Chapter 68: Really Knelt Down

Young Master Ji was sent staggering by his grandfather’s slap, his mind completely blank.

Until this moment, he still could not comprehend everything that was happening right before his eyes.

"Kneel!" Old Master Ji barked with another furious roar.

Startled into a violent tremor, Young Master Ji collapsed to his knees with a heavy thud.

"Young Master Ji... actually knelt?!"

This unbelievable sight dealt yet another shock to everyone present.

Class Monitor Dong Jian was dumbfounded!
Lu Chuxue was dumbfounded!
All the classmates were dumbfounded as well!

Those who had previously assumed Ye Feng was done for would never have dreamed in a million years that it would end with Young Master Ji kneeling!

This was utterly absurd!

"You unfilial wretch! Do you not even know that the honored guest we are banqueting today is none other than Mr. Ye?!"

Old Master Ji reprimanded him with a heart-wrenching expression. "And yet you dared to lay a hand on the people around Mr. Ye? You must have truly blinded your dog eyes!"

With that, Old Master Ji delivered a heavy kick to his grandson, sending him crashing to the floor.

Naturally, Old Master Ji said this partly to explain the situation to Ye Feng and find a way to excuse his grandson.

The Ji family had originally meant well by arranging a few attractive women to keep company, only for this trivial matter to be completely botched by his grandson—who had gone and targeted someone close to Ye Feng. This was disastrous!

It was a textbook case of trying to suck up, only to end up kicking a horse's leg and reaping the bitter consequences.

Yet the moment Old Master Ji uttered those words, everyone present was once again deeply shocked.

"So today, the gathering of the five major families and their honored guest... was actually for Ye Feng?!"

Su Shan could not help but experience a moment of sudden realization. She had been wondering earlier how Ye Feng managed to find his way here.

Because she had mentioned the class reunion to Ye Feng last night and he had explicitly refused, Su Shan had not given him the specific location.

Yet the moment she arrived today, she ran into Ye Feng, leading her to assume that some other classmate must have notified him.

As it turned out, the occasion Ye Feng was truly attending was this grand banquet hosted by the five major families!

At that moment, even Young Master Ji was dumbfounded and stunned with disbelief.

Only then did he realize what a colossal disaster he had courted. No wonder his grandfather was in such a towering rage and had even resorted to striking him.

In truth, if it were an ordinary guest, even a minor misunderstanding could be settled with three rounds of apologetic drinks and a shared laugh. It certainly wouldn't have required kneeling and kowtowing; after all, the Ji family still valued their pride.

However, Ye Feng was different.

Though nominally guests and hosts, the dynamic was closer to that of masters and servants!

Just the mere thought that Ye Feng had branded the concept of an "undying purgatory" into the minds of the top brass of all five major families was terrifying enough to induce panic.

Old Master Ji was terrified that if his own family offended Ye Feng and incurred corresponding punishments, they would be subjected to endless torment day and night—would that not literally cost him his old life?

Realizing this as well, the surrounding onlookers felt a surge of shock: Just what level of guest was Ye Feng, to actually demand that Young Master Ji kneel and apologize?

What on earth was going on?

The crowd could scarcely fathom why the head of the Ji family would lower himself to such a humble degree out of fear toward a young man.

"Mr. Ye... it was all my fault!"
"I truly didn't recognize you..."

Sweating profusely, Young Master Ji stammered as he began to explain.

"But I told you!" Ye Feng's voice rang out coldly. "I told your Ji family not to act on your own accord; I have no need for anyone to keep me company and pour drinks!"

Hearing this, Young Master Ji shuddered all over. At the time, he could never have made that connection, dismissing Ye Feng's words as mere boasting.

Who could have known that Ye Feng was actually the mysterious bigwig hosted by the five major families?

His grandfather and father had repeatedly warned him that the consequences of offending this personage were unimaginable!

Yet, true to Murphy's Law, the very first task entrusted to him had been completely botched!

"I deserve to die! I deserve to die!"

Overcome by terror, Young Master Ji began slapping his own face to demonstrate his sincerity.

"It was all my fault!"
"I beg Mr. Ye to spare my anger and let me go..."

Ye Feng continued, "Had I chosen to bicker with someone of your caliber, you would already be a corpse!"

"I am cutting off one of your hands—do you accept this judgment?!"

"I accept! I accept!" Young Master Ji nodded hurriedly. "I brought this upon myself; I asked for it!"

With a wave of his hand, Ye Feng dismissed him. "Get lost!"

Startled and overjoyed, Young Master Ji stammered, "Thank you, Mr. Ye... Thank you, Mr. Ye..."

With that, Young Master Ji fled the scene in a hurry, exhaling a massive sigh of relief as he realized his entire body was drenched in cold sweat.

Seeing his grandson finally escape unscathed, Old Master Ji also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Ye Feng’s next sentence nearly frightened him into fainting all over again.

"Class monitor, did you just say you were going to arrange for me to work here as a security guard?" Ye Feng asked with an ambiguous smile. "Since the head of the Ji family is right here, why don't you ask him if he dares to employ me?"

Hearing this, Class Monitor Dong Jian was completely bewildered.
Old Master Ji was even more thoroughly dazed.

Have Mr. Ye... work here as a security guard?
Which goddamn moron came up with this brilliant idea?
Did they want to get the Ji family killed?!

"Ye..." Class Monitor Dong Jian had no idea how to face Ye Feng anymore, hesitating over what title to use for a long time. "Mr. Ye... I... I didn't mean..."

Ye Feng smiled, too lazy to bicker with him further, and stood up to leave.

"Mr. Ye, the banquet is all prepared, we've just been waiting for you to take your seat!" Old Master Ji hurried forward to bow and welcome him.

"Hmm!" Ye Feng nodded, and finally addressed the rest of the classmates. "We were all classmates once, and I came today simply to catch up with everyone. You all continue with your gathering, please excuse me."

Hearing this, the expressions of the classmates were complex and mixed with a myriad of emotions.
Awe, shame, and regret—none of them were absent.

None of them had expected that the brief time they had just spent sharing with Ye Feng was so precious, yet every single one of them had squandered what was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Ye Feng turned to Su Shan and said, "Come dine with me over there."

"Okay!" Without overthinking it, Su Shan immediately stood up and left the table in company with Ye Feng.

At this sight, a blazing fire of anger ignited within Lu Chuxue’s eyes.

Hesitating for a few seconds just as the two were about to exit the private room, she immediately hurried after them.

"Shanshan!" Lu Chuxue called out with a flattering smile, pressing close to her. "Take me with you, too."

Lacking the courage to appeal directly to Ye Feng, she shifted her target to the more approachable Su Shan, hoping to use this opportunity to squeeze her way into that inner circle.

To achieve this, she was willing to sacrifice a few things—such as her dignity, and her body.

Before Su Shan could reply, Ye Feng stepped in ahead of her, sparing her any polite pretenses.

"I told you earlier, don't waste your effort! Even if you went over there, you'd just be thrown right back out!"

"I only invited Su Shan alone, so don't flatter yourself by imagining you're included!"

The moment Ye Feng finished speaking, Old Master Ji immediately shot a glance at the security guards standing nearby.

Within a couple of moves, the guards shoved Lu Chuxue right back into the private room.

"You—!" Lu Chuxue was consumed with humiliation and rage.

Despite racking her brains and pulling every trick to squeeze her way in, she had been denied the chance. Meanwhile, Su Shan, who hadn't even wanted to go, ended up being the one invited.

Soon, Ye Feng and Su Shan arrived at an even more spacious and luxurious private dining suite on the other side.

No sooner had they taken their seats than Old Master Ji, before he even had a chance to speak, was summoned outside by a servant who reported an urgent matter.

"What?!"

Stepping out of the private room, Old Master Ji listened to the servant's report and his expression froze in utter shock.

"How on earth did you people manage to invite that祖宗 (ancestor/formidable matriarch) here?!"