Genius Club

Chapter 59: Chapter 59 Opening

Is Chu Anqing coming too?

Lin Xian felt like gathering for a round of mahjong.

A small celebration, yet it seemed everyone was making their way over.

Traditionally, a gentleman bringing his family to a banquet was the ultimate expression of etiquette, showing deep respect for the occasion.

It wasn’t strange that Chu Shanhe would bring his daughter along.@@novelbin@@

And besides…

Lin Xian was indeed curious: were CC and Chu Anqing, these two girls… really identical, as Zhao Yingjun had claimed?

The answer would naturally be revealed at tomorrow night’s celebration.

Afterward.

Lin Xian left Zhao Yingjun’s office to get back to work.

…

After work in the afternoon.

He went to the usual diner to meet up with Gao Yang.

The other party took off his down jacket, his face full of anticipation as he looked at Lin Xian:

“Really, my good brother! You’re inviting me to dine at Victoria Hall? The buffet there is usually so damn expensive!”

Lin Xian chuckled.

He picked up the red invitation and waved it.

“My good brother—”

Gao Yang grabbed the invitation with a flick of his hand, flipping it open with a grin.

He kept muttering how great it was.

His mouth was almost drooling:

“I’m really curious to see… what sort of delicacies the upper class eats to dare charge such exorbitant prices!”

“By the way, Lin Xian, we’ve both been busy recently, and I haven’t had the chance to ask about your visit to the psychologist…”

Gao Yang stuffed the invitation into his pocket and looked at Lin Xian:

“Did you confirm it afterward? Did you take off the girl’s mask?”

Lin Xian put down his chopsticks.

He nodded:

“Confirmed, Doctor Liu was right, my dream was just a pure fabrication, nothing serious.”

“I haven’t been concerned about it at all. If you hadn’t brought it up today, I would have forgotten about it myself.”

He was lying.

It wasn’t that he intended to deceive Gao Yang.

It’s just…

Now that it had been confirmed the dreams were a real vision of the future, such supernatural phenomena and abilities were unsafe to share widely, unsafe in various senses.

“That’s good to hear, haha, a false alarm!”

Gao Yang picked up his glass, laughed heartily, and clinked glasses with Lin Xian, downing his drink:

“It’s also good you’ve got one less thing to worry about!”

Long time no see.

Both had plenty to catch up on.

And naturally, they weren’t going to just eat and run.

After a full meal and drinks, they went to their usual bar and played for a couple of hours, not getting home until the early morning.

“Another day too late for dreams.”

Lin Xian looked at himself in the mirror, his mouth full of toothpaste foam:

“Tomorrow there’s the celebration, no time for dreams again… But no matter, CC and Big Face Cat can’t run away.”

Since it was Saturday the next day, he could just sleep in until noon and then get ready for the celebration banquet.

…

The next day.

The temperature dropped sharply.

Snowflakes began to fall, growing thicker and dressing the international metropolis in a layer of glistening jade.

December 31, 2022, Saturday.

In the last day of 2022, Donghai City saw a long-missed snowfall.

A rich snow heralds a fruitful year, welcoming the brand new year.

Creak—

Lin Xian pushed open the window that hadn’t been opened for a long time.

He reached out, feeling the cool touch of snowflakes falling on his fingertips.

Those thin snowflakes…

They were like Ice Crystal, slowly melting into water on Lin Xian’s fingertips.

He looked up at the city blanketed in silver:

“It’s snowing.”

Unlike the north, in Donghai City, snow was not a common occurrence, especially a “heavy snow” like today’s.

The so-called heavy snow was only relative to previous years.

In fact, even though it had been falling from morning till dusk without stopping, it only accumulated a thin layer on the ground.

With one step, it turned into grey slush, mixing with the snowmelt beneath, slowly dissolving into the flow of pedestrians and vehicles.

Winter days are short.

By the time Lin Xian had finished getting ready and left around 7 p.m., the sky outside was nearly pitch black.

He arrived at Victoria Hall.

It was much warmer once he went inside.

By Lin Xian’s standards, this hall looked even more luxurious than the one where Chu Shanhe had held his dinner party.

That one had an air of agedness.

But it’s hard to define what makes something feel upscale; perhaps that sense of being old-fashioned is what the upper class deems most noble.

In the middle of the hall, there was a small stage, with buffet tables and chairs similarly arranged along the outer edge, though food and beverages had not yet been served.

If one were to mention the most eye-catching decoration in the hall… it would naturally be the large and small Rhine Cat Dolls placed all around.

Be it on the stairs, in the corners, on the tables, or even at the gift area, there were lots of Rhine Cat Dolls.

Many of them were new models, extra cute.

Lin Xian glanced at his watch.

It was almost 8:30.

Today’s celebration started so late because the date was special—it was the last day of 2022.

The majority of the company’s employees were young people without families.

So, they decided to go ahead and celebrate the New Year here too.

Those who came today were all here for the countdown to midnight; there was no need to have dinner too early.

“Lin Xian, Professor Xu Yun is about to arrive. Come with me to the entrance to welcome him,” Zhao Yingjun called out to Lin Xian as she came out of the inner hall.

Lin Xian nodded and followed Zhao Yingjun’s pace.

As always, she exuded a commanding presence, dressed in a dark red haute couture gown, appearing like a tall wine glass. Her red gem earrings shimmered bright red with every step she took in her high heels.

“How is Professor Xu Yun coming here?”

“He’s taking a cab,” Zhao Yingjun replied with a hint of resignation:

“I had arranged for someone to pick him up, but he didn’t want to make a fuss, especially since there are many media reporters camped outside the school. So, he insisted on taking a cab.”

“Alright, that’s his style.”

The two walked out of the hall and onto the steps, where the temperature dropped sharply.

Two professional attendants immediately opened black umbrellas to shield them from the falling snow.

Zhao Yingjun checked her watch, rubbing her arms:

“He should be here soon. I called him just now and he had already reached the previous intersection.”

She smiled at Lin Xian:

“In Donghai City, aside from Chu Shanhe, you’re probably the only one who can invite Professor Xu Yun to such a banquet.”

“Lin Xian, I don’t know what favor you did for Professor Xu Yun or why he owes you one, but I do need to thank you for helping MX Company through a difficult time.”

Lin Xian shook his head:

“I’m also a member of MX Company, doing this is my duty.”

A taxi appeared from around the corner of the entrance, heading towards the steps. It was probably Professor Xu Yun arriving.

Zhao Yingjun and Lin Xian stepped out from under the umbrella.

Once the taxi stopped, Lin Xian opened the door for Professor Xu:

“Teacher Xu, you’ve arrived.”

Professor Xu Yun chuckled and shook hands with Lin Xian, then with Zhao Yingjun:

“Miss Zhao, thank you for your kind invitation.”

“You’re too polite, Professor Xu,” Zhao Yingjun responded with a polite smile:

“It’s our honor to have you.”

“Please come in, Professor Xu. It’s cold outside; let’s head inside,”

Professor Xu Yun was in a good mood today.

He even dressed up, wearing a sharp suit.

He stamped his feet on the red carpet, shaking off the sludge from his shoes, and proceeded into the banquet hall with Zhao Yingjun.

Lin Xian followed behind, glancing back at the departing taxi and the wheel tracks gradually being filled in by the heavy snow…

He felt something was amiss.

But he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was wrong.

“Lin Xian?”

Turning around, he saw that Zhao Yingjun and Professor Xu Yun were both waiting for him.

“Come inside,” Zhao Yingjun said with a smile, pointing at the cheering and clapping crowd in the hall:

“The banquet…”

“Is about to begin.”