the exam, she told him that if she didn't get first place in the grade again, her family would make her transfer schools. She'd rather be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond... She really didn't want to leave her classmates at this school, but she had no choice. Today, she came to say goodbye to him in advance."

"So, when Lao Shen was taking the language and math exams, he deliberately left two big questions blank."

"So he's second?"

"Yes, those two big questions were worth exactly twenty points. He was twenty points short, ranking second in the grade. That girl was first in the grade. Afterwards, that girl specially invited Old Shen to walk around the playground after school, and I was there that day too."

Yin Mingyang gazed into the distance, his eyes seemingly passing through the awning of the coffee shop, all the way back to that evening many years ago.

"I remember the sunset that evening was so beautiful, it didn't seem real."

"The entire playground was red, the basketball hoops were red, the horizontal bar was red, even the old man selling grilled sausages at the school gate had a red face."

"The girl offered Lao Shen a soda, an orange soda in a glass bottle, for 50 cents a bottle. Lao Shen said no, but she insisted. So Lao Shen accepted. The two of them walked around the playground. They walked three laps without saying a word. When they got to the fourth lap, Lao Shen said, 'The soda is pretty good.' The girl smiled. As she smiled, she suddenly burst into tears."

Yin Mingyang paused for a moment.

Old Shen asked her why she was crying. She said she thought she would never drink such delicious soda again. Old Shen laughed and said, "Then congratulations, you can continue to drink such delicious soda from now on."

The whole table fell silent.

Yin Mingyang continued, "Later, the sunset faded, the playground darkened, and the girl stopped crying. She handed the soda bottle to Lao Shen, smiled, and said, 'Here, keep up the good work, don't let me overtake you again,' and then she ran off."

"Old Shen stood on the playground with that empty bottle until it got dark."

"After returning to the dormitory, he washed the bottle clean and put it in his backpack. From then on, he always carried an empty orange soda bottle in his backpack, even when he went to evening self-study. I asked him why he didn't throw it away. He said, 'There's a sound coming from inside.'"

"What was that sound?" Xu Siyu couldn't help but ask.

"He said that if you shake it, you can hear the sounds of that evening. The sound of the sunset, the sounds of the playground, and the sound of her laughter."

:

As Yin Mingyang finished speaking, his speech slowed down, as if he himself had been buried in the scene he had created.

There was silence.

Xu Siyu's eyes were slightly red.

Yin Mingyang sighed, but then his eyebrows danced with excitement, his expression quite complex, unlike anything a human could make.

"Old Shen never told that girl about this. To this day, she probably still thinks it was because she performed exceptionally well back then."

Huang Jing lay on the table, her face buried in her arms, her shoulders trembling. She seemed to be moved to tears, almost laughing... no, almost crying out loud.

Chen Yue picked up his cup and took a sip of water, his tone complicated: "They can get whatever rank they want, they control their scores to the extreme, it's even more outrageous than getting first place. People like that... honestly, I'm embarrassed to sit with them."

Cheng Haohao nodded in agreement: "Now I think that the top student in our high school class was nothing but a fart."

"He's more than just the top student in the grade," Xu Siyu said quietly. "Shi Zhijiao would probably have to offer him a cigarette if she saw him."

Later, while waiting for the car by the roadside and preparing to go to Fulinxuan, Xu Siyu pulled Xia Nan aside and secretly told her everything she had heard from Yin Mingyang.

Xia Nan was originally somewhat interested in Shen Kang, and was even thinking that when everyone took separate taxis, she might be able to find some excuse to ride in the same car as Shen Kang—although Shen Kang looked like a bookworm, at least he was handsome.

After listening to what Xu Siyu said, Xia Nan remained silent for a long time, and then suddenly lost interest.

There's no other reason than that he already has someone in his heart, so why should I join in the fun?

……

Let's go back to the present.

Because Yin Mingyang got carried away with his story, Shen Kang is now seen by Cheng Haohao, Xu Siyu, and others as "another species" that inspires fear in them.

Therefore, they all kept their distance.

Gu Pengfei looked over and naturally saw the "inhuman academic genius" who was respected but kept at a distance and was very lonely:

He was spinning the turntable, bringing a bowl of pickled fish to a stop in front of him. He scooped a spoonful of soup onto white rice, mixed it, and took a big bite. Then, he spun the turntable again, bringing a plate of cold beef salad to his side. He picked up two slices and put them in his mouth, chewing them heartily. His eyes lit up, and even without saying a word, it was as if you could hear him exclaim, "Oh my!"

"..."

Gu Pengfei's eyelids twitched.

Why did Shen Kang seem so at ease, as if he were in his own kitchen? He didn't seem awkward or uncomfortable at all, even though no one was talking to him? How could he be so relaxed in such an awkward situation?

But it doesn't matter, anyway, it's not this Shen Kang we're going to "weigh" today.

Gu Pengfei had a vague feeling that this Shen Kang was a bit strange.

Fortunately, the one to be "weighed" today isn't Shen Kang, but Yin Mingyang. No matter how wicked Shen Kang is, it's useless—he simply doesn't believe that Shen Kang can transmit this "wickedness" to the already wilted Yin Mingyang.

: