Lin Yuan's worldview was refreshed

Professor Zhang pulled Lin Yuan along, introducing him one by one to his senior brothers and sisters.

Fortunately, his mentor's yard was large enough that even with thirty or forty people present, it didn't feel crowded.

Based on what he heard, today's family banquet wasn't a special occasion, and his mentor didn't hold this gathering every year before the New Year. Instead, he would periodically send out invitations, gathering his available disciples and grand-disciples from near Su Province to chat and catch up.

Because it was a family banquet, the atmosphere on the scene was exceptionally harmonious and lively.

This was quite magical, as Lin Yuan surprisingly didn't feel awkward at all in front of these strangers.

All the senior brothers and sisters were older than him, but as soon as they heard he was the mentor's new student this year, they all treated him like a younger brother.

The kindness and warmth radiating from their eyes momentarily left Lin Yuan at a loss.

After the senior brothers and sisters learned about his experience at Good Group, besides indignation, some offered to use their connections to help him reach a settlement, while others were even more direct, threatening to help him find a lawyer to file a lawsuit. Still others offered to help Lin Yuan get internal referrals to other big companies.

Lin Yuan had never received so much goodwill all at once, to the point where he had to bite the bullet and rack his brains to politely decline each offer.

His clumsy performance made Zhang Yan unable to stop smiling, and in the end, it was Zhang Yan who pulled him aside, effectively rescuing him from the situation.

Everyone present assumed Zhang Yan was Lin Yuan's girlfriend, and naturally, they weren't so tactless as to disturb the two who appeared to be intimately whispering in the corner.

"Senior Brother, you also have times when you're overwhelmed."

"Sigh, these senior brothers and sisters are too enthusiastic. I've never seen anything like this outside."

"Of course. Otherwise, why would it be called a family banquet? The bond between fellow disciples is no joke. Brother, you're really not as good as me at handling social interactions."

Zhang Yan was like this now, usually calling Lin Yuan "Senior Brother," but playfully calling him "Brother" or "Big Brother" at times.

"How did I not notice it before? I thought you were also a simpleton. It feels like you were born knowing all this."

"I don't know either, my dad has been instilling these things in me since I was little. My dad doesn't expect me to be highly successful, after all, I have two older brothers above me. He only requires me to learn one thing, and that is to clearly distinguish my relationships with every kind of person.

Take your current situation, for example. These senior brothers and sisters of yours who can attend the family banquet are definitely the ones your mentor values most from his decades of teaching. You people are naturally in the same circle.

Within such small circles, it's usually very warm.

Often much warmer than between ordinary relatives.

My dad often says: Interacting with old subordinates is much more enjoyable than with siblings, nephews, and nieces."

Lin Yuan listened, feeling completely lost and not quite understanding.

"Your mentor calling you to this kind of occasion means he has formally accepted you as his disciple."

Zhang Yan's words made Lin Yuan jolt.

Lin Yuan had thought about this before: goodwill couldn't come out of nowhere.

Thinking carefully, Professor Zhang's goodwill towards him had actually accumulated layer by layer. From the initial exceptional admission, to his usual teachings and academic support, and then to attending the family banquet today.

"Indeed, there's no such thing as luck in this world."

"What do you mean?" Zhang Yan asked curiously.

"I'm thinking, if I hadn't helped my mentor complete the OCR phishing task, would he still have invited me to the family banquet?"

"Uh, what do you think?"

"I don't think so."

"Then there you have it."

Looking at Zhang Yan's knowing expression, Lin Yuan suddenly realized a problem.

"I seem to have overlooked one more stroke of luck."

"What is it? My dear brother, can't you just say it all at once?"

"You seem to be very clear about the relationship between my mentor and me."

"What do you mean?"

"Little Sister, you're not an idiot."

"Of course, I'm not an idiot."

"Then, then, this scene today, it's very obvious, you should see clearly, I am not your so-called Senior Brother at all."

Since it was Lin Yuan's first time being brought to a family banquet by his mentor, it naturally indicated that Lin Yuan's relationship with his mentor was gradually deepening. And Lin Yuan and Professor Zhang were simply in a teacher-student relationship. If they were a superior-subordinate pair on a secret front, how could he only be attending the family banquet now?

Even if Professor Zhang might be deliberately concealing something, it's impossible that the thirty senior brothers and sisters present were also deliberately acting.

Therefore, Zhang Yan couldn't possibly fail to see through Lin Yuan's identity.

But Zhang Yan had never exposed him.

Zhang Yan looked at Lin Yuan with an innocent expression, "Um, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't change the subject, answer my question."

"Haha, Senior Brother."

"Don't call me Senior Brother."

"Brother, don't you like delicate, silly girls like Xia Ye? So isn't it good if I'm a little silly?"

"But I don't like feigned silliness. When did you find out I wasn't your Senior Brother? Did you realize it from the very beginning?"

"No way, I don't have heavenly eyes. At first, I thought you were part of our team, but later, seeing your evil aura, you just didn't look like it no matter how I looked."

"Nani? I have an evil aura?"

"Think about it," Zhang Yan leaned close to Lin Yuan's ear, "After you saw my case file, your first reaction was to short Good Group's stock to make a fortune, and also, you're always flirting with me..."

"When did I do that?" Lin Yuan vehemently denied.

Zhang Yan looked at him with a mischievous smile, "Are you sure?"

"I really didn't. You were the one who initiated it."

"Then let me help you recall, in all the moments we spent together, those little verbal ambiguities, and those little physical touches, weren't you always receptive? You even admitted in Shanghai that becoming a scumbag was primarily due to your internal factors, and I was merely an external factor. Could it be that you forgot?"

"Alright," Lin Yuan reluctantly conceded, "You continue."

"Then I was curious, you know, our team is very disciplined, how could there be a 'mudslide' like you? So I went and checked your file... Although I'm not sure what the plan is between you and your mentor, I can almost certainly say that you can't be part of our team."

Lin Yuan said in surprise, "Then you knew, and you still played along with me?"

"Because it's fun!" Zhang Yan said excitedly, "For a good girl from a family like mine, where else would I get the chance to legitimately date a high-IQ hooligan? I have to consider my family's influence, you know.

Do you know what forbidden love is?

It's truly thrilling!"

Looking at Zhang Yan's expression, Lin Yuan blurted out, "I suddenly feel like you're... so perverted."

"Sigh, Senior Brother, you don't know that feeling. Being in a cage for so long, wanting to break free, but not having the courage. Then you opened the cage and abducted me, and I followed you to wander the world..."

"Stop. What if I get caught by the authorities one day? Will you just say: 'You were completely forced'? And then I'll be chopped off."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, one day when you get tired of it, you can just say: 'I deliberately pretended to be one of your team members to trick you into a relationship with me.'"

"Uh..." Zhang Yan thought for a moment, "If one day your stock trading, and your entanglement with Xia Ye, come to light, I will definitely pretend not to know."

"What do you mean, 'my entanglement with Xia Ye'? The one I'm entangled with is clearly you."

"That's not important, I just meant it that way."

Lin Yuan savored Zhang Yan's words, "Are you playing innocent? Zhang Yan, you truly are a Little Princess."

Lin Yuan's eyes were opened today, "I swear, you've completely refreshed my worldview today. You've been playing me from beginning to end."