"This set of kung fu is called 'Short Striking,' which I created myself when I was two hundred years old. Actually, it's not exactly self-created, because my training mainly relied on diligence, and my comprehension wasn't particularly outstanding. In this 'Short Striking,' I combined some of the more powerful moves from several boxing styles, such as Tongbei Quan, Piguazhang, Hong Quan, and Shaolin Quan, and made some modifications and integrated them together. However, it is most suitable for someone like you."
Although Chen Xiao had no martial arts training, Taekwondo is a type of fighting technique, and after practicing for a few days, he had become quite proficient.
For the past few days, Zhu Rong and Gong Gong have been taking turns secretly monitoring Lu Bancheng, but unfortunately, the opponent who is extorting Lu Bancheng has not made any new moves. This has left Zhu Rong and Gong Gong somewhat helpless—none of the three, including Lao Tian, are skilled in mental abilities and can only passively defend themselves.
Fortunately, the three old guys had plenty of time. They weren't just doing this job to make money; they were also doing it to kill time, so it didn't matter if it took a while.
Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Night Banquet
Chen Xiao's life began to become more fulfilling.
Every day, he goes to school, and in the afternoon he runs to the abandoned street to practice martial arts with Lao Tian. When he comes home at night, he talks to Ya Ya about life and ideals, and tries his best to teach Ya Ya all kinds of common sense about this society.
What's delightful is that Ya Ya's cooking skills have improved by leaps and bounds recently!
At first, Ya Ya naively thought that memorizing a "Home Cookbook" would make her a kitchen expert. Unfortunately… Chen Xiao used a seven-level system from the supernatural abilities world to evaluate her: Ya Ya's memorization ability was S-level (she memorized a nearly 200"Home Cookbook" in less than twenty minutes), but… Ya Ya's practical skills were the lowest, E-level!!
It seems there is still a huge gap between theory and practice!
The first dish Ya Ya made was fried rice with eggs, which still makes Chen Xiao laugh and cry when he recalls it.
Well... actually, Chen Xiao isn't that picky about food. As for fried rice, he can tolerate things like undercooked rice or eggshells in the eggs.
But... a simple fried rice dish turned into "the taste of life" by Ya Ya! This is truly astonishing.
The so-called "flavor of life" is: a mixture of sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy!
Fortunately, after days of persistent practice, Ya Ya's cooking skills have finally improved significantly to the level of a normal person. At least the fried rice she makes is now filling enough to satisfy hunger without causing stomach upset.
Moreover, you won't break plates when washing dishes anymore.
Of course, in order to adapt to this process, the three sets of tableware that Chen Xiao had at home were almost all used up.
Upon learning that Ya Ya had become Chen Xiao's personal maid at his home, Zhu Rong, one of the three unscrupulous bosses on the deserted street, couldn't help but sigh:
"Chen Xiao, do you even realize that a blue-blooded person is worth hundreds of millions of dollars to any biotechnology research institution in the world? And yet you leave her at home to cook and wash dishes for you..."
...
Half a month passed by carefree. Everything at school remained the same. Chen Xiao had initially worried that the young master Ma would retaliate, but then the kid actually applied to transfer schools. Rumor had it that he had angered many, and several students with powerful connections at school said they wanted to teach him a lesson. Moreover, upon hearing that his younger brother's foot had been injured, the infamous K City underworld figure "Little Red Robe" nearly went to fight the young master Ma's gang with a machete!
Young Master Ma slunk away from Kidd, reportedly after his family spent a fortune to send him abroad for further education.
After practicing the breathing techniques Chen Xiao taught her, Lu Xiaoxiao's kung fu skills didn't improve at all. However, it's said that she's been eating and sleeping well these past few days, and even her skin has become much fairer, with the light downy hair on her lips gradually fading. The only side effect is that, because she's been eating and sleeping so well, her weight is starting to show a slight upward trend.
To paraphrase an advertising slogan: "Super healthy, great appetite, can climb five floors in one go..." Well, basically, given Lu Xiaoxiao's family background, she has no chance of climbing five floors. I heard that Lu Bancheng's own mansion only has four floors and even a private elevator.
June arrived quickly, and the current semester at Kidd College was drawing to a close, followed by a long summer break. Most Kidd College students were planning exciting vacations: skiing in Switzerland? A beach getaway in South America? Attending the summer fashion shows in Milan…
Snap!
As Chen Xiao was still in a daze, an invitation was tossed onto the table in front of him. Chen Xiao looked up and saw Xu Ershao with a sly smile on his face: "Are you free tomorrow night?"
Opening the invitation, it seemed to be for some kind of lavish banquet. Chen Xiao was somewhat uninterested: "This kind of occasion isn't suitable for me."
"Just come with me, okay?" Young Master Xu sighed. "This time, a European consortium is investing in K City, and the local tycoons are hosting a welcome banquet for them. My father insisted that I attend, since he's counting on me to inherit his business. You know I don't like these kinds of occasions either, and if you don't come with me, I'm afraid I'll be all alone and it won't be fun."
Chen Xiao glared at him: "Come on! Last time at some banquet, you tricked me into going to keep you company, but you spent the whole night chasing after all those pretty girls at the banquet, while I sat there alone for two hours."
Young Master Xu chuckled awkwardly: "I remember a woman hitting on you last time, didn't she?"
Mentioning this incident made Chen Xiao's eyes blaze with anger—it was a few months ago when he was tricked by Xu Ershao into accompanying him to a banquet. That very night, Xu Ershao shamelessly abandoned him to chase after other women, leaving Chen Xiao sitting there all night. During that time, some women did try to chat him up—but those rich women all treated him like a gigolo! Some even came up and asked him directly, "How much for a month?"
Seeing that Chen Xiao wouldn't agree, Xu Ershao stroked his chin and smiled slyly: "Lu Xiaoxiao will be there too. Her father is one of the initiators of this banquet."
Upon hearing that Lu Xiaoxiao was also going, Chen Xiao fell silent. After thinking for a while, he finally nodded.
After all, I'll get a 100,000 yuan bonus after this deal is completed. Now, my family of two depends entirely on myself for their livelihood.
Seeing Chen Xiao agree, Xu Ershao smiled wryly: "You nodded as soon as you heard Lu Xiaoxiao was going—I mean, you don't actually like this 'four-eyebrow Lu Xiaofeng,' do you? Brother, your taste is terrible. I think even a cabbage girl is a million times cuter than her."
...
The following evening, Chen Xiao and Xu Ershao attended a banquet hosted by this wealthy circle.
It has to be said that even when attending such an occasion, Chen Xiao's attire is quite deceptive: although the dress is rented, Chen Xiao was once wealthy in her childhood, so she does not lose her composure in such a luxurious setting.
In fact, Chen Xiao understood Xu Ershao's intention in always dragging him to these kinds of events.
My family has fallen on hard times. Although I attended a prestigious school like Kidd University, I am different from other students in the school. Others have wealthy families and backgrounds after graduation. Some directly inherit the family business, and even those who want to start their own business have their families providing funds and paving the way.
I was penniless.
However, Chen Xiao was stubborn, and if Xu Ershao offered her money or any direct help, she would definitely not accept it. So Xu Ershao came up with this roundabout method—to participate more in high society events, hoping that Chen Xiao would build up her connections there. After all, opportunities are more likely to arise in places frequented by the wealthy.
This banquet wasn't held in a five-star hotel, but rather in a luxurious private boutique hotel. In fact, generally speaking, these private luxury boutique hotels far surpass ordinary star-rated hotels in terms of extravagance—the latter are geared towards the general public, while the former are truly catering exclusively to the wealthy.
Located in the northern suburbs of K City, this hotel is built into the mountainside. The main building, designed by a world-renowned architect, has four floors, each with a setback design that creates a luxurious, oversized terrace on each level. The distant mountain views and the hotel's gardens blend perfectly into the surrounding landscape.
The luxury of the banquet hall goes without saying. When Chen Xiao and Xu Ershao arrived by car, there were already polite waiters waiting at the entrance of the banquet hall—there was no red carpet or guards every three or five steps, which would have been the style of a nouveau riche.
The standard of service in true high society should be: ubiquitous attentiveness, yet as discreet as possible. In other words, when you need something, a simple call will suffice, and someone will serve you. When you don't need it, no one will disturb you.
The kind of behavior of being followed by a large group of people and being surrounded by a retinue is actually inferior.
Chen Xiao followed Xu Ershao into the venue and first went with him to meet his father, the head of the Xu Group.
Xu Ershao's father had known his son's best friend for a long time and was very clear about Chen Xiao's background. The old man was very well-mannered and had no snobbishness. Every time he interacted with Chen Xiao, he showed neither pity nor disdain. His social skills were extremely adept, as if he simply regarded Chen Xiao as a junior.