That warning to Xiao Qian was about as much as Chen Fan thought was necessary to alter the fate of Jiang Tanqiu.
He had left the decision to the couple themselves. If Xiao Qian were half as smart as Chen Fan estimated, she would heed his warning and not make the same mistake she did in her past life.
In the afternoon, with many pairs of eyes filled with disbelief, Chen Fan moved into the number one mansion. Even Jiang Tanqiu got relocated to number six mansion.
“How is that possible?”
Having heard the news, Zhao Shen was speechless.
He gave Chu Minhui a sour look and asked, “Are you sure this dude is just a nobody?”
The number one mansion was reserved exclusively as Liu Guodong’s personal accommodation. It had never been used by any guests.
Zhao Shen had planned to fix Chen Fan up later that night; however, the development made him think better of it.
Chu Minhui furrowed his brows as he had never thought this would happen.
Li Yichen was the only person who could keep his calm. “That explains it! No wonder I felt Liu Teng’s tone of voice changed a lot during our lunch. He must know Chen Fan.”
“You mean through The Third Lord Wei?” Chu Minhui asked under his breath.
“That’s the only explanation. Perhaps Third Lord had given our host a heads-up.” Li Yichen walked back and forth in the room with his hands linked behind him.
“I don’t know. Liu Guodong’s wealth and power were on par with The Third Lord Wei. Liu Guodong didn’t have to do it to impress him. Perhaps Chen Fan knew not only the third lord but also the second or the first lord of the Wei as well.”
“The entire Wei family?”
Zhao Shen gasped.
Knowing the Third Lord was one thing while knowing the other two other lords of the Wei family was another.
They were much more reputable and powerful than their younger brother and were the real representatives of the Wei Family. The combined might and reputation of the two lords were nearly unmatched in the Jiang Bei region.
“Shit… I think we should call it quits.” Zhao Shen wavered.
“Don’t be afraid. Let’s investigate more before we made a decision.” Li Yichen nodded.
“Very well.” Chu Minhui paused for a second and then said, “Wei Zipin is coming back from Jinlin City next week. I will talk to him about it.”
“Wei Zipin?” Zhao Shen asked.
Wei Zipin was the most infamous rich brat of the Jiang Bei region. He was so out of control that his father had sent him off to his Uncle in Jin Lin City to be away from his hooligan friends.
“Thank god that Young Lord Wei is finally coming back!” Li Yichen’s eyes lit up with glee.
“I wonder if Sheng Junwen will come back with him; I hope at least Wang Jun will.”
“Wei Zipin, Shen Junwen, Wang Jun?”
Zhao Shen gaped. Those were all powerful young lords of Jiang Bei whose power were no less than Liu Teng.
“It sucks to be Chen Fan. His days are numbered.” Zhao Sheng thought to himself.
“OMG. This mansion is fancier than Chu Minhui’s family residence.” Zhang Yumeng exclaimed jealously.
However, the thought that this was Chen Fan’s accommodation curdled the exclamation into a bitter remark, “Whatever, it’s not like we are in Bali or any world-class resort.”
Xu Rongfei covered her mouth to suppress a giggle.
A smirk surfaced on Xiao Qian’s face; Under the gleam of her eyes was the hidden truth about Chen Fan.
So powerful was Master Chen that even though Jiang Tanqiu was just a friend of his, he had set himself ahead of Li Yichen and Yang Chao by miles. Because of his newfound advantage, he got to move into the mansion as fancy as that of Chu Minhui.
Jiang Churan didn’t join the girls; instead, she carried a cup of green tea and walked to the second floor; there she found Chen Fan sitting in a wicker basket, eyes half closed.
“Can you tell me the truth now?” Jiang Churan sat in a seat across from Chen Fan and asked abruptly.
“Truth about what?” Chen Fan’s voice was almost lazy.
“Everything! When you first came to my house, you told me that your father is just a minor official at the Si Shui County, and your mother owns a small firm in Zhong Hai. Do you still think I will believe it?”
“While in Chu Zhou City, you have moved into the most expensive mansion at the mountain top, while we are here, you still got the best house to yourself.”
“Can you tell me what really is going on? I am not stupid.”
“Why should I tell you everything?” Chen Fan opened his eyes and asked Jiang Churan in a cold voice. “We are barely friends, plus, even if I tell you everything; you are not going to believe me.”
“Try me!” Jiang Churan’s face hardened.
Chen Fan examined the girl’s face and then cracked a smile. “Fine, fine, I will tell you everything.”
“I am Master Chen.”
“I have cured Old Man Wei’s ailment that had bothered him for years.”
“I have defeated Lin Hu from the Hong Sect as well as Xin Zhong from Tianhe.”
“I have made a name for myself, and brought most all the magnates of the Jiang Bei region under my boot.”
“I killed a Yin Dragon in the valley of the Qi Mountain; I make the peony bloom in the middle of the winter at Dong Du City, I…”
He went on to list his achievements and looked into Jiang Churan’s eyes
“That was why the Wei family gave the mansion to me as a gift, and Wei Ziqin, as well as The Third Lord Wei, treated me with so much respect.”
“Are you satisfied with the explanation?”
With every sentence spilled out from Chen Fan’s mouth, Jiang Churan’s face turned pale and colder. By the end, Jiang Churan’s face was as hard and cold as arctic ice.
“Chen Fan!”
No longer able to hold back her anger, she shouted at Chen Fan with an angry glare.
“I have hoped that you would finally stop lying to me, but you disappointed me again!” Jiang Churan rebutted Chen Fan hotly.
“Do you think that The Third Lord Wei and Liu Teng would offer you their favor for free? If I were you, I would be worried as to how I could pay them back! Why do you think Wei Ziqin wanted to be friends with you? Is there any reason other than your fighting skills?”
“You have to be particularly wary of Liu Teng!” She said hotly. She was disappointed that Chen Fan had failed to see the obvious.
“There are countless lives in the hands of the Liu Family already; one more meant nothing to them. What do you think they would do to you when they finally found out that you mean nothing to them?”
Ever since Jiang Churan was a child, her father told her the story of Jin Ke the assassin to make sure she remembered that there was no free lunch in the world.
Two thousand years ago when the great warrior Jin Ke was given the love of his life by the King of Yan, he was so beholden to the King of Yan that he had to follow through his King’s plan to assassinate the King of Qin, even though he knew the mission was doomed.
Jiang Churan was worried that the ancient tale was going to unfold right in front of her eyes. Chen Fan was falling deeper and deeper into the trap laid by the Wei Family to enslave his conscience. When Chen Fan finally realized he was trapped, it would have been too late.
Chen Fan stood before the angry girl; his face was as calm as the windless sea.
He knocked on the coffee table lightly and said: “Jiang Churan, I have already told you don’t judge my actions through your own eyes. You are so beneath me that you will never comprehend my real intentions.”
“Fine, Fine! I will watch you choke on your arrogance!” Jiang Churan walked away angrily.
She planned to give Chen Fan a friendly reminder, however, not only had Chen Fan ignored her warning, but he also flung back at her like a mad dog.
“Master Chen? Only a fool will believe that you are Master Chen!” Jiang Churan thought to herself grudgingly.
After Jiang Churan stormed out of the room, Chen Fan shook his head.
“I have already told you that you won’t believe me even if I tell you the truth. Why do you even bother to waste your energy on me?”
Chen Fan heaved a sigh.
The group spent one more day at the City of Clear Water before they left the resort in a hurry.
Unlike Jiang Churan and Li Yichen who walked out of the resort with a troubled look on their face, Jiang Tanqiu’s face was lit up with joy. He had a blast during his stay.
Even Xiao Qian started to care more about him and told him many times that she was happy with how things were between them.
The final exam came a few days after the group came back. Si Yinxia had once again taken the number one spot by a wide margin with the second best grade. Chen Fan had also finished his first semester with an above average grade.
Chen Fan planned to stay inside for a couple of days before he attended the Tian Sheng Banquet. After that, he would set off for his hometown, Si Shui County.
“I had been reborn for over six months, and I haven’t seen my parents once yet.”
Chen Fan thought.
January 27, 2018, the magnates of the Jiang Bei region gathered together in the same banquet hall.
The Tian Sheng Banquet was finally about to draw back the curtain.