Chapter 80 Graduation Banquet

Chapter 80: The College Acceptance Banquet

"We met in March when you went to Cangru Temple to offer incense. I remember it clearly; I even gave you a good luck charm."

Yan Zhoubai spoke with perfect clarity, proving he wasn't truly drunk, merely a little tipsy.

Zhan Jiayu suddenly turned and opened the nightstand drawer on his side, pulling something out.

"That's right, I still have it."

Zhan Jiayu opened his palm, and there, nestled within it, was the good luck charm Yan Zhoubai had given him.

Yan Zhoubai bent over Zhan Jiayu's hand, scrutinizing it for a long time. He wasn't nearsighted, yet he leaned in so close, as if he couldn't see it clearly otherwise. His soft breaths tickled lightly against Zhan Jiayu's palm.

After examining it, Yan Zhoubai said nothing, but held up his left wrist in front of Zhan Jiayu. "I'm still wearing the bracelet you gave me too."

His tone carried a hint of pride, and Zhan Jiayu adored seeing him so smug. The pampered young master had no need to concern himself with others' opinions.

"Good. These are the first gifts we've given each other. We should both cherish them."

If there's a first, there will be a second, a third… In any case, there will be plenty more to come.

"Okay."

Yan Zhoubai carefully admired the bracelet on his left wrist again—it was still as beautiful as ever, and he had never taken it off.

"Should we get some sleep now?" Zhan Jiayu asked.

"No."

Yan Zhoubai’s refusal was unexpectedly firm.

"I'm not sleepy. Stay with me and watch cartoons."

"Alright." Zhan Jiayu never refused Yan Zhoubai's requests.

They had only watched about ten minutes of *The Amazing Little Taoist* when Zhan Jiayu noticed Yan Zhoubai had fallen asleep on his shoulder.

He finally understood what Yan Zhoubai meant by *The Amazing Little Taoist*. It was a children’s animated series co-produced by China and Country A ten years ago, about a young Chinese Taoist priest and his adventures with friends in Country A.

After looking it up, he found that the show had been very popular in both China and Country A, highly acclaimed by children. Even today, merchandise related to *The Amazing Little Taoist* occasionally sells for exorbitant prices.

He couldn't be blamed for not knowing—as a child, he had been confined to the training grounds by the old man, fighting with his siblings every day, often returning covered in bruises. He simply had no time to watch cartoons.

The main character, the little Taoist priest, was round-headed and quite adorable, but he bore no resemblance to Yan Zhoubai whatsoever. This little Taoist was clever and cunning, even to the point of being almost unnaturally shrewd.

Perhaps Yan Zhoubai imagined himself to be like this little Taoist.

Zhan Jiayu, however, felt that being too clever wasn’t necessarily a good thing—he understood the saying, "extreme intelligence invites harm."

Seeing Yan Zhoubai already sound asleep on his shoulder, Zhan Jiayu reached out to turn off the bedside lamp and the projector, then drew him close as they drifted off to sleep together.

…

The next day, a fresh piece of gossip spread like wildfire among Beijing's upper circles: Yan Qiran, the true son recently welcomed back by the Yan family, had gotten into a fight with his second uncle at home!

Bad news travels fast. Although the conflict had been stopped, it still managed to leak out. Yan's second uncle suffered only a minor scrape, not even needing a trip to the doctor, while Bu Qiran emerged completely unscathed.

Yet even this minor clash found its way into the rumor mill. Along with it spread the story of how Yan's second uncle had tried to get the Yan Group to bail out his nearly bankrupt company, only to be refused—the very incident that had sparked the conflict.

When Yan Zhoubai returned home the next day, he knew nothing about it. No one had told him until he heard his mother telling Bu Qiran to lay low for a few days. Only after asking about it did he learn what had happened the day before.

Honestly, Yan Zhoubai’s first reaction upon hearing the news was to laugh, but he managed to hold it in.

Bu Qiran and his opportunistic second uncle were cut from the same cloth—neither was any good. In his eyes, their fight was nothing more than a case of "dog-eat-dog."

As for the later mention of his second uncle wanting the Yan Group to invest in his company, Yan Zhoubai understood even less and had no interest in it.

What he was more concerned about was that in a couple of days, he would be able to check his college admission results. Although he was fairly confident about being accepted into Wutong University, he was still excited about it.

No one brought up his staying out overnight. It seemed the commotion caused by his second uncle had truly left everyone preoccupied.

Some said Yan's second uncle was simply trying to freeload, hoping to use the Yan family’s money to fill the money pit left by his failing company and pay off his debts.

Others, however, criticized the Yan family for being heartless, refusing to help a brother in need and even resorting to violence. They claimed that the newly recognized biological son, having grown up outside the family, clearly wasn't properly raised.

This kind of gossip spread widely. Whenever Yan Ren, Bai Rong, or Yan Anxuan met with clients these days, the topic would inevitably come up. Everyone seemed eager to gossip about it. Though harmless, it was undeniably annoying.

So Bai Rong advised Bu Qiran to stay home for a few days to avoid unnecessary trouble. Bu Qiran didn’t argue and simply agreed.

With Bu Qiran staying home, Yan Zhoubai planned to go out—perhaps even set up shop on South Sky Street. He felt that if he stayed home, it was only a matter of time before he and Bu Qiran clashed again.

But the thought of setting up a stall reminded him that the feng shui issue at Zhan Jiayu’s old family home still hadn’t been resolved. He felt the feng shui arrangement was quite unusual and couldn’t be properly explained over the phone. He needed to return to Cangru Temple and discuss it face-to-face with his master.

He called Qin Hemeng to ask but learned that his master had recently entered seclusion again, so he had to put it off. He decided to wait a few more days—he was sure to see his master before the semester started.

Hearing that Yan Zhoubai wasn’t planning to return just yet, Qin Hemeng’s tone turned sulky:

"As expected, Xiao Chuaner is still worldly. Once he experiences the bright lights of the city, he no longer wishes to return to this quiet Cangru Temple. Poor me, thinking Xiao Chuaner was coming back, I even prepared some lotus root starch balls."

Qin Hemeng often spoke in this dramatic manner, and Yan Zhoubai was used to it. Though he sounded sorrowful, it was mostly just him indulging in his acting bug.

But the mention of lotus root starch balls did get to Yan Zhoubai.

Qin Hemeng was an excellent cook. Every summer, he would make lotus root starch balls for everyone—or rather, he prepared seasonal snacks throughout the year. These treats held precious memories of Yan Zhoubai’s three years at Cangru Temple.

"I miss you too, Senior Brother. I’ll definitely return in a little while. If you have time, come visit me in the city—I’ll treat you to a meal," Yan Zhoubai said with a laugh.

"Forget it," Qin Hemeng replied, his tone returning to normal. "I'm not as fortunate as you—I rarely leave the mountain. Besides, your senior brother isn't short on money. No need for you to treat me, though I know you’re a wealthy young master yourself."

Yan Zhoubai had never known much about Qin Hemeng’s family background, though the other senior disciples seemed to have some idea. From the sound of it, Senior Qin’s family was quite well-off.

Thinking about it, Qin Hemeng’s laid-back demeanor sometimes really did resemble that of a leisurely rich second generation.

Some of his casual clothes, which Yan Zhoubai hadn’t recognized before—only thinking they were stylish—now, after being exposed to Bu Qiran’s taste in fashion, he realized Qin Hemeng’s clothes were also quite expensive. So, at the very least, he seemed financially secure.

"Then I’ll visit you when I return, Senior Brother."

Yan Zhoubai didn’t go to set up a stall on South Sky Street, nor did he return to Cangru Temple. Instead, another major event awaited him: the Yan family was hosting another banquet.

Both his and Bu Qiran’s college acceptance letters had arrived, and Yan Ren and Bai Rong wanted to hold a college acceptance celebration for the two of them.

Upon hearing about the banquet, Yan Zhoubai’s first reaction was reluctance. Once again, it involved him and Bu Qiran together. The last time they attended a banquet together, one was the fake young master, the other the true one. This time, one had been admitted to the prestigious Peking University, while the other, despite his efforts, had only gotten into the relatively unknown Wutong University.

Just thinking about it, Yan Zhoubai could already imagine how awkward the situation would be—and the awkwardness wouldn’t be for others, but for himself alone.

But then he reconsidered. He shouldn’t deny himself the celebration just because of this. They had both taken the college entrance exams, and he deserved to celebrate his achievement with pride.

As for anyone who dared to say something unpleasant or compare him with Bu Qiran, he would not hesitate or retreat but instead strike back. He must let everyone know that whoever spoke harshly would become the one who ruined the banquet.

After all, he knew that if it was a college acceptance party, the guests who attended his coming-of-age ceremony would surely be present again. He, Yan Zhoubai, had a proven track record at parties.

This time, the Yan family did not choose to hold the banquet at their family villa but opted for the most luxurious Blumede Hotel in Jing City.

Although recognizing their biological son last time was a joyous occasion, it was complicated by the issue of Yan Zhoubai, the adopted son. To keep things low-key, Yan Ren and Bai Rong held a simple dinner at their villa.

But now, with Yan Zhoubai confirmed to stay in the Yan family and the celebration of both sons' college admissions, Yan Ren and Bai Rong intended to make it a grand event.

Three days before the banquet, Yan Zhoubai was arranged by Bai Rong to try on clothes, together with Bu Qiran.

The formal attire wasn't delivered to their home; instead, they were asked to try everything on at the store, as if she wanted them to try on every single one.

Bai Rong was very particular when it came to details, especially regarding formal wear. No one in the family had a say—everything had to follow her wishes. Unless you wanted to mess up the party, you could try opposing her.

However, what surprised Yan Zhoubai was that his uncle, who had just had an unpleasant conflict with their family two days ago, would also attend their college admission celebration.

Yan Zhoubai heard that they weren’t invited but had invited themselves.

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Author's note: Here we go [Let me take a look].