Chapter 446: Chapter 446

Huo Feng cast a disdainful and disgusted look at Huo Hai, "Did everyone say so?"

What he implied... could it be that all his colleagues thought of him, Huo Feng, as academically poor?

With a cough, Huo Hai’s face showed embarrassment, "Only some."

Huo Feng narrowed his eyes, his tone skeptical, "A majority or a minority? Grandpa, is it appropriate for you to slander me ?"

Huo Hai had wanted to say ’it’s because you’re no good and you’ve lost face for me’ but right now, Huo Feng’s report card with him first in his class was in Huo Hai’s pocket.

With that in his possession, Huo Hai could no longer belittle and look down on Huo Feng like before.

So, Huo Hai guiltily raised one eyebrow, "A minority. I’m not a gossip, spreading the word that your grades are bad, what’s in it for me? I’d be the one embarrassed!"

Huo Feng snorted, "It better be a minority! If you’ve told every one of your colleagues, I’ll have no face to meet the guests!"

Huo Hai: "..." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝓷𝓮𝓽

Huo Hai thought to himself: This kid is probably going to explode later!

In the meantime, Huo Feng, having believed his cattiness, scurried back to the hotel’s front lobby to greet the guests.

Looking at the boy’s naive retreating figure, Huo Hai felt guilty, nervous, and anxious!

As a result, Huo Hai made a call to Huo Mingshan, who was greeting guests in the banquet hall on the second floor...

Huo Mingshan answered promptly, "Hello, Dad?"

In an irresponsible tone, Huo Hai said, "If there’s nothing going on with you, come down and help your son greet the guests."

Huo Mingshan was taken aback for a moment, looking around the entrance of the banquet hall upstairs, "Dad, I haven’t even finished settling the guests here."

Huo Hai frowned, "Then don’t settle them, I’ll do it, you come down and accompany your son! Hurry, go!"

Holding the phone, Huo Mingshan, puzzled, walked towards the staircase, "Dad, is this appropriate? If you take over halfway, do you know which guest sits at which table?"

"There’s nothing inappropriate about it. I invited the guests, how could I not know them!"

Huo Hai retorted, and at the same time, he glanced back at Huo Feng, who was greeting guests at the hotel’s main door. The guilt made his steps falter, as if trying to escape, "Move, move, switch places. Your son can’t hold up any longer!"

Huo Mingshan was even more confused.

And so, amidst utter bewilderment, Huo Mingshan was firmly swapped from the banquet hall on the second floor to accompany Huo Feng on the first floor...

It wasn’t until after he reached the first floor that Huo Mingshan belatedly understood what ’your son can’t hold up any longer’ meant...

For Huo Mingshan had stood beside Huo Feng for a while, together greeting three of Huo Hai’s old colleagues.

Nearly every single old colleague!

They earnestly told Huo Feng, "Kid, you’re so handsome, but it’s all wasted if you don’t study! Study hard, make the elders worry less!"

After enduring five elders who said the same thing in quick succession, Huo Feng’s face... cracked!

Feeling awkward, Huo Mingshan stood aside, tugging at his wine-red checkered tie, "It’s quite hot today, isn’t it stuffy for you?"

Huo Feng, with a darkened face, responded with a steady tone, "Father, haven’t you noticed that I’m on fire?"

Huo Mingshan glanced sideways at Huo Feng, his face full of embarrassed perspiration, "Uh... how about you go back up to the second floor? You can leave this to me."

Huo Feng refused, gritting his teeth, "I want to see with my own eyes what insane things you and your father have done!"

Huo Mingshan: "Look at you... so petty... Tsk..."

After saying this, Huo Mingshan was subjected to a deeply disgusted glare from Huo Feng, "Ugh... Let’s greet the guests, greet the guests... hmm, greet the guests..."

Huo Mingshan was actually feeling pressure, oppression, from his own son!

Did he do too many guilty deeds?

When the birthday party officially started, Huo Feng’s mood had plummeted to rock bottom.

After greeting all the visitors, the father and son returned to the banquet hall. After taking their seats, Huo Feng’s scowl was so visible that it was clear to anyone with eyes!

Thankfully, the elders including Huo Hai and Huo Mingshan sat at one table, and Huo Feng sat at the kids’ table by virtue of being a youngster, thus avoiding a battle...

At Huo Feng’s table sat his significantly younger siblings and their parents, as well as Chen Zeqing’s unlikable granddaughter, Chen Chaonan.

And coincidentally, or perhaps not, Chen Chaonan was seated right next to Huo Feng.

Strictly speaking, when Huo Feng came to this table, there was just one seat left for him. So he had no choice but to sit down!

The banquet had already started, and Chen Chaonan, sitting next to Huo Feng, saw him just sitting there without moving his chopsticks, quietly scolded him, "What’s up with you? Why the long face? Did you bomb the tests again?"

Huo Feng raised an eyebrow and glanced at her sideways, "None of your business, ’someone else’s child.’"

Chen Chaonan had a nickname around Huo Feng, ’someone else’s child.’

Because, ever since they were young, she had been the ’someone else’s child’ whom Huo Hai often mentioned as starting off with similar grades to Huo Feng’s but later outperforming him.

Chen Chaonan, giving such a name to a girl, implicitly meant they hoped she would surpass the boys.

Therefore, Huo Feng hadn’t liked her for all these years—everything from her name to her as a person!

"Hey, I’m here to celebrate today, and as the person of honor, you should speak more politely!" Chen Chaonan pointed a finger at Huo Feng in warning.

Huo Feng snorted and pulled a disdainful smile, "Please. You and your grandfather, entering the hotel and pointing at me saying, ’Kid, study hard!’ Psh!"

Chen Zeqing and Chen Chaonan had just been walking into the hotel with him at the entrance.

Huo Feng had been all smiles, politely greeting the two of them, only to end up getting lectured.

That grudge, Huo Feng filed away deep in his memory!

Chen Chaonan paused for a moment, then honestly replied, "My grandfather didn’t say anything wrong. Students are supposed to study hard, right?"

Huo Feng’s brows knitted together sharply, "Get lost, go eat your food!"

Chen Chaonan pursed her lips and mumbled to herself, "You just can’t handle the truth. My grandfather means well for you."

As she spoke, Chen Chaonan picked up her chopsticks and continued to serve herself food.

Huo Feng followed suit, sitting up straight and opening a bottle of Wanglaoji Herbal Tea that was by his hand.

"Open one for me too." Chen Chaonan handed her bottle of Wanglaoji Herbal Tea to Huo Feng.

Huo Feng gave her a glance, about to refuse, but Chen Chaonan opened her fingers and said, "I just cut my nails, it’s hard to open."

Huo Feng took a deep breath and thought better of it, deciding not to lower himself to her level after all. She was a guest, after all.

So, as a favor, he opened her bottle of Wanglaoji Herbal Tea.

"Hey, this fish cake is really good."

Chen Chaonan deliberately struck up a conversation, pointing with her chopsticks to a dish on the table, "Try the fish cake, it’s tasty."

Huo Feng picked up his chopsticks and, to give her some face, grabbed a fish cake and put it in his bowl.

Chen Chaonan’s lips curled into a smile, "It looks like you have your proficiency exams coming up, right? Let me tell you, so far I’ve got all A’s in my 6 proficiency exams, and you need to work hard too."

This kind of unbearable boasting!

Huo Feng’s mouth twitched, and he forced a smile, "Don’t worry, even if my grades are bad, I still have you beat."

Chen Chaonan turned up her nose and picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks, putting it in her bowl, "You’ve always loved to brag since you were little. I’ve never seen you with good grades."

Huo Feng glared at her, visibly annoyed.

"Let me tell you, high school is not as easy as junior high. If you didn’t study the past two years, trying to surge ahead in the last year will be very difficult!"

Chen Chaonan, while chewing on a piece of chicken, lectured Huo Feng gravely, "And the college entrance exam is so much more important than the high school entrance exam. The college entrance exam determines whether you go to a top university or a lesser one. I’m telling you, don’t just go to any lesser university. A diploma from a lesser university isn’t very useful. It’s better to take a gap year and retake the exam!"

Huo Feng scoffed with a laugh, "Who said I’m going to a lesser university? Do I, Huo Feng, look like someone who would attend a lesser university?"

Chen Chaonan finished a piece of chicken, wiped her mouth with a wet napkin, and said, "What I’m saying is, you’re only in your first year of high school. Better start working hard. And those proficiency exams are important too, so start preparing. I got an A in all 6 exams, so even you can’t afford to fail them, right? Otherwise, my grandfather will laugh at you again next year."

"Hey, bossy! Mind your own business!"

Huo Feng tapped his finger on the table, "Is getting all A’s something to be proud of? My girlfriend was the city’s top scorer in her middle school exams and she doesn’t show off as much as you do! Have I flaunted the fact that I’m aiming for Tsinghua? Did I mention once that I came first in our class this time? Can’t you be a bit more low-key? Do you even know how to spell ’low-key’?"

Huo Feng finally caught her in her boasting ways and managed to turn the tables on her.

Acting so nonchalantly arrogant for once felt quite satisfying!

Chen Chaonan was stunned.

After a long moment, Chen Chaonan stared at Huo Feng and asked, "You have a girlfriend?"