The Game of Life

Jiang Feng returned to his familiar corner with a look of being ostracized on

his face.

Under the lights, there was joy and laughter, while the corner was cold and

quiet.

Jiang Feng looked at Ji Xue, who was similarly isolated in another corner. Emmm, her expression seemed to indicate she was ostracizing everyone else present.

Jiang Feng seldom browsed Weibo, but sitting in a dark corner, isolated with no one to talk to, was really boring. Adding to the boredom, he had trended on Weibo yesterday, so he opened his Weibo app, which had been dormant for a year, and started scrolling through feeds.

Have you studied today: Overestimating oneself = Don’t try to self-learn quantum physics [Sobbing][Sobbing][Sobbing][Picture][Picture]

Below were two photos of draft papers covered in equations.

Feeling pity, Jiang Feng silently liked the post.

He looked at the Weibo trending list, and out of the top ten, three were related to Zhang Guanghang, while the rest were about celebrity scandals and wealthy disputes. Jiang Feng scrolled through and found it boring, then suddenly remembered the blogger “Did you Fourier today?” who wrote fanfiction, and searched for, and clicked on, their page.

Did you Fourier today : My new book “A Prodigal’s Self-Cultivation” is now serializing on a certain Chinese web novel site, and I welcome everyone to read and provide feedback- [Link].

A new book?

Out of curiosity, Jiang Feng searched for it and found that the book was written in the first person: The first sentence read: My name is Nan Zhe, and I am an excellent prodigal son.

First person? Jiang Feng, who had read his share of internet novels like Wang Hao’s goofy stories, considered himself somewhat discerning. Such a messy writing style, rubbish.

Five minutes later.

Jiang Feng was clutching his phone, alternating between stupid giggles and even more foolish laughter, blissfully unaware of the outside world.

“Hello.”

“Hi there,” Jiang Feng looked up to find Zhang Guanghang’s handsome face, stunning from every angle, right before his eyes.

Immediately suppressing his goofy smile, Jiang Feng adopted a serious expression, as if facing a great enemy, held his breath, tightened the corners of his mouth, and tried to exude an air of royalty.

“A few days ago, I added Wu Minqi on WeChat. I wanted to add you as well, but you left too early. Is it okay to add you on WeChat now?” Zhang Guanghang asked.

“No problem,” Jiang Feng did not mention that he had tried to add Zhang Guanghang on WeChat the day before but had not been approved.

“May I sit here?” asked Zhang Guanghang.

“Of course,” Jiang Feng replied, flattered.

Is he… becoming friends with a big shot?!

Zhang Guanghang went to grab a chair and sat next to Jiang Feng. Under everyone’s gaze, Jiang Feng unconsciously sat up straight.

Zhang Guanghang ranked first, and he was second. Zhang Guanghang trended on Weibo, and so did he. The two of them sitting together made perfect sense, right?

No problem!

“You’re very strong,” Zhang Guanghang said.

“Not at all,” Jiang Feng replied hastily. What was strong about him? He was scolded by Sir just like a grandson, though he was indeed Sir’s grandson.

■■I’m not flattering you, you really are strong. In the last competition, the fish sashimi you sliced was thinner than mine, as thin as a cicada’s wing. My knifework is not as good as yours,” Zhang Guanghang said. “That was your first time slicing sashimi, right?”

Jiang Feng nodded.

“No wonder, your knifework is good, but you sliced the wrong part.”

“Did you study it specifically?” Jiang Feng asked curiously.

“I studied under Master Xuecun in Japan for two months last year,” Zhang Guanghang replied.

Jiang Feng was shocked. He had originally thought that Zhang Guanghang was only versed in Chinese and French cuisine, but it turned out he had mastered Japanese as well.

Once the conversation started flowing, it couldn’t be stopped. Zhang Guanghang’s Chinese was excellent, and he even had a grasp of various local dialects. Coupled with his pleasant personality and objective meticulousness, and their shared passion, the conversation quickly turned to a culinary arts exchange.

“I’ve always thought my dad is too much of a stickler for rules, opposed to new dishes…”

As they chatted, Wu Minqi joined the group chat.

The three sat down to form a triangle, Wu Minqi talking about Sichuan cuisine, Zhang Guanghang about French food, and Jiang Feng stirring up the waters, the trio successfully isolating the other smaller groups.

Time always flies when exchanging ideas, and just as they were in the thick of discussion, the staff came to notify all contestants to gather and reiterated the details before the competition.

“The competition is limited to two hours. You’ve all seen the ingredients in advance, and they cannot be changed now. Plus, I believe that after the last live broadcast, everyone has experience now. If you have any sudden health issues or similar emergencies, please notify our staff immediately, and don’t force yourself. In just a moment, please go to the stage to get ready. The competition will start on time at eight o’clock.”

-The host will explain some details about the competition to the audience, and the contestants do not need to pay attention. To ensure the taste of the dishes, once completed, please signal the staff by raising your hand. The one who finishes first will present their dish to the judges, who will score it and announce the results on the spot, until the last one is done or the time is up.”

“Do any of you have any questions?”

No one had questions.

“Alright, please go up to the stage now to prepare. There are twenty minutes

left before the competition starts.”

Immediate scoring and results announcement.

Jiang Feng took a deep breath to calm his nerves; after all, he was someone who had been through great trials and tribulations in his memory, a mere competition didn’t make him nervous at all.

It was just a case of the shakes from muscle tension.

As soon as Jiang Feng got on stage, he saw the Jiang family’s cheering squad in the third row.

Thirteen people, except for Jiang Weiming, who was a bit thin, the other twelve were big and fat, each taking the space of two. Thirteen of them sitting in a row exerted an invisible pressure on the rows before and behind them.

Especially for those in the row behind, who looked so helpless and pitiable. “Little brother, go for it! You definitely have to advance to the finals,” Jiang Junqing and Jiang Junlian shouted from the bottom of their hearts.

Jiang Feng gave them a resolute look.

“Zaide is really something, managing to get so many tickets all at once,” Jiang Jiankang praised.

“No big deal, I accepted a design job for the provincial TV station director’s son’s new house before the New Year. Made a few connections, and it was easy,” Jiang Zaidi said, wearily slumping into a big chair, with a faint smile, hiding his capabilities and achievements.

“Hey, right, San, if Feng gets that whatsit ‘best popularity’ or whatever, Taifeng Building can start up, right?” Jiang Jianguo suddenly got excited, “Then we need to start preparing! For such a big restaurant, inventory, management, kitchen – well need to hire quite a few people, right?”

“It’s still in the air, let’s talk about it when it happens,” Jiang Jiankang said.

“Why not just pay for votes? I see those celebrities on the internet doing it all the time. Dede, you should see if you’ve got any clients who specialize in this sort of thing, get them to help out Feng. And then management, headhunting, and using other channels or contacts in Beiping, look around for clients who can help out; didn’t you take some jobs in Beiping a few years ago? Make an effort to find connections, Taifeng Building is after all part of our Jiang family,” Jiang Jianguo suggested and made a gesture with his mouth when he said the word “pay” but made no sound.

“No problem, I’ll look into it when I get back. But I don’t think that’s reliable, I’ll find someone in media to promote Feng a bit,” Jiang Zaidi felt this was unreliable.

“We need a professional,” Jiang Jianguo said with an air of expertise.

“Zaide, didn’t you take a job last year designing the new teaching building for the first middle school’s junior high section? Do you know any decent teachers you could introduce to me so they can tutor your two cousins, especially in physics and math? The middle school exams are coming, and their grades are still so bad,” Jiang Jianshe said.

“No problem, Hl call and ask as soon as I get back,” Jiang Zaidi assured, the all-purpose Zaide at your service.

“Brother De, preferably a young and handsome male teacher,” Jiang Junlian asked for more.

“That might be difficult, all the good science teachers are bald,” Jiang Zaidi scratched his head and a single stubborn hair fell out.

Aunt Wuhua immediately began scolding Jiang Junlian, “It’s good enough to have a teacher willing to tutor you, and you’re still picking; you child…

While they were immersed in their lively conversation, Jiang Jiankang also began to probe Sir’s intentions.

“Dad, if Feng can come up with the money for the decoration, the rest of us could chip in and help, right?”

“Do as you will,” Jiang Weiguo said, watching Jiang Feng on the field.

Jiang Feng was intently watching the tender hen on the table, so fear-stricken that it didn’t even dare to cry, pondering how to slit its throat swiftly and cleanly once the competition began.

“At least now, he won’t disgrace our Jiang family..”