Chapter 2 - Jiang Churan (1/2)

Chapter 2: Jiang Churan

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Suddenly, a loud ringtone wrenched Chen Fan’s mind out of his reverie.

He glanced at the caller ID which read: Mom!

“Is this Fan? Are you almost at Chu Zhou City? Auntie Tang should be waiting for you outside the bus station right now. I told her to find a place for you in Chu Zhou City and help me take care of you while you stay there. Do not blame me for being such a tiger mom and sending you away. You know how low your grades are right now. If you do not work hard, you could not even make it into a good university. So, I had to pull some strings to send you to the best school in the city. You listen to Auntie Tang while you are in Chu Zhou City, you hear me? She was one of my business partners while I worked in Chu Zhou City. Really nice people!”

Hearing his mother’s harsh voice for the first time after hundreds of years sent a warm current through Chen Fan’s body; tears welled at the corner of his eye.

“Mom, I get it. I will study hard, I promise,” despite the tears, he replied with a bright smile.

This was the first time he had heard his mother’s voice ever since she pa.s.sed away five hundred years ago, or a few years later, depending on which time-line Chen Fan looked at.

Mother had always been a distant and fuzzy concept to Chen Fan since they did not have many opportunities to meet each other.

His mother, w.a.n.g Xiaoyun, was the very definition of a willful woman. After having been held up as the object of ridicule by her own family, she had sworn to prove them wrong. In a fit of anger, she took Chen Fan’s sister, An Ya, to the international metropolis of Zhong Hai, and created the Splendor Real Estate Group. By the time Chen Fan went to college, the Splendor Group had grown into one of the largest companies in Zhong Hai, and w.a.n.g Xiaoyun was known as the Queen of Real Estate.

Therefore, Chen Fan could not have remembered much about her, at this point in time in his past life. It was not until she died in a car accident did Chen Fan finally realize how much his mother meant to him.

She had always been the backbone of the family. Chen Fan remembered that his father’s hairs turned gray overnight after her accident. It was as if the tragedy had sucked his father’s soul out of him, rendering him into an empty husk.

“Ah! I almost forgot to tell you. The Tang family has a daughter, and her name is Jiang Churan. Unlike you, she is a straight-A student. Your Auntie is very keen on setting you two up, but I had to warn you that studying is your priority right now!” w.a.n.g Xiaoyun said.

Chen Fan laughed in his mind. What kind of Asian mother would allow her daughter to date in high school?

Chen Fan paused a second and then said, “Mom, do not worry, I will study hard. Promise me that you will pay more attention to your health and safety while you are in Zhong Hai, particularly when you are driving. Is Sister going to get her driver’s license soon? When she does, you better let her drive. I do not trust your driving skills, Mom. Sooner or later you will have an accident! ”

“Okay, okay, since when did you learn to preach to your mother? Anyways, I have to go. I have already wired some money to your account but try not to waste it!” w.a.n.g Xiaoyun hung up the phone.

Chen Fan knew that although his mother was a resourceful and talented businesswoman, she was not the most detailed and meticulous person. Without the help of his sister An Ya, her company would be plagued by minor mishaps and mistakes.

The thought of his sister An Ya brought another bout of pain to his heart.

Aside from Xiao Qiong, his sister and his mother were the two other greatest regrets of in his previous life.

“I owe her a big one, and I don’t even know how to make it up to her.” Chen Fan kept his silence; after all, how could he a.s.sign a value to familial ties.

As Chen Fan was engrossed in his reflection of his past life, the bus arrived at the destination.

Looking at the flood of people pa.s.sing by him at the bus terminal, reality finally hit him. He was back; he was seventeen years old, younger, and better than he ever had been.

“Another life, another story.” Chen Fan cracked a smile, and then he followed the crowd to the exit.

Meanwhile, outside of the Chu Zhou City bus terminal, something had caught the crowd’s attention: an imported red Audi-A6.

This car’s worth was seven hundred thousand yuan in 2007. It was no doubt a rare sight of luxury in the street of Chu Zhou City. However, the car was not what the public was gawking at; it was the two women standing right in front of it.

The older one looked like she was in her thirties; she had a beautiful face and was wearing a black dress tailored to her curves, a formal white s.h.i.+rt, and a pair of high heels. No doubt she was an elite-cla.s.s woman with a white-collar job.

The younger one was no older than 16; she was tall and was as beautiful as the older woman if not more so.

They were Auntie Tang and her daughter, Jiang Churan. Jiang Churan surveyed the exit of the bus terminal with a frown.

“Mom, when will he be here, do you want to call him?” Jiang Churan asked impatiently.

“We have only been waiting for ten minutes.” Auntie Tang refuted.

Chen Fan’s mother had been her best friend in Chu Zhou City, and she could not let her down. w.a.n.g Xiaoyun trusted her, and naturally, she had to do her best to look after the child.

“Chen Fan is a very good child. Be nice to him! You two are going to be schoolmates, so I hope you will get along. This is the first time he’s leaving his county, so he is not familiar with life in the city. You need to take care of him.” Auntie Tang said.

“I know… I know, Mom! This is the thirteenth time you have told me the exact same thing!” Jiang Churan complained.

Because of the stupid country boy, she thought she had to waste her entire afternoon outside of this stupid bus station under the stupid sun. She could have been spending time with her friends at the Starbucks with a cup of pumpkin spice latte in her hand right now; but no, she had to be here and be miserable.

What’s worse; she had noticed the way her mother had mentioned his name to her: she was trying to set her up with that boy. “Well, over my dead body!” Jian Churan thought to herself.

Suddenly, she heard a voice calling out to her mother.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Auntie Tang.” The boy politely greeted her mother with a gentle smile.

“Is this Chen Fan?” Jian Churan quietly regarded the boy from head to toe while standing behind her mother.

He was of average height, 5’7″ if not less, the same height as she was in her flats.