BANG—

The main door slammed shut. Lin Yi had left.

Lin Dazhi and Liu Hongmei were both completely stunned.

Just then,

Lin Yu finally emerged from his room.

Ever since he found out Lin Yi’s cultivation had reached 1-star,

his attitude toward Lin Yi had changed drastically.

Deep down, he felt a mix of awe and fear.

He was afraid that if Lin Dazhi ever found out about Lin Yi’s cultivation,

he would divert the family’s already scarce resources to Lin Yi instead.

With Lin Yi’s cultivation, his chances of getting into a Martial Arts University were much greater than his own.

And since yesterday, when he’d personally seen Lin Yi sparring with Zhou Qi in the ring at the New Star Martial Arts Hall, 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

the shock to Lin Yu had deepened even further.

He didn’t even know when Lin Yi had started

to become so strong.

Yet, he could have easily told Lin Dazhi.

And showcased his talent.

But he didn’t. Instead, he acted just like he always had.

Lin Yu couldn’t figure out why.

However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Lin Yi was playing some kind of long game.

Therefore, ever since coming back from the Martial Arts Hall yesterday, he had been deliberately avoiding Lin Yi.

He didn’t even dare to face him...

"What in the world is that little brat busy with all day? He runs off in the morning without even eating breakfast, and now he’s not even back for dinner?" Lin Dazhi’s face was flushed with anger.

He had originally planned to take Lin Yi to his workplace today.

He had thought long and hard about that convoy escort job from before.

No matter what, Lin Yi was his own flesh and blood.

And being a convoy escort was indeed very dangerous.

Even though it paid well, you were literally risking your life for money.

Over the past few days, he had found another job for Lin Yi.

Aside from being a little tiring, there was nothing wrong with it. The monthly salary was 3,500 yuan.

In the Old District, that was already considered a very respectable amount.

With this income from Lin Yi, the family’s burden would be lightened.

It would also allow Lin Dazhi to breathe a little easier.

But what happened? Before he could even discuss it with Lin Yi, the boy had already run off?

Liu Hongmei shot him a look. "What other reason could there be? He’s deliberately avoiding you. If you ask me, he doesn’t want to work at all. I’d say his mind is set entirely on getting into a university!"

"Hmph, university? Even if he managed to get in, who’s going to pay his tuition? Who’s going to cover his living expenses?

I certainly can’t afford it, and I don’t have that kind of spare cash to throw at him..."

After Lin Dazhi finished speaking, he turned to look at Lin Yu, who was walking over.

His attitude immediately changed as he said with a smile, "Xiaoyu, you’re awake?"

"Yeah." Lin Yu nodded and sat down on the other side of the sofa.

If this had been before, when Lin Dazhi and Liu Hongmei were here cursing out Lin Yi,

he would have chimed in with a few remarks one way or another.

Even if he wasn’t kicking him while he was down, he certainly wouldn’t have said anything nice.

But today, he chose to ignore it, showing no intention of joining the conversation at all.

Moreover, his gaze was somewhat vacant, and not a trace of a smile could be seen on his face.

He looked completely dispirited.

Liu Hongmei walked over carrying a bowl of medicinal soup. "Son, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

"No."

Lin Yu shook his head, took the medicinal soup, and drank it all in one go.

Seeing Lin Yu still looking sullen,

Liu Hongmei’s eyes filled with worry.

She looked up at Lin Dazhi and shot him a meaningful glance.

Lin Dazhi immediately understood, nodding as he moved closer to Lin Yu with a smile.

Before he could speak, Lin Yu abruptly shot to his feet.

"I’m going back to my room to lie down for a bit. I’ll skip breakfast for now!"

...

「At the breakfast shop.」

The place was packed to the gills, with not an empty seat in sight.

Lin Yi had to share a table with two old men just to sit down and have some breakfast.

He ordered a bowl of wontons and five steamers of buns.

The buns weren’t large; he could finish one in two bites.

However, with his current appetite, all this food would only leave him about fifty or sixty percent full.

To get to eighty percent full, he’d probably need another bowl of wontons and three more steamers of buns.

Staring at the five steamers of buns in front of Lin Yi,

the two old men’s jaws had been hanging open ever since he sat down.

After a long moment, the old man sitting opposite him finally said, "Kids these days have scarily huge appetites. An average family could hardly afford to raise one!"

"What’s it to you whether his family can afford it or not? Is he eating your food? Spending your money? Mind your own business. I’d say this kid practices Martial Arts!"

"Isn’t there an old saying? ’Scholarship for the poor, Martial Arts for the rich’?"

"People who train in martial arts not only have huge appetites, but they also have to consume a lot of supplements!"

"So what? Don’t you have a single grandchild who practices Martial Arts?"

The old man to Lin Yi’s right didn’t pull any punches.

He directly retorted with a few sharp remarks at the old man across from them.

As a result, the targeted old man’s face flushed red. He just gave an awkward laugh.

He didn’t say whether his grandchildren practiced Martial Arts or not.

"Oh, by the way, I heard this morning that they arrested a dozen or so delinquents? Apparently they were riding their bikes in the middle of the night and got rounded up..."

Perhaps trying to ease the awkwardness, the old man across the table quickly changed the subject.

"Yeah, wasn’t that on the morning news? Fifteen of them in total. The oldest was only 21, and the youngest was just 15. I mean, honestly, couldn’t these kids find something better to do? Why do they have to cause trouble like this!"

"It’s good they were caught. It’s not safe outside these days, with demonic beasts appearing more and more frequently. Those kids really don’t know their own limits, daring to wander around in the middle of the night. A good lesson is what they need after being caught..."

The two old men chatted on.

Meanwhile, Lin Yi, who was focused on his meal, frowned slightly.

’Delinquents?’

’Riding bikes late at night?’

This subconsciously reminded him of the scene he had witnessed last night in the Old Town District.

Chu Zhengxiong, wearing a pink helmet, was tearing down the street at the front.

Behind him followed a dozen or so heavy motorcycles, ridden by young delinquents.

’Could they be talking about them?’

However, the only person capable of pulling something like this off—rounding up a dozen delinquents and handing them over to the Martial Arts Police Station—had to be Chu Zhengxiong.

Lin Yi chuckled to himself and went back to eating his breakfast.

After he had finished the bowl of wontons and all five steamers of buns,

Lin Yi wiped his mouth and glanced at the two old men.

Looking especially at the one across from him, he said with a smile, "Sirs, take your time. I’m heading out now!"

With that, Lin Yi walked out of the breakfast shop.

Immediately, the voice of the other old man carried from behind him.

"Did you hear that? The young man said goodbye to you! Honestly, for someone your age, how can you not have a filter on that mouth of yours?"

"Making a fool of yourself, aren’t you? Honestly..."

The old man across the table was chided for a few more moments.

He just laughed awkwardly and didn’t say anything else.

In reality, Lin Yi didn’t harbor any ill will. The old man had just been talking off the cuff.

There was no real malice behind it, so naturally, he didn’t take it to heart.