C4 Birthday Banquet

By tomorrow evening before 7, Lin Hu needs to figure out where to pick up and how to contact Chen Ping. This is a test for Lin Hu. If he can't handle something this simple, he doesn't deserve to be at the beck and call of someone as powerful as the Immortal. Someone of the Immortal's stature needs capable people, not useless ones.

...

Leaving the Misty Mountain, Chen Ping walked down the familiar yet strangely different streets, feeling a rush of mixed emotions. Not only has he returned to the past, but he's also just a step away from reaching a new level of mastery. In this city, he finally has some means to protect himself.

Just then, his phone rang. Chen Ping pulled it out and answered. On the other end was the voice of Lee Jiayao.

"Chen Ping, it's my birthday tomorrow. Can you come to my party?"

Lee Jiayao was Chen Ping's high school classmate and a close friend of Wu Xiaojuan. Sadly, in his previous life, Lee Jiayao was in a car accident three days later, which left her blind. Even so, when she learned that Chen Ping was imprisoned, she rushed out of the hospital to gather evidence to help him. After his release, she discovered the truth and broke ties with Wu Xiaojuan because of it. Tragically, she passed away young, leaving Chen Ping with nine thousand years of regret.

"Chen Ping!" Lee Jiayao's voice called out again through the phone.

Chen Ping snapped back to reality and quickly said, "Send me the address. I'll be there on time tomorrow!"

After hanging up, Chen Ping's eyes grew thoughtful as he muttered to himself, "In my previous life, after Jiayao's car accident, all the nearby surveillance cameras were mysteriously broken, with no records at all. Something was definitely off! This time around, since I'm back, I won't let anyone bully Jiayao!"

"But for now, I need to prepare something for Jiayao's birthday party. I can't just show up empty-handed, can I?"

Without wasting time, Chen Ping found a market and bought some yellow paper and cinnabar. Back at his rented place off-campus, he used three drops of his own blood to draw a protective charm.

Ten minutes later, the charm was complete! It was a talisman for safety, drawn with Chen Ping's own blood, capable of protecting someone in critical moments. This was Chen Ping's birthday gift for Lee Jiayao.

The next day at 3 PM, Lee Jiayao called again to remind Chen Ping not to forget. He chuckled—how could he possibly forget?

Inside a café, Chen Ping walked in and immediately spotted Lee Jiayao. She was tall, with a sweet smile and pure, untainted eyes. Beside her was another girl, petite and adorable.

The two people were the center of attention in the entire café. Many patrons sipped their coffee while sneaking glances at them. The petite girl, in particular, drew attention with her designer clothes, shoes, and the bag slung over her shoulder. Her outfit was worth at least ten grand.

"Chen Ping! You made it!" Lee Jiayao had been keeping an eye out for Chen Ping. As soon as she saw him enter, she stood up excitedly and waved him over.

Chen Ping was dressed in bargain-bin clothes, his entire outfit worth less than ten bucks, a stark contrast to the two stylish women. As he walked over, the whole café seemed to collectively sigh in envy.

"Here I am!" Chen Ping said with a smile. After nine long years, he finally saw Lee Jiayao again. Even though he had given up immense power, this moment made it all worthwhile.

"You're Chen Ping?" the girl next to Lee Jiayao spoke up, eyeing him with a hint of disdain. Chen Ping recognized her as Song Qingqing, Jiayao's college friend. She was a decent person, though she had a sharp tongue that could sometimes be infuriating.

"You're the Chen Ping our Jiayao talks about all the time?" Song Qingqing said disapprovingly. "Do you know how many suitors Jiayao has turned down for you? Even the son of our city’s deputy mayor was rejected!"

"You think you can match up to our Jiayao dressed in rags? Here's a mirror, take a good look at yourself!"

"Qingqing!"

Lee Jiayao pinched Song Qingqing, giving her a reproachful look. "Chen Ping has a girlfriend! Don't say things like that!"

Song Qingqing was still dissatisfied, showing a hint of disdain, but she didn't say anything more.

"By the way, Chen Ping, why didn't Wu Xiaojuan come with you?" Lee Jiayao asked, looking at Chen Ping with some confusion.

She liked Chen Ping, and he knew it, but he ended up with Wu Xiaojuan. Since Xiaojuan was her best friend, all she could do was sincerely wish them well.

"The relationship fell apart. We broke up," Chen Ping said nonchalantly. "Oh, did you invite her to your birthday party?"

A flicker of confusion crossed Lee Jiayao's eyes, but before she could respond, a group of well-dressed young men and women walked in.

Chen Ping seemed to sense something, turned around, and immediately recognized them as mostly high school classmates of his and Lee Jiayao's. Among them was Wu Xiaojuan, along with their class president, Wang Cheng.

"Chen Ping! What are you doing here?"

Wu Xiaojuan noticed Chen Ping and quickly walked over, her expression unfriendly. "What makes you think you can come to Jiayao's birthday party?"

"Look at you, dressed in rags for Jiayao's birthday. Anyone who sees you might think you're a beggar!"

Yesterday, the hotel surveillance footage was reviewed, and she was utterly embarrassed. Her classmates gave her looks as if she were some kind of schemer. Even now, a day later, she still felt humiliated. The story had already spread around school, and many were secretly mocking her. And the one responsible for all this was Chen Ping!

Seeing Chen Ping now, she was naturally furious! Yet, for some reason, she hadn't dared to confront him directly yesterday.

"It's not your birthday, so why are you so worked up?" Chen Ping replied coldly, his expression unchanged. "Don't worry, even if you invited me to your birthday, I wouldn't go!"

Wu Xiaojuan's face flushed with anger, just as she was about to retort, Wang Cheng stepped in, stopping her. He turned to Chen Ping with a sly grin and said casually, "Chen Ping! You've changed a lot these past couple of days, so much that I almost don't recognize you. But you won't beat me!"

"When all this blows over, I'll take my time dealing with you!"

Standing nearby, Xiaojuan quickly realized the situation. Rumors had been swirling around the school about her and Wang Cheng's plot against Chen Ping. Making a move against him now would only draw more attention.

With a cold smirk, she said haughtily, "Chen Ping, I'll let you off for now. But soon, I'll have you on your knees, begging for mercy!"

Chen Ping's expression remained unchanged as he replied with a calm smile, "I'm looking forward to it. Just hope it's not you who ends up kneeling before me."

Finally, Chen Ping turned his gaze to Wang Cheng and remarked with a grin, "In this town, your Wang family is considered a third-rate household. Do you think they'd sacrifice you to protect the family name and calm my anger?"