Chapter 35 Supervising the Young Master’s Studies?

Chapter 35: Overseeing the Young Master's Schoolwork?

Half an hour later, the barbecue began to arrive.

However, the Eldest Young Master and the Third Young Master had not arrived yet.

Everyone looked at the artfully arranged barbecue, smelled the aroma, and were getting a bit hungry.

Cheng Feng looked at the barbecue and thought it didn't seem much different from street vendor barbecue. Perhaps it was simply the freshest food, but it did smell delicious and probably tasted quite good.

Another two minutes passed.

Brother Li couldn't resist looking at Butler Liu:

"Butler Liu, they... they're still not here. Do we eat?"

Butler Liu shook his head: "If you're hungry, you can start eating first."

Brother Li immediately clamped his mouth shut. Who would dare to pick up their chopsticks before the Eldest Young Master and the Third Young Master arrived? That would be asking for trouble.

Five more minutes passed, and the door to the private room was pushed open.

Shang Nanzhou walked in first.

"My brother will be here shortly. He still has some matters to attend to."

Butler Liu was the first to stand up:

"Third Young Master."

Cheng Feng quickly followed suit, and the others almost simultaneously shot up from their seats, greeting in unison:

"Third Young Master."

Shang Nanzhou smiled, walked over, and took the empty seat at the head of the table. "No need to be so formal. Why hasn't anyone started? Everyone, please eat. No need to wait for me and my brother."

Everyone exchanged glances, understanding the underlying meaning, and chimed in:

"We'll wait for the Eldest Young Master, we'll wait for the Eldest Young Master."

No one dared to actually start eating first.

Shang Nanzhou could tell them to start, but they couldn't take his words literally.

If anyone truly started eating before the Eldest Young Master arrived, it would be a major breach of etiquette.

Shang Nanzhou casually picked up a skewer of grilled meat, took a bite, and nodded. "It tastes pretty good. Go ahead and eat."

Everyone looked at each other, and finally, all eyes turned to Butler Liu.

Butler Liu hurriedly said, "Third Young Master, please eat first. We'll wait a bit longer for the Eldest Young Master."

Shang Nanzhou smiled and didn't say anything more.

In fact, he was just being polite by telling them to eat. It didn't mean he truly allowed them to start. They were certainly expected to wait for his brother. He could eat, but as household staff, it wouldn't be proper for them not to wait.

A few more minutes passed, and the private room door was pushed open again. Shang Xu had finally arrived.

Everyone looked over, quickly stood up, and bowed respectfully to Shang Xu.

All eyes turned to him as everyone stood and bowed respectfully.

Cheng Feng stole a glance at Shang Xu.

Today, he was wearing light-colored clothes, which softened his usual sternness, adding a rare touch of gentleness.

Shang Xu walked over and sat down beside Shang Nanzhou. His gaze swept over everyone, and he smiled slightly:

"Please, everyone, sit down. Eat quickly, or it'll get cold and won't taste as good."

Butler Liu waited until Shang Xu had picked up a skewer and taken a bite before daring to reach for one himself.

Seeing Butler Liu start, the others took it as their cue and finally began to eat.

But Cheng Feng couldn't shake off a strange feeling.

It was clearly barbecue, but it was served in a high-end private room. Instead of eating directly from the skewers like ordinary customers, everyone first slid the meat off onto their plates, then used forks to eat it piece by piece.

The barbecue indeed tasted excellent, but the atmosphere felt awkward no matter how he looked at it.

At this point, Butler Liu broke the ice. After a few pleasantries, others gradually joined in, and the atmosphere in the private room warmed up.

Xu Muyao also relaxed considerably. She turned to Cheng Feng with curiosity:

"Cheng Feng, I rarely see you around much. What do you usually do in your room?"

Cheng Feng blinked, about to answer, when Fang Xuran beside him spoke first:

"He's studying."

"Studying? Studying what?" Xu Muyao became even more curious.

Fang Xuran was about to speak but suddenly realized that Cheng Feng probably didn't want others to know he had dropped out. After all, boys are particularly concerned about face. If everyone knew he hadn't finished school, it would be embarrassing. Moreover, even if everyone knew, bringing it up wasn't appropriate. He quickly changed his words:

"Just reading books, learning some knowledge."

Butler Liu looked at Cheng Feng, understanding dawning on him.

They checked backgrounds during recruitment. He knew Cheng Feng's mother was ill, and he likely had neither the money nor the time for school.

Cheng Feng quietly ate his skewers. Since everyone had already answered for him, he wasn't sure what to say for the moment.

Suddenly, he felt several gazes fall upon him. He looked up and met Shang Xu's eyes, his heart tightening instantly.

Every time he made eye contact with the Eldest Young Master, it felt like facing a serious exam, leaving him almost breathless with nervousness.

Shang Nanzhou looked at Cheng Feng, his face still wearing a gentle smile:

"Xiao Feng, since you enjoy studying, how about accompanying my younger brother to school and helping us supervise him?"

Cheng Feng's heart stirred. Wasn't this like a study companion in ancient times?

Butler Liu saw that Cheng Feng seemed not to have realized the Third Young Master was trying to help him and was still sitting there dazed. He quickly reminded him:

"Cheng Feng, the Third Young Master is speaking to you."

Only then did Cheng Feng snap back to reality and immediately stand up:

"Yes, Third Young Master."

Shang Nanzhou smiled, "But, if you want to study with Shao Hao, it's not up to me; it's up to my brother."

He turned to Shang Xu, "Brother, that kid sleeps all day long. How about finding someone to hound him about studying every day, so he can't even try to slack off? What do you think?"

Shang Xu looked at Cheng Feng, his expression indifferent, yet his eyes seemed to see right through people.

"You want to go to school?"

Hearing this, Cheng Feng's heart raced. How did the eldest young master see that?

He opened his mouth, "I... I do."

Shang Xu nodded, "Next Monday, I'll have you take an exam. If all your scores are above passing, I'll let you go to school with Shao Hao. If not..."

Cheng Feng understood. This was the eldest young master giving him a chance. Whether he could seize it depended entirely on himself.

His hands were trembling, not from fear but from excitement. God knows how much he wanted to return to the classroom.

He took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and asked,

"Eldest Young Master, if... if I pass, will I still get paid for supervising the little young master?"

Shang Xu fell silent for a moment, propping his chin as he looked at him,

"Pass the exam first, then we'll talk."

Hearing this, Cheng Feng hesitated. He needed money and wanted to study, but right now, money was more important. Since he didn't get an answer, he was afraid supervising the young master's schooling wouldn't come with a salary, especially since he'd still have to pay his tuition.

Butler Liu was getting impatient on his behalf.

Such a huge opportunity had fallen into this kid's lap, and he was still hesitating?

"Silly boy, hurry up and agree! Supervising the young master's studies is also work; why wouldn't you get paid? The Shang family is a prominent one; they wouldn't skimp on your wages."

Cheng Feng's eyes widened, and he quickly bowed,

"Thank you, Eldest Young Master!"

Shang Nanzhou reminded him with a smile,

"Don't celebrate too soon. You have to pass the exam first. If you don't, there's no way you can study with that kid Shao Hao."

Cheng Feng nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with determination.

Everyone else looked at Cheng Feng with envy.

This kid had really hit the jackpot—he could both take care of the young master for a salary and return to school to study.

Fang Xuran was also smiling. He had known Cheng Feng for about a month and a half and had a rough idea of what kind of kid he was—a particularly hardworking and determined child. Seeing such a young kid unable to attend school and slaving away to make a living was quite saddening. Hearing that he could study again, as an older brother figure, Fang Xuran was genuinely happy for him.

Shang Xu glanced at the others, "If any of you can pass the exam, you can also go to school with Shao Hao."

Everyone quickly shook their heads. They had long since graduated; who would want to go back to middle school to accompany a kid? That would be too absurd.

That night, Cheng Feng was exceptionally happy, and his appetite was surprisingly good. He ate a lot, polishing off more than half the skewers on the table.

After the barbecue, Xu Muyao initially suggested going to a nearby KTV, but remembering that the eldest and third young masters were also present, she didn't dare get too rowdy and swallowed her words.

On the way back, Cheng Feng got into Li's car and couldn't help but ask Butler Liu,

"Butler Liu, generally, what kind of questions will be on the exam?"

Butler Liu shook his head, "I'm not sure about the specifics. The young master is in the second year of middle school, so it's probably based on second-year knowledge."

Cheng Feng's heart sank. He had only completed the first semester of the second year; he hadn't touched the second semester's curriculum at all.

He had originally thought the questions would be very simple, at most first-year material, but it turned out to be directly second-year.

The books the young master read at home were all unfamiliar to him, so he hadn't known which grade the young master was in. He hadn't expected the other to be younger than him but already in the second year of middle school.

Thinking of this, his heart, which had just relaxed, tightened again.